It's now two years since the publication of "The Unseen" - a report exploring domestic abuse experienced by blind and visually impaired people. Now Extant, a group of visually impaired performing artists, has adapted the report into an audio drama, and a short tour of the production starts on the 16th of October in Wolverhampton. Extant members, Ben Wilson and Georgie Wyatt join us to explain more about their work.

Leeds Playhouse Theatre is one of a number of organisations to have collaborated with the Thomas Pocklington Trust and RNIB to provide internships for visually impaired people. We talk to Akin Famakin about his experience as an intern at the Theatre and to Amy Leach, the Deputy Artistic Director.

Presenter: Beth Hemmings Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins

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.’

When you need help or information, where is best to turn? Perhaps reaching out to peers via online methods, or perhaps finding a group that you can meet up with in-person.

Has the prevalence of social media and online meetings discouraged in-person get togethers and has it meant that the quality of our interactions has been diminished? Or does it make accessing information and help from peers and organisations much easier and more efficient. The answers will naturally differ from person to person, depending on preference and whether you are able access to online methods. This episode is dedicated to peer support; where you get it from, who you get it from, and in what form you prefer it.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: David Baguley 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.

In Touch has learnt about changes happening to the RNIB's Technology for Life service that will result in major changes to how the service is delivered, and may result in staff redundancies amongst the team that has many visually impaired employees. This change is separate from a ten-year proposed plan of changes that we recently spoke to the charity's Chief Executive Matt Stringer about. These included a need for cost savings of around £10 million and may also result in redundancies for staff.

The world now has a blind Barbie doll. Influencer, broadcaster and model Lucy Edwards brought her into the studio to be introduced to the In Touch team and to tell us what she means for representation. We analyse more widely whether representation of this form is of benefit to disabled children with Rebecca Atkinson, who founded the Toy Like Me campaign. The campaign began as a call on toy companies globally to become more inclusive of disability within their products. Rebecca also began her own disabled-led children's brand, with her Channel 5 pre-school children's programme 'Mixmups', which has disabled characters.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Brigid Harrison-Draper 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.

We hear from two women who are both celebrating firsts and both aiming to make a difference.

Louisa Wickham is a consultant ophthalmologist and medical director at Moorfields Eye Hospital but in September, she added to her titles by being appointed as England's very first National Clinical Director for Eye Care. We invited her onto the program to explain what her ambitions are for her new role and how she plans to tackle the current problems facing eye care services; patient backlogs, long waiting times and preventable permanent vision loss.

Jessikah Inaba is believed to be the UK's first blind and black female barrister. She studied for her law degrees in braille at London's University of Law and, in the last few weeks, has been inducted to the bar. She tells us about this momentous moment, about the barriers she faced getting there and about her goals for her future career in law.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

The Department for Work and Pensions will soon appear in the high court in a case brought against them by Dr Yusuf Ali Osman. Dr Osman has repeatedly requested that communications over his benefit payments be sent to him in his preferred accessible format but has not received them. We invited him onto the program to provide further details on which his case is being brought. Mike Lambert has had a similar problem with the DWP and he shares those with us.

For those who have certain eye conditions with enough sight to continue to drive, you may have heard of the Esterman Visual Field test. It is designed to test your peripheral vision but concerns have been raised over the test's validity and appropriateness to be used by the DVLA. We have these laid out by Lou, who has glaucoma and has had a negative experience when taking the test. We also invited Roger Anderson, who is a Professor of Optometry at Ulster University and sits on the DVLA's Advisory Committee of Vision and Visual Disorders, to share his thoughts on the matter.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Access services in supermarkets are, for some blind and visually impaired people, an essential service to gather the exact groceries you need. Services like assisted shopping, where a member of staff takes you around the store gathering items for you, are offered by a lot of supermarkets but some were suspended during the pandemic. Auriol Britton decided to take Sainsbury's Supermarkets to court when she had a problem with her local store in Bristol, primarily based on the suspension of their assisted shopping service. We invited Auriol onto the program to outline the problem she had and what happened in court.

Demand for eye services is rising rapidly and the NHS is struggling to keep up. Well, The Eyes Have It is a partnership between the Macular Society, Fight for Sight, The Royal College of Ophthalmologists and other sight loss organisations and they held a parliamentary a drop-in event at Westminster last week. They are calling for a national eye care plan to tackle the problems patients are facing. Our reporter Fern Lulham provides the details. (NB - Dr Peter Hampson is from the Association of Optometrists.)

And swimming can be a great form of exercise for blind and visually impaired people but keen swimmer Aletea Sellers contacted us when she had a problem in getting access provisions put in place at her local swimming pools. She tells us the responses she got, good and bad.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Dr Paul Jarman contacted us following our coverage of what changes had occurred since the RNIB took over the National Library for the Blind. He noted something that we had not mentioned. He believes there has been a seismic shift toward students and tutors like him, no longer being able to access as many serious books as once before. He lays out his concerns in this area and explains why he believes braille books should be regarded as heritage items.

Our reporter in Washington, Gary O'Donoghue talks us through a new partnership between access tech companies Aira and Envision. Together, they have created 'smart glasses' that enable you to be put in contact with a sighted agent, completely hands-free. Gary demonstrates how they can be used to assist with daily tasks and navigation.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Three visually impaired people tell us about their experiences of domestic abuse. The cases involve the perpetrator using their visual impairments against them, though gaslighting, coercive control and in one case, extreme violence being the cause of their visual impairment. These stories come in the light of a report called The Unseen, by The Vision Foundation and Safe Lives. Olivia Curno, The Vision Foundation's Chief Executive gives summary of the report's harrowing findings.

