A Different Way of Seeing

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

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

    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.

    21 min
  2. 151 - Sriram Ganesh on Lumin, a Voice  Activated Productivity App for People with Print Disabilities

    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.

    39 min
  3. 150 - The Why of Web Accessibility with Karren Visser, Justin Hyde and Craig Strachan

    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.

    58 min
  4. 149 - Dana Garrett on Parenting a Non-Verbal Autistic Child

    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.

    41 min
  5. 148 - My Journey with Chronic Kidney Disease – From Hope to Waiting for a Surgery Date

    Apr 7

    148 - My Journey with Chronic Kidney Disease – From Hope to Waiting for a Surgery Date

    In this episode, the third in the series detailing my journey with chronic kidney disease, Jeremy Opperman and I continue the story from where we left off. Today we discuss how I went about finding a possible kidney donor, and the various types of donors there are. We then explore the range of medical tests my possible donor and I underwent to ensure we were a viable match, and all that is happening in the meantime Now that I am awaiting a date for the surgery, I describe my emotions as I approach the final stages of this journey. Listen to the first two episodes in the series: 138 My Journey with Chronic Kidney Disease: From Diabetes to dialysis, about being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes as a child, navigating diabetes and my subsequent blindness, and finishing with the diagnosis of chronic kidney disease. Link: https://rss.com/podcasts/different-way-of-seeing/2597760 139 – My Journey with Chronic Kidney Disease: From Dialysis to Hope, about understanding what dialysis is, how I’ve adapted to the medical regime, and ending up discussing the possibility of a kidney transplant operation. Link: https://rss.com/podcasts/different-way-of-seeing/2597759 Image Description: A woman with shoulder-length dark brown hair who is lying on a reclinable medical bed. Beside her is a dialysis machine with various displays. The backrest of the bed is in an upright position. 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.

    50 min
  6. 147 - Job Talk: Heidi Lourens on Working as an Academic and Counseling Psychologist

    Mar 17

    147 - Job Talk: Heidi Lourens on Working as an Academic and Counseling Psychologist

    In this episode, Lois Chats with Heidi Lourens about her work as an academic in the psychology field and her training as a counseling psychologist. Having started her education at a school for the blind, Heidi explores what it was like for her to shift into a mainstream university for tertiary education and her experiences in her current work. Discovering a love for research, Heidi explains how she navigates the world of lecturing, supervising and researching at university level, and offers words of advice for those considering a career in psychology. Heidi also chats about her fragrance-related YouTube channel, Heidi’s Perfume Corner where she shares reviews of fragrances. Reach out to Heidi at: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heidi.klerk: e-mail: hlourens.psych@gmail.com Find Heidi’s Perfume Corner at: https://youtube.com/@heidisperfumecorner7501?si=_paUDDKa95dtyI5H Image Description: A woman with shoulder-length auburn hair and green eyes is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a short-sleeved white dress and is sitting on a wooden chair. A black Labrador in a guide dog harness sits beside her. Grass, trees and plants can be seen beyond them. I’d love to hear from you – contact me at Website : loisstrachan.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lstrachan

    52 min
  7. 146 - Erica du Toit on Loop Systems and Assistive Technology for the Hearing Loss Community

    Mar 3

    146 - Erica du Toit on Loop Systems and Assistive Technology for the Hearing Loss Community

    In this episode, Lois Chats with Erica du Toit on the topic of loop systems and other assistive technology for those living with hearing loss Having worked in the advocacy space for 30 years, Erica has a broad knowledge of tools and techniques that can assist those with hearing impairments and the people around them. Reach out to Erica at the following links: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erica-du-toit-13831370/ Western Cape APD Tel: 021 555-2881 Email: awareness@wcapd.org.za Website: https://wcapd.org.za/ National Council of and for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) Email: erica@ncpd.org.za Website: www.ncpd.org.za Western Cape Network on Disability Email: info@wcdisability.org.za Website: www.wcdisability.org.za Image Description: A woman with short dark hair wearing a long-sleeved black top. Shehas a pendent around her neck with a circular pendent with a design on it. 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.

    44 min
  8. 145 - Paws on the Path - Hiking the Pondo Trail with Angela Blackwell and Guide Dog Jaydee

    Feb 24

    145 - Paws on the Path - Hiking the Pondo Trail with Angela Blackwell and Guide Dog Jaydee

    Today I chat with Angela Blackwell, the first blind person to hike the Pondo Trail in South Africa with her guide dog, Jaydee. Angela discusses how Jaydee helped her regain her confidence and independence after her diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa resulted in significant loss of visual acuity. Hiking the Pondo Trail, a four day hike on the East coast of South Africa became a challenge that Angela set for herself as a way of raising awareness that blindness does not mean living small. She is also using the project as a fund-raiser for the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind. Follow Ange and Jaydees experience on the show and connect with them online: Instagram: @Angel on the Blindside. Please also support their fundraising at https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/paws-on-the-path Image Description: A woman sitting on a large piece of driftwood on a sandy riverbank beside a white dog. The woman has short brown hair and light skin, and she is wearing a light gray T-shirt and denim shorts, barefoot, resting her chin on her hand and facing to the right with a calm, thoughtful expression. The dog is sitting close to her left side, wearing a collar, and also facing to the right. A wide, calm river stretches behind them, with green, tree-covered hills on both sides and a pale sky with light clouds. 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.

    51 min
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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
    151
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Lois Strachan
  • Show Website
    A Different Way of Seeing