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

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

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

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

The main idea of the inclusive design is that the product should not put any barriers in front of anybody. So this is what we were aiming for. So with the brave brain, we wanted to make it fully, like enjoyable for both sighted and blind players.

The main idea of the inclusive design is that the product should not put any barriers in front of anybody. So this is what we were aiming for. So with the brave brain, we wanted to make it fully, like enjoyable for both sighted and blind players.

Welcome to the program. We're going globetrotting in some respects on the show this week as I chat with a game developer, joining me all the way from Brno in the Czech Republic. His name is Milos. He's part of Kiki Wicked Games, a mobile game studio with a focus on inclusive barrier free gaming for the blind and low vision community. They've just released a new game and he's here to tell me all about it. That interview is coming up right around the corner. Then after you hear from Milos, we say hello to a new regular voice on talking vision. It's Sam from the shop. Here to talk all about the latest from the Vision Australia Store. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. A few months ago, I caught up with Yana and Melosh from Kicky Wicked Games, an inclusive game design studio from the Czech Republic following the release of their first game to the Dragon Cave. Well, now they've released a second game called Brave Brain, and Miller is back with me to chat all about it. Miller Welcome back to Talking Vision. How are you going?

Welcome to the program. We're going globetrotting in some respects on the show this week as I chat with a game developer, joining me all the way from Brno in the Czech Republic. His name is Milos. He's part of Kiki Wicked Games, a mobile game studio with a focus on inclusive barrier free gaming for the blind and low vision community. They've just released a new game and he's here to tell me all about it. That interview is coming up right around the corner. Then after you hear from Milos, we say hello to a new regular voice on talking vision. It's Sam from the shop. Here to talk all about the latest from the Vision Australia Store. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of Talking Vision. A few months ago, I caught up with Yana and Melosh from Kicky Wicked Games, an inclusive game design studio from the Czech Republic following the release of their first game to the Dragon Cave. Well, now they've released a second game called Brave Brain, and Miller is back with me to chat all about it. Miller Welcome back to Talking Vision. How are you going?

Hey, Sam, thank you for inviting us. And I'm doing good. Thanks.

Hey, Sam, thank you for inviting us. And I'm doing good. Thanks.

Excellent. Now, what has Kikuchi games been up to since the last time we spoke after the release of two of the Dragon Cave?

Excellent. Now, what has Kikuchi games been up to since the last time we spoke after the release of two of the Dragon Cave?

Yeah. So after a release of the Dragon Cave, we were, like, collecting feedback and started considering what will be our next step. So from the feedback we received from players of Dragon Cave, we realized that the Like players from Blind Community were enjoying the game pretty like pretty much. But from the site IT players, there was this for them. It was pretty much difficult to play the game and it's only audio based and then the players just had to rely on their hearings. So we were thinking, okay, so we would like to make a game where everyone can play without any any issues that every, every group of of the players can enjoy playing the game.

Yeah. So after a release of the Dragon Cave, we were, like, collecting feedback and started considering what will be our next step. So from the feedback we received from players of Dragon Cave, we realized that the Like players from Blind Community were enjoying the game pretty like pretty much. But from the site IT players, there was this for them. It was pretty much difficult to play the game and it's only audio based and then the players just had to rely on their hearings. So we were thinking, okay, so we would like to make a game where everyone can play without any any issues that every, every group of of the players can enjoy playing the game.

Tell us a bit about your new quiz game, Brave Brain. What sort of things does that involve?

Tell us a bit about your new quiz game, Brave Brain. What sort of things does that involve?

Yeah, so we chose the quiz because we noticed that there is many, many such games on the mobile market, but like nearly none of them is accessible for for screen readers. And we are thinking, okay, that's sad because this is like text based game. It could be easily accessible for readers. So let's, let's try to do this. And so we decided to do that. And one of the reasons was also that this is Jana's favorite genre. While the Dragon Cave, the shooter was my favorite genre. So we wanted to balance this as well so that these were the decision points to make. Brave Brain. Okay. And in Brisbane you simply answer quiz questions. Thanks to this, you unlock more countries where you can visit and answer more quiz questions. You collect experience points with experience points. You can compare yourself with other players in the weekly or global leaderboards, and you can also collect the postcards in the game, which you can then share with your friends social networks or so. And yeah.

