Best Sasha Twin Podcasts (2024)

1
Paralympic Games: Paris 2024 18:24

2h ago18:24

18:24

The Paris Paralympic Games have got off to an explosive start, with many of our visually impaired athletes earning gold, silver and bronze medals. In Touch brings you up to date with who won what and interviews with gold medal cyclist Lizzie Jordan and silver medal rower Sam Murray. We also speak to David Clarke, who is totally blind, and was appoi…

1
Steve Darling; Archaeology in Cookham 18:53

17h ago18:53

18:53

Steve Darling is not the first visually impaired MP, but he is the latest, after winning Torbay in Devon for the Liberal Democrats in July's general election. In Touch speaks to Steve about the excitements and challenges of taking up his new role in the Mother of parliaments. In Touch visits an archaeological dig site in Cookham, where an 8th centu…

1
Trust 18:49

8d ago18:49

18:49

Everyone has to put their trust in other people from time to time but when you are blind or partially sighted, do you have to do it more often than most? For example, when asking a stranger for help on the street or in a train station, when purchasing something in a shop and in our relationships. To help us analyse this topic are three visually imp…

1
088 - Modern Keratoconus Treatments with Jen Hodges 47:35

1h ago47:35

47:35

Welcome to The Dr. Brian’s Health Show, a weekly podcast where Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler shares his extensive experience and real patient stories, highlighting the importance of early treatment and specialized care. In this episode, Dr. Brian welcomes Jen Jodges to the show to discuss…. The latest treatments include Holcomb C3-R cross-linking, Intacs…

1
The Isle of Wight Costal Path; When Oscar Met Sasha 18:49

15d ago18:49

18:49

Tony Sheeran tells In Touch about a recent incident when he was attempting to book a self-guided walking holiday on the Isle of Wight, along with his sighted wife and guide dog. Sheeran is an experienced walker, having conquered Mount Fuji and the Capital Ring, but when he came to book with travel operator Macs Adventure, he was initially refused t…

1
Talking Newspaper Delays; Swimming Twins at the Paralympics 18:50

22d ago18:50

18:50

In Touch has been hearing that many local Talking Newspapers are experiencing long delays linked to the postal service. Talking Newspapers are an essential service to blind and partially sighted people, as it keeps people informed of localised events and news. Listeners access a TN via recorded readings of the local papers by volunteers. The record…

1
Technology for Life; The First Blind Barbie 18:47

29d ago18:47

18:47

In Touch has learnt about changes happening to the RNIB's Technology for Life service that will result in major changes to how the service is delivered, and may result in staff redundancies amongst the team that has many visually impaired employees. This change is separate from a ten-year proposed plan of changes that we recently spoke to the chari…

1
New Glaucoma Research; Artificial Intelligence in Eye Care 13:18

1M ago13:18

13:18

Researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London (UCL) have identified markers in the blood that may predict which Glaucoma patients are likely to continue losing vision despite treatment that aims to lower the pressure that causes their sight loss. Professor Ted Garway-Heath tells In Touch more about their clinical trial. On …

1
Cathy Yelf Retirement; Audio Description at Gigs 18:59

2M ago18:59

18:59

After 15 years, Cathy Yelf is retiring as the CEO of the Macular Society. Over those years, Cathy has demonstrated a great passion for and has been instrumental in generating wider awareness for macular related diseases. She has also been a regular and trusted contributor to In Touch on issues relating to the diseases. Peter conducts a farewell int…

1
Redundancies at the RNIB 18:55

2M ago18:55

18:55

Like many charitable organisations, the RNIB is facing financial losses in certain areas and is having to find means of saving money across the organisation. It needs to cut around £10 million and staff have been told that redundancies will be happening. The RNIB's CEO Matt Stringer tells In Touch about the charity's current financial situation, wh…

1
Election issues; Curious about creatures 18:52

2M ago18:52

18:52

Emma Tracey has a long association with In Touch and is now the presenter of the BBC disability and mental health podcast "Access All". Emma has been speaking to politicians ahead of the general election about issues affecting disabled people. We welcome her back to tell us what she learned, including about issues specific to the blind and visually…

