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.

I guess that having that reiterated and seeing that benefit and I think talking to the clients or people that were involved in my study, knowing that impact, having a good made on their own lives bone journey, their ability to cope becomes a best friend.

I guess that having that reiterated and seeing that benefit and I think talking to the clients or people that were involved in my study, knowing that impact, having a good made on their own lives bone journey, their ability to cope becomes a best friend.

Welcome to the program. That voice you just heard there was Dr. Geraldine Lane, teaching fellow at Curtin University, speaking about her p h day, examining the positive influence a dog guide can have on the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Geraldine catches up with Conrad Brown to discuss the ways in which her own seeing eye dogs have changed her life for the better. That interview is coming up very shortly, so make sure to stick around to hear more. And then later on in the show this week, Stephen Jolly is joined by Whitney Watson as part of the Let's Talk about Vision Loss series, featuring eight people who share their very personal stories of blindness or low vision to help others facing similar experiences. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Talking Vision. And now here's Conrad Brown with Dr. Geraldine Lane.

Welcome to the program. That voice you just heard there was Dr. Geraldine Lane, teaching fellow at Curtin University, speaking about her p h day, examining the positive influence a dog guide can have on the lives of people who are blind or have low vision. Geraldine catches up with Conrad Brown to discuss the ways in which her own seeing eye dogs have changed her life for the better. That interview is coming up very shortly, so make sure to stick around to hear more. And then later on in the show this week, Stephen Jolly is joined by Whitney Watson as part of the Let's Talk about Vision Loss series, featuring eight people who share their very personal stories of blindness or low vision to help others facing similar experiences. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Talking Vision. And now here's Conrad Brown with Dr. Geraldine Lane.

Dr. Geraldine Lane works as a teaching fellow at Curtin University in WA in the School of Education, and teaches in a range of units, both in the on campus and online modes. Geraldine has a long background in teaching at university level and completed her Ph.D. at Flinders University in South Australia. Geraldine's thesis examined potential health benefits of working with a dog guide and is titled There's More to a Dog Guide Than Meets the Eye. A Mixed Methods Investigation into the Health Benefits of Having a Dog Guide. In this interview, Dr. Lane speaks about her incredibly diverse career and her lived experience with vision loss. She also discusses her long relationship with Vision Australia and seen eye dogs and how these services continue to support her ongoing. We also learn about her commitment as a donor to senior dogs and why she decided to leave a gift in her will to support this vital service, creating the legacy for future generations. During your base in WA in Perth, is that always being home for you?

Dr. Geraldine Lane works as a teaching fellow at Curtin University in WA in the School of Education, and teaches in a range of units, both in the on campus and online modes. Geraldine has a long background in teaching at university level and completed her Ph.D. at Flinders University in South Australia. Geraldine's thesis examined potential health benefits of working with a dog guide and is titled There's More to a Dog Guide Than Meets the Eye. A Mixed Methods Investigation into the Health Benefits of Having a Dog Guide. In this interview, Dr. Lane speaks about her incredibly diverse career and her lived experience with vision loss. She also discusses her long relationship with Vision Australia and seen eye dogs and how these services continue to support her ongoing. We also learn about her commitment as a donor to senior dogs and why she decided to leave a gift in her will to support this vital service, creating the legacy for future generations. During your base in WA in Perth, is that always being home for you?

No, up until I was. Oh yes. Still many years. Up until 1980, I was based in New South Wales. I grew up there. I went over there.

No, up until I was. Oh yes. Still many years. Up until 1980, I was based in New South Wales. I grew up there. I went over there.

And what brought you to the other side of Australia?

And what brought you to the other side of Australia?

Ring on my finger.

Ring on my finger.

Love will do that to you, I guess.

Love will do that to you, I guess.

My man.

My man.

You've got a quite a really interesting, diverse background. You started off in nursing, but you've moved into teaching and you're a fellow in the School of Education at Curtin University. Can you just tell us a little bit about how your career prediction and trajectory brought you to this role?

You've got a quite a really interesting, diverse background. You started off in nursing, but you've moved into teaching and you're a fellow in the School of Education at Curtin University. Can you just tell us a little bit about how your career prediction and trajectory brought you to this role?