Yeah, so we chose the quiz because we noticed that there is many, many such games on the mobile market, but like nearly none of them is accessible for for screen readers. And we are thinking, okay, that's sad because this is like text based game. It could be easily accessible for readers. So let's, let's try to do this. And so we decided to do that. And one of the reasons was also that this is Jana's favorite genre. While the Dragon Cave, the shooter was my favorite genre. So we wanted to balance this as well so that these were the decision points to make. Brave Brain. Okay. And in Brisbane you simply answer quiz questions. Thanks to this, you unlock more countries where you can visit and answer more quiz questions. You collect experience points with experience points. You can compare yourself with other players in the weekly or global leaderboards, and you can also collect the postcards in the game, which you can then share with your friends social networks or so. And yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Some. I've had a go on my brain. It is quite a fun game and at some it is somewhat geography based and there's quite a few geography questions in there. And you know, you learn a lot of interesting facts about the landmarks in the countries, but also the cultures and foods and all that sort of thing from each country. So it's a lot of fun to find out some new fun facts every day when you're playing the game. So what was the thinking behind sort of making it geography based or country based? Was there any sort of particular reason behind that?

Some. I've had a go on my brain. It is quite a fun game and at some it is somewhat geography based and there's quite a few geography questions in there. And you know, you learn a lot of interesting facts about the landmarks in the countries, but also the cultures and foods and all that sort of thing from each country. So it's a lot of fun to find out some new fun facts every day when you're playing the game. So what was the thinking behind sort of making it geography based or country based? Was there any sort of particular reason behind that?

Yeah, both me and now we love traveling. So this was something we wanted to project into the game. And we also think that the traveling and knowing the world around us is nicely connected with the with the knowledge. So it goes well together. Okay. That's our opinion.

Yeah, both me and now we love traveling. So this was something we wanted to project into the game. And we also think that the traveling and knowing the world around us is nicely connected with the with the knowledge. So it goes well together. Okay. That's our opinion.

Yeah. Now for sure, 100% agree with that. And it's great to find out more about the world around us. And you know, it's always fun to learn some new fun facts and you never know when they'll come in handy for, you know, future trivia. If you go out in real life and play it with your friends. So it's yeah, it's a lot of fun. Now, Inclusive design was a major focus when creating Brave Brain. I understand. And you know, we've talked about that a little bit already, but you and Yana really focused on making it fully accessible for screen readers and for people who are blind or have very low vision. So what sort of inclusive design features can people look forward to when they play Brave Brain?

Yeah. Now for sure, 100% agree with that. And it's great to find out more about the world around us. And you know, it's always fun to learn some new fun facts and you never know when they'll come in handy for, you know, future trivia. If you go out in real life and play it with your friends. So it's yeah, it's a lot of fun. Now, Inclusive design was a major focus when creating Brave Brain. I understand. And you know, we've talked about that a little bit already, but you and Yana really focused on making it fully accessible for screen readers and for people who are blind or have very low vision. So what sort of inclusive design features can people look forward to when they play Brave Brain?

Yeah. So, so the main idea of the inclusive design is that the product should not put any barriers in front of anybody. So this is what we were aiming for. So with the brave brain, we wanted to make it fully like enjoyable for both sighted and blind players. And so what we learned from the Dragon gave, okay, so we have to make it look like any other game or the on the market if we want to make it enjoyable for sighted players. So we decided to create rich, handcrafted visuals for the game. So every country and every location has its own visual representation and okay, so now we started thinking, so how to make this this visuals enjoyable for blind people as well. So we were thinking, okay, so maybe we should provide some nice audio representation for all these locations. So every location in the game has its own soundtrack. When you access location, we try to make the feeling of the place by the style of the music that's playing there. So this is how we try to provide both groups, the mood from the game, the similar feelings when you play it, regardless if you can see the visuals or not. So that was the main aim. Yeah.

Yeah. So, so the main idea of the inclusive design is that the product should not put any barriers in front of anybody. So this is what we were aiming for. So with the brave brain, we wanted to make it fully like enjoyable for both sighted and blind players. And so what we learned from the Dragon gave, okay, so we have to make it look like any other game or the on the market if we want to make it enjoyable for sighted players. So we decided to create rich, handcrafted visuals for the game. So every country and every location has its own visual representation and okay, so now we started thinking, so how to make this this visuals enjoyable for blind people as well. So we were thinking, okay, so maybe we should provide some nice audio representation for all these locations. So every location in the game has its own soundtrack. When you access location, we try to make the feeling of the place by the style of the music that's playing there. So this is how we try to provide both groups, the mood from the game, the similar feelings when you play it, regardless if you can see the visuals or not. So that was the main aim. Yeah.

