In Touch (BBC Radio 4)

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

Hull has just introduced a charter which spells out how the city is easier for blind people to get around. We go and find out if it's working. And we speak to the journalist and crime novelist, Susie Steiner, about her eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa. Is her failing sight fuelling her creativity or just frustrating to manage?

Presenter Peter White. Producer Siobhan Tighe.

We visit New College Worcester as it marks 150 years of educating blind teenagers. The secondary school has been through many changes, going from a single-sex school, to being co-educational. We speak to teachers and pupils about the school's ethos and curriculum. We also hear from Jade Sharp, who complained to Transport For London when a number of Uber drivers refused to take her and her guide dog. Five of them have been successfully prosecuted and fined.

According to the charity British Blind Sport, not enough blind and visually impaired people are keeping active and getting involved in sport. Peter White talks to Dave Gavrilovic who is vice chair of the organisation, as well as being a huge cricket fan himself, and fitness instructor and Pilates teacher Jane Taylor, about why it's important to stay fit. They discuss the benefits of staying active, groups that you can join, and ways you can exercise even if you want to stay at home.

One London father describes the problems he's had getting his blind 11 year old into a suitable secondary school. He's so worried about the time it's taken to resolve, that he's had to move home to another part of the city. And new author, Mark Hardie talks about his first novel called Burned and Broken and describes how his blindness has influenced his writing.

Glastonbury likes to be inclusive, but how easy is it if you're blind or visually impaired? Two of our listeners, Dave Kent and Hazel Dudley, test it out for us. Listen to how they get on camping, getting around the muddy site, and enjoying the hundreds of performances. They investigate how accessible Glastonbury really is and find out whether they'll ever go again.

Producer: Anna Bailey Editor: Karen Dalziel.

The Marrakesh Treaty was designed to make the sharing of books more seamless between countries, and therefore make more literature available to people with visual impairments.

It needed 20 countries to ratify it, and this was achieved at the end of June.

Dan Pescod from the Royal National Institute of Blind People tells Peter White what happens next, and what it could mean for readers in the UK.

Meanwhile. three guests give their suggestions for absorbing summer reads, and talk about the devices they use to read their books. They are: BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue, author Tanvir Bush and avid reader, Adrienne Chalmers.

Adrienne Chalmers's choices: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke published by Bloomsbury The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields published by Fourth Estate

Gary O'Donoghue's choices: The Lonely City by Olivia Laing published by Canongate Books Hotels of North America by Rick Moody published by Little Brown and Company

Tanvir Bush's choices: Good Kings, Bad Kings by Susan Nussbaum published by Oneworld Publications Sight Unseen by Georgina Kleege published by Yale University Press

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

What does carrying a white cane or using a guide dog actually signify? Does it say to people that you're partially sighted, or completely blind? A new film by the Royal National Institute of Blind People tries to explain to the general public what it's like to be visually impaired, and all the different varieties of sight-loss. Also, why making a recording of your benefit assessment interview is fraught with difficulties. And if you're applying for a job, when's it appropriate to disclose your eyesight problem: on the application form or in person at an interview.

Presented by Peter White Producer Siobhann Tighe.

The new generation of watch. Ian Macrae demonstrates a watch which uses Haptic technology and enables you to tell the time by a series of vibrations.

Tom Walker goes to Salford to meet Paralympic swimmer Hannah Russell as she makes her final preparations for Rio. She'll be competing in the Fifty and One Hundred metres Freestyle, and the One Hundred metres backstroke. She made her Paralympic debut aged sixteen at London 2012, walking away with three medals. What can she achieve this time round ?

And more on the challenges of recording your assessment interviews when applying for things like Personal Independence Payments PIPS).

Presented by Peter White Producer Cheryl Gabriel. Editor Beverley Purcell.

Guest; Hannah Russell Guest; Ian McCrae.

For partially-sighted travellers, using the new e-passport can present unexpected difficulties when trying to use the automated gates at airport customs. Stephen Hallett, Richard de Costobadie and Sarah Newman give their experience and suggest solutions.

Tony Shearman meets Janice Wheeler who has taken up boxing. Janice spars with a sighted friend and takes to the ring to demonstrate her skills.

Writer Stephen Kennedy talks about his latest play, 'Death and the Beatles Fan', which has been aired on RTE.

Action's three specialist hotels are under threat of closure, as Action announces that they are no longer able to run them. Action's Director of Operations Teri Stephenson talks about some of the reasons behind this decision. Tom Walker, Susannah Hancock & Geoff Long take a look at the new polymer five pound note, under the supervision of the Bank of England's Chief Cashier Victoria Cleland

Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

Peter White is in Rio with a preview of the 15th Paralympic Games. He talks to Tim Reddish about his role as Chair of the British Paralympic Association. He also talks to members of the GB visually-impaired Judo Squad about their hopes for medals. Richard Lane presents a column on the perils of mobile phones and Tony Shearman meets photographer Sue MacPherson and talks to her about her latest exhibition in which she uses blind people as her subjects.

Peter White talks to retiring CEO of RNIB, Lesley-Anne Alexander. Lesley-Anne reflects on her legacy as RNIB leader and the future of the charity sector for blind and partially-sighted people. Peter asks about her views on streamlining resources within the sector and her policies on employment for blind and partially-sighted people within the organisation. She also explains how the charity's funds are divided between campaigning and service-provision.

David Haynes of Action's Customer Council tells Peter how alarmed he was that the council was not consulted about the planned closure of the Action hotels. Jason Hill explains the concessionary TV licence rate for blind people. Tony Shearman talks to blind comedian Chris McCausland about his new solo show in London's Soho Theatre.

