In Touch Folgen

How much do you know about deafblindness? If your answer is "very little", it seems you're in good company. Such is the lack of research on the condition that the charity Deafblind UK has collaborated with Birmingham City University to establish a new education and research centre. Said to be the first of its kind, its aim is to both undertake influential research and raise general awareness of deafblindness. It will also equip junior researchers and others with the knowledge and skills to become future leaders in the field.We're joined by Dr. Peter Simcock, who is leading the work at the centre and Georgina Smerald from the charity Sense. We also hear from Robert Nolan, Emma Blackmore and Jo Milne, all of whom are Deafblind.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Kim AgostinoWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

In a recent episode of In Touch, we interviewed Sandi Wassmer, who at the time, we believed to be the UK's only blind female CEO. Among the very positive responses we received were a couple pointing us in the direction of two other blind women in the top job, and who would make excellent guests. Always keen to respond to listeners' suggestions, we were delighted when Agnes Lunny and Halima Begum, CEOs of Positive Futures and Oxfam GB respectively, agreed to join us. They tell us about their journey to the positions they hold today, the challenges they've faced and what could be done so that others can follow in their footsteps.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz PooleWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’

In an episode broadcast last summer, the RNIB's CEO, Matt Stringer joined us to discuss financial pressures facing the charity and the consequent need to save millions of pounds. Since then, we have invited RNIB back to talk to us about their subsequent plans, but they declined, citing confidentiality issues. Meanwhile, In Touch has received information about a consultation exercise, said to be causing concern about jobs and future service provision among RNIB staff. We speak to Steve Tyler, who worked at RNIB for over 20 years and who held senior planning and strategy positions to get his reaction. Being registered blind hasn't dimmed Annie Spooner's passion for baking. Indeed, since her sight loss diagnosis, she has set up her own business called Annie's Cake Creations. Reporter Hetal Bapodra visited her to find out more.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz PooleWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.’