Okay. And what sort of things does the game audio describe? If you for instance, you go into the options menu and do tick accessibility, which is, you know, how you can access the the accessibility features. Does it read out the text boxes that come up on the game? What sort of audio description and screen reader capabilities does the game have?

Okay. And what sort of things does the game audio describe? If you for instance, you go into the options menu and do tick accessibility, which is, you know, how you can access the the accessibility features. Does it read out the text boxes that come up on the game? What sort of audio description and screen reader capabilities does the game have?

Yeah.

Yeah.

So okay, so here I will mention that there are slight differences between Android and iPhone because in iPhone it was much easier for us to provide like accessibility that is very, very close to what you have naturally in the in the operating system. So when you play the game on iPhone where you have accessibility enabled, then the game automatically enables the accessibility. And if you disabled it, it disabled the accessibility in the game as well. On Android, there you have the special accessibility checkbox and the game recognizes that you run accessibility on the Android system. But there are some places where it was making us pretty difficult to make them accessible. When you open some native window in the game, like if you want to share the postcard or buy something or watch advertisement, it opens native windows and it in this place on Android, you have to disable the in-game accessibility, enable the talkback accessibility, and then you have the native accessible. So Android, it was much more difficult to provide accessibility there. But I believe that although it's not as comfortable as on iPhone, it's still still good enough to enjoy the game.

So okay, so here I will mention that there are slight differences between Android and iPhone because in iPhone it was much easier for us to provide like accessibility that is very, very close to what you have naturally in the in the operating system. So when you play the game on iPhone where you have accessibility enabled, then the game automatically enables the accessibility. And if you disabled it, it disabled the accessibility in the game as well. On Android, there you have the special accessibility checkbox and the game recognizes that you run accessibility on the Android system. But there are some places where it was making us pretty difficult to make them accessible. When you open some native window in the game, like if you want to share the postcard or buy something or watch advertisement, it opens native windows and it in this place on Android, you have to disable the in-game accessibility, enable the talkback accessibility, and then you have the native accessible. So Android, it was much more difficult to provide accessibility there. But I believe that although it's not as comfortable as on iPhone, it's still still good enough to enjoy the game.

So what is the progress like with that in the future? Will there perhaps be patches or updates that people can look forward to on Android that might iron out a couple of the little tiny issues with the accessibility? How's that sort of going from an Android standpoint?

So what is the progress like with that in the future? Will there perhaps be patches or updates that people can look forward to on Android that might iron out a couple of the little tiny issues with the accessibility? How's that sort of going from an Android standpoint?

Yeah. So for both platforms we aim to keep the game alive and add more features, more content over time. So we will definitely be adding more countries, more quiz questions, new functionalities. We plan to like large features at Endgame over time. One of them will be some seasonal quizzes. So when there is like, I don't know, Christmas, then you will get some special time based quiz like time restricted quiz, connectivity, Christmas. And then another thing we plan to do will be like a huge step forward will be the option to play with some of your friends directly so you can challenge someone and play the quiz questions with your friend and then compare the results. And who is better than that person wins. So like online multiplayer.

Yeah. So for both platforms we aim to keep the game alive and add more features, more content over time. So we will definitely be adding more countries, more quiz questions, new functionalities. We plan to like large features at Endgame over time. One of them will be some seasonal quizzes. So when there is like, I don't know, Christmas, then you will get some special time based quiz like time restricted quiz, connectivity, Christmas. And then another thing we plan to do will be like a huge step forward will be the option to play with some of your friends directly so you can challenge someone and play the quiz questions with your friend and then compare the results. And who is better than that person wins. So like online multiplayer.

Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

Wow. Yeah. Yeah.

So that's we have big plans with this, unlike to the Random Game where the game was like more story based and there was not much options how to expand it. With this brave brain, we can see a lot of options, how to expand the game and add more features there, which is what we really like about.

So that's we have big plans with this, unlike to the Random Game where the game was like more story based and there was not much options how to expand it. With this brave brain, we can see a lot of options, how to expand the game and add more features there, which is what we really like about.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So definitely a very different game to to the Dragon Cave, as you've mentioned. And it's really interesting to say you branch out into a completely different genre and we do look forward to following all the updates and patches when they do come out. And of course, you know, an inclusive design is a huge overarching focus for games. Throw out that. So we're looking forward to seeing the game, you know, become more and more accessible as time does go on and mellows during the game. You come across quite a few landmarks for each country tile that you land on. But what was the thought process behind choosing the landmarks and how they best represented each country?

