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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Sam caught up a while back with blind endurance runner, motivational speaker and all around thrill seeker Ben Pettingill, whose aim for 2024 is to run 3,249km for mental health in a project he calls 3249 Blind.

You'll also hear from Liz who's back to tell us about the latest issue of For Your Information, and we hear from Blind Australian of the Year Award winner Courtney Webeck who spoke with Marie from Vision Australia in Brisbane following her award win.

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This week on the show Sam speaks with father and son Peter and Rohan Rickards, alongside Kathy Leitch from Vision Australia.

Peter and Rohan are the inventors of Sensaball, a multi-directional cane tip designed to give greater feedback and less friction and vibration for white cane users.

Then after you hear from Peter Rohan and Kathy, Karan Nagrani is back on the show after catching up with Brisbane volunteer Marie for an interview at the Blind Australian of the Year Awards in Brisbane late last month.

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Sam is joined by Corene Strauss and Brooke Carter from the Australian Disability Network, who are here to tell us all about the PACE mentoring program for job seekers with disabilities, as well as their upcoming It's Not Hard to be Inclusive campaign running in the lead up to International Day of People with Disability on 3 December.

Then later in the show Sarah from the library is back to tell us all about the latest updates to the Vision Australia library, and we finish up with some news and information.

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Sam is joined by Samara Cunningham, artistic director of South Gippsland-based theatre company (It's no) drama who are hosting a production in November.

Very shortly they will also be running a training session to help locals make the performing arts more accessible for performers and staff in the region who are blind or have low vision.

Then later in the show Sam catches up with Harzita Hashim from the Children and Young People team at Vision Australia, as well as a very special guest from the North Pole, in the lead up to the Santa Fun Run taking place over two weeks in late November to raise vital funds for children who are blind or have low vision.

Finally to wrap up, we finish with some news and information and Frances joins the show with a Reader Recommended.

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Sam welcomes back Karan Nagrani to Talking Vision this week in the lead up to the Blind Australian of the Year Awards held on 26 October in Brisbane, where Karan will be the MC.

Then we hear from Vanessa Papastavros who's here to tell us about the latest news from Speak My Language, a series of national audio and video podcasts featuring stories, advice and lived experiences of cultural and linguistically diverse Australians with disabilities.

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