On FOCAL POINT:

• 01:50 – Robert Altamore - Advocate and proponent of Braille. Shares his experience completing the Australian Census in Braille using a Perkins Brailler, discusses the independence Braille provides over digital options, and highlights the importance of advocating for Braille literacy alongside modern assistive tech.

• 15:32 – Rachel (Beyond Blindness) - Marketing representative at Beyond Blindness. Discusses upcoming Apple accessibility workshops in Adelaide, Android support sessions, local "pocket group" social meetups, expansion plans into Port Augusta, and the $2,000 Trevor Frost Award scholarship for young artists with vision impairments.

• 29:50 – Rebecca Young - CEO of Access2Arts. Discusses audio-described local theater performances (e.g., State Theatre Company's Chalk / Commentary), inclusive programs at festivals like Illuminate Adelaide and SALA, and shares insights on proposed federal audio description legislation and the drawbacks of using AI voices over professional human describers.

• 42:01 – Maureen O'Reilly - Representative from the Vision Australia Library. Highlights upcoming virtual events including the "Meet the Narrator" Q&A session with guest Paul Wentford, archived technology webinars, and a 5-week course on how to write compelling news stories.

Resources

• Blind Citizens Australia (SA Branch Catch-up)

  • Phone: 1800 033 660

  • Website: https://www.bca.org.au/

• Beyond Blindness

  • Phone: (08) 8367 6088

  • Port Augusta Group Contact (Jen): 0403 451 817

  • Website: https://beyondblindness.org.au/

• Access2Arts

  • Phone: (08) 8463 1689

    Website: https://access2arts.org.au/

• Vision Australia Library

  • Phone: 1300 654 656

  • Website: https://visionaustralia.org/services/library

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