In Touch

We hear from some of the people affected by the delayed Paralympic Games after Covid restrictions led to Tokyo 2020 being postponed. Can the games really go ahead in 2021? Looking ahead to the 2021 games are Paralympics GB’s Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe, judo stars Chris Skelley and Dan Powell, 2016 gold medal winning runner Libby Clegg and Tim Reddish from the International Paralympic Committee...

Peter White speaks to three visually impaired writers about how they got started. What tips do they have for someone hoping to get published themselves as a poet, a playwright or novelist? What part does blindness play in their creative work? Our guests are Claudine Toutoungi, Mandy Redvers-Rowe and Tanvir Bush. PRODUCER: Mike Young

Anna Tylor, the new Chair of Trustees at the RNIB, talks to Peter White. She's joined the charity after its gone through reputational and financial challenges in recent years. Anna has previously chaired the Vision Foundation and Dyslexia Action. PRODUCER: Mike Young

The battles to get our town and city centres more user friendly for the visually impaired. What can we learn from Australia? Brisbane based accessibility expert John MacPherson is our guest. We hear from Peter Osborne of Guide Dogs about the renewed efforts to link up animals and owners during the pandemic. PRESENTER: Peter White PRODUCER: Mike Young

It's emerged more than a third of the UK's railway platforms are still without tactile paving. It was designed thirty years ago to make it very clear to a blind or visually impaired rail user exactly where the edge was. Caroline Pidgeon, a Lib Dem member of the London Assembly, asks how long will it take before this safety measure is universally installed? As university students across the UK prep...

We hear about the newly launched Freeview Play Accessible TV Guide which you can find on channel 555. We hear from Gavin Ellis who led the development of it. And calls to save the RNIB's giant print library which is due to shut in January. Are the alternatives to a borrowed large print book, particularly for younger readers, going to be as good? PRESENTER: Peter White PRODUCER: Mike Young

Peter Wilkins tells us about the loss of his wife who died in a care home he was barely allowed to visit due to Covid restrictions. He says the isolation felt by those with sight loss in care homes is unbearable. And London Underground changes its policy for blind and visually impaired users. Physically assisted guidance is resuming after it was stopped for eight months due to Covid. PRESENTER: Pe...

The RNIB says its closing its giant print lending library in January next year. We hear from the RNIB's Director of Services David Clarke. The disabled artist and film-maker Richard Butchins will be telling us about his latest TV programme. It challenges the importance of good vision in making great art. The Disordered Eye is on the BBC iPlayer now and is available with audio description. PRESENTE...

Cabinet Office Minister Chloe Smith and RNIB Chair Eleanor Southwood discuss the technological changes being introduced to help blind and visually impaired people vote independently and in secret. We also look at the situation in the US and hear how technology is helping voters cast their votes in the race to the White House. PRESENTER: Peter White PRODUCER: Mike Young

Peter White chats with Steve Daley who, at the age of 43, retired as captain of England's partially sighted, 5-a-side "Futsal" team after last year's World Cup final. Futsal is FIFA's recognised version of small-sided football. In total he represented England at nine World Cups and nine European Championships, winning Silver and Bronze medals along the way. The FA has now offered him the Head Coac...

News of a global study into dry age-related macular degeneration. Its aiming to help experts understand the role genetics may play in the disease. Professor Paulo Stanga from the London Vision Clinic talks us though what the study involves and how you can take part. There is a number to call if you want more information about this trial. It's 01438 532 142. The link for more details is also on our...

Fern Lulham sits in for Peter White (you can see a picture of Fern, with her guide dog Nancy, on this programme's page on our website). The Audio Description Association will be telling us about the falling numbers of theatres offering audio described performances in recent years. They're hoping there'll be a reversal of that trend once the theatres start to reopen after lockdown. And Fern chats w...

