In Touch

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

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

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

Following the independence referendum in 2014, Scotland was granted new devolution powers including taking control of a selection of welfare benefits. One of the changes will be the way in which people whose vision is never going to improve, are assessed for Personal Independence Payment or PIP. Reporter Ian Hamilton finds out what these changes will mean for blind people living in Scotland. The well-known international company Specsavers recently launched an advertising campaign in Australia and New Zealand in a bid to encourage more people to have their eyes tested. A short film and a television ad ask people "how much would you sell your eyes for?" People are filmed answering the question with difficulty and emotion, and most conclude they wouldn't sell their eyes. Blind lawyer and Mum Fiona Woods feels this campaign devalues the lives of blind people, and sets out her objections and Specsavers states its position. University students throughout the UK have survived their first hectic weeks. We hear from Kristiana Zunde who attends a university in Yorkshire, gives us a snapshot of what she is studying and how she is settling in. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

A new twist in the ongoing tale of two treatments. Lucentis and Avastin have both been found to be effective in treating Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration, which costs the sight of tens of thousands of people each year. Avastin is vastly cheaper than Lucentis, but is not licensed for use in the eye. The High Court has found against drug companies which brought a legal action to prevent NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups from using the cheaper drug Avastin in people's eyes - and now there will be an appeal. We talk to David Hambleton of South Tyneside Clinical Commissioning Group who says the law is clear - and they will continue to use the cheaper alternative. We ask a manufacturer of high end electronic braille equipment what the advent of the considerably cheaper Orbit 20 Reader will mean for established brands. And we hear from Red Szell on why Shane Warne put him off his breakfast. Presented by Peter White Produced by Kevin Core