The Blind Spot: Recent Episodes
Thomas Pocklington Trust
Welcome to The Blind Spot, a podcast sharing the news and views of blind and partially sighted people and the work of Thomas Pocklington Trust and its partners.
In upcoming episodes, you will:
Hear from blind and partially sighted people and meet our amazing volunteers.
Get to know the teams working to improve visually impaired people’s access to education, employment and technology.
Learn about the work of our incredible Sight Loss Council members, fighting for positive change in the lives of blind and partially sighted people.
Discover how you could get involved.
About Thomas Pocklington Trust
Thomas Pocklington Trust is a national charity dedicated to enabling and empowering blind and partially sighted people of all ages to live the life they want to lead.
Thanks for listening
In this episode of the Blind Spot podcast, TPT's Technology Manager, Darren Paskell and his guests, Philippa Brown from Smart Energy GB and Dave Clark from RNIB, talk everything about smart accessible energy.
Smart meters have been introduced to many households, and they are a great tool to help you manage your energy usage and cost. What are its benefits -escpecially for blind and partially sighted people and what do they need to know before ordering one? Have a listen to learn more!
You can download the transcript of the podcast here: http://bit.ly/3Ycg5oL
In this episode of The Blind Spot, Darren Paskell, TPT's Technology Manager, invited Laura Hughes, Director of MoorVision, and mother of a visually impaired child, to discuss ideas for Christmas presents for visually impaired young and older children.
Christmas is just around the corner, so you might want some inspiration, so go have a listen now!
Download the transcript here: http://bit.ly/3VasmrU
Stagecoach West has introduced audio-visual announcements across its Cheltenham Town Centre routes and worked with the Gloucestershire Sight Loss Council to ensure the new feature fully supports blind and partially sighted passengers so that they will never miss their stop.
In this episode, we hear from Julie Stephens, member of the Gloucester Sight Loss Council and Natasha Hall, Marketing and Communications Manager at Stagecoach West.
We are discussing the work Sight Loss Councils are doing to ensure blind and partially sighted passengers can use buses with confidence and how Stagecoach West is supporting their work in the local bus routes.
You can download the transcript of the podcast here.
In this episode, we're celebrating Volunteers' Week. Hear from Sight Loss Council members, Paul Hopkins, and Meena Rattu, talk about what volunteering means to them and about their involvement in the West Midlands VI forum.
Blind and partially sighted people should have access to facilities and activities in their local communities, just like anyone else. Our inclusive community's priority area is focused on improving access to hospitality, settings, arts and entertainment venues and improving the accessibility of train stations and the experience of blind and partially sighted.
This episode will give you a snapshot view of the activities Sight Loss Council members participate in to drive change in their local communities. We speak to Bedfordshire Sight Loss Council member, Hubert about Bedfordshire Sight Loss Council's recent evaluation and recommendations for a prototype tactile wayfinding system at Stevenage train station.
Download transcript here
With the upcoming elections in May, we caught up with Peter Stanyon, CEO of the Association of Electoral Administrators, to ask him what polling stations are legally required to provide to help blind and partially sighted people vote.
Download the transcript here.
In this episode of The Blind Spot, Young Voices members, Alex and Rainbow, talk about work experience. They share what they enjoyed most about their work experience placements, how it helped them realise what career pathway they wanted to follow and what advice they would give to other blind and partially sighted students who want to get work experience.
Download the transcript here.
In this episode of The Blind Spot Martin Simcox, National Sport Development Lead at Thomas Pocklington trust chats to netball player Cathy Low and physical activity enthusiast, Paul Ryb, on playing sport with a visual impairment. They share what sport means to them, particularly following sight loss and the advice they would give to sports and leisure providers to make their facilities more inclusive.
MakeSportAccessible
In this episode of the Blind Spot podcast, TPT's Head of Education Tara Chattaway is joined by Alex Henderson, TPT's Student Support Coordinator, and Ben Watson and George Rhodes from All Able. They discuss the research findings from our new report about accessibility and technology for blind and partially sighted people in mainstream colleges.
Download a copy of the transcript here.
For National Braille Week 2021, TPT's Technology Manager Darren Paskell speaks to braille teacher Norma Williams about what it's like to learn braille later in life.
What are the challenges and what are the benefits? and how can we help people embark on their journey to learning braille.
In this episode of The Blind Spot, TPT's Head of Education, Tara Chattaway talks to students Ali Obaidan and Esen Sosa about university life, mobility and independence as part of our Uni In Sight campaign.
