From Western Australia, this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

From Western Australia, this is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Colley.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

Hello, everyone. It's great to be here with you. And for the next half hour, we talk matters of blindness and low vision.

You design for this design up rather than designing down, and it doesn't cost any more to do that really so well, especially when you're designing yourself. So why not be inclusive?

You design for this design up rather than designing down, and it doesn't cost any more to do that really so well, especially when you're designing yourself. So why not be inclusive?

Welcome to the show. That voice you just heard there was Aaron Title is the creator of Talking's an accessible board game for players who are blind or have low vision. Quite similar to Connect for Aaron catches up with Helen Sarris this week to chat more about Talking's, and you can hear the interview later on in the show. Before that, though, you may have heard that IRA is running a covert promotion to assist users who are blind or have low vision to access their vaccinations, make their way around hubs and complete their rapid tests at home. I catch up with Janine from IRA to find out more about how they can help during the pandemic, and that interview is coming up shortly. Then finally, this week I have a quick chat with Vision Australia CEO Ron Hurtin about the organization's plans to improve the lives of older Australians who are blind or have low vision in 2022. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. If you're of a certain tech persuasion, you might have come across the IRA app on your smartphone delivering access to visual information for people who are blind or have low vision. Recently, IRA launched a promotion to help users keep on top of the ongoing COVID pandemic and to talk about it. I'm very pleased to welcome director of customer communication Janine Stanley joining me all the way from the USA. Janine, thank you very much for joining me. Welcome to Talking Vision.

Welcome to the show. That voice you just heard there was Aaron Title is the creator of Talking's an accessible board game for players who are blind or have low vision. Quite similar to Connect for Aaron catches up with Helen Sarris this week to chat more about Talking's, and you can hear the interview later on in the show. Before that, though, you may have heard that IRA is running a covert promotion to assist users who are blind or have low vision to access their vaccinations, make their way around hubs and complete their rapid tests at home. I catch up with Janine from IRA to find out more about how they can help during the pandemic, and that interview is coming up shortly. Then finally, this week I have a quick chat with Vision Australia CEO Ron Hurtin about the organization's plans to improve the lives of older Australians who are blind or have low vision in 2022. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. If you're of a certain tech persuasion, you might have come across the IRA app on your smartphone delivering access to visual information for people who are blind or have low vision. Recently, IRA launched a promotion to help users keep on top of the ongoing COVID pandemic and to talk about it. I'm very pleased to welcome director of customer communication Janine Stanley joining me all the way from the USA. Janine, thank you very much for joining me. Welcome to Talking Vision.

Oh, thank you so much for having me.

Oh, thank you so much for having me.

Now, firstly, Janine, in case listeners may not have heard of, ah, could you give a brief overview of what it is?

Now, firstly, Janine, in case listeners may not have heard of, ah, could you give a brief overview of what it is?

Certainly, we are a visual interpreting service and that is similar to a sign language interpreter, except we are giving you information about visual things in your environment and then you are in control. And we do that through a smartphone app and professionally trained agents that use the back facing camera of your smartphone to look at the world for you.

Certainly, we are a visual interpreting service and that is similar to a sign language interpreter, except we are giving you information about visual things in your environment and then you are in control. And we do that through a smartphone app and professionally trained agents that use the back facing camera of your smartphone to look at the world for you.

And what motivated IRA to kick off the curve for promotion? How'd that come about? Did you maybe received some feedback from users or was there an internal discussion?

And what motivated IRA to kick off the curve for promotion? How'd that come about? Did you maybe received some feedback from users or was there an internal discussion?

Actually, a little bit of both. We in late March of 2020, as the pandemic was becoming a worldwide issue, we launched a survey to see how the pandemic was affecting people, and that was the start of our work. We were really concerned as we heard from our customers, that a lot of services weren't accessible, weren't available, and at that time, we weren't quite sure what we were going to do. And fast forward to March of 2021 and January of last year, and it's hard to believe that it's been that long ago, the vaccines began to become available here in the United States, but they were very difficult to get. It was difficult and often inaccessible to navigate scheduling a test, registering to be able to schedule a test, finding a test facility. It was an ordeal, and every day people would get on the phone or they would get on their computer and play this this timed game of trying to get a test appointment or a vaccine appointment. So we thought about it a lot and talked about what we could do, and we started our COVID promo in. I believe it was late March, early April of 2021, and that helped people to get their vaccinations and get information about outbreaks in their area, things like that. And we went from there through the summer. Things began to kind of slacken off a bit here in the US. But you folks in Australia and New Zealand, the UK were still having difficulty. You, you folks in particular were having difficulty getting the vaccine. That's right, and you are getting registered and everything. And as I understand, that hasn't lessened a lot but