Peter is joined by quizzer Nicki Cockburn who recently took part in the BBC TV programme 'Make Me An Egghead' and reached the semi-finals. She talks to Peter about how she first became interested in entering competitions and the tricks she enlists to remember things. Jackie is a listener who has asked the DWP for an electronic version of the Personal Independence Payments claim form. So far they have only been able to offer her an audio CD of the questions and told her that blind people usually get someone sighed to help them fill in the form. Tony Shearman meets the couple behind the Room Mate, their latest invention to make public toilets accessible, by way of using a bespoke audio description.

Guide dog owner Kim Milward was illegally refused a hotel booking with her guide dog. She tells Tom Walker about her experience. CEO of Guide Dogs for the Blind Association - Richard Leaman gives his reaction. Plus, he doesn't rule out a possible future merger between GDBA and RNIB. Writer Red Szell pens his latest column and muses about being something of a reluctant guide dog owner.

Peter White is joined by Brazilian singer and journalist Monica Vasconcelos, who is the subject of a World Service documentary, in which she talks of her sight loss. Tom Walker meets Tony North who has been using a new reading device called OrCam. The user wears it like a pair of spectacles and points to text or information for the device to read out. Assistive technology consultant Graham Page talks about other platforms which are available to help blind and partially-sighted people access the written or printed word.

Peter White is joined by Cathy Yelf, CEO of the Macular Society, who talks about their new report calling for more collaboration in the funding of medical research to find a cure for Age-Related Macular Degeneration. Neil Heslop, newly appointed CEO of Leonard Cheshire Disability talks about his new role and the way in which he plans to lead the organisation.

Fight for Sight's CEO Michele Acton, joins Peter White to talk about the charity's work funding medical research into eye disease. Stand-up comedian Chris McCausland reviews the Amazon Echo, a wireless voice-activated smart speaker, which is a mainstream product accessible to blind and partially-sighted people due to its voice-activated controls.

Richard Leaman is to step down as CEO of Guide Dogs, without an explanation. Peter talked to Rose Hewitt, Chair of COGDO, the Circle of Guide Dog Owners, who said that the members she's spoken to, want the charity to return to providing its core function of providing guide dogs for blind people. Ffion Miles is about to go on a trip to Australia and tells Peter about the planning involved. Ffion has relied heavily on the internet and social media to connect with people and organisations who can help her. During his recent visit to Brazil, Peter met Marcos Lima who collects miniature models of famous landmarks and buildings from around the world.

Peter White talks about guide dog waiting lists with BBC reporter and guide dog owner Ian Hamilton, who's been waiting for a replacement dog for over six months. Ian Macrae and Hazel Dudley look at accessible watches. Ian reviews the smart watch from Apple and Hazel shows Peter two talking watches by Verbalise which she describes as 'dressy'. Joy Addo presents her first column on being a blind Mum.

Peter White talks to Simon Rockman, founder of Fuss Free Phones, and to Steve Tyler of RNIB. The company has partnered with RNIB to offer a mobile phone answering service to help blind and partially-sighted customers make and receive calls. BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue talks about his experience of working on the US Election and explains the impact of a change of government's names and faces will have on the way he does his job.

LOOK, the charity supporting parents of blind children is 25 years old. CEO Charlotte Carson talks to Peter White about the legacy left by her parents Jennifer and Gareth Bowen and her aims for the organisation's future. Denise Leigh and Joy Addo, also both blind mums, talk about the problem of carrying or transporting babies, if you are blind or visually-impaired. Charlie also offers her experience as a partially-sighted mum to two young daughters.

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 his completed hard copy claim forms have gone missing once he's sent them off. The DWP respond.

And writer Red Szel returns with another column, this time on the language of visual-impairment.

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

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 guide dog mobility instructor, as well as training Nurdeniz with the training of her dog Kara. Peter talks to them about the training programme and the culture of pet ownership in the country. They are all optimistic about the association's future and Nurdeniz tells Peter that Maggie has been a great role model for blind people in Turkey. Richard Moore the Ambassador tells Peter that he is very supportive of Maggie's work and admits to the project providing 'Canine soft power' in helping support diplomatic relations.

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 him to witness the good and not so good behaviour of people with whom he comes into contact during the course of his travels.

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' sessions, for sighted and blind participants. Tom joins a session and talks to some of the people taking part.

Presenter: Tom Walker Producer: Cheryl Gabriel .

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 changing work place, where he feels there is now an emphasis on quantity rather than quality, which puts blind people at a disadvantage. For more information contact the RNIB Campaign Hotline on 020 7391 2123.

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 a taxi journey with his guide dog and the taxi driver was taken to court and fined for the offence. Charles said that he was disappointed that the situation arose for the driver to be sued, but that he felt he had to stand up for his rights as someone with a disability. Tom Walker reported about an initiative in Liverpool aimed specifically at training taxi drivers about how best to help blind and disabled passengers.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

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 meet Les Lightfoot, who was the victim of a serious assault last year. Les talks about how he rebuilt his confidence with the help of Henshaws Society for Blind People and has written his own set of tips for other blind and visually-impaired people on how they can stay safe and protect themselves. These are available on the Henshaw's website.

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 pounds in order to buy it and maintain it as a specialist hotel for blind and partially-sighted guests.

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, writer, director who talks to Peter about his approach to film-making. He has formed his own production company and offers his work online.

BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue talks about his friend, the actor Tim Gebbels who has died aged 49, following a short illness.

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 mistaken for a samurai sword.

In last week's case, the police apologised, and the Professional Standards Branch of Greater Manchester Police, carried out an investigation. It found that the police had acted appropriately and the blind man has not, thus far, made a complaint.

