Advocacy Talks with Vision Ireland

Holly Tuke from York, England chats about being awarded Social Media Influencer 2019 by RNIB, her surprise at the success of her blog highlighting all aspects of life with a vision impairment and her passion at making all websites more accessible and inclusive. Support the show

Optometrist Mandy Davidson explains the role different professionals have in eye care, the pros and cons of contact lenses over glasses and tips to promote and protect eye health.  Support the show

#NCBIpodcast continues to explore the varied lives and careers of people who are blind or vision impaired. Meet inspiring Nikki Hind, Australian’s first blind fashion designer who shares that it has always been her dream to be a fashion designer and how this came about following a further reduction in her sight. She talks about her company Blind Grit’s mission to promote the abilities of people wh...

Kyran O’Mahoney, NCBI Chief Technology Officer talks about NCBI being an awardee of Rethink Ireland funding curtesy of the Social Innovation Fund to develop the NCBI Smart Hub specifically designed to gather information on eye conditions and NCBI services using mainstream technology devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa for people who are blind of vision impaired. Support the show

#WorldSightDay is the opportunity to celebrate people who are blind or vision impaired and raises awareness on service providers, employers, Govt and general public to create a more inclusive and accessible society. #NCBIpodcast Clare Kennelly chats about how she wishes she sought assistance earlier following her diagnosis of Stargardts and her varied career as a teacher and now her disability awa...

Sinead McSweeney shares her journey of sight loss due to Diabetic Retinopathy from the numerous surgeries to acceptance of having such low vision and how this has affected her life overall but particularly her role as a nurse and mother. Support the show

Kevin Farrell of @Ablefest talks openly about his son Josh (9) who has Albinism. He chats about the struggles of the early days after diagnosis, the support Josh receives in school and through NCBI and how his confidence and individuality makes Kevin proud every day. Support the show

Both Aoife Tierney and Anthony Curran, students with a visual impairment, chat about the positive impact Bookshare (Ireland’s largest digital accessible library) has been to them. From the struggles of having to contact publishers to get accessible formats to now having over 500,000 resources instantaneously – it is a total game-changer for students with visual impairment and print disabilities Su...

Annette O'Connell chats openly about living life with AMD, the treatment she's on and how she's adapted her life as her vision has gradually deteriorated. Support the show

Eithne Walsh chats about the realities facing children with a visual impairment in the Irish education system – absences of support during Covid19, reform of Visiting Teachers and the importance of encouraging self-advocacy in children and young people. Support the show

Neasa Hourigan TD talks about her daughter’s visual impairment, the initial shock at diagnosis, the inaccessibility of local infrastructure for cane users, the challenges of back to school in a Covid19 world and her priorities and ambitions while in Government. Support the show

Paul Lynch of Crowe Ireland talks about his enjoyable and rewarding experience of recording audio books for NCBI service users as part of Crowe's corporate social responsibility partnership with NCBI and would recommend other companies to get involved too.  Support the show

Brian Manning discusses how Braille has evolved and become digitalised and is still just a useful resource to children and adults alike and how assistive technology is there to compliment Braille rather than replace it. Support the show

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Dr David Keegan discusses the eye condition Cataracts explaining what are the causes, symptoms and treatments. Support the show

Sara McFadden talks about life as a student in Sligo IT and about her passion of being Ireland's only visually impaired navigator in rally driving sport. Her competitiveness and determination mean she never lets her low vision hold her back from attaining her dreams. Support the show

Dr David Keegan discusses the causes, symptoms and treatments associated with the eye condition Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Support the show

NCBI trained advocate, Helena Mollaghan, shares her experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic covering topics such as social distancing, awareness and shopping restrictions. Support the show

We’re in this together. As part of the Government response to the COVID-19 crisis, your local authority (council) has established a COVID-19 Community Call Forum. Your local forum works with State agencies and community and voluntary groups to provide supports or services to any vulnerable person who needs them. Your forum brings together different organisations to provide important services like:...

We’re in this together. As part of the Government response to the COVID-19 crisis, your local authority (council) has established a COVID-19 Community Call Forum. Your local forum works with State agencies and community and voluntary groups to provide supports or services to any vulnerable person who needs them. Your forum brings together different organisations to provide important services like:...

We’re in this together. As part of the Government response to the COVID-19 crisis, your local authority (council) has established a COVID-19 Community Call Forum. Your local forum works with State agencies and community and voluntary groups to provide supports or services to any vulnerable person who needs them. Your forum brings together different organisations to provide important services like:...

Peter Ryan, Paralympian Tandem Cyclist, FG Councillor and NCBI service user chats about how his sight loss has changed his life. The ups and downs he experienced and his determination to embrace his new self. His core message is that life is for living, having a diagnosis of sight loss does change everything but it is your reaction that defines how you live your life. Support the show

 Breandan Ward chats about his life in London and New York as a banker and now consultant on leadership development and disability empowerment. He chats openly about the struggles he faced when adjusting to his sight loss and the importance of having time and the right people and supports to help him through this process.  Support the show

Kyran talks about his passion for technology and how he uses it in his everyday life to overcome his impaired vision. He brings this passion to his role in NCBI and talks about the breadth of technology support and online technology tutorials available to support people with sight loss in making technology work for them. Support the show

Katheen Donnelly, mum to Annie aged 11, chats about how participating in Vision Sports activities has changed Annie's life in introducing her to sport and increasing her confidence. Also how NCBI Children's Team have taught Annie vital life skills to maximise her independence. Kathleen speaks how Covid19 lockdown has affected their life, Annie's education and what they are looking f...