S1: From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's
S1: your host, Sam Coley.
S2: Hello everyone. It's great to be here with you. And
S2: for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness
S2: and low vision. People who have low vision, they'll tackle
S2: it in their own way. They have different, obviously different
S2: levels of sight, different eye conditions. So it really isn't
S2: a one size fits all. And that was really important
S2: for us to keep present throughout the whole process. Welcome
S2: to the program. We've got another exciting event coming up
S2: for you on the 9th of May. It's the Impact
S2: Conference run by the Australian Disability Network. I'm joined today
S2: by the Chief Executive Officer of the network, Karen Strauss
S2: will be catching up with her later in the program,
S2: so make sure to stay tuned for that one. But
S2: before we chat to Karen and finish up with another
S2: reader recommended from Francis, I catch up with Chris Adkins,
S2: one of the brains behind The Pupil Project, a new
S2: video series created by Vision Australia to highlight the everyday
S2: experiences of people who have low vision in particular. And
S2: that conversation is coming up right now. I hope you'll
S2: enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. Almost half a
S2: million Australians, including yours truly, live with low vision, which
S2: we predict will increase by 25% by 2030. The stigma
S2: and lack of understanding can be barriers to inclusion, which
S2: is why Vision Australia is thrilled to announce a new
S2: project that will help more Australians see the world through
S2: the eyes of someone with low vision. It's called the
S2: Pupil Project and to have a chat with me about
S2: the project, I'm joined by marketing lead from Vision Australia,
S2: Chris Adkins, making his Talking Vision debut. Chris, thanks so
S2: much for your time. Welcome to Talking Vision. Thank you.
S2: I'm a bit nervous. It's my first time on radio. Welcome.
S2: Welcome to the big world of radio. It's great to
S2: have you, but we are talking, of course, today about
S2: the Pupil Project, one of the exciting new initiatives from
S2: Vision Australia. So, Chris, tell us a little bit about
S2: the Pupil Project. Yeah. So the Pupil Project is a
S2: series of five videos that depict some of the everyday
S2: scenarios people with low vision may experience, but also showing
S2: what people with various eye conditions will actually see. So
S2: we've got things in there, you know, reading a use
S2: by date, having dinner, trying to order off a menu
S2: on a wall that's written in cursive handwriting, which can
S2: be hard for everyone. Certainly. Yeah. And Chris, who is
S2: the target for the pupil project, what are we sort
S2: of looking for in terms of the audience there? Well,
S2: we created it to show sighted Australia what people with
S2: low vision see, but also get a peek at that
S2: for themselves and actually see through their eyes as much
S2: as we can. We also developed a full suite of
S2: informative resources for both sighted Australians, but also people in
S2: the blind and low vision community, including ways to be
S2: more inclusive, learning more about eye conditions that cause vision
S2: loss and taking care of your eye health. But we
S2: also created a brochure that focuses on living with low
S2: vision and dealing with a recent vision loss diagnosis for
S2: people in the community. Tell us a little bit about
S2: the process behind how the videos came about. I was, um,
S2: quite exciting as a member of the low vision community
S2: to be involved behind the scenes there. So it was
S2: fantastic to get some input from people out there with
S2: low vision who had a lot to say and a
S2: lot of things to contribute. So, you know, what was
S2: the process like there from your standpoint? Well, first, it
S2: was great to have you involved to be a lot
S2: of fun. Yeah. We, uh, linked up with Amy and
S2: Jess from The Open Arms, which is just an external
S2: agency to create the video series in a really fun environment,
S2: super bright and super attention grabbing, so that people can
S2: learn more about low vision and being more inclusive in
S2: everyday life. And they were a great to work with,
S2: super collaborative, and really helped us make sure that we
S2: had people with lived experience involved in the process from
S2: start to finish. Just making sure what we created was
S2: really real and authentic. We worked with you and a
S2: group of others who are all have low vision in
S2: scenario workshops, just trying to find these moments that were
S2: really real, but also everyday, and what people who aren't
S2: low vision or people who are sighted would relate to
S2: as well. Then we took those. We tested them through
S2: script writing, came back to the same group and like,
S2: does this feel right? What do we need to change?
S2: The scripts were also written by someone named Imogen, who
S2: has vision loss herself, and one of the video crew
S2: members was actually supporting his mum through vision loss too.