Actually, a little bit of both. We in late March of 2020, as the pandemic was becoming a worldwide issue, we launched a survey to see how the pandemic was affecting people, and that was the start of our work. We were really concerned as we heard from our customers, that a lot of services weren't accessible, weren't available, and at that time, we weren't quite sure what we were going to do. And fast forward to March of 2021 and January of last year, and it's hard to believe that it's been that long ago, the vaccines began to become available here in the United States, but they were very difficult to get. It was difficult and often inaccessible to navigate scheduling a test, registering to be able to schedule a test, finding a test facility. It was an ordeal, and every day people would get on the phone or they would get on their computer and play this this timed game of trying to get a test appointment or a vaccine appointment. So we thought about it a lot and talked about what we could do, and we started our COVID promo in. I believe it was late March, early April of 2021, and that helped people to get their vaccinations and get information about outbreaks in their area, things like that. And we went from there through the summer. Things began to kind of slacken off a bit here in the US. But you folks in Australia and New Zealand, the UK were still having difficulty. You, you folks in particular were having difficulty getting the vaccine. That's right, and you are getting registered and everything. And as I understand, that hasn't lessened a lot but

think it's getting better. But the sort of we're up to our booster dose now. So sort of started all over again, I suppose. But yes, all the rapid tests and things, those those are the ones that are really tricky to come by at the moment here.

think it's getting better. But the sort of we're up to our booster dose now. So sort of started all over again, I suppose. But yes, all the rapid tests and things, those those are the ones that are really tricky to come by at the moment here.

That's what I hear, and we started seeing that in September, when more of the rapid tests became available in the US. But then in November, once they passed federal regulations and things like that, and there were a number of them out there and facilities here were asking for rapid testing or at least proof of testing for things like public events and conferences, things like that. We really started hearing from people again saying these things are not accessible at all. There's very little material online. There are very difficult physical tests to do. There are a lot of fiddly little parts, as we like to call them. Yes. And so we said, OK, you know what? We're going to modify the promo a little bit and we're going to make it available, of course, continually until we are out of this situation where we have to have these tests for certain activities.

That's what I hear, and we started seeing that in September, when more of the rapid tests became available in the US. But then in November, once they passed federal regulations and things like that, and there were a number of them out there and facilities here were asking for rapid testing or at least proof of testing for things like public events and conferences, things like that. We really started hearing from people again saying these things are not accessible at all. There's very little material online. There are very difficult physical tests to do. There are a lot of fiddly little parts, as we like to call them. Yes. And so we said, OK, you know what? We're going to modify the promo a little bit and we're going to make it available, of course, continually until we are out of this situation where we have to have these tests for certain activities.

Okay. And speaking of which, Janine, what is included in the IRA COVID promotion?

Okay. And speaking of which, Janine, what is included in the IRA COVID promotion?

Well, first of all, all of the things related to getting your vaccination from scheduling to navigating the vaccine facility, often these are large public spaces with lines and things like that, so you get 30 minutes per day to do these activities. That also includes doing your at home test and then submitting the results, and our agents can take a picture for you and crop it, make it look good of your test results, but also of your vaccine card. If you need that, we can also help you position to read those QR codes. That we don't have that system, we have it in a few places, New York City has it in some places here. It's definitely not as prevalent as it is in Australia, though, with the QR codes, so we can help you get into position and then you can go out of the IRA app and get that QR code if need be.

Well, first of all, all of the things related to getting your vaccination from scheduling to navigating the vaccine facility, often these are large public spaces with lines and things like that, so you get 30 minutes per day to do these activities. That also includes doing your at home test and then submitting the results, and our agents can take a picture for you and crop it, make it look good of your test results, but also of your vaccine card. If you need that, we can also help you position to read those QR codes. That we don't have that system, we have it in a few places, New York City has it in some places here. It's definitely not as prevalent as it is in Australia, though, with the QR codes, so we can help you get into position and then you can go out of the IRA app and get that QR code if need be.