So definitely a very different game to to the Dragon Cave, as you've mentioned. And it's really interesting to say you branch out into a completely different genre and we do look forward to following all the updates and patches when they do come out. And of course, you know, an inclusive design is a huge overarching focus for games. Throw out that. So we're looking forward to seeing the game, you know, become more and more accessible as time does go on and mellows during the game. You come across quite a few landmarks for each country tile that you land on. But what was the thought process behind choosing the landmarks and how they best represented each country?

Yeah.

Yeah.

So this was Jenna's job because she. And she's the game designer. So she did the research trying to recognize what's the landmark that most of the people could know well in the country. And she provided us with a list of, like many countries with many locations which we didn't implement it into the game.

So this was Jenna's job because she. And she's the game designer. So she did the research trying to recognize what's the landmark that most of the people could know well in the country. And she provided us with a list of, like many countries with many locations which we didn't implement it into the game.

Okay.

Okay.

And are you willing to sort of give us a couple of clues about which ones feature for the Czech Republic? Are we going to see the rotunda of Saint Peter and Paul or maybe Franz Kafka's House or the Divorce Museum? What sort of things really captured the Czech Republic for you?

And are you willing to sort of give us a couple of clues about which ones feature for the Czech Republic? Are we going to see the rotunda of Saint Peter and Paul or maybe Franz Kafka's House or the Divorce Museum? What sort of things really captured the Czech Republic for you?

Ah, for me, I definitely loved Franz Kafka because I visited it many times in the past year in Prague, so it might not be the most famous thing, but I really like it. And then for me, it's we have many old castles in Czech Republic. So again, this is more like personal thing. I don't think it's something that's.

Ah, for me, I definitely loved Franz Kafka because I visited it many times in the past year in Prague, so it might not be the most famous thing, but I really like it. And then for me, it's we have many old castles in Czech Republic. So again, this is more like personal thing. I don't think it's something that's.

No, that's generally known. But yeah, but because like.

No, that's generally known. But yeah, but because like.

When I sort of look it up and people mention Bowditch, which is like one of the oldest buildings and that's the, there's a lot of mythology around this building. And yeah, so it's really, really interesting to find out about that. But it's not, of course, just about the Czech Republic. There are lots of other countries out there on the map, Like for example, you start off with Grace and then there's there's the USA and Spain and Norway, and there's a lot of great little places to check out. So yeah, just play through and find out all about them.

When I sort of look it up and people mention Bowditch, which is like one of the oldest buildings and that's the, there's a lot of mythology around this building. And yeah, so it's really, really interesting to find out about that. But it's not, of course, just about the Czech Republic. There are lots of other countries out there on the map, Like for example, you start off with Grace and then there's there's the USA and Spain and Norway, and there's a lot of great little places to check out. So yeah, just play through and find out all about them.

Maybe one thing I forgot to mention which, which was also part of the inclusive design, if I can, if I can mention it.

Maybe one thing I forgot to mention which, which was also part of the inclusive design, if I can, if I can mention it.

Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah, absolutely.

You have these avatars in the game so you can personalize your profile. And these are like little like pictures of brain with some equipment. So that is brain swimming in under the water with, with the, with video diving equipment. So it's a like visual visual thing. But we try to provide a nice description. So even blind player like goes through the list of the avatars, you get description of each and we try to like again, make a feel by by text description about how how the avatar looks like. And the same is for postcards where you collect like nice graphically done postcard. And then we try to provide some like rich textual descriptions to provide the mood of of what's on the picture. So that was another things that we were like trying to provide with rich text description.

You have these avatars in the game so you can personalize your profile. And these are like little like pictures of brain with some equipment. So that is brain swimming in under the water with, with the, with video diving equipment. So it's a like visual visual thing. But we try to provide a nice description. So even blind player like goes through the list of the avatars, you get description of each and we try to like again, make a feel by by text description about how how the avatar looks like. And the same is for postcards where you collect like nice graphically done postcard. And then we try to provide some like rich textual descriptions to provide the mood of of what's on the picture. So that was another things that we were like trying to provide with rich text description.

