From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Collins.

From Vision Australia. This is talking vision. And now here's your host, Sam Collins.

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.

Some of the hardest things is when your child's running around a sports group and you cheering for the wrong one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They all wear the same uniform, the same socks and everything else, and you try and say, the coach, can my son wear the orange socks? And they say, No, the uniform. So there's some of the fun parts.

Some of the hardest things is when your child's running around a sports group and you cheering for the wrong one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They all wear the same uniform, the same socks and everything else, and you try and say, the coach, can my son wear the orange socks? And they say, No, the uniform. So there's some of the fun parts.

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Talking Vision. Yes, that's right. It's me. Sam Kelly, back with you again. It's wonderful to be back. And you just heard from father of two, Grant Wilson. They're sharing a funny story with Vision Australia's Dan Casey, a dad himself about watching his kids playing sport growing up. Grant's interview with Dan kicks off the three part series of Father's Day vox pops, where we caught up with dads who are blonde or have low vision to share their experiences. And that interview is coming up very shortly. So make sure to stay tuned. Then after we hear from Dan and Grant, HELENSVILLE Cyrus joins the program to chat with Josh Winter Skill from Open Inclusion, a UK based organisation which is running the Life Hack Awards, which closed solely on the 14th of September. So get the nominations in now. And finally on the show this week, Helen pops in once again for a very brief chat about Vision Australia, the newsletter for you, information otherwise known as f y I. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision.

Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Talking Vision. Yes, that's right. It's me. Sam Kelly, back with you again. It's wonderful to be back. And you just heard from father of two, Grant Wilson. They're sharing a funny story with Vision Australia's Dan Casey, a dad himself about watching his kids playing sport growing up. Grant's interview with Dan kicks off the three part series of Father's Day vox pops, where we caught up with dads who are blonde or have low vision to share their experiences. And that interview is coming up very shortly. So make sure to stay tuned. Then after we hear from Dan and Grant, HELENSVILLE Cyrus joins the program to chat with Josh Winter Skill from Open Inclusion, a UK based organisation which is running the Life Hack Awards, which closed solely on the 14th of September. So get the nominations in now. And finally on the show this week, Helen pops in once again for a very brief chat about Vision Australia, the newsletter for you, information otherwise known as f y I. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision.