S2: And I think that's why the end result, the whole
S2: video series, feels so real because it's all based on
S2: like real experiences. It was really interesting to see the
S2: creative process behind it, and there were a few things
S2: in there where it's really interesting to see the different
S2: perspectives and different ways that people interact with their disability.
S2: Like a lot of people feel a certain way about
S2: a certain thing, but then somebody else says, oh, no,
S2: I have, you know, this experience with this certain thing.
S2: And it's really important to highlight that low vision isn't
S2: a monolith. And this is a great way, I think,
S2: to do that. So when we were having those discussions, Chris,
S2: I'm really interested to go into that a little bit
S2: more because there were so many different outlooks on what
S2: it means to be somebody with low vision and what
S2: that experience is like. So what sort of things did
S2: the team really enjoy from that and really get out
S2: of there? Well, I think it's clear to everyone that
S2: people who have low vision, they'll tackle it in their
S2: own way. They have different, obviously different levels of sight,
S2: different eye conditions. So it really isn't a one size
S2: fits all. And that was really important for us to
S2: keep present throughout the whole process. You didn't want to
S2: say this is what all people think or experience or
S2: might see, just because it's not accurate. And I think
S2: the most interesting one to me was actually yourself. You
S2: brought up the menu walls, which we actually ended up
S2: using in one of the videos, and it was something
S2: that even myself, as you know, a sighted person, I
S2: struggle with those at times and have to either take
S2: my phone out or like, lean in and squint. I
S2: actually did it on this weekend. Yeah. And, um, it
S2: was interesting to see how everyone tackled it in different ways.
S2: Some people, like, I might ask for help or I'll
S2: just take a photo on my phone, zoom in, step
S2: aside and figure out what I want to get, I
S2: might ask, oh, can you list off this menu? I
S2: can't see it or I'm struggling to read it properly.
S2: And that one was the most interesting because it felt
S2: like such an everyday, normal experience. Yeah. Pop off to
S2: the cafe in the morning, get your coffee, maybe get
S2: a croissant. But it's something that people also just wouldn't
S2: really think about with low vision and how there's different
S2: barriers for different people. And we had a really funny
S2: description of, you know, someone going into the most detailed
S2: description of what everything is down to the type of
S2: bread being used. And yeah, I someone was like, we
S2: don't need to go to that level of detail. Just
S2: tell me the basics of what cheese is it? And
S2: anything that's important to know. So well. That's right. And
S2: I sort of with, um, where I'm living, I've hit
S2: the cafe jackpot. I've got three around the corner from me,
S2: so it's something very front of my mind. So that's
S2: certainly something that's definitely come up a lot, which is
S2: something I know a lot of other people did, um,
S2: also deal with. So it was so relatable. And so,
S2: as you've said, so every day. So it was great
S2: to have that included. And it was interesting to see
S2: the way that the scripts kind of changed and shifted
S2: in terms of, oh, that doesn't sound right. Or um, the,
S2: you know, some, some funny instances of how they were
S2: sort of wording things or it's like, look at me,
S2: I'm this wacky person with low vision and I'm like, no,
S2: you can't. It's like, let's just yeah, let's dial that
S2: back a little. Di that. Yeah. Or this. Yeah. No.
S2: Things like to demonstrate contrast. Someone was wearing stark white
S2: against black and all this stuff, which is I guess
S2: I get the point, but it's not. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
S2: it was an interesting learning process for us all because
S2: things like black and white, before I was at Vision Australia,
S2: I was just like, oh, that makes sense. That's contrast
S2: in like a graphic design sense. Yes, but it's just
S2: a totally different thing and there's different ways to get
S2: around it, which is why we ended up with these
S2: really cool set designs where it's bright yellow, bright green,
S2: bright blue, but contrasted with this dark blue to make
S2: it feel real and feel it was all accessible. We
S2: landed in really cool spot that wasn't just black and white.
S2: We had some color and some fun in it as well.
S2: It's important to note this was exclusively about low vision,
S2: so it's about people with usable vision in this instance.
S2: So that could be from the cusp of being legally
S2: blind up to myself, who has quite a sizeable amount of, um,
S2: usable vision. And then there's another potential discussion down the
S2: track of that whole thing of being, quote unquote, not
S2: blind enough. That's a whole other conversation. But, you know,
S2: there's so much to unpack there. So it was great
S2: to be involved. Yeah. And the reason we tackled low
S2: vision in this scenario is that a lot of people
S2: think they understand it, but they don't fully understand what
S2: it actually means to be legally blind or have low vision. Yeah.
