A Different Way of Seeing

Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing Another short solo episode explaining why the show will be having a break due to my recovery from a major surgical operation. If you miss me take a look at my content on the following links: Website: https://www.loisstrachan.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loi...

Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois chats with Belinda Leibowitz, Hazel Sacharowitz and Karen Denton from the Low Vision Centre of Learning, a global organisation that aims to empower those living with blindness and low vision, and professionals working with the community. Using th...

Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode Lois speaks with Elle Rowlands, a graphic designer and small business owner from New South Wales, Australia who has spina bifida. Elle discusses her journey from traditional employment to entrepreneurship, starting her graphic design business called By...

Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois chats with Sriram Ganesh from the company Luminade about Lumen, a new voice-controlled app designed to make digital life more accessible for people with vision loss and neurodivergent conditions. Sriram shares how Lumen uses natural voice convers...

Want to sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee?? Hop onto https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois is joined by three voices bringing web accessibility into sharp focus: Karren Visser, a visually impaired photographer who navigates the digital world daily. Justin Hyde, a front-end developer with a passion for building inclusive user experiences. And Craig Strachan, an IT archi...

In this episode, I chat with Dana Garrett on navigating parenthood of a neurodiverse child. Dana shares her insights into the tools and techniques she found helpful in creating a supportive environment for her daughter. Dana is a proud advocate for creating inclusion and belonging. Through her advocacy work she has created children’s books sharing stories of a child who utilize alternative communi...

In this episode, the third in the series detailing my journey with chronic kidney disease, Jeremy Opperman and I continue the story from where we left off. Today we discuss how I went about finding a possible kidney donor, and the various types of donors there are. We then explore the range of medical tests my possible donor and I underwent to ensure we were a viable match, and all that is happeni...

In this episode, Lois Chats with Heidi Lourens about her work as an academic in the psychology field and her training as a counseling psychologist. Having started her education at a school for the blind, Heidi explores what it was like for her to shift into a mainstream university for tertiary education and her experiences in her current work. Discovering a love for research, Heidi explains how sh...

In this episode, Lois Chats with Erica du Toit on the topic of loop systems and other assistive technology for those living with hearing loss Having worked in the advocacy space for 30 years, Erica has a broad knowledge of tools and techniques that can assist those with hearing impairments and the people around them. Reach out to Erica at the following links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/...

Today I chat with Angela Blackwell, the first blind person to hike the Pondo Trail in South Africa with her guide dog, Jaydee. Angela discusses how Jaydee helped her regain her confidence and independence after her diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa resulted in significant loss of visual acuity. Hiking the Pondo Trail, a four day hike on the East coast of South Africa became a challenge that Angela...

In my first ever solo episode, and possibly my shortest, I’m inviting you to reach out if you, or someone you know would be a great guest for the show. In the episode, I talk about the types of stories I like to share, and tell you how to contact me if you, your organization, or someone you know might be a good person for me to interview. Reach out to me on my website loisstrachan.com Or drop a co...

In this episode, Lois speaks with Simalumba Nawa on the business case for increased inclusion in business. This wide-ranging conversation covers Sima’s story of becoming visually impaired, gaining blindness skills, how he began his work as an inclusion advocate, and some of the work he has done in this space. Sima also discusses his work with corporates in Africa demonstrating the value of increas...

In this episode, Lois speaks with recruitment agent Karen Armour on the topic of employment for persons with disabilities. During the conversation, they explore the role of a recruiter in advocating for job seekers with disabilities, the importance of a CV to showcase your skills, and thoughts on approaching interviews. This is an episode that is filled with practical details on how to set up your...

In this episode, Lois speaks with Dr Erna van der Westhuizen about the concept of voice economy as a way for marginalized groups, including those with disabilities, to empower and advocate for themselves. Erna developed the concept of voice economy after leading an advocacy project to explore the out of pocket expenses experienced by parents of children with disabilities. When she initially strugg...

In this episode, Lois speaks with Dr Julie Siemers, a specialist in patient safety. So often we hear of patients with disabilities who experience poor communication from medical professionals when undergoing treatments. While talking with Dr Julie, I learned that this form of medical gaslighting is not limited to our community, but may happen generally. Julie lists various factors that may result...

With November being disability awareness month in South Africa and 14 November being the annual day dedicated to recognising those living with diabetes, it seemed an appropriate time to publish this interview. In this special two-part episode, I unpack my journey with chronic kidney disease in conversation with Jeremy Opperman. In episode 138, we discuss my diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes when I wa...

With November being disability awareness month in South Africa and 14 November being the annual day dedicated to recognising those living with diabetes, it seemed an appropriate time to publish this interview. In this special two-part episode, I unpack my journey with chronic kidney disease in conversation with Jeremy Opperman. In episode 138, we discuss my diagnosis with Type 1 diabetes when I wa...

In today’s episode, Lois chats with Mlimbisi Msibi (also known as Coach Jack) from Corinthians Africa, a youth empowerment organisation in Gauteng, South Africa. Amongst the programmes they offer youth, Corinthians Africa have started an active blind football team. For his work empowering both youth with and without disabilities, Mlimbisi Msibi was the recipient of a Young Mandela Award in 2025. D...

Dr Chiggy Oghotuama is the founder of the Seizure Support Foundation in Nigeria. As a mother to a special needs child, Chiggy encountered challenges when searching for support groups in her area from whom she could learn. This led her to engage stakeholders at all levels, from parents to government, to advocate for the inclusion of children from marginalised groups in education, health and other a...

In this episode, I chat with Cary Lowe and Trish Butler about the complexities of travelling with a mobility impairment like multiple sclerosis. The conversation centres around a new book released by Cary, entitled “On Two Legs and Three Wheels” in which he shares some of the global travel adventures he and his wife Trish, who is a wheelchair user, have had over the years. During the chat, Cary an...

In this episode, I chat with Talitha Humes about her app which enables users to easily identify and take the prescribed medications required for their chronic and auto-immune conditions. After receiving a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis in 2005, Talitha realized that her medications were complex and increasingly difficult to manage accurately. Despite trying various available apps to assist her wi...

** Do you have a goal you’d love to achieve and need help reaching it? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the challenges you face? Contact me for a free 30 minute discovery chat to see if she is the coach to help you. Drop me a mail: https://www.loisstrachan.com/contact-lois/ In this episode, we return to the subject of inclusive sport. Lois chats about inclusive archery with three-time Paralympian Sh...

** Do you have a goal you’d love to achieve and need help reaching it? Are you feeling overwhelmed by the challenges you face? Contact me for a free 30 minute discovery chat to see if she is the coach to help you. Drop me a mail: https://www.loisstrachan.com/contact-lois/ In this episode, Lois chats with Sayyida Victoria, The Blind Butterfly. Sayyida is a woman of many talents. she works as the ma...

** Want to introduce the topic of inclusion to young children? My illustrated children’s books, The Adventures of Missy Mouse, are a great tool to open conversations that normalise disability. Order them at https://www.loisstrachan.com/shop/#acc-content In this episode, Lois chats with Naomi Riley, a consultant, brain injury survivor and advocate with a passion for making a difference. During the...

Show Notes: ** My new book, Paws for Thought (second edition) is now available as a print book, an e-book and in audio – grab your copy today! Order it at https://www.loisstrachan.com/shop/#acc-content In this episode, Lois chats with Belinda Sampson, an empowerment coach and programme coordinator focused on lifelong learning. Following on from the last episode, where I highlighted two adaptive sp...