When Zhila told her parents that she will lose her eyesight completely in 20 years, she was met with denial.

“They said things like we already had people in the family who had weak eyesight and said my vision is just not strong, but it will get better over time,” she said.

Denial was better than acceptance for her family.

Listen to how she overcame the stigma of disability in her community.

Eye to Eye is Vision Australia’s limited in-language podcast series. It aims to give migrants with lived experience the chance to talk about living with blindness and low vision in an adoptive country.

The shows are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi.

Interviewer – Hossien Kiamehr

Interviewee/client - Dr Zhila Hasanloo

Show notes: Farsi transcript (Download PDF)

When Zhila told her parents that she will lose her eyesight completely in 20 years, she was met with denial.
&ldquo;They said things like we already had people in the family who had weak eyesight and said my vision is just not strong, but it will get better over time,&rdquo; she said.
Denial was better than acceptance for her family.
Listen to how she overcame the stigma of disability in her community.
Eye to Eye is Vision Australia&rsquo;s limited in-language podcast series. It aims to give migrants with lived experience the chance to talk about living with blindness and low vision in an adoptive country.
The shows are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi.
Interviewer &ndash; Hossien Kiamehr
Interviewee/client - Dr Zhila Hasanloo
<a href="https://www.visionaustralia.org/sites/default/files/2022-03/Farsi%20Transcript%20-%20Eye%20to%20Eye.pdf">Show notes: Farsi transcript&nbsp;(Download PDF)</a>

Tackling blindness stigma in migrant communities. Eye to Eye is a podcast series sharing the stories of five migrants with vision loss.

The episodes are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi, and tackle the topics of community stigma, perceptions and the struggles of navigating a new country with minimal or no vision.

Eye to Eye showcases what has helped these people lead independent and fulfilling lives in their adopted country: from learning to walk with white canes, using technology like screen readers and electronic magnifiers to navigating the NDIS and government funding.

Vision Australia also offers weekly in-language social support groups for people with low vision or blindness in these languages:
Arabic
Greek
Vietnamese
Mandarin
Italian
Cantonese
Spanish
Polish

The groups are free and conducted over the phone.

Tackling blindness stigma in migrant communities. Eye to Eye is a podcast series sharing the stories of five migrants with vision loss.
The episodes are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi, and tackle the topics of community stigma, perceptions and the struggles of navigating a new country with minimal or no vision.
Eye to Eye showcases what has helped these people lead independent and fulfilling lives in their adopted country: from learning to walk with white canes, using technology like screen readers and electronic magnifiers to navigating the NDIS and government funding.
Vision Australia also offers weekly <a href="https://www.visionaustralia.org/community/groups/telelink/programs">in-language social support groups</a> for people with low vision or blindness in these languages:
<ul>
<li>Arabic</li>
<li>Greek</li>
<li>Vietnamese</li>
<li>Mandarin</li>
<li>Italian</li>
<li>Cantonese</li>
<li>Spanish</li>
<li>Polish</li>
</ul>
The groups are free and conducted over the phone.

Eye to Eye

Tackling blindness stigma in migrant communities. Eye to Eye is a podcast series sharing the stories of five migrants with vision loss.

The episodes are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi, and tackle the topics of community stigma, perceptions and the struggles of navigating a new country with minimal or no vision.

Eye to Eye showcases what has helped these people lead independent and fulfilling lives in their adopted country: from learning to walk with white canes, using technology like screen readers and electronic magnifiers to navigating the NDIS and government funding.

Vision Australia also offers weekly in-language social support groups for people with low vision or blindness in these languages:
Arabic
Greek
Vietnamese
Mandarin
Italian
Cantonese
Spanish
Polish

The groups are free and conducted over the phone.

For more information, visit www.visionaustralia.org. 

Tackling blindness stigma in migrant communities. Eye to Eye is a podcast series sharing the stories of five migrants with vision loss.
The episodes are produced in Hindi, Greek, Sinhalese, Arabic and Farsi, and tackle the topics of community stigma, perceptions and the struggles of navigating a new country with minimal or no vision.
Eye to Eye showcases what has helped these people lead independent and fulfilling lives in their adopted country: from learning to walk with white canes, using technology like screen readers and electronic magnifiers to navigating the NDIS and government funding.
Vision Australia also offers weekly <a href="https://www.visionaustralia.org/community/groups/telelink/programs">in-language social support groups</a> for people with low vision or blindness in these languages:
<ul>
<li>Arabic</li>
<li>Greek</li>
<li>Vietnamese</li>
<li>Mandarin</li>
<li>Italian</li>
<li>Cantonese</li>
<li>Spanish</li>
<li>Polish</li>
</ul>
The groups are free and conducted over the phone.
For more information, visit <a href="http://www.visionaustralia.org">www.visionaustralia.org</a>.

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