RNIB

“After I stopped being able to do the things that I was used to doing due to my sight loss, getting involved with RNIB and running the Corstorphine Connect Sight Loss group gave me back my mojo. I was able to start using all the talents I’d gained from my past, and even though it’s all been in the aid of other people, it’s really helped me personally. It’s made me feel like I’m back to being me again, despite my sight loss. And I never would have done it if it hadn't been for RNIB. I have a condition called Fuchs’ endothelial dystrophy, which is basically where the cells at the back of your eye, which pump the fluid in and out of your cornea, stop working. This causes the cornea to go yellow and thicken, creating vision problems, which can be treated nowadays with a corneal transplant. However, alongside this, I also have a condition called Band Keratopathy, which causes calcium build-up across the centre of the cornea. The combination of the two is very rare. To do the transplant, they can’t have calcium obstructing it, so they have to medically scrape this away. One eye had too much build-up, but they were able to remove the calcium on the other. However, when they did this, they found a macular hole that had been developing over the years, so unfortunately, the transplant wasn’t particularly successful. I now have no central vision, but it did improve my peripheral vision in that eye, which is helpful for walking around. Sight loss definitely affected me mentally. I had two years of being quite dejected and miserable because I couldn’t do the things I was used to doing. All my life before losing my vision, I had been a banker by trade and had run events as a hobby.” 80-year-old Hazel is one of our Community Connection volunteers in Scotland, helping to organise and run events in her local area. When Hazel lost her sight, her sight loss impacted her mental health and she felt she was no longer able to do what she was passionate about. Help from and volunteering with RNIB gave Hazel back her mojo and enabled her to get back into running events in her local community, creating the Corstorphine Connect Sight Loss group. Now, she helps to recruit new volunteers, produces a monthly newsletter packed with useful information for members, and organises trips. Hazel and the rest of the community Connect volunteers have one shared goal; to bring together blind and partially sighted people in their local area, and encourage them to do things they wouldn’t normally do. If you’d like to join them, find out about our volunteering opportunities: rnib.org.uk/volunteering [Image description: Hazel stands in front of a reflective, decorative wall, wearing a pink RNIB t-shirt and has a blue ribboned Kiltwalk medal around her neck. She has short, blonde hair, wears glasses and has a huge smile on her face. She looks incredibly happy.]

Still thinking about running the London Marathon in 2025? 🥇 Lauryn from Sussex, who ran the London Marathon for #TeamRNIB this year, has a message for you. As Lauryn said, go for it and apply here: rnib.in/LondonMarathon25 [Video description and transcription: Static image of Lauryn, who is running London Marathon. She looks a mixture of happy and accomplished as she’s smiling at the cheering crowd. She has brown hair, wearing a yellowish-green cap, a pink RNIB-branded running vest and black shorts. She’s holding a water bottle in one hand and wearing her watch in the other. Lauryn: ‘Go for it because I literally, like I say, I could not run at all. And then I just kind of set this massive, massive challenge for myself. I think when I signed up to run the marathon, the furthest I had run was a 10k. And it's, I mean, I'm still a slow runner now and I just thought, youknow what? I'm going to set myself another challenge. I'd set myself a challenge to run the 5k. I'd set myself a challenge to run the 10k. What is bigger than a marathon? So I was like, just going to go for it. And I think that's the thing. Just go for it and trust, trust yourself. Trust your instinct that you can do this. You can. You'll have times where you think, I can't, I can't do it. This is ridiculous. What am I doing? But you can. And that, that's the goal. When you cross that line, you did it. And it's just this powerhouse of a feeling. Plus, on top of it, you've helped so many people by raising so much money. So you just feel, you just feel on top of the world. It's incredible.’]

The choice of narrator can make a big difference to the enjoyment of an audiobook. We chatted to Sex Education star Alistair Petrie about the many Talking Books he has recorded in our studios, and he shared his favourite with us. #BookLoversDay

When we announced Quigley, Allan from our Connect Radio team's trusty guide dog, was retiring, we had lots of questions about where he was off to. And we're so pleased to be able to provide this pupdate, narrated by Quigley himself (honest!). Just in time for International Assistance Dog Week, too. We love you, Quigley 🫶 [Video transcript: Hello everyone, my name is Quigley. I am a retired guide dog and I heard that my fans were asking what I've been up to since I retired. For the benefit of my blind friends, I am a golden Labrador with sandy fur and I am paddling in a stream in this video. So refreshing. So I have got really into gardening since I retired. Here I am just inspecting all the bushes and plants. I am standing in a bush and looking at the camera with a very serious look on my face. Because gardening is really serious business, folks. I've made lots of new friends in my new home. So here is me with a little brown terrier stood in front of a waterfall. What a day out that was. Even though I've retired from my job, I'm not afraid to get my paws dirty. Literally. That was a clever joke because in this photo I'm covered in mud all on my legs and belly, and I'm looking quite pleased with myself. As I should. I'm still a very brave boy too. Here I am, stood in the pouring rain in the middle of the park. I look a little bit soggy, but don't worry, I'm just fine and had a brilliant time. Anyway, I must go. That sofa won't lie on itself. Let me know if you've enjoyed this pupdate because I'm always happy to do more. OK, bye]