S2: People aren't. Oh, you can wear glasses and that'll, that'll
S2: do it. And it's like, no not quite. No. Um, no.
S2: But it's been interesting and it's been a fun journey
S2: to tackle that education point because it's something very simple
S2: to explain. Oh, it just is when glasses aren't enough.
S2: But a lot of people don't know that unless they
S2: know someone or have been in that experience themselves. So
S2: it's been an interesting thing for us to address in
S2: such a fun way. How can people access the videos
S2: from the Pupil Project or the other resources that are
S2: attached to those videos? Yeah, so you can head to
S2: Vision Australia. Org slash pupil Hyphen project to watch all
S2: the videos. It's a video of five series with audio
S2: description and without depending on your need or preference. And
S2: you can read all the informative resources we developed as well.
S2: About low vision being more inclusive and learning more about
S2: your eyes because it's relevant for all people, and it's
S2: something that I think everyone can take for granted, even
S2: simple as wearing sunglasses when you go outside is really
S2: important for everyone. Absolutely. Well, I've been speaking today with
S2: Chris Adkins from the team behind The Pupil Project, an
S2: initiative from Vision Australia to highlight the lived experiences. Of
S2: people with low vision going about their everyday life. Chris,
S2: thank you so much for your time today. It was
S2: a pleasure to have you on the show and great
S2: first interview. You did a great job. Thanks for having me.
S2: I'm ready to be here more often. I'll love to
S2: have you. I'm Sam Kelly and you're listening to Talking
S2: Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated stations of the Reading
S2: Radio Network and the Community Radio Network. I hope you
S2: enjoyed that conversation there with Chris Adkins about the Pupil Project,
S2: which recently launched. If you missed any part of that
S2: conversation with Chris or you'd love to hear it again.
S2: Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website
S2: at VA radio.org. That's VA radio.org. Or you can find
S2: the program on the podcast app of your choice or
S2: through the Vision Australia library. And now coming up next,
S2: there's a big new event to chat about involving the
S2: Australian Disability Network on the 9th of May. The Australian
S2: Disability Network will be holding their annual impact conference, taking
S2: place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, and to
S2: have a chat with me about the conference. It's my
S2: great pleasure to welcome the Chief Executive officer of the
S2: Australian Disability Network, Corinne Strauss. Corinne, welcome to Talking Vision.
S2: It's a pleasure to have you.
S3: Hello, Sam.
S2: Now, before we get into the impact conference today, Corinne,
S2: I'd love to hear a little bit more about the
S2: Australian Disability Network and the work you do.
S3: Australian Disability Network is Australia's peak body to help Australian
S3: employers build their disability confidence to welcome and include people
S3: with disability as employees and also as customers. And we
S3: do that by, you know, providing them tools and resources
S3: and training, um, helping them write their disability action plans,
S3: building disability employee networks and a range of other tools
S3: and resources. So yeah, it's a it's a it is
S3: a peak body. It's a member based organisation. And it
S3: has a whole range of members ranging from the Prime
S3: Minister and Cabinet Office, you know, Australian government through to
S3: state government through to our famous brands like Qantas and
S3: Commonwealth Bank and Medibank etc.. So yeah, it's an amazing organisation.
S2: Could you tell us a little bit more about your work,
S2: specifically in the blindness and low vision space, for example,
S2: with organisations such as Vision Australia, who, as I understand
S2: you've been working with for quite a bit.
S3: Yes. Mm. That's a good question. So I think first
S3: and foremost what I want to say is that our
S3: work is around all people with disability. Yes. And so
S3: we don't specifically focus on particular disabilities because we need
S3: Australians to be confident when they're engaging with people. Disability
S3: because some people can have blindness or low vision and
S3: they can also have chronic health conditions. So we want
S3: them to be able to have a conversation and make
S3: sure that adjustments are in place for everyone. But in
S3: our case, you know, we have our internship program for
S3: university graduates or near to graduation. And we also have
S3: a mentoring program for job seekers or career changers with disability.
