By CASEY NEILL
A BLIND girl in a Thai orphanage spent most of her days sitting in a corner before Amy Maidment came to her aid.
Ms Maidment works as a paediatric physiotherapist for Vision Australia in Dandenong.
“My role involves visiting families in their homes and providing support through the difficult times,” she said.
Her passion to help the blind came from her cousin Glen, who has albinism and is legally blind.
“Growing up I saw how difficult life was for him, but I also how much can still be accomplished even if you’re blind,” she said.
She became determined to show others with vision impairments just how much they could achieve.
Ms Maidment has travelled to northern Thailand three times in the past six years with the Thailand Mission Awareness Team, volunteering at orphanages and hospitals.
“I had been contacted by Agape Orphanage as they now have two blind girls living there,” she said.
“One of them, in particular, hasn’t even been walking around and the staff have no idea what to do with her.
“She spends most of her days just sitting in a corner by herself.”
Late last year she turned to the Rotary Club Dandenong South East for support to visit the orphanage.
Ms Maidment asked the group for $1500 for air fares but members raised more than $3000.
“Through the Rotary club’s generous support I was also able to organise ongoing tutoring for the girls,” she said.
“I felt so honoured to receive support from the Rotary club.
“Everyone there was so welcoming and friendly and made me feel like part of the Rotary family.”
She made her trip in late December and it was “better than she could have imagined”.
“I explained how important it is to let blind children be independent and do things for themselves,” she said.
“I spent most of my time working with one 10-year-old girl.
“By the end of the trip she was doing things like jumping on the trampoline, going down slides by herself, swinging on the swings, and climbing on the monkey bars.
“This was a big change from before where she would spend all her spare time sitting by herself!”
Ms Maidment researched Thai braille and is now creating labels in the language for everyday objects and story books to help the little girl learn.
“I hope to return one day,” she said.