Link to The Unseen domestic abuse report: https://www.visionfoundation.org.uk/our-work/research/the-unseen/

If you are at risk of domestic abuse, contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. If you are in immediate danger, call 999 and ask for the police.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Our new Prime Minister, Liz Truss hasn't yet offered assurances to people receiving disability related benefits during the current rises in inflation and wider cost of living increases. This has concerned visually impaired grandmother and benefit receiver Kim Jaye. We invited her onto the program to explain her current situation and her added costs due to her visual impairment. The RNIB only last week handed in a petition to the Department for Work and Pensions about how the cost of living crisis is impacting visually impaired and blind people. Their Director of Insight and Customer Voice, David Aldwinckle explains the contents of the petition and their future plans to help blind and partially sighted people through the cost of living crisis.

The British Wireless for the Blind Fund have announced that they are to be discontinuing their Sonata Internet Audio service by the end of October. Kim O'Neil uses the service and explains to us why the device offers such an important and unmatched service and the Fund's Jenny Cameron tells us the reason behind the discontinuation.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Dr Peter Hampson is the Clinical Director of the Association of Optometrists and we invited him onto the program after hearing about a rather unusual cornea replacement method to come out of Sweden; scientists there have developed replacement human corneas out of pig skins. We ask Dr Hampson whether this could become a viable solution to tackling the UK's cornea shortage.

A Edinburgh based accessible technology company called Screen Language are soon to release a new streaming platform, strictly for audio described movies. It will launch on September 30th called My Sound Cinema. It aims to be a one stop shop for audio described films of a variety of genre. Elena Zini is Screen Language's founder and she gives us the details about their new platform. Kim Milward is visually impaired and a major film fan, we invited her to tell us and Elena whether My Sound Cinema is something that she would consider using.

And we sent producer Beth Hemmings to Leeds to listen in on a music performance by a group of visually impaired people who had been working with percussionist Mendi Mohinder Singh. The music was performed on some rather unorthodox instruments...

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Sarah Leadbetter and her friends could of had a near miss on the streets of Manchester when they veered into a road. They weren't aware they had done this as there was no kerb, tactile paving or crossing box to indicate the change between pavement and road. This was the straw that broke the camel's back and she will be taking the Department for Transport to a judicial review to mainly assess the legal safety guidance and requirements for the height of kerbs. Sarah joins us to tell us more about it. Andrew Hodgson is the President of the National Federation of the Blind of the UK and he shares his thoughts on this case and also on e-scooters, after Kent County Council have decided to discontinue their trials in and around Canterbury.

Keeping with the theme of safety for this program, we hear from GP Katie Elliott about how blind and visually impaired people can access cancer screening programs. She wants to know from you how you have navigated such programs and from your experience, how you'd improve the service. She explains more about the screenings available to you, when you should be having them and more.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Tributes to Her Majesty the Queen and how Poppy Levison got her job within architecture.

The Electoral Commission have launched a public consultation that will gather the opinions and experiences of disabled voters, with the aim of making voting more accessible. Ailsa Irvine is their Director of Electoral Administration and Guidance and she explains why this consultation is necessary, given the recent passing of the Elections Act, how information provided will be used and when we will see the effects.

We hear your responses to our item on last week's program about how you are now experiencing The RNIB's Braille Library Service, following on from updates to the system last year. Somewhat of a makeshift response to these changes came from Tim Pennick, who set up a braille book swap mailing list. He explains how his scheme works.

To participate in the braille book swap mailing list, contact: braillebookswap+subscribe@groups.io

To participate in the Electoral Commission's consultation, use the following link: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do/our-views-and-research/our-consultations/consultation-draft-guidance-returning-officers-assistance-voting-persons-disabilities. You can email EAConsultation@electoralcommission.org.uk or call 0333 103 1928.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

In April 2021, The Royal National Institute of Blind People, the RNIB, announced changes to their braille library service. Their new system offers access to more digital copies and home delivery of books on request. However, In Touch listeners have expressed their concerns about long wait times and no longer being able to return books, leading to high levels of wastage. We invited Ailsa Fairley and Tim Pennick to share their concerns with Dave Williams, The RNIB's Customer Experience Manager.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London (UCL) have identified markers in the blood that may predict which Glaucoma patients are likely to continue losing vision despite treatment that aims to lower the pressure that causes their sight loss. Professor Ted Garway-Heath tells In Touch more about their clinical trial.

On In Touch, we've always tried to be careful not to raise false hopes about new eye treatments, but occasionally its too irresistible to not take a peek into the future and look at how modern technology might help us. Developments such as Artificial Intelligence are happening so rapidly, even in the world of eye care. Pete Thomas is the Executive Director of Digital Development at Moorfield's Eye Hospital and he tells In Touch about the application of AI which is already having an effect on the rate of diagnosis of eye conditions, and therefore the speed with which they can be treated.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: David Baguley 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 success of England's footballing Lionesses at the recent UEFA women's championship has massively increased the popularity of the women's game. Now, the Football Association has included blind women in their disability talent strategy. The 2023 IBSA world games provide an early opportunity for a team of blind women players to follow in the footsteps of their sighted counterparts by lifting a major trophy. We speak to three England hopefuls about their journey in the blind beautiful game.

There is a perception among many people that having a visual impairment automatically means a love of music, but, as with so many other activities, sight loss can mean barriers to becoming a musician. Undeterred by this, and already having learned to play violin and viola, sixteen year old Toben Durrant is now a member of the Welsh National Youth Opera. We talk to him about his experience as a young blind musician. We also speak to acclaimed Soprano, Victoria Oruwari about support for young blind people wanting to become musicians.

Presenter: Peter White

Producer: Fern Lulham

Production coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, Across Peter's chest reads "In Touch" and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

TikTok is a social media platform that has been around in the UK since 2017. It deals in short-form videos and people can make them about pretty much anything: tips on keeping your home organised, how to cook X Y or Z, spirituality, pottery making, the teaching of languages, fashion tips, comedy sketches, music, woodwork, places to visit and… spreading awareness and knowledge about blindness.

