Rnib Conversations

Blind Dave Heeley has been a regular contributor to RNIB Connect Radio over the years, providing us with regular updates about his fundraising escapades, which has seen Dave raise millions of pounds for charity by taking on some of the Worlds toughest terrains and obstacles, including running 7 marathons on 7 continents in 7 day and escaping from Alcatraz. Last year Dave was recognised in the Queens birthday honours, being appointed with an OBE. Unfortunately due to lockdown restrictions he wasn't able to travel down to collect his prestigious award. However as he tells us all that's about to change and he is busier than ever. Lear more about Dave by clicking on his website link below blinddaveheeley.co.uk/profile/

Sandra Gayer chats to Tim Pennick to find out about his Braille Book Swap email list,  which has been set up to facilitate the exchange of hard-copy braille books. If you would like to find out more about the service, please click on the link below https://groups.io/g/BrailleBookSwap {image: Picture of an old Braille Book, it is a close up picture to illustrate the raised dots}

As theatres, museums, galleries, and other arts venues welcome back blind and partially sighted people RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people, to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their weekly email newsletter. Items highlighted included: Slow Looking - Hellen Levitt, online audio described event, Photographers' Gallery, London, Thursday  11 November 6.30pm We Are Not Finished - Audio described performance, Place Theatre, London, Saturday 13 November 2.30pm, touch tour 1.15pm and 6.30pm Magic Goes Wrong - Audio described performance, Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, Saturday 13 November, 2.30pm Papatango new writing prize audio plays, Ghost Stories From An Old Country by Tajinder Singh, Some of Us Exist In The Future by Nkenna Akunna, The Silence And The Noise by Tom Powell, online and available on tour White Christmas -

Now, Black Friday is coming up and if you're considering some early Christmas shopping, well, you might want to know which Nintendo Switch Games have the best accessibility features for visually impaired gamers.  RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina Kuchorew spoke with Chad Bouton, legally blind gamer from the United States, who reviews a few popular games available on Nintendo Switch. Image shows a blue and red Nintendo Switch console. 

We've all heard of a dairy farm, but have you ever heard of a camel dairy farm? Our Paulina Kuchorew hears more as she chats with visually impaired farmer Dr Max Bergmann from DromeDairy, who joined us on the line all the way over from Australia. Find out more: https://thedromedairy.com/ Image shows Max at the farm, smiling wide and surrounded by three camels. 

With the clocks having just gone back, the night's drawing in and even now starting to see Christmas ads on the TV, we are probably approaching a very stressful time of the year.   So in this week's RNIB Connect Radio catch up with Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick from New Life Pharmacy in Glasgow our Toby Davey finds out from Elizabeth all about stress, what happens in the body when we feel stressed and tips on how to try and reduce stress.   Finally as it was 'Pharmacist Week' at the time of recording, Elizabeth explained to Toby about 'Pharmacist Week' and the 'Ask Your Pharmacist' campaign.  More details about 'Ask Your Pharmacist' can be found by visiting the following link - https://www.npa.co.uk/ayp2021 To get in touch with Elizabeth Roddick email: elizabeth.r@newlifepharmacy.co.uk or for more information visit https://newlifepharmacy.co.uk Image:  Picture showing Elizabeth standing in her pharmacy, dressed in her white pharmacist coat and a colourful bandana around her neck, she's smiling.

Barry Snell chats to Association of Optometrist's (AOP) Dr Peter Hampson to find out about the rise in people buying their contact lenses online and the danger this poses. The AOP’s Know Your Lenses campaign launched on the 20 October 2021. As part of the campaign, consumers can read expert advice on eyecare and top tips for buying safely online,  www.aop.org.uk/knowyourlenses    Image: The words Association of Optometrists, in dark grey typeface, against a white backdrop.  There is a blue circle with a smaller whiter circle inside, which is is supposed to resembles a human eye.

As theatres, museums, galleries, and other arts venues welcome back blind and partially sighted people RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people, to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their weekly email newsletter. Audio described Items highlighted this week included: Blythe Spirit - Harold Pinter Theatre, London Saturday 30 October, 2.30pm  Everybody’s Talking about Jamie - Newcastle Theatre Royal, Saturday 30 October, 2.30pm  Love and Other acts of Violence - Donmar Warehouse, London, Saturday 6 November, 2.30pm  The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe - Curve Theatre, Leicester, Saturday 13 November, 2pm,  Northern Ballet’s Merlin - Lyceum Theatre Sheffield, Saturday 6 November, 2pm and Leeds Grand Theatre, Saturday 13 November, 2pm,  Get up stand up – The Bob Marley Musical - Lyric Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, London, Wednesday 17

With a number of recent news reports about false negative Covid-19  PCR test results, how concerned should we be? In this week's RNIB Connect Radio catch up with Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick from New Life Pharmacy in Glasgow, our Toby Davey finds out from Elizabeth her thoughts about the reports in the news about the false negative PCR test and whether we should be concerned at all.     Elizabeth also gave her thoughts on other reports that PCR test are being replaced with lateral flow tests for international travel, the different ways Covid Boosters and Flu vaccinations are being rolled out depending on where you live and more about Long Covid and what you should do if you are diagnosed with the condition. Further information, advice and support about coping with Covid can be found by visiting the ‘Your Covid Recovery’ NHS website https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk To get in touch with Elizabeth Roddick email  Elizabeth.r@newlifepharmacy.co.uk or for more information visit https://newlifepharmacy.co.