1
New Priorities for UK Eye Care Research, A Year in Kenya 18:58

2M ago18:58

18:58

The UK Clinical Eye Research Strategy aims to provide focal points for research and funding into eye disease, treatments and prevention. They have updated their areas of focus, based on a survey of what patients want and need. Professor Rupert Bourne is consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge, and has been the national l…

1
Bowel Cancer Screening; Election Information; A Guide Dog Trained in Sweden 19:00

3M ago19:00

19:00

The NHS has launched a tool to try to improve bowel cancer screening for people with sight loss. The Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) can detect signs of bowel cancer and it is important to catch it as early as possible. The FIT aid tool is an adaptation which makes the standard test more accessible with a channel that enables the faecal sample to …

1
Alt-Text in News; Goalball Saved My Life 18:54

3M ago18:54

18:54

Alt-Text is an image description for those who use screen readers. It is an important accessibility tool that is often misused or is missing entirely, impacting on visually impaired people's experiences when consuming online content. The BBC's Johny Cassidy was instrumental in creating new mandatory training and guidance for journalists so that the…

1
Gene Therapy 13:54

3M ago13:54

13:54

Although not now new, gene therapy is an evolving procedure for the treatment of a range of eye conditions. Recent developments include an American-based trial involving a gene editing process known as CRISPR. We speak to Dr Eric Pierce and Dr Mark Pennesi, who were both involved in the trial, as well as Olivia Cook, who tells us about her experien…

1
Accessibility of Ticketmaster and Sonos Speakers 18:20

3M ago18:20

18:20

Technology often supports blind and visually impaired people to achieve independence. However, the process can also work in reverse - hindering rather than helping. We speak to listeners about their experience of booking to see their favourite acts using Ticketmaster. And is an update to an app always good news? Maybe not if you're a blind user of …

1
The UK's First Blind Overseas Ambassador; Travelling Tips & Tricks 18:50

4M ago18:50

18:50

Victoria Harrison is the UK's first totally blind ambassador to be posted overseas. In August she will take up the role as Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia, and will be accompanied by her guide dog Otto. Victoria tells Peter about how she got into the diplomatic service, coming up against peoples perceptions of visual impairment and her capab…

1
Travelling Abroad 18:53

4M ago18:53

18:53

Hayley Kennedy, Amar Latif and Dawn Hopper are all experienced visually impaired travellers and we have brought them together to discuss the positives and pitfalls of travelling around the world when visually impaired. We discuss booking airport assistance, getting your guide dog on an airplane, allocations of special assistance seats on airplanes …

1
Sleep 18:54

4M ago18:54

18:54

What is non-24-hour sleep-wake disorder? It is a condition that impacts the natural body clock, thus affecting sleep, and can be triggered by a lack of or no light perception. Tina Snow got in touch after having suffered with this condition for most of her life and she struggled to get the treatment she needed. We have brought Tina together with a …

1
Redundancies at Guide Dogs; Voting Equipment 18:48

4M ago18:48

18:48

As the charity Guide Dogs looked into its own future, they have predicted some financial hardship due to rising costs. Similarly to many organisations within the charity sector, they are having to come up with ways of cutting costs in order to maintain current levels of service provision. Their staff have been told that redundancies are a possibili…

1
Improvements to the Disabled Students' Allowance 13:49

4M ago13:49

13:49

The Disabled Students' Allowance enables students to get help with specialist equipment and in-person support, but over the years we've heard about persistent complications and delays. The system is operated by the Student Loans Company and they have now introduced some new processes that aim to reduce the problems that students are facing. David T…

1
Audio Description: New Ofcom Guidelines & Application in the Theatre 18:46

5M ago18:46

18:46

The communications regulator Ofcom has just made changes to its guidelines surrounding audio description provided by television and on-demand services. For the first time, there will be unique recommendations for on-demand providers. Helen Shaw is part of Ofcom's content policy team and tells In Touch about the amendments and how the Media Bill, wh…

1
Hotel Stays with a Guide Dog; The Great Escape 18:43

5M ago18:43

18:43

A new hotel in London, that belongs to a big-name franchise, initially declared on their website that service dogs are not welcome. Dave and Karen Cloherty were left in shock when they came to book a room for them and their guide dog for an annual appointment at Moorfield's Eye Hospital, given that the hotel in question is just a few minutes walk f…

