New teaching resource opens students’ eyes to avoidable blindness

Back row – Hazel Dickie. Second row – left to right: Zoe Ellis, Maggie Hewitt, Rachelle Hall. Third row – left to right: Alicia Mark, Nicole Drake, Melissa Cheung.

School students throughout NZ now have the chance to learn about avoidable blindness and how they can take action to help eradicate the condition which affects more than 30 million people around the world.

Kate Lambert, who teaches social studies at Auckland’s Diocesan School for Girls, has developed a free teaching resource kit with The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ that all teachers can access and adapt for use in primary, intermediate and secondary classrooms.

Ms Lambert says she was inspired to develop the concept outline and supporting materials for the kit after finding out how widespread avoidable blindness is, particularly in some of NZ’s neighbouring Pacific countries.

“The kit gives students a way to take part in some meaningful social action, rather than just learning about other people’s challenges,” says Ms Lambert, who is the teacher in charge of year seven to 10 Social Studies students at Diocesan and secretary of the Auckland Social Studies Association.

“On a personal level, I also felt good about doing something that is not only meaningful to NZ students’ learning, but can also make a significant difference to the lives of people in our own backyard.”

Of more than 45 million blind people worldwide, 90 per cent live in developing countries. Although roughly three out of four blind people can be treated for their condition, which is caused usually by cataracts but also by the simple need for glasses, most remain blind for life.

Surgery under local anaesthetic to correct cataract blindness takes about 20 minutes and costs as little as $25 in some countries. In the Pacific region alone, 80,000 people are needlessly blind and another 240,000 have low vision.

The resource kit contains a range of activities and materials that consider the medical, environmental and social factors that contribute to avoidable blindness. It looks at countries around the world where avoidable blindness is endemic, and focuses specifically on the Pacific region and the work of The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ.

NZer Fred Hollows was a passionate eye surgeon and outspoken campaigner for social justice who became known for his work in restoring eyesight for people in developing countries. It is estimated that more than one million people can see today because of initiatives instigated by Mr Hollows, who died in 1993.

The resource kit materials include cataract masks which students can wear to find out first hand how severely cataracts affect vision.

Activities include “Make a spectacle of yourself” fund-raising days which students can organise to take personal action.

Although the resource kit is primarily a social studies resource aimed at years six to 10, it can be adapted to suit all school levels and has cross-curricular opportunities with subjects such as Health and Science.

“I’d recommend this resource to any Social Studies teacher as it is flexible and designed for teachers to pick and choose the materials and activities that would be suitable for their class,” says Ms Lambert.

“The resource pack allows students to investigate an important issue that affects people in our geographic neighbourhood, and involves communities’ central to NZ’s multi-cultural identity,” she says.

“Most importantly, it provides an opportunity for students to contribute to, and participate in, meaningful social action.”

The resource, which is called “New Zealanders addressing Humanitarian issues in our backyard through the Social Inquiry framework”, can be downloaded free from The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ website www.hollows.org.nz

Schools can also buy a resource pack for $20 which includes a CD of all the resources, DVDs, cataract masks and a sample cataract replacement intraocular lens.