Overview

Reach & Match was designed through focused research and collaboration with educators and specialists including occupational therapists, speech pathologies, orientation & mobility instructors and psychologists. Reach & Match program provides 7 learning outcomes including Literacy, Cognitive skills, Sensory integration, Sense of satisfaction, Language Enrichment, Body Movement and Social Interaction.. The design helps to promote functional training for children with disabilities to learn daily life skills for independence.

Application

Reach & Match has been widely adopted by different early intervention services for their children’s programs including Guide Dogs organisations, Vision Australia, Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children, etc. Reach & Match program can teach young children with disabilities fine and gross motor skills, tactile strategies, social and communication skills. The portable design allows specialists to carry the learning kits to different locations for their patients.

Testimonials

Reach & Match is a fantastic educational, inclusive and fun resource for children who are blind or have low vision in their early years. It is a teaching resource that can be used to develop spatial awareness, early braille and tactile exploration skills in children through games and exploratory play. It offers a range of tactile surfaces to be explored as well as bright high contrasting colours to assist children who have some residual vision to access the tool and explore visually.

“The Children’s Mobility Service at Guide Dogs Victoria has used Reach & Match as a teaching tool in a number of individual and group programs and camps. The suggested activities in the [activity manual] offer a range of opportunities to develop Orientation & Mobility skills as well as games to assist the development of self-initiated movement and creativity in children.

The Reach & Match Learning Kit is thoroughly enjoyed by children individually, with the family and in small groups as they discover new and exciting concepts and create their own games while working together.”

Darren Moyle – Children’s Orientation & Mobility Instructor, Guide Dogs Victoria