Dionic

DIONIC supports individuals and groups living with vision loss through peer counselling, education, and accessibility services. Founded by Dr Di Ashworth, a social worker with professional expertise and lived experience of vision loss, the organisation takes a personal, holistic approach focused on fostering growth, strength, and resilience.

Dr Ashworth’s background includes work as an NDIS Planner with the National Disability Insurance Agency, coordinator of Vision Australia’s Quality Living Support program, counsellor at Women’s Information Referral Exchange, and lecturer at Deakin University. Her research explored young people’s identity development, and she participated as the first research participant in the Australian Bionic Eye trial.

DIONIC offers peer counselling for people newly diagnosed with vision loss, those living with it, research participants, and families or groups. Support is available face-to-face and by telehealth. Its education services include JAWS screen reader training for individuals. For organisations, DIONIC provides accessibility testing using JAWS and compliance assessments, helping evaluate whether digital content can be accessed by screen reader users.