Well, I always wanted from early childhood, I wanted to be two things in life either a nurse or a teacher, and I've managed to do both, which was really good. But it was sort of an odd journey because I find that Newcastle Hospital many years ago and trained as a nurse there and I worked in nursing up until my mid-thirties when I had two neurological conditions, multiple sclerosis and something called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which is a condition where you make too much cerebrospinal fluid, which damaged my optic nerves. So the two conditions I had I complications of a stroke and I became legally blind. So obviously was a little bit difficult to stay in nursing at that stage. I had to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life, had children and sons, and had to sort of think about what was going to do. So retrained in education, became a teacher not and did some more postgrad study. And a few more degrees later I parents and I started working at in the university sector in 2007 and I've been at Curtin Uni since then.

Well, I always wanted from early childhood, I wanted to be two things in life either a nurse or a teacher, and I've managed to do both, which was really good. But it was sort of an odd journey because I find that Newcastle Hospital many years ago and trained as a nurse there and I worked in nursing up until my mid-thirties when I had two neurological conditions, multiple sclerosis and something called idiopathic intracranial hypertension, which is a condition where you make too much cerebrospinal fluid, which damaged my optic nerves. So the two conditions I had I complications of a stroke and I became legally blind. So obviously was a little bit difficult to stay in nursing at that stage. I had to think about what I was going to do with the rest of my life, had children and sons, and had to sort of think about what was going to do. So retrained in education, became a teacher not and did some more postgrad study. And a few more degrees later I parents and I started working at in the university sector in 2007 and I've been at Curtin Uni since then.

What was it about retraining and finding a new path for you? Did it seem obvious for you to go into that path or was there a few challenges along the way?

What was it about retraining and finding a new path for you? Did it seem obvious for you to go into that path or was there a few challenges along the way?

Oh no. There were challenges. It was. I was actually really devastated for the initial stages of my vision loss because of that reasonably quickly too. So coming to terms with blindness was very difficult, long challenges to get confidence to get around again and start to withdraw my mobility training initially and then looking for work immediately. I didn't think about retraining. It was just a matter of just I think it took me about three years really to come to terms and to feel I was confident again through doing mobility, training, orientation, mobility. Actually, a number of other courses like Stage was learning computers as well. Computers were just coming in. And, you know, I was in the pre-computer age and I thought, Oh goodness gracious, I'm going to get on board and try and learn that. Studied Braille. So it was another nice challenge to charity, thought.

Oh no. There were challenges. It was. I was actually really devastated for the initial stages of my vision loss because of that reasonably quickly too. So coming to terms with blindness was very difficult, long challenges to get confidence to get around again and start to withdraw my mobility training initially and then looking for work immediately. I didn't think about retraining. It was just a matter of just I think it took me about three years really to come to terms and to feel I was confident again through doing mobility, training, orientation, mobility. Actually, a number of other courses like Stage was learning computers as well. Computers were just coming in. And, you know, I was in the pre-computer age and I thought, Oh goodness gracious, I'm going to get on board and try and learn that. Studied Braille. So it was another nice challenge to charity, thought.

Absolutely.

Absolutely.

But I'm glad that I did learn it. It's been very useful to me. But it wasn't an easy transition and it was over time and I was actually applying for jobs just to other jobs I thought I could do after I had the computer skills updated, etc. and getting lots of rejections. I eventually got a job as a receptionist answering the telephone, and I did that for a while, but it was only a short term contract, 12 months and within government. So it kept training and doing other courses along the journey. Then I thought, I'm going to have to bite the bullet. So. Back to unions. What went you do instead of retraining in education, training to be a teacher and the rest is sort of history from there.

But I'm glad that I did learn it. It's been very useful to me. But it wasn't an easy transition and it was over time and I was actually applying for jobs just to other jobs I thought I could do after I had the computer skills updated, etc. and getting lots of rejections. I eventually got a job as a receptionist answering the telephone, and I did that for a while, but it was only a short term contract, 12 months and within government. So it kept training and doing other courses along the journey. Then I thought, I'm going to have to bite the bullet. So. Back to unions. What went you do instead of retraining in education, training to be a teacher and the rest is sort of history from there.

I guess I could imagine a lot of people can understand if they've been in a similar position to you, you know, that those challenges that they are especially dealing with vision loss and trying to figure out where to go and what to do next. And immersing yourself in study is obviously really paid off. And I was really interested to read that you did your Ph.D. at Flinders University and it was on the health benefits of working with seeing eye dogs. And the actual title of your thesis is There's More to a Dog Guide Than Meets the Eye. A mixed method into the health benefits of having a dog guide. And it sounds really self-explanatory, but I feel like there's a little bit more in there. Can you just tell us a little bit about what your thesis is, how it came about and what you learnt through that process?

