RNIB Conversations

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

Six the Musical - Thursday 22 October, 8pm, touch tour 6.45pm, Woking theatre

Dirty Dancing - Saturday 24 October, 2.30pm, touch tour 1.15pm, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Austentatious - Monday 26 October, 7.30pm, Vaudeville Theatre, London<...

What is it like seeing a stage production with audio description?

Luci Franks went to see the audio described performance of Les Misérables at London's Sondheim Theatre.

The famous musical is based on the 1862 novel by Victor Hugo. Set in 19th century France, Les Misérables follows the life of Jean Valjean – an ex-convict who seeks redemption and who is pursued by his rival and ex-guard Javert. Filled with love, passion and courage, the story seas Jean Valjean take on young orphan Cosette. Always on the run, they eventually find themselves in Paris in the...

In our sight loss story feature this week, Hubert chats to Mark Long, who we had on last year, a lot has since changed for Mark, and he told Hubert all about it. 

Until a meeting, as a teenager, with a social worker, Amrit Dhaliwal had no idea of the support and services that were out there for people who were blind or partially sighted.
RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to Amrit, to find out how the charity has influenced her life and why she wants to make sure others seek out their services and help fund the charity’s work.

#RNIBConnect

Image Shows RNIB Connect Radio Logo, White Background, RNIB In Bold Black Letters, A Solid Pink Line Below With Connect Radio Underneath.

With Halloween around the corner, you might be looking for some fun and accessible activities to do.

Paulina spoke with Emmy Anstee from Emmy's VIP Life about some of her suggestions for accessible activities that blind and partially sighted people of all ages can get involved in.

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black 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. 

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

Heathers The Musical - Thursday 8 October, 7.30pm, touch tour 6pm, Curve Theatre, Leicester

Paranormal Activity - Friday 9 October, 7.30pm, touch tour 5.30pm, Woking Theatre

Sinatra The Musical - Tuesday 13 October, 7.30pm, Aldwych Theatre...

As there seems to be a bit of an autumnal feel in the air at the moment which must mean we are in flu season again.  So for this week’s check in with Glasgow based Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick it is all about reminding us to get our flu vaccinations.

Elizabeth began by explaining to RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey why we have to be vaccinated for flu every year, who is eligible for the flu vaccination and who should have them. 

Then to what the difference is between a cold and the flu, whethe...

Barry Snell learns about the Bella Foundations BMF International Music Competition for Blind and Visually Impaired Musicians, which is open to classical and jazz musicians from around the world.

Click here to learn more about the competition & also about The Bella Foundation

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night-Time - Thursday 24 September, 7.30pm, woking Theatre

The Play that Goes Wrong - Friday 25 September, 7.30pm, touch tour 6.15pm, The Duchess Theatre, London

Beetlejuice...

Are you interested about how puppies get trained to be able to be a guide dog? Well, in this podcast we get a little look at that as we find out how a group of puppies got on when they visited a theatre play. 

Image shows a sweet guide dog puppy smiles at the camera as it gets chin rubs and pets from two Play That Goes Wrong cast members. Behind them lots of people taking photos of the cast and crew interacting with the visiting puppies. (Photo credit: ©EllieKurttz)

Three of Northern Ireland’s most compelling Vision impaired artists — Joe Kenny, Andrea Begley, and Future Her — join forces for Label Me Live, an exclusive one‑night event taking place at The Black Box, Belfast as part of the Bounce Arts Festival, presented by University of Atypical.

Barry caught up with Joe Kenny, who is the gigs organiser

The Accessible Book and Story Festival is coming to Edinburgh on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th of September.

If you’re curious to learn how books and stories can be made fun and engaging for children with additional needs, then you might want to check it out. 

RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina Kuchorew spoke with Ailie Finlay Director of My Kind Of Book, who are organising the event, to learn more.

For more details visit: Accessible Book & Story Festival 2026 - My Kind of Book

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a w...

It might be true that many of us may not get enough sleep as we should each night so for this week’s check in with Glasgow Based Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick it is all about sleep.