Hi it's Dan Casey from Vision Australia on Talking Vision. And today we're talking with Grant Wilson now grants our regional client services manager based here at Kooyong. What's the region you cover? Grant Melbourne, inner south east, Melbourne, inner south east. Okay. Is that kind of like the last sort of area of most solidly perfect? You and I going to get along fantastically even though I am from Sydney, so I drink my lattes in a schooner glass. Today we're talking to Grant as part of a bit of a chat we've been having around the theme of Father's Day, and we're just been interested. Well, I've been interested in talking to some other dads who always point out what a bad job I've actually done parenting. Well, that's what I do when I talk to them. I think, Oh my God, they did all this great stuff. I haven't done it. But specifically around dads who are blind or have low vision. So chatting to Grant today. So hi Grant. You going well I am. Thank you, Dan. Excellent, excellent. So how many kids have you got? I've got two. They've now in their twenties though. They're 20, almost 23 and 26. Are they still living at home? Yes. Are you still living at home? I think one of us is going to have to leave. I'm not quite sure which one's going first. Yeah, that's always funny, isn't it? Because I talk to people who love having their older kids at home, whereas for me, you know, we couldn't wait to get them out the door. So our youngest is 20 and he's still at home. And look, we all know and we've chatted before that that parenting can be a tough gig. Yeah, like you never know whether you're doing it right. I always keep thinking that, you know, I'm going to feature in my kids ongoing therapy for years. But I guess one of the things I'm interested in in is what might be some of the extra challenges, but also opportunities for a dad with life vision. So do you want to talk a bit about your experiences? Grant Yeah, look, I think it's probably a bit more challenging. Like when the kids are little, it's easy because everything is sort of simple and big. They go to school, you try and help out with reading classes. When they reading child's books, it's quite easy. Yeah. Nice big print. Big prints. Good prints, good as they get older, gets a bit harder. Yeah, but some of the hardest things is when your child's running around a sports group and you're cheering for the wrong one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They all wear the same uniform, their same socks and everything else, and you try and say, the coach, can my son wear the orange socks? And they say, no, the uniform. So there's some of the fun parts. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And how did you go about telling your kids about your vision? Was there a moment when you said, right, okay, this is it, or did they kind of work it out or what was it? It's it's funny, Dan. I do everything at home. And so modesty seems to be works for me. It works for me. No, it's okay. I had the one time my wife said to them, you know, your dad is legally blind. And they were horrified. I said, Dad's not blind, does everything sort of thing. You know, he's always there fixing, making, doing so to them. They never perceive me in that light. Yeah, interesting. Interesting. And, and I think that's one of the the themes that we've picked up in some of the other dads we've been talking to, any specific challenges, anything that was particularly, I would imagine as the kids, you know, at various stages, were there any specific challenges for you? Look, I think one thing that did come up, I think, is not driving. And my wife was always driving. So the kids sort of after was all the other dads are driving. So I guess there was some those little moments where the kids, I think they won't admit to being there protecting me a little bit. Yeah. You know, they, you know, we're playing Auskick, you know, they wouldn't kick the ball to me because I knew I probably wouldn't wear it. But I was in the middle of the ground trying to be the nice, you know, the hero dad. Yeah, but I sort of knew that wasn't going to work. Okay? So I'd chase the ball and do things like that and pass it to someone else. Yeah. So trying to be involved as much as I could, but also appreciating it was some things I couldn't do as well. And try not to let the kids down. Yeah, okay. And how do you think your kids then manage some of that stuff? What do you think their experience has been with you as a dad with say, with low vision? From the low vision perspective? Look, I think they learnt that I could do some things and my wife could do other things, so they'd say, Mum, pick me up from school, Mum would need to go drive somewhere. Yeah. Or can you read this to me because you know, dad can't do that. Yeah. So I think in their own way they worked out. Yeah, okay. What each of us could do. And they made the most of looking. Both of us. Yeah, exactly. Ironic, because I'm just sitting here thinking about my own experience as a child and the parent going, okay, I'm excited. But it's still the same dynamic, you know, like the kids would guide to my my wife Linda for different stuff and then come to me for other stuff. And I did the same as Kid. Yes. And I always laugh because often in my role, I'm running, training and workshops and I sort of joke to myself thinking, well, that's how I spend most of my childhood managing my parents. And I remember as a as a kid, I. Kept my parents away from my friend's parents. Yes. To this day. And it saves me a lot of hassle with a lot of grief. And I think with that parenting stuff, what what are some of the lessons you've learned just generally about being a parent and being a dad? What would what would be Grant's sort of adage about that? I think trust your kids. Yeah, I you know, I, I think you can still all that morals and ethics in your children. Kids push boundaries. Yep. And so it's our job to be there to sort of nudge back or call out if need be. Yeah. But I think learned to just taking some notes. These are some things I couldn't resist. So that's a theory. Real big. But we've got your kids on the line. Do you want to? But no, I think really just believe in them and trust them and be there when they fall off the rails and go, mate, that wasn't great. Yeah, but you know, let's move on. And I think, yeah, just trusting them. And even today when they're getting older, they know we're not going to micromanage or follow or put traces on their phones and things. It's like saying, we're you off to those particular friends house. That's cool. Yeah, but respect. But that's all we've done. And I think that's. That's worked for us. Yeah. And the boundary stuff I find really, really interesting and I think the boundaries are great because you're able to, you know, publish a bit tighter, able to let it out and you know, chatting with some of the other dads, particularly around teenage years, you know, that I think sometimes parents make the mistake, I think, of trying to be the cool parent with teenagers and then you kind of have this open slather. You get the other one where you try to be right, I'm going to be ultra fascist. I'm not going to let them do anything. And I think the trick is sorting out what are the boundaries that each of your children need because they are different. Yes. And I think, you know, my three kids, you know, our youngest, we had very loose and flexible boundaries. He was quite unwell as a younger child. And I think we were just like, you know, it's great he's going out as a teenager. Then you find out he's going in as a teenager and doing a whole range of other stuff that we thought, Right, you know, we're moving down to DEFCON one. We're going from DEFCON five to DEFCON one better. You better bang like that. And so we really then closed the boundary. And the thing I found interesting about that, rather than him kicking right back against that, I think in some ways he was relieved. Yes. Because it freed him up of not having to be the one to say, oh, I'm leaving, you know, I've got to go. He was able to say, I've got to go because, you know, mum and Dad. Yeah. So I think that's that's the other one is boundaries. But you also, I think letting if you look at all the successful kids around the world, the parents of Jeff Bezos. Yeah, he had a single mother who said, I don't know. What do you think? Yeah. And I think giving the kids the opportunity to really grow on themselves. So I think us being hopeless, no stepping back from responsibility is actually worked. But I do think, you know exactly. But given the kids room to move and grow and be who they are, but also just being around the ages and just getting ready to step in if you need to and just sort of keep nudging in the right direction seems to work. Oh, I think I think you're right. And I think the other thing for me as a parent is what's going on for me. And I know when, you know, what might have been challenging or other things, I wasn't as good a parent as a as I could be. And it's just that that self-awareness and and I know with our three kids, we've parented quite differently for each of them. And part of that's been where, you know, I hate to sound sort of too hippy where we've been at. Yes. You know, and I think I think that's the other important thing. And look, I guess I guess just to wrap up, you know, what would be some advice that you might have for parents and for parents who are blind or have low vision or people who are about to have kids, I think embrace the opportunity. Yeah, no parent is perfect. Every parent's got their challenges. They might not have the same intellect as the child. They may not be able to hear the child or see the child or something like that. And I think just work with what you've got. Yeah, you know, you look at your, your partner and say, right, they, they're able to see and drive. I can't, but I can do other things. I might have to be the I can scheme and undermine. Exactly I have to be the top here and sometimes we will what might be a bit more gentle. We play the good cop, bad cop, I think really it's a fantastic thing to do. It's just the the pride you get from being a parent and seeing these little things grow up and then you see them behave the way you'd like to and you go, How good are they? Yeah, for once. No, but how good are they? It's just a it's a real it gives you a lot of pride to see them developing into something. So as I touched on earlier, helping with schooling can be challenging for some parts. Yeah, but then you can do other things. Yeah. So it's really working to your strengths and being there for the kids where you can and absolutely embracing them. The kids one day suddenly realize they can help. You are out of nowhere. They they've they've grown to a stage where they'll say, I'll drive you somewhere. Let me do that for you. Yeah. And it's a it's a real sort of a moment. We suddenly realize your child's grown up and become something very special. Oh, yeah. And all that hard work has that you didn't think was ever going to pay off. This pays off. All right, that's been great. So. Thanks so much for coming in today, Grant, and sharing some of your stories and experiences about being a dad. Absolutely. Pleasure, Dan. See you next time.