We speak to Solicitor Advocate Sophie Khan who represented the case in 2012 on her concerns about the training undertaken by police when it comes to tasering vulnerable people.

Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, tells us that the training and policies in this area are constantly being reviewed.

Red Szell tells us why he's decided to part with his firs guide dog after nine months.

Presenter: Peter White

Producer: Lee Kumutat

Editor: Eleanor Garland.

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 is still confused as to which benefits she is entitled.

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 office. Lawyer Declan O'Dempsey explains the legal implications of a similar situation and says that in cases like this, under equality legislation, both the agency and their client would be deemed to be acting in a manner which would be deemed discriminatory, by not making reasonable adjustment for a disabled applicant. Tom Walker visits one of Pure Gyms premises and speaks to a blind woman who has been helped to use the equipment by a personal trainer. This is part of a new initiative by RNIB to train the trainers at Pure Gyms to make their places accessible to blind and visually-impaired people. One of the new features which has been introduced is a wrist-band worn by a vip, which they pass over the security pad to gain entry to the gym, rather than being required to key-in a code number, which had previously been the case.

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 trials, seeking to treat Macular Degeneration. The GDBA on people who decide to return their Guide Dogs.

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.

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 found that there are anatomical and functional differences in the brains of early blind people, which enable their occipital lobe (the part of the brain used for seeing), to take on other roles, including that of hearing. The effect is that a blind person may experience improved hearing as a result.

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 United at Southend's ground. Jeff has to use his monocular to watch the action as the ground does not have an audio commentary for blind fans. Peter also talks to Tony Taylor from Level Playing Field, a charity which promotes access for disabled football fans. Southend United said that they are planning a move to a new stadium, which will be accessible.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

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-impaired people to run with a guide.

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 with 12 countries competing for international rankings. Chris Baily came home with a trophy for Great Britain and the title of World Number One in blind tennis. He tells us what it means to him and his hopes that one day Blind Tennis will be a paralympic sport.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

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.

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. Michael is about the qualify as a lawyer and Dan is working as an investment banker. They last appeared on In Touch three years ago and in this programme speak of the changes they have experienced since last meeting Peter.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

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 haven't waded through all seven political party manifestoes, BBC political correspondent Gary O'Donoghue has, and he'll be picking out some of the key policies of interest to blind and partially sighted people.

In the RNIB's latest survey of blind and partially sighted voters, half say they weren't able to vote secretly or independently on polling day. Campaign manager Hugh Huddy tells us what the RNIB is doing to change this situation.

Back in March, listener Ian Brooks was offered a job interview as a programmer, until the company heard he had a guide dog, when the interview was cancelled. Three months on, and ian's back to tell us what happened next.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

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 focus, she is planning to champion disability rights as she takes her seat in Parliament later this week.

We bring you this exclusive interview from Central Lobby in the Palace of Westminster.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

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 was attacked three times. Despite having studied martial arts he felt unable to defend himself as a blind person. He sought help from a charity in Scotland which runs self-defence courses for disabled people. David's confidence has sky-rocketed since and he now teaches the same course which helped to boost his confidence, to other blind people.

Emma Tracey from BBC Ouch went along to meet David and and pick up one or two self-defence tricks.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

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 regular rhythm. Blind listeners tell In Touch about the impact poor sleep can have on their quality of life. We also hear from Lynn McGovern of The Circadian Sleep Disorders Network, a support and advocacy group which works on raising awareness of disrupted sleep, . Russell Foster, a Professor of Circadian Neuroscience and Head of Ophthalmology at Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosiences, Oxford University has spent many years researching sleep problems in blind people and he tells Peter about the current thinking on why blind people persistently suffer from problems sleeping.

Producer: Lee Kumutat Presenter: Peter White.

Cyrus Habib lost his sight when he was eight, and in January this year aged 35 took up an elected position as Lieutenant governor of Washington State in America. He talks to Peter White about walking the fine line between sympathy and empathy when campaigning, and how technology is helping him do his job.

Listener Nick Adamson has been working for the same company in the same role for the last 12 years. He has no immediate plans to change jobs, but says contemplating a career move when you're blind throws up many challenges. He talks to Dave Williams who has recently changed jobs, about his concerns.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

Two listeners to In Touch talk about some of the obstacles they faced when looking to move. Danielle Burgess is looking for a new home to rent, and is discovering how separate she feels from the process because everything needs to be described to her.

Ben Rendle, his visually impaired partner and their family recently bought a flat off-plan and had to find a way of envisaging it for himself.

Penny Melville-Brown has baked all her life, and didn't stop when she lost her sight seventeen years ago. She has recently won an international prize which will see her baking all over the world to show how blind people can bake.

Producer: Lee Kumutat Presenter: Peter White.

A look at the range of specialist and non-specialist gadgets available for identifying objects and travelling around. Joining Peter to share their experiences of solutions offered by technology are guests Jackie Brown, the incoming chair of the British Computer Association of the Blind, and Dave Williams, a freelance trainer on technology.

If you'd like to find out more about the products discussed in tonight's programme please call the Radio 4 Action Line on 0800 044 044 for the next 24 hours and ask for the Factsheet.

Producer: Lee Kumutat Presenter: Peter White.

What's the best approach when it comes to holidays for blind and partially sighted people? TravelEyes is a company which takes both blind and sighted people on holiday - the visually impaired traveller pays full price, and the fully-sighted person pays up to 50% of the full cost and agrees to guide and describe the attractions for the visually impaired travellers. But what if you have an additional need like a hearing impairment? The travel company says that in some cases, customers who have an additional need will have to take someone along as a carer. Peter White speaks to the company's founder Amar Latif about this policy.