S3: And many of them have low vision, uh, people with
S3: low vision. And we work with them and our member
S3: organisations to ensure that workplace adjustments are in place. And
S3: we support them to have conversations that allow for the
S3: best experience. It's not just the work we have done
S3: with these organisations, but the ongoing interactions we have on
S3: a daily basis with a community. We've supported many people
S3: through our Directing Change program, which is a board increasing
S3: the representation of people on boards with disability. And, you know,
S3: we've even had somebody from Blind Citizens Australia as a
S3: scholar on that program. And, um, you know, I can
S3: only think that they'll go from strength to strength. And
S3: we've worked with Vision Australia and they've been a member
S3: of our since 2007. So that's as significant period of time.
S3: And we've with Vision Australia, they've taken on an internship
S3: and they've taken on mentoring programs. Guide Dogs in New
S3: South Wales are looking at doing an internship with us.
S3: And they've also accessed our e-learning platform to do the
S3: training for building disability confidence in their organisation. And so
S3: to his guide dogs, Victoria looked at joining our network.
S3: So those are some samples of our engagement with people
S3: with low vision or blindness.
S2: And um, moving on to something quite exciting. Over the
S2: next couple of weeks. On the 9th of May is
S2: the Impact conference. So tell us a little bit about
S2: the conference there and some details around that.
S3: Well, Sam, very excited about that. I have to say,
S3: we've got our awards night on the 8th of May
S3: in Melbourne at the Convention Centre and will be announcing
S3: the Disability Changemaker of the year. We'll be announcing the
S3: disability initiative of the year and also the Disability Employee
S3: Network of the year, and also our mentor and mentee
S3: of the year and our supervisor of the year as well,
S3: and the intern of the year. The other thing that
S3: is huge on this night of the awards is the
S3: announcement of the top performer in the Access and Inclusion Index.
S3: So this is a massive amount of work that is
S3: undertaken by organisations to ensure that they are building a
S3: really inclusive organisation for people with disabilities. So we'll be
S3: announcing the winner on the night and it's going to
S3: be great news. And then the next day is this conference,
S3: which has got superstars from around the world coming. We've
S3: got people like the United Nations special Envoy for disability, uh,
S3: United Nations special envoy. Her name is Professor Maria Soledad
S3: Cisternas Reyes, and she is a person who is blind,
S3: a lawyer by background, and also was a chair and
S3: a co-author on the United Nations Convention on the Rights
S3: of People with disability. A beautiful woman in the sense
S3: of just a beautiful soul, and so knowledgeable on the convention,
S3: on the rights of People with disability. And we have
S3: Randy Lewis, who absolutely changed the way Wallgreens works by
S3: introducing employment of people with disability into their warehousing systems,
S3: and really just focusing on getting employment of people with
S3: disability up significantly in wallgreens. And they made such a
S3: huge difference to their profitability as a result. So he's
S3: coming over from the United States to speak. We've got
S3: the global lead of accessibility at Microsoft, Jenny Lefler, coming
S3: over from overseas. Jenny has hearing impairment, but she absolutely
S3: lives and breathes accessibility. And of course Microsoft. What can
S3: I say. They do amazing work around accessibility. There's so
S3: much to talk about. There is so much on the agenda.
S3: Just how much time have you got? Well.
S2: That's the thing. We only do have a certain period
S2: because I could talk to you about this for hours.
S2: It is an absolutely star studded event for people to
S2: head along to. I'm sure a lot of people out
S2: there are thinking, oh my God, I'd love to head
S2: along to that. So could you give us some details
S2: about on the 9th of May, how long that conference
S2: is running for, how can people access it and where
S2: they can access it as well?
S3: Yeah. So the conference information is on the website. I
S3: also want to say in an Australian first, because I've
S3: never seen this before, we have got CEOs of Australia's
S3: biggest brands coming into a room to share their insights
S3: on building a disability confident organisation. So their experience, their
S3: journey and those are the CEOs of Qantas, the CEO
S3: of Coles, the CEO of Australia Post, the CEO of
S3: Medibank and also the CEO of Pacific National, which is
S3: all our rail infrastructure. And they've been doing great work
S3: around building disability inclusion. And so we'll hear from them
S3: what it's like as a leader to be building a
S3: disability inclusive organisation. So 9th of May, you can find
S3: the information on our website which is Australian Disability network.org
S3: dot a U. All the booking is on the website.
S3: Our website is completely accessible. We are wcaG 2.2 compliant,
S3: so it should be accessible to everyone. And the program,
S3: the registration and all the information is on there for
S3: people to look at and to decide whether they want
S3: to come along.