Hi it's Dan Casey from Vision Australia on Talking Vision. And today we're talking with Grant Wilson now grants our regional client services manager based here at Kooyong. What's the region you cover? Grant Melbourne, inner south east, Melbourne, inner south east. Okay. Is that kind of like the last sort of area of most solidly perfect? You and I going to get along fantastically even though I am from Sydney, so I drink my lattes in a schooner glass. Today we're talking to Grant as part of a bit of a chat we've been having around the theme of Father's Day, and we're just been interested. Well, I've been interested in talking to some other dads who always point out what a bad job I've actually done parenting. Well, that's what I do when I talk to them. I think, Oh my God, they did all this great stuff. I haven't done it. But specifically around dads who are blind or have low vision. So chatting to Grant today. So hi Grant. You going well I am. Thank you, Dan. Excellent, excellent. So how many kids have you got? I've got two. They've now in their twenties though. They're 20, almost 23 and 26. Are they still living at home? Yes. Are you still living at home? I think one of us is going to have to leave. I'm not quite sure which one's going first. Yeah, that's always funny, isn't it? Because I talk to people who love having their older kids at home, whereas for me, you know, we couldn't wait to get them out the door. So our youngest is 20 and he's still at home. And look, we all know and we've chatted before that that parenting can be a tough gig. Yeah, like you never know whether you're doing it right. I always keep thinking that, you know, I'm going to feature in my kids ongoing therapy for years. But I guess one of the things I'm interested in in is what might be some of the extra challenges, but also opportunities for a dad with life vision. So do you want to talk a bit about your experiences? Grant Yeah, look, I think it's probably a bit more challenging. Like when the kids are little, it's easy because everything is sort of simple and big. They go to school, you try and help out with reading classes. When they reading child's books, it's quite easy. Yeah. Nice big print. Big prints. Good prints, good as they get older, gets a bit harder. Yeah, but some of the hardest things is when your child's running around a sports group and you're cheering for the wrong one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They all wear the same uniform, their same socks and everything else, and you try and say, the coach, can my son wear the orange socks? And they say, no, the uniform. So there's some of the fun parts. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And how did you go about telling your kids about your vision? Was there a moment when you said, right, okay, this is it, or did they kind of work it out or what was it? It's it's funny, Dan. I do everything at home. And so modesty seems to be works for me. It works for me. No, it's okay. I had the one time my wife said to them, you know, your dad is legally blind. And they were horrified. I said, Dad's not blind, does everything sort of thing. You know, he's always there fixing, making, doing so to them. They never perceive me in that light. Yeah, interesting. Interesting. And, and I think that's one of the the themes that we've picked up in some of the other dads we've been talking to, any specific challenges, anything that was particularly, I would imagine as the kids, you know, at various stages, were there any specific challenges for you? Look, I think one thing that did come up, I think, is not driving. And my wife was always driving. So the kids sort of after was all the other dads are driving. So I guess there was some those little moments where the kids, I think they won't admit to being there protecting me a little bit. Yeah. You know, they, you know, we're playing Auskick, you know, they wouldn't kick the ball to me because I knew I probably wouldn't wear it. But I was in the middle of the ground trying to be the nice, you know, the hero dad. Yeah, but I sort of knew that wasn't going to work. Okay? So I'd chase the ball and do things like that and pass it to someone else. Yeah. So trying to be involved as much as I could, but also appreciating it was some things I couldn't do as well. And try not to let the kids down. Yeah, okay. And how do you think your kids then manage some of that stuff? What do you think their experience has been with you as a dad with say, with low vision? From the low vision perspective? Look, I think they learnt that I could do some things and my wife could do other things, so they'd say, Mum, pick me up from school, Mum would need to go drive somewhere. Yeah. Or can you read this to me because you know, dad can't do that. Yeah. So I think in their own way they worked out. Yeah, okay. What each of us could do. And they made the most of looking. Both of us. Yeah, exactly. Ironic, because I'm just sitting here thinking about my own experience as a child and the parent going, okay, I'm excited. But it's still the same dynamic, you know, like the kids would guide to my my wife Linda for different stuff and then come to me for other stuff. And I did the same as Kid. Yes. And I always laugh because often in my role, I'm running, training and workshops and I sort of joke to myself thinking, well, that's how I spend most of my childhood managing my parents. And I remember as a as a kid, I. Kept my parents away from my friend's parents. Yes. To this day. And it saves me a lot of hassle with a lot of grief. And I think with that parenting stuff, what what are some of the lessons you've learned just generally about being a parent and being a dad? What would what would be Grant's sort of adage about that? I think trust your kids. Yeah, I you know, I, I think you can still all that morals and ethics in your children. Kids push boundaries. Yep. And so it's our job to be there to sort of nudge back or call out if need be. Yeah. But I think learned to just taking some notes. These are some things I couldn't resist. So that's a theory. Real big. But we've got your kids on the line. Do you want to? But no, I think really just believe in them and trust them and be there when they fall off the rails and go, mate, that wasn't great. Yeah, but you know, let's move on. And I think, yeah, just trusting them. And even today when they're getting older, they know we're not going to micromanage or follow or put traces on their phones and things. It's like saying, we're you off to those particular friends house. That's cool. Yeah, but respect. But that's all we've done. And I think that's. That's worked for us. Yeah. And the boundary stuff I find really, really interesting and I think the boundaries are great because you're able to, you know, publish a bit tighter, able to let it out and you know, chatting with some of the other dads, particularly around teenage years, you know, that I think sometimes parents make the mistake, I think, of trying to be the cool parent with teenagers and then you kind of have this open slather. You get the other one where you try to be right, I'm going to be ultra fascist. I'm not going to let them do anything. And I think the trick is sorting out what are the boundaries that each of your children need because they are different. Yes. And I think, you know, my three kids, you know, our youngest, we had very loose and flexible boundaries. He was quite unwell as a younger child. And I think we were just like, you know, it's great he's going out as a teenager. Then you find out he's going in as a teenager and doing a whole range of other stuff that we thought, Right, you know, we're moving down to DEFCON one. We're going from DEFCON five to DEFCON one better. You better bang like that. And so we really then closed the boundary. And the thing I found interesting about that, rather than him kicking right back against that, I think in some ways he was relieved. Yes. Because it freed him up of not having to be the one to say, oh, I'm leaving, you know, I've got to go. He was able to say, I've got to go because, you know, mum and Dad. Yeah. So I think that's that's the other one is boundaries. But you also, I think letting if you look at all the successful kids around the world, the parents of Jeff Bezos. Yeah, he had a single mother who said, I don't know. What do you think? Yeah. And I think giving the kids the opportunity to really grow on themselves. So I think us being hopeless, no stepping back from responsibility is actually worked. But I do think, you know exactly. But given the kids room to move and grow and be who they are, but also just being around the ages and just getting ready to step in if you need to and just sort of keep nudging in the right direction seems to work. Oh, I think I think you're right. And I think the other thing for me as a parent is what's going on for me. And I know when, you know, what might have been challenging or other things, I wasn't as good a parent as a as I could be. And it's just that that self-awareness and and I know with our three kids, we've parented quite differently for each of them. And part of that's been where, you know, I hate to sound sort of too hippy where we've been at. Yes. You know, and I think I think that's the other important thing. And look, I guess I guess just to wrap up, you know, what would be some advice that you might have for parents and for parents who are blind or have low vision or people who are about to have kids, I think embrace the opportunity. Yeah, no parent is perfect. Every parent's got their challenges. They might not have the same intellect as the child. They may not be able to hear the child or see the child or something like that. And I think just work with what you've got. Yeah, you know, you look at your, your partner and say, right, they, they're able to see and drive. I can't, but I can do other things. I might have to be the I can scheme and undermine. Exactly I have to be the top here and sometimes we will what might be a bit more gentle. We play the good cop, bad cop, I think really it's a fantastic thing to do. It's just the the pride you get from being a parent and seeing these little things grow up and then you see them behave the way you'd like to and you go, How good are they? Yeah, for once. No, but how good are they? It's just a it's a real it gives you a lot of pride to see them developing into something. So as I touched on earlier, helping with schooling can be challenging for some parts. Yeah, but then you can do other things. Yeah. So it's really working to your strengths and being there for the kids where you can and absolutely embracing them. The kids one day suddenly realize they can help. You are out of nowhere. They they've they've grown to a stage where they'll say, I'll drive you somewhere. Let me do that for you. Yeah. And it's a it's a real sort of a moment. We suddenly realize your child's grown up and become something very special. Oh, yeah. And all that hard work has that you didn't think was ever going to pay off. This pays off. All right, that's been great. So. Thanks so much for coming in today, Grant, and sharing some of your stories and experiences about being a dad. Absolutely. Pleasure, Dan. See you next time.