I guess I could imagine a lot of people can understand if they've been in a similar position to you, you know, that those challenges that they are especially dealing with vision loss and trying to figure out where to go and what to do next. And immersing yourself in study is obviously really paid off. And I was really interested to read that you did your Ph.D. at Flinders University and it was on the health benefits of working with seeing eye dogs. And the actual title of your thesis is There's More to a Dog Guide Than Meets the Eye. A mixed method into the health benefits of having a dog guide. And it sounds really self-explanatory, but I feel like there's a little bit more in there. Can you just tell us a little bit about what your thesis is, how it came about and what you learnt through that process?

Okay. Well, I was I've been working, I actually graduated, I got my PhD in 2014, so it's been a late progression and I had this great ambition. I was going, I've got to get this before I'm 60 and I think I was about a month away from my 60th birthday when I got by. So, Oh, brilliant. I had to get dragged kicking and screaming into doing a Ph.D. It was.

Okay. Well, I was I've been working, I actually graduated, I got my PhD in 2014, so it's been a late progression and I had this great ambition. I was going, I've got to get this before I'm 60 and I think I was about a month away from my 60th birthday when I got by. So, Oh, brilliant. I had to get dragged kicking and screaming into doing a Ph.D. It was.

Really.

Really.

Oh, it was a good well, I really enjoyed work, you know, just doing like my master's degree so that everybody told me, Oh, there's a long road, which it is anyway. And then I thought, Well, I've just got a foot, so I guys will do it in an area of interest. And obviously though God's being an area of passion for me and how they enhance their mobility and I saw there was a gap in the literature in Australia, particularly for looking at not just physical health, emotional health, social wellbeing, all those factors are coming to make us who we are and how we cope in the world. But no one has ever actually had a big study looking at it. So right here in Australia, a second model was launched. This is Australia launch day. This is W.A. was fantastic at helping me to get participants the word out, you know, help me to get a number. This was signed up with about 240 people now, which was amazing. So and technology actually helped because I was able to do a lot of interviews as we are today, you know, using technology and being able to in touch with my participants, run focus groups or individual interviews. And so it was really quite a rewarding journey in the long term. And of course, I think I already knew that there was a benefit. I had to prove that doing it.

Oh, it was a good well, I really enjoyed work, you know, just doing like my master's degree so that everybody told me, Oh, there's a long road, which it is anyway. And then I thought, Well, I've just got a foot, so I guys will do it in an area of interest. And obviously though God's being an area of passion for me and how they enhance their mobility and I saw there was a gap in the literature in Australia, particularly for looking at not just physical health, emotional health, social wellbeing, all those factors are coming to make us who we are and how we cope in the world. But no one has ever actually had a big study looking at it. So right here in Australia, a second model was launched. This is Australia launch day. This is W.A. was fantastic at helping me to get participants the word out, you know, help me to get a number. This was signed up with about 240 people now, which was amazing. So and technology actually helped because I was able to do a lot of interviews as we are today, you know, using technology and being able to in touch with my participants, run focus groups or individual interviews. And so it was really quite a rewarding journey in the long term. And of course, I think I already knew that there was a benefit. I had to prove that doing it.

Absolutely. That's usually the goal, isn't it? What was one of the big takeaways for you from doing your PhD? What what something that you learnt that maybe surprised you or or confirm something for you? What's what's something good that came out of it for you?

Absolutely. That's usually the goal, isn't it? What was one of the big takeaways for you from doing your PhD? What what something that you learnt that maybe surprised you or or confirm something for you? What's what's something good that came out of it for you?

A lot of good things came out of it for me. Really. The fact that we were able to substantiate the fact that, you know, had been working with, you know, God improve our health, as we know from a lot of other evidence that, you know, you pet not just your dog, you pet an animal, you interact with an animal, your blood pressure goes down. You know, you you feel good, hormones get secreted. And I think that we know a lot of that from animal human studies that have been already done. And seeing how important that is to, you know, you may everybody out there and how that actually impact your physical health and our emotional well-being. So I guess that that having that reiterated and seeing that benefit and I think the talking to the clients or people that were involved in my studies knowing that impact, having a dog got made on their own lives grown journey, their ability to cope and how, you know, becomes your best friend.