And it's also worth noting that Yana herself is totally blind, as I understand it, and that she really brings her lived experience to this game. And so inclusive design is super important for not only her, but, you know, the whole organization, Kiki Reiki games. And you know, that's that's definitely something at the forefront of everything you both do. So it's really interesting to hear about the games that you come up with. So looking forward to hearing all about them. Now the game is available, as I understand, on both the Apple Store and Google Play for Apple and Android users respectively. But does the game cost anything or is it free for people to play?

And it's also worth noting that Yana herself is totally blind, as I understand it, and that she really brings her lived experience to this game. And so inclusive design is super important for not only her, but, you know, the whole organization, Kiki Reiki games. And you know, that's that's definitely something at the forefront of everything you both do. So it's really interesting to hear about the games that you come up with. So looking forward to hearing all about them. Now the game is available, as I understand, on both the Apple Store and Google Play for Apple and Android users respectively. But does the game cost anything or is it free for people to play?

You can download the game for free and play for free. There is some in-game currency that you use during the game, so when you run the quiz, it costs you some in-game coins. Then if you run out of the coins, that is daily reward every day where you can get some more so you can play a few more quizzes. If you like to play more, you can always purchase for early money some of these in-game currencies and then when you answering the questions, then when you get something wrong, then you can like save yourself and either skip or repeat the questions by another in-game currency, which is like diamonds. And again, here, if you don't have diamonds, you can still watch Advertisement or just quit the quiz and run it again. So you can use various strategies how to play the game when you don't have to pay. If you are happy to spend more time watching the diamonds, for example, or if you like to play more or you really like the game and want to support us, then you can always purchase something in the shop for the money.

You can download the game for free and play for free. There is some in-game currency that you use during the game, so when you run the quiz, it costs you some in-game coins. Then if you run out of the coins, that is daily reward every day where you can get some more so you can play a few more quizzes. If you like to play more, you can always purchase for early money some of these in-game currencies and then when you answering the questions, then when you get something wrong, then you can like save yourself and either skip or repeat the questions by another in-game currency, which is like diamonds. And again, here, if you don't have diamonds, you can still watch Advertisement or just quit the quiz and run it again. So you can use various strategies how to play the game when you don't have to pay. If you are happy to spend more time watching the diamonds, for example, or if you like to play more or you really like the game and want to support us, then you can always purchase something in the shop for the money.

Okay.

Okay.

And for more details about Brave Brain, where can people go to find out more?

And for more details about Brave Brain, where can people go to find out more?

So we have a Facebook page, Brave Brain Game, where we like we are pretty active there. So you can find every week some new post about the game. And just recently we started a competition there where you can win some of the in-game currencies. So we we like trying to share as much as we can about the game and and both of you are doing there.

So we have a Facebook page, Brave Brain Game, where we like we are pretty active there. So you can find every week some new post about the game. And just recently we started a competition there where you can win some of the in-game currencies. So we we like trying to share as much as we can about the game and and both of you are doing there.

I've been speaking today with Melosh from Reiki games, the developers of a new quiz game Brave. Spine designed for people who are blind or have low vision to test their trivia skills. Melosh, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to have a chat with you again and hear all about Brave Bruin.

I've been speaking today with Melosh from Reiki games, the developers of a new quiz game Brave. Spine designed for people who are blind or have low vision to test their trivia skills. Melosh, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to have a chat with you again and hear all about Brave Bruin.

Thank you, Sam.

Thank you, Sam.

It was great to be here.

It was great to be here.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio associated stations of Th and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Milos from Kiki Wicked games telling us all about Brave Brain. If you missed any part of that interview or you'd love to hear from Melosh again, that interview will be available as an interview highlight on your favorite podcast platform or through the Vision Australia Library. And of course that's also where you'll find today's episode in full. Or you can also visit via radio. Org. That's RVA radio.org to listen to past episodes and find out more about the show coming up next. It's my great pleasure to welcome a new regular voice to talking vision. It's Sam Dry, otherwise known as Sam from the shop. Here to tell us all about the latest news from the Vision store. Sam, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

I'm Sam Culley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio associated stations of Th and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that interview with Milos from Kiki Wicked games telling us all about Brave Brain. If you missed any part of that interview or you'd love to hear from Melosh again, that interview will be available as an interview highlight on your favorite podcast platform or through the Vision Australia Library. And of course that's also where you'll find today's episode in full. Or you can also visit via radio. Org. That's RVA radio.org to listen to past episodes and find out more about the show coming up next. It's my great pleasure to welcome a new regular voice to talking vision. It's Sam Dry, otherwise known as Sam from the shop. Here to tell us all about the latest news from the Vision store. Sam, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

Thanks, Sam. It's great to be here.

