In Touch Folgen

In 2012 Simon Rockman set up a simple-to-use mobile phone service aimed at the older visually impaired person. Fuss Free phones had one button, which put your call through to a call centre and they would either phone someone or text them for you. Now Fuss Free Phones has closed. Peter White asks Simon Rockman what went wrong and will any customers be left out of pocket?Reporter Tom Walker meets Juliette Parfitt who began losing her sight in her early twenties. Since then she says she has struggled to find age-appropriate information and services and feels it is an age-group whose problems are sometimes overlooked. One solution for Juliette might be a Facebook group called VI Talk. It has over two-and-a-half thousand members who share stories and tips and tricks on how to cope with life as a visually impaired person. Jo Fishwick from VI Talk tells us about it – and the seven other spin-off groups ranging from information on blind sports, to a book club.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat

On the centenary of Armistice Day, over 100 blind veterans assembled at Horse Guards Parade in London. Some were blinded in action. However, most started to lose their sight well after their service had ended. Reporter Dave Williams went to talk to them as they assembled for this historic event - we hear just some of their stories.Also, Peter White visits 97-year-old blind veteran Peter Van Zeller. He is a resident at a Blind Veteran’s UK care home, and shares the story of when he first discovered a previously-unknown family connection to the home, and the charity.Presenter: Peter White Reporter: Dave Williams Producer: Lee Kumutat

Over the next 12 months, In Touch is planning a series of stories and interviews looking at the changing landscape of our streets, and the ways in which councils, rehabilitation trainers and technology can help visually impaired people cope with this fast-changing picture. Professors Anna Lawson and Rich Romano are both leading on different projects looking at the future of towns and cities. Prof Lawson’s is focusing on the elements that cause people to feel excluded from the streets, while Prof Romano’s is looking at using virtual reality and digital means of putting planning in to the hands of the people.National Braille Press, a non-profit organisation in the United States, offers a prize of up to 20,000 US dollars to people inventing new ways of getting braille and tactile information in to the hands of visually impaired people. Peter White speaks to President of National Braille Press Brian MacDonald, and 2015 winner Betsy Flener. Presenter: Peter White Producer: Lee Kumutat