A lot of good things came out of it for me. Really. The fact that we were able to substantiate the fact that, you know, had been working with, you know, God improve our health, as we know from a lot of other evidence that, you know, you pet not just your dog, you pet an animal, you interact with an animal, your blood pressure goes down. You know, you you feel good, hormones get secreted. And I think that we know a lot of that from animal human studies that have been already done. And seeing how important that is to, you know, you may everybody out there and how that actually impact your physical health and our emotional well-being. So I guess that that having that reiterated and seeing that benefit and I think the talking to the clients or people that were involved in my studies knowing that impact, having a dog got made on their own lives grown journey, their ability to cope and how, you know, becomes your best friend.

And you know, you know firsthand about that experience. You're you're a client of seeing I dogs you have a wonderful seeing eye dog called noodle. I'm assuming that noodle is a really key part of your life.

And you know, you know firsthand about that experience. You're you're a client of seeing I dogs you have a wonderful seeing eye dog called noodle. I'm assuming that noodle is a really key part of your life.

Oh, absolutely. She's my best mate. Yeah, well, it's hard to describe the relationship you have if you're a dog lover. You know, even if it's not a seeing eye dog, you'll note how much they become part of. Well, your whole being the part of the family that central to your world and you love you and you love them and it's positive this way. It's, you know.

Oh, absolutely. She's my best mate. Yeah, well, it's hard to describe the relationship you have if you're a dog lover. You know, even if it's not a seeing eye dog, you'll note how much they become part of. Well, your whole being the part of the family that central to your world and you love you and you love them and it's positive this way. It's, you know.

It's amazing partnership that you have. Right. And it is. And for a lot of seeing my dog uses, there's so much that goes into making sure that they make the perfect match in lots of ways. So what was your experience like in getting noodle and working on your relationship and figuring out how you can best work together?

It's amazing partnership that you have. Right. And it is. And for a lot of seeing my dog uses, there's so much that goes into making sure that they make the perfect match in lots of ways. So what was your experience like in getting noodle and working on your relationship and figuring out how you can best work together?

Well, it's interesting. Interesting question there because noodles most and saying go ahead ask. It was a chocolate Labrador who I kept until she passed away just before I got noodle. And we had a lovely 13 years together.

Well, it's interesting. Interesting question there because noodles most and saying go ahead ask. It was a chocolate Labrador who I kept until she passed away just before I got noodle. And we had a lovely 13 years together.

Amazing.

Amazing.

And then I was on the waiting list for Noodle and I got Noodle, which was, which was lovely. And they both so different, but both so kitty and do such a great job. I guess the whole experience, it was interesting. I had actually two ways of training between Noodle end and hours or so. I trained locally here and a your dog instructor came over and worked with us and with Noodle I went to Melbourne and residential training just before Cold came along. That was fantastic experience, so I really enjoyed it. Doing it with the other clients and staying in the houses at Kensington. I think it is just in saying that the whole work that goes into locating right Dog, going into that matching process and working closely with the saying our dog instructions and to see how they determine which dog's going to be a perfect match and then work with you to make it so.

And then I was on the waiting list for Noodle and I got Noodle, which was, which was lovely. And they both so different, but both so kitty and do such a great job. I guess the whole experience, it was interesting. I had actually two ways of training between Noodle end and hours or so. I trained locally here and a your dog instructor came over and worked with us and with Noodle I went to Melbourne and residential training just before Cold came along. That was fantastic experience, so I really enjoyed it. Doing it with the other clients and staying in the houses at Kensington. I think it is just in saying that the whole work that goes into locating right Dog, going into that matching process and working closely with the saying our dog instructions and to see how they determine which dog's going to be a perfect match and then work with you to make it so.

And seeing those dogs is obviously such an incredible service that Vision Australia provides and one that you have reached the benefits of and know that it helps so many people across Australia. One thing that I also found really interesting is that you're committed to including a gift in your will to seeing eye dogs. How did that come about? It's obvious that it's contributing to the services is a really great way to do that. But what does it mean to you?

