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Performance project strikes a chord
Notes from Nepal
Blind comedian’s passion for the funny business
Issue 16 / Summer 2017
Connect Bringing together everyone affected by sight loss
RNIB Connect RadioThe voice of the RNIB Connect community
Programmes include:• The Weekly Connect: Monday
1pm, repeats Thursday 6pm and Saturday 1pm
• Tech Talk: Tuesday 1pm, repeats Thursday 9pm and Saturday 5pm
• Morning Mix: weekdays from 10am to 1pm
• Talking Books: Daily at 2pm and 10pm
• Read On Air: Fridays at 1pm
Join the conversationRNIB Connect Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you have a radio, TV, a computer, smartphone or tablet, you can connect to RNIB Connect Radio.
Listen online and find the full schedule at: rnibconnectradio.org.uk
Or tune in on Broadcast on Freeview 730 / 101 FM in Glasgow area
Download podcasts via audioBoom, iTunes or your regular podcast app audioboom.com/channel/rnibconnectradio
Welcome to your new and improved Connect, our magazine by and for members of the RNIB Connect community.
I’m Liz Frankland, I’m blind and I’ve just been on an adventure of a lifetime in Nepal. I’ve shared a snippet from my travel diary to give you an insight into this magical country and the experiences I had out there.
Liz FranklandRNIB Connect community member
Contents4 Your Voice
7 Your Quarterly Connect round-up
11 News and Updates
14 Notes From Nepal
18 A Day in the Life
20 Book Lovers’ Corner
24 Food Fanatics
26 Tech Spot
30 Through My Eyes
34 Information Diretory
In your summer issueNotes from Nepal: Liz takes us on an adventure p14A Day in the Life: Blind comedian Tony Coffey p18Through My Eyes: Alexandra Lucas’ experience with Devic’s disease p30
From the cover:Nicki Kelly from Birmingham, founder of The VIP Project.Photo credit: © Curious Rose Photography
© RNIB July 2017 Registered charity numbers 226227 and SC039316
Welcome
3
Blind composer finds new meaning with music At 50, Bill Skipworth lost his sight completely but he gained an unusual new talent for composing music. Bill has spent the last 12 years entertaining audiences with his beautiful music
As a child, I learnt to play the piano and I was a reasonable pianist. When I lost my sight completely, a strange thing happened to me – suddenly, I could play tunes just from hearing them played on the radio. I couldn’t do that before. I can now pick out tunes, harmonise them, and within a week play it about 25 different ways.
I have developed what’s called synaesthesia, a condition where one sense triggers a sensation in another, such as touch.
To me, every single key played on the piano became a colour and would also trigger a feeling inside me.
Your Voice: stories, tips and gems from your community
4
The musical key of C, is pure light or bright yellow, and it gives me a feeling of innocence, a childlikeness and joy. The key of F is blue and is full of love and also a sort of tragedy.
For the last 12 years, as thesituation progressed, I havebeen composing things, abit like an artist. I think ‘Oh,I’ll have a bit of yellow here,I’ll have a bit of green thereand a bit more blue.’
People seem to really enjoy my music and I hold regular concerts.
Most people moan about the negative aspects of having sight loss, but in my case, it’s not necessarily all bad. It’s a bit like if you crush the leaves of an aromatic plant, although you’re damaging the leaves, a wonderful aroma comes out. That’s what I feel has happened to me. Although my eyesight has been crushed, it’s caused something different to come out. It’s amazing!
When people ask, ‘How can you play like that?’ I say, ‘Well, actually it’s because of my sight loss.’ It turns everything on its head because I sometimes think to myself, “If I got my sight back and all this was taken away, how would I feel?” It’s a difficult question to answer, because it is fantastic to be able to do this stuff on the piano. I don’t understand how I do it, or why my brain is doing it. It’s very mysterious in a way.
Your Voice: stories, tips and gems from your community
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Getting life back on trackIn 2009 Imran Aktar suddenly lost his sight when his retina detached. His journey to regain his independence was tough, but he’s never looked back
From going to the shops to taking the kids out, everything that I used to find easy became much more difficult.
Although I was having operation after operation, we didn’t know if my sight was going to come back. I had to give up my job at the post office, which was hard and all I did was lie on the couch or in bed. I felt really lost.
I can still remember being in the doctor’s chair after the second operation asking, ‘Right, when can I get back to driving? When can I get back to normal life?’ And the doctor just looked at me and said, ‘You won’t be able to drive anymore.’ That hit me like a tonne of bricks.
At the start it was difficult because I didn’t like asking for help. My ‘ground zero’ was when they told me there wouldn’t be any more operations, so the only way from there was going to be up.
It felt emasculating not being able to make money for the family. So a big
thing for me was getting back into work. I went to see one organisation they told me, ‘You’ve got no skills, no prospects, and due to your sight loss, there are no jobs or very few that you will be able to do’. When I heard that, I was just in a daze.