I'm Sam Kiley and you're listening to Talking Pidgin English in Australia, radio associated stations of Our Age and the Community Radio Network. If you're enjoying the program and you'd love to hear more interviews like the one with Dan Casey and Grant Wilson just now, you can, of course, head to the Talking Vision Web page or head to Talking Vision on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library. And now his helensville stories with Josh Winter's skill from Open Inclusion.

I'm Sam Kiley and you're listening to Talking Pidgin English in Australia, radio associated stations of Our Age and the Community Radio Network. If you're enjoying the program and you'd love to hear more interviews like the one with Dan Casey and Grant Wilson just now, you can, of course, head to the Talking Vision Web page or head to Talking Vision on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia Library. And now his helensville stories with Josh Winter's skill from Open Inclusion.

I'm joined by Josh Winters Gill from the amazing UK organization called Open Inclusion. Josh, how are you?

I'm joined by Josh Winters Gill from the amazing UK organization called Open Inclusion. Josh, how are you?

I'm good, thanks, Helen. How are you?

I'm good, thanks, Helen. How are you?

I'm very good. Very good. Josh, you and I both really enjoy life hacks. I have had a part of doing Vision Australia's through Seasons of Life Hacks series, which included lots of our clients who are blind or have low vision and how they kind of deal with day to day things from something as easy as cutting vegetables to crossing the road, that kind of thing. It's been a popular series and that has sort of made us quite aware of your beautiful award. Can you kind of explain a little bit about the Simply Open Awards?

