A Different Way of Seeing

Lois Strachan
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Non-Profit
  • Updated Bimonthly

Conversations on opportunities, challenges and lived experiences to foster understanding between disabled and non-disabled communities. Insights into the tools and techniques used by people with disabilities navigating the worlds of work, education, travel, sport, the arts and leisure. Because while we may be disabled we will never be disempowered.

  1. Aug 30

    156 - Shifting from Sighted Brain to Blind Brain with Hannah Weymouth of Blind & Bored

    Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue creating content: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing What happens when your sight changes dramatically after decades of stability? In this episode of A Different Way of Seeing, Lois Strachan speaks with Hannah Weymouth, a blind content creator better known online as Blind & Bored. Hannah shares her journey with cone dystrophy and the rapid deterioration of her vision after years of stable legal blindness. She reflects on the ways she learned to mask her visual impairment in her career as a photographer, and the profound process of adapting to a new level of blindness. From rediscovering independence with a white cane to using bump dots and assistive technology such as Envision AI, Hannah offers an honest look at the practical and emotional realities of adapting to changing vision. She also talks about becoming a content creator and using humour to navigate challenges, connect with audiences, and challenge assumptions about blindness. This is a conversation about adaptation, identity, technology, creativity and finding laughter in unexpected places. Follow Blind & Bored on social media: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@blindbored?_r=1&_t=ZP-92TCYoMPU3K⁩ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/17oA1rPDUx/?mibextid=wwXIfr⁩ YouTube: https://youtube.com/@blindandbored?si=JdhD_UH7rPHKN8kA⁩ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blindnbored?igsh=NDNiajVxM3hwcHRj&utm_source=qr⁩ Image Description: A black-and-white image of a smiling woman with light, long, curly hair. She is wearing large round eyeglasses and a thin dark necklace. Two lines of large white text is positioned on the left side over the dark background, reading Blind & Bored. The l in Blind” is extended downward as a vertical line between the words, with a small feather shape at the top of the letter and a solid dot at the very bottom, giving it a logo-like appearance. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

    156 - Shifting from Sighted Brain to Blind Brain with Hannah Weymouth of Blind & Bored

  2. Aug 11

    155 - Tarryn Tomlinson on Using AI to Build Inclusive Tourism for All

    Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue creating content: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing Accessibility is often seen as complex, expensive, or something that requires specialist knowledge. But what if assessing your venue’s accessibility could be as simple as having a conversation on WhatsApp? In this episode of A Different Way of Seeing, Lois Strachan speaks with Taryn Tomlinson from Livable Group about Ava, an innovative AI-powered accessibility assessment tool designed to help hospitality businesses evaluate how accessible their properties are for everyone. Taryn explains how Ava guides users through a simple self-assessment, measuring everything from parking spaces and door widths to accessible bathrooms and emergency lighting. Within an hour of completing the assessment, businesses receive practical recommendations to help them improve accessibility and move closer to universal access standards. We also discuss why Ava was created, the importance of making accessibility achievable for small and medium-sized hospitality businesses across South Africa, and exciting plans to expand the technology to restaurants, bars, and tourist attractions. Join us for a fascinating conversation about how technology is making accessibility more practical, more affordable, and more achievable for businesses and the communities they serve. Reach out to Tarryn Tomlinson: Email: office@liveablegroup.com Website: www.liveablegroup.com Image Description: Stylized illustration of a woman with a ponytail walking with a long white cane. To her right is a large outlined eye symbol with three curved lines beneath it, suggesting sound or radiating perception. Below the logo is text reading A Different way of Seeing with Lois Strachan. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

  3. Jun 30

    154 - A Different Way of Seeing Takes a Break

    Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing Another short solo episode explaining why the show will be having a break due to my recovery from a major surgical operation. If you miss me take a look at my content on the following links: Website: https://www.loisstrachan.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lois.strachan LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/loisstrachan/ Podcast Feed: https://rss.com/podcasts/different-way-of-seeing/ Image Description: Stylized illustration of a woman with a ponytail walking with a long white cane. To her right is a large outlined eye symbol with three curved lines beneath it, suggesting sound or radiating perception. Below the logo is text reading A Different way of Seeing with Lois Strachan. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

  4. Jun 16

    153 - Useful Resources: The Low Vision Centre of Learning

    Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois chats with Belinda Leibowitz, Hazel Sacharowitz and Karen Denton from the Low Vision Centre of Learning, a global organisation that aims to empower those living with blindness and low vision, and professionals working with the community. Using the ERIC acronym, LVCoL provides education, resources, information and courses to their extensive network through their website, monthly events and their WhatsApp groups. During the conversation, occupational therapist Belinda, optometrist Hazel, andeducation expert Karen discuss the founding of LVCol, the work they do and how their diverse backgrounds help them to provide a multi-disciplinary approach to all that they do. To learn more about LVCoL, find the following links: Website: www.lvcol.org The Facebook groups are : Low vision interest group South Africa South African group for people who are visually impaired Image Description: I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

  5. Jun 2

    152 - Job Talk: Elle Rowlands on Working as a Graphic Design Entrepreneur with Spinal Bifida

    Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode Lois speaks with Elle Rowlands, a graphic designer and small business owner from New South Wales, Australia who has spina bifida. Elle discusses her journey from traditional employment to entrepreneurship, starting her graphic design business called By Elle Creative in 2020. They explore the challenges people with disabilities face in mainstream employment, particularly around consistency, energy levels, and physical access, as well as the benefits of entrepreneurship which allows for greater control over work arrangements. Elle shares her advice for others considering starting their own business, emphasizing the importance of going at one's own pace, building sustainable systems, and not being overwhelmed by mistakes.. The conversation also touches on Elle's emerging public speaking career focusing on disability advocacy. Reach out to Elle at the following links: Website: https://byellecreative.com.au Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/byellecreative?igsh=MTg4eWI5Y20wdDcydg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr Speaking page: https://byellecreative.com.au/speaking Image Description: Woman with long straight light-brown hair and blue eyes smiling at the camera. She is wearing rectangular eyeglasses and a pale pink T-shirt, with small red embroidered text reading By Elle Creative. Below the woman are indistinct red flowers. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

    152 - Job Talk: Elle Rowlands on Working as a Graphic Design Entrepreneur with Spinal Bifida

  6. May 17

    151 - Sriram Ganesh on Lumin, a Voice  Activated Productivity App for People with Print Disabilities

    Enjoyed this episode? Sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee and help me continue the show: https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois chats with Sriram Ganesh from the company Luminade about Lumen, a new voice-controlled app designed to make digital life more accessible for people with vision loss and neurodivergent conditions. Sriram shares how Lumen uses natural voice conversations to help users manage emails and complete digital tasks without needing to navigate complex screens or master traditional screen readers. During the conversation, he demonstrates the app in action and discusses current and upcoming features, including support for Gmail, multiple email accounts, calendar integration, and Google Drive access. If you’re interested in beta testing the Lumin product, Sriram also shares the process to join the team. To learn more about Sriram and gain early access to Lumin, check out the following: Website - https://luminade.ai/r/adifferentwayofseeing X : https://x.com/TalkToLumin Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/talktolumin/ Sriram's linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/sriramganesh/ Image Description: A black background with a white geometric logo and white text. The logo is near the top centre. It has a white square with its top-right corner folded down, showing two triangular layers underneath in light and dark grey, like a page being turned. Below the logo, large white text has the name of the app, Lumin. Under that, smaller gray text says: Talk to your email. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

    151 - Sriram Ganesh on Lumin, a Voice  Activated Productivity App for People with Print Disabilities

  7. May 5

    150 - The Why of Web Accessibility with Karren Visser, Justin Hyde and Craig Strachan

    Want to sponsor me the cost of a cup of coffee?? Hop onto https://ko-fi.com/adifferentwayofseeing In this episode, Lois is joined by three voices bringing web accessibility into sharp focus: Karren Visser, a visually impaired photographer who navigates the digital world daily. Justin Hyde, a front-end developer with a passion for building inclusive user experiences. And Craig Strachan, an IT architect who understands the structural backbone of accessible systems. Together, they unpack what it really means to create websites that work for everyone. This conversation explores a broad range of topics related to web accessibility, from barriers that impact everything from simple browsing to making important buying decisions. We go behind the scenes to explore how thoughtful coding, modern frameworks, and evolving AI tools can help identify and fix accessibility gaps before they become obstacles. Most importantly, the conversation is placed within the context of the business case for making websites accessible to all, demonstrating the bottom line affect that inclusion can have for an organisation. To learn more and connect with our guests: Karren Visser: Website: karrenvisser.com Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn: @karrenvisser Justin Hyde: Website: vertopia.co.za Socials: @vertopia Craig Strachan: Website: craigstrachan.com Image Description: White headphone and eye icon with a sound wave in the center, over a background patterned with hundreds of illustrated eyes. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

    150 - The Why of Web Accessibility with Karren Visser, Justin Hyde and Craig Strachan

  8. Apr 21

    149 - Dana Garrett on Parenting a Non-Verbal Autistic Child

    In this episode, I chat with Dana Garrett on navigating parenthood of a neurodiverse child. Dana shares her insights into the tools and techniques she found helpful in creating a supportive environment for her daughter. Dana is a proud advocate for creating inclusion and belonging. Through her advocacy work she has created children’s books sharing stories of a child who utilize alternative communication techniques. She also writes on these topics for a local publication in New Orleans, where she is based During our conversation, Dana mentions two Facebook groups that has found to be useful. They areNonverbal Autism Group, Autism Awareness for Parents and Family Support Group Follow Dana at these links: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danagarrett Instagram: http://www.Instagram.com/dana__garrett Website: https://danagarrett.com⁩ Recommended Reading: Sincerely, Your Autistic Child https://a.co/d/0i9MRxnJ Description: A close-up portrait of a smiling woman. She has fair skin and long, wavy light brown hair parted to one side. She is wearing large gold hoop earrings and a light pink top with short, ruffled sleeves and a textured, gathered pattern on the front. The background is blurred and shows trees and what appears to be water, suggesting a lakeside or riverside setting. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/loisstrachanspeaker This episode edited by Craig Strachan using Hindenburg PRO – find out more on Hindenburg.com Credits and music by Charlie Dyasi.

    149 - Dana Garrett on Parenting a Non-Verbal Autistic Child
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About

Conversations on opportunities, challenges and lived experiences to foster understanding between disabled and non-disabled communities. Insights into the tools and techniques used by people with disabilities navigating the worlds of work, education, travel, sport, the arts and leisure. Because while we may be disabled we will never be disempowered.

Information

  • Creator
    Lois Strachan
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    155
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Lois Strachan
  • Show Website
    A Different Way of Seeing

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