In Touch

Gender dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there's a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity. It's sometimes known as gender identity disorder, gender incongruence or transgenderism.

On this episode of In Touch, three visually impaired people tell us about their experiences with their gender transitions. We discuss why they've chosen this path, what have been the effects on their relationships with their family and friends, and how their visual impairments interact with their gender identities.

Presenter: Peter White

Website image description: a person with a white cane is sat alone on a park bench. The image represents isolation, as the participants in the show explain how they felt lonely when beginning to explore their gender identities (this is not representative of everyone's experiences).

Recently, a number of In Touch listeners have told us they're finding more touch screen card machines in their daily lives. These are the machines that do not have any raised buttons or tactile feedback. Supposedly, this type of machine is the future because most are operated by a similar technology as what is inside a smart phone. This gives a business a wider variety of payment options, and they can often be quicker and more reliable than the traditional machines we're all used to. But just how accessible are they when blind or visually impaired people are not able to use the contactless payment feature?

Presenter: Peter White

In this music special, we'll be speaking to three visually impaired musicians about how they navigate their careers, what part their visual impairments play in that, and to what extent they buy the common misconception that blindness and good musicianship are linked.

Presenter: Peter White

Website image description: a man in a colourful floral shirt and jeans is sat playing an electric guitar. The guitar was once owned by John Lennon and George Harrison. The image was captured during a recording of Antiques Roadshow, where the guitar turned out to be one of the most valuable items ever brought in, due to its rarity.

In the first interview since the problem occurred, Channel 4's chief marketing officer and executive lead for inclusion and diversity, Zaid Al-Qassab explains what has happened to their audio description and signing services. Neither has been working since the end of September. We ask why there were no back up services, what measures will be put in place to avoid it happening again, and most importantly when these services will be back up and running.

We all know that global action is needed to prevent worsening climate change and its severe consequences. The UN Climate Change Conference, or COP26, is just around the corner and it is seen as the last chance for us to make a positive impact on our future. We discuss the relationship between sustainability and inclusion and highlight some of the problems visually impaired people are facing with so-called sustainable infrastructure. We assess the consequences of leaving people with disabilities out of future sustainability plans. We hear from Ann Frye, an international specialist on the transport needs of disabled and older people and Iain McKinnon, of the Global Disability Innovation Hub, who is also part of a panel at COP26 discussing these themes.

Presenter: Peter White

Website image description: In the forefront are large solar panels. These are surrounded by green trees and foliage. The back of the image shows tall high-rise buildings, a city landscape. The image represents the moulding of sustainable infrastructure and city life.

When you first register for a certificate of visual impairment and you have informed your local authority that you may need care and support, they have a legal duty, under The Social Care Act, to carry out an assessment. This assessment is designed to evaluate what kind of extra support you need, perhaps it is help around the home or navigating the outside world. But problems seem to occur when a local authority does not have the specialist knowledge of visual impairments in order to diagnose the most suitable help and when newly blind people are not aware of what they are entitled to.

On the programme, we hear from two people who have experienced problems in accessing social care assistance from their local authorities. We discuss rehabilitation, a service which offers visual impairment training, and why certain areas of the UK don't have the necessary specialist support.

We are 60 years old! Peter White shares his fondest memories and experiences of presenting In Touch and we hear something of the programme's history from one of the original producers.

Also, cornea and retina specialists have begun to notice eye-related complications in people who have recovered from COVID 19. Some people have experienced blurred vision while ill with the disease, but it appears that for some, the effect can remain, long after they've recovered. In some cases, it's thought that the disease blocks or restricts blood supply to the retina, which results in a condition called retinopathy. In some extreme cases, vision can be impaired. We investigate this with the Clinical Director of the Association of Optometrists, Dr Peter Hampson.

And we hear from someone who successfully uses assistive technology in their place of work. And it may not be the job role you're expecting it to be...

Producer: Fern Lulham

Figures by the consumer group Which? show that, over a six year period, the number of bank branches across the UK have decreased by around 44%. The number of cash machines have also decreased; in just two years, we've lost nearly 11 thousand of them nationwide. But what does this mean for people who may prefer to use cash or visit their local branch? We speak with the Head of Money at Which?, Gareth Shaw about their findings on this. We also talk to the UK's largest provider of cash machines, LINK about the future financial landscape in the UK and to The Baron Holmes of Richmond, Lord Chris Holmes about a new pilot scheme that aims to keep the cash flowing within local communities.

And when it comes to employment, around just one in four visually impaired people of working age have a job. As you may know, there are many barriers that prevent people getting into work, but one of those is perhaps that job seekers and perspective employers alike are unaware of the technology that will aid visually impaired people when in work. Well, our reporter Fern Lulham is here to help and has put together some information about some of the best work-based technology on the market.

Presenter: Peter White

It can be a common occurrence to hear your doctor say 'if only we'd caught this sooner'. Well, the reading department at Moorfields Eye Hospital have created a way to detect signs of one of the most common causes of blindness, all in under 30 seconds. They've done this using artificial intelligence technology and it can detect Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration, or AMD. There is currently no treatment for this condition, unlike the 'wet' form of the disorder, but it is an exciting development in AI medicine. We speak with Dr Konstantinos Balaskas about how it all works and with Cathy Yelf from the Macular Society about potential future treatment for the condition.

Sport England have dedicated £1 million to get visually impaired people more active. It will be delivered through a three year campaign called See Sport Differently. It comes as new figures show that blind and partially sighted people are twice as likely to be completely inactive as people without a vision impairment, with more than half of people with a vision impairment doing less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week.

September marks the start of the new university term. We hear from some visually impaired students who are returning to their studies. They tell us about their experiences with university life so far, and what they're expecting from this new academic year.

Audio Description has been around for over 30 years: it is filling in the silences on TV, films and the theatre so that blind and partially sighted people can follow the action easier.

There has been a boom in people playing video games over the lockdown period, and there are plenty of visually impaired people who have been joining in on the fun. We hear about an audio only video game that is entirely accessible to blind and partially sighted players. It is rather rare for an audio only game to reach the major consoles but this one is available on the Xbox. Its called The Vale: The Shadow of the Crown. We hear a review from someone who has played it and we speak to the game's developer, Dave Evans.