Elizabeth began by explaining to RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey why sleep is so important for us all, thinking about the best time to get to sleep and how much sleep we might need a night too. 

Then to whether taking naps during the day are a good thing or not.

Ending with a reminder from Eliza...

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

Audio Descriptions - Milestones Living History Museum, Basingstoke, Hampshire,

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London -

Love’s Labours Lost - Sunday 6 September, 1pm, touch tour 11am,,

Much Ado About Nothing - Tues...

In our Sight Loss Story this week, Hubert chats to George Bunge from South Africa. They discuss his sight loss journey, being blind and partially sighted in South Africa and gaming. 

Hubert chats to Ross from the UK Civil Aviation Authority, to find out about improvements to the quality of passenger assistance across 28 UK airports. 

In this episode, Hubert chats to Adam about his sight loss journey. They discuss how he adapted to life with sight loss, and his passion for drama and his work with the drama group he is involved with. 

For many Guide Dog owners unfair, and unlawful, access refusals can be upsetting and embarrassing.

Guide Dogs, along with other charity partners, are working to educate service providers, as well as supporting owners to make complaints about their unfair treatment.

Allan Russell spoke to Andy Farrell, from Guide Dogs, to learn more about refusals, what owners can do about them and how an app has become another tool in the box.

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with...

Edinburgh International Festival is on at the moment, bringing best artists from opera, music, theatre & dance to the city.

And today we’re looking at an upcoming audio described performance of Verdi’s A Masked Ball. From Zurich Opera, Guisseppe Verdi’s stunning opera is filled with desire, treachery and political peril.

Let’s learn more about this production and how to catch it from audio describers Veronica Kinahan and Trina Gilles.

More about the show: Verdi’s A Masked Ball | Edinburgh International Festival
 
Image shows a scene from the production. A shocked cr...

Did you know that only around 1 in 4 blind or partially sighted people of working age are in employment?

Today, we're chatting with Emmy Anstee about her experience of Royal & Derngate's Step-Up programme which saw her join them for a work placement. She spoke with Happy Hour's Paulina Kuchorew about the importance of placements like these and how it was adjusted to work with her sight condition.

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line...

In this sight loss story, Hubert chats to William. They discuss his sight and hearing loss, but they also talk about his passion for music, and how he enjoyes attending concerts and festivals. He also describes the work he does to make these events more accessible. 

For this week’s check in with Glasgow Based Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick we are returning to the topic of medicine waste as Elizabeth shares some new data with RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey suggesting how much medicine is wasted.  

Then to the cost implications of the waste and some of the reasons why so much medicine is wasted.  

To what happens to un-opened medicine packs when we take them back to the Pharmacy and why it is better to give money to charities rather than donating medicines.  

Ending with a final message from El...

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

Forest of Dean Sculpture Trail: Audio Descriptions

Oresteia - Saturday 22 August, 1.30pm, touch tour 11.30am, Bridge Theatre, London

Now You See Me Live - Wednesday 2 September, 7pm, London Coliseum

Cats...

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

The Guilty - Saturday 8 August, 2.30pm, touch tour 1pm, Donmar Warehouse, London

TAO of Glass - Saturday 15 August, 2.30pm and Thursday 3 September, 7.30pm, @Soho Place, London

Barnum - Saturday 22 August, 2.30pm, touch tour 1...

For this week’s check in with Glasgow based Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick it is all about new blood tests for certain forms of cancer.  

Elizabeth began by explaining to RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey about the availability of these new blood tests including the one for prostate cancer.

Then to the importance of testing for bowel cancer and finally as Elizabeth is keen for people to keep up their levels of vitamin D some details of tests for that too.

To get in touch with Elizabeth you can email info@elizabethroddick.com or fo...

With many people about to go off on their summer holidays, for this week’s check-in with Glasgow based Pharmacist Elizabeth Roddick it is all about being prepared for your travels around the medicines that you take regularly and what might be good to take with you just in case of an emergency..