I'm very good. Very good. Josh, you and I both really enjoy life hacks. I have had a part of doing Vision Australia's through Seasons of Life Hacks series, which included lots of our clients who are blind or have low vision and how they kind of deal with day to day things from something as easy as cutting vegetables to crossing the road, that kind of thing. It's been a popular series and that has sort of made us quite aware of your beautiful award. Can you kind of explain a little bit about the Simply Open Awards?

Yeah. So on Hacks, just fantastic. Helen. I mean, you know, people, people don't even realize they've done the hacks and they just think, Oh, have I really done that? And they don't realise that what they've actually done could be really, really, really helpful for somebody else. And it's not until you're either having a video chat or around the pub having a pint and those conversations come up, you go, Oh, that would be really helpful for me. Could you show me another time or something like that? I think it's even more so prevalent in the disability community because we all kind of always adapting and evolving to our conditions and what you know, even if you've got a temporary disability, let's say you've broken your arm and you're so used to doing things in a certain way that now you can't use one on because it's in a plaster or your hands in a car. You find different ways of doing things. And so even people that don't have long term health conditions can have temporary disability, can come up with Hack. It's just really fascinating. People will be required to record a video of the hack and we can talk about some examples that they had give a minute. Now, we do have other ways that people can obviously submit an application. So if doing a video is difficult, then we're allowing people to, you know, submit that applications in other alternative formats, such as photos, word documents and audio file. So we tried to keep the application process as open as possible, and it can be from any sort of angle that you wish. But our main categories this year are daily health and wellbeing, getting out and about communication, education and advocate employment. So what we're looking for is we're looking for any solution or hacks that you've come up with in those areas, and we want to be their solution.

Yeah. So on Hacks, just fantastic. Helen. I mean, you know, people, people don't even realize they've done the hacks and they just think, Oh, have I really done that? And they don't realise that what they've actually done could be really, really, really helpful for somebody else. And it's not until you're either having a video chat or around the pub having a pint and those conversations come up, you go, Oh, that would be really helpful for me. Could you show me another time or something like that? I think it's even more so prevalent in the disability community because we all kind of always adapting and evolving to our conditions and what you know, even if you've got a temporary disability, let's say you've broken your arm and you're so used to doing things in a certain way that now you can't use one on because it's in a plaster or your hands in a car. You find different ways of doing things. And so even people that don't have long term health conditions can have temporary disability, can come up with Hack. It's just really fascinating. People will be required to record a video of the hack and we can talk about some examples that they had give a minute. Now, we do have other ways that people can obviously submit an application. So if doing a video is difficult, then we're allowing people to, you know, submit that applications in other alternative formats, such as photos, word documents and audio file. So we tried to keep the application process as open as possible, and it can be from any sort of angle that you wish. But our main categories this year are daily health and wellbeing, getting out and about communication, education and advocate employment. So what we're looking for is we're looking for any solution or hacks that you've come up with in those areas, and we want to be their solution.

I was wondering, yeah, if you've got any life hacks submitted already that include blindness in life, vision hacks or solutions?

I was wondering, yeah, if you've got any life hacks submitted already that include blindness in life, vision hacks or solutions?

We do, but I've not actually looked at them and the reason why I've not looked at them is because I don't want to start getting biased towards people's application. And I'm kind of waiting for the judges either. But we do have a panel lead here that represents the V community, and she recorded a solution for people to watch and listen to. She's very artistic and it was amazing recording her video with her because this was a world that I had never been open to and understand how people with visual impairments that like to do AR express their artwork, it's utterly fascinating and it just blew my mind when I saw it doing it. And there is that video that you can go and listen to on our website or on our YouTube channel, and it's really worth watching. But I'm actually intrigued to know from Vision Australia's point of view, I have so heavily involved. Oh yeah, I'd love you to. Just give me one example, if you could. That would be that would be brilliant.

We do, but I've not actually looked at them and the reason why I've not looked at them is because I don't want to start getting biased towards people's application. And I'm kind of waiting for the judges either. But we do have a panel lead here that represents the V community, and she recorded a solution for people to watch and listen to. She's very artistic and it was amazing recording her video with her because this was a world that I had never been open to and understand how people with visual impairments that like to do AR express their artwork, it's utterly fascinating and it just blew my mind when I saw it doing it. And there is that video that you can go and listen to on our website or on our YouTube channel, and it's really worth watching. But I'm actually intrigued to know from Vision Australia's point of view, I have so heavily involved. Oh yeah, I'd love you to. Just give me one example, if you could. That would be that would be brilliant.

This is one we haven't filmed, actually, that I thought might be like a lot of the hacks, unfortunately, come out of frustration. Sadly, a lot of people like I wanted to make myself a cup of coffee, and every time I put the spoon in the sugar, I would get the sugar everywhere because I couldn't see where the cup was. And so I remember one of our clients said I would actually use sugar cubes, a retro sugar cube, literally like an actual cube. So he would put his hand in in the sugar cube, you know, jar and grab, you know, one or two. It was exactly what he needed for his coffee. And rather than getting his wife to create his coffee with his two teaspoons of sugar, he'd just use a little future cube, super, super easy hack, but dissipated all that frustration. So that's the kind of stuff I really like. Like just think a little bit like extra, like think outside the box.