Thanks, Sam. It's great to be here.

Now, firstly, Sam, tell us about the exciting additions to the vision store that have come in.

Now, firstly, Sam, tell us about the exciting additions to the vision store that have come in.

Yeah, of course. So we've basically got our calendar and diary pre-sales which are now open. So we've got three calendars this year. You've got your Seeing Eye Dog's Calendar, which showcases the incredible work of the seeing Eye dogs where you'll get pictures of puppies in training. You've got your artwork calendar, which features artwork from our community of talented blind and low vision artists, and you've got your extra large print calendar, which is a double page calendar with extra large print and bold text. So dates are easier to read.

Yeah, of course. So we've basically got our calendar and diary pre-sales which are now open. So we've got three calendars this year. You've got your Seeing Eye Dog's Calendar, which showcases the incredible work of the seeing Eye dogs where you'll get pictures of puppies in training. You've got your artwork calendar, which features artwork from our community of talented blind and low vision artists, and you've got your extra large print calendar, which is a double page calendar with extra large print and bold text. So dates are easier to read.

All right, wonderful. And how can people grab a copy of the calendar if they're interested?

All right, wonderful. And how can people grab a copy of the calendar if they're interested?

So on our website, simply click on the link and then you'll have the options for all the calendars available. Otherwise, if you're in store, feel free to drop into the store and basically order with one of the staff.

So on our website, simply click on the link and then you'll have the options for all the calendars available. Otherwise, if you're in store, feel free to drop into the store and basically order with one of the staff.

They're awesome. And I understand there's some diaries that are also coming out. Tell us about those.

They're awesome. And I understand there's some diaries that are also coming out. Tell us about those.

Yeah, so it's a large print diary where each date has its own page. It's perfect for writing down important dates that you can keep track of throughout the year.

Yeah, so it's a large print diary where each date has its own page. It's perfect for writing down important dates that you can keep track of throughout the year.

And what else is there in store for people if they head along to the Vision Australia Shop?

And what else is there in store for people if they head along to the Vision Australia Shop?

We've got a huge range of products, so I was thinking maybe today I can just go through two of my favourites. Okay. The first one we've got is one of our magnifiers called the Explorer eight. Yeah, it's probably one of our best selling pieces of technology and it's one of my personal favorites. So the Explorer eight is an eight inch magnifier, which magnifies any piece of text, and it can do up to 30 times of its original size. Or you have to do is rest it over the text and slide it around. It's a perfect gift for avid readers who are struggling with small text that you often see in newspapers and books. It even comes with a travel case, so it's perfect tool to carry around if you're going on holiday.

We've got a huge range of products, so I was thinking maybe today I can just go through two of my favourites. Okay. The first one we've got is one of our magnifiers called the Explorer eight. Yeah, it's probably one of our best selling pieces of technology and it's one of my personal favorites. So the Explorer eight is an eight inch magnifier, which magnifies any piece of text, and it can do up to 30 times of its original size. Or you have to do is rest it over the text and slide it around. It's a perfect gift for avid readers who are struggling with small text that you often see in newspapers and books. It even comes with a travel case, so it's perfect tool to carry around if you're going on holiday.

Wow, that sounds incredible. What's your other favorite? Tell us about.

Wow, that sounds incredible. What's your other favorite? Tell us about.

That. My other favorites, probably the Oli tech easy flip to mobile phone. So it's an easy to use mobile phone, which has a high contrast keyboard and large tactile buttons. It's got voice guidance, so it speaks up the numbers when you dial. And probably one of my favorite features about it is its simplicity. If you receive a call, as soon as you flip it open, it answers the call. And when you close the phone, it hangs up. It makes it a great aid for people who struggle to find the buttons on their phones. And a great gift for somebody who needs a mobile phone.

That. My other favorites, probably the Oli tech easy flip to mobile phone. So it's an easy to use mobile phone, which has a high contrast keyboard and large tactile buttons. It's got voice guidance, so it speaks up the numbers when you dial. And probably one of my favorite features about it is its simplicity. If you receive a call, as soon as you flip it open, it answers the call. And when you close the phone, it hangs up. It makes it a great aid for people who struggle to find the buttons on their phones. And a great gift for somebody who needs a mobile phone.

That's super important for people everywhere to have a mobile phone. So, you know, that's a great little gift for sure to keep people connected. And Sam, Father's Day, of course, is coming up right around the corner. So what sort of gifts has the vision store got for the blind and low vision dads of the world?