OK. And if people are interested in trying either for themselves or maybe they know someone who would benefit, what's the easiest way for them to try it out?

OK. And if people are interested in trying either for themselves or maybe they know someone who would benefit, what's the easiest way for them to try it out?

Well, they can download the app. It is free on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. You can download it for either type of smartphone and then you can go in and we have a program called Our Guest Program, where you can get five minutes free per day. And when you first sign up, this is the fun part. When you first sign up, you get one week free of unlimited use so you can try it out and see what you'd like to do with it. It is also available on the NDIS plan, which we were so excited about to about a year and a half ago. I think it's been. And so it was, well, just just as the pandemic set in, I think we now established a really good footing with the NDIS. So yeah, and you can once you log in, you can try the app, you can use the five minutes or you can purchase a plan, but get your feet wet and see how you like it.

Well, they can download the app. It is free on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. You can download it for either type of smartphone and then you can go in and we have a program called Our Guest Program, where you can get five minutes free per day. And when you first sign up, this is the fun part. When you first sign up, you get one week free of unlimited use so you can try it out and see what you'd like to do with it. It is also available on the NDIS plan, which we were so excited about to about a year and a half ago. I think it's been. And so it was, well, just just as the pandemic set in, I think we now established a really good footing with the NDIS. So yeah, and you can once you log in, you can try the app, you can use the five minutes or you can purchase a plan, but get your feet wet and see how you like it.

Now, that's very exciting news to hear about the news about the NDIS there. Now, Janine, if there are people who are already are explorers, or maybe they're going to become one after listening, how can they access the covert promotion once they do have access to the app?

Now, that's very exciting news to hear about the news about the NDIS there. Now, Janine, if there are people who are already are explorers, or maybe they're going to become one after listening, how can they access the covert promotion once they do have access to the app?

Excellent question. So on the home screen, in the middle of the screen, there's a big button that says Call IRA and right above that, about the top third of the screen in the middle is a button that says apply free access offer. You will double tap on that. And for the Android folks, I believe that is in the navigation drawer that's at the top of your screen. And once you get into that screen, you're going to see three different categories of offers. We have promotions, products and locations, and you want to double tap on promotions. And we actually change the name of the promo so it will come up first. It is the IRA covered promotion and you can double tap on that and see what is eligible, what kinds of tasks are eligible in the promo and activate it. Or if you are calling in and you don't remember all of that, you can just ask your agent, Hey, I need to do a COVID task. Can you activate the promo? And oftentimes the agents will will prompt you. If you are, you've got your test kit and everything, and they say, Hey, I'm going to go ahead and activate the COVID promo for you, but you can always ask an agent to activate the promo.

Excellent question. So on the home screen, in the middle of the screen, there's a big button that says Call IRA and right above that, about the top third of the screen in the middle is a button that says apply free access offer. You will double tap on that. And for the Android folks, I believe that is in the navigation drawer that's at the top of your screen. And once you get into that screen, you're going to see three different categories of offers. We have promotions, products and locations, and you want to double tap on promotions. And we actually change the name of the promo so it will come up first. It is the IRA covered promotion and you can double tap on that and see what is eligible, what kinds of tasks are eligible in the promo and activate it. Or if you are calling in and you don't remember all of that, you can just ask your agent, Hey, I need to do a COVID task. Can you activate the promo? And oftentimes the agents will will prompt you. If you are, you've got your test kit and everything, and they say, Hey, I'm going to go ahead and activate the COVID promo for you, but you can always ask an agent to activate the promo.

And finally, Janine is there may be a a website or an email people can go to if they're looking to find out more.

And finally, Janine is there may be a a website or an email people can go to if they're looking to find out more.