Luckily I managed to pick myself up and went to RNIB. They explained how wrong those people were.
With their help I got my first job. Now I work on RNIB’s Online Today service. We use accessible technology to get people with sight get online. Six years ago I would have been attending the lessons I’m now teaching.
I feel like I have come full circle and into the bargain, I’m able to help other people with sight loss which is such a great feeling.
Bill and Imran both receive a Communiclock for sharing their stories. If you have a story to share, why not get in touch with the Connect team? Full details on page 34.
Your Voice: stories, tips and gems from your community
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Your Quarterly Connect round-upThis year we launched a new show on RNIB Connect Radio called The Weekly Connect. Presented by Steven Scott, it features contributions from across the RNIB Connect community and around the UK. Here’s some highlights
Music successNicki Kelly is a partially sighted singer-songwriter from Birmingham. She founded The VIP Project after noticing a lack of activity in her area for young people interested in pursuing music careers.
We spoke to her to take stock of what the project has achieved so far, and what the future may hold.
Can you tell us a bit about the project? The VIP Project is a series of song writing and performance workshops for visually impaired people aged 18-35. The aim is to empower and inspire visually impaired people who are passionate about music, to pursue it and learn how to write and craft songs, so that they can go off and pursue their musical aspirations with confidence.
Photo: All photos from The VIP Project: © Curious Rose Photography
Your Quarterly Connect round-up: news from all corners of the community
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The mentors will play a vital role, so who are they and how have they responded to working with blind and partially sighted people?The mentors are myself, Dan Whitehouse, Michael Clarke and Sarah Howells, who is also known as Bryde.
We held a visual impairment awareness training day, where they learnt a lot about being visually impaired and also tried sim specs. These are glasses to simulate what vision is like with a specific sight loss condition – that was really insightful for them.
The mental capacity of visually impaired people is the same as anyone else, but sometimes the physical environment isn’t easy for us to navigate. For our participants to get the most out of the project, it’s vital that we consider their needs from the outset rather than it being an afterthought.
This preparation means mentors can just get on with delivering the best sessions possible. They’ve got so much out of this experience, and one of them has even described it as life changing.
What have been some of the highlights so far?
The participants and seeing their passion, as well as watching their confidence and creativity grow, which has been quite humbling.
Participants tell me the project is amazing, they’d never thought of doing things that way. It’s been so much fun.
What’s next for The VIP Project? I am considering what the future looks like. I think it will happen again but may look very different. I won’t reveal too much, so watch this space!
Hear more from the project in our audioBoom archives, just search ‘The VIP Project’. We look forward to charting the progress of both the project and those who took part.
Your Quarterly Connect round-up: news from all corners of the community
8
Local society profile: Dorset Blind Association We all know the value of groups in the community. These often small but mighty local societies provide invaluable local support to blind and partially sighted people. We’re here to highlight the excellent work being done up and down the country.
Leah Cross, Community Support Worker for Dorset Blind Association. One of our core services is helping blind and partially sighted people learn how to use low vision aids. We have sight equipment vans that travel around our rural county to bring these services to you. Our home visit service has hundreds of volunteers, offering one-to-one support.
We run a range of activities, including a goal ball group, acoustic shooting and our annual blind driving day. Our driving day includes some brilliant driving instructors going off-road with some of our members. That can be a little scary to watch! But they’re in safe hands and really enjoy it.
Chris Ford got involved with Dorset Blind Association when he lost his sight nine years ago.I was in a really bad place when someone from Dorset Blind Society came and visited me at home. She was the first person who actually explained to me that there was life after sight loss.
When you lose your sight, you feel pretty lonely and worthless. But with support, they helped me to get back on my feet. From finding out about how to get around using a white cane, to trying to sort my benefits, finances and bills.
This was only possible because Dorset Blind Association took me under their wing and showed me lots of ways I can carry on with my life – we’re based in Poole and would love to hear from you.
Contact Dorset Blind Association 01202 712 869 Dorsetblind.org.uk Facebook.com/dorsetblind
If you want to shine a light on some of the great work that is being done in your local area, then do get in touch.
Your Quarterly Connect round-up: news from all corners of the community
9
Community Connectors bringing local people together
Every region has their own dedicated Community Connectors who bring local people together. They organise local events, build networks in the area and campaign on issues that affect the blind and partially sighted community.
There are too many events and activities across the UK to list. But to give you a taster, here’s some of what’s coming up across the regions.
• In Wales musicians with visual impairment in Cardiff can attend a workshop on Tuesday 1 August.
• In the East Midlands, there’s a technology group in Leicester, every second Monday of the month and a book group every third Monday.
