In Touch BBC Radio 4

As the charity Guide Dogs looked into its own future, they have predicted some financial hardship due to rising costs. Similarly to many organisations within the charity sector, they are having to come up with ways of cutting costs in order to maintain current levels of service provision. Their staff have been told that redundancies are a possibility for many. Guide Dogs' CEO Andrew Lennox tells In Touch what is happening and why, in his view, such cuts are necessary.
With elections just around the corner, In Touch explores a new audio voting system: the McGonagle Reader. It will be available at a few local council areas for the 2024 local and general elections.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Pete Liggins
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 Disabled Students' Allowance enables students to get help with specialist equipment and in-person support, but over the years we've heard about persistent complications and delays. The system is operated by the Student Loans Company and they have now introduced some new processes that aim to reduce the problems that students are facing. David Thompson manages the DSA on behalf of the Student Loans Company and he gives details of the new system and why the changes were necessary. We also hear from visually impaired students who have had issues in accessing the essential services they are entitled to through the DSA.
Developments within this area are ongoing; the Department for Education wants evidence regarding a specific element of the Disabled Students' Allowance that provides in-person support regarding things like sighted guides around university campuses and specialist teaching assistants for visual impairment. Lucy Merritt is the Education Policy Manager at the Thomas Pocklington Trust, an organisation that works closely with visually impaired students, and she provides background on what the Department for Education is looking at.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
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 communications regulator Ofcom has just made changes to its guidelines surrounding audio description provided by television and on-demand services. For the first time, there will be unique recommendations for on-demand providers. Helen Shaw is part of Ofcom's content policy team and tells In Touch about the amendments and how the Media Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, will impact access services more widely.
And what is creative audio description? Our reporter Fern Lulham finds out by visiting The Royal Shakespeare Company's production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, where it can be found at every show in the production's run.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
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.

A new hotel in London, that belongs to a big-name franchise, initially declared on their website that service dogs are not welcome. Dave and Karen Cloherty were left in shock when they came to book a room for them and their guide dog for an annual appointment at Moorfield's Eye Hospital, given that the hotel in question is just a few minutes walk from the hospital. The hotel have since amended their website, but we hear about the case from the Clohertys and about the equality law that relates to services such as hotels, from disability rights lawyer Chris Fry.
The 1963 film The Great Escape is based on the famous prison break, where imprisoned allied soldiers escape from a Nazi camp during World War Two. Sangeeta Uppaladinni had an instant fascination with the film and the original story and so travelled to Poland with her guide dog, to mark the 80th anniversary of the original story.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
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 discusses whether your blindness should be at the front and centre of your life. Perhaps an ambiguous question because it can depend on the environment you're in, the company that you share, whether you need help and many other factors. What is undoubtedly true though, is that it's not that easy to go completely under the radar with poor sight or none.
We tease this out with author Andrew Leland, who spent time researching visually impaired people and the way society interacts with us, Rachael Andrews, who is not afraid to campaign for herself, and other people at the same time, and stand-up comedian Jamie MacDonald, who uses his blindness as a tool to make other people laugh.
Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Beth Hemmings
Production Coordinator: Liz Poole
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.

News, views and information for people who are blind or partially sighted