RNIB Connect

Sight Village exhibitions are a great way to learn more about products and services designed for blind and partially sighted people in your area. Hywel Davies has been hearing all about plans for this year’s Sight Village Exeter.
For more information, visit the QAC website - Sight Village Exeter, Devon in 2026 - Queen Alexandra College

On Tuesday 24 March 2026 a number of blind and partially sighted people took part in a RNIB cane walk from Parliament Square in central London to the Department of Health and Social Care to hand in the RNIB Life on Pause petition, made up of over 48,000 signatures, calling on Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to take action on Vision Rehabilitation Services to ensure that blind and partially sighted people get the right support when they need it and not to have their lives put on pause.
RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was there for the cane walk and, after the handing in of the Life on Pause petition, caught up with Rob Sears - Athlete and Content Creator, Claire Sisk - RNIB Ambassador, Content Creator and Radio Broadcaster plus Mike Wordingham - RNIB’s Head of Policy to find out why it is so important for Wes Streeting the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to take action on Vision Rehabilitation Services and what it was like for Rob and Claire taking part in the cain walk, handing in the Life on Pause petition and their own personal experiences of vision rehabilitation services.
To find out more about the Life on Pause petition which is part of the RNIB Out of Sight Campaign and ways of getting involved in this and other RNIB Campaign work do visit - https://www.rnib.org.uk/campaign-with-us/
Image shows blind and partially sighted people and RNIB campaigners holding long canes stood in front of Parliament Square with Big Ben in the background. From left to right are Charmaine Ashpole, Rob Sears, Claire Sisk, Mike Wordingham, Geoff Smith, Tom Skelton and Frankie Brady.

In this podcast, Hubert chats to Shauna from RNIB's Digital skills team about their service, what they offer, what sort of questions people come with, and how you can benefit from the support from the team.

RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for another audio described theatre review.
This week we have a gripping examination of nation and the beautiful game, football as the current tour of the National Theatre’s Olivier Award-winning smash hit ‘Dear England’ visited the Birmingham Hippodrome with description by Professional Audio Describer Caroline Burn. 
About ‘Dear England’
The National Theatre’s Olivier Award-winning smash hit ‘Dear England is on a highly anticipated tour.
It’s time to change the game. The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. The England men’s team has the worst track record for penalties in the world, and manager Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.
Football and non-football fans alike will be brought to their feet in this joyous, five-star ‘new stage epic’ (Telegraph). 
From multi award-winning writer James Graham (Sherwood, BBC) and director Rupert Goold (Patriots, Cold War), Dear England tells the inspiring, at times heart-breaking, and ultimately uplifting story of Gareth Southgate’s revolutionary tenure as England manager.
David Sturzaker (Doctors, BBC) plays former England manager Gareth Southgate in this gripping examination of nation and game. He is joined by stage and screen actress Samantha Womack (Eastenders, BBC; The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) as team psychologist Pippa Grange.
For more about the current tour of ‘Dear England’ do visit - https://dearenglandonstage.com
(Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underlined with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font)

UK sight loss charity has responded to the latest Covid Inquiry publication, Module 3.
RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to Sophie Dudgeon, from the charity, to get their take on the publication.
If you’d like to read more about the response, go to www.rnib.org.uk or look at our video at www.rnib.org.uk/campaign-with-us/covid-19-inquiry/
#RNIBConnect
 Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.