Rnib Connect

Sight Village exhibitions are a great way to learn more about products and services designed for blind and partially sighted people in your area. Hywel Davies has been hearing all about plans for this year’s Sight Village London. For more information on the exhibition and how to get tickets, visit the QAC website - Sight Village London 2025 - NEW VENUE - Queen Alexandra College

At the recent Labour Party Conference in Liverpool over 40 corporate and business leaders joined the RNIB Fringe Panel Event where a dynamic panel of representatives from business and broadcasters shared how putting accessibility at the heart of their organisations can deliver real benefits to everyone. The panel was chaired by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant at ITV News, who was joined by panel speakers Sumaira Latif from Proctor & Gamble, David Padmore from ITV, and Christopher Patnoe from Google showcasing the great work that these three organisations are doing around accessibility. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Vidar for an insight and overview of the RNIB Fringe Panel Event at the Labour Party Conference 2025 discussing some of the topics raised at the event from both the panel speakers and questions from the audience too. (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold

 Blind drummer Steve Burge is holding a fundraising drum clinic this week. David Hogg finds out more.

How can RNIB help to shape the delivery of new products and services to ensure that they are as accessible and inclusive as possible? Hywel Davies has been hearing about the impact that working with RNIB’s Inclusive Design team has been having on the ‘Talu Card’.

Looking for a new audio drama, featuring guide dog shakes and guest-house mishaps?  Blind and Partially sighted people from the Teeside area have been creating a 4-part audio series which is launching this month. Amelia spoke to Pam Bennett, the Managing Director or Going For Independence, to learn more. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the channel Islands for the next of his regular audio described theatre reviews. This time we step into a world of deception, desire, and deadly ambition with ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre with description by Professional Audio describer Carolyn Smith. About ‘The Talented Mr Ripley’ “I never wanted to murder anyone. It was necessary.” Tom Ripley is a nobody – scraping by in New York, forging signatures, telling little white lies – until a chance encounter changes everything. When a wealthy stranger offers him an all-expenses-paid trip to Italy to bring home his wayward son, Dickie Greenleaf, Tom leaps at the opportunity. But in the sun-drenched glamour of 1950s Italy, surrounded by shimmering waters and whispered secrets, Tom is seduced by the life Dickie leads – the freedom, the wealth, the effortless charm. Fasci

Alan Macdonald, a blind man from Oban, recently became the voce of self-checkouts in Socttish Lidls. He told Amelia about the competition, recording process and celebrations. Contact Alan via email on alanmacdonald79@gmail.com Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font. 

Each month, RNIB Connect Radio chat to some of the RNIB Campaigns Team to discuss some of the big projects they’re working on. If you’d like more information on campaigns or want to get involved , email campaigns@rnib.org.uk You can visit rnib.org.uk/news  or call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 Follow @RNIB_Campaigns on X or search your socials for RNIB Campaigns #RNIBConnect

Aneurin Bevan University Health Board is the first NHS Trust and Health Board in the UK to become an RNIB Visibility Better Employer. The Visibility Better Employer standard is an RNIB programme for employers, backed by major organisations including Tesco and the Department for Work & Pensions, helping them to become better and more inclusive employers for people with sight loss. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined by Katie Morgan-Jones, RNIB’s Visibly Better Employer Advisor, Liz Thomas, Recruitment Manager at the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board and David Chaffey, ABHB Disability Inclusion Officer who is visually impaired and was instrumental in the Health Board applying to become an RNIB Visibility better Employer, to give an overview of the process of how an employer becomes an RNIB Visibility Better Employer and what it means to ABHB on becoming an RNIB Visibility Better Employer. To find out more about the RNIB Visibility Better Employer standard and what is involved in the process of

Are you a fan of Channel 4’s baking show ‘The Great British Bake Off’ and think your baking might be worthy of a Paul Hollywood handshake or good enough for you to become star Baker?   Well now is your chance to take part in the technical challenge and bring your show stopper to the top table as Love Productions, the production company behind The Great British Bake Off, are really keen for blind and partially sighted people to apply and take part in the next series. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined by Molly Midlane, Casting Producer for the Great British Bake Off from Love Productions, to find out more about how you can apply as a blind or partially sighted person to become a contestant in the next series of Bake Off and how they are making the whole application process as accessible as possible for visually impaired people along with what assistance might be in place if you did make it to compete in that famous big white tent. For more about how to apply to become a contestant in the next series

