In Touch

The NHS app is being described as the digital front door to the National Health Service. It aims to make access to the NHS quicker and easier. However, not everyone is convinced that the aim is being met, including the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on eye health and visual impairment. We're joined by the APPG Chair, Marsha De Cordova who explains the group's findings from its recent report. We also discuss the app with visually impaired campaigner Berni Warren and iSight Cornwall's Jodi Strick.Blind and visually impaired football fans may have noticed the increasing availability of live audio description accompanying TV coverage. So what is the user experience of this service? To help answer that question, we're joined by Liverpool fan and audio description user Dave Williams. We also hear from Sky TV's, Steve Smith who tells us about their plans to provide live audio description for over 100 games this season.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

Are blind and visually impaired mothers getting the support they need? Not according to a recent report entitled "Navigating Motherhood with Sight Loss" from the RNIB. This finds that negative assumptions both from healthcare professionals and the general public often leaves them feeling undermined. To help us look at the issues raised by the report, we're joined by Lily Bond from RNIB's insight team, and visually impaired Mums Nia Greer and Dr. Amy Kavanagh. Also joining us is MP and disability rights campaigner Dr Marie Tidball who tells us about her work to support disabled mothers more generally. A few weeks ago, we reported on a braille food labelling campaign being run by the charity Sight Scotland. Their survey on this topic closes on 31st October. If you wish to take part, you can do so online via the Sight Scotland website. Alternatively, you can complete it in braille, large print, by audio, phone or email. You can request these formats by emailing [email protected] or by calling 0131 378 2800 extension 7015 Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees

For many blind and visually impaired people, access to public transport is a key element of living independently. So just how accessible is it, and what's being done to remove the barriers that plainly still exist?In this episode, we hear from Seren Jaye about her experience as a seasoned visually impaired bus user. We're also joined by the Director of Policy and Research at the Campaign for Better Transport, Silviya Barrett who tells us about the charity's work to make bus travel more accessible.Meanwhile, over on the railways, we hear from Engagement Manager at the Thomas Pocklington Trust, Dave Smith and Accessibility Lead for Greater Thameslink Railway, Carl Martin about their partnership to produce station audio guides. Frequent train user David Best tests a guide out and gives us his feedback. Presenter and Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Helen SurteesWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

Finding the motivation to get fit and active can be difficult, especially when there can often be some barriers to entry for blind and partially sighted people. With this in mind, In Touch has assembled a panel of sporty visually impaired people to provide tips and advice on how to get started, or maintain your current fitness programme. Roy Turnham is captain of the England blind football team and works with British Blind Sport, who provide advice and opportunities for blind and partially sighted people to to get involved with sport. Rehnaz (Naz) Khan is a runner and she has set up her own visually impaired running club in Cardiff, called VI runners. And James O'Driscoll works as a personal trainer and owns his own gym called Simply Fit.If you're looking for a sport or fitness group you can get involved with in your area, British Blind Sport's activity finder may help: https://britishblindsport.org.uk/activity-finderPresenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

A legal case is being brought against the British Museum over a lack of accessibility for visually impaired people to the Bayeux Tapestry exhibition. Dr Yusuf Ali Osman raised the case after being initially told that there were no plans for an audio described tour of the historical artefact. Dr Osman, along with other visually impaired people with similar complaints, describe the issue and we hear about the British Museum's plans for access to the tapestry in future. A recent global study has found that 1 in 5 visually impaired people are encountering what they believe to be 'bogus' eye treatments. The majority were found online, but some participants were even sceptical of the treatments being offered by their clinicians. Research Fellow Dr Lee Jones of Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology delves into the study's findings for us and advises on what patients can do to protect themselves from potentially harmful treatments.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

New research by RNIB has found that only 13% of visually impaired people surveyed feel their disability benefits actually cover the additional cost of their disability. This research comes at a time where the Personal Independent Payment is under review and so In Touch hears from the RNIB about their research and how they are contributing to this review.To celebrate National Poetry Day, In Touch has brought together two visually impaired poets to discuss the concept of 'non-visual noticing'. A term coined by one of our panel poets Claudine Toutoungi. It is the art of noticing the non-visual aspects of the world as a source of inspiration for poetry. The Blind Poet Dave Steele also joins the discussion and shares some of his work, which often has the theme sight loss and addresses how it can impact you and those around you.Presenter: Peter White Producer & Reporter: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

Anela and Scott Wood are keen theatre goers, and they regularly attend the audio described showings of the biggest musicals at their local theatre in Bristol. However, they were recently surprised to find that assistance around the theatre (help with things like getting to the bar and other facilities) was no longer a clear-cut issue. The couple tell us what happened.'Making Fashion Accessible' is an initiative designed to help visually impaired people access London's Fashion Week. Its aim is to turn runway shows at this prestigious fashion event into multi-sensory moments for blind visually impaired guests; through tactile fabric swatch booklets, guided touch tours, (feeling designer garments and talking about them before or after the show) and scent and sound associations. The runway and outfits were also audio described for attendees during the show. Fern Lulham attended London Fashion Week to find out more about how Hair & Care's project works.Presenter: Peter White Producer & Reporter: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

Live Action Role Playing (LARP) is where people create a character, dress in costume and physically role play them within a real-world setting. In Touch finds out how visually impaired people get involved with this hobby by visiting one of the UK's largest LARP events, Empire, where James Crawford Laird role plays often. James has the sight condition Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and In Touch producer Beth Hemmings followed him around the Empire to find out how he interacts with the medieval fantasy themed game.Presenter: Peter White Producer & Reporter: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

First Hello is a pilot scheme by the charity Guide Dogs which provides visually impaired expectant parents with a rendered 3D model of their baby, taken from their 20-week ultrasound scan. In Touch finds out more from some to-be parents who have received their models and Guide Dogs' Head of Support Services, Kerry Bevan.Macular Disease is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK and medical intervention has come a long way in terms of treating some aspects of the disease, but a new research method is trying to pin-point the root causes and contribute to earlier diagnosis by comparing healthy and diseased eyes from donors. Dr Colin Chu is leading the project and he describes the method and how he hopes it will contribute to wider research.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

With technology providing an increasing number of options for visually impaired people to access text, do we need braille food labels? Well a group of visually impaired people in Scotland certainly think so, and they've just relaunched a campaign to support their cause. Campaign leader Marie Harrower joins us to explain the objectives of their work and how it's progressing. We also hear what some of our listeners have to say on the subject.If you want to find out more about the campaign you can email [email protected] or phone 0131 378 2800 extension 7015.What is it that makes so many blind people keen on sport? Joining us to help answer that question is 13 year old Ravi Chahal, who is himself registered blind and already making his mark as a cricket pundit. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Helen SurteesWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’