The VIP Pod: The Visually Impaired People Podcast

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In the tenth episode of the second series, Warren and Emma talk to Bernie Reddington and her daughter, Abbie.Bernie lives in Norwich and is a single mother of three. Mum and daughter Abbie, both visually impaired, talk about family life and guide dogs. Bernie is full of fun and works for the RNIB as Regional Campaigns officer which enables her, with her upbeat style, to tirelessly campaign for rights for the blind. There was so much to keep us hooked, that we have divided her story into two episodes. This episode was recorded in September 2022Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Warren Wilson & Emma MartinsRecorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJProduced by Emma Martins Podcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the ninth episode of the second series, Emma talks to Tony Giles.Tony is totally blind and 80% deaf in both ears but is a writer and intrepid solo world traveller, having visited over 130 countries. Tony has written three books about his travel experiences. Listen to how he copes with the trials and tribulations of traveling VI. See his website for his latest travels in Namibia. www.tonythetraveller.comThis episode was recorded remotely in March 2022Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsRecorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJProduced by Emma Martins Podcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the eighth episode of the second series, Emma talks to David Clarke who joined the RNIB In 2018 as Director of Services. This has enabled him to combine his lived experience of sight loss with his commercial experience. David attended Schools for the Blind from the age of 3, having been born with congenital glaucoma. He has represented Great Britain in England’s blind football team an impressive 144 times, scoring a total of 128 goals. David‘s story reflects his humour and determination.This episode was recorded remotely in March 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsRecorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJProduced by Emma Martins Podcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the seventh episode of the second series, Emma talks to Mandy Redvers-Rowe, who had many operations throughout her teenage years. Registered blind at 16, she went to an all-Girls school for the Blind. She now has very little vision and uses her profile to campaign for Disabled People. Mandy has two children, lives in the Wirral and writes for television, radio and stage. This episode was recorded remotely in April 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the sixth episode of the second series, Warren talks to comedian, actor and writer Georgie Morrell. In this episode we speak about how Georgie got into the entertainment industry, who her inspirations were and how her family environment supported her on her way into this industry. We spoke with her about being a visually impaired woman in the comedy world and how, if at all, this effects her experience working in comedy. We also spoke about a Metro article Georgie wrote about her own experience of losing sight when she was 21 and how this gave her a new perspective on the important role the voice of disabled people has to play in the conversation around body image. Please see a link to this Metro article below. We also touched upon the importance of positive, realistic representations of disabled people in the media in order to paint a positive and accurate picture of the lives of disabled people. As part of this conversation Warren referenced the BBC programme, 'Then Barbara Met Alan', a show that revolves around a couple who met at a gig and went onto become activists, influencing the creation of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. We finally spoke with Georgie about tips she would share with us around how others may like to make their way in the entertainment industry. Huge thank you to Georgie for her time and for speaking so openly with us.Georgie Morrell's website: http://georgiemorrell.co.uk/#aboutGeorgie's Metro article referenced in this podcast: https://metro.co.uk/2021/10/28/losing-my-eyesight-at-21-helped-me-overcome-my-body-confidence-issues-15495028/BBC film, 'Then Barbara Met Alan': https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0015p4qThis episode was recorded remotely in March 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Warren WilsonProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fifth episode of the second series, Emma talks to Chris Fisher who is a woodturner, has the very rare condition of Toxoplasmosis, aged 39. He went completely blind overnight – he tells us in his lovely upbeat way how he is able to do his craft, and how important music is to him.  This episode was recorded remotely in December 2021.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth episode of the second series, Emma talks to Paul Ryb who lost his central vision overnight in 2007 aged just 37, but amazingly 11 years later he won a World title for GB at the world's first International Blind Tennis Tournament - in which specially audible balls are used. Paul worked as an Investment Banker for over 30 years and now devotes his time to Ophthalmic innovation in the hunt for curing some of the numerous eye diseases. Paul sits on the board of the 2 UK ophthalmic research grant committees at the Macular Society, and Fight for Sight, is an Ambassador for Blind in Business, and Sight & Sound Technology, as well as recording 4 podcasts for the RNIB during his time as a board Trustee, to help the VI community see below. Paul comes from London and tells us about his amazing journey from always having had bad eyesight as a child, to the benefits of living in London and being VI.  