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

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

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 had a phone call from a support coordinator who told me that they had a participant who recently has low vision, who's played basketball previously and would like to know if we could cater to them. And my immediate thought was, oh my God, no, we can't. And that's where it began, because it was like, well, if we want to be inclusive and we want to have basketball for everyone, which we do, we need to find a way to make sure that everybody that wants to play is able to play in an environment that's suitable to them.

I had a phone call from a support coordinator who told me that they had a participant who recently has low vision, who's played basketball previously and would like to know if we could cater to them. And my immediate thought was, oh my God, no, we can't. And that's where it began, because it was like, well, if we want to be inclusive and we want to have basketball for everyone, which we do, we need to find a way to make sure that everybody that wants to play is able to play in an environment that's suitable to them.

Welcome to the program. This week we've got a few free exciting events coming up over the next few weeks, like a brand new basketball program that's just recently kicked off. We hear from Tanya Thomas from the Frankston and District Basketball Association to tell us all about blind and low vision basketball, and a weekly games and skills session for people to try blind and low vision basketball for themselves. That conversations right around the corner. So make sure to stick around. Then we're hear from Maureen O'Reilly. She's here to tell us all about an upcoming event in conversation with Sally rippin at the Vision Australia Library in Kooyong, as well as some exciting Science Week events at the Queensland Museum. And then finally this week, Frances Keelan joins us with a reader recommended. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Talking Vision. Our next guest on Talking Vision this week joins me from the Frankston and District Basketball Association, who have recently set up one of the first, if not the first, blind and low vision basketball programs in Australia. They've been running weekly sessions every Tuesday morning since the start of June, and so far they're heading in to September. So to tell us all about the weekly programs, I'm joined by the PhD MBAs, program support and merchandise officer, Tanya Thomas. Tanya, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

Welcome to the program. This week we've got a few free exciting events coming up over the next few weeks, like a brand new basketball program that's just recently kicked off. We hear from Tanya Thomas from the Frankston and District Basketball Association to tell us all about blind and low vision basketball, and a weekly games and skills session for people to try blind and low vision basketball for themselves. That conversations right around the corner. So make sure to stick around. Then we're hear from Maureen O'Reilly. She's here to tell us all about an upcoming event in conversation with Sally rippin at the Vision Australia Library in Kooyong, as well as some exciting Science Week events at the Queensland Museum. And then finally this week, Frances Keelan joins us with a reader recommended. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Talking Vision. Our next guest on Talking Vision this week joins me from the Frankston and District Basketball Association, who have recently set up one of the first, if not the first, blind and low vision basketball programs in Australia. They've been running weekly sessions every Tuesday morning since the start of June, and so far they're heading in to September. So to tell us all about the weekly programs, I'm joined by the PhD MBAs, program support and merchandise officer, Tanya Thomas. Tanya, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time today.

Thank you so much for having me, Sam.

Thank you so much for having me, Sam.

Now, Tanya, firstly, there's a question that's on the minds of quite a few listeners out there. When they hear about blind and low vision basketball, they might be wondering what is blind and low vision basketball. How does that differ from the sighted variety that people may be used to?

Now, Tanya, firstly, there's a question that's on the minds of quite a few listeners out there. When they hear about blind and low vision basketball, they might be wondering what is blind and low vision basketball. How does that differ from the sighted variety that people may be used to?

It's played differently. So we have equipment that makes the basketball more accessible to people who do have low vision or are blind. Things like our basketball is an audio basketball, so it has a bell in it. We use code words and um, special instructions so to speak, when we're when we're doing our drills and playing our games. And we have a buzzer, a sound that attaches to our basketball ring so that we can, um, understand where we're shooting the ball to.

It's played differently. So we have equipment that makes the basketball more accessible to people who do have low vision or are blind. Things like our basketball is an audio basketball, so it has a bell in it. We use code words and um, special instructions so to speak, when we're when we're doing our drills and playing our games. And we have a buzzer, a sound that attaches to our basketball ring so that we can, um, understand where we're shooting the ball to.

And how long have you been running these basketball sessions? Is this as far as you're aware? Is this the first blind and low vision basketball sessions that you're aware of?

And how long have you been running these basketball sessions? Is this as far as you're aware? Is this the first blind and low vision basketball sessions that you're aware of?