Absolutely. You can go to our COVID page, you can go to our main website at Ira- Dot I Oh, that's air a dot i o. Then our COVID page is i red dot. I'll slash ira ira dash COVID COVID-19 Dash promotion and that's all case doesn't matter for that website. Also on the website, we have an accessible PDF document called Tips for testing that you can download and read, and it gets you ready to take your rapid flow test. And this includes tips for getting your area set up for the testing, including lighting and positioning, positioning your phone and a number of other things to consider about your test kit and its expiration and a number of other things. So please be sure to grab that from the website as well and share it within our customer care email support at Red Dot. I o and you can email them and they will get right back to you with whatever you need.

Absolutely. You can go to our COVID page, you can go to our main website at Ira- Dot I Oh, that's air a dot i o. Then our COVID page is i red dot. I'll slash ira ira dash COVID COVID-19 Dash promotion and that's all case doesn't matter for that website. Also on the website, we have an accessible PDF document called Tips for testing that you can download and read, and it gets you ready to take your rapid flow test. And this includes tips for getting your area set up for the testing, including lighting and positioning, positioning your phone and a number of other things to consider about your test kit and its expiration and a number of other things. So please be sure to grab that from the website as well and share it within our customer care email support at Red Dot. I o and you can email them and they will get right back to you with whatever you need.

Perfect. Thanks very much. That was Janine Stanley, their director of customer communication from Ora, joining me all the way from the USA. Janine, thank you so much for being on talking vision. It's a pleasure to chat with you and get to know all about the COVID promotion with Aura.

Perfect. Thanks very much. That was Janine Stanley, their director of customer communication from Ora, joining me all the way from the USA. Janine, thank you so much for being on talking vision. It's a pleasure to chat with you and get to know all about the COVID promotion with Aura.

Oh, you were so welcome and we will be happy to come back anytime.

Oh, you were so welcome and we will be happy to come back anytime.

I'm Sam Kelly, and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia, radio associate at stations of RPA and the Community Radio Network. If you'd like to find out more about the program, like where to find your local radio frequency or listen to past programs, you can find all this info and more on the Talking Vision website. Just type talking vision into your search engine, or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library and now his Helen with Arran.

I'm Sam Kelly, and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia, radio associate at stations of RPA and the Community Radio Network. If you'd like to find out more about the program, like where to find your local radio frequency or listen to past programs, you can find all this info and more on the Talking Vision website. Just type talking vision into your search engine, or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library and now his Helen with Arran.

I'm joined by Arundhati Lewis. He's the director and owner of James in Theory, which is an amazing game company that is based in Western Australia. So Aaron, hello, how are you?

I'm joined by Arundhati Lewis. He's the director and owner of James in Theory, which is an amazing game company that is based in Western Australia. So Aaron, hello, how are you?

Hi, how are you going? Good. I'm very good.

Hi, how are you going? Good. I'm very good.

So tell me what? What is your main stage game?

So tell me what? What is your main stage game?

The one game I've got kicked off on Kickstarter and now is being distributed globally is talking, so it's a two I charge version of Kinect, for which sort of Typekit for you and you can join the board games together and play in teams and it's been adapted, as well as his version now for blind and visually impaired as well, which is like a super tactile variant of the game.

The one game I've got kicked off on Kickstarter and now is being distributed globally is talking, so it's a two I charge version of Kinect, for which sort of Typekit for you and you can join the board games together and play in teams and it's been adapted, as well as his version now for blind and visually impaired as well, which is like a super tactile variant of the game.

That's amazing. So Kinect for but tactile and accessible for people with low vision. That's correct. Amazing. So how do you like why did you invent talking's and was there like the blind and low vision community in your mind when you were kind of creating this?

That's amazing. So Kinect for but tactile and accessible for people with low vision. That's correct. Amazing. So how do you like why did you invent talking's and was there like the blind and low vision community in your mind when you were kind of creating this?