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey began by asking Elizabeth whether it is possible to pre order your medicines in preparation for going on holiday. 

Then to what about taking medicines into hot countries and a reminder about the rules about carrying liqui...

Trying a new experience whilst on holiday can be exhilarating, especially when you get a chance to become a gladiator.

RNIB Connect Radio's Paulina Kuchorew spoke with Emmy Anstee from Emmy's VIP Life to hear what she thought of the Gladiator School Experience in Rome and how it was adapted to her needs. 
 
For more about the experience visit: GLADIATOR SCHOOL - romegladiatorschool

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is...

Following Jimmy Valentine is a full-cast audiobook musical told entirely through story and song created by New York composer and writer Jeff Flaster.

It features a star-studded west end cast, including Celinde Schoenmaker (Phantom of the Opera), Hadley Fraser, David Hunter, George Blagden, acclaimed jazz vocalist Jacqui Dankworth, and Kerry Ellis who you might recognise for her portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked and Fantine in Les Mis.

The audiobook musical tells the story of Detective Jen Price, who desperate to feel like a hero again, pursues notorious jewel thief Jimmy Valentine. But when Jimmy falls...

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

The Bodyguard the Musical - Saturday 25 July, 2.30pm, Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Six The Musical - Sunday 26 July, 3pm, Vaudeville Theatre, London

To Kill a Mockingbird - Saturday 1 August, 2.30pm, touch tour 12.30pm...

Now for a roundup of accessible arts events as RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey catches up with Jess Beal from VocalEyes, the national audio description charity providing access to the arts for blind and partially sighted people to share some of the accessible events that are featured in their regular email newsletter.

Audio described shows and events included:

The Choir of Man - Friday 10 July, 4pm, touch tour 2.30pm, Curve Theatre, Leicester

Jesus Christ Superstar - Friday 17 July, 7.30pm, London Palladium

Cyrano de Bergerac - Saturday 18 July, 2pm, touch tour 12noon...

We’re take a look today about at an exciting new documentary now available on streaming services in the UK.

Possibilities made by American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) and BeachGlass Films and is a collaborative production between blind and sighted individuals, which features open audio description, an innovative concept that means accessibility is part of the process of making the movie and not just an after-thought. 

And joining our Paulina Kuchorew is Tony Stephens, Assistant Vice President for Communications at the American Foundation for the Blind and the Producer behind the movie.
Image sho...

On guide dog blogs this week, we meet Chewie the guide dog. Jane Manley shares her experience of being recently matched and trained with her new friend. We also find out how Chewie got his name, despite his food habits, that was not the main reason he got it. 

What's it like working for the UK’s largest producer of official statistics when you're blind or partially sighted? Hywel Davies has been finding out about life for once worker at the Office for National Statistics.

In this podcast, Hubert chats to Veronica Ferguson about what motivated her career path, her experiences of working with the royal family, and her advice to people as ot how they can look after their eyes best. 

In his podcast, following Thomas Pocklington Trust launching a new set of internship opportunities for blind and partially sighted people, Hubert has been chatting to interns who have just completed their internships to hear about their experiences. 

In this podcast, Hubert chats to Laura, one of the interns who completed their internship as part of the Get Set Progress Programme. They talk about Laura's experiences, difficulties she had with jo searching, and how much of a difference this internship has made to her life. 

 Summer means many of us are thinking about holidays, but when you’re blind or partially sighted accessibility becomes part of the process of planning that dream trip.

So joining us today to chat her tips for accessible travel and planning is Emmy from Emmy’s VIP Life.

Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black 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. 

In this podcast Hubert chats to Josh Feehan from Thomas Pocklington Trust about new internship opportunities they have released as part of the Get Set Progress Programme. 

In our sight loss story this week, Hubert speaks to Bilaal. They discuss adapting to sight loss, university experiences, and Bilaal's passion for sports. 

Last year we spoke to the team behind a braille word board game called Brailling, when they were just getting started. A year forward, Hubert has been chatting to them to find out how things have developed, and their next steps.