In Touch

We speak to the woman whose sight deteriorated in the pandemic because her appointment was cancelled. And what are the very specific challenges for blind and visually impaired people when it comes to moving house? From labelling boxes to scoping out the new area, we hear from three listeners who've done it - and have some tips on how to make sure it goes smoothly.

Habilitation gives young people who are visually impaired crucial life skills, such as mobility and auditory training, to help them develop confidence and live their lives. But a new report has laid bare the chronic shortage of habilitation officers and revealed a patchwork of services provided by local authorities in England.

One local council provided habilitation support to just 3% of the children and young people with vision impairment in their area, and another provided this service to 47%. We talk to the parents affected and ask what needs to be done to improve the situation.

And we meet the blind footballer who, having achieved his dream of playing for the England blind football team, is taking his love of sport into the classroom as part of his latest venture - disability awareness training.

3,000 puppies are to have their DNA sequenced via sailva swabs in order to build a database that will help improve the success rate of fully established working guide dogs. The 'Born to Guide' project is being led by Dr Tom Lewis, who told us how the database will establish links between dog genetics, health and behaviour.

The Government's promised £3 billion pounds to transform bus services in England as part of its 'Bus Back Better' plan. But how much of the money is dedicated to improving accessibility? Our reporter Fern Lulham has been finding out whether services like talking buses are soon to become commonplace across the country.

Sarah Leadbetter, from Narborough in Leicestershire, is classed as clinically extremely vulnerable. However government correspondence advising her to shield was not sent in a format she could access - which she argued was discrimination. After her legal challenge, the government has agreed to review its communication with disabled people.

The way banks work has been hugely affected by Coronavirus, with customers encouraged to go online and keep visits to the already dwindling number of branches to a minimum. Telephone banking has also changed, with an increased reliance on voice-activated technology rather than keypad entry. We ask whether those changes have helped with accessibility.

The RNIB have announced big changes to their braille library service. From next month braille books will be smaller, slimmer and newly printed on demand. Users won't even have to return the books but can instead choose to upgrade by buying a more robust spiral-bound version.

The new Census 2021 forms are dropping through letterboxes and the organisers, the Office for National Statistics, are promising it will be the most accessible yet. We'll hear from their Deputy National Statistician Iain Bell about what they've got planned. A telephone contact centre is available on 0800 141 2021 in England and 0800 169 2021 in Wales.

And the TV soaps often seek to reflect life back at us by featuring storylines about illness or medical conditions. Coronation Street is the latest to do that with their portrayal of Charles Bonnet Syndrome - a condition affecting people with sight loss that often involves frightening hallucinations. We talk to the actor Richard Hawley who plays the newly-diagnosed Johnny Connor in the soap.

When attending hospital appointments became so difficult during the pandemic, Moorfields Eye Hospital developed an app that allows you to keep track of your vision at home. It links the user up with a specialist who can monitor the results for any changes and decide whether a face-to-face appointment is really necessary. We get the verdict of one listener who's been using it.

PRESENTER: Peter White

We focus on the death of Cleveland Gervais. Cleveland was blind and, one year ago, he fell from the platform edge and was struck by a train at Eden Park Station in South East London. There was no tactile paving strip on the edge of the platform he fell from.

We hear from Sarah Leadbetter who's mounted a legal challenge over inaccessible Covid related information. She argues the government did not give her accessible details about shielding. She's now been granted a judicial review at the High Court.