The podcast for the blind and visually impaired
NCBI podcast is something you can listen to at your most convenience through your phone or computer. Listen to it wherever you go or whatever you do, even while cooking, cleaning your home, or lying in bed.
- Kyran O’Mahoney, NCBI Chief Technology Officer talks about NCBI being an awardee of Rethink Ireland funding curtesy of the Social Innovation Fund to develop the NCBI Smart Hub specifically designed to gather information on eye conditions and NCBI services using mainstream technology devices like Google Home and Amazon Alexa for people who are blind of vision impaired.
Click here - Clare Kennelly chats about how she wishes she sought assistance earlier following her diagnosis of Stargardts and her varied career as a teacher and now her disability awareness training business to make the workplace more inclusive.
Click here - Sinead McSweeney shares her journey of sight loss due to Diabetic Retinopathy from the numerous surgeries to acceptance of having such low vision and how this has affected her life overall but particularly her role as a nurse and mother.
- Kevin Farrell of Ablefest talks openly about his son Josh (9) who has Albinism.
He chats about the struggles of the early days after diagnosis, the support Josh receives in school and through NCBI and how his confidence and individuality makes Kevin proud every day.
Click here
- Annette O’Connell chats openly about living life with AMD, the treatment she’s on and how she’s adapted her life as her vision has gradually deteriorated. click here
-
Both Aoife Tierney and Anthony Curran, students with a visual impairment, chat about the positive impact Bookshare (Ireland’s largest digital accessible library) has been to them. From the struggles of having to contact publishers to get accessible formats to now having over 500,000 resources instantaneously – it is a total game changer for students with visual impairment and print disabilities.
- Feach’s Eithne Walsh with Kevin Kelly, Eithne Walsh chats about the realities facing children with a visual impairment in the Irish education system – absences of support during Covid19, reform of Visiting Teachers and the importance of encouraging self-advocacy in children and young people.
Click here
-
Neasa Hourigan TD talks about her daughter’s visual impairment, the initial shock at diagnosis, the inaccessibility of local infrastructure for cane users, the challenges of back to school in a Covid19 world and her priorities and ambitions while in Government. Click here
- Paul Lynch of Crowe Ireland talks about his enjoyable and rewarding experience of recording audio books for NCBI service users as part of Crowe’s corporate social responsibility partnership with NCBI and would recommend other companies to get involved too.
Click here
- NCBI IT Trainer Brian Manning discusses the value of Braille, how it has evolved and become digitalised and is still just a useful resource to children and adults alike and how assistive technology is there to compliment Braille rather than replace it.
Click here
- Dr David Keegan, Ophthalmologist in Mater Hospital and Clinical Lead for Diabetic Retinopathy Screening chats about the symptoms and treatments of Diabetic Retinopathy.
Click here
- Sara McFadden talks about life as a student in Sligo IT and about her passion of being Ireland’s only visually impaired navigator in rally driving sport. Her competitiveness and determination means she never lets her low vision hold her back from attaining her dreams.
Click here
- Dr David Keegan discusses the eye condition Cataracts explaining what are the causes, symptoms and treatments.
Click here
- Dr David Keegan discusses the causes, symptoms and treatments associated with the eye condition Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Click here
- Peter Ryan, Paralympian Tandem Cyclist, FG Councillor and NCBI service user chats about how his sight loss has changed his life. The ups and downs he experienced and his determination to embrace his new self. His core message is that life is for living, having a diagnosis of sight loss does change everything but it is your reaction that defines how you live your life.
Click here
- Breandan Ward chats about his life in London and New York as a banker and now consultant on leadership development and disability empowerment. He chats openly about the struggles he faced when adjusting to his sight loss and the importance of having time and the right people and supports to help him through this process.
Click here
- Dave Sheehan: chats about how technology has made life much easier for him and how he enjoys teaching others how to use technology to its full effect.
Click here
- Kevin Kelly NCBI Head of Advocacy chat about the challenges practicing social distancing when you are blind or visually impaired and how the general public, as well as health officials, can assist in supporting them.
Click here
- Helena Mollaghan, NCBI trained advocate, shares her experiences during the Covid-19 pandemic covering topics such as social distancing, awareness and shopping restrictions.
Click here
- Kyran O’Mahoney, NCBI Chief Technology Officer talks about his passion for technology and how he uses it in his everyday life to overcome his impaired vision. He brings this passion to his role in NCBI and talks about the breadth of technology support and online technology tutorials available to support people with sight loss in making technology work for them.
Click here
- Katheen Donnelly, mum to Annie aged 11, chats about how participating in Vision Sports activities has changed Annie’s life in introducing her to sport and increasing her confidence. Also how NCBI Children’s Team have taught Annie vital life skills to maximise her independence. Kathleen speaks how Covid19 lockdown has affected their life, Annie’s education and what they are looking forward to once restrictions are eased. May 2020.
Click here
- Dr David Keegan, Ophthalmologist chats to June Tinsley, Head of Communications, NCBI about how eye health services are going to be delivered now that Covid19 restrictions are easing and social distancing practices are here to stay. May 2020.
Click here
- Interview with Dr. Donal Fitzpatrick: Dr Donal Fitzpatrick, a lecturer in DCU talks about the important role Braille plays as a form of communication for people who are blind or visually impaired. And how he is working to make communication between braille users and their teachers more accessible.
Click here
- Interview with Shane Ryan: Shane Ryan, from Limerick is Ireland’s first blind rower to cross the Atlantic Ocean. He’s just back from completing a gruelling and exhilarating 54 day Atlantic Rowing Challenge from Portugal to French Guiana. He tells how they overcame rough seas, exhaustion and an encounter with a hungry shark on this extraordinary journey.
Click here
- Interview with Leaving Cert Student 2: Patrick Hennessy, a vision impaired student from Waterford is was due to sit his Leaving Certificate exams this June. We speak to Patrick to find out how he is finding remote learning and staying motivated during this time.
Click here
- Interview with Leaving Cert Student 1: Caitlin Heffernan, a sixth year student from Tipperary with a vision impairment talks about her experience during the Covid19 pandemic. Caitlin talks about working at home, staying motivated and using technology all the while being in the dark about if and when the exams will take place.
Click here
- Interview with Alan Breathnach: Alan Breathnach, NCBI Chief Services Officer speaks about how NCBI and its staff have responded and adapted services to the Covid19 crisis and its legacy will be the provision of more of NCBI services being offered remotely either by phone or online.
Click here
- Vision Australia Interview with NCBI: Kevin Kelly interviews Karen Knight Head of Client Services with Vision Australia to find out how Vision Australia are dealing with the Covid-19 health crisis.
Click here
- Derek Walker – Kevin Kelly interviews entrepreneur Derek Walker about his Natnoot business and how NCBI and others helped him on his sight loss journey.
Click here
- Dr David Keegan – answers specific questions regarding eye health during Covid19 pandemic, how the eye health services are coping, the risks associated with the virus for those who are visually impaired, and many other questions.
Click here
- Jason Smyth talks to Kevin Kelly about how he’s surviving Covid19 and the deferral of the Paralympics until 2021.
Click here