Circus Starr provides children who wouldn't normally have the opportunity to experience the circus a chance to do so... and they've audio described the experience for young audience members. We find out from a professional audio describer how narrating a performance for children differs from adults.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

In August 2016 it became mandatory for health and social care providers to offer patients written information in whichever format they required - whether that be via text, email, braille, audio or large print. The implementation of what is called the Accessible Information Standard has recently been reviewed with mixed results. We put some listeners' experiences of getting required information in a required format from the NHS to Olivia Butterworth from NHS England.

Peter White talks to Vanessa Potter about her book, Patient H69 about her experience of losing her sight over 72 hours, and what it was like learning to see again.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

21-year-old Allan Hennessey was born in Iraq totally blind. His parents applied to the UK for him to undergo laser surgery, which restored a minimal amount of vision in one eye. Later Allan and his family settled in the UK on a council estate in east London. While attending a mainstream school, he rejected all attempts to teach him to read braille or adapt to his visual impairment, preferring to rely on the support and safety net of the multicultural community in which he thrived. In high school, he was sent to a school for blind children, which he found claustrophobic and soon left. He lost his way academically in the middle years of high school and then, on a whim, decided to try for Cambridge. Allan has this year graduated with a 1st class Honours degree in law and plans to be a barrister - and he still uses no adaptations - we ask him why.

On the 21st of August, there will be a total solar eclipse in the US. This is being touted as a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity and it seems visually impaired people are not to miss out. NASA has sponsored the making of a tactile book depicting the different stages of the eclipse. There is a smartphone app people can try that allows the user to trace their finger over a picture of the eclipse, and the phone will play a sound or vibrate according to the intensity of the lightness shown on the screen. Harvard University has been working on a project to stream the sound of the eclipse to visually impaired people over the internet from Wyoming, one of the14 states with a ringside view of it. We speak to Allyson Bieryla from Harvard University about the project.

And finally, we ask Virgin Media whether they really meant to send out a form for visually impaired people to have their doctor fill out declaring their visual impairment before they could receive their bill in braille.

16-year-old Grace Marsh talks of her vision loss and her poetry aspirations. Actor Karina Jones lands an iconic role as a blind character.

A question often-asked of blind and visually impaired people, by both sighted and other blind people, is "is your partner blind or sighted?" Peter White explores the reasons behind this question, and blind and visually impaired peoples' reaction to it.

Guests: Amie Slavin, Jonathan Mosen and Rob Murthwaite.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat.

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted. Jackie Brown wants better access to domestic white goods, which don't require sighted help to set up. Robin Christopherson from AbilityNet, suggests smart options which use apps, speech and wifi to enable a blind person to take control of their domestic appliances. Jackie is concerned however, that not everyone is comfortable using smartphone technology and the demise of the button and tactile switches will leave some people behind. Simon Cox, of Cobalt Systems talks about the issues around producing specialist equipment, but says his company has just launched a new talking induction hob. Tom Walker reports from Worcester New College on a new innovation hub which aims to give students and the public better access to assistive technology.

Tom Walker talks to visually-impaired attendees of the first conference of the Partially-Sighted Society. Anita Plant, CEO of the PSS talks to Peter White about the charity's relaunch. RNIB Optometrist Louise Gaw talks to Cheryl Gabriel about the way lighting can help someone with low vision, make the most of their residual sight. Louise stresses the importance of getting professional help from a rehab worker or local blind society, to advise on the best lighting options, depending on the eye condition of the individual. Claudia Hammond presenter of All in the Mind, tells Peter that the BBC's Loneliness Experiment online survey, which was previously inaccessible with a screen-reader, has been changed and it is now accessible.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Cheryl Gabriel.

What help can you get if you struggle to recycle your rubbish? Listeners talk about the problems they have with recycling their rubbish: from knowing which bin to put the right rubbish in, to finding it again once it has been collected. We talk to Wayne Priestly from the Association for Public Service Excellence about what help visually impaired-residents can expect to receive from their local council.

Professor Christopher Tyler from London City University believes he has found evidence artist Leonardo da Vinci had an eye condition called Strabismus – where the eyes are misaligned. He thinks this may have had an impact on the way Da Vinci represented three-dimensional art on a canvas. Ross King, biographer of Claude Monet, says Monet's cataracts impacted his work later in life.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Over the next 12 months, In Touch is planning a series of stories and interviews looking at the changing landscape of our streets, and the ways in which councils, rehabilitation trainers and technology can help visually impaired people cope with this fast-changing picture. Professors Anna Lawson and Rich Romano are both leading on different projects looking at the future of towns and cities. Prof Lawson’s is focusing on the elements that cause people to feel excluded from the streets, while Prof Romano’s is looking at using virtual reality and digital means of putting planning in to the hands of the people.

National Braille Press, a non-profit organisation in the United States, offers a prize of up to 20,000 US dollars to people inventing new ways of getting braille and tactile information in to the hands of visually impaired people. Peter White speaks to President of National Braille Press Brian MacDonald, and 2015 winner Betsy Flener.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

On the centenary of Armistice Day, over 100 blind veterans assembled at Horse Guards Parade in London. Some were blinded in action. However, most started to lose their sight well after their service had ended.

Reporter Dave Williams went to talk to them as they assembled for this historic event - we hear just some of their stories.

Also, Peter White visits 97-year-old blind veteran Peter Van Zeller. He is a resident at a Blind Veteran’s UK care home, and shares the story of when he first discovered a previously-unknown family connection to the home, and the charity.