1
Should Blindness be Front and Centre? 18:59

5M ago18:59

18:59

In Touch discusses whether your blindness should be at the front and centre of your life. Perhaps an ambiguous question because it can depend on the environment you're in, the company that you share, whether you need help and many other factors. What is undoubtedly true though, is that it's not that easy to go completely under the radar with poor s…

1
A New Treatment for Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration 18:50

5M ago18:50

18:50

Valeda Light Therapy is a new treatment that has been developed for Dry Age Related Macular Degeneration. It works by delivering three wavelengths of light to stimulate the layer of cells in the back of the eye, to keep them healthy for longer. In the UK, there are currently no effective medical treatments available and so In Touch cautiously inves…

1
The State of Vision Rehabilitation Services 18:47

6M ago18:47

18:47

Vision Rehabilitation is an essential service to newly blind or partially sighted people, and those whose sight has changed. It is a service that is provided by local councils and can help with things like technology, daily mobility and independent living skills. But new Freedom of Information data from the RNIB has highlighted that many local coun…

1
The Impacts of an Inactive Government - Northern Ireland 18:51

6M ago18:51

18:51

The Northern Ireland Assembly, the country's devolved legislature, have recently reformed after years of political stalemate. In Touch investigates the issues that arose during the Assembly's years of inactivity and that will have potential long-term impacts for visually impaired people. Some of the changes to the UK's benefit system uniquely impac…

1
RNIB Tech for Life Fair - Belfast 18:46

6M ago18:46

18:46

Northern Ireland recently hosted its first major assistive technology conference. The conference was hosted by the RNIB at the Europa Hotel in Belfast and it was home for the day to all the big players in the assistive technology arena. In Touch went along to find out what the latest tech has to offer and the kinds of things visually impaired peopl…

1
Voting Requirements; Smart Energy; Visual Snow 18:48

6M ago18:48

18:48

2024 promises to be hugely significant for political change around the world, with more than eighty countries planning to head to the polls. The UK being one of them. This year will see not only a general election, but local elections and others. Niki Nixon is from The Electoral Commission, and she provides details of what visually impaired people …

1
Blind Baseball and Morris Dancing 18:53

6M ago18:53

18:53

Tonight's edition challenges any idea that there are limits to the ways in which visually impaired people can have fun! Shiraz Cohan is the founder of the UK Blind Baseball Association. He joins us with Lancashire Lions team mate Shoaib Nazir and Ray Clements from the Liverpool blind Trojans. They tell us how the sport has been adapted to make it a…

1
Mixmups 18:52

7M ago18:52

18:52

Mixmups is a new children's TV show that aims to integrate disability into everyday adventures and children's play. The show was created by Rebecca Atkinson, who has duel sensory loss, when she realised the lack of representation in children's toys. She took her Mixmups characters to Mackinnon & Saunders, who are the studio behind some iconic kids …

1
YouGov Poll on Employment 18:51

7M ago18:51

18:51

A recent YouGov poll, commissioned by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment, has found that many employers do not have inclusive employment practices. This may not come as a surprise to many blind and partially sighted people who have experienced employment or are seeking employment and so we assess what needs to hap…

1
Blind baseball and morris dancing 18:53

7M ago18:53

18:53

Can blind people play baseball or be morris dancers? Of course they can!By BBC Radio 4

1
Local sight loss charities; Doctor Who 18:54

7M ago18:54

18:54

Local sight loss charities exist throughout the UK to provide practical and emotional support to blind and visually impaired people. We wanted to learn more about the services they offer and the challenges they face. Fiona Sandford is the CEO of Visionary, the membership organisation for these charities and she joins us to answer our questions. The…

1
Accessible smart meters, A blast from the past! 18:41

7M ago18:41

18:41

Accessible In Home Displays (AIHDs) work with Smart Meters so that blind and visually impaired people can more easily monitor their use of energy. Their features include large buttons, high contrast displays and text to speech functions. Around a year ago, we looked at complaints from listeners about problems in obtaining AIHDs from their supplier …

1
Representation in Parliament 18:46

8M ago18:46

18:46

With a general election a certainty at some point this year, two recent developments have alarmed organisations representing disabled people. Before 2020, there was a fund that provided financial aid to disabled people running for elective office, but that fund has not yet been reinstated. And also: its being argued that in the Prime Minister's lat…