We speak to four people who are educating their thousands of followers on what it is like to be blind. Toby, Claire, Reece and Sophie tell us what their aims are of creating this kind of content, about how they use comedy to address comments doubting their blindness and access.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a check shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, across Peter's chest reads 'In Touch' and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

Toby's TikTok handle: @blindtobes Claire's TikTok handle: @canseecantsee Reece & Sophie's TikTok handle: @blindandblonde

Who doesn't love a good glass of wine? Well, when we found out that the Wine & Spirit Education Trust in London have their first blind teacher Richard Lane, we thought we ought to go sit in on a class and get educated about the world of wine. We hear from Richard about his journey from being a student at WSET to becoming a wine educator there and we caught up with Harry Meade, who is himself blind, and one of Richard's pupils. We asked Harry how it fared having a visually impaired teacher.

We rightly hear a lot about how we live in a highly visual world and part of that encompasses architecture and the built environment. Our reporter Fern Lulham paid a visit to a course called Architecture Beyond Sight at the Bartlett School of Architecture in London. The aim of the course is to include visually impaired people within the design and making of architecture from the very beginning. Fern even tried her hand at using some of the large power tools available in the classroom...

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image. He is wearing a dark green jumper with the collar of a cheque shirt peeking at the top. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo, across Peter's chest reads 'In Touch' and beneath that is the Radio 4 logo. The background is a series of squares that are different shades of blue.

We often report on how well sight loss services are operating, but its not often we talk about services that just do not exist - but should. Listener Alex Scott contacted us after he attended London's Pride Festival a few weeks ago, expressing his dismay at the lack of LGBTQ+ community groups for people who are also blind or partially sighted. Indeed, very few do exist. We found one UK-wide group run by The RNIB in Northern Ireland. We invited Alex to tell us about this missing link and what he'd like to see happen for future. We also speak to Una Mulgrew, who is a Community Facilitator at RNIB Connect in Northern Ireland. She tells us more about her group and whether the RNIB has plans to fill this gap.

The Commonwealth Games 2022 have drawn to a close, but these games were unique. They were integrated, with both para- and able-bodied athletes competing alongside each other and included a series of new visually impaired events. We give a final round-up of last week's performances, and we speak to Libby Clegg. Libby was once a highly decorated sprinter, achieving two gold medals at the Rio Paralympics, but she has since switched to para-cycling and this year's Commonwealth Games was her first track cycling competition. She explains why she decided to make the switch and her opinion on the integration of the Games.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: pictured is an archway of rainbow coloured balloons at a Pride Parade in Brighton. The balloons are all the colours of the original Pride flag: red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet. The image was taken from street view and behind the balloons are a series of architecturally grand buildings.

Diabetic macular oedema is a condition that can develop when having type one or type two diabetes. It can impact sight progressively in the form of retinopathy or maculopathy. We hear about a new treatment for the condition, which The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has estimated to benefit around 22,000 people. Bernie Warren has the condition and she tells us about the benefits this drug could have to her life. We also get more information about the condition and the new treatment from Robin Hamilton, who is an Ophthalmic Surgeon at Moorfield’s Eye Hospital.

The Commonwealth Games are underway in Birmingham. They are an integrated games, with both para and able-bodied athletes competing alongside each other. Some visually impaired athletes are included in the mix and so we get a round-up of the medal winners from BBC Sports reporter, Delyth Lloyd. We speak to visually impaired Para-Triathlon gold medallist, Dave Ellis about his win and to Jonny Riall, who is the leader of Team England and also Head of Sport at the British Paralympic Association on the integration of athletes at the Commonwealth Games.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: pictured is a Team England swimmer diving into a pool at the Commonwealth Games. The image is taken using an underwater camera. The swimmer is wearing a red swimsuit and red swimming cap. Yellow and pink bunting hangs in the air over the pool.

Previously on In Touch, Dr Peter Hampson, clinical Director of the Association of Optometrists warned of a possible link between Covid-19 and sight loss. We talk to Criminal Lawyer Paul Bacon and former children's Laureate Michael Rosen about their personal experience of this. We also get an update from Dr Hampson on what the latest data tells us.

Retinitis Pigmentosa is the most common inherited eye condition, affecting around one in four thousand people in the UK. Currently, there is no known cure or effective treatments that can stop it's progression. Do the latest scientific advances give those affected grounds for optimism or would that be misplaced? The charity Fight for Sight is funding research to try and uncover new treatment strategies. We talk to their CEO, Keith Valentine and researcher Mike Cheetham to get their thoughts.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: Covid test kit unboxed.

Prior to the current cost of living crisis, the Royal National Institute of Blind People found that one in five blind and partially sighted people had difficulty in making ends meet. People with sight loss already have extra living costs and are more reliant on benefits than others as a result of low employment rates. Recently, the government have introduced financial aid and have increased benefits, but the RNIB say that these measures don't go far enough. We hear the story of Alex Ramzan, who has been struggling with the cost of living crisis and we speak to David Aldwinkle, who is the Director of Insight and Customer Voice at the RNIB, about the problems they are hearing and their campaign.

The cornea is a very delicate part of the eye. It is essentially the surface through which you see, so if it becomes scarred or damaged in any way, what you see can become increasingly impaired. The cornea can be replaced though, and the effects can be dramatic. But the supply of donated corneas has not kept up with demand. Currently, one in 10 people on the NHS Organ Donor Register have indicated that they do not wish to donate their corneas, making donations low and waiting times for replacements high. We hear about the causes behind this and the implications for people waiting from Kyle Bennett, who is the Assistant Director of Tissue & Eye Services at NHS Blood and Transplant. We also hear from Shelly Hague, who recently had her corneas replaced. She tells us about the impact this has had on her life.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is an extreme close up of a brown eye on a black background.