And seeing those dogs is obviously such an incredible service that Vision Australia provides and one that you have reached the benefits of and know that it helps so many people across Australia. One thing that I also found really interesting is that you're committed to including a gift in your will to seeing eye dogs. How did that come about? It's obvious that it's contributing to the services is a really great way to do that. But what does it mean to you?

I felt that, you know, he was that organisation that's done so much for me and I I'm also puppy sponsor, so I give what I can, you know, on a monthly basis through puppy sponsorship. I also I felt, well, here's a way that I can give something back, which is a really transformable way to ensure that something goes on after a pathway. You know, you may not have money to give in life, but they might be able to do something that keeps on giving so-to-speak, really is. So I felt that was very passionate about trying to give something back as the vision. Australia has done a fantastic job for myself. I know they do for all their clients, so it's just the way that I thought I could do it. And I spoke to Tom about it and he told me a story about the All Irish circle, which was interesting. My previous dog was called Ours, which is for people who've left a bequest in their will, and it's just a way to sort of thank the lovely badge. And I know they have a lot of functions and that sort of thing to say thanks while people are still alive. That's something that people can do to help. Doesn't have to be, you know, they don't ask you how much it is or anything like that, but thank you for letting them know it helps them in their forward planning, then.

I felt that, you know, he was that organisation that's done so much for me and I I'm also puppy sponsor, so I give what I can, you know, on a monthly basis through puppy sponsorship. I also I felt, well, here's a way that I can give something back, which is a really transformable way to ensure that something goes on after a pathway. You know, you may not have money to give in life, but they might be able to do something that keeps on giving so-to-speak, really is. So I felt that was very passionate about trying to give something back as the vision. Australia has done a fantastic job for myself. I know they do for all their clients, so it's just the way that I thought I could do it. And I spoke to Tom about it and he told me a story about the All Irish circle, which was interesting. My previous dog was called Ours, which is for people who've left a bequest in their will, and it's just a way to sort of thank the lovely badge. And I know they have a lot of functions and that sort of thing to say thanks while people are still alive. That's something that people can do to help. Doesn't have to be, you know, they don't ask you how much it is or anything like that, but thank you for letting them know it helps them in their forward planning, then.

I think that's the the key to this as well is I'm assuming that it's a really great feeling for you to know that you're going to be doing something positive and also giving back to this organisation that is really important to you as well.

I think that's the the key to this as well is I'm assuming that it's a really great feeling for you to know that you're going to be doing something positive and also giving back to this organisation that is really important to you as well.

Absolutely. I think it's done so much, I really can't. So in Australia and saying not enough for what they've done for me personally. So I'm very grateful.

Absolutely. I think it's done so much, I really can't. So in Australia and saying not enough for what they've done for me personally. So I'm very grateful.

Geraldine, It's been fantastic hearing your story. So wonderful to hear about the impact that is in Australia and seeing our dogs has had on you and congratulations on all of your achievements and here's to many more.

Geraldine, It's been fantastic hearing your story. So wonderful to hear about the impact that is in Australia and seeing our dogs has had on you and congratulations on all of your achievements and here's to many more.

Thank you very much. Appreciate your time today. It's been fantastic to meet you.

Thank you very much. Appreciate your time today. It's been fantastic to meet you.

Many thanks to Dr. Geraldine Lane for sharing her story. We sincerely thank you again for her support for seeing my dogs and wish her and noodle all the best for their future adventures and continued success with her career. To find out more about leaving the Gift in Your Will, call one 800 422077 or visit Vision Australia dot org Forward slash wills.

Many thanks to Dr. Geraldine Lane for sharing her story. We sincerely thank you again for her support for seeing my dogs and wish her and noodle all the best for their future adventures and continued success with her career. To find out more about leaving the Gift in Your Will, call one 800 422077 or visit Vision Australia dot org Forward slash wills.

I'm Sam Kiley. And you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio, associated stations of IPH and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation between Conrad Brown and Dr. Geraldine Lane. If you're enjoying the show and you'd like to listen to past episodes, just search talking vision on your favorite browser and where should be the first option to come up? Or you can also visit the podcast app of your choice or find us through the Vision Australia Library. And now here's Steve and Julie with Brittany Watson.

I'm Sam Kiley. And you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio, associated stations of IPH and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation between Conrad Brown and Dr. Geraldine Lane. If you're enjoying the show and you'd like to listen to past episodes, just search talking vision on your favorite browser and where should be the first option to come up? Or you can also visit the podcast app of your choice or find us through the Vision Australia Library. And now here's Steve and Julie with Brittany Watson.