As far as we're aware, it is the first one in the country. Wow. When we were looking at making this program, we did a lot of extensive research, uh, seeing if there was something that we could build from, um, and we just couldn't find anything that was within the realm of this type of basketball.

As far as we're aware, it is the first one in the country. Wow. When we were looking at making this program, we did a lot of extensive research, uh, seeing if there was something that we could build from, um, and we just couldn't find anything that was within the realm of this type of basketball.

Well, that's incredible. And that's, um, you know, probably one of the major motivations for, um, you know, creating something like this. But how did this, um, sort of thing get off the ground? Where did the idea really stem from?

Well, that's incredible. And that's, um, you know, probably one of the major motivations for, um, you know, creating something like this. But how did this, um, sort of thing get off the ground? Where did the idea really stem from?

In my my job, I'm program support officer at Frankston and District Basketball Association, and I do the, um, inclusion programs. So that's my my whole focus and my lens is always within the programs that everybody needs to be able to participate in programs. And how do we remove barriers so people can participate. And we get a lot of phone calls and a lot of interest in our, our all abilities basketball. And I had a phone call from a support coordinator who told me that they had a participant who is, uh, recently has low vision who's played basketball previously and would like to know if we could cater to them. And my immediate thought was, oh, my God, no, we can't. And that's where it began, because it was like, well, if we want to be inclusive and we want to have basketball for everyone, which we do, we need to find a way to make sure that everybody that wants to play is able to play in an environment that's suitable to them.

In my my job, I'm program support officer at Frankston and District Basketball Association, and I do the, um, inclusion programs. So that's my my whole focus and my lens is always within the programs that everybody needs to be able to participate in programs. And how do we remove barriers so people can participate. And we get a lot of phone calls and a lot of interest in our, our all abilities basketball. And I had a phone call from a support coordinator who told me that they had a participant who is, uh, recently has low vision who's played basketball previously and would like to know if we could cater to them. And my immediate thought was, oh, my God, no, we can't. And that's where it began, because it was like, well, if we want to be inclusive and we want to have basketball for everyone, which we do, we need to find a way to make sure that everybody that wants to play is able to play in an environment that's suitable to them.

Okay, well that's fantastic and it's great to hear that. You know, there is an option for people out there who are blind or have low vision to get onto the court and play some basketball. So on that point, Tanya, I'd love to hear some details about the sessions themselves. You've covered off on a little bit about the equipment, but what sort of things can people expect when they get out onto the court to play? Sure.

Okay, well that's fantastic and it's great to hear that. You know, there is an option for people out there who are blind or have low vision to get onto the court and play some basketball. So on that point, Tanya, I'd love to hear some details about the sessions themselves. You've covered off on a little bit about the equipment, but what sort of things can people expect when they get out onto the court to play? Sure.

Well, a typical session starts to have about 10:00 on a Tuesday morning at the moment. Um, our participants come in and we gather together in a group. We introduce ourselves so everybody knows who everybody is, coach and other players. We then ask people if they've played basketball before or, you know, I've ever been on a basketball court before. Also, we discuss with our players if they're comfortable to share with us their degree of vision loss. So what they can see, what they can't see, you know, if the lights are too glaring and things like that, just so we can make some more adjustments for the people that we have on any particular day. We do have a Braille map of the court for people who have no sight, and would like to know, have never been on a basketball court, so to speak, and would like to know you just get more familiar with their surroundings. We've also found for people who do have no sight at all, that sometimes if they've never seen a basketball court or if they've never seen a basketball ring, they don't really know the size of it or what they're aiming for. So we do have a smaller version that we allow people to feel and touch, and just to get an understanding of what they're aiming for. After we've done that, we all gather at the baseline on the court and we run through our warm up drills with our coach. So our coach is a volunteer coach. His name is Brad. Brad also has degrees of vision loss. And so he walks through the warm ups with all the participants. So we do some stretches and some things like that. Just because we're using muscles and body parts that maybe we don't use every single day. So, um, just like regular basketball, you want to make sure that you're warming up your muscles before you get out there. Um, then we start with a getting to know thing. So again, getting to know where we are, making sure everybody's happy, everybody's comfortable. Um, we'll pass the ball around. People get a bit of a feel for it. Um, sometimes if you want to bounce it, you can bounce it. It's totally up to people. And then we move into our drills. So, um, our drills are pretty much the same drills that you'd seen in regular basketball around the world, which is a shooting basketball drill that we do. We've got some group passing, some individual passing, uh, dribbling up and down the court for people that feel comfortable to do it. And we've probably got about 4 or 5 participants at the moment who feel quite comfortable to do that. We use half court settings, full court settings. It's really up to the participants how they feel and how much they would like to do, or how little they would like to do. There's never any pressure to do anything that you're not comfortable with. And, um, just recently we've moved into, um, uh, 2V2 unofficial but social mini games. So for the participants who feel that they're ready to do that.

