In Touch

Blind people with no light perception can suffer from a variety of sleep problems. Its now been proved that for the majority of blind people with no light perception, the lack of light makes it impossible for a gland situated in the brain to produce sufficient levels of a hormone called melatonin. This can lead to circadian sleep disorders which can occur when the body clock does not fall into a r...

Listener Mike Kelly lost his sight in his thirties, shortly after he'd finished his training as an architect. He underwent intensive rehabilitation and has had a successful full time career in the civil service. Now aged 65 Mike has chosen to retire. Mixed in with the excitement of starting a new chapter in his life, he has some fears and concerns as well. David Black who has Retinitis Pigmentosa...

After a ten year career holding various roles in national blindness charities, in 2014 Marsha De Cordova entered the world of politics when she became a councillor in Lambeth, south-east London. Last Thursday evening, she unexpectedly won the seat of Battersea from the Conservative minister Jane Ellison with a 10% swing. Born with nystagmus, a condition which makes it difficult for the eyes to foc...

Rachael Andrews wanted to vote in the general election held in 2015, but when she and her blind husband arrived at her polling station, the device that was supposed to be in place to help them vote secretly and independently couldn't be found. She launched a legal challenge against her local authority to try to change the situation. She tells us why and what the outcome was. Don't worry if you hav...

Due to a genetic eye condition, identical twins Daniel and Michael Smith both lost their sight when they were 18. Now, seven years on and following their much published story, the brothers talk to Peter White about the impact their blindness has had on their lives in the intervening years. They speak candidly about the stress they have experienced working in very visual jobs in the City of London....

Kirsten Hearn and Red Szell join Peter White to talk about their personal experiences of having their lovers mistaken for carers, when they are out together. The panel all offer advice on how to deal with awkward situations, including when a member of the public or shop assistant asks a 'does he take sugar?' type question. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

Peter White talks to the author of The Braille Legacy - a musical currently staged at The Charing Cross Theatre in London, which dramatises the life and achievements of Louis Braille, who invented the tactile writing system. Ellie Southwood who has been to see the show, gives a review from a blind person's perspective. Last week in Spain the first international blind tennis tournament was held wit...

Andrew Bastawrous CEO Peek, which is a social enterprise providing technology and support to healthcare providers, which will help them screen people for eye disease. He is currently doing this work in Africa as part of a campaign called Clearly, which aims to find global solutions to improve vision correction. Tom Walker reports from a running club in Bristol which encourages blind and visually-i...

Tracy Pearson, Leader of RNIB's Reader Services responds to listeners queries about talking books. Tracy tells Peter White that the service is in good shape and that where problems have been pointed out by customers, they have tried to take them on board and make appropriate improvements. Tom Walker meets visually impaired MKDons supporter Jeff Newell and they go to watch his team play Southend Un...

Baluji Shrivastav is one of India's greatest sitar players and musicians. Now UK based, he has formed the Inner Vision Orchestra, comprised of blind and visually-impaired musicians from around the world. Baluji talks to Peter about his long held passion for music and in particular the sitar, for which he is probably best known. Corinna Bauer is one of the leading researchers at Harvard, who has fo...

Peter White talks to the Acting Chief Executive of Guide Dogs Steve Vaid about his plans for its future, and asks whether waiting lists for dogs are too long and whether the organisation is spreading itself too thinly. We also hear from Aleksandra Surla, who's moved to the UK from Slovenia, about her struggle to keep her guide dog Pingo with her. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

Professor Pete Coffey from UCL reacts to the recent US case, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, of three women who paid for stem cell treatment in a private clinic, in which cells from their own body fat were injected into their eyes and which left them all with virtually no vision. Prof Coffey explains the difference between the US and UK procedures. He also updates us on his own t...

Ian Brooks is a very experienced computer programmer and was approached by a job agency about a position for which he was ideally qualified. All went well and the agency told Ian to expect a call from the prospective client. However, after revealing that he had a guide dog, the interview offer was suddenly withdrawn, as the employers claimed they would not be able to accommodate a dog in the offic...