Living and succeeding with Sightloss: https://audioboom.com/playlists/4633612-paul-ryb-podcastsThis episode was recorded remotely in March 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third episode of the second series, Emma talks to Benjamin Wilson who is a visually impaired actor, and is passionate about making theatre more accessible for the blind and visually impaired, promoting the wider use of audio description. He comes from Yorkshire and currently works as Associate Director in various theatres in the north of England. He lost his sight in his 20s although this had been diagnosed since he was aged 8.This episode was recorded remotely in April 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode of the second series, Emma talks to Joey Stuckey who is an incredible blind guitarist, songwriter, singer, composer, producer, and radio and television personality. He lives in the USA in Macon, Georgia, where he is their Music Ambassador, and he tells his story of being virtually blind since birth due to a brain tumour and a childhood surrounded by his parent’s music. He owns and runs a recording studio, is a music educator at two universities and an accessibility advocate. He describes himself as a blind brain tumour survivor and is a very charismatic and fun guy still performing on the road with his various bands. Enjoy Joey’s story along with some of his music which includes blues, country and rock music. See www.joeystuckey.com This episode was recorded remotely in April 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of the second series, Warren talks to Dr Sarah Leiter who is a British Paralympian in the sport goalball, and has achieved her ambition of becoming a doctor, despite having a rare eye disease. We speak with Sarah about her career and how she manages her visual impairment to be able to excel in her career. We speak about her childhood and family life and how this provided her with fantastic support to set her off in the direction of becoming a doctor and how Sarah navigated education to get to the point she is at now. At the end of the podcast Sarah offers the opportunity for people to get in touch with us at The VIP Pod who might be young, visually impaired and looking for a similar career to Sarah, so please do get in touch with us if this is you, or you are the parent of someone who fits this description. Please contact us on thevippod@gmail.com. Many thanks to Sarah for her time. Perhaps next time Sarah and I will talk about her sporting goalball exploits!This episode was recorded remotely in March 2022.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Warren WilsonProduced by Emma Martins Recorded & edited by Film, Television & Media students at the University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the final episode of series one, Emma talks to Jesse Dufton who is a blind rock climber. He is the first blind person to lead climb the Old Man of Hoy, which is the focus of Alastair Lee’s multi award winning documentary ‘Climbing Blind'. You can watch a trailer for the documentary here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcB39nBSv3YIn their conversation, Emma and Jesse discuss his diagnosis of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and rod-cone dystrophy which is a genetic condition. He was born with approximately 20% of central vision and has no peripheral vision. Despite this, Jesse has been climbing from the age of 2 with the help of his father. Jesse talks about the difference between indoor and outdoor climbing as well as the vital roles of the ‘leader’ climber and ‘second’ climber. Jesse also touches on his use of 3D mental mapping which helps him visualise his surrounds when ascending.You can rent the documentary 'Climbing Blind' as mentioned Emma and Jesse's conversation, here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/climbingblind/361804553You can also find out more about Jesse and his upcoming climbs at his website: https://jessedufton.com/This episode was recorded remotely in June 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.comContact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this penultimate episode of series one, Emma talks to Gareth Davies who is from Cardiff and currently works for the RNIB. Gareth was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) at the age of 20 and in recent years has lost a lot of his vision. They discuss Gareth's love of rugby and how finding a visually impaired rugby team was hugely important for him. They also discuss his journey in accepting his eyesight and how counselling really supported this and the power of asking for help.You can read one of Gareth's RNIB health blogs from lockdown at https://www.rnib.org.uk/wales-cymru/news-wales/staying-fit-and-well-lockdown-gareth%E2%80%99s-blog and you can follow Gareth on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GBlindladThis episode was recorded remotely in July 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to Tiggi Trethowan who worked for years as a TV producer until recently she was diagnosed with an incurable eye condition which will lead eventually to total blindness. Emma and Tiggi talk about mainly different things that affect Tiggi's life including her guide dog Jackie, working on highly successful TV shows with Bear Grylls and on the Antiques Roadshow and about the perception that some sighted people have of blind people.Tiggi also talks in detail about her own podcast - Draycott Diaries Village Podcast - which you can listen to at https://www.draycottdiaries.com/This episode was recorded remotely.