In Touch

First Hello is a pilot scheme by the charity Guide Dogs which provides visually impaired expectant parents with a rendered 3D model of their baby, taken from their 20-week ultrasound scan. In Touch finds out more from some to-be parents who have received their models and Guide Dogs' Head of Support Services, Kerry Bevan.
Macular Disease is the leading cause of sight loss in the UK and medical intervention has come a long way in terms of treating some aspects of the disease, but a new research method is trying to pin-point the root causes and contribute to earlier diagnosis by comparing healthy and diseased eyes from donors. Dr Colin Chu is leading the project and he describes the method and how he hopes it will contribute to wider research.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website 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.’

With technology providing an increasing number of options for visually impaired people to access text, do we need braille food labels? Well a group of visually impaired people in Scotland certainly think so, and they've just relaunched a campaign to support their cause. Campaign leader Marie Harrower joins us to explain the objectives of their work and how it's progressing. We also hear what some of our listeners have to say on the subject.
If you want to find out more about the campaign you can email policy@sightscotland.org.uk or phone 0131 378 2800 extension 7015.
What is it that makes so many blind people keen on sport? Joining us to help answer that question is 13 year old Ravi Chahal, who is himself registered blind and already making his mark as a cricket pundit.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Fern Lulham
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website 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.’

It is the time of year where youngsters across the country are receiving their exam results. For many, this will mean attending university for the first time in the next few months. It is a big time, but for visually impaired youngsters, there are added dimensions to consider. With this in mind, In Touch has assembled a panel of guests to provide hints and tips for new visually impaired students on how they can make the most of their first term at university. We provide advice on things such as the Disabled Students Allowance, negotiating new environments and making the most of the social side of university life.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three white squares with the three letters inside each). 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 of a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both rectangles are behind Peter, one is a dark blue and the other is a light blue.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) supports people with the extra costs of a disability or long-term health condition and it is currently under review. The steering group behind The Timms Review now wants disabled people to apply to participate in a series of workshops throughout September and October to provide feedback on draft recommendations. Decisions on these recommendations are then expected to be announced in late Autumn. The deadline to apply for the workshops is Friday 21st August. There is an email address to request reasonable adjustments if you are not able to access the online application form: timmsreview.shapingrecommendations@dwp.gov.uk
More information on these workshops, including application form, can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/timms-review-of-personal-independence-payment-register-your-interest-in-a-shaping-recommendations-workshop/timms-review-register-your-interest-in-a-shaping-recommendations-workshop#information-for-workshops-in-wales-northern-ireland-and-scotland
Terra Sarda Wines is a small Sardinian wine company based in Yorkshire that have a big ambition to provide all of the wines they sell with braille labels. It currently includes the braille labels on demand on three of their range. Terra Sarda isn't the first wine company to do this, but the inspiration came from hearing Brandon Hulcoop from transcription service All Things Dotty on the In Touch programme. Brandon and Sue Scott from Terra Sarda Wines tell us how their partnership developped.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website 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.

If someone has little vision, is it actually helpful to describe historical sites and objects using only visual language? That is a question being posed by a new project 'Describing Heritage' by charity VocalEyes. It aims to challenge traditional audio description at heritage sites (museums, galleries, stately homes) by involving blind and visually impaired people in the creation of descriptions of objects and spaces. By co-creating audio descriptions that are based on all the senses, they believe that this will create the kind of description which could be more relatable to people with low vision. Our reporter Fern Lulham attended one of the curation sessions at The National Gallery to find out more about how this concept works.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Helen Surtees
Website 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.