This year has been a journey of discovery for VisAbility. We spoke to the people who matter most: our clients, their families and carers, our staff, volunteers and the broader community.
We asked ‘What does VisAbility mean to you?’ And, we listened.
Of all the input, there was one clear, resounding response. It was consistent with everything VisAbility does – from the services we deliver, to the people we support, to the staff we employ, and the facilities we deliver services from.
VisAbility is for people with low or no vision.
That’s why, from today, you may notice something different about VisAbility.
- Our new brand leads the way in accessibility
- Our new voice speaks to people with low or no vision, their families and carers
- Our new direction proudly says, “We’re here for people who are blind or vision impaired.”
Our purpose is to support and inspire people living with blindness or vision impairment to live the life they want, with confidence.
Our promise is to listen to you. To understand your vision of the life you want to live. And to give you the practical, emotional and peer support you need to do the things you love to do.
Our new VisAbility logo
The new logo is a bold and simple wordmark with the highest level of contrast (black on white, or white on black) for maximum accessibility for people with low or no vision. The font is sans-serif and the V, A and b are all rounded in shape. There is also a version of the logo that incorporates Braille dots below the wordmark.
Our new VisAbility symbol
The new symbol is a bright and bold circular graphic made up of concentric V shapes. There are twelve colours ranging from fuchsia and maroon, through to apple green and teal, through to aubergine and purple.
Changes to our services
2020 has also been a challenging year, as it has been for so many of us.
As a result, we currently have a shortage of qualified vision-specialist therapy staff in a number of areas.
At present there are not enough allied health professionals and assistive technology specialists in Tasmania to meet the needs of all Tasmanians who have low or no vision.
We’re committed to finding different ways to meet the needs of our client group.
For now, this means we are temporarily closing our referrals and waitlists for these services so that we can train existing professionals to continue to provide these services in Tasmania.
Our aim is to broaden the reach of vision-specialist services so that more people can access services on an ongoing basis.
We would like to remind everyone you can still purchase equipment though us. Guide Dogs Tasmania are servicing clients as usual and we are continuing to take referrals for Orientation and Mobility.
To find out more, please contact us.
Questions
Why has VisAbility changed its brand?
There are two main reasons we have changed our brand:
- To become more relevant for people with low or no vision
- To become more accessible.
When will the new brand be released?
Our website is live and we encourage you to take a look around. Other items will follow in a staged approach, to ensure we are being sustainable, both financially and environmentally.
If I am a client of VisAbility, what will this change mean for me?
Our brand change means that we now have a dedicated website to our Tasmanian community.
Your feedback
We value your feedback and want to hear what you think about our new direction. If you have feedback, questions or comments please contact us on info@visabilitytas.com.au.