International Cat Day eye health cat fact 🐈 Prue, our team’s resident cat wrangler, recently learned that cats can temporarily have nystagmus after her feline friend Frank had vestibular disease. Vestibular disease isn’t that common in cats and Frank only had nystagmus for a few days. If you’re worried your pet might be unwell, talk to your vets. Nystagmus affects cats differently to nystagmus in their human friends. Find out more about nystagmus, here: rnib.in/Nystagmus [Image description: Image 1 - 'Nystagmus, cat edition. Did you know our feline friends can temporarily get nystagmus as a symptom of vestibular disease?' The word nystagmus is big and bold at the top, with the text following underneath. An arrow on the bottom corner points to the next image. Image 2 - 'Meet Frank. He recently had vestibular disease, a disorder that affects the vestibular system in the inner ear. It’s responsible for balance and sense of direction. One of the signs of vestibular disease is nystagmus, where eyes dart back and forth, up and down, or in circular motions involuntarily.' Frank's lovely face is pictured. He's a Maine Coon cross with brown and black tabby fur. He's got big, green eyes, lightened white fur around his mouth and huge, white whiskers which point forward. He looks very grumpy. An arrow on the bottom corner points to the next image. Image 3 - 'Symptom checker and how to help. Take your cat to your vet if they experience: Lack of coordination, loss of balance, leaning, falling or circling to one side, head tilting to one side, involuntary eye movements (nystagmus)']

I am an Olympics STAN. I grew up watching the Olympics. I remember exactly where I was when Greece won gold in the 110m hurdles, I can give you a frame-by-frame in depth analysis of the 2004 opening ceremony in Athens. I lost my voice, twice, screaming at wheelchair basketball in 2012 and developed an encyclopaedic knowledge of curling in 2014. And then there’s the advertising. Probably the best produced and most expensive 90 seconds of brand advertising. Ads that bring to life the craft, effort, patience, skill, talent and mental fortitude of athletes and their teams. Procter & Gamble's Thank you Mum campaign still makes be cry. Wieden + Kennedy always deliver for Nike. This year’s Deloitte ad celebrating the impact ‘The Firsts’ have in wider society – and the supporting research – had me wildly sharing links and stats. The 2024 Channel 4 campaign for the Paralympics firmly moves away from the ‘Superhuman’ narrative – a ableist narrative that perpetuates the myth that disability is something to be ‘overcome’ or ‘fixed’. And yet as I sit here watching more and more #Paris2024 ads, tearing up and becoming an armchair expert in sport I have never experienced – I cannot help but point out that many of these campaigns are not accessible to those with a visual or hearing disability. According to the European Blind Union, there are 30m blind people in Europe (and that number is probably higher as the data dates back to 2010). The European Federation of Hard of Hearing People estimates that 9% of the population in Europe (that’s 51m people) are hard of hearing. In other words, about 15% of the population (data from Taide Guajardo brilliant talk) is not able to fully experience your brand's story, your point of view, your insight. Please – don't let 15% of your investment go down the drain. To help me illustrate the point, the brilliant Becky C. Brynolf has helped me pull the below together. Can you guess which iconic picture BBC Sport posted this week? We've used assistive technology to read out their original post, and then an edited, more accessible version that RNIB made. With the Paralympics round the corner, I'd love to see BBC Sport, Eurosport and all #Paralympics sponsors put accessible communication first. #accessibility #AccessibleAdvertising #AltText #olympics

We couldn't have said it better ourselves, Alexa Heinrich. If you're able to add alt text, you should. 👏 [Image description: Quote from Alexa Heinrich 'I hate when folks make writing alt text sound like extra work. It's not extra work. It's missing work. Without alt text, your content is unfinished' The image is her quote in a screenshot from her LinkedIn post that shows her name and her role as a social media strategist, accessibility advocate, and professional speaker.]

"Learning directly from speakers who are partially sighted or blind with stories from their own personal experience was really inspiring and engaging. The Masterclass provided brilliant tools and insights, which will enable us, our clients and other creatives to make work that’s accessible to all.” Our new masterclass introduces creatives to the importance of inclusive communications, and shares critical tools and techniques to ensure how you and your clients communicate with customers is accessible. The one-day course covers myth busting and understanding sight loss, using simulation goggles to experience how some sight conditions affect your vision, how using too many emojis can make your social media a real headache for screen reader users, and practical tips for putting the learning into practice. Learn more about our Inclusive Communications Masterclass: https://lnkd.in/eeb5wHPi #RNIB #Communications #Accessibility [Image descriptions: 1. A masterclass participant, a woman wearing a short sleeve white shirt, wears simulation glasses and stands in a workplace kitchen area holding cutlery and small stack of brightly colour plates. 2. RNIB staff members Dave and Robin deliver the course, sharing their lived experiences of sight loss. Dave holds an assistive tech device as part of a demonstration.]

We condemn the racist violence that’s broken out across the UK in the last few days. We’re checking in on black and brown colleagues and volunteers, offering support and flexible working to ensure people feel safe. If any of you are seeking extra support at this time, please get in touch by calling 0303 123 9999, emailing helpline@rnib.org.uk or saying: “Alexa, call RNIB Helpline” to an Alexa-enabled device."

Make your work stand out from the crowd: rnib.in/RNIBMasterclass Our new masterclass introduces creatives to the importance of inclusive communications, and shares critical tools and techniques to ensure every one of your advertising assets is accessible. The one-day course covers myth busting and understanding sight loss, using simulation goggles to experience how some sight conditions affect your vision, how using too many emojis can make your social media a real headache for screen reader users, and practical tips for putting the learning into practice. Take our Inclusive Communications Masterclass: https://lnkd.in/eeb5wHPi #RNIB #Advertising #Creative [Image description: A very simple flowchart: "Work at a creative agency?" A single arrow points to "yes", from which a single arrows points to "Take RNIB's new Inclusive Communications Masterclass."]