S2: And I'm sure they will, because that's absolutely incredible. The
S2: amount of people and, you know, the serious star studded
S2: line up that the Australian Disability Network has put together
S2: all in one room, that is an incredible effort and
S2: something I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy heading
S2: along to. So look forward to hearing how that all goes.
S2: I've been speaking to. A date with the chief executive
S2: officer of the Australian Disability Network, Karen Strauss, about the
S2: work the network is doing and will continue to do,
S2: as well as the upcoming Awards Night and Impact conference
S2: taking place over the eighth and 9th of May. Karen,
S2: thank you very much for your time today. It was
S2: a pleasure to catch up and hear all about the
S2: network as well as the upcoming Impact conference.
S3: Thanks, Sam. It was my pleasure and thanks for all
S3: the support. It's I'm very proud to be a part
S3: of this.
S2: And now here's Frances Kelland, with a reader recommended.
S4: And now on to some fiction. The first book today
S4: is Life Sentence. This is by Judith Cutler, and it's
S4: part one of a series. Chief Superintendent Frances Harman has
S4: been assigned to investigate the case of a woman beaten
S4: into a coma. Elise has been in a coma for
S4: two years, and if the hospital switch off her life
S4: support now, her attacker will be guilty of murder. Fran
S4: faces overload as she takes on more responsibilities her elderly parents,
S4: as well as Elise, a child abduction, the disappearance of
S4: her only witness, and the growing affection that she and
S4: her long time colleague Mark Turner seemed to share for
S4: one another. But is this all too much for one
S4: woman to handle? Let's hear a sample of Life Sentence
S4: by Judith Cutler. It's narrated by Diana Bishop.
S5: She jerked sharply awake. Where was she? And what was
S5: that noise? Had she fallen asleep and crashed the car? No,
S5: it was someone rapping on the driver's window. God knew
S5: what time it was. She hadn't dared drive any longer.
S5: That was it. Not without a coffee and some fresh air.
S5: And before she'd done more than cut the ignition, she'd
S5: fallen asleep. She must have dribbled and probably snored too.
S5: But it was the trickle of saliva that troubled her most,
S5: an outward and visible sign that she'd not been in
S5: control of herself while technically being in control of a vehicle.
S5: You all right, miss? It was a traffic cop, his
S5: Day-Glo jacket fluorescing in the headlights of the cars, still
S5: using the car park even at this hour of the morning. Yes,
S5: it had been about midnight when she'd pulled off the
S5: M3 into fleet services, which was where she must be now.
S5: She heaved herself out of the Saab. I've had a
S5: long drive, officer. Thought I'd take a break. And before
S5: I got anywhere near my Kit-Kat, there I was, sending
S5: my pigs to market. Nodding without sympathy or humor. The
S5: young man, he looked about 18, dodged back to his
S5: Range Rover and came back, fitting a mouthpiece to a breathalyzer.
S5: Thank goodness her parents Devon bungalow was dry capital D.
S5: She blew, as if to clear the last cobweb from
S5: her brain and then, damn it, if she didn't start
S5: a flush right from her belly up into her hair,
S5: it went. The night air blessedly sliding onto it like
S5: ice cream onto hot chocolate sauce. That seems to be
S5: all right, he said, tacking on miss as an almost
S5: insulting afterthought as he registered this symptom of her age.
S5: I suppose this is your vehicle. Without speaking. She reached
S5: for her bag, stowed in the rear footwell, out of
S5: sight of casual predators. She always practiced what she preached
S5: when it came to crime prevention.
S4: And that was a sample of Life Sentence by Judith Cutler.
S4: Judith is spelt Judith. Judith Cutler is Cutler. Cutler. And
S4: that book goes for nine hours, and it's part one
S4: of the Fran Harman series of books. And she's written
S4: quite a few different series, all with a female protagonist
S4: in the lead. Uh, there's the Josie Welford mystery series.
S4: Cold pursuit is the second in the Fran Harman series,
S4: so quite a few. And there's also standalone novels as well,
S4: and there's just a lot in the library, a lot
S4: of her different series, as I said, always featuring a
S4: woman as the primary character and lots there if you
S4: enjoy her books.
S2: And that's all the time we have for today. You've
S2: been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision
S2: Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the
S2: show together every week. And remember, we love hearing from you.
S2: So please get in touch any time on our email
S2: at Talking Vision. At Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all
S2: one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's
S2: Sam Colly saying bye for now.
S1: You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us any time
S1: during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by
S1: visiting Vision Australia. Org that's Vision australia.org.