Sam speaks to Anne Diez, mother of five-year-old Iko. At age two Iko lost his vision due to leukemia but thanks to Vision Australia he's been able to adapt to play and be as active as ever.

Iko is one of our Carols ambassadors this year, if you'd like to buy a ticket and head along there's still time, simply head to the Carols website.

You'll also hear from Gino who joins us with some gift ideas for that friend or family member who is blind or has low vision, so if you need some last minute Christmas shopping ideas, Gino's got you sorted!

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We kick off the show with a library update from Vision Australia Library manager Sarah Bloedorn, who gives us a sneak preview of what the library has in store for members in 2026.

You'll also hear from singer and songwriter Summer Giddings, who has recently released a single for Christmas entitled Paper Hats and Mistletoe, alongside her new album Christmas with Summer.

Then finally to wrap up we get the latest on the Telelink January interest groups from Telelink programs coordinator Maria Markou, and Frances joins the show with a Reader Recommended.

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Sam welcomes back Santiago Velazquez Hurtado, who is one of six ambassadors for this year's International Day of People with Disability. He talks about his role, the day itself and what days like this can do to raise awareness and provoke positive change for people with disabilities.

You'll also hear from Liz Dalakouras as she gives a final run down of For Your Information for 2025, and we finish up with a Reader Recommended.

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Sam speaks to Kathryn Carey from Impact Institute about their recent Melbourne Disability Expo which wrapped up on Saturday 22 November, as well as the other work Impact is doing in the disability space.

You'll also hear from Moonee Valley City Council's Kelly Armstrong, she tells us about an upcoming event in Flemington to mark the lead up to International Day of People with Disability on December 3.

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This week we celebrate the nine Vision Australia Award winners who received their awards at the recent Vision Australia Annual General Meeting on October 31.

You'll hear from all in attendance at the awards with introductions from master of ceremonies Ian Finlayson and chair Bill Jolley.

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Sam catches up with Vision Australia's manager of radio and audio services, Conrad Browne, about the recent CBAA conference in Hobart and the awards night where Vision Australia Radio picked up three awards, and Peter Greco was added to the community radio honour roll for his three decades of service to the sector.

You'll also hear from Sara McDonald and Belinda Marcon who join us to chat about the Melbourne Airport Assist program, designed to help passengers with disabilities find their way around the land side of the airport, including check in and baggage claim.

Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141

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Sam speaks to CEO of Bus Stop Films, Tracey Corbin-Matchett about an upcoming disability employment summit that Bus Stop Films has been involved in running, now is its second year.

The summit is called Driving Change, taking place over three days on 25-27 November both in Bondi and online, for members of the screen industry and creatives with lived experience of disability including but not limited to deafness, neurodivergence or mobility needs.

We also finish up with a bit of news and information, and Frances joins the show with a Reader Recommended.

Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141

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Sam speaks with Associate Professor Tien Huynh from RMIT about her team's research into a new medication using natural proteins to tackle retina-based vision conditions such as macular degeneration.

You'll also hear from 2025 Blind Australian of the Year Maurice Gleeson, who recently picked up the award for his decades of service to the blind and low vision community in the field of sport and recreation.

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This week we celebrate the 2025 Blind Australian of the Year Awards with a range of interviews and speeches featuring Vision Australia Radio's own Jason Gipps, and Blind Australian of the Year MC Karan Nagrani.

Jason and Karan take you through the night featuring conversations with Reggie Bird, Tash from Braille and Tactile Signs Australia, award winner announcements and more.

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Talking Vision turns 800! To celebrate Sam takes us on a trip back over the years to feature some of his favourite conversations with people from the blind and low vision community who have made an impact on the world in their own way.

We also hear from Wayne Speers from Yarra Trams to tell us about the upcoming Try Before you Ride event at Southern Cross on 16 October.

Support this Vision Australia Radio program: https://www.visionaustralia.org/donate?src=radio&type=0&_ga=2.182040610.46191917.1644183916-1718358749.1627963141

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.