Well, as I initially the the initial problem was to stop myself being annoyed by the sorting. And then as it proceeded, the design progressed. I realized that the tokens being slightly about five mil apart, you know, your your tokens are far closer to you than the other players that play on the other side of tokens. And so I thought, well, that's great for, you know, actually feeling the difference in levels and tokens. Another great for line and vision impaired so that that was the start. Then as the design evolved, the tokens, I've made them different for different geometries on either side. So if you put, for example, the orb token in on one side fighting it with a dimple facing outwards and the other player does the same on the other side, then your feeling on your side is feeling the one geometry facing you. And likewise, the umpire has a sensor that can identify the tokens for that, in addition to the the offset in the tokens. And in addition, we've got a NILT feature on all the Orange tokens, so you can actually feel all your set of Typekit if they do get mixed up. So there's three levels of textual ID, and just recently I just found out that I can actually list off because the skins, there's actually two skins on it on the game right side, which you've got all the holes in it that you'd normally feel through. The skins hold the game together, but the guy's quite robust and you can actually take away one side of the board game entirely and and steal the titles directly with your hands so I can feel them just by brushing over with an entire hand rather than packager individual hall. So it's a much faster way of getting into your gameplay.

Well, as I initially the the initial problem was to stop myself being annoyed by the sorting. And then as it proceeded, the design progressed. I realized that the tokens being slightly about five mil apart, you know, your your tokens are far closer to you than the other players that play on the other side of tokens. And so I thought, well, that's great for, you know, actually feeling the difference in levels and tokens. Another great for line and vision impaired so that that was the start. Then as the design evolved, the tokens, I've made them different for different geometries on either side. So if you put, for example, the orb token in on one side fighting it with a dimple facing outwards and the other player does the same on the other side, then your feeling on your side is feeling the one geometry facing you. And likewise, the umpire has a sensor that can identify the tokens for that, in addition to the the offset in the tokens. And in addition, we've got a NILT feature on all the Orange tokens, so you can actually feel all your set of Typekit if they do get mixed up. So there's three levels of textual ID, and just recently I just found out that I can actually list off because the skins, there's actually two skins on it on the game right side, which you've got all the holes in it that you'd normally feel through. The skins hold the game together, but the guy's quite robust and you can actually take away one side of the board game entirely and and steal the titles directly with your hands so I can feel them just by brushing over with an entire hand rather than packager individual hall. So it's a much faster way of getting into your gameplay.

Yeah, definitely a way to map where the tokens are and, you know, strategize well without even having to look at it. That's really cool, obviously, where this interview is also a chance for me to say that talking's is also available at our vision store. So we've got to if you want to get your hands on an actual version and see see all the tactile, you know, feel, feel, feel the whole thing for yourself. There's a display at the Kooyong store in Melbourne, but I'm sure our other stores will be getting their hands on this as well, so it will be available at our Vision Store too. I did want to just ask you a little bit about what you think about universal design. So something like creating a product that can be used by people with a disability from the get go?

Yeah, definitely a way to map where the tokens are and, you know, strategize well without even having to look at it. That's really cool, obviously, where this interview is also a chance for me to say that talking's is also available at our vision store. So we've got to if you want to get your hands on an actual version and see see all the tactile, you know, feel, feel, feel the whole thing for yourself. There's a display at the Kooyong store in Melbourne, but I'm sure our other stores will be getting their hands on this as well, so it will be available at our Vision Store too. I did want to just ask you a little bit about what you think about universal design. So something like creating a product that can be used by people with a disability from the get go?

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something I will continue to do in every product I go and design from here on. I'm sitting at my desk now and I've got a fantastically tactile game that I've designed in front of me here. I was waiting to evolve it a bit more and that might be released later in the year. Yeah, so yeah, that's definitely. Well, why not? It's like I'm built in safety into the talking design so that there you can't choke. Little kids can't choke on them. And I'm not about how they would choke on it, but because I've got a core of five and a porous edge to allow airflow through them, regardless of orientation and airway. But the design for the design up, rather than designing down and heating it doesn't cost any more to do that, really. So especially when you're designing yourself, so why not be inclusive?

Yeah, absolutely. I think that's something I will continue to do in every product I go and design from here on. I'm sitting at my desk now and I've got a fantastically tactile game that I've designed in front of me here. I was waiting to evolve it a bit more and that might be released later in the year. Yeah, so yeah, that's definitely. Well, why not? It's like I'm built in safety into the talking design so that there you can't choke. Little kids can't choke on them. And I'm not about how they would choke on it, but because I've got a core of five and a porous edge to allow airflow through them, regardless of orientation and airway. But the design for the design up, rather than designing down and heating it doesn't cost any more to do that, really. So especially when you're designing yourself, so why not be inclusive?