• Over in Northern Ireland, you can get out and about with a tandem biking club every Saturday in Lisbon.
• Up in Scotland, a support group for those affected by AMD takes place in Edinburgh on the last Friday of every month.
• And in London, the Amigos Social Group meet in Uxbridge, on the first Tuesday of each month.
If you want to attend or organise local activities, your Community Connectors can help. The Connect team can put you in touch – see page 34 for details.
Tune in to The Weekly Connect 1pm every Monday on RNIB Connect Radio. Listen again via audioBoom, iTunes and all the usual podcast places.
Your Quarterly Connect round-up: news from all corners of the community
10
New test could spot glaucoma symptoms up to 10 years earlierA pioneering new eye test could spot the early signs of glaucoma and help save the sight of millions of people
The test may allow early diagnosis of the condition and could let treatment start before vision begins to deteriorate, Professor Philip Bloom, Chief Investigator at Western Eye Hospital explains.
“ There’s a real possibility, wehope, that the condition maybe detected up to 10 yearsbefore it produces an effect,even on the visual field.
The new test identifies cells in the eye that are either unhealthy or dying.
First of all it’s the first time that individual unhealthy nerve cells have been identified in living people. During our life, nerve cells become unhealthy, and there is a natural rate of cell death associated with aging. Therefore, we inevitably see a small number of what we call ‘spots’.
News and Updates: bringing you up to speed on the sector
11
The number of these spots and their location probably varies in people who have significant eye diseases, such as glaucoma, and we’re now looking in phase II at other studies and other conditions in the eye. There’s a variety of conditions that this may benefit.
For the people who are known to have the condition, and who are receiving treatment already such as with drops to reduce the pressure, there’s the possibility that the test might be used to assess how effective the treatment is.
I think it is unlikely in the current form that it would be available at opticians because it involves an injection into the vein, but there is an aspiration that this may reach a mass market and be available for screening. I think that’s a long way in the future though.”
More school places on offerSunshine House School for children with vision impairment will be moving from its current site to a new state of the art facility on the site of Grangewood School in North London
Following a successful bid by Eden Academy Trust to build two new free schools, the facility will provide specialist education to children with complex needs, including visual impairment.
News and Updates: bringing you up to speed on the sector
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There will be more places available than those currently on offer at Sunshine House School and the new school will extend from supporting pupils from Key Stage 3 to Key Stage 4. This will mean students can continue their education up to the age of 16 for the first time.
When it opens on its new site in September 2019, Sunshine House School will become fully incorporated into the Eden Academy Trust, and will no longer be part of RNIB. However, RNIB will continue to work closely with the school to ensure the needs of blind and partially sighted children continue to be met.
National Eye Health WeekFinally, a date for your diary is the seventh National Eye Health Week, taking place later this year, from 18 to 24 September The aim of the week is to promote the importance of eye health and the need for all people to have regular sight tests.
Sight is the sense people fear losing the most, yet many don’t know how to look after their eyes.
National Eye Health Week aims to change all that. RNIB will be joining forces with a range of other organisations and partners to raise awareness during the week.
Look out for more updates on RNIB Connect Radio and online via our website and bi-weekly enewsletter.
News and Updates: bringing you up to speed on the sector
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Notes from Nepal RNIB Connect community member Liz Frankland recently went on the trip of a lifetime around the central Himalayan nation of Nepal
Liz and her partner, Paul went with a group tour run by Traveleyes!, who specialise in holidays for blind and partially sighted people.
Liz shared snippets of her diary to give you insight into their experiences and adventures around this fascinating country.
Sunday 26 March We’ve arrived in Nepal at last and we’re on the bus to our hotel. It’s been a challenging journey, but we’ve had a wonderful welcome from the Nepalese people.
Notes from Nepal
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On arrival, we were handed these marvellous flower garlands to wear round our necks. They’re made from fragrant orange flowers – they smell a bit like Chrysanthemums. It’s been an absolutely fabulous beginning to our holiday.
We’ve had a very long journey. We set off on Sunday afternoon from my house near Doncaster. We had about three hours wait at the airport in Abu Dhabi, which was a bit manic.
The people there didn’t have quite the sympathy we might expect for a group of visually impaired people back home. Going through security was quite scary. Nonetheless, the time went very quickly, so it’s time for bed as we’ve got a 9.30am bus call.
Monday 27 March Today we got to explore the sights and sounds of Kathmandu. To give you a taste of a typical street, we were surrounded by millions of motorbikes and the traffic was manic. It’s quite exciting being surrounded by such a variety of smells; you can smell everything from food, flowers and incense to the drains. It’s a fascinating place to be.
Wednesday 29 MarchWe are miles up high in the mountains outside Kathmandu, but there’s a problem. Our minibus has got stuck in the mud, so they’re trying to rev the wheels. There’s a stench of burning rubber. We’ve all got off the bus. We’re too scared to be on it when the bus is right near the edge of a steep drop!