Well, a typical session starts to have about 10:00 on a Tuesday morning at the moment. Um, our participants come in and we gather together in a group. We introduce ourselves so everybody knows who everybody is, coach and other players. We then ask people if they've played basketball before or, you know, I've ever been on a basketball court before. Also, we discuss with our players if they're comfortable to share with us their degree of vision loss. So what they can see, what they can't see, you know, if the lights are too glaring and things like that, just so we can make some more adjustments for the people that we have on any particular day. We do have a Braille map of the court for people who have no sight, and would like to know, have never been on a basketball court, so to speak, and would like to know you just get more familiar with their surroundings. We've also found for people who do have no sight at all, that sometimes if they've never seen a basketball court or if they've never seen a basketball ring, they don't really know the size of it or what they're aiming for. So we do have a smaller version that we allow people to feel and touch, and just to get an understanding of what they're aiming for. After we've done that, we all gather at the baseline on the court and we run through our warm up drills with our coach. So our coach is a volunteer coach. His name is Brad. Brad also has degrees of vision loss. And so he walks through the warm ups with all the participants. So we do some stretches and some things like that. Just because we're using muscles and body parts that maybe we don't use every single day. So, um, just like regular basketball, you want to make sure that you're warming up your muscles before you get out there. Um, then we start with a getting to know thing. So again, getting to know where we are, making sure everybody's happy, everybody's comfortable. Um, we'll pass the ball around. People get a bit of a feel for it. Um, sometimes if you want to bounce it, you can bounce it. It's totally up to people. And then we move into our drills. So, um, our drills are pretty much the same drills that you'd seen in regular basketball around the world, which is a shooting basketball drill that we do. We've got some group passing, some individual passing, uh, dribbling up and down the court for people that feel comfortable to do it. And we've probably got about 4 or 5 participants at the moment who feel quite comfortable to do that. We use half court settings, full court settings. It's really up to the participants how they feel and how much they would like to do, or how little they would like to do. There's never any pressure to do anything that you're not comfortable with. And, um, just recently we've moved into, um, uh, 2V2 unofficial but social mini games. So for the participants who feel that they're ready to do that.

And, um, in terms of who can play Tanya, as I understand it, that's available to all participants who are blind or have low vision of any age. Is that correct? Are there any. Yeah. Okay. Ah, perfect. And in terms of where and when these sessions are taking place, where can people head to to get onto the court and, um, get involved or when do the sessions happen as well?

And, um, in terms of who can play Tanya, as I understand it, that's available to all participants who are blind or have low vision of any age. Is that correct? Are there any. Yeah. Okay. Ah, perfect. And in terms of where and when these sessions are taking place, where can people head to to get onto the court and, um, get involved or when do the sessions happen as well?

So at the moment we've got sessions on a Tuesday morning up until the 3rd of September, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. We did have some Sunday sessions earlier on in June. Um, they haven't been particularly popular at the moment, so we might just wait and see if people have more other preferred days where we can possibly facilitate some some other sessions to make it more accessible to people. But these programs run out of Frankston Basketball Stadium, which is at 90 Bardia Avenue.

So at the moment we've got sessions on a Tuesday morning up until the 3rd of September, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on a Tuesday. We did have some Sunday sessions earlier on in June. Um, they haven't been particularly popular at the moment, so we might just wait and see if people have more other preferred days where we can possibly facilitate some some other sessions to make it more accessible to people. But these programs run out of Frankston Basketball Stadium, which is at 90 Bardia Avenue.

In.

In.

Seaford.

Seaford.

And yeah.

And yeah.

So our so there every every Tuesday, uh, right up until the 3rd of September, um, public holidays or school holidays, there wouldn't be any sessions. But other than that, they're available on those days.

So our so there every every Tuesday, uh, right up until the 3rd of September, um, public holidays or school holidays, there wouldn't be any sessions. But other than that, they're available on those days.