Yeah, definitely good advice for any budding designers or engineers out there. Aaron, thank you so much. I really appreciate your time. Is there anything else you want to add?

Yeah, definitely good advice for any budding designers or engineers out there. Aaron, thank you so much. I really appreciate your time. Is there anything else you want to add?

No, that's fine. I'm really grateful that you guys have supported the product and there's plenty more where they came from. But just the other thing is the other thing too, is that the default purchase mode on Kickstarter was actually two or more games. So the point being is that it's a cooperative game so you can play to a side if you've got two games. I mean, yes, I play for people entirely, or you can have three games together and play with six to three people each side. And it is such a simple game to pick up and play with this new gameplay as well. It makes it much more of a challenge moving beyond Kinect for these new Typekit. The different token types you can play the different games, which are kind of more, well, really much more in line with adult. And, you know, as kids grow out of the 10 year olds on Iraq and a bit more dynamic and strategic challenge. So this this game really hits the spot. There's the new games are much more satisfying to play than Kinect for. So if you're thinking I used to like in it for that, I want to return to it. And you know, he got Kinect. Was it just, you know, not not enough intellectually. While the new games are definitely designed to take a lot of boxes for those people, but they're more challenging and corporate gaming. So it's it's much more of a family guy now more and less. And the cooperative aspect of the game makes it far more meaningful and a lot more fun as well. And because, yeah, because it's it's got all these tactile features, it makes it easy for a mix of blind and vision impaired players to play with sighted people without any any real disadvantage whatsoever is actually very equivalent.

No, that's fine. I'm really grateful that you guys have supported the product and there's plenty more where they came from. But just the other thing is the other thing too, is that the default purchase mode on Kickstarter was actually two or more games. So the point being is that it's a cooperative game so you can play to a side if you've got two games. I mean, yes, I play for people entirely, or you can have three games together and play with six to three people each side. And it is such a simple game to pick up and play with this new gameplay as well. It makes it much more of a challenge moving beyond Kinect for these new Typekit. The different token types you can play the different games, which are kind of more, well, really much more in line with adult. And, you know, as kids grow out of the 10 year olds on Iraq and a bit more dynamic and strategic challenge. So this this game really hits the spot. There's the new games are much more satisfying to play than Kinect for. So if you're thinking I used to like in it for that, I want to return to it. And you know, he got Kinect. Was it just, you know, not not enough intellectually. While the new games are definitely designed to take a lot of boxes for those people, but they're more challenging and corporate gaming. So it's it's much more of a family guy now more and less. And the cooperative aspect of the game makes it far more meaningful and a lot more fun as well. And because, yeah, because it's it's got all these tactile features, it makes it easy for a mix of blind and vision impaired players to play with sighted people without any any real disadvantage whatsoever is actually very equivalent.

Amazing. Thank you, Aaron, or really, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Amazing. Thank you, Aaron, or really, really appreciate it. Thank you.

Thank you as well to hell and Aaron there. Now, as Helen mentioned, talking's is available at various Visions Shire stores around the country. But if he can't make an in-person to a Vision Australia store or the store in question doesn't have talking's in stock just the moment you can access it online. But going to shop Dot Vision Australia dot org that shop dot Vision Australia dot org and searching for talking's that's t o r k i n j s to get our hands on a copy of the game. Our next guest is a regular on the program, we've talked about many things Vision Australia over the years, and today we're talking about Vision Australia's priorities in the area of aged care. As always, it's my great pleasure to welcome CEO of Vision Australia Ron Hooton to the program. Ron, thank you very much for being here today.

Thank you as well to hell and Aaron there. Now, as Helen mentioned, talking's is available at various Visions Shire stores around the country. But if he can't make an in-person to a Vision Australia store or the store in question doesn't have talking's in stock just the moment you can access it online. But going to shop Dot Vision Australia dot org that shop dot Vision Australia dot org and searching for talking's that's t o r k i n j s to get our hands on a copy of the game. Our next guest is a regular on the program, we've talked about many things Vision Australia over the years, and today we're talking about Vision Australia's priorities in the area of aged care. As always, it's my great pleasure to welcome CEO of Vision Australia Ron Hooton to the program. Ron, thank you very much for being here today.