The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022, is a new piece of legislation that has amended the Equality Act 2010. It will place duties on taxi drivers and PHV drivers and operators, so that any disabled person has specific rights and protections to be transported and receive assistance without being charged extra. This will also ensure that visually impaired passengers will be assisted by drivers to help them identify or find the vehicle. The act was introduced by Jeremy Wright MP and he provides insight into how this act may impact you.

Blanche Shackleton is from the charity Guide Dogs and she tells us about their new app, which will enable guide dog owners to report any access issues. This is inclusive of taxis, indoor establishments and other places. And we hear about a new kind of AI technology, that is currently in development, which could provide make-up wearers with assurance and confidence.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: a visually impaired man is holding his smart phone up to his ear, presumably to hear the voice over function. He is wearing a white T-shirt, he has dark hair and beard and appears to be closing his eyes.

Two UK-based charities, Blind Veterans UK and Bravo Victor, were invited to Ukraine and met with the government there to see how they can help rebuild the country's visual impairment rehabilitation services and assist with research facilities to help deal with the ongoing emergency. Nick Caplin is the chief executive of Blind Veterans UK and he tells us about the outcome of the visit and their collective plans moving forward.

Rally, serve, love. That's right, its tennis season! We hear about an initiative from New Zealand that is providing visually impaired tennis fans with more information about what is happening on court. It is called Action Audio and using spatial audio data, it allows people to hear what kind of serve was given, where the ball lands in relation to the court lines and more. Tim Devine is one of the founders of Action Audio and he talks us through how it works. We also speak to Ivan Rodriguez-Deb, who is currently Britain's No.1 in the B4 men's visually impaired singles category. He tells us about his career aspirations and about the kinds of adaptations he makes, given he has some residual sight.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: William Wolstenholme

Website image description: An aerial shot of a blue paddle tennis court. The net runs down the centre of the image, with large shadow reflecting on the left side. Two tennis balls are located on the right side of the net.

We hear about Glastonbury Festival from Nina Chesworth's perspective. Nina had attended previous years with some sight but this year was her first time as a completely blind attendee. We also take a look at access provisions at some of the UK's other festivals and how these have evolved over the years, with Gideon Feldman, who is the Head of Programs at Attitude is Everything. Attitude is Everything have been campaigning for over twenty years to improve the disability access at live events.

And finally, we hear about how American Electronic Dance musician, Lachi is changing the industry for disabled artists. She campaigns and consults on disability inclusion, including at the White House, and this year she’s launched RAMPD, Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities. The interview was first broadcast on the BBC World Service's arts program, The Cultural Frontline.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is the festival crowed at Glastonbury. In the foreground are hundreds of hands raised in the air, people sitting on shoulders, colourful flags at full mast and a masses of multi-coloured confetti is flying through the air. The cloud of confetti is so thick that the festival's Pyramid Stage appears as just a silhouette in the background.

After 15 years, Cathy Yelf is retiring as the CEO of the Macular Society. Over those years, Cathy has demonstrated a great passion for and has been instrumental in generating wider awareness for macular related diseases. She has also been a regular and trusted contributor to In Touch on issues relating to the diseases. Peter conducts a farewell interview with Cathy Yelf, discussing what has changed since her beginning with the charity and what the situation has evolved into, relating to the progress of treatments and research into macular related diseases.

Audio description (AD) has become a popular access feature for some visually impaired people who enjoy TV, film and the theatre. It is experiencing something of a boom period, with its latest application being at music gigs. A new initiative by the Audio Description Association Scotland (ADAS) has recently seen the application of AD at some big-name concerts in Scotland. But, will it soon be available in the rest of the UK?

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: David Baguley 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.

For some visually impaired people, the element of touch is very important when trying to establish what a piece of art work looks like. This prompted listener Mike Lambert to contact the program following a visit to The World of Stonehenge exhibition at the British Museum. Mike was unhappy that he wasn't able to handle some of the stone items displayed at the exhibition and he explains to Peter a series of other access concerns that he has. We put these concerns to the Museum's Equality and Diversity Manager, Will Westwood.

We also take a look at The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden in St Ives. Here, they ensure that visually impaired visitors are catered for with touch tours, 3D printings of the sculptures and more. We pay a remote visit to the garden with Georgina Kennedy, the museum's Public Program Curator.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is a sculpture by Barbara Hepworth titled 'Two Forms (Divided Circle)'. The sculpture is asymmetrical, with each part at an angle to the other and one is slightly behind the other. One of the semi-circular sections has a cylindrical hole. On the other, a hole spirals from a circle to an oval. The sculpture is surrounded by lots of shrubbery and behind it, to the right, is a smaller sculpture and to the left is a large white shed with glass windows.

Barbara Hepworth Two Forms (Divided Circle) 1969 © Bowness

London’s new £18.9bn Elizabeth line has recently opened, with travellers now able to go from Abbey Wood to Heathrow and Reading, and from Shenfield to Heathrow. We went to find out about the line's access features, with Clive Wood of the charity Guide Dogs. Clive was offering advice and guidance on the accessible design of the new line and he believes there is more that can be done to ensure full accessibility. We put his concerns to TfL's chief customer officer, Mark Evers.

We also travelled down to South London, to an exhibition at the Outlined Gallery called Do You See What I See? It is an exhibition that showcases the interpretations of how partially sighted people, with various conditions, see and experience art.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured from the left is Sam Leftwich (one of the visually impaired participants in the Do You See What I See exhibition), then stands Elizabeth Manuel (the person leading the exhibition), then Peter White and finally Lindsay Whitelaw (the professional artist) on the right. The group stand in front of some of the art that is showcased in the exhibition.

Unlike most of the natural world, birds are quite easy to enjoy with a visual impairment because, well, they can be rather noisy. Martin and Jackie Brown invited us into their garden and share some of their enthusiasms for gardening and, you guessed it, birds. Natalie Doig also joins us. Natalie is partially sighted and enjoys taking photographs of birds and other wildlife, because it allows her to zoom in and discover details she wasn't aware of before. She tells us about her techniques and shares her top tips.

