In Touch Folgen

The question of closing railway ticket offices has been in the headlines recently. Indeed, it remains one of the stumbling blocks to a settlement in the long running dispute between rail unions and train operators. One operator has already stopped selling tickets at discounted rates from their ticket offices for "same day" travel. This leaves travellers needing to use the internet or ticket vending machines to take advantage of reduced rates for same day journeys. We discuss what this means for visually impaired people with the help of Tony Miles from Modern Railways magazine.Meanwhile, on the buses, we report on a trial aiming to make bus stations more accessible. Transport for West Midlands has unveiled new smart codes at Wolverhampton Bus Station, giving passengers immediate access to wayfinding details and travel information on their mobile phones. To get an update on the trial and what it might mean for accessible bus travel in the future, we hear from RNIB's Robin Spinks and Gary Leek from Transport for West Midlands .Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz PooleWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual 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 of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

It's the time of year to perhaps start thinking about a holiday, and when you have a visual impairment there are often lots of things to consider. How you'll get there, whether the accommodation will be accessible and the kinds of activities that you'll do. So, we thought we'd look at some trips that could be suitable; including Sense Adventures, who offer walking holidays in the Malvern Hills and elsewhere, The Visually Impaired Sailing Association, who teach you how to sail a yacht and Christine Thomas tells us about why her static caravan in Cornwall is perfect for her independence. A few weeks ago, we spoke about a consultation that the Civil Aviation Authority have launched, to gather people's experiences of accessibility when dealing with airlines. They have now added a phone line, as well as online and email submission options. The number to call is: 0330 138 5015. You can also email: consumerenforcement@caa.co.uk. For more information, visit: https://consultations.caa.co.uk/corporate-communications/performance-framework-for-airline-accessibility/ Sense Adventures: https://www.senseadventures.co.uk/ The Visually Impaired Sailing Association: https://visa-gb.org.uk/Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual 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 of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.

A few months ago, we discussed whether the modern world has become easier or more difficult for people with visual impairments. It is a very nuanced and subjective question, that has been and will continue to be fed into, but we thought we'd pick it up again and look at people's attitudes. This can be when receiving a formal service, such as from your healthcare provider or bank or just from people in the street. We've brought together three people with differing attitudes: Roshni Hafeez, Richard Lane and Gavin Griffiths, to toss this question around.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Beth Hemmings Production Coordinator: Liz Poole Website image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual 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 of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.