In Touch Folgen

on February 23, Greater Manchester Police were called to Levenshulme by two witnesses who reported a man with a gun behaving in an agitated manner.The attending firearms officers tasered the man and subsequently discovered he was blind and that what had been thought to be a gun was, in fact, his folding white cane. This follows a similar incident in 2012 when a blind man's white stick was mistaken for a samurai sword.In last week's case, the police apologised, and the Professional Standards Branch of Greater Manchester Police, carried out an investigation. It found that the police had acted appropriately and the blind man has not, thus far, made a complaint.We speak to Solicitor Advocate Sophie Khan who represented the case in 2012 on her concerns about the training undertaken by police when it comes to tasering vulnerable people.Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, tells us that the training and policies in this area are constantly being reviewed.Red Szell tells us why he's decided to part with his firs guide dog after nine months.Presenter: Peter WhiteProducer: Lee KumutatEditor: Eleanor Garland.

Dr Tanvir Bush talks about a recent experience she had when she was involved in a hate-crime as a result of her blindness. She also talks about her new novel 'Cull' which is a satire exploring a world in which hate crimes are tolerated, resulting in what she calls the 'dehumanisation' of disabled people. Tanvir is hoping to crowd-fund the publication of the book. Gough is an Australian comedian, writer, director who talks to Peter about his approach to film-making. He has formed his own production company and offers his work online.BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue talks about his friend, the actor Tim Gebbels who has died aged 49, following a short illness.

RNIB's Acting CEO Sally Harvey talks to Peter White about the charity's plans for its future. Will it merge with the charity Guide Dogs and what impact will the RNIB's restructuring plans have on jobs - particularly those held by people who are blind? We hear from an employee of the RNIB's dedicated Cliffden Hotel - currently for sale - and her crowdfunding initiative to raise more than a million pounds in order to buy it and maintain it as a specialist hotel for blind and partially-sighted guests.