Guide Dogs, the RNIB and the Thomas Pocklington Trust have joined forces to launch a research project on the needs of blind and partially sighted people. Keith Valentine from the RNIB tells us why they're doing it and how you can take part. The survey link is on our website. Or you can call 0161 507 7360. Or you can email: sightlossresearch@acumenfieldwork.com Also on the programme, blind Indian m...

We hear from a blind student who's facing the start of his first year at university during the pandemic. We also meet a student who's taken a year out rather than return to university when social distancing and other restrictions are in place. Among our expert guests offering advice and support are Elin Williams from Look-UK. We also hear from Rachel Hewett who is from the Vision Impairment Centre...

A programme responding to your emails on a range of subjects. Talking about the latest glaucoma treatments, our guests include Karen Osborn who's the Chief Executive of Glaucoma UK. Also joining us is Gus Gazzard from Moorfields Eye Hospital. And with the latest on the pros and cons of driverless cars, we hear from a leading designer in the industry. PRESENTER: Peter White PRODUCER: Mike Young

The government is being urged to double its spending on research into eye disease. Fight for Sight, the charity which campaigns for the ending of preventable sight loss, argues that visual impairment is costing the country billions of pounds and that more than half the two million cases of visual impairment in the UK today are preventable. The Chief Executive of Fight for Sight, Sherine Krause, jo...

Tim Reddish is visually impaired and won numerous swimming medals when he competed in three Paralympics . He's been National Performance Director for the Disability Swim Team and he's chaired the British Paralympic Association. He's currently a member of the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board. We hear from him about the impact of delaying the 2020 games in Tokyo for a year. And we...

A look at what specialist and mainstream schools are doing to help blind pupils get back to school safely. Can social distancing be achieved without leaving a blind pupil feeling isolated? Advice from chartered environmental health practitioner Dr. Lisa Ackerley on using public transport again as safely as possible. PRESENTER: Peter White PRODUCER: Mike Young

The National Pharmacy Association and the Macular Society discuss how best to maintain a steady flow of drugs and medicines into the UK from the EU after the Brexit transition period runs out at the end of December. And we hear from Stefano Sbrulli, the Italian photographer who captured lockdown on film from the perspective of blind and visually impaired people in the country. We also speak to one...

We look at the challenges facing people who are blind or visually impaired when they return to work for the first time since lockdown. We'll get advice from Maria Shinn. She's from ACAS which gives employees and employers free, impartial advice on workplace rights, rules and best practice. And our reporter Fern Lulham heads to London's Donmar Warehouse to check out a sound installation based on th...

Peter White hears about the efforts some blind charities are having to make to revive their finances and services after lockdown. And, Haben Girma, the first deafblind graduate of Harvard Law School, tells us about the Her Abilities Award and the drive to celebrate more women with disabilities. PRODUCER: Mike Young

There are now more places where you have to wear a face mask but there are exemptions if you have a disability. The national charity Sense says the government should do more to raise awareness of exemptions as they report a rise in the number of abuse cases related to the wearing of masks. Could a robotic guide dog ever replace the real thing? We talk to Anthony Camu, a student who has designed a...

Abbie Robinson is a champion paraclimber. She talks to us about her passion for the sport and how she wants more blind and visually impaired people to take up the sport so it can qualify as a Paralympic event. Simon Mahoney suddenly found he had to learn how to cook for himself when his wife recently died. He's now decided to put all that he has learnt into a new book. Simon talks to us about cook...

At the beginning of next year, when Britain leaves the European Union, rules will be different for taking dogs to EU countries. What will be the impact on guide dog owners? We speak to guide dog owner David Lucas and Chris Theobald from Guide Dogs. There has been a growth in on-line dating during lockdown. What are the issues for blind and visually impaired people? Has it been a good experience an...

Ten years ago the shooting of PC David Rathband by the fugitive killer Raoul Moat shocked the UK. Blinded in the attack, the police officer eventually took his own life. The manhunt unfolded in real time against the relatively new backdrop of social media. We talk to writer Christopher Hogg whose award-winning drama Rathband explores the resonances of a tragedy which mirrored the communication fai...