Ali is an international student from Saudi Arabia. He is about to start a PHD at the University of Leeds. Esen Sosa is a second year History student at The Royal Holloway, University of London.
Download the transcript here.
Lora Fachie MBE, is a Paralympic cyclist with four gold medals to her name and is set to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. She is also a Greater Manchester Sight Loss Council member.
Lora talks to Kevin Satizabal about her sporting journey and how she has been preparing for #Tokyo2020
In this episode of the Blind Spot, TPT's Martin Sigsworth is talking to Helen, TPT's newest trustee about accessibility and diversity in the workplace. She also provides tips for blind and partially sighted people looking for work.
You can download the transcript here.
In this episode of the Blind Spot, Mike Bell, National Public Affairs Lead for TPT and Sight Loss Councils, talks to Steve Darling, Leader of Torbay Council. Steve is the only visually impaired council leader in the country. Mike chats to Steve about his experiences of leading the council and why it is so important for disabled people to consider a career in politics.
You can download the transcript here.
In this episode host Martin Sigsworth, Senior Employment Manager at TPT is joined by three of TPT's recent interns - Alex Henderson, Alex Wallis and Robert Cummings. They discussed TPT's internships scheme, and their experiences during and after their placement.
You can download the transcript here.
In this podcast TPT's Molly and Elin from LOOK UK talks to students Tiri and Charlotte as they share their experiences of studying through Covid-19 and give advice and tips on getting the most of exams and support.
They’re joined by Robyn, Nicky, Jenna – professionals who support and advise blind and partially students throughout their university journey. The panel talk you though how universities have adapted during Covid, how to get prepared for remote assessments and what support you should be asking for.
You can download the transcript of the podcast here.
In this episode of the Blind Spot, we’re talking about the #StreetsForAll campaign.
Led by Sight Loss Councils, the campaign is calling for safer and accessible streets for All. Kevin Satizabal is joined by Mike Bell, Public Affairs and Campaigns Manager at TPT, Louise Connop, Engagement Manager for the West Midlands and Matt Cliff, Engagement Manager for the North West. The panel talk about the work the SLC’s have done to improve e-scooter safety and the accessibility of new street designs and share how you can get involved in the campaign.
Find out more about #StreetsForAll by visiting: http://www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk/streetsforall/
As part of National Careers Week, our podcast features Henrietta Still, Enterprise co-ordinator in East Sussex and Gareth Brydon, Children Young People & Families Manager at TPT who discuss careers education information and guidance (CEIAG) for young people with vision impairment.
Henrietta explains how the careers hub works in East Sussex to support young people with special education needs and her work to increase employment pathways for young people. She also explains the Gatsby benchmarking - the eight benchmarks that schools across the country can use as a framework for improving their careers provision.
Download a copy of the transcript here.
This episode of the Blind Spot was recorded specially For Student Volunteering Week 2021.
Host Kevin Satizabal spoke to Krupali Parshotam, a newly qualified Science teacher and member of TPT's Student Support group, Ada Eravama, Greater Manchester Sight Loss Council member and Performing Arts graduate, and blind footballer Rainbow Mbuangi.
The the panel share their own experiences of volunteering and how others could benefit from doing so.
You can download a transcript of this podcast here.
2020 was a really tough year for the economy due to the impact of Covid-19 with unemployment rising to 5% in the UK.
In this episode of the Blind Spot, host Leanne Bennett is joined by TPT's Senior Employment Manager, Martin Sigsworth. Martin discusses TPT's employment service and provides invaluable advice for any blind or partially sighted person struggling to secure work.
You can download the transcript for this podcast here.
In October, we had a panel talking about braille in the modern age. Today, on the latest episode of The Blind Spot we're talking about how assistive technology has meant that some people no longer use braille at all.
Host Penny Wilkinson is joined by Matthew Johnson, a lawyer, linguist, and musician.
