Nikeri Seeing Eye Dog in Training

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$30

can help fund the cost of equipment like the special harnesses and leads needed for a Seeing Eye Dog

$52

can pay for a white cane to help a child get to school safely

$100

can provide independence and daily living skills sessions like teaching someone who has just lost their sight how to safely cook for themselves

$310

can pay for Feelix Library Kits for pre-schoolers, which includes brailed books, tactile toys and a copy of the story on CD

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I'm fundraising for Seeing Eye Dogs

NAIDOC puppy celebrates connection between NIKERI Institute and Vision Australia

Earlier this year, Vision Australia marked NAIDOC Week by naming a litter of potential Seeing Eye Dogs pups in honour of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Four names were chosen demonstrating a strong connection to Country and acknowledgment of First Nations Communites and heritage: Ngawan, Kirrip, Mirring, and Nikeri.

Nikeri, named after the National Indigenous Knowledges Education Research and Innovation (NIKERI) Institute at Deakin University celebrates the relationship between the education space and Vision Australia through Indigenous Knowledges academic, Kim Browne and her Seeing Eye dog Raya.

“Raya and I have been working together in partnership for over three years. As a seeing-eye dog, Raya greatly assists in my mobility and guidance in all areas of my life and this has been greatly supported by Vision Australia. As a full-time lecturer and researcher at NIKERI Institute, my role involves accessing all facilities and spaces and also travelling to new places. Raya confidently guides me throughout all these endeavours in my daily life.” Kim explains.

The puppy’s name, Nikeri, symbolises the relationships Kim and Raya have developed through their work at Deakin and the crucial part of community that a Seeing Eye Dog becomes. Raya’s presence within the NIKERI Institute community provides mobility and opportunity for her handler Kim, and in her own right is considered a member of the team with Raya’s photo included on the staff photo wall.

Community and inclusion are essential experiences for people living with disability, and Kim and Raya have found that at Deakin. A space of recognition and inclusion has been created - one that other students and staff with low vision or blindness can appreciate and look to achieve their own educational opportunities.

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Thanks so much for your support.