1
Pavement Parking 18:52

8M ago18:52

18:52

The Transport (Scotland) Act has been in place since 2019, which includes a nation-wide ban of parking cars on pavements. But only in December 2023 were local councils across Scotland given the powers to enforce fines of up to £100 to people doing so. Some local councils are saying that they need more funding and resources to be able to conduct ass…

1
The New CEO of Guide Dogs; Cars 18:50

8M ago18:50

18:50

Andrew Lennox took over as the CEO of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association in September 2023. We thought we'd give him a little time to get his feet under the table but now he joins us to describe his vision for the future of the charity and what they plan to do about the long waiting lists for new and replacement dogs. Roger Sharp has always h…

1
The Blind Chocolatier 18:54

8M ago18:54

18:54

Stuart Hann is The Blind Chocolatier and he has a small shop in the Lake District. Stuart worked as a pastry Chef before he was diagnosed with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy in 2015. It is a rare eye condition that impacts his central vision. Stuart is now registered legally blind and uses various adaptations in his kitchen and shop to create …

1
Christmas Time at New College Worcester 18:53

9M ago18:53

18:53

Peter White pays a visit to the school that he used to attend, now called New College Worcester, to find out how some of the current pupils are preparing for Christmas. They tell him about what is happening at the college over the festive period, how they deal with the chaos of present unwrapping and knowing who has got what and they discuss inappr…

1
The Eyes Have It 18:54

9M ago18:54

18:54

Ophthalmology is the busiest outpatient speciality in the NHS, with 8 million attendances in England in the last two years. However, there is a crisis of capacity and many patients are not receiving the specialist treatment that they need to retain their vision. The Eyes Have It is a partnership are trying to change that. It is comprised of the Mac…

1
087 - TikTok Cap or No Cap Game with Dr. Sasha Haddad, Part 1 28:12

9M ago28:12

28:12

Welcome to The Dr. Brian’s Health Show, a weekly podcast where Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler uses his decades of experience in medicine and ability as an expert researcher to provide a light-hearted approach and share health trends popular on TikTok. In this episode, Dr. Brian welcomes Dr. Sasha Haddad to the show to discuss... Is it possible for fully g…

1
Look UK's Mentoring Project 18:46

9M ago18:46

18:46

When you have a visual impairment, it can be very valuable for your own wellbeing to connect with other visually impaired people and share tips and advice on life. And when you are a young person with a visual impairment, there can be a lot to think about in regard to your future. Well, sight loss charity Look UK is aiming to bridge the gap for you…

1
Scotland's Train Ticket Offices; Awards for Service 18:52

9M ago18:52

18:52

A few weeks ago, many In Touch listeners would have given a huge sigh of relief when it was announced that the plans to close ticketing offices at England's train stations had been revised. That got us thinking about what is happening elsewhere in the UK. In Scotland, there are no plans to close any ticket offices but, following a consultation, min…

1
AbilityNet Tech Conference; Love on the Run 18:49

10M ago18:49

18:49

AbilityNet TechShare Pro was a technology conference that happened last week, hosted by HSBC and organised by the charity AbilityNet. AbilityNet's ambition is to get more disabled people involved with technology. The conference brought together some of the biggest names within the tech industry to discuss recent developments and what can be expecte…

1
All The Light We Cannot See 33:59

10M ago33:59

33:59

Anthony Doerr's 2014 war novel All The Light We Cannot See has been adapted into a four-part TV series on Netflix. The story is based in Nazi-occupied France during World War Two, and revolves around a blind character called Marie-Laure LeBlanc and a German boy, Werner Pfennig, who is pressed into serving as an anti-German radio broadcast intercept…

1
How Accessible is X? 18:51

10M ago18:51

18:51

Social media can be a good way for visually impaired people to connect with their community, but some recent changes to X (previously named Twitter), may have made that difficult for some visually impaired people. With the helping hand of two Matts - Matt Johnson, who is a blind data protection and privacy lawyer, and Matt Eason, who is a digital a…

1
U-Turn on Rail Ticket Office Closures 18:50

10M ago18:50

18:50

The government's plans to close hundreds of train ticket offices in England have been cancelled. Since the plans were announced, we here at In Touch have been discussing the implications of the proposed closures for blind and partially sighted people. Now, we have invited a number of visually impaired people, campaign groups and Transport Focus, wh…

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