Thursday 30 MarchAfter a seven hour and 100 mile drive across mountain passes, we’re now in Chitwan. Let’s just say the roads are not quite the quality we’re used to in the UK, so it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride.
The traditional stick dancersof Chitwan are incredibleperformers. When the singinggot going, it actually becamequite addictive. It was almostlike the adrenaline rushthat you get when you have a drink.
In the last piece, we were invited to come up and dance. It’s not the sort of thing I would normally do, but I actually did and it was really quite exhilarating. It was just great fun.
Notes from Nepal
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Thursday 30 March (continued)
Another highlight of today was visiting the riverside and encountering some elephants. They were just playing around and having a good time, and the splashing sounded a bit like being on the seashore.
One lady went out into the river in shorts to ride on the elephant and received an unceremonial soaking from the gentle giant. Not sure she knew she’d signed up for that!
Saturday 1 April Today we were fortunate enough to experience a game drive, and got to see lots of birds and deer. We’re now sitting on our little terrace outside our hotel, listening to a fierce tropical storm and the distant thunder roll in the background.
Saturday 2 April
It’s 6am and we’re watching the sunrise from high up a mountain just outside Pokhara. We can see the Annapurna range just appearing from the mist. I asked Paul to describe in more detail what he can see. He described “a triangular cloud and behind that, a mountain emerging from the clouds” and said it was an amazing sight.
Notes from Nepal
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One member of our group hasn’t come this morning. He felt there was no point if he can’t physically see the sunset. I can sympathise with this view, as can several of my fellow travellers with no useful sight. Earlier in the trip, someone said, “You remember how you felt at certain times with experiences, but you don’t necessarily remember what you saw.”
I think that’s an importantthing to remember. It’s notabout seeing what there is,it’s about being there andexperiencing it.
Friday 7 April Today was our last day in Nepal, and we’re back in Kathmandu after a gruelling eight hour bus journey over those familiar rocky roads from Pokhara.
Today we visited one of the biggest stupas in the world (pictured left). We asked if I could go in for free as I’m blind, but that wasn’t allowed. I suspect that blind people don’t go out much in Nepal (we haven’t encountered any). I think our group has caused quite a stir when we’re out and about.
This trip has been an extraordinary experience. Not sure I’d even call it a ‘holiday’, it’s been more of an adventure or an expedition. It’s been gruelling at times with a lot of travelling and several people have had upset stomachs – it was certainly not a trip for the faint hearted! Even though we’ll be glad to be on our flight home, it has been well worth it.
Are you off anywhere exciting and fancy keeping an audio diary, to share with your fellow Connect members? From the far flung and exotic to the local on your doorstep, we’d love to hear your experiences – see page 34 for full Connect team details.
Thank you to Liz and Paul for sharing some of their holiday with us. Listen out for the full diary on RNIB Connect Radio, online via audioBoom or the usual podcast places.
Notes from Nepal
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What do you call a comedian with sight loss?Tony Coffey started to lose his sight to retinitis pigmentosa when he was just eight years old. Today, aged 45, Tony gets his kicks from being a stand-up comedian. Here, he explains how he got into the funny business
I started doing stand-up really when I was about 25. I went along to a famous club in Manchester called the Frog and Bucket just to try out a couple of jokes.
Johnny Vegas was comparing that night. I was sat on the front row, and he was giving me pelters, and then he said, “Right, next up on the stage, Tony Coffey!” I stood up, and luckily brought the place down. It was only three or four minutes of material, but I told my jokes and they went down really well. From then on in I have just carried on doing it. Comedy is something I enjoy – you can’t beat making people laugh.
When I first started out, I didn’t tell any jokes about my eyesight, or refer to anything remotely concerned with it. It was daft really because I’d be falling over tables, or would have trouble getting up on the stage or finding
the microphone. I didn’t want to be known as a visually impaired comedian. It was crazy really because people in the audience just thought I was a weirdo.
When I perform, what I do isimagine that every venue ispacked to the rafters so eventhough I have sight loss, I stillpile on the pressure.
Some people have said I’m lucky to be partially sighted because that gives me ten minutes worth of material. A lot of comedians come on and they just want to talk about their dead dad or their dog. That sort of thing doesn’t wash me – I want to experience a comedian who can make me laugh! You’ve got to have a good punch line, that’s the main thing.
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A Day in the Life: a spotlight on one community member
Some of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever done in my life were when writing for Viz magazine. I spent six years writing spoof news stories about Osama Bin Laden being locked in lifts or crazy British Eurocrats, and Gok Wan being found swimming up the Thames. It was complete nonsense, utter gibberish, but there was nothing better than seeing the comic come out and having my articles in it – I did prefer that to the stand-up.
