In Touch Folgen

Vision Rehabilitation is an essential service to newly blind or partially sighted people, and those whose sight has changed. It is a service that is provided by local councils and can help with things like technology, daily mobility and independent living skills. But new Freedom of Information data from the RNIB has highlighted that many local councils aren't providing this vital service in a timely manner. Resulting in thousands of blind and partially sighted people without the help that they are entitled to by law. We hear from you about how the delays are impacting daily life and independence. The RNIB's David Aldwinkle provides details of the findings. Andy Fisher is a vision rehabilitation specialist and has worked within the public and private sectors and Simon Labbett is the Chair of the Rehabilitation Workers Professional Network and an active rehabilitation officer in a local council - they both help us assess the issues and the potential solutions.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

The Northern Ireland Assembly, the country's devolved legislature, have recently reformed after years of political stalemate. In Touch investigates the issues that arose during the Assembly's years of inactivity and that will have potential long-term impacts for visually impaired people. Some of the changes to the UK's benefit system uniquely impacts people in Northern Ireland because it has meant that many are no longer automatically entitled to free eye tests. This is something that many fear could lead to early signs of conditions that can cause blindness, being missed. And we investigate the impacts to transport services; particularly community transport, as many visually impaired people across Northern Ireland heavily rely on it to continue to live full and independent lives.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

Northern Ireland recently hosted its first major assistive technology conference. The conference was hosted by the RNIB at the Europa Hotel in Belfast and it was home for the day to all the big players in the assistive technology arena. In Touch went along to find out what the latest tech has to offer and the kinds of things visually impaired people were interested in.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image and he is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three separate 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 is a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.