In Touch Folgen

The face-to-face training of guide dogs came to an end with lockdown. And the crisis has led to questions about how dogs may be losing their skills in this period of relative inactivity. Guide Dogs Director of Operations Peter Osborne takes on questions about how much of the delays pre-dated Coronavirus and where the My Guide project fits into future plans. You can contact their helpline on 08007811444.And Iris Peel puts the miles in. The accomplished runner was training for the Manchester Marathon when Covid struck. She thinks she can safely go out with her guide runner in a park operating while still respecting the two metre social distancing rule, but England Athletics say it's not safe. Should blind people lose their ability to make distancing choices that are left up to other members of the public?And attention is turning to the NHS tracing app which will be a key tool in fighting Coronavirus. But how accessible was the version trialled on the Isle of Wight? Ruth Hollingshead of Sight for Wight gives us her verdict. Presented by Peter White Produced by Kevin Core

All parents are feeling the strain of educating their children at home. But for blind parents of sighted children, the dizzying array of apps and worksheets with varying degrees of accessibility can be a struggle. Father-of-two Nick Adamson is navigating the landscape well, and he's joined by Hetal Bapodra, who, with no sighted adult in the house, is finding things difficult. Sean Randall of Blind Parents UK is on hand to give his view of what it's reasonable to expect in the way of help. We had a big response to our item on the consequences of social distancing for blind and VI people, so we hear listeners' takes on our new world of less direct contact. And four years ago the family of Sirine Jahangir was struggling to get her into a mainstream secondary school, so we chatted to her father. Now dad and daughter return under happier circumstances. She's just won rave reviews after a stellar solo performance on Britain's Got Talent. We talk about nerves, being on stage and hopes for the future. Presenter Peter White. Produced by Kev Core

In this special programme we discuss what the rules on social distancing mean for the way blind and visually impaired people live their lives. For example, is it safe for a stranger to guide someone by the arm? What concerns are there around using public transport? We speak to Kirsten Hearn, a blind listener who raised the issue before lockdown. We hear how she is feeling now. We hear the experience of those who live in countries just emerging from lockdown. Peter Brass is a board member of the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted and Lars Bosselmann is director of the European Blind Union based in Paris. To get some answers, we speak to Professor Robert Dingwall, a sociologist with a public health specialism based at Nottingham Trent University. Presented by Peter White Produced by Louise Clarke-Rowbotham