In Plain Sight

This week on In Plain Sight join your hosts Simon and Andrew as they talk with Gaela Hilditch, the volunteer coordinator for the Perth Glaucoma Support Group. In her twenties Gaela was hit in the eye during a game of squash, which years later she discovered had been a trigger behind her glaucoma diagnosis. Since this discovery she has been a strong advocate for increasing awareness of the disease and understanding how it affects people.

Gaela says the "support group brings people out of isolation. You meet people with all kinds of challenges, you have a good laugh and you form friendships, it's very therapeutic." If untreated, Glaucoma can lead to blindness but there are many forms of treatment which, if detected early enough, can stop the effects permanently. World Glaucoma Week exists as a reminder to get tested and monitor issues with sight.

Gaela reminds us that support is vital when learning to live and thrive with a disease like Glaucoma. Support groups can help alleviate anxieties and fears around sight loss and give advice for daily life. 

If you'd like to learn more you can visit the Glaucoma Australia website here. 

During Glaucoma week don't forget to use the hashtags #GlaucomaWeek and #SavingSight

You can click here to learn how you can help save sight.

If you're interested in joining the support group you can find Gaela's contact details here.

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Grinding out  a career as “That Blind Guy”.

Karan Nagrani, known online as "That Blind Guy," is a Melbourne-based disability advocate, content creator, and 2025 Midsumma Festival Community Ambassador.
Karan shares his story of how he moved from denial to pride: appreciation and awareness for who he is, and his acknowledgement of the complexities of identity and belonging.

Karan is a proud & loud Gay Man, who also happens to be Legally Blind an have Usher Syndrome, he has less than 3% vision remaining and partial hearing loss.
He is a very active person on Social Media, under the title of “That Blind Guy”, and uses his platform to promote inclusion, social change, and accessible workplaces.

Advocacy & Content: Karan identifies as a gay man of color with a disability. He uses his Instagram (@that.blind.guy) and personal website to share humorous, raw, and educational content.
Which has also led to a theatre show called; - ``FROM GRINDR TO BLINDR``.
A bold comedy show that dives into dating, identity and disability through the eyes of a blind, gay person of colour, mixing razor-sharp humour with raw, honest storytelling about losing sight, finding self-acceptance, and seeing the world in a whole new way.

A fascinating and fun conversation with a dynamic person with many strings to his bow.
Karan’s story is interesting, informative and entertaining.

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Due to complications with Type 1 Diabetes Colleen was in need of a heart transplant, and now as a transplant recipient she is fully energised and bright zest for life.
She has also taken on board all the knowledge she has acquired through the numerous significant events she has experienced to sharing her story of resilience in the hope it will help, inspire and encourage people to appreciate what they have and what they can achieve.

Colleen’s motto, “Where there is a will, there is a way” and “Life rewards action”, seems to work wel for her as she has done and achieved a lot in her busy life.
With two published books: Memoir: ‘I Can See Clearly Now – the soundtrack of my life’, and,  “Ya gotta laugh” an anecdotal book on life since losing sight, Colleen has found she has a real knack for telling a great story: & I’m glad she shared some of it with us here.

Join us to here Colleen share her enthusiasm for life and living it to the full and as she says;
 “Been active throughout my entire life never letting diabetes get in the way and so now I was not going to let having a heart transplant and losing sight do that to me either.”.

Colleen is also a passionate sportsperson, initially with swimming, and now with Tandem Cycling.
She is currently the Chairperson of WATCAC (Western Australia Tandem Cycling Advisory Council).

Quiz night to raise money for WATCAC, for tandem cycling for vision impaired:
Saturday, Apr 18 from 6 pm to 9:30 pm
At: - Telethon Speech & Hearing CentreWembley, WA
Link to info here:   
https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/watcac-quiz-night-tickets-1982666820833?aff=oddtdtcreator

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There's more to Geraldine than meets the eye.

This week Simon chats to Geraldine Lane, a dog guide and wheelchair user, and Matt Wood, a Seeing Eye Dog instructor; about the importance of having a service dog and the confidence they bring. 

