Ballarat's Gabriel Gervasoni wins 2022 Vision Australia youth award

The 22-year-old, who has a vision impairment, was presented the award on Tuesday at Vision Australia Ballarat.

The youth award recognises the contributions made by an individual aged between 18 and 25 to the wider blind and low vision community.

Mr Gervasoni said the award made him feel like he was making a positive difference in the community.

"I feel like I'm raising the profile of those with a disability, raising the profile of those who are blind and those who are visionally impaired so they can achieve the things they want to achieve," Mr Gervasoni said.

The university student and part-time worker has contributed to many youth programs and is actively involved in the Ballarat Youth Council, Ballarat Youth Ambassador Program and Central Highlands Youth Advisory Board.

He was awarded Ballarat's Young Citizen of the Year in 2021 for his youth and disability advocacy.

On November 11, Mr Gervasoni received the community hero award at the Victorian Community Achievement Awards.

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Mr Gervasoni said one of the barriers people with disabilities faced was community misconceptions.

"People assume that if you're vision impaired you need to have a cane or a guide dog, you can't go to school and you need speech on your phone. It's not always like that. There are many different varieties of vision impairments," he said.

Mr Gervasoni said growing up, he had seen people become more accepting of people with a disability.

"Most companies, like where I am working now, they try and cater to the best of their abilities the challenge that people face," he said.

Vision Australia chief executive officer Ron Hooton congratulated Mr Gervasoni on his advocacy work.

"Vision Australia's mission is to support people who are blind or have low vision to live the life they choose and Gabriel is a great example of that," Mr Hooton said.

"Living with blindness or low vision doesn't mean people can't pursue their dreams or make a positive contribution to society. Not only has Gabriel put himself on the path to achieving his goals, he's playing a significant role in improving conditions and opportunities for other young people who live with disability.

"People like Gabriel are important in challenging and breaking down the perceptions that unfortunately still exist about what people who are blind or have low vision are capable of."

The Vision Australia Youth Award has been part of the Vision Australia Award program since 2006.

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