With my style of comedy, I’ve never scripted anything. That’s one of the things I feel I let myself down on. I’ll basically go on knowing the gist of what I’m going to talk about, and I know
what the punch line is going to be, and then I try and remember how to get from the start to the finish. When you’re stood there waiting to go on, and the compare says, ’Welcome to the stage, Tony Coffey!’ and your mind goes blank, it’s truly terrifying!
Every six months or so, I do take a bit of a nose dive. I find it keeps me on my toes. If you’ve never failed, you’ve never succeeded either.
Hear the full audio interview on RNIB Connect Radio. For news and live show dates follow Tony Coffey on Twitter or Facebook.
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A Day in the Life: a spotlight on one community member
Narrator talkVeteran narrator Madeleine Brolly on her love of the world of Talking Books with New Books’ Kim Normanton
How did you get into narration?I had heard from friends that Talking Books was a lovely place to work, there’s a sense of belonging and you get to work with the same faces over again, which you don’t often get with acting. It’s a bit like a family, so it was something I really wanted to do.
What was the first book that you read?A Daughter’s Secret by Anne Enright. I was asked to do it because the main character is from County Down, and my dad is from Derry, so it’s virtually the same accent.
She then travels to Birmingham and is surrounded by people from the South of Ireland – and that’s where my mum was from.
So, they needed someone who could narrate it in standard English, do a Derry/Down accent, and lots of Irish ones – I think that’s how I first got my ‘in’.
Book Lovers’ Corner: indulge your passion for reading
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What’s your favourite accent? I do love the Derry accent. It was the first accent I ever did as a child. My cousins were staying, and they wanted to know where their sandals were, and I thought their pronunciation was hilarious, so that was my first word in a foreign accent.
You’re best known amongst our Talking Book readers for your narration of Elena Ferranti’s popular Neapolitan series. Do you have to do accents in that? No, it’s just read in an English accent. It would be very distracting to use accents. It’s set in a very poor part of Napoli, so I just add a little working class ‘colour’.
If you go over the top, you’re robbing the listener of the experience that a reader gets. When you read a book, you hear things in your head, and you don’t want someone to make a massive decision on your behalf, otherwise you’re producing it too much.
Tell us a little about the seriesI had been recommended them, often by women, saying they’d never read books so well written about women’s friendships. This is definitely one of my top ten books.
It’s about the friendship between two girls and how they grow apart following different paths, trying to extricate themselves from the very male corrupt atmosphere of Napoli, post-Second World War. It’s brilliant and insightful; and I think men would love it too, just because it’s a story well told.
Do you need quite high energy for this kind of work?The hardest thing with narrating books is actually the stillness and the level of concentration. Sitting still almost requires more energy than if you were moving about. You get a head fog, and you can get quite a stiff face, just from sheer talking.
Book Lovers’ Corner: indulge your passion for reading
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Your summer must-readTalking Books host Robert Kirkwood reviews Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
Sitting loosely under the banner of chick-lit, it might strike you as a surprising recommendation from me.
On the surface, it’s the story of a 30 year old woman trying to survive work and life in modern Glasgow, but there’s so much more going on. It’s in part a study of loneliness, social awkwardness and relationships. There’s romance and even a mystery, as there’s a secret in Eleanor’s past.
At times I found this frustrating as the author drip feeds jigsaw pieces
making up the background of the eponymous character. But in the end, it was just enough for me to keep the page turning and finding out more.
Eleanor Oliphant herself is a unique character; she’s learnt how to survive, but not to live. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal every day, and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.
She’s hard to like at first. But as you start to see the world through her eyes, her point of view makes
Book Lovers’ Corner: indulge your passion for reading
22
a certain amount of sense. Although at times you will not believe some of the decisions she makes internally.
The light-hearted moments are as light as the devastating moments are dark. It’s a debut novel, but it was the subject of a heated auction between publishers in the UK, and in the US, and the film rights have just been sold. All this was before the book came out in mid-May.
It’s set to be the book of the summer, and best of all, thanks to a deal with publisher HarperCollins; it was available on day of publication from RNIB Talking Books.
Even more for book lovers
Share your reviews Review your latest read in the Connect books discussion online at rnib.org.uk/community. You can also send your review to the Connect team with full contact details on p34.
More for book lovers on Connect RadioRobert Kirkwood hosts Talking Books airs every day on Connect Radio at 2pm and 10pm. And for even more! Read on Air hosted by Red Szell airs every Friday at 1pm. For the full schedule, visit rnibconnectradio.org.uk
Enjoy thousands of titles – free!Talking Books offers thousands of titles in a range of formats. Receive regular reading news and tips with bi-weekly Read On enews. Call the Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit rnib.org.uk/books.
Book Lovers’ Corner: indulge your passion for reading
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Recipe: Sea bass with steamed vegetablesOur regular food feature is for you whether you’re a dedicated foodie or you’re looking for simple recipes and practical advice for cooking with low or no vision
Ingredients (serves 2)• 4 fillets of sea bass• 2 large garlic cloves• 4 tablespoons extra virgin
olive oil• 1/2 teaspoon salt• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar• 1 small cauliflower• 1 small head of broccoli• 2 large carrots
Equipment• Small oven-proof dish, about 8
inches x 6 inches (approximately 20cm x 15cm)
• Tin foil• Garlic crusher• Small bowl • Steamer• Chopping board• Long sharp knife and a small
sharp knife• Y-shaped vegetable peeler• Pastry brush• Talking kitchen timer• Couple of measuring spoons
Method1. Pre-heat the oven to gas
mark 6 (400°F or 200°C). 2. To prepare the fish, put the
olive oil and salt into the small bowl.
3. Peel and roughly chop the garlic, then press through the garlic crusher into the bowl. Do the garlic a bit at a time, and be sure to scrape out the residue from the peeler so you get as much as possible. Give it a quick mix with a spoon.
4. Dip the pastry brush into the oil and brush the bottom and sides of the oven-proof dish.
5. Lay two fish fillets in the bottom of the dish, head to tail so they fit and cover the bottom. Brush some more of the oil mixture on top, lay the other two fillets on top and pour the rest of the oil mixture over the top.
6. Spread with the brush to cover the fish. Sprinkle the white wine vinegar on top.
Food Fanatics: for foodies and everyday cooks alike
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7. Cover the whole dish with a piece of tin foil, tucking it in all around the edges to make sure it’s properly sealed.
8. To prepare the vegetables, peel the carrots with the Y-shaped peeler, using long vertical strokes. Cut the top and bottom off the carrots with the small knife, then slice it into quarter inch rounds. Place into the bottom of the steamer and add about a pint and a half of water.
9. Strip any leaves off the outside of the cauliflower. Place it stem side down on the chopping board, lay the edge of the long knife on top of the cauliflower, in the centre. Put your left hand on top of the knife and press down, cutting it in half.
10. You should then be able to break it into florets quite easily using your fingers.
Feel each floret and if there is excess stalk at the base, trim it off with the small knife. Chop any large florets in half – you want them around half the size of your thumb.
11. Chop the stem off the broccoli as close to the head as you can. Do the same to the broccoli as you did the cauliflower.
12. Rinse both in cold water, then place in the top part of the steamer.
13. Put the dish with the fish into the top of the heated oven.
14. Put the bottom of the steamer, containing the carrots, on the hob and bring to the boil.
15. When boiling, put the steamer with the broccoli and the cauliflower on the top and pop the lid on. Cook for 10 minutes.
16. Then strain the carrots, mix them with the cauliflower and broccoli and serve them with the fish.
For more recipes and food talk, tune in to the Morning Mix with Jill Barkley on RNIB Connect Radio, weekdays from 10am to 1pm. Full programme for RNIB Connect Radio and podcasts on page 2.
Food Fanatics: for foodies and everyday cooks alike
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Music to my earsAs we’re now at the height of festival season, and with RNIB as this year’s health charity for Glastonbury, we’re giving this edition a musical flavour. TechTalk host Shaun Preece leads us this issue, with the best in music streaming and the best in apps and devices this season.
Which music streaming service is right for you?If you want to choose from millions of songs and play them whenever you want, music streaming services could be for you. Also known as ‘music on demand’, streaming services allow you to listen to any song in your providers’ library with an internet connection.
Each service comes with similar basic features, along with their own pros and cons. These services are subscription based, where you pay a monthly fee for access to their music library.
Here’s a quick guide to some of the most popular streaming services.
Spotify • Long running and popular, with
over 120 million users worldwide and 30 million high quality audio songs and podcasts in its library
• Excellent music recommendations to discover new music
• Free version includes adverts, similar to radio and full functionality only available on desktop (limited on mobile or tablets).
• Premium plan (no ads, works across all your devices) costs £9.99 a month; or £14.99 for a family plan for up to six users.
• Paid plans include offline listening, one month free trial available.
Visit spotify.com or search on your app store.
Apple Music• One of the fastest growing
services, featuring album exclusives and carefully curated playlists by DJs
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Tech Spot: the best news and gadgets from the tech world
Photo: © Daniel Krason / Shutterstock.com
• Highly integrated into iOS
• £9.99 per month, or £14.99 for a family plan of up to six people
Visit apple.com/uk/music or search on your app store.
Google Music• With comparable features to
other services, but the ability upload up to 50,000 of your own tracks, giving you access to your own music library as well Google Music’s 30 million songs.
• £9.99 per month, or £14.99 for a family plan of up to four people, with a 30 day free trial
• Great for obscure music tastes.
Visit music.google.com or search on your app store.
Amazon Music and Amazon Music Unlimited • Amazon Music has a
comparatively small library of two million songs; Amazon Music Unlimited gives access to over 40 million songs and offline listening.
• Amazon Music Unlimited costs £9.99 a month or £14.99 for the family plan, with a 30 day free trial. Amazon Prime members get Amazon Music for free, or Amazon Music Unlimited for a discounted price of £7.99. For Amazon Echo or Amazon Dot customers it’s available for £3.99 a month – but you can only use that service on one of those devices.
Visit amazon.co.uk/music or search on your app store.
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Tech Spot: the best news and gadgets from the tech world
Tech review: Aftershockz Trekz Titanium Bluetooth headphones Whatever streaming service, genre or format; a good pair of headphones is a must. Community member Fraser Fleming road tested the Trekz Titanium Bluetooth headphones.
“These deliver their sound in a different and clever way to your average headphones. Called ‘bone conduction’, this technology transfers sound through your cheekbone, leaving your normal hearing unimpaired. This is great from a visually impaired point of view, as you can wear them when you’re out and about without limiting your hearing.
The design was minimal and they are extremely lightweight. The headset is very comfortable to wear and after a few minutes, you forget it’s there.
Sound quality is very impressive. It’s very clear and has enough power to enable listening on a noisy train. They come with earplugs, if the outside world gets too much. The only issue with the sound is the bass, which is very quiet compared with the rest of the sound, but this is due to the way the sound is transmitted. Another useful feature is the ability to pair them with two devices, so I can use them on my way to work on my phone, then on my work PC without having to re-pair them.
I’m very happy with my new headphones and would recommend them.”
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Tech Spot: the best news and gadgets from the tech world
Top app: BBC iPlayer with audio descriptionThere really is an app for everything, but some are certainly more accessible than others. Community member Paul Porter shares his review of BBC iPlayer.
“If your programme isn’t audio described, then you’re missing out on so much visual material. As a totally blind TV watcher, it isn’t worthwhile watching a drama or film if it doesn’t have audio description (AD).
I have the BBC iPlayer app on my iPhone. It’s very accessible, using VoiceOver you just search through the menu to find ‘audio described content’. You can then choose from a wide range of shows with an audio describer explaining what’s happening. If you haven’t tried AD, I cannot recommend it enough. It will massively improve your enjoyment of TV.”
BBC iPlayer is available on the App Store and Google Play. AD is also available on other platforms, including Android, Sky, Virgin and on Freeview with many TVs.
Found an app that you love? Why not share it with the community, see contact details on page 34.
Get help with a gadget Call the Tech for Life team on 0303 123 9999.
Tune in for more tech Tech Talk airs Tuesdays on RNIB Connect Radio and is available as a podcast. See page 2 for more information about RNIB Connect radio and podcasts.
Tech Spot: the best news and gadgets from the tech world
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Looking on the bright side Last year, 22 year old Alexandra Lucas lost her sight to a rare condition called Devic’s disease. Alexandra shares her story about how she first came to have Devic’s disease and her plans for what’s next
Devic’s disease is a really rare condition. I think only 100,000 people have it in fact.
At first the doctors thought it could be MS because one of the symptoms can be vision impairment. I had countless MRI scans to check whether it was MS and all my reflexes were checked but everything else seemed to be fine.
The doctors then started questioning whether it could be Devic’s disease because it basically acts in a very similar way to MS. With Devic’s it can either affect the optic nerves or the spinal cord, or in some unfortunate cases, it can affect both.
It’s a mutation in your antibodies that means your own body turns on itself and it can take your sight or it can paralyse you in literally the blink of an eye.
For me, Devic’s disease started in January last year when I noticed that the vision in my right eye was really blurry. I was sent to an optician who thought, ‘Oh, it could be corrected with glasses’. But of course the glasses weren’t able to correct anything.
Through My Eyes: how I see
30
At work one day, I experienced an incredible headache, more like a migraine. It radiated from the bottom of my head to behind my eyes. It was so bad it was making me feel really ill. I went home and I went straight to bed, but when I woke up, I couldn’t see.
My fiancé and I had just moved into a new place so we went in to town to get some things for the new flat, and I said, ‘I can’t see!’ he replied, ‘What do you mean, you can’t see?’ ‘I can’t see your face!’
He took me on the bus to the hospital but I couldn’t see the bus, even though it was right in front of me. I mean, buses are huge things, you can’t really miss them!
The doctors were absolutely baffled. It all happened so quickly, I didn’t have time to take it in properly. I was in hospital for the best part of two weeks, and then seven months later I had a massive breakdown. ‘What if I never got my sight back?’
Through My Eyes: how I see
31
Nearly a year on I still think,‘Maybe it will come back?’When I’m sleeping, if I have adream where my sight’s comeback, I wake up and think,‘Oh! It was just a dream!’
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Through My Eyes: how I see
For a moment it comes over me again because the dream has felt so real but you have to keep going and I always think to myself, ‘It could have been so much worse.’ For other people, Devic’s disease can leave you paralysed and for me, it could have gone the other way. I just have to be thankful for what I’ve got.
In my case, my optic nerves are damaged and there’s no repair. My partner and I have refused to believe that there is nothing else though, and we’ve researched online and found a hospital in Germany that specialises in optic neuropathy and optic atrophy, which is the main thing that I am diagnosed with. Doctors at the hospital have had really positive results from treatments, and as far as I can glean, they use electricity to rewire the brain into repairing the nerves itself. While it’s not been completely successful, it’s a massive step forward, so it does give us a bit of hope after having the bad news.
About Devic's disease• Devic’s disease (also known
as neuromyelitis optica) is a neurological condition, which often affects the optic nerves and the spinal cord.
• When the optic nerves are affected, this can lead to inflammation of the nerve that leads from the eye to the brain.
• It can cause eye pain and reduced colour vision making colours look ‘washed out’ or less vivid than usual.
• Optic neuritis causes a reduction or loss of vision and can affect one or both eyes.
• It’s a rare condition and is thought to affect less than 1,000 people in the UK.
Optic nerve
If you’d like to share your story of how you see with your sight condition, get in touch - contact details are on p34.
Through My Eyes: how I see
33
Contact usContact the RNIBConnect team
Call 0303 1234 555 Email [email protected] visit rnib.org.uk/connect
Calls cost 3p per minute, plus your phone company’saccess charge.
Write to Connect magazine RNIB, 105 Judd Street, London WC1H 9NE
Connect online with other members At rnib.org.uk/connect
Eye health information, emotional support, benefits advice and product informationCall 0303 123 9999Email [email protected] visit rnib.org.uk/ask
Lines are open Monday to Friday, 8.45am to 5.30pm and Saturday, 9am to 1pm. Calls costs no more than a standard rate call to an 01 or 02 number.
RNIB LibraryJoin for free and choose from thousands of titles in the format of your choice, including Talking Books, braille or giant print.
Call the Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit rnib.org.uk/books
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VolunteeringCall 01733 375 450, email [email protected] or visit rnib.org.uk/volunteering
CampaigningCall 020 7391 2123, email [email protected] or visit rnib.org.uk/campaigning
Telephone groupsOur free telephone groups bring together community members and cover a range of interests; from discussing your favourite books, social groups, arts and much more.
To join a telephone group, call Talk and Support on 0845 330 3723 or email [email protected]
34
Information Directory
Have you heard from us recently?
You may have had a call or email from us in the last few months. We’ve been working hard to gather as much of your feedback to help shape communications you receive from us.
This last 12 months we’ve introduced some new ways to hear from us both on and offline. The Connect bi-weekly enewsletter keeps you updated on the latest community news, stories and ways to get involved. To sign up speak to your Connect team.
If you like podcasts and radio programmes then check out RNIB Connect podcasts and radio on Freeview 730, and online at rnibconnectradio.org.uk. Full programme details on page 2.
You can expect to hear from RNIB with updates on activities and topics that you might be interested in. You can expect to hear from us about activities that help to reach more people, and things that our community has told us are important, opportunities to get involved and make a difference in your area as well as campaign issues.
You might hear from us in future about other RNIB activities, information and services. You will only receive information that is helpful for you, based on what you’ve told us you’re interested in.
If you want to be kept updated, contact your Connect team to make sure your details and preferences are up to date. Send us feedback at any time and tell us what publications you want from us.
Information Directory
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Technology can open many doors for you if you’re blind or partially sighted, but it can be difficult to know where to start.
Online Today
RNIB’s Online Today helps people with sensory loss get online. Andrew Coleman, Online Today Digital Skills Officer with the project shares why he loves technology.
“I was born with glaucoma, so I’m actually registered blind or severely sight impaired, and technology does an awful lot for me. I’ve struggled to read all my life, never read a newspaper, a magazine or a book – and now I can – with the use of a smartphone or tablet.
My main role is to inspire and build confidence with blind and partially sighted people to realise the benefits of using technology: what it can achieve, the independence it can deliver and benefits of being online.
It’s great to be at that starting point, introducing people to this wonderful world of possibility.
If you use a phone or a tablet, you can read your mail and keep in contact with friends and family. It’s easy to get this across to people because I’ve lived through it myself, and I benefit from using technology.”
Ask about support in your area Call 0303 123 9999 or email [email protected]
Find technology resources including helpful videos, featuring Andrew Coleman, at rnib.org.uk/onlinetoday