When Geraldine's health was affected by a lung disease she was seriously concerned that her independence and physical activity would be restricted, not necessarily by having to use a wheelchair, but by not being able to use a Seeing Eye Dog. Geraldine reached out to Matt and the team at Seeing Eye Dogs Australia (SEDA) who are implementing a program to train dogs to serve wheelchair users. With the help of her dog, Noodle, she has regained confidence and freedom of movement to complete everyday activities.

Please remember the golden rule with Service Dogs is that when they're in the harness, they are working and should not be disturbed. We hope you enjoy this informative and inspirational episode.

Seeing Eye Dogs Australia relies on support and donations. Click the link if you're interested in sponsoring a puppy.

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On this week's episode Simon has a chat with Paralympian and project officer at Rebound WA Natalie Alexander. Natalie discusses her wheelchair basketball career from winning silver in the U25 World Championships in 2011 and 2015 to competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. 

She uses her passion for sport, community and resilience in her Project Officer role at Rebound WA, a not-for-profit organisation that helps people with physical disabilities engage in sport and recreation opportunities. Natalie chats with Simon about how wheelchair basketball operates, her role at Rebound WA and the joy of helping people find themselves and community through sport. 

If you're interested in learning more about Rebound WA you can click here to get involved.

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This week Simon revisits his chat with Louisa Norman, Engagement and Regional Manager at Perth Festival.

Perth Festival will light up Perth city for a massive summer of art and culture from 6 February to 1 March (with the Lotterywest Films program already underway). The Festival will activate the city and your imagination across a dazzling array of art forms, with numerous venue locations, there's something for everyone no matter your interest, ability or access needs.

The Perth Festival team has gone to a lot of effort to ensure that many of the program and events are as accessible and inclusive as possible, which is clear through Simon and Louisa's conversation. The Festival website has been designed to make finding shows and places that are suitable for different accessibility needs easy to find, with lots of detailed information.

Find out more about the Perth Festival program on their website. The accessibility widget can be found in the bottom left hand corner of the screen.

You can read more about the Festival's commitment to accessibility here on their website.

And replay their recent Access Information Evening session on YouTube here. 

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On this episode of In Plain Sight Simon and Andrew interview filmmaker Tony Sarre on his project "Road to Paran" which he made last year with his project partner Lincoln MacKinnon. Paran is a small community that rests at the foothills of the Andes north of Lima, Peru and is known for having high rates of blindness. There, Tony and Lincoln got to know the locals and learn about their daily experiences living in a community where one in every eight people is blind.

By documenting their journey through photos the team has created a series of tactile 3D printed models that pair with soundscapes and audio description for a totally unique experience. These installations were displayed late last year in the Fremantle Arts Centre for people to touch, listen and see. 

You can learn more about the "Road to Paran" from their facebook page or instagram. 

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This week Simon revisits his chat with Maxine Drake, a powerful voice for inclusion and human rights.

As an advocate with Developmental Disability WA, Maxine stands up for students with disabilities and brings passion, heart, and action to the disability movement.

In this thought-provoking chat, Simon and Maxine explore advocacy, pride, dignity, and what it really takes to create an accessible world where everyone belongs. Acknowledging that sometimes activism is needed to make change happen; social change is easier when we bring people together and are there beside them.

Find out more about the work of Developmental Disability WA by visiting their website: ddwa.org.au

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This week, Simon revisits his chat to William Morgan, who's passionate about singing and sound production. Williams sings in the Perth Pride Choir and the Humdrum Choir, which he also helps organise. William is a caring, vibrant member of the Perth disability community and in this uplifting discussion he shares openly about all that music and the choir communities bring to his life.

Find out more about the Perth Pride Choir including their upcoming performances on their website.

Find out more about the Humdrum Choir on their Facebook page.

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This week, Simon revisits his chat with Ritchell Lim, a musician, singer, producer and sound engineer, devoted to her art and a natural at her craft. Ritchell is an extremely talented, highly intelligent, bright woman who is just launching herself into to a career as a sound engineer. And, she also happens to be blind.

Ritchell grew up playing the piano, and wrote songs every chance she got. She describes the studio as her second home and has experienced playing in parts of Asia and Australia.

Listen to some of Ritchell's music on her Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/user-540746094 

And connect with Ritchell on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ritchelllimmusic/ 

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