Well, let's start perhaps with a little background. Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up. I was diagnosed at the age of three with type one diabetes. The attention was always on myself and what I was eating, and I couldn't play for longer than 15 minutes. And I always had to be a lot more mature than any. A three, four or five six year old had to be. We traveled a lot in Victoria. We had a very rich family but were very rich in adventures and love and always camping every year. I don't think there's a place in Victoria. I haven't seen my little sister. She ended up getting type one diabetes as well at the age of nine and her running my life. So very recently my older brother as well, Type one diabetes. So it is a family affair. So this diabetes monster has been looming over your shoulder virtually all your life. I don't remember a time not having diabetes. It got troublesome as a teenager as I wanted to be what I thought was normal because I'd always had the attention on, you know, what I had to eat and what I had to do and how much insulin There have been a lot of thought had to go into all that and didn't want to think about it anymore as a teenager. I wanted to do what everybody else was doing. Tell us now, you're about 28. Yes. Yes. When when you left school, what sort of work did you get into? I ended up falling in love with hairdressing and I just flourished in it. I was really, really good at it. It wasn't hard for me to do. It was a hard job, a thankless job. But it was amazing. So tell us about your eye condition. It's, I guess, related to the to the diabetes. Yes. So at the age of 22, woke up with a black spot in my vision one morning, I actually thought it was makeup. So I spent about half an hour watching my face, trying to get this makeup out of my eye just to realize that it was something a little more serious. And when I went to the art specialist, they informed me that I had diabetic retinopathy. So the black spot was an actual bleeds so had burst because I didn't look after my diabetes for such a prolonged time. I also ended up with macular degeneration as well. So did this eye condition come as a as a surprise? I guess being young and naive, you always hear the warnings, but they always seem to be a problem for older Britney. For 44 year old V, not 22 year old Britney, I guess it was pretty frightening, was it, when you woke up and realized it was this thing that wasn't going away? Just a moment of shock. I would say so. Was it more frightening? It was more. I'll just dumbfounded that with happening. Almost denial. Also, when I first met the baby, I didn't realize how permanent and how severe it was. I assumed they could fix it. When did you realize that it was going to be with you for the rest of your life? The specialist that I went and saw, I always want to thank him because he was this stern voice that told me this is the best ever going to be. It will get worse. The treatment that you are going to have will make your vision worse, but prolong the sight that you have. And pretty much told me he wasn't going to treat me unless I went to the hospital and started looking after my diabetes. I've never been so scared. I actually rushed to the emergency room and board wise out to the triage nurse saying I need to see somebody about my diabetes because the book is not going to save my vision if I don't go. She seemed quite shocked with that. So when you started to reflect, was the things you were worried about, like.

Well, let's start perhaps with a little background. Tell us about your childhood and where you grew up. I was diagnosed at the age of three with type one diabetes. The attention was always on myself and what I was eating, and I couldn't play for longer than 15 minutes. And I always had to be a lot more mature than any. A three, four or five six year old had to be. We traveled a lot in Victoria. We had a very rich family but were very rich in adventures and love and always camping every year. I don't think there's a place in Victoria. I haven't seen my little sister. She ended up getting type one diabetes as well at the age of nine and her running my life. So very recently my older brother as well, Type one diabetes. So it is a family affair. So this diabetes monster has been looming over your shoulder virtually all your life. I don't remember a time not having diabetes. It got troublesome as a teenager as I wanted to be what I thought was normal because I'd always had the attention on, you know, what I had to eat and what I had to do and how much insulin There have been a lot of thought had to go into all that and didn't want to think about it anymore as a teenager. I wanted to do what everybody else was doing. Tell us now, you're about 28. Yes. Yes. When when you left school, what sort of work did you get into? I ended up falling in love with hairdressing and I just flourished in it. I was really, really good at it. It wasn't hard for me to do. It was a hard job, a thankless job. But it was amazing. So tell us about your eye condition. It's, I guess, related to the to the diabetes. Yes. So at the age of 22, woke up with a black spot in my vision one morning, I actually thought it was makeup. So I spent about half an hour watching my face, trying to get this makeup out of my eye just to realize that it was something a little more serious. And when I went to the art specialist, they informed me that I had diabetic retinopathy. So the black spot was an actual bleeds so had burst because I didn't look after my diabetes for such a prolonged time. I also ended up with macular degeneration as well. So did this eye condition come as a as a surprise? I guess being young and naive, you always hear the warnings, but they always seem to be a problem for older Britney. For 44 year old V, not 22 year old Britney, I guess it was pretty frightening, was it, when you woke up and realized it was this thing that wasn't going away? Just a moment of shock. I would say so. Was it more frightening? It was more. I'll just dumbfounded that with happening. Almost denial. Also, when I first met the baby, I didn't realize how permanent and how severe it was. I assumed they could fix it. When did you realize that it was going to be with you for the rest of your life? The specialist that I went and saw, I always want to thank him because he was this stern voice that told me this is the best ever going to be. It will get worse. The treatment that you are going to have will make your vision worse, but prolong the sight that you have. And pretty much told me he wasn't going to treat me unless I went to the hospital and started looking after my diabetes. I've never been so scared. I actually rushed to the emergency room and board wise out to the triage nurse saying I need to see somebody about my diabetes because the book is not going to save my vision if I don't go. She seemed quite shocked with that. So when you started to reflect, was the things you were worried about, like.