And one of the exciting things, Tanya, is it's free of charge for people out there. That's a great little aspect to it as well, isn't it? It is. Absolutely.

And one of the exciting things, Tanya, is it's free of charge for people out there. That's a great little aspect to it as well, isn't it? It is. Absolutely.

Yeah. I would hate to think that financial barrier was the barrier that people weren't able to come and utilize this program if they wanted to. So at Frankston, we look at it as our responsibility to the community to be able to provide programs that everyone can access.

Yeah. I would hate to think that financial barrier was the barrier that people weren't able to come and utilize this program if they wanted to. So at Frankston, we look at it as our responsibility to the community to be able to provide programs that everyone can access.

Well that's fantastic. And if people would love to head along and sign up to get out onto the court and get involved, what's the best way for them to register?

Well that's fantastic. And if people would love to head along and sign up to get out onto the court and get involved, what's the best way for them to register?

There is a registration link online. Um, if people are not able to access that can either call the stadium and speak to me directly and I can help people register.

There is a registration link online. Um, if people are not able to access that can either call the stadium and speak to me directly and I can help people register.

And what is that best email or the best phone number for them to get in touch? Or perhaps the Ftba website as well?

And what is that best email or the best phone number for them to get in touch? Or perhaps the Ftba website as well?

Yeah. So the best email is Tanya Thomas at fiba.com. So if they wanted to give a phone call, the best number is 97768999 or logging on to fiba.com. Edu slash inclusion.

Yeah. So the best email is Tanya Thomas at fiba.com. So if they wanted to give a phone call, the best number is 97768999 or logging on to fiba.com. Edu slash inclusion.

Perfect. Well, I've been speaking today with Tanya Thomas, program support officer from the Frankston and District Basketball Association, here to chat to me all about the blind and low vision basketball games and drills happening at the Frankston Basketball Centre every Tuesday. Tanya, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to hear more about blind and low vision basketball and all the best for the future sessions.

Perfect. Well, I've been speaking today with Tanya Thomas, program support officer from the Frankston and District Basketball Association, here to chat to me all about the blind and low vision basketball games and drills happening at the Frankston Basketball Centre every Tuesday. Tanya, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to hear more about blind and low vision basketball and all the best for the future sessions.

Thank you Sam and thank you for having me on today.

Thank you Sam and thank you for having me on today.

I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Tanya Thomas from the Feba. If you missed any part of that conversation with Tanya or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website at RVA radio.org. That's RVA radio or one word.org. Or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. Our second guest this week is here to tell us all about a couple of free events that the Vision Australia Library is involved with over the next few weeks. One of those is a conversation with Sally Rippon as she visits the library in Kooyong, but also for our Queensland based listeners, the Science Week exhibits at the Queensland Museum also have a lot to offer, with dinosaur bones and fossils and a tactile tour for kids to enjoy. To tell us all about these events, I'm joined by the Vision Australia Library's Community engagement coordinator, Maureen O'Reilly. Maureen, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.

I'm Sam Corley and you're listening to Talking Vision on Vision Australia Radio. Associated Stations of Reading Radio and the Community Radio Network. I hope you enjoyed that conversation there with Tanya Thomas from the Feba. If you missed any part of that conversation with Tanya or you'd love to hear it again. Talking vision is available on the Vision Australia Radio website at RVA radio.org. That's RVA radio or one word.org. Or you can find the program on the podcast app of your choice or through the Vision Australia library. Our second guest this week is here to tell us all about a couple of free events that the Vision Australia Library is involved with over the next few weeks. One of those is a conversation with Sally Rippon as she visits the library in Kooyong, but also for our Queensland based listeners, the Science Week exhibits at the Queensland Museum also have a lot to offer, with dinosaur bones and fossils and a tactile tour for kids to enjoy. To tell us all about these events, I'm joined by the Vision Australia Library's Community engagement coordinator, Maureen O'Reilly. Maureen, welcome to Talking Vision. Thanks so much for your time.

I'm very excited. I feel like quite the celebrity.

I'm very excited. I feel like quite the celebrity.

Well, you certainly are today. Welcome to Talking Vision. Now, firstly, Maureen, I think we will jump in to the first event we're talking about today, the Sally rippin event. This is quite exciting.