Hi, Sam, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me.

Hi, Sam, it's great to be here. Thanks for having me.

And now, Ron, firstly, we'll start off quite broadly with a bit of an overview. So given the couple of years we've had overall, how are you feeling about 2022?

And now, Ron, firstly, we'll start off quite broadly with a bit of an overview. So given the couple of years we've had overall, how are you feeling about 2022?

I'm feeling very optimistic. I know that Covid's going to be part of our lives for the next year or two or even three. But I think that the community has found a way of coping with with with COVID. And as we get through all of the little challenges we've got now of things like supply chain and so forth, shortages and supermarkets, I think we're going to come out really great. Three months, I'd give it three to four months, okay.

I'm feeling very optimistic. I know that Covid's going to be part of our lives for the next year or two or even three. But I think that the community has found a way of coping with with with COVID. And as we get through all of the little challenges we've got now of things like supply chain and so forth, shortages and supermarkets, I think we're going to come out really great. Three months, I'd give it three to four months, okay.

And one in terms of Vision Australia in particular. How are you feeling about 2022 within the organisation?

And one in terms of Vision Australia in particular. How are you feeling about 2022 within the organisation?

I'm very, very optimistic for Vision Australia in 2022. We've got some great work that we're doing around our programs to develop services. We've been working for a few years on project employability and that starts to come to fruition at the end of the year. We've been doing some great work in Alice Springs around services for Aboriginal people as a pilot. But the really, really big one that we've got coming up this year are services for older Australians. It's going to be a big, big project for us over the next two to three years.

I'm very, very optimistic for Vision Australia in 2022. We've got some great work that we're doing around our programs to develop services. We've been working for a few years on project employability and that starts to come to fruition at the end of the year. We've been doing some great work in Alice Springs around services for Aboriginal people as a pilot. But the really, really big one that we've got coming up this year are services for older Australians. It's going to be a big, big project for us over the next two to three years.

Okay, wonderful. And let's dig into that aged care topic a little bit more now. I know that there is a focus, as you've just said, for older Australians. So as we head into an election year, how will we be advocating for this particular section of the population?

Okay, wonderful. And let's dig into that aged care topic a little bit more now. I know that there is a focus, as you've just said, for older Australians. So as we head into an election year, how will we be advocating for this particular section of the population?

What we want people who are older Australians to have as access to the really, really great services that Vision Australia has that help people stay longer in their own homes. The low vision services that Vision Australia's been running for a long time are ideally suited to create independence in a in a group in the community that's well capable of living in their own homes for longer. They just need our support and help to be able to achieve that. We want the government to support that.

What we want people who are older Australians to have as access to the really, really great services that Vision Australia has that help people stay longer in their own homes. The low vision services that Vision Australia's been running for a long time are ideally suited to create independence in a in a group in the community that's well capable of living in their own homes for longer. They just need our support and help to be able to achieve that. We want the government to support that.

And Ron, what does that support look like on the ground?

And Ron, what does that support look like on the ground?

For me, that looks like the specialist support vision services that have been sitting in the Commonwealth Home Support Program for a while now. It looks like funding for all of the people who need services to be able to learn how to live in their own homes again after they lose their sight, either through low vision or through complete blindness. It means being able to be taught how to cook, to clean, to be able to navigate safely around the lived environment, to be able to get outdoors and to be socially included. The government's got a concept of more good days, and those more good days are about aging in place. So ageing in the home that you've lived in for many years and social inclusion and Vision Australia is going to have fantastic offerings in both those areas to help our blind and low vision community live more good days.

For me, that looks like the specialist support vision services that have been sitting in the Commonwealth Home Support Program for a while now. It looks like funding for all of the people who need services to be able to learn how to live in their own homes again after they lose their sight, either through low vision or through complete blindness. It means being able to be taught how to cook, to clean, to be able to navigate safely around the lived environment, to be able to get outdoors and to be socially included. The government's got a concept of more good days, and those more good days are about aging in place. So ageing in the home that you've lived in for many years and social inclusion and Vision Australia is going to have fantastic offerings in both those areas to help our blind and low vision community live more good days.

