In Touch Folgen

This is the first episode of a two-part series examining the times in our lives as blind people when we are faced with a loss of control and power entirely caused by our visual impairment.Both programmes look at ways of gathering yourself, restoring your dignity, suppressing that sense of powerlessness, and giving you back the control everyone needs to be functioning adults. Situations like feeling loss of control because of access, orientation and/or mobility.Inability to take part in a meaningful way in activities: moving house, financial transactions, managing forms and paperwork. Our thanks to everybody we spoke to during researching these programmes.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Guillermo Robles took the pizza company Domino's to court because he claimed he was unable to access their website and app to order his meal of choice using the software that reads the screen aloud to him. He also claimed he was unable to take advantage of their discounts, and build his own pizza. But Domino's argues that the Americans with Disabilities act, the Ada, pre-dates the introduction of websites that was passed in nineteen-ninety, and that in any case making its website accessible would place an undue burden on the company. Guillermo lost his case, but then won on appeal in a federal court. But now Domino's Pizza says that because lower courts can't agree on the online responsibilities of companies, the US Supreme court must provide some clarity.Quartz journalist Ephrat Livni gives us the facts of the case, and Chris Danielsen from the US National Foundation for the Blind explains why this case is so important at this particular point in time.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

Michael Tupper from Clitheroe in Lancashire tells Peter White about legal action he is taking against East Lancashire Hospitals Trust because they aren’t giving him details on appointments and other information in his preferred format, large print. Michael is being supported by RNIB, whose legal adviser, Sam Fothergill, provides us with the legal background of the case.We also hear from LookFest, which is a weekend festival in Hereford for blind and partially sighted young people. Reporter Lucy Edwards brings us the atmosphere and chats to parents and their children.Finally, Christina Keiller who has two sensory impairments, joins us from Brighton and explains the challenges she faces of being both visually impaired and having hyperacusis.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Tom Walker