Work.

Work.

Relationships, etc.? It ended up happening was I was informed that I would eventually become legally blind and then most likely lose complete vision. But they did give me a target of okay. I was actually trying to put away money because I was going to buy or sell them so I could, you know, have people work for me but still be in the field. I contacted Vision Australia and started to learn how people use computers when they can't see and see a lot of information in preparation that it was going to be years down the track. Can you tell us about all that when when the message got through to you, particularly to your family? I'm very lucky that I come from a very Australian family where humour runs our family. We were still very humorous and laughing about a lot of things. You know, dropping a piece of paper on the floor and not being able to find it or running into a chair because we could laugh about it. But I didn't like the fact that they didn't call on me to do anything. I used to babysit my niece and nephew a lot, and my brother and sister in law stopped asking me to babysit. And just with, you know, my parents, you know, Mum wouldn't let me clean or you would cook, you know, without her being brought behind me. I would stir the pot of pasta and I would keep her spare the pot after I just did it. And with the friends, I had a lot of my friends through nipple. And because I couldn't play anymore, I tried my best to attend the games when I could. But because I couldn't participate or be a part of anything, they just stopped inviting me on night out and stopped. You know, they like they said, I couldn't participate. And I guess just as you were sensing that, they weren't sure whether things were going to be okay for you, you wouldn't have been too sure yourself at that stage because you were just adjusting to it. The most distinct memory I have was when I woke up totally blind, so I opened my eyes, but I didn't feel like I opened my eyes. Turning to light, switch on and off, wondering what was going on. Almost feeling like a toddler stumbling through the house and just having that daunting feeling of What's the point? What is it you do? I can't do anything. I'm going to be stuck in this little dark room for the rest of my life. It was very, very hard to push myself out of that. You use a smartphone. Yes, I do. My smartphone. It is everything. I have a billion apps on there, but they speak to me. They read things for me. Colour detections on there. Tell me what pram coming directly in front of me so I don't have to switch from coming again. Even with the emails, you know they read emails for we text messaging a read my messages. So these iPhone skills that you've been able to develop. How did that come about? It was a kind of look at an event that Vision Australia had on it had a adaptive technology train to oversee in a classroom setting and a whole lot of it's got to sit down. And he talked about different ways to use the iPhone with the newest updates. And this gave us a bit of a training session on how to actually access your phone. I've been for just a lot of playing with it at home with everything that they taught us. Tell me, what advice would you give to someone who has recently gone through the experience of vision loss that you've had to negotiate? My biggest thing with vision loss is right. Try and be happy with rooting your sight. Just try to be happy with yourself. I believe that anybody that says that they are happy with losing a sense is lying. You can be content about it. I'm very content with my vision loss, but I'm a happy person. I am happy with how I perceive myself and how I have gotten on with life. So a lot of people do comment on, you know, how bright I've adapted. It's because I'm not trying to be happy with the loss of self. I'm just trying to be happy with what I do with myself afterwards.

