SPEVI Deafblind Educators Community of Practice

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Dear colleagues and friends,

Apologies for the late posting.  

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SPEVI Deafblind Educators Community of Practice (DB Educators CoP) 

Next Meeting: Tuesday 2 December 2025 -

Workshop: The Value of Messy Play for Children Who Are Deafblind
Practical strategies for allied health and education professionals

Please use this link to register in advance.
Please us this link to register in advance for the CoP on 2 DecemberOpens in a new window

Presenter: Julie Tait. Julie has been working in Deaf Education since completing a Graduate Diploma in Educational Studies (Hearing Impairment & Language Disorders) in 1986. Download Julie's full bio here. Download Julie's bio here.Opens in a new window
Time: 3:30-4:30 pm AEST. 3:30 pm AEST (Brisbane, QLD), 4:30 pm AEDT (VIC, NSW, ACT, TAS), 4:00 pm Adelaide, SA, 3:00 pm Darwin, NT, 1:30 pm Peth, WA, 6:30 pm Wellington/Auckland, New Zealand.

Details: Messy play is far more than fun—it is a powerful sensory, cognitive, and communication experience for children who are Deafblind. This practical one-hour workshop explores how tactile-rich, exploratory play can support concept development, body awareness, emotional regulation, communication access, and confidence in movement.

The session is designed for allied health and education professionals, including OTs, physios, speech pathologists, and O&M specialists. Participants will gain practical ideas for designing safe, meaningful messy-play experiences that honour each child’s sensory profile, communication needs, and developmental goals.

This workshop is ideal for anyone supporting children with combined vision and hearing loss who want to extend their toolkit and embed tactile learning across environments.

Meeting dates for 2026

• Tuesday 24 March
  
• Tuesday 16 June
  
• Tuesday 8 September
  
• Tuesday 1 December
  

Proposed Speakers for 2026 include:

• Steve Rose – Tactile Literacy
  
• Lisa Gormley – Functional Capacity Assessments
  
• Richard Vanover – Orientation & Mobility
  

SPEVI Deafblind Educators Community of Practice Private Facebook

Join the SPEVI Deafblind Educators Community of Practice private Facebook group Opens in a new window
Initiated in 2025 and administered by Julie Tait. Please contact Julie if you would like to assist and become a co-administrator of this Facebook page.

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Melinda Whipp

SPEVI Secretary 

https://www.spevi.net/