Dago Schelin is an academic, filmmaker and musician that currently lives in Marburg, Germany. Passionate about making movies, he also focused his academic work on researching representation of vision and blindness in film. Lately Dago, has been coordinating a filmmaking workshop for blind and low-vision students, with their short film earning a spot at film festivals. RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina Kuchorew spoke with Dago all about the workshops and the making of the short movie.  Find out more about Dago's work here: https://dagoschelin.com/   Image shows Dago using a picture frame and figurine set up to explain camera angles to one of his VI students. 

RNIB Connect Radio’s Lynne Morgan has been hearing about a new theatre production from Sight loss Wales, With Eyes Closed, written by and featuring people with sight loss.   Image is of the Sight life logo: a white background with the word "Sight" in a bold green and the word "life" in black within a box.  Under the box appear the words Local sight loss support, Cymorth colled golwg lleol.

A Cardiff artist with sight loss has found a novel way to celebrate 90 years of Guide Dogs. RNIB Connect Radio’s Lynne Morgan has been finding out more from Sian Healey about the special pop shop and supporting the charity. For more information about Guide Dogs Cymru follow them on Facebook.  Image shows Sian Healey and her guide dog Uri standing in front of her art work in the pop up shop in Cardiff.

As theatres, museums, galleries, and other arts venues re-open their doors and welcome back blind and partially sighted people RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their weekly email newsletter. Items highlighted this week included: Museum of Austerity - Mixed reality experience with recorded audio description, 26 Leak Street, London, on until Sunday 17 October Cat on a Hot Tin Roof - Audio described performances, New Wolsey theatre Ipswich, Saturday 16th October at 2.30pm and at the Mayflower Studios Theatre, Southampton, Wednesday 27 October at 2.30pm Whitehall Historic Tudor House in Cheam -  new recorded audio described guide Grown Ups -  audio described performance, Cambridge Arts Theatre, Saturday 23 October at 2.30pm Don Pasquale - audio described performances, Glyndebourne, Monday 25t

If you fall just into the over 50's age or if you are clinically extremely vulnerable you may have been invited to book your Covid Booster Vaccinations and your annual flu jab at the same time but how safe is it to have both vaccinations together? In this week's RNIB Connect Radio catch up with Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick from New Life Pharmacy in Glasgow our Toby Davey finds out from Elizabeth on her thoughts about having the Covid booster vaccinations and the flue jab at the same time. Elizabeth outlined some of the findings from a trial earlier this year where volunteers were given thee Covid and Flu vaccinations at the same time but in separate arms one in the left arm and one in the right, with only some minor issues such as a slight bit of fatigue and one person suffering a quite bad headache. Elizabeth also talked about the risk if any from younger people getting the covid vaccination and what might happen if a 12-15 year old wanted the Covid vaccination but their parents said no. To get in to

Let's hear from a Talking Newspaper that is helping to connect those living with sight loss in their local area. We spoke with Helen McIntosh, chair of the Mid Devon Messenger, about having to work with their volunteers from home and how they wanted to support anyone suffering from loneliness during Covid-19 lockdowns by still bringing out their Talking Newspaper. Find out more here: https://middevonmessenger.org.uk/ Image is of the Mid Devon Messenger logo. 

Susie West, who lost her sight in her twenties, recently took up the harmonica.  Susie spoke to RNIB Connect Radio about learning a new instrument, along with her teacher, Adam Glasser.  Both members of Harmonica UK, they talk about their love of music and Harmonica UK's festival from 15th to 17th October. For more information visit: www.harmonicauk.net/ Image is of RNIB Connect Radio logo: 'RNIB' written in black capital letters on a white background, underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' beneath.

RNIB's Customer Engagement Manager Sejal Maisuria chats with Janette Scott and Breandan Ward, who are part of RNIB's Customer Coms Working Group to find out why the group is important to them.  Image shows the RNIB Logo. RNIB written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a thick pink line. 

How important is representation? Today we find out as our Paulina Kuchorew chats with Kelsey Trevett, a blind teen and Co-chair of the Young Greens of England and Wales. Image shows a smiling Kelsey kneeling down in a park,  their black guide dog at their side.

Now for a round-up of up-coming audio described theatre performances in Scotland as our Toby Davey chats with audio describer Christopher McKiddie. Audio described theatre performances included: Grown Ups - King’s Theatre, Edinburgh, Saturday 2 October at 2.30pm The Play That Goes Wrong, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh Saturday 6 November at 2.30pm The Enemy - National Theatre of Scotland touring production, Dundee Rep Theatre Saturday 16 October at 2.30pm, King’s Theatre, Edinburgh on Saturday 23 October at 2.30pm, Eden Court, Inverness on Saturday 30 October at 7.30pm and Perth Theatre on Friday November 5 at 7.30pm   Tron Theatre double bill: Krapp’s Last Tapes and Go On - Saturday October 9 from 2.30pm The Tempest - Tron Theatre, Glasgow on Saturday November 13 at 7.30pm   To find out more about these and other up-coming audio-described performances and events in Scotland do visit the listings page of the ADA Scotland website - https://www.adascotland.com/listings/ (Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB'

Highland BlindCraft is a manufacturer, producer and seller of mattresses, divan bed bases and bespoke bedroom furniture.  They also provide training and employment opportunities for individuals from across the Highlands of Scotland living with a variety of disabilities, including but not limited to visual and hearing impairments. RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina Kuchorew spoke with their Executive manager Heather McDonald, to hear more about what they do.  For more information visit: https://highlandblindcraft.co.uk/ Image shows the whole Highland BlindCraft team sitting in one of their showrooms, cheering and smiling wide.