We also review some bird identification apps that can be downloaded onto your smartphone.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Two people photographing birds perched on their hands. On either side of the image, there are two large camera lenses. The birds are brightly coloured: orange, yellow, blue and black. One of the birds has its wings stretched out, while the other is perched with its beak slightly open.

Visually impaired Liverpool FC fans Dave Williams and Aj Ahmed were at the Stade de France last weekend, as Liverpool prepared to meet Real Madrid in the Champions League final. News headlines have been dominated by the mayhem that unfolded there, including the use of tear gas and dangerous overcrowding. The two tell us what happened to them, whilst caught up in it.

A lot of the great outdoors can be quite inaccessible, especially if you are completely blind. Nature is often synonymous with visual beauty and, with the exception of birds, a lot of wildlife can be rather quiet. We speak to two avid visually impaired naturists about how they create access opportunities for themselves. Andrew Hesser has recently appeared on BBC Two's Gardeners' World and he shares his top tips for introducing a little more gardening and nature into your life. Andy Shipley has dedicated himself to the idea of involving other visually impaired people in all aspects of enjoying the natural world. Under his organisation called Natural Inclusion, Andy provides disability inclusion training to heritage sites and parks and facilitates workshops to encourage people to experience nature with more senses than just sight. Andy tells us about some of the projects he's worked on.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: two women on a hike in Munnar, India. One woman is visually impaired and is using a cane. Behind them, stretches green fields and trees.

Link to Andrew Hesser's Facebook group, for tips and advice on gardening: https://www.facebook.com/groups/385503852747202 Link to Andy Shipley's Natural Inclusion: https://www.natural-inclusion.org/

For some people with visual impairments, when wanting to travel abroad there are many considerations to take into account. Namely, booking assistance at airports and travel requirements for your guide dog, if you have one. Since Brexit, there have been changes to regulations of taking Guide Dogs abroad. Before, owners had to acquire a pet passport but now, a Animal Health Certificate is required. We heard from In Touch listeners that the cost of said certificates can be quite steep and can vary, depending on veterinary practices. We investigate why this is and what the new requirements are with Chris Theobald, Guide Dogs' Senior Campaigns Manager, with David Adams, the President of the European Guide Dogs Federation and with Justine Shotton, who is the President of the British Veterinary Association.

Mel Griffiths contacted In Touch when she had a problem with Birmingham Airport's assistance service. She tells us what happened.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Paul Holloway

Website image description: pictured is a couple on a beach with their guide dogs: a German Shepherd and a Golden Labrador. The man is on the left of the image and wears a white and blue check shirt, a white cap and sunglasses. The lady is in the foreground and is wearing a long green and white patterned dress. Behind them is a volleyball net, with tall poles dug into the sand.

It could be about time to start planning that long overdue holiday and whether you prefer to stay in the UK or go abroad, we have three experienced visually impaired travellers on hand to share their advice of making the most of a holiday.

The North Wales Accessible Holidays for Blind and Visually Impaired is a charity run by Nigel Garry and his wife, Karen. They can offer free fully adapted accessible caravan holidays. Nigel tells us about his charity and his own preferences to holiday within the UK. Nicola Naylor is a Paralympian horse rider who has travelled far and wide, both alone and with family and friends. She tells us about her travel experiences; amongst them, how she went about not making her young daughter feel the responsibility of being her guide. Rosie Fluskey globetrots with her husband, Karl. They produce a travel blog called Flying Fluskey, to document their trips and to share travel tips and advice for people who perhaps don't feel confident to go overseas.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: a close-up shot of two mature women disembarking an airplane. The woman on the left is visually impaired and is holding her folded up cane in her right hand. Both women are wearing casual clothing.

Self-confidence can be impacted by many factors when you have a visual impairment or when gradually losing your sight. We look into confidence through the lens of beauty and self-care products and psychology.

Procter & Gamble own many household name brands, within beauty, haircare and personal grooming. Their Accessibility Leader, Sam Latif is blind and she has introduced features to some of their big-name products to make them more accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. We talk to her about these and how the wider beauty industry needs to become more accessible. But of course, self-confidence expands far wider than just self-care and beauty products and so we talk to humanistic counsellor, David Best about the kinds issues surrounding confidence that he hears about from his visually impaired clients.

Presenter: Fern Lulham Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: On a desk is a variety of beauty products. From the left is a make-up brush with a green handle, two bottles of skincare products stand behind it and a white bottle of soap with a pump behind those. In the background and blurred is a pink lipstick with a black and gold handle. In the centre of the image is an iPad or tablet with a person's hand reaching town to touch the screen. The image represents how technology can sometimes be helpful to people's beauty and self-care routines.

In recent years, charity Guide Dogs have published research that found 75% of guide dog owners had experienced some form of refusal of entry. Unfortunately, guide dog refusals are still very common and so we look into what steps you can take if it happens at an indoor establishment, for example: restaurants, shops, garden centres etc. We speak to a guide dog owner about his recent experience when being refused entry into a restaurant and to Clive Wood, the Lead Regional Policy and Campaigns Manager at Guide Dogs.

If you're a savvy smartphone user, you may have heard of NaviLens. It is an app that enables visually impaired people to detect and scan special QR codes from a distance. On detecting the code, the app then makes the information contained within it accessible. It can dictate what you are facing toward, read signage at busy train stations and its also attached to many beauty and food products, enabling you to hear the ingredients. The RNIB's Marc Powell explains how it could be a potentially useful tool for blind or low vision smartphone users.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is a golden Labrador guide dog helping a man descend some stairs. The image is blurred in places, representing how the legalities surrounding guide dog refusals are sometimes confused and misunderstood.