This is one we haven't filmed, actually, that I thought might be like a lot of the hacks, unfortunately, come out of frustration. Sadly, a lot of people like I wanted to make myself a cup of coffee, and every time I put the spoon in the sugar, I would get the sugar everywhere because I couldn't see where the cup was. And so I remember one of our clients said I would actually use sugar cubes, a retro sugar cube, literally like an actual cube. So he would put his hand in in the sugar cube, you know, jar and grab, you know, one or two. It was exactly what he needed for his coffee. And rather than getting his wife to create his coffee with his two teaspoons of sugar, he'd just use a little future cube, super, super easy hack, but dissipated all that frustration. So that's the kind of stuff I really like. Like just think a little bit like extra, like think outside the box.

And that's all we're after. When people are seeing our world, sometimes they might think, Oh my God, my. The solution. Huckabee The next great thing. Or they might think the hack is so simple that it's actually not very good and, you know, they're not going to be in with a chance of winning. And it's not about the winning. It's about what you just mentioned it, the simplicity of sharing something so obvious. The other people just don't recognize that it would benefit them. And by seeing somebody else do it, it then enables them to go, Oh yeah, brilliant. I can do that. That's going to make my life so much easier. And that's what these awards are all about.

And that's all we're after. When people are seeing our world, sometimes they might think, Oh my God, my. The solution. Huckabee The next great thing. Or they might think the hack is so simple that it's actually not very good and, you know, they're not going to be in with a chance of winning. And it's not about the winning. It's about what you just mentioned it, the simplicity of sharing something so obvious. The other people just don't recognize that it would benefit them. And by seeing somebody else do it, it then enables them to go, Oh yeah, brilliant. I can do that. That's going to make my life so much easier. And that's what these awards are all about.

Exactly. Exactly. And that's why life hacks are so universally loved by, you know, solid folks, people of all abilities. Let's give some information about the Simply Open Awards. Do you want to just give some of the dates and what's to come? You know, it is the first year of the awards. Are you hoping to kind of do this again?

Exactly. Exactly. And that's why life hacks are so universally loved by, you know, solid folks, people of all abilities. Let's give some information about the Simply Open Awards. Do you want to just give some of the dates and what's to come? You know, it is the first year of the awards. Are you hoping to kind of do this again?

Yeah, absolutely. So we have around about £25,000 for the prizes available at each of the eight I know on each of the category have by Friday so that there's five prizes for each category five, the top five people will get from £10,000 down to £100. Obviously, whatever that is it Australia-New Zealand dollar that will obviously be converted, but it's based on great British pounds, so there's that decent amount of money available.

Yeah, absolutely. So we have around about £25,000 for the prizes available at each of the eight I know on each of the category have by Friday so that there's five prizes for each category five, the top five people will get from £10,000 down to £100. Obviously, whatever that is it Australia-New Zealand dollar that will obviously be converted, but it's based on great British pounds, so there's that decent amount of money available.

Yeah, I think it's about a three and a half grand for us, which is pretty amazing.

Yeah, I think it's about a three and a half grand for us, which is pretty amazing.

Yeah. So those are the prizes that we've got available and we've also got prizes up for NGOs as well, the charity that are trying to encourage applicants to apply. As long as you put the NGO name in the application, the NGOs that submit the most or get the most people to submit also get a prize at the top. Two NGOs will get two and a half thousand pounds and £1,000. So there's incentive there and there's that in terms of time. Helen The 14th of September, we have not got particularly long left now for people to get their applications in. After that, judging will start around the 19th, but that will go on for a couple of week and then there will be another round of private judging done by our sponsors. So effectively we've got a pool of judges that will shortlist the applications down for the final five per category and they will then go to our sponsors and the sponsors will then determine the ranking of those finalist in terms of how the prize is going to be allocated. And then on the third, Amber will then be running a virtual event on the third December, which ability we will announce the winners and then those finalists will then actually get put forward to a global competition to enable India and the other countries that are also running these awards. So imagine being the template and awards is like a regional awards day, almost like you've got your country cups and then they finally then get Flipboard like a World Cup. Exactly. Yeah. And then what happened to these finalist will then be exact by enable India and other partners and there will be two winners. And those two winners at a global level will get the opportunity to go to Vienna, Austria, where they will get the opportunity to be present there in front of accessibility leaders from around the world. And it's a fully paid trip which is paid by the actual foundation who runs Debris Project Recovery so that the event that you'll be going to, which is very Project Discovery and it's fully paid for if you get selected, is one of the final. So it's pretty awesome.

Yeah. So those are the prizes that we've got available and we've also got prizes up for NGOs as well, the charity that are trying to encourage applicants to apply. As long as you put the NGO name in the application, the NGOs that submit the most or get the most people to submit also get a prize at the top. Two NGOs will get two and a half thousand pounds and £1,000. So there's incentive there and there's that in terms of time. Helen The 14th of September, we have not got particularly long left now for people to get their applications in. After that, judging will start around the 19th, but that will go on for a couple of week and then there will be another round of private judging done by our sponsors. So effectively we've got a pool of judges that will shortlist the applications down for the final five per category and they will then go to our sponsors and the sponsors will then determine the ranking of those finalist in terms of how the prize is going to be allocated. And then on the third, Amber will then be running a virtual event on the third December, which ability we will announce the winners and then those finalists will then actually get put forward to a global competition to enable India and the other countries that are also running these awards. So imagine being the template and awards is like a regional awards day, almost like you've got your country cups and then they finally then get Flipboard like a World Cup. Exactly. Yeah. And then what happened to these finalist will then be exact by enable India and other partners and there will be two winners. And those two winners at a global level will get the opportunity to go to Vienna, Austria, where they will get the opportunity to be present there in front of accessibility leaders from around the world. And it's a fully paid trip which is paid by the actual foundation who runs Debris Project Recovery so that the event that you'll be going to, which is very Project Discovery and it's fully paid for if you get selected, is one of the final. So it's pretty awesome.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Why would you want to shout about as much as possible?

