In Touch

Anela and Scott Wood are keen theatre goers, and they regularly attend the audio described showings of the biggest musicals at their local theatre in Bristol. However, they were recently surprised to find that assistance around the theatre (help with things like getting to the bar and other facilities) was no longer a clear-cut issue. The couple tell us what happened.
'Making Fashion Accessible' is an initiative designed to help visually impaired people access London's Fashion Week. Its aim is to turn runway shows at this prestigious fashion event into multi-sensory moments for blind visually impaired guests; through tactile fabric swatch booklets, guided touch tours, (feeling designer garments and talking about them before or after the show) and scent and sound associations. The runway and outfits were also audio described for attendees during the show. Fern Lulham attended London Fashion Week to find out more about how Hair & Care's project works.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer & Reporter: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

Live Action Role Playing (LARP) is where people create a character, dress in costume and physically role play them within a real-world setting. In Touch finds out how visually impaired people get involved with this hobby by visiting one of the UK's largest LARP events, Empire, where James Crawford Laird role plays often. James has the sight condition Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and In Touch producer Beth Hemmings followed him around the Empire to find out how he interacts with the medieval fantasy themed game.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer & Reporter: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to
the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

First Hello is a pilot scheme by the charity Guide Dogs which provides visually impaired expectant parents with a rendered 3D model of their baby, taken from their 20-week ultrasound scan. In Touch finds out more from some to-be parents who have received their models and Guide Dogs' Head of Support Services, Kerry Bevan.
Macular Disease is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK and medical intervention has come a long way in terms of treating some aspects of the disease, but a new research method is trying to pin-point the root causes and contribute to earlier diagnosis by comparing healthy and diseased eyes from donors. Dr Colin Chu is leading the project and he describes the method and how he hopes it will contribute to wider research.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to
the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

With technology providing an increasing number of options for visually impaired people to access text, do we need braille food labels? Well a group of visually impaired people in Scotland certainly think so, and they've just relaunched a campaign to support their cause. Campaign leader Marie Harrower joins us to explain the objectives of their work and how it's progressing. We also hear what some of our listeners have to say on the subject.
If you want to find out more about the campaign you can email policy@sightscotland.org.uk or phone 0131 378 2800 extension 7015.
What is it that makes so many blind people keen on sport? Joining us to help answer that question is 13 year old Ravi Chahal, who is himself registered blind and already making his mark as a cricket pundit.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to
the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

It is the time of year where youngsters across the country are receiving their exam results. For many, this will mean attending university for the first time in the next few months. It is a big time, but for visually impaired youngsters, there are added dimensions to consider. With this in mind, In Touch has assembled a panel of guests to provide hints and tips for new visually impaired students on how they can make the most of their first term at university. We provide advice on things such as the Disabled Students Allowance, negotiating new environments and making the most of the social side of university life.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three white squares with the three letters inside each). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words 'In Touch'; and the Radio 4 logo (the word 'Radio' in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both rectangles are behind Peter, one is a dark blue and the other is a light blue.