Parimaher (Ploy) Sirayanyong is a student from Edgecliff who has recently been awarded a Vision Australia Further Education Bursary which has allowed her to purchase adaptive technology to assist her in undertaking a Bachelor of Business Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney.
Ploy was diagnosed with Cone Dystrophy when she was six. This is a condition which causes deterioration of the cones, the light receptor cells in the retina. This results in glare sensitivity, poor colour vision and low visual acuity.
The Vision Australia Further Education Bursaries are awarded to tertiary students who are blind or vision impaired to purchase adaptive technology to assist with their studies. "I got some emails at the end of last year about applying for the bursary so I thought I'd give it a go. Then at the beginning of this year they organised for an assessment when someone came and sorted out what technology I needed."
The bursary supplied Ploy with a laptop running Zoomtext screen magnification software with speech, a large screen monitor and a multifunction scanner and printer. "It has definitely made studying easier for me. The scanner is really useful for allowing me access to handouts at the same time as everyone else rather than waiting until they are put online."
"I choose my course to build my general skills. I am doing core subjects now and the ones for next semester look interesting. I am still not certain what I want to do after university but I would love to work in a place where I can help others. So many wonderful people and organisations have helped me and I would love to do the same."
The bursary is just one of the many services Ploy has received from Vision Australia. "I have been in contact with them since I was young. They gave me lessons on how to cook and cut vegetables and Employment Services workshops to learn how to write resumes and apply for jobs as well as helping me find out about university courses."
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