Why would you want to shout about as much as possible?

Yeah, definitely. From as little as £100 to getting an all expenses paid trip to Vienna. It's pretty amazing. So well that for a just a simple life hack yeah.

Yeah, definitely. From as little as £100 to getting an all expenses paid trip to Vienna. It's pretty amazing. So well that for a just a simple life hack yeah.

You could record it take no more than a couple of minutes and it could end up opening up an opportunity that you might not have had before.

You could record it take no more than a couple of minutes and it could end up opening up an opportunity that you might not have had before.

That's right. That's right. Josh, you and I are life hack cheerleaders here. We hope everyone applies that has a fantastic life. Even if it's little or life changing, who knows? We encourage everyone to apply. The cutoff date is September 14th, so you've got a few few days left. But yeah, something as simple as a couple of minutes explaining your hack. That's all you need to do. Josh, thank you so much for joining us and all the way from the UK in the morning. Thank you so, so much.

That's right. That's right. Josh, you and I are life hack cheerleaders here. We hope everyone applies that has a fantastic life. Even if it's little or life changing, who knows? We encourage everyone to apply. The cutoff date is September 14th, so you've got a few few days left. But yeah, something as simple as a couple of minutes explaining your hack. That's all you need to do. Josh, thank you so much for joining us and all the way from the UK in the morning. Thank you so, so much.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share the award with Vision Australia's community. I suppose the only final thing is that the deadline is midnight UK time on the 14th of September. Now of course that's going to be a slightly different time for you to go. Okay, I'll give you an extra an extra 12 hours, maybe. Exactly. Exactly as we've got a bit longer. Okay. Just keep that in mind.

Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to share the award with Vision Australia's community. I suppose the only final thing is that the deadline is midnight UK time on the 14th of September. Now of course that's going to be a slightly different time for you to go. Okay, I'll give you an extra an extra 12 hours, maybe. Exactly. Exactly as we've got a bit longer. Okay. Just keep that in mind.

Fantastic. Thank you, Josh.

Fantastic. Thank you, Josh.

Thanks very much to Hellman Josh there and just a bit of extra info about the Simply Open Awards. They are open of course to people in the UK but also Ireland, Canada, the USA and New Zealand and very importantly Australia. So if you're interested in finding out more about the simple. You open awards or you'd like to make a nomination yourself. Feel free to head to the Simply Open Awards website at Simply Open I o awards that simply open all one word dot IO slash awards. And you just heard from Helen then, and she's back with some news from Vision Australia's newsletter for your information, otherwise known as If I. Helen, welcome.

Thanks very much to Hellman Josh there and just a bit of extra info about the Simply Open Awards. They are open of course to people in the UK but also Ireland, Canada, the USA and New Zealand and very importantly Australia. So if you're interested in finding out more about the simple. You open awards or you'd like to make a nomination yourself. Feel free to head to the Simply Open Awards website at Simply Open I o awards that simply open all one word dot IO slash awards. And you just heard from Helen then, and she's back with some news from Vision Australia's newsletter for your information, otherwise known as If I. Helen, welcome.

Back. Thanks, Sam. It's good to be in the in the studio with you. It's yeah. I'm back in for another month of if y i this is September now.

Back. Thanks, Sam. It's good to be in the in the studio with you. It's yeah. I'm back in for another month of if y i this is September now.

Spring has sprung already and we have some exciting things as the weather does warm up. So Bill Shorten recently made a visit to seeing hot dogs in Kensington.

Spring has sprung already and we have some exciting things as the weather does warm up. So Bill Shorten recently made a visit to seeing hot dogs in Kensington.

So Bill Shorten, who you would probably know as the NDIS minister, he actually went to seeing Eye Dogs headquarters, if you'd say where all our puppies are and all our trainers are in Kensington in Melbourne. So he popped in and also met the board as well. One of the great things that that Vision Australia did actually for his visit is we asked a lot of clients and anyone that sort of deals with the NDIS pretty commonly to give us some feedback on what what's happening with the NDIS, how the service is going and if they have any feedback. So I believe Ron gave Bill Shorten a whole package of comments and everything. So your, your comments are definitely being heard.

So Bill Shorten, who you would probably know as the NDIS minister, he actually went to seeing Eye Dogs headquarters, if you'd say where all our puppies are and all our trainers are in Kensington in Melbourne. So he popped in and also met the board as well. One of the great things that that Vision Australia did actually for his visit is we asked a lot of clients and anyone that sort of deals with the NDIS pretty commonly to give us some feedback on what what's happening with the NDIS, how the service is going and if they have any feedback. So I believe Ron gave Bill Shorten a whole package of comments and everything. So your, your comments are definitely being heard.