That's super important for people everywhere to have a mobile phone. So, you know, that's a great little gift for sure to keep people connected. And Sam, Father's Day, of course, is coming up right around the corner. So what sort of gifts has the vision store got for the blind and low vision dads of the world?

Yeah. So Father's Day right around the corner. The two that come to mind would be firstly, our talking watch range. So as we know, everybody needs to know the time with the watches. What we would say is essentially you've got talking and large print watches, the talking watches have a little button on the top corner that you can click, which will tell you the time perfect for people with low vision. The other watch that we've got, which is somewhat new, is our E one Bradley Range. These watches have two metal ball bearings that basically you feel and you can tell the time from. They're quite stylish so they're definitely a good option for the more fashionable dads out there. Okay.

Yeah. So Father's Day right around the corner. The two that come to mind would be firstly, our talking watch range. So as we know, everybody needs to know the time with the watches. What we would say is essentially you've got talking and large print watches, the talking watches have a little button on the top corner that you can click, which will tell you the time perfect for people with low vision. The other watch that we've got, which is somewhat new, is our E one Bradley Range. These watches have two metal ball bearings that basically you feel and you can tell the time from. They're quite stylish so they're definitely a good option for the more fashionable dads out there. Okay.

And what sort of colors do those watches come in?

And what sort of colors do those watches come in?

So you've got a range of five colors. There's three metal mesh bands which come in black, silver and gold. And then you have a green moss color, which is a leathery band. And then you also got a tan leather option.

So you've got a range of five colors. There's three metal mesh bands which come in black, silver and gold. And then you have a green moss color, which is a leathery band. And then you also got a tan leather option.

All right, wonderful. And Sam, for the sporty dads out there, I understand there's some exciting gifts for them to get their hands on.

All right, wonderful. And Sam, for the sporty dads out there, I understand there's some exciting gifts for them to get their hands on.

Yeah, definitely. So we've got a large range of different sort of audio. Ranging from cricket to soccer balls, but the one where most looking forward to and the one which seems to be popular at the moment is our audible AFL ball. So this basically has a button that is clicked internally and so the ball makes a sort of buzzing sound, meaning that anybody with low vision can join in and play AFL.

Yeah, definitely. So we've got a large range of different sort of audio. Ranging from cricket to soccer balls, but the one where most looking forward to and the one which seems to be popular at the moment is our audible AFL ball. So this basically has a button that is clicked internally and so the ball makes a sort of buzzing sound, meaning that anybody with low vision can join in and play AFL.

Oh wonderful. And that's in addition to the balls that contain bells inside them. Is that correct?

Oh wonderful. And that's in addition to the balls that contain bells inside them. Is that correct?

Correct, yes. So you can get an audible tennis ball, an audible soccer football, and you can even get an audible cricket rugby ball as well.

Correct, yes. So you can get an audible tennis ball, an audible soccer football, and you can even get an audible cricket rugby ball as well.

Oh, well, that's very exciting. Okay. And just to wrap up, Sam, if there are people who are interested in heading along to the vision store, or perhaps they'd like to know more just about the shop in general, what's that website for them to head to?

Oh, well, that's very exciting. Okay. And just to wrap up, Sam, if there are people who are interested in heading along to the vision store, or perhaps they'd like to know more just about the shop in general, what's that website for them to head to?

So you can find it on the Vision Australia website. There's a link that says Vision Store, or you can just type in Vision store into Google and click on the first link.

So you can find it on the Vision Australia website. There's a link that says Vision Store, or you can just type in Vision store into Google and click on the first link.

That's right. Or you can head to shop dot Vision australia.org. That's shop dot Vision australia.org. To find out more. I've been speaking today with Sam Raji, otherwise known as Sam from the shop all about the latest from the Vision Australia Store. Sam, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to catch up and hear all about the latest from the Vision Store.

That's right. Or you can head to shop dot Vision australia.org. That's shop dot Vision australia.org. To find out more. I've been speaking today with Sam Raji, otherwise known as Sam from the shop all about the latest from the Vision Australia Store. Sam, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to catch up and hear all about the latest from the Vision Store.

Thanks so much for having me, Sam.

Thanks so much for having me, Sam.