The Elections Bill passed the final reading stages in the House of Lords and will soon receive Royal Assent to be passed into law. We discuss the amendments which were approved in the House of Lords and were proposed by visually impaired Life Peer, Lord Holmes of Richmond. The amendments aim to provide blind and partially sighted people the right to vote at polling stations independently and in secret. We speak to Lord Holmes about what these amendments mean for you in future elections.

The Graeae Theatre Company are currently touring the UK with an opera about an 18th Century blind woman composer called Maria Theresia von Paradis. The opera is called The Paradis files and it has disability access at its core; with integrated audio description, signing and an all disabled cast and artistic team. We speak to Selina Mills, who co-wrote the libretto and to the star of the show, Bethan Langford who sings the role of Maria Theresia.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured are five cast members of The Paradis Files on stage. Bethan Langford stands in the middle, inside of a large gilded frame with red curtains on either side. All of the cast members have their right hand raised and are smiling. In the foreground in front of Bethan, are two 18th century style chairs with dark brown wood and embellished with tactile markings. Photographer Patrick Baldwin captured the image.

We revisit the topic of how the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine is impacting its visually impaired citizens. We speak to married couple Denys and Olga Petrov who evacuated to Poland soon after the war began. They tell us about how they got across the border with a small child, a pregnancy and... seven animals.

A few weeks ago, we spoke to Olga Mahler about how she travelled nearly 10,000 miles across the world from Australia to help visually impaired refugees with food and accommodation once they have crossed the border into Poland. Olga attended a boarding school for the blind in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. We caught up with her to see how her blind parents, who refused to leave their home in Ukraine, are getting along and how her aid efforts have developed.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is two young women; one is guiding a visually impaired woman with a white cane across the border from Ukraine into Poland. Photograph taken at the Medyka border crossing in eastern Poland, on March 9, 2022. They are both wearing winter coats, hats and scarves and small snowflakes are falling around them.

Like many charitable organisations, the RNIB is facing financial losses in certain areas and is having to find means of saving money across the organisation. It needs to cut around £10 million and staff have been told that redundancies will be happening. The RNIB's CEO Matt Stringer tells In Touch about the charity's current financial situation, whether any of services will be impacted and about the level of redundancies across the organisation.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: David Baguley 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.

Breathe in...and out. Namaste. With the global mental wellness market reaching around $120 billion in recent years, here lies the truth that in the West, many are finding the daily incorporation of mindfulness techniques highly beneficial to reduce stress and to become more present in daily life. With its ever growing popularity, we wanted to hear from visually impaired people who are making a living within this industry. We speak to yoga instructor, Claire Miller, we put Peter into the healing hands of Nick Mulryan who performs a reiki session on him and we speak to Marc Norton who demonstrates his work in the area of sound healing. We also explore how viable the wellness industry is as a career for people with visual impairments.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is Peter (on the left) and Nick Mulryan (on the right) in Nick's office at The No.1 Pain Relief Clinic in Buxton. Nick is holding an A4 piece of paper that details the 7 major chakras of the body. On the wall behind Peter to the left, hangs two images of the human skeleton with various labels branching off. Behind the pair are two shelves with towels and various boxes on. To the right of Nick there is a desk and a small shelf with two medical models of the human foot, which show the bones and muscles inside.

Vision impairment organisations have launched a new education framework called The Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI). Its main aim is to define and clarify how those between the ages of 0-25 are to receive specialist skill development, by whom and to recommend best practices across the board so that all visually impaired children have equal access to education. We speak to the RNIB's Head of Education, Caireen Sutherland about what this all really means.

The Disabled Student Allowance (or DSA), is a scheme that visually impaired students at university can apply for to help fund specialist equipment, apply for mobility support around campus and get help with services like note takers. But, in a report assembled by Life Peer Lord Chris Holmes, it was found that just 29% of the number of students with a known disability were actually receiving DSA support. Moreover, those students who have accessed it have reported that the process is extremely slow and convoluted. We speak two of those students, Ramneek Ahluwalia and Paul Goddard and to Lord Holmes about the recommendations he has put to Government to improve the scheme.

The DSA is administered by The Student Loans company who are soon to be releasing the final details of a procurement plan, set to also improve the overall service of the DSA. We ask David Wallace, the SLC's deputy CEO, about what this will entail.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is a young girl with pigtails and pink glasses. She is playing with some colourful braille blocks. The helping hand of an adult is directing her fingers along the braille markings.

Audio description is a form of narration that fills in the blanks in film, TV and theatre shows. It tells blind and partially sighted people what visual elements they could be missing on screen or the stage. Many believe that the current provision of audio description is too low, as some of the leading broadcasters and streaming platforms are only just going above the legally recommended requirement of 10%. Despite this, a project from The University of York is looking to improve the overall quality of audio description and they are calling it 'Enhanced Audio Description'. Its aim is to provide a more immersive experience for both visually impaired and sighted people.

We paid a visit to an exhibition that is aiming to be the most accessible in the UK for blind and partially sighted people. It is based in Liverpool and is called Strawberry Field. You've probably guessed by now that it is an exhibition about the legacy of The Beatles. It was once a Salvation Army children’s home where John went to play and escape, now it is now home to an interactive visitor exhibition, café, shop and gardens.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Lewis Reeves

Website image description: pictured is the steinway piano that John Lennon composed his iconic song 'Imagine' on. It is stood in the middle of the Strawberry Field exhibition. On the wall behind the piano is a large image of John Lennon's face, his eyes just peeping over the top of the piano. His face is made up of hundreds of individual black and white photographs of people who have donated to the exhibition. Above the piano hangs a TV screen with words that read 'Strawberry Field, The Imagine Piano'.

The European Blind Union represent the interests of 30 million blind and partially sighted people across Europe and with the war in Ukraine still ongoing, we wanted to know how the EBU are helping visually impaired people in Ukraine and those who have evacuated to neighbouring countries. We put this question to the EBU's director, Lars Bossleman.

