On Talking Vision this

week, in

the lead up to the federal election Vision Australia has called on parties to

commit to its election policies. These policies are centred around education,

employment, seniors access to services, a mandate on audio description and

accessible voting.

Stella speaks with Australian Greens Senator for Western Australia, Rachel

Siewert, who holds the portfolios for Ageing and Community and Disability

Services about her party’s planned steps to address the issues that affect

those in the blindness and low vision community.

Also on the program, David Truong is a singer

song-writer based in Queensland and has just released his first album, Happy

Sad. He talks with Stella and reveals an extraordinary story.

On Talking Vision this

week, nominations for

this year’s National Disability Awards are now open. In honour of this day we

reply a conversation with Dr Frances Gentle who was one of the joint winners in

the 2015 Excellence in Accessible Technology category for pioneering the world’s first eLearning Braille course, UEB

Online.

Also

on the program,

·        

Scott

Jacobs from the Advocacy and Engagement team at Vision Australia talks about

the new self-advocacy tool kits available

·        

News

of a gritty realist radio drama from the UK’s RNIB radio

On Talking Vision this week, we introduce the Manager of the Vision Australia Radio network, Conrad Browne. Conrad loves community radio and has established a strong career. He see the service as essential in providing a voice and representation to those often ignored.

Also on the program, a special treat as Frances Keyland brings an extended Reader Recommended with three books including the much loved Australian classic Caddie.

National

Law Week (16th – 20th May) is an annual event designed to

promote public understanding of the law and its role in society.

On Talking Vision this week, lawyer and university lecturer Cameron Roles and law

student Henry Macphillamy. They discuss their experiences of being blind and

working in the legal sector, why they chose law and whether the law serves to

protect individual rights or to enforce our responsibilities.

For

mother, Tanya Savva, the past seven years have been a rollercoaster ride.

Independently raising her daughter Mackenzie who is blind, developmentally

delayed, and with significant medical complications has been a challenging yet

rewarding journey. Tanya has recently made the radical decision to provide

intense therapy and home schooling to Mackenzie, now seven, for six months

whilst travelling around Australia in a campervan. It is their ‘The Road

Unseen’ journey and Tanya also hopes to raise awareness in local communities of

people who are blind or have low vision, just like Mackenzie. Stella speaks

with Tanya about Mackenzie’s own journey up until this time, the hopes she has

for her daughter and the decision making process behind the trip.

We also

play a song to send them on their way.

Frances

Keyland is also on the program with a reader recommended.

This

week on Talking Vision, Gabi Hollows is the founding director of the Fred

Hollows foundation and considered to be an Australian national living treasure.

Earlier this year she was the inaugural recipient of the Ryman Prize, an award

of $250,000 for the world’s best

development or achievement that enhances quality of life for older people.

Also

on the program, writer and editor of the online fanzine Dark Matter Zine,

Nalini Haynes.

HappyMothers’ Day

 Inhonour of Mothers’ Day Stella speaks with three mothers about the specifictrials and joys of motherhood when you are blind or have low vision and alsothe universal commonalities that all mums share.

Theprogram features Mary Lovett mother of three adult children, Dr TheresaSmith-Ruig who has two school aged children and a two year old and first timeyoung mother Sarah Hocking.

This week on Talking Vision, 27th April is International Guide Dog Day, a day that

celebrates the incredibly hard working service dogs that make a difference to

many in the blindness community.

We are joined by Chris Edwards and Carmela Carey and their Seeing

Eye Dogs Odie and Rosie to discuss what was the deciding factor on getting a

dog, what has been the major difference in having a dog and if you need to love

dogs to have a Seeing Eye Dog. They also highlight the discrimination that they

have faced when out in the community with their dog.

This

week, Government

Relations Advisor at Vision Australia, Marcus Bleechmore, demystifies the new

centralised system for aged care in Australia, known as My Aged Care. My Aged

Care is part of the Australian Government’s changes to the aged care system

which have been designed to give consumers more information, choice, control

and easier access to a full range of aged care services.

Also

on the program:

- There’s

been a couple of positive steps toward full accessibility on social media.

Megan Bishop from the communications team at Vision Australia, talks about the

developments and also how people can join in the conversation on Vision Australia’s

social media pages.

- We

also feature an interesting piece from the BBC World Service produced by

Australian Journalist Lee Kumutat and titled Why I’m Not Just Blind.

-  And

there’s a reader recommended with Frances Keyland.