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to Bee Price who has Charles Bonnet Syndrome. Bee is 87 years old and discusses growing up during World War 2 as well as working as a teacher during her life.Bee talks about starting to lose her sight around age 55 before being diagnosed with glaucoma and later on with Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS). CBS causes people who have lost a lot of vision to see things that aren’t really there – medically known as having a hallucination.This episode was recorded remotely in September 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to Abdullatif Ghazi who is originally from Kuwait and lost his sight at the age of 8. Abdul discusses his love of sport (in particular goalball) and how it played a huge part in him finding the welcoming VI community when he moved to the UK.Abdul is also an avid musician and appeared on Arab's Got Talent 2017 along with guitarist Mohammed Jabbari. The duo's performance brought tears to the eyes of the judges and the crowd and won them the ‘Golden Buzzer’. This performance can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKaAtyuqa-cAbdul discusses this experience and how the video clip went viral with him becoming well known across the world! Abdul is a keen student and discusses his experience studying in the UK and how his visually impairment affects his studies. Abdul has just completed a masters in International security at Warwick University.This episode was recorded remotely in June 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma Martins and Warren WilsonProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to Tom Skelton who is a visually impaired stand-up comedian. Tom discusses his career as a stand-up and how in 2009 he started to lose some of his sight due to a hereditary eye condition. Tom has performed multiple times in Edinburgh at the Fringe festival both before losing his sight and afterwards.Tom talks candidly about how much his visual impairment affects his comedy, losing his vision whilst at university and also what advice he might give to someone else going through a similar life changing situation.This episode was recorded remotely in early August 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to Stacy Scott who works for the RNIB. Stacy was born blind with a little useful vision and talks to Emma about growing up in South Africa before moving to Scotland. They also discuss her experiences going to a mainstream school, online dating as a VI person and her love of travelling and adventure sports!This episode was recorded remotely in August 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Warning: this episode contains strong language and conversation around suicide.In this episode, Emma talks to Darren Murinas who works for the Expert Citizens CIC charity and who was born with childhood cataracts. Darren has had an incredible life and been through a lot of ups and downs that they discuss in depth. Darren candidly discusses growing up in care and his experiences at a special school, how he fell into a life of crime ending up with spending over 4 years in prison and his rehabilitation through prison education and the potential one cookery teacher saw in him.For more information on the amazing work Darren and the Expert Citizens team does in Stoke-on-Trent visit their website at www.expertcitizens.org.ukYou can also follow Darren on Twitter @darrenmurinasDo feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Emma talks to writer, director and producer Adam Morse. Adam is an award-winning filmmaker from London who is also registered blind. Adam first emerged with critically acclaimed short film debut The Window (2014) and recently wrote, directed and produced his first feature film Lucid (2019) starring Billy Zane which Emma and Adam discuss in length. Lucid is available to watch on Amazon Prime. You can watch the trailer here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gHMZlSF2iBI&feature=youtu.beEmma and Adam discuss his positive outlook on life, experience as a blind film maker and his diagnosis of LHON (Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy).Do follow Adam on Instagram at: https://instagram.com/themorseforce?utm_medium=copy_linkThis episode was recorded remotely in October 2020.Do feel free to get in touch with the team with feedback or future guest suggestions by emailing thevippod@gmail.comInterviewed by Emma MartinsProduced & Edited by Michael Wordingham and Rupert MountjoyPodcast artwork by Jimmy ScofieldWebsite: www.jimmyscofield.com Contact: jimmy.scofield.design@gmail.com---------------------------------------------------Intro music is "Ghost Byzantine" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive.Interlude and Outro music is "Dead River" by Blue Dot Sessions, licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License via the Free Music Archive Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.