Lisa’s Scholarship to the USA
Lisa Reynalds one of our Qualified Teachers of Vision Impairment was awarded the prestigious Walter Hines Page Scholarship by the English-Speaking Union, one of only two scholarships offered UK-wide. This scholarship enabled UK teaching professionals to travel to America to research an oracy or communication project of their choosing, which also helped inform our own work in this field.
Lisa visited the Washington State School for the Blind for two weeks in October 2025. Her visit was facilitated by Yue Ting Siu, the Northwest Centre for Assistive Technology Training (CATT-NW) Coordinator at the school. During her visit, Lisa focused on their program of assistive technology training for teachers of blind and low vision children, utilising a "train the trainer" model. On her return, she then considered how this model could be applied across Wales.
Technology was one of the key outcome areas of the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI). This scholarship presented a unique opportunity for Lisa to gain valuable insights and knowledge that could be used to enhance the support and education provided to children and young people with vision impairment across Wales.
You can see what Lisa got up to here - Lisa’s California scholarship trip(opens in new tab).
Arts Award Experience
In December 2022 our vision impaired learners had the chance to receive an Arts Award accredited by Trinity College London. The Arts Award Experience celebrates creativity and personal achievement in the arts. Our learners were supported by SenCom staff and UCAN productions to explore, create and share their artistic talents while building confidence and essential skills.
The award was presented by Tracy Pead, the Regional ALN Transformation Lead for Welsh Government.
Earning a VICTA UK Nature Award
Despite the warm weather, a group of our visually impaired learners continued working towards their VICTA UK Nature Award badges with the support of Deb. Through a range of nature-based activities, learners explored their surroundings, developed new skills and completed challenges to earn their badges. Using shaded outdoor spaces, the group enjoyed listening, discovering and connecting with nature while making excellent progress towards their award.
The learners’ enthusiasm, determination and teamwork were wonderful to see throughout the activities, and everyone should be extremely proud of their achievements. Well done to all involved!