Well, you certainly are today. Welcome to Talking Vision. Now, firstly, Maureen, I think we will jump in to the first event we're talking about today, the Sally rippin event. This is quite exciting.

We are very, very, very privileged to have Sally rippin coming into Vision Australia. Sally is an amazing author. She has written hundreds of well over 100 books for children and young adults, and she was recently appointed the Australian Children's Laureate for 24 and 2025. So as part of that, she has a mantra which is that all kids can be readers. So she's working in partnership with Vision Australia Library and putting on a fabulous event for us. So we are incredibly privileged.

We are very, very, very privileged to have Sally rippin coming into Vision Australia. Sally is an amazing author. She has written hundreds of well over 100 books for children and young adults, and she was recently appointed the Australian Children's Laureate for 24 and 2025. So as part of that, she has a mantra which is that all kids can be readers. So she's working in partnership with Vision Australia Library and putting on a fabulous event for us. So we are incredibly privileged.

And let's get some details about that event. Maureen, where and when can people expect to head along to that event?

And let's get some details about that event. Maureen, where and when can people expect to head along to that event?

Well, it's on Tuesday the 20th of August and it's from 10 a.m. in the morning till 230 in the afternoon at our Keong office, the Vision Australia office in Keong in Victoria. So essentially Sally's going to come down and have a wonderful day of creativity and laughter and storytelling and host an amazing writing workshop with our young members of the Vision Australia community. So she's going to have a wonderful group of our children who will be imagining fantastical worlds, hysterical characters, taking them on awe inspiring journeys. And as the children create all of these wonderful characters and storylines, Sally is going to help them mould these ideas into a unique story. And then once that story is finalised, we will produce it in large print, in Braille, and also in an audio version for our budding authors.

Well, it's on Tuesday the 20th of August and it's from 10 a.m. in the morning till 230 in the afternoon at our Keong office, the Vision Australia office in Keong in Victoria. So essentially Sally's going to come down and have a wonderful day of creativity and laughter and storytelling and host an amazing writing workshop with our young members of the Vision Australia community. So she's going to have a wonderful group of our children who will be imagining fantastical worlds, hysterical characters, taking them on awe inspiring journeys. And as the children create all of these wonderful characters and storylines, Sally is going to help them mould these ideas into a unique story. And then once that story is finalised, we will produce it in large print, in Braille, and also in an audio version for our budding authors.

Excellent. And there's also something in store for our Queensland based clients up in, um, in Brisbane with, um, the science exhibits going on there.

Excellent. And there's also something in store for our Queensland based clients up in, um, in Brisbane with, um, the science exhibits going on there.

Exactly. For Science Week. We'd love to, uh, celebrate Science Week. We're inviting all our children and their families and siblings to come along to the Queensland Museum to touch, feel and imagine a world filled with dinosaurs. So we have a really very unique opportunity for our younger members to come into the museum and get a behind the scenes tour of the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibition at Queensland Museum.

Exactly. For Science Week. We'd love to, uh, celebrate Science Week. We're inviting all our children and their families and siblings to come along to the Queensland Museum to touch, feel and imagine a world filled with dinosaurs. So we have a really very unique opportunity for our younger members to come into the museum and get a behind the scenes tour of the Dinosaurs Unearthed exhibition at Queensland Museum.

Okay, so that's Queensland Museum during Science Week. So in in particular during Science Week, what sort of days and times are we looking at there?

Okay, so that's Queensland Museum during Science Week. So in in particular during Science Week, what sort of days and times are we looking at there?

So it's on Saturday the 10th of August and it's from 9 a.m. in the morning until 11 a.m. in the morning, and it's an in-person event. So our young clients will get to touch real fossils. They'll get to feel ancient dinosaur bones. They'll be holding replica dinosaur eggs. It's a very tactile and sanctuary adventure, which is tailored specifically, specifically for our vision impaired members. And we're going to take them right behind the scenes to an exhibition that features over 100 locally discovered fossils and meteorites from Queensland, and 50 life size reconstructions of Queensland's prehistoric species. So it's a beautiful, tactile tour. It's a got a wonderful soundscape, so it's really quite an immersive experience taking them back in time, being able to feel and touch things, hear the noises as we would imagine that they were surrounding the dinosaurs back in prehistoric times.