Relationships, etc.? It ended up happening was I was informed that I would eventually become legally blind and then most likely lose complete vision. But they did give me a target of okay. I was actually trying to put away money because I was going to buy or sell them so I could, you know, have people work for me but still be in the field. I contacted Vision Australia and started to learn how people use computers when they can't see and see a lot of information in preparation that it was going to be years down the track. Can you tell us about all that when when the message got through to you, particularly to your family? I'm very lucky that I come from a very Australian family where humour runs our family. We were still very humorous and laughing about a lot of things. You know, dropping a piece of paper on the floor and not being able to find it or running into a chair because we could laugh about it. But I didn't like the fact that they didn't call on me to do anything. I used to babysit my niece and nephew a lot, and my brother and sister in law stopped asking me to babysit. And just with, you know, my parents, you know, Mum wouldn't let me clean or you would cook, you know, without her being brought behind me. I would stir the pot of pasta and I would keep her spare the pot after I just did it. And with the friends, I had a lot of my friends through nipple. And because I couldn't play anymore, I tried my best to attend the games when I could. But because I couldn't participate or be a part of anything, they just stopped inviting me on night out and stopped. You know, they like they said, I couldn't participate. And I guess just as you were sensing that, they weren't sure whether things were going to be okay for you, you wouldn't have been too sure yourself at that stage because you were just adjusting to it. The most distinct memory I have was when I woke up totally blind, so I opened my eyes, but I didn't feel like I opened my eyes. Turning to light, switch on and off, wondering what was going on. Almost feeling like a toddler stumbling through the house and just having that daunting feeling of What's the point? What is it you do? I can't do anything. I'm going to be stuck in this little dark room for the rest of my life. It was very, very hard to push myself out of that. You use a smartphone. Yes, I do. My smartphone. It is everything. I have a billion apps on there, but they speak to me. They read things for me. Colour detections on there. Tell me what pram coming directly in front of me so I don't have to switch from coming again. Even with the emails, you know they read emails for we text messaging a read my messages. So these iPhone skills that you've been able to develop. How did that come about? It was a kind of look at an event that Vision Australia had on it had a adaptive technology train to oversee in a classroom setting and a whole lot of it's got to sit down. And he talked about different ways to use the iPhone with the newest updates. And this gave us a bit of a training session on how to actually access your phone. I've been for just a lot of playing with it at home with everything that they taught us. Tell me, what advice would you give to someone who has recently gone through the experience of vision loss that you've had to negotiate? My biggest thing with vision loss is right. Try and be happy with rooting your sight. Just try to be happy with yourself. I believe that anybody that says that they are happy with losing a sense is lying. You can be content about it. I'm very content with my vision loss, but I'm a happy person. I am happy with how I perceive myself and how I have gotten on with life. So a lot of people do comment on, you know, how bright I've adapted. It's because I'm not trying to be happy with the loss of self. I'm just trying to be happy with what I do with myself afterwards.

If you or a loved one are experiencing vision loss and would like to know about the options available to you, please give Vision Australia a ring at one 300 847466. That's one 300 847466. Or if you'd like to hear Brittney's story in full, as well as the stories of seven others like Britney who have experienced vision loss later in life, please visit the Vision Australia. Let's talk about vision loss web page at Vision Australia dot org slash L travel. That's Vision Australia dot org slash lta veil. 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, so do feel free to get in touch. You can reach us at talking Vision Vision Australia dot org that's talking vision or one word vision Australia dot org. I'll be away next week with commitments in New South Wales and Queensland, but I will leave you in the extremely capable hands of a talking vision favourite, Stella Glory, and you'll hear from me once again the week after that. So do stay tuned. I look forward to being back with you all in two weeks. So until then, it's. But for now.

If you or a loved one are experiencing vision loss and would like to know about the options available to you, please give Vision Australia a ring at one 300 847466. That's one 300 847466. Or if you'd like to hear Brittney's story in full, as well as the stories of seven others like Britney who have experienced vision loss later in life, please visit the Vision Australia. Let's talk about vision loss web page at Vision Australia dot org slash L travel. That's Vision Australia dot org slash lta veil. 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, so do feel free to get in touch. You can reach us at talking Vision Vision Australia dot org that's talking vision or one word vision Australia dot org. I'll be away next week with commitments in New South Wales and Queensland, but I will leave you in the extremely capable hands of a talking vision favourite, Stella Glory, and you'll hear from me once again the week after that. So do stay tuned. I look forward to being back with you all in two weeks. So until then, it's. But for now.

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.