Presenter: Peter White Reporter: Dave Williams Producer: Lee Kumutat

In 2012 Simon Rockman set up a simple-to-use mobile phone service aimed at the older visually impaired person. Fuss Free phones had one button, which put your call through to a call centre and they would either phone someone or text them for you. Now Fuss Free Phones has closed. Peter White asks Simon Rockman what went wrong and will any customers be left out of pocket?

Reporter Tom Walker meets Juliette Parfitt who began losing her sight in her early twenties. Since then she says she has struggled to find age-appropriate information and services and feels it is an age-group whose problems are sometimes overlooked. One solution for Juliette might be a Facebook group called VI Talk. It has over two-and-a-half thousand members who share stories and tips and tricks on how to cope with life as a visually impaired person. Jo Fishwick from VI Talk tells us about it – and the seven other spin-off groups ranging from information on blind sports, to a book club.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

The early symptoms of a rare form of Alzheimer's disease, known as Posterior Cortical Atrophy, presents problems for people in seeing and making sense of the world. The disease starts in the visual cortex at the back of the brain. Its impact is devastating and its progression is aggressive. Doug Banks, who is 58 and has PCA, likens it to looking through a shattered mirror. He talks to Peter White about the other ways it affects his life. Alzheimer's Research UK's chief medical officer David Reynolds tells us what's happening to Doug's brain.

College student and young actor Ellie Wallwork has had her big break. She is to play the lead guest role in Sunday's episode of Dr Who. She tells Peter White how she got the part and where acting fits into her future aspirations.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Going to university presents special challenges if you are blind or visually impaired. It may be your first time away from home. You have to learn a whole new level of independence from finding your way around unfamiliar spaces, to decoding lectures and fitting in with your new friends. Peter White talks to three students about their experiences.

Due to a long fought-for change by member states to EU legislation, the UK government now has discretionary powers to abolish VAT on all ebooks. The CEO of the Publishers’ Association says that no VAT would help people on low incomes including some visually-impaired people for whom these are essential.

Reporter Tom Walker looks in to why Ofcom ruled that a London shock jock overstepped the mark when he derided a visually-impaired man for wanting to be the first person to train with a guide-horse in the UK.

Tom Walker also asks Allan Tweddle, a candidate in the recent local elections, whether a grant for aspiring visually-impaired politicians which is to be-reinstated in 2019, would have been of use to him.

In Your Pocket, a one-buttoned smartphone, will now be able to video call with a volunteer assistant. Roger Wilson-Hinds tells us why In Your Pocket and Be My Eyes app are teaming up.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat Reporter: Tom Walker

At the age of 14, Israel Martin’s life was on the verge of going off the rails. Growing up in Newham in East London, Israel was a member of a gang which committed crime and got involved in fights. When he started to lose his sight, his life changed, but not as he would have originally expected it to. Our reporter, Tom Walker, has been speaking to Israel at the Royal National College for the Blind in Hereford.

Also, Peter White meets visually impaired dancer, Janet Salt from South Manchester. Janet led a very busy life until she started to experience depression. Janet tells Peter about how, with the help of ballroom dancing, she regained her confidence.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Tom Walker

Dame Joan Plowright was discovered as a stage actor in the late 1950s before going on to have a stellar career – starring in The Country Wife, A Taste of Honey and as Saint Joan. She became Lady Olivier on marrying Sir Laurence Olivier in 1961. They were married until his death in 1989. Dame Joan took parts in film and television production up until 2014 when her worsening eyesight compelled her to retire.

She lives in her home in Sussex where she and Sir Laurence came to live once he had retired. She openly speaks of her career, her life with her husband and family and her attitude towards her failing sight.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Sally Clay’s recommended audiobook: Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson Ryan Kelly ‘s audiobook recommendation: The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North Peter White’s audiobook recommendation Thirteen by Steve Cavanagh

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Peter White

In 2013, Norway's equivalent Equality and Human Rights Commission was given the authority to fine both public and private sector organisations if they didn't make their websites usable to a certain standard. There are suggestions from campaigners in the UK that the same approach should and could be adopted. Robin Christopherson from AbilityNet believes it is something that would work in the UK. Malin Rygg from Difi, the Norwegian organisation tasked with auditing websites, says they haven't fined any companies yet, but they have issued warnings. While Arnt Holte from the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted thinks while accessibility is slowly improving, he is concerned that new EU legislation only governing the accessibility of public sector websites, and soon to be law in Norway, will water down the powers of Difi and only see them being able to enforce accessibility on public sector websites.

The Netflix film, Bird Box, is its biggest hit to date, having been downloaded 45 million times since its release last December. It's a post-apocalyptic story where characters must wear blindfolds or they will contract a deadly disease. The film has spawned a social media craze called the Bird Box challenge where people are donning blindfolds and performing tasks and taking part in activities such as driving. Journalists Emma Tracey and Lucy Edwards discuss the film, and concerns raised by some blindness organisations, that the craze will have a negative impact on the public's perception of blindness.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Icons is an epic new history series for BBC Two profiling great people from seven different fields of human endeavour. It asks you to vote for your favourites, and ultimately decide who was the greatest person of the 20th century.

Icons: Activists is on BBC Two, Monday 21 June, @ 9pm. If you want to find out how to vote for Helen Keller or any of the other nominees featured in the series then go to www.bbc.co.uk/icons, where you can also find Terms and a Privacy Notice.

Extant theatre, a company of visually-impaired performers and directors, is about to start a new tour with ‘Flight Paths’ – the cast are Amelia Cavallo and Sarah Houbolt, actors and circus performers who perform part of the show on aerial silks. The show will be made accessible through creative audio description and new sound technology called spatialised tracking. The shows run from 5th Feb – 5th March.