For some, no matter how skilfully you use a cane, guide dog or technology to navigate to a certain place, often locating the front door of your final destination can be the tricky bit - especially when there are many different entrances. what3words is a navigation system that has split the entire world (even the ocean!) into three by three metre squares and it can help blind or partially sighted people pin point that illusive door or share their exact location with others. It is by no means a new technology or even the perfect solution but The RNIB have recently praised what3words as being a helpful tool for independence for blind and partially sighted people - when it is used alongside other navigation systems, such as Google Maps. We speak to the co-founder and CEO of what3words, Chis Sheldrick about how it all works and the RNIB’s Senior Manager of Inclusive Design and Innovation, Robin Spinks about how this service can really benefit visually impaired people.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: a gentleman is sat on a bench in a built up area with his smart phone held up to his ear. He has his red and white cane folded up in his hand and resting on his lap. He is wearing a navy flat cap, sunglasses and a blue shirt. The image represents the use of technology in providing some independence for visually impaired people when travelling alone.

The Marrakesh Treaty, or more informally referred to as Book Share, is an international agreement that gives visually impaired people access to a world of accessible books - quite literally! Countries that have signed up to the Marrakesh Treaty are able to share their online libraries with other countries involved. But listener Jackie Brown raised the point that the UK's system sometimes doesn't work as efficiently as other countries' services do and that the RNIB's Book Share service should stretch further. We invited Jackie Brown onto the program to put this point to the RNIB's head of consumer and business services, Alison Long. We also invited Kevin Mulhern and Lina Kouzie to give us a wider, more international perspective.

The 2022 Winter Paralympic Games are underway in Beijing and Team GB's visually impaired athletes have already secured some fantastic wins, including gold, silver and bronze medals. Alpine skier Menna Fitzpatrick will bring home some of these medals. We spoke to Menna and her guide Gary Smith about her wins so far, how the business of guiding actually works and her upcoming races.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is Peter White inside one of the BBC's recording studios, interviewing Menna Fitzpatrick and Gary Smith. The two are on a computer monitor in front of Peter. They are wearing their blue Paralympic uniforms and white medical masks. Behind them is a white wall that is decorated with the British Paralympic Association's logo (a red lion).

According to the United Nations, more than 2.8 million people have so far fled Ukraine because of the Russian invasion and amongst them are visually impaired people. Many have fled to Poland, where some could be offered the help they need by Olga Mahler and Andriy Butenko. Olga travelled nearly 10,000 miles across the world from Australia to help visually impaired people with food and accommodation once they have crossed the border into Poland. Olga attended a boarding school for the blind in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Andriy Butenko is also from Kharkiv and is in Poland helping refugees cross the border into safety. We ask them about the work they are doing and how the visually impaired people they are meeting are coping with the ongoing war. We also hear from Dr Vera Remazhevska in Lviv, who founded the first training and rehabilitation centre in Ukraine for children with visual impairments. There, she is currently helping visually impaired children, their families and other refugees that have travelled to the West of Ukraine to find safety.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: A group of three people are helping a visually impaired man to cross train tracks in Lviv, Ukraine. The visually impaired man has a cane in his left hand and is being helped up onto the train platform from the tracks. Another man wearing a blue outfit is helping him with his large duffle bag. The picture was taken in Lviv on March 5th.

Last weekend marked two years since the tragic death of blind rail user Cleveland Gervais, due to him falling off a train platform's edge in South East London. Since then, the UK's train network operators have been coming up with ways to make train stations a safer place for visually impaired travellers; including the pledge to install tactile paving to all train station platforms by 2029. Now, the Office of Rail and Road, who are the railways regulator, has submitted its responses to the Government's Rail Accident and Investigation Branch’s report about Cleveland Gervais’ death. Within the report, it mentions that train operators have an ambition to get a lot of their tactile paving installation work done by 2024 to 2025 - but with no guarantee. We speak to the regulator about their recommendations and also to Network Rail about their ambitions to speed up their installation work and we ask for any further updates on their progress.

And last year, the Be My Eyes app made taking Covid-19 PCR tests more accessible to those with some remaining vision. Now, they have teamed up with the UK Health Security Agency and NHS Test and Trace to make Lateral Flow Tests more accessible too. We speak to someone who has tried out the service and who was involved in the pilot and to Will Butler, who is the chief experience officer at Be My Eyes.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: the picture shows a pair of hands, with a Covid-19 Lateral Flow Test swab in the right hand. The swab is being put into the Extraction tube. In the background to the left, is a blue medical mask and the Lateral Flow Test itself is resting on the table below.

Technological change within the workplace is often rapid with frequent system updates. More companies are adopting software that operates via a web page browser - or what is known as the cloud. Listener Matt Johnson, a data protection and privacy lawyer, contacted In Touch to say he feels the move to cloud-based software in the workplace is causing serious access problems for people who are blind or partially sighted. He puts his concerns to Microsoft's director of Accessibility Evangelism Hector Minto, asking what the company is doing to help. Peter also talks to Kelvin Duncan, Technical Consultant at accessibility consultancy firm Blazie, and to The RNIB's Robin Spinks about whether the UK's leading visual impairment charity should be lobbying harder for law changes to improve access to technology.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is a man in a grey shirt and glasses working at his computer desk. His back is toward the camera. Surrounding him are three computer screens, keyboards and office desk items (pens, bits of paper etc). In the background are a series of large windows that reach from floor to ceiling. In one of them, there is a reflection of another man working in another part of the office.

