“Looking nice is something all of us want and it’s no different for me than it is for any young girl my age – there shouldn’t be a separation.”
– Kirsten, participant in Royal Society for the Blind Canberra programs
RSB staff help out with make up tips
Learning how to apply make-up, planning outfits and organising your wardrobe aren’t the first things that come to mind when you think of Royal Society for the Blind (RSB) Canberra specialist services.
But for 16-year-old Kirsten who has a congenital eye condition and is legally blind, these skills matter the most because they enable her to do the same things as other girls her age.
RSB specialists work with people who are blind or vision impaired developing strategies so they can be independent doing the things that are important to them.
For Kirsten, learning self-care skills means she can apply make-up and organise what she wants to wear just like any other young woman. Kirsten carefully plans her make-up using her face as a map and her sense of touch to guide her.
RSB has also taught Kirsten how to use specially designed apps to help identify colours and help with other tasks like planning meals, cooking, shopping, managing her finances as well as learning to use EFTPOS and Pay Pass.
Upcoming RSB specialist sessions will help Kirsten to organise her wardrobe. Kirsten said the support she’s had from RSB learning how to do the things that other girls her age take for granted have had a really big impact on her life.
“Looking nice is something all of us want and it’s no different for me than it is for any young girl my age – there shouldn’t be a separation,” Kirsten said.
“Whether it’s my make-up or anything else, what matters to me is that I can do these things on my own and RSB has been amazing to help make that possible.”