In-Language Stories of Living with Vision Loss

Aboriginal communities in Central Australia face significant barriers to accessing health information, particularly where English is not the first language. Existing health materials often fail to reflect the lived experiences and communication preferences of Aboriginal audiences, leading to gaps in understanding and awareness around vision loss. Vision Australia sought to bridge this gap by creating content that was not only linguistically accessible but also culturally appropriate and grounded in authentic community insight.

The challenge lay in developing animated resources that could speak directly to Aboriginal people’s experiences of vision loss while maintaining clinical accuracy and consistency with local health services. The project also required the coordination of multiple partners across different states and territories, ensuring that cultural safety, linguistic precision, and community ownership were maintained throughout every stage.

The success of the project was built on a strong collaborative structure involving Vision Australia, Ethnolink, Coolamon Creative, Little Rocket, Purple House, and the Central Australian Aboriginal Congress (CAAC). Each organisation played a distinct role in delivering a project that was authentic, practical, and community-led. Vision Australia initiated the project and provided clinical guidance and local service alignment. Ethnolink led community consultation, translation, and in-language adaptation, ensuring cultural safety and linguistic accuracy throughout. Coolamon Creative developed scripts, storyboards, and visual concepts that embedded community insights, while Little Rocket produced the animations. Purple House hosted the two-day co-design workshop in Alice Springs, providing a familiar and culturally safe venue. CAAC contributed community health expertise and ensured the materials aligned with regional care pathways and support services.

The process began with a two-day co-design workshop at the Purple Shed in Alice Springs, where Elders, fluent speakers, carers, and family members came together to share experiences and ideas. Ethnolink coordinated interpreters, facilitated culturally safe discussions, and recorded insights into communication preferences and lived experiences. These insights guided the narrative tone, visual direction, and messaging priorities of the animations. Coolamon Creative then transformed the workshop findings into scripts and storyboards, which were reviewed by Ethnolink for cultural and linguistic clarity before Little Rocket produced the first English-language animations.

Once draft versions were complete, Ethnolink coordinated user testing with community participants, gathering feedback on clarity, pacing, tone, and authenticity. This feedback informed refinements by Little Rocket to ensure that the final animations were accurate, respectful, and reflective of community perspectives.

Ethnolink then led the translation and in-language adaptation process, producing versions of the animations in Pitjantjatjara, Arrernte, Warlpiri, and Pintupi-Luritja. Each translation was completed by NAATI-recognised and community-endorsed translators, independently checked for accuracy, and recorded by fluent native speakers. Ethnolink’s editing team synchronised the voice-over recordings with the animations, adjusting timing and flow to ensure a natural rhythm. All in-language versions underwent full review by the translation teams to confirm pronunciation, message integrity, and cultural safety.

The final deliverables consisted of twelve animated videos—three topics produced in four Central Australian languages—delivered to Vision Australia for use with local communities and service providers. The result is a suite of trusted, culturally grounded, and community-led video resources that reflect lived experience, support carers and families, and promote understanding of vision loss across Central Australia.