As previously reported in the Journal, Mrs Woodman's daughter Maddie, 6, and Mrs Pearson's son Chad, 12, are full-time pupils at Vision Australia's education centre in Burwood, but would be forced to move to mainstream school when the centre closed.

Both women have joined parents' lobby group Coalition for Blind School Now. The coalition wants a school to cater for their children and other vision-impaired children.

VA chief executive Gerard Menses said his organisation guaranteed to continue its services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, in mainstream schools to those who needed them.

But the parents of the 19 full-time VA students, and those of up to 100 other vision-impaired children who attend the Burwood site to access different therapies, want a dedicated school with full academic and specialist services.

"Mainstream schools just cannot provide the support our children need," Ms Woodman said.

"Not every child has the capability to attend mainstream, nor do the schools have the resources."

VA's teachers are supporting the parents' group through a petition,

in a bid to pressure the State

Government to continue providing a specialist school for the

blind.

The petition is at: www.whitecane.info