Peter White talks to two of the performers.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Photo description: Promotional photo for FLIGHT PATHS 2019 tour by Chris Andreou.

Listeners tell us why they think their sighted running guides should receive a medal on completing the London Marathon. Organisers tell us these policies are under review.

The BBC's technology reporter Rory Cellan-Jones has been to Cambridge to see a new tactile innovation for helping teach visually impaired children how to write computer code.

Listener Annie Rimmer has got back to In Touch to share some good news she heard from the National Lottery about plans to make their app more accessible to visually impaired users.

And Listener Mike Kelly told the programme two years ago of his trepidation about his impending retirement. We caught up with Mike to find out how retired life suits him.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat Reporter: Dave Williams Reporter: Rory Cellan-Jones

Reporter Tom Walker finds out why the closure of the RNIB Centre in Bristol has locals up in arms. Colin Whitbourne, RNIB's Head of Network Operations in the South, tells us the thinking behind the decision.

And the writer Mandy Redvers-Rowe on the very personal story at the heart of her radio drama Blind School, which features a cameo performance by none other than Peter White. The play, co-written with Sarah McDonald-Hughes, will air on Radio 4 on February 5 and tells the story of Nina who struggles in her early days at Charlesworthy School.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat Reporter: Tom Walker

Photo description: Colour photograph of the writers of Blind School – Mandy Redvers-Rowe (left) and Sarah McDonald Hughes (right) – stood closely together outside the College on the playing field, smiling at the camera.

Visually impaired tenants of a block of flats in west London, run by the Thomas Pocklington Trust, are concerned about the Trust's proposal to make changes to its housing scheme. They explain their worries and we hear from the Trust.

Is it right to presume that mainstream schools are the best places for blind and visually impaired children to learn? Conservative Member of the Scottish Parliament Liz Smith has tabled a motion challenging that presumption. What does she want it to achieve?

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

In November of last year, Emily Brothers’ guide dog, Truffle, was attacked by two dogs in Sutton, South London. As a result of her injuries, Truffle was out of action for six weeks. Emily was unhappy with the support she received from Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. Reporter Dave Williams spoke to Emily at her home. John Carlin from GDBA responds.

Also, we hear listeners’ feedback from the radio play, Blind School, which was broadcast on Radio 4 last Tuesday, and which we featured on In Touch on January 29. We also include your comments on the extended podcast from the same programme.

And finally, also following feedback from a listener, we hear from Hugh Brasher on the London Marathon’s U-turn to award official medals to guide runners.

Presenter: Peter White Reporter: Dave Williams Producer: Tom Walker

Peter White talks to Cathy Yelf, the chief executive of the Macular Society, about the first treatment to target the underlying genetic cause of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

We feature feedback from last week’s programme in which we heard from Emily Brothers, whose guide dog was attacked by another dog. Guide dog owner Sandra Drewell, has had a similar experience.

And Peter talks to Charmian Cvek about her experience of caring for her mother who was losing her sight. Charmian tells us how her mother’s sight loss affected their relationship.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat and Tom Walker

Virgin Trains offers customers a new way of booking assistance during travel on its routes. It has developed a skill for Amazon Alexa-enabled devices. Emma Tracey tries it out for us and Vic Whitehouse from Virgin Trains explains why they've developed it.

Hester, an eleven-year-old visually-impaired student from Bath, is going on a fund-raising journey to Ethiopia. She'll be visiting other visually-impaired schoolchildren and doing a 5km run to raise money for the school. Hester says she's nervous but looking forward to the experience.

Mike Lambert believes more resources and effort should be put in to inclusion for visually-impaired people, after Liz Smith, a Conservative in the Scottish Parliament, put forward a motion questioning the current "presumption of mainstreaming" for visually-impaired students. He explains his personal reasons for why he is sure inclusion should work.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Dr Damion Corrigan wanted to be a medical doctor and when that seemed out of his reach, he took another route to working to improve medical testing. He says the field of science is opening up for prospective visually impaired scientists.

Comedian Chris McCausland and actor Chloe Clarke debate whether it's a realistic assertion that all visually impaired roles on TV, in film and on stage should be played by partially sighted actors.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

The Royal National College for the Blind has sold its southern campus to Herefordshire Council. Peter asks why did it have to be sold, and why did the council want to buy it?

After 25 years of providing services to visually-impaired people in Merseyside, Henshaws Society for the Blind is moving out of Liverpool. Henshaws' director of community services tells us why.

Jo Parsons used to be a chef before retiring to Devon a few years ago. She has not stopped cooking though, setting up a pudding club in her local community, to fund cooking lessons for aspiring visually-impaired cooks.

Yuen Har Tse is taking Aviva Financial UK to court for discrimination for not providing her correspondence in a format she can read. She tells us why she has taken this step.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Driverless vehicles are being tested at the moment but at the Blind Veterans UK Centre in Ovingdean, Brighton, a six month trial for the use of visually impaired people has just got underway. Reporter Lucy Edwards went to find out what some of the blind veterans think of them.

Roy Symons is turning 100 on Friday. His secret to a long life? Keep organised, keep your independence and have a tot of something strong each day. Peter White visits him in his home in Harrow to toast him on his birthday.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Reporter: Peter White Reporter: Lucy Edwards

Richard Kramer, the chief executive of Sense, a charity that supports people who have a hearing and visual impairment, tells Peter White about his concerns over the delays in appointing a minister for disabled people, following the resignation of Sarah Newton MP nearly a fortnight ago.

Peter White talks to Kerry Fielding, a visually-impaired woman from Blackpool, who is experiencing significant delays with her application to Access to Work for specialist equipment to enable her to take up a new job in customer services.

