It's a Midsumma special episode of Talking Vision as we feature two interviews from the live outside broadcast which took place as part of Midsumma Carnival Day on 19 January at the Alexandra Gardens.

You'll hear from Sam Colley and Karan Nagrani as they interview trans disabled theatre all rounder Oliver Ayres, then later on Conrad Browne and Tess Herbert catch up with Anastasia Lee, board member at the Victorian Pride Centre.

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Sam catches up with Ben Harrington from Travellers' Aid, offering accessibility and mobility services for passengers with disabilities at major stations but also events such as the Australian Open.

And speaking of the Open, Action Audio is back for the 5th year in a row to provide an auditory companion for tennis fans who are blind or have low vision, Sam chats with Tennis Australia's Gerard Mason all about it to find out more.

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Sam speaks with music therapist Emily Shanahan following the recent developments around NDIS funding for music and art therapies, and the positive impact it has had and continues to have for people of all ages with disabilities such as blindness or low vision.

Then after we hear from Emily, Maureen from the library is back on the show with a preview of all the exciting things going on in the library for 2025, and Frances wraps up the program with a Reader Recommended.

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We celebrate World Braille Day on the show this week, with an extra special anniversary in 2025 as this year marks the 200th birthday of braille since Louis Braille innovated the writing system in 1825.

Sam kicks off the show speaking to Tristan Clare, chair of the Australian Braille Authority as well as publications officer at Next Sense to talk about why braille plays such a vital role for people who are blind or have very low vision.

Later in the program you'll also hear from braille music specialist Jordie Howell, she gives us a rundown of braille music including a chat about the annual braille music camp in Mittagong for young braille musicians around Australia.

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This week we feature the best of Talking Vision in 2024, with some of Sam's favourite interviews from the year as you sit back on Christmas Day for a holiday special episode of Talking Vision.

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Sam speaks with Associate Professor Matthew Butler from Monash University's Faculty of Information Technology and president of Round Table, Sonali Marathe, who tell us about a new series of 3D printing guidelines for educational materials designed to be tactile and accessible to students who are blind or have low vision.

We also catch up with editor of For Your Information, Liz Dalakouras, to get an update on the final issue of FYI for 2024, and Frances is back with a Reader Recommended.

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This week Sam speaks with Dale Pierce and Sharon Taylor, two participants heading along to take part in the Vision Australia Trek for Vision.

The trek takes place over five days from April 29 to May 3 2025 on the Abel Tasman track on the South Island of New Zealand, to raise vital funds for Vision Australia client services such as the quality living groups helping people navigate life with vision loss.

To donate to Dale and Sharon's trek you can visit this link to Dale's fundraising page or this link to Sharon's fundraising page

If you would like to join Dale and Sharon or find out more about Trek for Vision you can visit visionaustralia.org/trekforvision

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Sam is joined by Janene Sadhu and Michael Janes, who both took up the option of live audio description at the 2023 Vision Australia Carols by Candlelight. They tell us about their experiences at the Bowl with AD, in the lead up to this year's Carols on Christmas Eve simulcast on Vision Australia Radio.

You'll also hear from Keith McVilly, a member of the Disability Worker Registration Board of Victoria, who have partnered with the Victorian Disability Worker Commission to conduct a public consultation on disability registration standards, open until 13 December.

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This week we hear from social worker and youth mentor Ian Clements, who after experiencing vision loss as a young adult overcame the various challenges that came with that to work as part of the Top Blokes Foundation in the Hunter Valley region.

Then later on in the show we feature some news and information about the upcoming International Day of People with Disability on Tuesday December 3, and Frances joins the show for a Reader Recommended.

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Hear from Jason Gipps as he catches up with guest curator of Geelong Design Week, Dr Tonya Meyrick, to chat about how they are making design accessible for members of the public who are blind or have low vision.

Later in the show it's award season as we recap the 2024 Vision Australia awards with Vision Australia acting CEO Justine Heath, who presented the awards at the recent Vision Australia Annual General Meeting on 31 October, and finally this week Marie is back with Penny Holmes-Brown from APM, winner of the Employer of Choice Award at the Blind Australian of the Year Awards.

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