So it's on Saturday the 10th of August and it's from 9 a.m. in the morning until 11 a.m. in the morning, and it's an in-person event. So our young clients will get to touch real fossils. They'll get to feel ancient dinosaur bones. They'll be holding replica dinosaur eggs. It's a very tactile and sanctuary adventure, which is tailored specifically, specifically for our vision impaired members. And we're going to take them right behind the scenes to an exhibition that features over 100 locally discovered fossils and meteorites from Queensland, and 50 life size reconstructions of Queensland's prehistoric species. So it's a beautiful, tactile tour. It's a got a wonderful soundscape, so it's really quite an immersive experience taking them back in time, being able to feel and touch things, hear the noises as we would imagine that they were surrounding the dinosaurs back in prehistoric times.

Mhm. And that's a universally popular topic with kids out there. I think all through the generations from all ages, parents, grandparents and kids and grandchildren, they'll all have that memory of, you know, getting obsessed with dinosaurs at one point or another. So I'm sure that'll be super popular now. Maureen, if people would love to head along to either of these events to sign up, or perhaps find out a little bit more, what's the best way for them to do that?

Mhm. And that's a universally popular topic with kids out there. I think all through the generations from all ages, parents, grandparents and kids and grandchildren, they'll all have that memory of, you know, getting obsessed with dinosaurs at one point or another. So I'm sure that'll be super popular now. Maureen, if people would love to head along to either of these events to sign up, or perhaps find out a little bit more, what's the best way for them to do that?

So the best thing they can do is to go on the Vision Australia website, and if they go to the library section, they will see an event page for all of the events that we have coming up, but in particular for our younger members, There will be the Children's Book Week with Sally rippin, and that is our opportunity to come into Keong. It will give them all the details on the date being the 20th of August, the timing and exactly what's going to be involved, including lunch and then an audio reading across the country to our selected primary schools of this book that they've created. And all of that is a free event for our vision Australian members as well. And then if they go on the website, there will also be a wonderful event page for the world filled with dinosaurs. And again, it will have the date, the 10th of August, the time, the location and all the details of what this sensory experience will involve. And that includes morning tea. And again, that is a free event for our younger members and their families.

So the best thing they can do is to go on the Vision Australia website, and if they go to the library section, they will see an event page for all of the events that we have coming up, but in particular for our younger members, There will be the Children's Book Week with Sally rippin, and that is our opportunity to come into Keong. It will give them all the details on the date being the 20th of August, the timing and exactly what's going to be involved, including lunch and then an audio reading across the country to our selected primary schools of this book that they've created. And all of that is a free event for our vision Australian members as well. And then if they go on the website, there will also be a wonderful event page for the world filled with dinosaurs. And again, it will have the date, the 10th of August, the time, the location and all the details of what this sensory experience will involve. And that includes morning tea. And again, that is a free event for our younger members and their families.

Great news that they're both free. That is a wonderful little aspect there. And that does make it a lot more affordable for people out there. So that's super important as well.

Great news that they're both free. That is a wonderful little aspect there. And that does make it a lot more affordable for people out there. So that's super important as well.

And it's really lovely one, that it's accessible because it is free, but it's also a really unique experience that otherwise they just wouldn't get to experience. I mean, it is amazing getting to spend time with Sally. RIP and Sally wrote the Billy B Brown series, which are amazingly popular the hey Jack series. She had the School of Monsters series at the moment, which is hugely popular, but she also wrote one of my favorite books, which is a delightful picture book called Come Over to My House and that explores the home and the lives of children and parents who are deaf and disabled. And it's really quite a unique book that is just about these children inviting their friends that they meet in the playground to come round to my place and see what it's like. It's like any other family. It just has different challenges. Yeah, and we all know families have challenges.

And it's really lovely one, that it's accessible because it is free, but it's also a really unique experience that otherwise they just wouldn't get to experience. I mean, it is amazing getting to spend time with Sally. RIP and Sally wrote the Billy B Brown series, which are amazingly popular the hey Jack series. She had the School of Monsters series at the moment, which is hugely popular, but she also wrote one of my favorite books, which is a delightful picture book called Come Over to My House and that explores the home and the lives of children and parents who are deaf and disabled. And it's really quite a unique book that is just about these children inviting their friends that they meet in the playground to come round to my place and see what it's like. It's like any other family. It just has different challenges. Yeah, and we all know families have challenges.

