On a recent edition of In Touch, we heard about Accessible In Home Displays, or AIHDs. These devices are essentially energy smart meters that have been adapted to provide, for example, a text to speech facility. We were told that they should be available from energy companies for blind people who requested them. However, many listeners have told us that this has not been their experience. We take a closer look.

PRODUCER: FERN LULHAM

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.

Over the years, In Touch has been keeping up with five visually impaired people. They all first appeared on the program as children in the 1990's, then as young adults in 2003 and now, twenty years on, we've invited them back for a reunion and to hear how their lives panned out.

Presenter: Peter White

We speak to three visually impaired people working within the entertainment industry. Ellie Wallwork is an actor and writer. She has featured in some very high-profile TV programs: Doctor Who and Call the Midwife and she is currently co-writing an LGBTQ+ short film, released in the new year. Jake Sawyers is an actor, comedian, drag queen and all round entertainer. He has recently written and featured in a couple of TV pilots and is starring in a pantomime of Snow White over the festive period. And Eleanor Stollery is just 11 years old but has already played a big role in a Christmas Carol in the West End. She's also been the voice of a cartoon character in a children's TV program on Channel 5's Milkshake!

They join us to talk about their careers so far, their current and upcoming projects and what it's like to navigate such a competitive industry with a visual impairment.

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.

The festive period can be very visual and with this in mind, charity Guide Dogs and entertainment production company The Ministry of Fun, teamed up to design a sensory Santa's grotto for visually impaired children. We sent along our resident child at heart, Fern Lulham to participate in the fun.

For many years, blind and partially sighted people have been left behind when it comes to accessing the big blockbuster video games (also referred to as AAA games). Thankfully, developers have woken up to this fact and so producer Beth Hemmings and totally blind gaming consultant, Brandon Cole review some of the biggest games that blind and partially sighted people could play this holiday season.

We also have a very special studio guest. He's blind, he's funny and an all round entertainer. Any guesses? Tune in to find out!

Presenter: Peter White

Video Game Clip Credits:

The Eye Clinic Liaison Officer (ECLO) has an important part to play when being diagnosed with an eye condition, during later prognosis and treatment. We invited Paula Thomas onto the program, who is visually impaired and is currently working as an ECLO at Great Ormond Street Hospital, to tell us more about what her role entails and the kinds of things ECLOs can offer help with.

We often report on In Touch about sports that have been adapted to be played by blind and partially sighted people... but never netball. That's because, for the first time, it is being adapted to be played by partially sighted people. We hear from Sam Bird, who is CEO of Netball Superleague club London Pulse, about their upcoming netball festival that is encouraging new visually impaired players to join in.

Presenter: Peter White

A few weeks back, Pauline Mottram told In Touch about the way she was dealt life changing medical news; she felt it was given to her in an extremely insensitive way. We get the hospital's response and hear about a twist to her story. We also hear from Rowena Thomas-Breese who, thirty years prior to Pauline, experienced the same when being told she'd lose her vision and in the same part of the world.

We talk to Alan March Sport about how they are providing audio described commentary for this year's World Cup in Qatar. It's a free service and anyone with a smart phone can access it from home. Alan March is the company director and he provides more details, along with Pardeep Gill who used the service whilst in a World Cup stadium in Qatar.

And our reporter Fern Lulham tells us about a new way that blind and partially sighted people can keep on top of how much they are spending on their energy bills; with an accessible smart meter.

Presenter: Peter White

Following on from last week's discussion about whether you can prepare for sight loss, we've been asked to provide further information about the type of services you are entitled to. Simon Labbett is a rehab officer and Chair of the Rehab Workers Professional Network and he provides details of changes that can be made in the kitchen, what you should be asking for and from whom.

If you own an older internet radio streaming device, you may have heard a recent announcement from the BBC stating that it will no longer be streaming on select devices, as of mid-2023. We investigate why this is and what can be done about it.

Presenter: Peter White

Getting a diagnosis that your sight will deteriorate or eventually be gone entirely, can be life changing news. But can you prepare for it?

We brought together three people who are different stages along the sight loss path. Pauline Mottram received the diagnosis that she will definitely eventually go blind only a few days ago, and so we invite Amit Patel, who ten years ago went blind overnight and Marcia Beynon, who has a progressive condition and is yet to lose more of her vision, to offer some tips and guidance on this life changing event.

They all tackle the question: can you really prepare for blindness?

Presenter: Peter White

On bonfire night Angharad Paget-Jones, her boyfriend and guide dog, Tudor, attempted to stay at a Premier Inn hotel. Subsequently the staff at the hotel did not believe that Tudor was a real guide dog and they were asked to leave. Angharad provides details of how the situation unfolded and what she is planning to do about it.

Anna Tylor is the Chair of the RNIB and is partially sighted. She reached out to us upon continuously receiving inaccessible information regarding her breast cancer treatment. Anna explains the problems she's been having and the faults of the NHS under The Accessible Information Standard, which have been in place since 2016.

And, at this time of Remembrance, we hear from an ex-Navy veteran who has received some very good service following on from her glaucoma diagnosis and sight deterioration.

Presenter: Peter White

We hear from two women who are both celebrating firsts and both aiming to make a difference.

Louisa Wickham is a consultant ophthalmologist and medical director at Moorfields Eye Hospital but in September, she added to her titles by being appointed as England's very first National Clinical Director for Eye Care. We invited her onto the program to explain what her ambitions are for her new role and how she plans to tackle the current problems facing eye care services; patient backlogs, long waiting times and preventable permanent vision loss.

Jessikah Inaba is believed to be the UK's first blind and black female barrister. She studied for her law degrees in braille at London's University of Law and, in the last few weeks, has been inducted to the bar. She tells us about this momentous moment, about the barriers she faced getting there and about her goals for her future career in law.

Presenter: Peter White