With Father’s Day just around the corner (Sunday 4th September) Talking Vision pays tribute and speaks with two dads about the specific challenges and joys of being a father when you are blind or vision-impaired, and what all fathers have in common. The program features Glen Morrow who has a two year old son and Michael Simpson father of three adult sons in their late 20s and early 30s.

Vision Australia’s Telelink

program enables people to connect with others to

share hobbies, interests, social chats and support. Stella speaks with Telelink

participant and facilitator Debbie Lenehan about the range of groups

available and the important role this service plays in people’s lives.

 

Also on the program, Bruce

Maguire Lead Policy Advisor at Vision Australia discusses the end of the ABC’s

15 month audio description trial on its on-line streaming service iView.

 

Frances Keyland brings us a Reader Recommended.

On 1st September   the

Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will be releasing the next generation five

dollar banknote which includes a tactile feature especially designed for the

blindness and low vision community. Stella speaks with Bruce

Maguire, lead policy advisor at Vision Australia, and Michael Anderson, Head of

Note Issuing at the RBA, about the events that lead to the inclusion of the

tactile feature and why the feature is so important. 

“It’s about blind people being

empowered by other blind people. It’s the one week of the year where braille is

the norm and blind is the majority.” Jordie

Howell, former student and now teacher at the Braille Music Camp.

“It’s inspired many students to go on and

pursue music as a career.”

This

week, tune in to the joy of braille and music with our most popular show of the

year, the 2016 National Braille Music Camp. Every year in late June, blind

music students and their mentors from around Australia come together for the

National Braille Music Camp at Mittagong in the New South Wales Southern

Highlands. One of the camp leaders Jordie Howell, co-hosts this program with

Stella Glorie in which they speak with two camp participants and play some of

the music created during the week of celebration and fun learning.

This week, it’s a special Talking

Vision with a conversation with former Disability Discrimination Commissioner

Graeme Innes AM, who has just launched his autobiography, Finding A Way,

and the former presenter of Talking Vision, Stephen Jolley.

Graeme discusses the meaning of the

title of his book, memories of his early formative years, life during his

university years and the key decisions that have lead him to where he is today.

Also on the program, Frances

Keyland brings us a Reader Recommended.  

This

week on Talking Vision Stella speaks with  Vildana Praljak an aerialist

with the Women’s Circus in Victoria.

Vildana

was encouraged to try circus skills by sighted colleague who could see no

reason why vision impairment should be a barrier. Initially sceptical she eventually found a way to express herself creatively and describes the

circus skills as one of the best avenues of her life.

Also

on the program, 9th August 2016 is Census night. This year, for the

very first time, the Census form is fully accessible for all disabilities. The

Census form is available on-line and also in a variety of hard copy options.

Samantha Palmer from the Australia Bureau of Statistics is on the program to

discuss the importance of being involved in the Census and the range of

assistance options available should they be needed. 

In

the lead up to the 2016 Rio Paralympics Vision Australia has launched its Get

Your Sport On campaign to celebrate the way people engage in sport and

leisure activities. Stella speaks with down-hill skier Debbie King who, when

she lost her vision, who was able to continue with her life’s passion thanks to

technology and community assistance

Also

on the program, Business Director Llewylln Praine on the transformative power

of learning braille both professionally and personally.

This week on Talking Vision, we celebrate the signature of

the 20th country on the Marrakesh Treaty, the Treaty will come into

effect on 30 September 2016.

The Marrakesh

Treaty is international agreement that will help an estimated 285 million

people worldwide have greater access to books published in accessible formats

such as large print, braille or audio.

To

help us understand what this means for the blindness and low vision community

Stella is joined by  Anthea Taylor, Manager

Accessible Information Library Service at Vision Australia. Anthea is  a

passionate advocate of accessible information and a copyright expert.

Also on the program, we catch up with Tanya Savva and her

Road Unseen journey and Stella has an extended chat with Frances Keyland and a

special edition of Reader Recommended.

This

week, Stella has an extended conversation with Australian songwriter Donna

Dyson. Prior to composing full time Donna was an lecturer and published author.

This changed in 2012 when she became suddenly blind after suffering a stroke

caused from brain tumour.

At

the time her other passion was music and she was able to change her direction

in life and become boldly active in the music industry. She has collaborated

with Australian idol winner Damien Leith and they have become a national

recognised and awarded team.