And finally, in some news this week, before we go, the blonde citizens Australia c r is stepping down. Blind Citizens Australia has recently announced the resignation of CEO Sally Andrews as she takes up an opportunity to dedicate herself to academic study. Sally has been with BCA for almost six years, becoming CEO. In January of 2022. Sally will depart in late September following a recruitment process to select her replacement from the team at Talking Vision. We'd love to thank Sally for her passion and the valuable contributions she has made for many years to policy and advocacy endeavours in the blind and low vision sector, which of course only increased during her time as CEO. We wish her every success in the next chapter in her career. And further to this, we wish to thank Sally for her tremendous generosity with her time over the past few years, making herself available to chat with us about a range of important issues that affect the blind and low vision community. It's also my great pleasure to welcome Sally onto the show in the next couple of weeks to chat about her time at Blind Citizens Australia and things she's looking forward to in the next stage of her career. You can also find more information about this story on the Blind Citizens Australia website at BCA for you. That's BCA for you. In other news, there's some exciting developments in the world of public transport accessibility. It's hoped that blind and low vision passengers on Melbourne's tram network may be able to get where they need to more easily, with a trial of a new navigation app to be installed on every tram stop on Route 96, as well as on all 100 A-class trams which run on routes 1130, 58 and 86. When the codes are scanned, the app audibly provides passengers with information on their current location routes serving the location as well as live tram arrival information. The app is called Navi Lens and Yarra Trams have introduced the wayfinding and passenger information concept to Melbourne's tram network. The way it works is it takes the concept of QR codes and makes it possible for a mobile app to describe object than locations or present dynamic content, increasing tram accessibility and assisting those who are blind or have low vision with audible real time information. Yarra Trams is currently running a trial of the Netherlands technology and I invite you to join the trial. All you need to do is download the Netherlands app onto your smartphone and you're ready to go. You can register as a trial participant to provide feedback and subscribe to new regular app updates. The app is currently available on both the Apple Store and Google Play for people to download. And if you'd like to find out more about the app or you'd like to sign up as a trial participant, head to the Yarra Trams website at Yarra Trams for you. That's Yarra Trams, Dot Edu and that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together. And remember we love your feedback and comments, so please do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Culley saying bye for now.

And finally, in some news this week, before we go, the blonde citizens Australia c r is stepping down. Blind Citizens Australia has recently announced the resignation of CEO Sally Andrews as she takes up an opportunity to dedicate herself to academic study. Sally has been with BCA for almost six years, becoming CEO. In January of 2022. Sally will depart in late September following a recruitment process to select her replacement from the team at Talking Vision. We'd love to thank Sally for her passion and the valuable contributions she has made for many years to policy and advocacy endeavours in the blind and low vision sector, which of course only increased during her time as CEO. We wish her every success in the next chapter in her career. And further to this, we wish to thank Sally for her tremendous generosity with her time over the past few years, making herself available to chat with us about a range of important issues that affect the blind and low vision community. It's also my great pleasure to welcome Sally onto the show in the next couple of weeks to chat about her time at Blind Citizens Australia and things she's looking forward to in the next stage of her career. You can also find more information about this story on the Blind Citizens Australia website at BCA for you. That's BCA for you. In other news, there's some exciting developments in the world of public transport accessibility. It's hoped that blind and low vision passengers on Melbourne's tram network may be able to get where they need to more easily, with a trial of a new navigation app to be installed on every tram stop on Route 96, as well as on all 100 A-class trams which run on routes 1130, 58 and 86. When the codes are scanned, the app audibly provides passengers with information on their current location routes serving the location as well as live tram arrival information. The app is called Navi Lens and Yarra Trams have introduced the wayfinding and passenger information concept to Melbourne's tram network. The way it works is it takes the concept of QR codes and makes it possible for a mobile app to describe object than locations or present dynamic content, increasing tram accessibility and assisting those who are blind or have low vision with audible real time information. Yarra Trams is currently running a trial of the Netherlands technology and I invite you to join the trial. All you need to do is download the Netherlands app onto your smartphone and you're ready to go. You can register as a trial participant to provide feedback and subscribe to new regular app updates. The app is currently available on both the Apple Store and Google Play for people to download. And if you'd like to find out more about the app or you'd like to sign up as a trial participant, head to the Yarra Trams website at Yarra Trams for you. That's Yarra Trams, Dot Edu and that's all we have time for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking Vision is a production of Vision Australia Radio. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together. And remember we love your feedback and comments, so please do get in touch on Talking vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all one word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Culley saying bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 308 474 W6 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on one 308 4746. That's one 308 474 W6 or by visiting Vision australia.org that's Vision australia.org.