Certainly. That's very true. Oh well, I've been speaking today with Maureen O'Reilly, community engagement coordinator from the Vision Australia Library, here to chat to me about the upcoming Book Week event with Sally Rippon, as well as Science Week at the Queensland Museum for people to check out some dinosaur exhibits and get their hands on a few bones and fossils. Maureen, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to hear about both these events. All the best and hope it absolutely goes gangbusters.

Certainly. That's very true. Oh well, I've been speaking today with Maureen O'Reilly, community engagement coordinator from the Vision Australia Library, here to chat to me about the upcoming Book Week event with Sally Rippon, as well as Science Week at the Queensland Museum for people to check out some dinosaur exhibits and get their hands on a few bones and fossils. Maureen, thanks so much for your time today. It was great to hear about both these events. All the best and hope it absolutely goes gangbusters.

Oh thank you. And I really hope that our families come down, because particularly the way that the museum presents dinosaurs and fossils and all these imagined environments. It's so different from when we were kids, and it's just so real and immersive. What the children can experience at the museum. They're not little dusty places anymore.

Oh thank you. And I really hope that our families come down, because particularly the way that the museum presents dinosaurs and fossils and all these imagined environments. It's so different from when we were kids, and it's just so real and immersive. What the children can experience at the museum. They're not little dusty places anymore.

And now here's Frances Kelland with her reader recommended.

And now here's Frances Kelland with her reader recommended.

I thought a good reader recommended today would be becoming by Michelle Obama. When she was a little girl, Michelle Robinson's world was the South Side of Chicago, where she and her brother Craig shared a bedroom in their family's upstairs apartment and played catch in the park and where her parents, Fraser and Marian Robinson, raised her to be outspoken and unafraid. But life soon took her much further afield from the halls of Princeton, where she learned for the first time what it felt like to be the only black woman in a room to the glassy office tower where she worked as a high powered corporate lawyer, and where one summer morning, a law student named Barack Obama appeared in her office and upended all her carefully made plans. Here for the first time. Michelle Obama describes the early years of her marriage as she struggles to balance her work and family with her husband's fast moving political career. She takes us inside their private debate over whether he should make a run for the presidency and her subsequent role as a popular but oft criticized figure during his campaign. Narrating with grace, good humor, and uncommon candor, she provides a vivid, behind the scenes account of her family's history making launch into the global limelight, as well as their life inside the white House over eight momentous years as she comes to know her country and her country comes to know her. Let's hear a sample of Becoming by Michelle Obama, and it's narrated by Michelle Obama herself.

I thought a good reader recommended today would be becoming by Michelle Obama. When she was a little girl, Michelle Robinson's world was the South Side of Chicago, where she and her brother Craig shared a bedroom in their family's upstairs apartment and played catch in the park and where her parents, Fraser and Marian Robinson, raised her to be outspoken and unafraid. But life soon took her much further afield from the halls of Princeton, where she learned for the first time what it felt like to be the only black woman in a room to the glassy office tower where she worked as a high powered corporate lawyer, and where one summer morning, a law student named Barack Obama appeared in her office and upended all her carefully made plans. Here for the first time. Michelle Obama describes the early years of her marriage as she struggles to balance her work and family with her husband's fast moving political career. She takes us inside their private debate over whether he should make a run for the presidency and her subsequent role as a popular but oft criticized figure during his campaign. Narrating with grace, good humor, and uncommon candor, she provides a vivid, behind the scenes account of her family's history making launch into the global limelight, as well as their life inside the white House over eight momentous years as she comes to know her country and her country comes to know her. Let's hear a sample of Becoming by Michelle Obama, and it's narrated by Michelle Obama herself.

My dad's Buick continued to be our shelter, our window to the world. We took it out on Sundays and summer evenings, cruising for no reason but the fact that we could. Sometimes we'd end up in a neighborhood to the south, an area known as Pill Hill, due to an apparently large number of African American doctors living there. It was one of the prettier, more affluent parts of the South Side, where people kept two cars in the driveway and had abundant beds of flowers blooming along their walkways. My father viewed rich people with a shade of suspicion. He didn't like people who were uppity and had mixed feelings about home ownership in general. There was a short period when he and my mom considered buying a home for sale not far from Robby's house, driving over one day to inspect the place with a real estate agent, but ultimately deciding against it. At the time, I'd been all for it. In my mind, I thought it would mean something if my family could live in a place with more than one floor. But my father was innately cautious, aware of the trade offs, understanding the need to maintain some savings for a rainy day. You never want to be house poor, he'd tell us, explaining how some people handed over their savings and borrowed too much, ending up with a nice home but no freedom at all. My parents talked to us like we were adults. They didn't lecture, but rather indulge every question we asked, no matter how juvenile. They never hurried a discussion for the sake of convenience. Our talks could go on for hours, often because Craig and I took every opportunity to grill my parents about things we didn't understand. When we were little, we'd ask, why do people go to the bathroom? Or why do you need a job? And then blitz them with follow ups?