A new type of accessible payment card could be making its way to your pocket very soon. Hywel Davies has been hearing about the TaluCard. For more information, visit the TaluCard website - Talu Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font

Tate Britain presents the largest retrospective of photographer Lee Miller ever staged. Spanning the full breadth of Miller’s multifaceted practice, from her participation in French surrealism to her war reportage, the exhibition reveals how her innovative and fearless approach pushed the boundaries of photography, producing some of the most iconic images of the modern era. Around 230 vintage and modern prints, including works on display for the first time, are presented alongside unseen archival material and ephemera, shining a light on the richness of her photographic legacy. At the Press View of the Lee Miller exhibition on Tuesday 30 September 2025 and just after the Curator tour RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Saskia Flower, Assistant Curator, Modern and Contemporary British Art at Tate for an insight into the life and work of the Photographer Lee Miller. The Lee Miller exhibition continues at Tate Britain until 15 February 2026.  Audio described tours of the exhibition with one of Tate’

A great opportunity for blind and partially sighted people living in South East London to try a range of VI sports at the South East London Sight Loss Council’s Free Live Well, Get Active Day at Sidcup Leisure Centre on Saturday 25 October from 12 noon to 5pm.  Accessible sports and activities range from VI Tennis and VI Cricket to spin, Zumba, and yoga. All sessions are led by experienced coaches and are designed to be inclusive, so whatever your level, you can take part. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined by South East London Sight Loss Council member Steve Reed who is also a keen VI Bowls player to explain more about the Free Live Well, Get Active Day. More details and a booking form to attend the Live Well, Get Active Day can be found on the following website - http://bit.ly/48avXiQ (Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a sm

RNIB are launching a new series of support groups run by qualified counsellors. Hywel Davies has been hearing about the benefits of sharing your story. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.

Each week, on RNIB Connect Radio we sit down with Matt Stringer, CEO of RNIB, to look at some of the big stories coming from the UK sight loss charity. This week with it being National Eye Health Week Matt began by talking about the launch of the RNIB Scotland and RNIB Cymru manifestos in the lead up to the 2026 Scottish and Welsh elections, then to the RNIB’s presence at the party political conferences and the RNIB panel discussion at the up-coming Labour Party conference, and then ending with the WeWalk event in the RNIB’s Grimaldi Building earlier this week. If you, or someone you know, would like information on the support and services available from RNIB, go to www.rnib.org.uk You can call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 Or ask your Amazon smart speaker to call RNIB's Helpline. #RNIBConnect Image shows a smiling Matt

We’ll head to the Visionary Annual Conference one final time, as Amelia gets final reflections from the team behind the event. Learn more about Visionary on their website - Welcome to Visionary - Visionary Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.

What are some everyday uses of AI for your work or personal life? Amelia spoke to Helen Donkin from Henshaws, who is also studying a masters in AI, to learn about some great uses she’s come across. Learn more about Henshaws on their website - Henshaws - Beyond Expectations Tune into Tech Talk every Tuesday at 1pm, repeated on Thursday at 9pm and Saturday at 5pm, to hear more ways Tech can make life easier, or listen on our website - Tech Talk | RNIB Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.

The Visionary Annual Conference took place in Birmingham this week, where local and national sight loss organisations came together to share ideas for better supporting blind and partially sighted people. Day 2 began with Panel 'Balancing Innovation And Responsibility: AI, Social Media And Ethical Communications' and Amelia spoke to Sarah Watson from The National Lottery Community Fund and Helen Donkin from Henshaws about their panel highlights. Learn more about The National Lottery Community Fund on their website - Home | The National Lottery Community Fund Learn more about Henshaws on their website - Henshaws - Beyond Expectations Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font

The Visionary Annual Conference took place in Birmingham this week, where local and national sight loss organisations came together to share ideas for better supporting blind and partially sighted people. Day 2 began with Panel 'Balancing Innovation And Responsibility: AI, Social Media And Ethical Communications' and Amelia spoke to Char Speedy from Guide Dogs about how they are applying AI to support their work and sharing their learning with other charities. Learn more about Guide Dogs on their website - Guide Dogs | The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.

The Visionary Annual Conference took place in Birmingham this week, where local and national sight loss organisations came together to share ideas for better supporting blind and partially sighted people. Day 2 began with Panel 'Balancing Innovation And Responsibility: AI, Social Media And Ethical Communications' and Amelia spoke to Amit Singh Kalley for tips on safe social media and AI use after the panel. Learn more about For Working Parents on their website - Meet The Team - For Working Parents Limited Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.