Transcript of the podcast.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome (CBS) produces vivid, silent, visual hallucinations which range from disturbing to terrifying. For some people the hallucinations can be of swathes of colour, or patterns, words, grids, maps or musical notes. Other images seen are more complex. These can be of animals, insects, reptiles, rodents, children, people (both real-size or tiny – often dressed in costume), buildings, vehicles, flora and fauna, or whole scenes. CBS is caused entirely by loss of sight and is not a mental health condition. It was previously thought children did not suffer from this condition but this has been found to be false. Yet the incidence of CBS amongst children in the UK is unknown. Thomas Pocklington Trust is currently funding a research project to investigate this. In this episode of The Blind Spot on CBS Awareness Day we are joined by Judith Potts, trustee at TPT and founder of Esme's Umbrella - the campaign to raise awareness of CBS, source funding for research and create ways to support people who develop the condition. Professor Mariya Moosajee, Professor of Molecular Ophthalmology at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Francis Crick Institute, and Dr Lee Jones, Research Fellow at Moorfields Eye Hospital, report on their research into the incidence of CBS in children. And we hear from Nina Chesworth who shares her experiences of living with CBS.
For more information around CBS visit: www.charlesbonnetsyndrome.uk
Transcript of this podcast
In this episode of The Blind Spot host Kevin Satizabal is joined by Laura and Naomi from Merseyside Sight Loss Council and Ada, Gary and Anthony from Greater Manchester Sight Loss Council to discuss Purple Tuesday – the UK’s awareness day for accessible shopping.
In the latest episode of The Blind Spot podcast, host Alex Henderson welcomes TPT's Technology Champion Darren Paskell and Sight Loss Council's Communications Officer Kevin Satizabal to discuss and debate video calling platforms Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
This discussion explores how each platform works, how accessible it is and provide some tips tips for blind and partially sighted people who want to harness these technologies.
For National Braille Week and Blindness Awareness Month, this episode of The Blind Spot podcast asks the question, does braille still has a place in the modern world?
Hosted by Darren Paskell, TPT's Information Champion, he welcomed a panel of guests, including:
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Dave Williams, Chair of The Braillists Foundation
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Masuma Ali, Engagement Manager in the south-east for Thomas Pocklington Trust.
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Megan Paul, Onkyo Braille essay competition winner in 2016, volunteer for Thomas Pocklington Trust and Gloucestershire Sight Loss Council.
Download a copy of the transcript here.
Blind and partially sighted people face a real threat to their safety through the increasing use of E-Scooters, so what can be done to help make them safer?
In this episode Kevin Satizabal talks to Greater Manchester Sight Loss Council members Gary and Ada about E-scooter safety.
Find out more about the Sight Loss Councils by visiting: http://www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk
Blind from birth, Katy joined the UK Civil Service in 2006 and has worked in a number of policy roles across health, fire, crime, policing and climate change, where she worked closely with the EU.
Martin Sigsworth, TPT’s Senior Employment Manager spoke with Katy, gaining insight into her life as a policy civil servant and discussing the different opportunities to apply to the civil service outside of graduate level entry.
Download the transcript from this podcast: https://www.pocklington-trust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Transcript-a-career-in-the-civil-service.docx
In this episode of the Blind Spot we discuss options for those who have just received their A-level results. Are you looking to go straight into employment or want to know about the pathway to university?
We are joined by TPT's Student Support Manager Tara Chattaway, TPT's Senior Employment Manager Martin Sigsworth and Lynn Wilson from the Association of Disability of Practitioners. Some students will have got the grades they wanted but others might be disappointed. This discussion will help you make the right choice, whatever you plan to do next.
Go to the TPT website for more information about our Student support service and Employment services.
Welcome to this bonus episode of the Blind Spot, brought to you by Thomas Pocklington trust. In this episode, your host Kevin Satizabal, talks about the Distancing Blind campaign run by the Sight Loss Councils. The campaign is raising awareness of the social distancing challenges faced by visually impaired people and providing businesses with practical guidance. We also hear from Sight Loss Council members about their social distancing experiences. Engagement Manager Eamonn Dunne, shares the work he is doing with local authorities to support blind and partially sighted people as we come out of lockdown Find out more about the Distancing Blind campaign by visiting: http://www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk/distancingblind
Hosted by Kevin Satizabal, today's episode shines the spotlight on the amazing work of the Bristol Sight Loss Council, which is celebrating its first birthday this year. We are joined by eight Bristol Sight Loss Council members, Anela, Stephen, Jerry, Jenny, Shelagh, Louise, Jeff and Phil. They are all blind and partially sighted, and passionate about improving the lives of visually impaired Bristolians. We chat about their visual awareness training with GP surgeries, their work to improve access to sports, colleges, universities, transport and leisure venues, and discuss the difficult social distancing challenges faced by visually impaired people. Find out more about the Sight Loss Councils by visiting: http://www.sightlosscouncils.org.uk