RNIB

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."]

It’s a #TeamRNIB Medal Monday: share below if you’ve taken part in a charity run for us. Let's kick things off with Jess from Devon, who ran the London Marathon 2024 for her Pop (her Grandad). She said, "This one is for you, Pop. I’ll be thinking of you every step of this journey." Share your story below! Don’t forget to describe the picture too! It's easy to add, here's how: /https://lnkd.in/eXG2Sgcd [Image Description: Jess with brown hair tied back wearing dark black glasses and an RNIB branded running vest which is pink and blue with ‘RNIB’ across the chest. She is smiling and holding up a well-deserved medal. It’s bronze in colour.]

How does a blind person cook on MasterChef? Jamie MacDonald met up with RNIB Connect Radio to explain all. [Video description: Jamie: I had an assistant. Allan: Gordon Ramsay maybe? Jamie: Yeah. I just sat back. There you go cook up a storm, Gordon. No, I had a lovely young chap called Max. He was helping me basically navigate because, you know, I'm using chip pan fryers and all that. I mean, that's pretty, pretty lethal stuff, especially when you're doing it at pace and then the gadgets. But the one thing I do use is talking scales and I took my own talking scales down. I've always found them handy. In fact, my wife, who's fully sighted, loves those scales because they're pretty accurate. I don't want to say her name because she's right next to me. I'll activate her. But you know, the Amazon. Allan: The Lady A? Jamie: Yeah, Lady A. I normally use her for time. You weren't allowed one. So they were giving me these talking timers. Oh and they did my head in. And man, ‘little American boys, that's one to go, isn't it?’ God shut up. I think I think it's probably quite a lot of footage of me having an argument with a timer.]