It's the time of year to perhaps start thinking about a holiday, and when you have a visual impairment there are often lots of things to consider. How you'll get there, whether the accommodation will be accessible and the kinds of activities that you'll do. So, we thought we'd look at some trips that could be suitable; including Sense Adventures, who offer walking holidays in the Malvern Hills and elsewhere, The Visually Impaired Sailing Association, who teach you how to sail a yacht and Christine Thomas tells us about why her static caravan in Cornwall is perfect for her independence.

A few weeks ago, we spoke about a consultation that the Civil Aviation Authority have launched, to gather people's experiences of accessibility when dealing with airlines. They have now added a phone line, as well as online and email submission options. The number to call is: 0330 138 5015. You can also email: [email protected]. For more information, visit: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/corporate-communications/performance-framework-for-airline-accessibility/

Sense Adventures: https://www.senseadventures.co.uk/

Presenter: Peter White

A few months ago, we discussed whether the modern world has become easier or more difficult for people with visual impairments. It is a very nuanced and subjective question, that has been and will continue to be fed into, but we thought we'd pick it up again and look at people's attitudes. This can be when receiving a formal service, such as from your healthcare provider or bank or just from people in the street. We've brought together three people with differing attitudes: Roshni Hafeez, Richard Lane and Gavin Griffiths, to toss this question around.

Presenter: Peter White

Reframing Fashion is the name of British Vogue's May edition. It features people with a wide range of disabilities. It was the brain child of their Editor and Chief Edward Enninful. Since taking on the role in 2017, he's changed the trajectory of the magazine to become more inclusive and representative. He worked on the issue with Sinéad Burke who runs disability consultancy firm, Tilting the Lens. One of the featured stars is the UK's first blind and black female barrister, Jessikah Inaba, who tells us about becoming a model for the world's biggest fashion magazine. For the first time in British Vogue's history, the magazine will be available in braille and audio formats. We also spoke to Kimberly Burrows - a blind artist, keen fashionista and now a first time consumer of the magazine because of its accessible formats.

To get a physical braille copy, you can email [email protected] For more information on how to obtain accessible copies go to: https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/may-2023-issue-audio-braille

Also this week; Haben Girma, a deafblind American disability rights lawyer shares her recent visit to the British Museum.

Presenter: Peter White

Helen Pownall contacted In Touch with the aim of warning other visually impaired people to keep an eye on their energy accounts. This was prompted when her visually impaired mother in law accumulated a credit of nearly five thousand pounds and she was no longer was receiving her bills in large print. Helen Pownall provides more information and we get advice from energy price comparison experts The Energy Shop.

The Civil Aviation Authority is reviewing their policies on accessible air travel; this encompasses guide and assistance dogs. We hear from the European Guide Dog Federation on what they'd like to see happen as a result and to the CAA, on what exactly they are looking at.

Presenter: Peter White

King Charles's Coronation will likely be a highly visual affair and so charity Living Paintings wanted to ensure that visually impaired children and young people get access to the event. They have gifted tactile images and audio guides to schools, homes and people caring for young visually impaired people. Our reporter Fern Lulham attended a school in Kent, to hear what the visually impaired children there thought of these accessible gifts.

Clay modelling is one of the best art forms for blind and partially sighted people; that is according to Essex based Allan Mabert anyway. Allan had an illustrious working life; being one of the first blind rehabilitation workers, he was a sportsman who competed in one of the early Paralympic Games, and as if that wasn't enough, he was also London's first blind magistrate. But now in his retirement, Allan has found a passion for art. We paid a visit to Allan's pottery class, to hear more about his new found hobby.

Presenter: Peter White

We take a look at how an increasingly prevalent part of the entertainment industry is becoming more accessible to people with visual impairments. For a long time, video game developers have struggled to understand the needs of people with sight loss and therefore, modern games were largely unplayable. We take a look at The European Gaming Accessibility conference, that aims to combat these attitudes. It brings together people from the gaming industry to share best practice and knowledge on how to make games more accessible. Moreover, the RNIB have launched their Design for Every Gamer campaign that works to do the same. Blind gamer, access consultant and Accessible Gaming Officer for the RNIB, SightlessKombat tells us more.

Star Wars: Jedi Survivor audio described trailer is thanks to the #TranscribingGames project.

Presenter: Peter White

We investigate why there are so many TV advertisements not verbally announcing who the brand or product is anywhere in the advert. This was pointed out by Nathan Tree, who has grown frustrated by the lack of inclusion and consumer choice. We put the question to Zoë Waller, who is an Executive Producer for the video production company, Studio Yes and to Malcom Phillips from the body that regulates advertising; the Advertising Standards Authority; Malcolm is their regulatory policy manager.

Beauty company Estee Lauder have recently released a new app that uses artificial intelligence to help visually impaired people apply make up. It is called the Voice-Enabled Makeup Assistant and can be used on iPhones (Androids within the year). Our reporter Fern Lulham tests it out, alongside make-up and fashion blogger Emily Davison.

Presenter: Peter White

Be My Eyes is a service that enables visually impaired people to connect with sighted assistance, via a smartphone app. You can get help with things like finding a lost item or identifying something you've just pulled from your fridge. But Be My Eyes are soon to release an additional feature called Virtual Assistant that uses artificial intelligence. It's thought that it will eliminate the need for sighted assistance and can suggest a recipe based on that something you've just pulled from your fridge. The BBC's Senior Correspondent in the US, Gary O'Donoghue has tested the new offering and he, along with Be My Eyes' CEO Mike Buckley, tell us more about how it works.

The world's first European Blind Football league is underway. Over the Easter Weekend, The Royal National College For The Blind's team played European sides and defended their spot at the top of the league table. We hear from RNC team captain and England player, Azeem Amir and RNC and England coach, Adam Bendall about the significance of this league and what is to come from the next two rounds.

Presenter: Peter White

Where do you go if you are seeking training on how to use the various technology? We look at whether the training provided by rehabilitation services goes deep enough and what alternatives are available to you. We speak to Simon Labbett, who is a rehab officer and Chair of the Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network, to Scott Wood who is a team leader at the RNIB's Technology for Life service and to Mike Townsend, who is representing the Technology Association of Visually Impaired People.

Blind stand-up comedian Chris McCausland has a new four part show, that airs on Radio 4's Tuesday night comedy slot. It's called You Heard it Here First and panellists have to decipher what is going on in a variety of audio clips. We review the first episode with visually impaired comedy writer and Assistant TV Producer, Reece Finnegan. On the episode in question, Chris' panellists were: Rhys James, Donna Preston, Alasdair Beckett-King and Ria Lina.

Presenter: Peter White

We are debating a rather ambiguous question on this episode of In Touch: is the modern world more or less difficult for people who are blind and partially sighted? It is a difficult question because there are many variables to consider: your age, whether you have a job, how comfortable you are with the evolution of technology and, of course, your level of sight. To help us tackle it, we have invited Matt Johnson, who specializes in IT and data law, Roshni Hafeez, who is a VAT tax specialist with HMRC and Mike Lambert, who worked as a English lecturer in further education. There are also many areas to cover within this debate and so we have chosen to touch upon banking and trains and assess how technology interweaves into these and many other aspects of our society.

Presenter: Peter White

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.