Peter also speaks to Thomas Panek, the president and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind. Instead of being guided by sighted runners, Thomas recently completed the United New York half-marathon using a relay of three guide dogs.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Tom Walker

Retina UK formed in 1976 as a voluntary organisation and is now helping to fund and develop treatments for genetic eye conditions. But for the first time in its history, it is conducting a wide-ranging piece of research into the lives of people who have genetic sight loss. Chief Executive Tina Houllaghan explains why.

Tom Walker meets a keen blind archer from west Wales, who says the sport helped him out of his depression.

And the Milton Mountaineers celebrate 50 years of gaining summits with a climb up Mount Snowdon.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

In the latest version of Apple’s software for both iPhones and Macs, a feature has been included that tells websites a screen reader is being used. A screen reader is software that takes information from the screen and turns it in to digital speech or braille. This new feature is turned on by default. While it can be turned off, some blind people argue it shouldn’t be on by default as they don’t want websites or their developers, knowing they are blind. Ben Mustill-Rose is a developer who’s blind working at the BBC. He explains how the feature works and what his, and others’ concerns are.

Beyond Sight is a project challenging the tendency for architects to prioritise the visual above all else. As part of this, UCL is offering a week-long summer school to visually impaired people interested in becoming architects. The course will cover how design can incorporate other ways of imagining and creating space. We speak to Mandy Redvers-Rowe one of the course coordinators and to Carlos Mourao-Pereira a blind architect.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Last week we reported on the concerns of some listeners that changes to the software Apple uses on its iphones and macs could compromise their privacy. We reported that by showing that a screen-reader was being used on a website, it could reveal that the person browsing was visually impaired. They'd released scant information about this new feature at the time, until the day after our broadcast. They then published a blog, with more details clarifying the new feature was not automatically enabled. Ben Mustill-Rose updates us on this development.

Is reading someone's personal mail for them a data breach? Do you have to stay in a dog-friendly area in a pub if you are a guide dog owner? We clear up some legal misnomers with Cloisters barrister Catherine Casserley. And Yuen Har Tse who successfully won a discrimination case against Aviva tells us why winning the case isn't exactly a straightforward victory.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Dave Steele was diagnosed with the hereditary condition retinitis pigmentosa five years ago. He found translating his grief and loss into poetry was cathartic for him, and quickly discovered that it helped others who were also coming to terms with visual impairment.

The Colorado Center for the Blind in the United States, run by the National Federation for the Blind, offers a nine month course to people who want to learn skills for living life as a visually impaired person. At the end of the course, they must pass a final assessment. It's called 'The Drop' and involves being driven to an unknown location, handed a phone on which they can only make emergency calls and told to find their way back to the Centre.

Danielle Montour completed 'The Drop' back in September. She tells us how it helped her to become more comfortable with her blindness.

And Chris Fisher went from being fully sighted and studying for his pilot's licence to, four weeks later, being totally blind. Chris, always good with maintenance and building things, turned back to what he knew before losing his sight, and has built a commercially viable business as a wood turner. Chris shows Tom Walker around his workshop.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat Reporter: Tom Walker

Two guide dog trainers from the Liverpool Guide Dogs Centre, Nina Swindells and Jan Johnston, tell presenter Lee Kumutat about Positive Reinforcement Training, which the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is in the process of introducing across its twenty training schools.

Lee also speaks to David Grice, GDBA’s Head of Canine Behaviour and Training, about the rationale for the new methodology.

Finally, we hear from visually impaired organist, David Aprahamian Liddle. In 2002, David got the opportunity to play the organ at Notre Dame Cathedral. David tells us about how he made a braille chart to remember the organ’s layout, the rehearsal and how he felt when he had finished his recital.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Tom Walker

Photo description: Presenter Lee Kumutat stands in between Guide Dogs trainers Nina Swindells and Jan Johnston, and guide dogs Farley and Pepper. They are in front of the parcours outside the Guide Dogs training centre in Liverpool on a sunny day.

A landmark High Court judgment says tactile voting devices are 'unlawful'. And a new way of getting around Gatwick Airport.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Tom Walker

A sighted author on writing a book about a woman regaining sight. A project to tell the stories of blind women around the world. And one listener’s view on accepting her blindness.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Pictured: A blind girl learning braille in a school in India. Courtesy of the 'A Light in Darkness' project.

In Touch listeners share their voting experiences, and one Australian citizen tells how she was able to vote independently in the recent federal election. The European Blind Union has researched the main accessible forms of voting throughout Europe, and the results are surprising.

A gym in Uckfield, Sussex has listened to the needs of one visually impaired woman, made some small changes, and enabled her to exercise comfortably and confidently. We find out how they did it.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

There’s evidence that board games can sharpen cognitive skills and help us to connect socially. So why are the numbers available to visually impaired people dropping?

There have always been fewer games available and most of us will have had to adapt a game or do something to make it work for us. Brailling your own cards, sticking bump-ons on boards and game tokens and having clues and questions read for you by someone else. But should the onus always fall to us?

Three guests discuss the barriers to making more board games accessible: Michael Heron – accessible board game blogger, Kate Evans – Marketing Manager at UK Games Expo – and Dan Rugman – from the Braille Chess Association.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Joy Addo, sole parent to a three-year-old, shares tips on keeping her home tidy.

Dave Williams of the RNIB says they have plans to increase the number of games available in its catalogue. And VocalEyes trustee Joanna Wood, tells the story of how going to a described theatre performance, revealed more to her than what was happening on-stage.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Blind and visually impaired prisoners in the US state of Maryland have been awarded $1.4 million by the correctional service for discrimination. They successfully claimed they were not given access to information, jobs and courses to give them equality within the prison or during rehabilitation.