And some other exciting news focusing on our younger clients now. So talking about teenagers sort of getting that first job and getting their foot in the door.

And some other exciting news focusing on our younger clients now. So talking about teenagers sort of getting that first job and getting their foot in the door.

Exactly. So, Sam, tell me about your first job.

Exactly. So, Sam, tell me about your first job.

I volunteered for a while. I was working in an aged care home when I was about 18, 19. There's a lot of fun meeting all the residents and doing all that sort of thing for us. That's quite fun.

I volunteered for a while. I was working in an aged care home when I was about 18, 19. There's a lot of fun meeting all the residents and doing all that sort of thing for us. That's quite fun.

Very similar to that TV show. You know, old folks.

Very similar to that TV show. You know, old folks.

Home is.

Home is.

With the teenagers now.

With the teenagers now.

That's cool.

That's cool.

Yeah, I guess what my first job was am.

Yeah, I guess what my first job was am.

Um.

Um.

You have no idea. Ah, I will tell you that this job doesn't exist anymore. That's how old I am. I used to work for video.

You have no idea. Ah, I will tell you that this job doesn't exist anymore. That's how old I am. I used to work for video.

EASY-BAKE Oh, wow. Oh. Oh, I suppose. Yeah, I miss those. Video is a blockbuster falling by the wayside, unfortunately.

EASY-BAKE Oh, wow. Oh. Oh, I suppose. Yeah, I miss those. Video is a blockbuster falling by the wayside, unfortunately.

So. So we are delving into what it's like trying to get a job as a teenager with vision loss or deals with blindness. So we've got two teenagers. We've got Caitlin who just got her first in at McDonald's, which is a noble work. Honestly, the poor kids that work at McDonalds need medals every day. So she's starting there. And we've also got a story of Ollie Fanshawe, who you might might recognise Sam. He is one of the youngest people ever in Australia to get a seeing eye dog and he also works at his local IGA and he has a wonderful story of how he landed that job. He, you know, with three full of confidence, he just went up to the boss and said, Hi, I'm Ollie, I want a job. And the boss was was take like taken. Yeah. And he was like, yeah, can you do the job? He uses his phone sometimes when he's stacking the shelves. So pretty interesting point of view on what it's like having a job as your first job as a teenager. We had low.

So. So we are delving into what it's like trying to get a job as a teenager with vision loss or deals with blindness. So we've got two teenagers. We've got Caitlin who just got her first in at McDonald's, which is a noble work. Honestly, the poor kids that work at McDonalds need medals every day. So she's starting there. And we've also got a story of Ollie Fanshawe, who you might might recognise Sam. He is one of the youngest people ever in Australia to get a seeing eye dog and he also works at his local IGA and he has a wonderful story of how he landed that job. He, you know, with three full of confidence, he just went up to the boss and said, Hi, I'm Ollie, I want a job. And the boss was was take like taken. Yeah. And he was like, yeah, can you do the job? He uses his phone sometimes when he's stacking the shelves. So pretty interesting point of view on what it's like having a job as your first job as a teenager. We had low.

Vision, great people. All families are fantastic people to know and to work with us. Wonderful to hear that Ollie does have that first job under his belt. Yeah. Now, Helen, what else is there out there I would like to let our listeners know about.

Vision, great people. All families are fantastic people to know and to work with us. Wonderful to hear that Ollie does have that first job under his belt. Yeah. Now, Helen, what else is there out there I would like to let our listeners know about.

So just focusing on young people as well, we've got some applications that need to be in by September 30. So we have the bursary, the Vision Australia Further Education Bursary, which closes on September 30. So that's where you can get some technology for when you start studying. So this could be if you're a mature student or, you know, just starting out post high school and also for those finishing high school, there is the transition to tertiary leap up program. So that's for any any people 14 to 17 years old who are on their way to finishing school and are interested in some help in starting their tertiary education. So you'd get like mock interviews and lots of really interesting stuff to make the transition to, to uni or to tariff, you know, a lot easier. And that also finishes on September 30. So get your applications in.

So just focusing on young people as well, we've got some applications that need to be in by September 30. So we have the bursary, the Vision Australia Further Education Bursary, which closes on September 30. So that's where you can get some technology for when you start studying. So this could be if you're a mature student or, you know, just starting out post high school and also for those finishing high school, there is the transition to tertiary leap up program. So that's for any any people 14 to 17 years old who are on their way to finishing school and are interested in some help in starting their tertiary education. So you'd get like mock interviews and lots of really interesting stuff to make the transition to, to uni or to tariff, you know, a lot easier. And that also finishes on September 30. So get your applications in.

I've been speaking today with Helen, the editor of for your information, otherwise known as Phi. Helen, thanks so much for your time today. Always great to have you on the show.

I've been speaking today with Helen, the editor of for your information, otherwise known as Phi. Helen, thanks so much for your time today. Always great to have you on the show.

Pleasure. Thank you, Sam.

Pleasure. Thank you, Sam.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia right here. 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 one. World Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's personnel.

And that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia right here. 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 one. World Vision Australia dot org. But until next week, it's personnel.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 300 847466. That's one 300 847466 or by visiting vision Australia dot org that's mission Australia dot hall.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 300 847466. That's one 300 847466 or by visiting vision Australia dot org that's mission Australia dot hall.