Most teachers of Aboriginal children are aware that to teach reading to their students they have to jump significant hurdles, some of which are so high they appear as barriers to progress along the learning trail. We are often faced with substantial hearing losses, and/or poor health. Often Aboriginal children’s motivation to improve is poor, because of their poor health. More often than not, response is poor, due to the home environment and attitude towards learning. Employment prospects must dampen much enthusiasm for learning. All these social and health factors are reasonably well documented and teachers are aware of their implications and program their teaching accordingly. However, taking into account all these factors, we still have non-achievement, in the field of reading in particular. Several children appear healthy – and this status has been confirmed by medical personnel – appear to be positively motivated with all the teacher and parental encouragement needed to succeed, and yet, despite significant remedial efforts, reading development is extremely slow and tedious. Why?

Almost without exception we have found that the non-attaining Aboriginal children who for all intents and purposes should have been progressing, especially in reading, exhibited visual problems, most of which appear to stem from poor eye muscular control. These children have good sight, which is the ability to see, but lack good vision, which is the ability to use one’s sight correctly.

If these problems are not overcome, then the sight will deteriorate, or most likely, in the case of Aboriginal children who have little inducement to excell in reading, the child will ‘give up’.