Below are some helpful accessibility resources from Microsoft: Accessibility insights. These help developers create accessible products: https://accessibilityinsights.io/ Accessibility fundamentals. Where they offer training and support on accessibility within Microsoft tools: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/accessibility-fundamentals/

Georgie Morrell is a visually impaired actress and stand-up comedian. She recently appeared in an episode of BBC One's hit hospital drama, Casualty; where she was cast to play a visually impaired woman and guide dog owner. Georgie wrote an article about her experience in the Metro, where she spoke about how refreshing it was to have a visually impaired person play a visually impaired character on television. We speak to her about this and hear her thoughts on our other items...

Love! With the world becoming increasingly more digital, we discuss access to online dating platforms when you are blind or partially sighted.

And American deaf-blind writer Cristina Hartman sparked a lively debate on Twitter recently, about whether or not it is helpful for people to describe what they look like. Do you think it is helpful? Does it allow you to visualize the person speaking to you, or is it just a load of unhelpful information? We delve into this.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: in the spirit of Valentine's Day, the image is of two people holding hands. The person on the left has a blue and white polka dot shirt on, with the sleeves rolled up. The person on the right has a large embellished silver bracelet and is wearing a matching blue and white polka dot shirt. In the background is a large pool of water, seemingly a river or a lake, with the sunset reflecting off of the water.

Casualty clips and theme tune used by permission of the BBC One Casualty Production team.

Amendments to the Elections Bill are making their way through Parliament at the moment. They are not yet set in stone, but they include some significant changes to our rights to a fully independent and secret vote at polling stations. The RNIB have raised their concerns surrounding the wording of these proposed amendments; they think it will water down our protections and assurances to a secret vote and they have issued an online petition. We speak to the Chair of the RNIB, Anna Tylor and also to Rachael Andrews, who initiated (and won) a high court ruling that the current accessibility provisions for blind and partially sighted people at polling stations is unlawful.

A new educational astronomy project, called Audio Universe, has been launched by the universities of Newcastle and Portsmouth. It's a guided tour of our galaxy, and its aim is to allow people full access to the wonders of the universe, and to encourage visually impaired people to become keen amateur astronomers, or even contemplate a career in astronomy. They've done this by turning the light from objects in space into sounds so that blind and partially sighted people can hear, spatially, where different planets and stars are located within our galaxy. We hear some of the project, we speak to two youngsters who have experienced the Audio Universe and also to blind astronomer Dr Nic Bonne, who is also the expert tour guide in the project. We also speak to Rachel Lambert, a teacher for visually impaired children and the space ship's captain.

The music in the project is by Dr Leigh Harrison, the sound design is by Dr Chris Harrison of Newcastle University and Dr James Trayford of the University of Portsmouth.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is planet Earth and other distant stars in our galaxy. The image shows these from outer space. In the top left is a series of bright blue stars, surrounded by smaller stars that are less bright and more distant. In the foreground is Earth, with half of it in darkness. In the top right is a series of bright red stars, which perhaps represent other planets or large stars.

Emma Tracey has a long association with In Touch and is now the presenter of the BBC disability and mental health podcast "Access All". Emma has been speaking to politicians ahead of the general election about issues affecting disabled people. We welcome her back to tell us what she learned, including about issues specific to the blind and visually impaired community.

Andrew Hesser is fascinated by wildlife. Indeed, his curiosity of creatures set him on a mission to identify ways of giving blind people like himself the tools to better understand what animals look and feel like. Andrew has collaborated with the British Library in London on his work and we visited him there to find out more about his plans.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: David Baguley

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.’

The recent amendments to the Highway Code give, among other things, priority to pedestrians. This sounds like seemingly good news if you're blind or partially sighted; but charity Guide Dogs have raised concerns that, especially in the early stages, these changes could be dangerous as road users take time to get used to the new rules. We ask Guide Dogs' head of canine affairs, John Welsman to outline their concerns and what this all means for blind or partially sighted pedestrians.

You may be a fan of cartoons or animated films, but have you ever had a go at making one? 11-year-old Elodie Bateson has been blind since birth, but she does not let this stop her creating short films on her iPad. Our reporter, Fern Lulham found out how she does it.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured is a woman, dressed in dark clothing and a hat, crossing a road with a black guide dog and a white cane. At the top left of the image is a series of parked cars, with a large white van at the forefront of them. The sun is shining down on the road and is reflecting off of the pavement.

There are many types of eye conditions that can cause blindness or low vision and we often get requests to cover some of them in more detail. Tonight we're discussing Retinal Vein Occlusion with medical retina consultant Luke Nicholson from Moorfield's Eye Hospital. We discuss how the condition affects the eyes, the causes and the treatments.

What techniques do you have for reading the room in social situations? Perhaps you listen out for the rustling of clothes or pick up on a hefty exhale when someone is irritated. Well, tonight we speak to blind Australian psychologist Courtney McKee about the kinds of techniques she uses to understand what is happening in a room, both in a work environment and in a more relaxed party environment.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole

Website image description: pictured are eight people sat around a dinner table, celebrating. One gentleman is stood, seemingly giving a speech whilst everyone else is smiling or laughing in his direction. The image represents a busy social setting, which can sometimes be difficult to read.

Like many things in the art and performance sector, there isn't much that blind and visually impaired people haven't been involved in. And drag is no exception. It is thought to have been around in the UK since Shakespearean times and the first recorded drag queen is thought to have been in 1732. It has a long and rich history here in the UK. Today, drag reaches far beyond just drag queens. There are drag kings, performers experimenting with androgyny, celebrity impersonators, and much more. We wanted to find out more about the art form of drag and how visually impaired people go about it, so we spoke to Jake Sawyers, aka drag queen Venetia Blind and Amelia Lander- Cavallo, aka drag king Tito Bone.

Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings

Website image description: A group of drag humans. They are all waving and making faces at the camera. Everyone is in bright colours, fantastic make up and a lot of eco glitter. Picture taken by Christopher Andreou.

Audio clip of the RuPaul's Drag Race theme song is used by courtesy of World of Wonder Productions, Inc.