James Harding, the BBC's Director of News, tells Peter White about a new one million pound fund, earmarked to train and recruit disabled journalists. Derek Sinclair, from the organisation Contact-a-family explains child benefits. Charlotte talks about her visually-impaired daughter who has additional disabilities and tells Tom Walker that although she's well-connected into a parents' network she i...

on February 23, Greater Manchester Police were called to Levenshulme by two witnesses who reported a man with a gun behaving in an agitated manner. The attending firearms officers tasered the man and subsequently discovered he was blind and that what had been thought to be a gun was, in fact, his folding white cane. This follows a similar incident in 2012 when a blind man's white stick was mistake...

Dr Tanvir Bush talks about a recent experience she had when she was involved in a hate-crime as a result of her blindness. She also talks about her new novel 'Cull' which is a satire exploring a world in which hate crimes are tolerated, resulting in what she calls the 'dehumanisation' of disabled people. Tanvir is hoping to crowd-fund the publication of the book. Gough is an Australian comedian, w...

RNIB's Acting CEO Sally Harvey talks to Peter White about the charity's plans for its future. Will it merge with the charity Guide Dogs and what impact will the RNIB's restructuring plans have on jobs - particularly those held by people who are blind? We hear from an employee of the RNIB's dedicated Cliffden Hotel - currently for sale - and her crowdfunding initiative to raise more than a million...

Media commentator Kevin Mulhern gives his view on the leadership situation at RNIB and GDBA, the leading UK charities for blind and partially-sighted people. Both organisations currently have temporary Chief Executive Officers in place and Kevin speculates on the impact this could have on the confidence of blind people in the charities' ability to lead and lobby for them in the future Tom Walker m...

NHS England's Head of Public Policy Olivia Butterworth asks for listeners' experiences of obtaining information in an accessible format, following the recent introduction of the Accessible Information Standard. We hear from Mel Griffiths who was refused information in a format she could read, when her physiotherapist said they didn't have time to email it to her. Student Charles Bloch was refused...

Peter White is joined by RNIB's Geoff Fimister, disability employment advisor Caroline Stansfield and Professor Roy Sainsbury, to discuss the implications of the Government's green paper on Work, Health and Disability. Peter asks Geoff and Roy about the RNIB's statistic claiming that 1 in 4 blind people of working age are in employment. Mike Lambert's latest column outlines his experience of the c...

Tom Walker visits Northern Ireland to meet three visually-impaired women: musician Clare Bowes lost her sight in the Omagh bombing of 1998 and has since set up her own music academy. Andrea Begley won the BBC talent TV programme The Voice' in 2013. Andrea talks to Tom about her experience on the show and the impact her visual impairment has had on her career. Joanna Toner runs 'Laughter Yoga' sess...

The Canute is the latest development in refreshable multi-line Braille and is demonstrated by Ed Rogers from Bristol Braille Technology. Sean Randall is a teacher at Worcester New College where the Canute has been tested by students. Sean talks to Peter about its pros and cons. Amit Patel is totally blind and has fitted a small video camera to his guide dog Kika's harness. The footage has enabled...

Peter White is in Istanbul for the second of two programmes recorded in Turkey. Maggie Moore is a guide dog owner and has inspired blind and partially-sighted people in Turkey to set up their own guide dog association. Led by lawyer Nurdeniz Toncer, the first association has just been launched. UK guide dog trainer Alan Brooks has been training Ece Onderoglu in England, to become Turkey's first gu...

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted.

Journalist Richard de Costobadie is a big fan of BBC news online. Recently however, he suspects there is a trend towards some stories being presented in a format he cannot access: video clips, without explanatory audio, but scrolling text overlaid instead. Mark Fulcher is a blind piano-tuner who wants to be able to submit his claim form for Access To Work electronically, as on several occasions hi...