My dad's Buick continued to be our shelter, our window to the world. We took it out on Sundays and summer evenings, cruising for no reason but the fact that we could. Sometimes we'd end up in a neighborhood to the south, an area known as Pill Hill, due to an apparently large number of African American doctors living there. It was one of the prettier, more affluent parts of the South Side, where people kept two cars in the driveway and had abundant beds of flowers blooming along their walkways. My father viewed rich people with a shade of suspicion. He didn't like people who were uppity and had mixed feelings about home ownership in general. There was a short period when he and my mom considered buying a home for sale not far from Robby's house, driving over one day to inspect the place with a real estate agent, but ultimately deciding against it. At the time, I'd been all for it. In my mind, I thought it would mean something if my family could live in a place with more than one floor. But my father was innately cautious, aware of the trade offs, understanding the need to maintain some savings for a rainy day. You never want to be house poor, he'd tell us, explaining how some people handed over their savings and borrowed too much, ending up with a nice home but no freedom at all. My parents talked to us like we were adults. They didn't lecture, but rather indulge every question we asked, no matter how juvenile. They never hurried a discussion for the sake of convenience. Our talks could go on for hours, often because Craig and I took every opportunity to grill my parents about things we didn't understand. When we were little, we'd ask, why do people go to the bathroom? Or why do you need a job? And then blitz them with follow ups?

So that was becoming by Michelle Obama. It was released in November 2018, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Spoken Word Audio. If you would like to borrow that or find out what other wonderful books we have in the library collection, you can always call 1300 654 656. That's 1300 654 656. Or you can email library at Vision Australia. Org that's library at Vision Australia. Org.

So that was becoming by Michelle Obama. It was released in November 2018, and it was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Spoken Word Audio. If you would like to borrow that or find out what other wonderful books we have in the library collection, you can always call 1300 654 656. That's 1300 654 656. Or you can email library at Vision Australia. Org that's library at Vision Australia. Org.

Finally this week, in some rather big news, Ron Horton will be moving on after 11 years as CEO of Vision Australia. In his own words, Ron feels it's now time for him to take a break, recharge his batteries and seek a new opportunity. The board has advised that Vision Australia's chief financial officer Justine Heath, will assume the role of acting CEO from the 2nd of August. She has the full support of Vision Australia's very capable leadership team and we wish them well in leading Vision Australia forward between now and the 2nd of August. We'll see if we can have a chat with Ron right here on Talking Vision to say farewell to our listeners. But before then, from us at Talking Vision, we thank Ron and recognize his very great contribution to our organization, our clients and our team. And that's all the time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week and remember we love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Collins saying bye for now.

Finally this week, in some rather big news, Ron Horton will be moving on after 11 years as CEO of Vision Australia. In his own words, Ron feels it's now time for him to take a break, recharge his batteries and seek a new opportunity. The board has advised that Vision Australia's chief financial officer Justine Heath, will assume the role of acting CEO from the 2nd of August. She has the full support of Vision Australia's very capable leadership team and we wish them well in leading Vision Australia forward between now and the 2nd of August. We'll see if we can have a chat with Ron right here on Talking Vision to say farewell to our listeners. But before then, from us at Talking Vision, we thank Ron and recognize his very great contribution to our organization, our clients and our team. And that's all the time we have for today. You've been listening to Talking Vision. Talking vision is a Vision Australia radio production. Thanks to all involved with putting the show together every week and remember we love hearing from you. So please get in touch anytime on our email at Talking Vision at Vision australia.org. That's talking vision all. One word at Vision australia.org. But until next week it's Sam Collins saying bye for now.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by visiting Vision australia.org. That's Vision australia.org.

You can contact Vision Australia by phoning us anytime during business hours on 1300 847 406. That's one (300) 847-4106 or by visiting Vision australia.org. That's Vision australia.org.