Eve Hill, representing the group, says some have had to pay for sighted guide assistance, and others to perform sex acts to have information read to them.

Tyrell lost his sight through a gunshot wound and says life was lonely and tough for him as a visually impaired prisoner.

Benjamin Burrows, from Leigh Day solicitors, says he has represented visually impaired people in a number of cases here in the UK, and the picture is similar.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Should blind people bother with the ironing? Blind mum Emma Williams and blind dad Allan Tweddle explain why and when you should bother and give our presenter Lee Kumatat a lesson and tips for getting it right.

While some visually impaired people need a first aid certificate to move forward with education or work, some have found it hard to gain the necessary accreditation. Johny Cassidy meets Alan North, a partially sighted trainer who’s helping them to qualify.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Emma Tracey

Braille readers have enjoyed magazines from Scottish Braille Press for the best part of forty years. Now the charity says it is discontinuing all of its five publications. Scottish Braille Press CEO Mark O’Donnell explains the decision.

Aletea Sellers moved from one side of Birmingham to the other about four months ago. She is still waiting for help from the Guide Dogs Association to learn her way around her new neighbourhood.

Erin Jepsen has two visually impaired children and reads and transcribes braille herself. She wanted to find out how changing the word “braille” to “print” in an educational context might challenge some attitudes towards it.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

From July 2019, all new electric vehicles will have sounds added to keep pedestrians safe. Transport minister Michael Ellis, gives us the government’s take. We also hear the thoughts of Jessica Schröder from the German national organisation for the blind, a member of the European Blind Union which led the campaign to add a sound to electric and hybrid vehicles. She tells us why she doesn’t think the new law goes far enough.

When Ashley Cox needed help with his mental health, he went online to find a therapist. Eight of them said no straight away, because they felt uncomfortable working with a blind person. He eventually found one and is now doing well, but he doesn’t want anybody else to have a similar experience.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Emma Tracey

William Phillips is a visually impaired cognitive behavioural therapy specialist who works to make CBT accessible to others with sight loss. He lays out how blind people can go about getting mental health support that suits them.

There was a huge response to last week’s programme with Ashley Cox’s story about struggling to find a counsellor. We read a selection of your emails.

Visually impaired actor Karina Jones stars in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s current productions of As You Like It and Measure For Measure. She describes how they gave one of her characters a white cane, what reasonable adjustments are in place for her at the RSC and why she’s excited that blind people will see themselves represented on stage in the future.

Presenter: Lee Kumutat Producer: Emma Tracey

Pictured: Karina Jones playing Sister Francisca in Measure for Measure. Photographed by Helen Maybanks. Courtesy of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

For World Emoji Day the social media company We Are Social and the RNIB are collaborating to find ways to make emojis more accessible to visually impaired people. Sarah Bailey of the RNIB tells us what they've come up with so far, and we test social media expert Fern Lulham, on their uses and their meanings.

The Tree of Dreams is a story about expectations, reality, fantasy and family, devised by Ipswich’s resident company of visually impaired people, with dynamic Audio Description by the internationally renowned Rationale Method, using beat-boxing sound effects to heighten the experience for both blind and sighted audiences.

In Touch reporter Toby Davey gets a taste of this new way of conveying performance to visually impaired people.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Caroline Casey has been campaigning for more disability inclusion for the past decade. Earlier this year she took her cause to Davos – the summit for big corporations. She wants 500 CEO’s to sign up to making and acting on one commitment around disability for their company.

James McCarthy from Blind in Business, a charity working to boost the employment rates of visually impaired people at entry level, says recruiters must be incentivised to increase disabled recruitment.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

RNIB and manufacturer GEO are developing a smart meter that will be accessible for blind and partially sighted people. Audrey Gallagher from Energy UK tells Peter White about the meter and its accessibility features.

We also hear from John Worsfold from RNIB who tells us about how the meter has been tested.

The Department for Transport is conducting surveys on textured paving. Ann Frye, formerly head of the DfT accessibility unit, tells us how textured paving got started in the UK and Europe and the points she would make if she took part in one of the surveys.

Finally, Dan Brown from the Office for Rail and Roads tells Peter about improvements visually impaired passengers will receive when travelling by train.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Tom Walker

Michael Tupper from Clitheroe in Lancashire tells Peter White about legal action he is taking against East Lancashire Hospitals Trust because they aren’t giving him details on appointments and other information in his preferred format, large print. Michael is being supported by RNIB, whose legal adviser, Sam Fothergill, provides us with the legal background of the case.

We also hear from LookFest, which is a weekend festival in Hereford for blind and partially sighted young people. Reporter Lucy Edwards brings us the atmosphere and chats to parents and their children.

Finally, Christina Keiller who has two sensory impairments, joins us from Brighton and explains the challenges she faces of being both visually impaired and having hyperacusis.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Tom Walker

Guillermo Robles took the pizza company Domino's to court because he claimed he was unable to access their website and app to order his meal of choice using the software that reads the screen aloud to him. He also claimed he was unable to take advantage of their discounts, and build his own pizza. But Domino's argues that the Americans with Disabilities act, the Ada, pre-dates the introduction of websites that was passed in nineteen-ninety, and that in any case making its website accessible would place an undue burden on the company.

Guillermo lost his case, but then won on appeal in a federal court. But now Domino's Pizza says that because lower courts can't agree on the online responsibilities of companies, the US Supreme court must provide some clarity.

Quartz journalist Ephrat Livni gives us the facts of the case, and Chris Danielsen from the US National Foundation for the Blind explains why this case is so important at this particular point in time.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat