The Visionary Podcast

This episode is a heart-warming, honest and open conversation, hosted by Fern Lulham, where participants share their personal experiences of parenthood and sight loss.Together, they explore the different ways of becoming aparent while living with sight loss, and the joys, questions and assumptions that can come along the way.It’s a thoughtful, uplifting and deeply human conversationabout family, parenthood, expectations and seeing things differently; as one of the participants said: They make these judgements based on their experience about what being a parent with sight loss is.”We invite you to listen to our second episode and help usspread the word. Help us share this episode with the world! This Visionary project in partnership with MyVisionOxfordshire and Vision Support is possible thanks to Fight For Sight and their generous support.

This episode explores the theme of Disclosure, reflecting on the personal challenges and emotions involved in sharing one's lived experience of sight loss. Through an open and engaging conversation, Fern Lulham, Andy Smith and Hannah-Elisabeth Dix offer valuable insights into the importance of empathy, acceptance and inclusion, why it is so important to create environments where everyone feels safe to bethemselves. This episode reminds us that disclosure is never a simple decision.We invite you to listen to our first episode and help us spread the word. Help us share this episode with the world! This Visionary project in partnership with MyVision Oxforshide and Vision Support is possible thanks to Fight For Sight and their generous support.

Our nineth guest at the Visionary virtual coffee table is Salim Patel of the BBC. Salim offered a compelling exploration of lived experience representation, both from his personal standpoint and within the broader sight loss sector. Salim generously shared his thoughts and experiences, painting a vivid picture of what an inclusive future means to him. The discussion ventured beyond sight loss, touching on Salim's diverse projects outside of his workplace. He shared his exciting plans to attempt a deep dive world record attempt and the local sports club he manages in the North West of England.  Did this conversation resonate with you? If you're interested in enhancing your approach to lived experience representation or curious to learn more about Salim's adventures, Please email Nina Chesworth, Lived Experience and Campaigns Coordinator, Visionary   or Salim Patel, Journalist and Program Manager for the BBC News, North West.  You can also follow Salim’s adventures on his YouTube channel (opens new window)  Thank you to Andre Lewis Shorts who provided the music and Steve Nutt at Computer Rooms who edited the episode. 

Our fifth guests at the Visionary virtual coffee table are Lowri Bartrum and Nia Green of Vision Support. Lowri and Nia joined us for discussion about lived experience representation, examining both personal viewpoints and its significance for Vision Support. Nia shares her personal thoughts and experiences, highlighting her views on workplace representation and how visibility is growing in the public eye through shows like Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing. Lowri offers valuable insights on the sector and shared Vision Support's excellent work, particularly how they ensure lived experience representation is at the core of service development. If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and are thinking about how you can improve lived experience representation within your organisation, we would love to hear from you. Please email Nina Chesworth, Lived Experience and Campaigns Coordinator, Visionary or Lowri Bartrum CEO, Vision Support, Nia Greer, North Wales Services Manager, Vision Support  Thank you to Andre Lewis Shorts who provided the music and Steve Nutt at Computer Rooms who edited the episode. Thank you to Lowri Bartrum, CEO, and Nia Greer, North Wales Service Manager, from Vision Support for joining us for this episode of the Visionary podcast.    Lowri and Nia joined us for discussion about lived experience representation, examining both personal viewpoints and its significance for Vision Support. Nia shared her personal thoughts and experiences, highlighting her views on workplace representation and how visibility is growing in the public eye through shows like Love Island and Strictly Come Dancing. Lowri offered valuable insights on the sector and shared Vision Support's excellent work, particularly how they ensure lived experience representation is at the core of service development. Inspired by our discussion? Whether you're looking to enhance lived experience representation in your organisation or want to learn more about Vision Support's initiatives, we'd love to connect. Please get in touch via email: Nina Chesworth, Lived Experience and Campaigns Coordinator, Visionary   Lowri Bartrum CEO, Vision Support Nia Greer, North Wales Services Manager, Vision Support  Thank you to Andre Lewis Shorts who provided the music and Steve Nutt at Computer Rooms who edited the episode. 

Our eighth guest at the Visionary virtual coffee table is Emma Tracey of the BBC. Emma talks about lived experience representation, offering a unique perspective on its role both in her life and across the sector. Emma candidly shared her personal journey, shedding light on her aspirations for a more inclusive future. The conversation extended beyond the sight loss sector, touching on Emma's entry into the industry and highlighting memorable moments from the Access All podcast.   If you enjoyed listening to this podcast and are thinking about how you can improve lived experience representation within your organisation, we would love to hear from you. Please email Nina Chesworth, Lived Experience and Campaigns Co-ordinator, Visionary, or Emma Tracey, Journalist, BBC  You can listen to Emma’s podcast on the BBC website.  Thank you to Andre Lewis Shorts who provided the music and Steve Nutt at Computer Rooms who edited the episode.