Wonderful. And on another topic, I also know, Ron, that some improved access to assistive technology is also a really important issue for a large number of people who are blind or have low vision. Can you share why that's such an important issue?

Wonderful. And on another topic, I also know, Ron, that some improved access to assistive technology is also a really important issue for a large number of people who are blind or have low vision. Can you share why that's such an important issue?

Well, Sam, one of the great myths out there is that older people aren't good with technology. That's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing people who are in their 70s and 80s very comfortable with using smart phone technology, iPads, social media, all those sorts of things. The importance for that is that even the generation that's coming through now, people who are turning 65, 70, 75 now a very, very good with technology over the next decade, technology is going to be a significant enabler for people who are blind to have low vision, whether it's through wayfinding that is getting around the community in a safe way, whether it's accessing talking books, other material, whether it's staying in touch with friends and family members, all those sorts of things are enabled by technology and they they really make the lives of Australians who are blind to have low vision much, much richer. So we want the government to very much support the idea that technology is an intrinsic part of people being able to stay in their own homes and stay socially included.

Well, Sam, one of the great myths out there is that older people aren't good with technology. That's not what I'm seeing. I'm seeing people who are in their 70s and 80s very comfortable with using smart phone technology, iPads, social media, all those sorts of things. The importance for that is that even the generation that's coming through now, people who are turning 65, 70, 75 now a very, very good with technology over the next decade, technology is going to be a significant enabler for people who are blind to have low vision, whether it's through wayfinding that is getting around the community in a safe way, whether it's accessing talking books, other material, whether it's staying in touch with friends and family members, all those sorts of things are enabled by technology and they they really make the lives of Australians who are blind to have low vision much, much richer. So we want the government to very much support the idea that technology is an intrinsic part of people being able to stay in their own homes and stay socially included.

And also, Ron, I'm sure many people will be pleased to hear that Vision Australia will be looking to advocate for greater flexibility. With funding for people in aged care, so could you give an overview of Vision Australia's priorities in this area? All.

And also, Ron, I'm sure many people will be pleased to hear that Vision Australia will be looking to advocate for greater flexibility. With funding for people in aged care, so could you give an overview of Vision Australia's priorities in this area? All.

We are very much in favour of packages of funding being allocated to people who are blind to have low vision and the people themselves being able to determine how those packages are used. The packages need to be adequate for the for the needs of the individual. In fact, they need to be generous for the needs of the individual because the amount of money that's going to be saved by the government, by not having those people nature, initial care is significantly greater than the the the value of packages. But people need to be able to invest that, that those packages and technology or services or getting out and about. We just want people to have flexibility to live the life that they choose.

We are very much in favour of packages of funding being allocated to people who are blind to have low vision and the people themselves being able to determine how those packages are used. The packages need to be adequate for the for the needs of the individual. In fact, they need to be generous for the needs of the individual because the amount of money that's going to be saved by the government, by not having those people nature, initial care is significantly greater than the the the value of packages. But people need to be able to invest that, that those packages and technology or services or getting out and about. We just want people to have flexibility to live the life that they choose.

And I'd say that's the perfect note to end on. Thank you very much, Ron. That was Ron Hutton, the CEO of Vision Australia, talking about Vision Australia as parties in aged care over the next few months and years. Ron, thank you very much for being on the show today. It was a pleasure having you.

And I'd say that's the perfect note to end on. Thank you very much, Ron. That was Ron Hutton, the CEO of Vision Australia, talking about Vision Australia as parties in aged care over the next few months and years. Ron, thank you very much for being on the show today. It was a pleasure having you.

Thanks, Sam. I've loved being here.

Thanks, Sam. I've loved being here.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to talking vision, talking vision is a production of Vision Australia radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the program together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments. You can contact us at Talking Vision at Vision Australia dot org that's talking vision or one word at Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's bye for now.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to talking vision, talking vision is a production of Vision Australia radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the program together. And remember, we love your feedback and comments. You can contact us at Talking Vision at Vision Australia dot org that's talking vision or one word at Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 103000 eight four seven four six. That's one three eight four seven four double six or by visiting Vision Australia dot org. That's Vision Australia dot all.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 103000 eight four seven four six. That's one three eight four seven four double six or by visiting Vision Australia dot org. That's Vision Australia dot all.