This week on the show Simon and Andrew chat to the Honourable Dr Tony Buti MLA about his recent appearance at the Totally Lit festival in Fremantle, where he hosted a panel discussion on his book 'Alkira' written about his daughter with Cri-du-chat syndrome. The discussion delves into his personal experience as a father raising a child with chi-du-chat, and the struggles Tony and his wife Mandy faced along the way.

Tony describes with great warmth and compassion the journey of heartbreak, resilience and joy; from discovering his daughter has this rare condition to the response & action taken by himself and his wife to ensure that their bright daughter has a fulfilling life. One of the aims of the book is to help challenge how we approach disability and move toward a more just and inclusive society for all.

We very much appreciated Tony coming in to talk with us; it was a moving and informative conversation.

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This week, Andrew and Simon are joined by Peter Stotzer, a long-term volunteer presenter at Vision Australia Radio Perth. Peter hosts the wonderful 'Sites, Sounds & Songs', a program taking listeners on a virtual journey of different locations around the world, each paired with a personally chosen song that captures the spirit of the place.

We also explore Peter’s passion for cycling, and learn how his interest in competitive cycling led him to be actively involved with tandem cycling as a front rider (pilot) for vision impaired cyclists.

Check the program guide in your area for the broadcast times of 'Sites, Sounds & Songs' on our website. Unfortunately due to copyright restrictions on playing music, the program is not available via podcast.

Western Australian Tandem Cycling Advisory Council (or WATCAC for short) is based in Perth, Western Australia. Volunteer run, their purpose is to promote the integration of blind and vision-impaired cyclists into the cycling mainstream using tandems. WATCAC organises regular rides for fun and fitness and also participates in community cycling events. For more details go to their website. You can also follow WATCAC on Facebook (@WATCAC) and Instagram (@tandem.watcac).

To find out more about volunteering at Vision Australia Radio, please send an expression of interest to radio@visionaustralia.org.

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Join us as we discover the delights of the 'Totally Lit' Festival. From 26 September to 10 October in Fremantle/Walyalup, WA’s city of literature will come alive with a bright array of a variety of literature, books readings and discussions, showcasing some of the great authors and creators from WA and beyond.

We talk with Festival curator/producer Sharon Flindell to learn about this fascinating event and some of the highlights, including a wide range of topics such as:

• Book Launch: The Legend of Jessie Hickman
  Fremantle’s own award-winning author and illustrator team, Mark Greenwood & Frané Lessac are back with a rollicking new picture book about the fascinating but little-known legend of Jessie Hickman, better known as ’The Lady Bushranger’.
• Story Wheel!
  Step into the Story Wheel gondola and treat the young people in your life to their own private 10-minute story time experience with one of WA’s leading writers for children. Several options for different experiences.
• Writer, lawyer, academic and attorney-general are a few of the many hats worn by Dr. Tony Buti MLA. As part of the Totally Lit festival Tony brings his experience as a father and his skill as a writer to a conversation about Alkira, the powerful and passionate book he has written about his daughter, Alkira and her life with cri du chat syndrome. Through this deeply personal story, Tony also asks us to consider the ways in which we might move towards a more just and inclusive society for all.

Find out more on the Totally Lit website.

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Join us as we speak with Ethan Kavanagh, the creator of podcast 'The Perth Tourist'. This unique innovative podcast is designed to provide an immersive audio described tour of well-known Perth landmarks and locations. Both entertaining and informative, 'The Perth Tourist' is really great and accessible for everyone, especially people who are blind or have low vision.

In the past, Ethan, with the support of Vision Australia Radio and in consultation with members of the local blind community, developed three podcast episodes. He is now planning to create an ongoing series to further explore Perth.

Ethan has created a Kickstarter campaign (live until 10 October) to raise funds to produce the new episodes. Check it out here on Kickstarter, and please support it if you can!

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Lily Gaulton is a truly impressive young person; coming in on her 12th birthday to chat about being a disability advocate, winning numerous awards for her efforts and her debut novel, Blossom, publishing later this year. She is already demonstrating great leadership and determination, with an impressive list of advocacy based activities and acknowledgements.

Come and discover the marvelous adventures of this hard-working, tenacious and bright young star.

This Friday (September 12th) the WA Youth Awards will be held at Optus Stadium with Lily up for the Commissioner for Children and Young People’s Participation Award.

You can click here to learn more about the award. Thanks for listening!

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This week on the show Simon and Andrew chat to Jenni Crowther the WA state manager of Cérge, a companion website designed to help people with disability access venues. The Australian company allows users to see what accessible functions a venue has before visiting. Essentially being a remote recce to make sure the space accommodates you, any mobility aids or requirements.

This web tool can give you the important information you need to assist, with informative guides outlining accessibility features and arrangements for local facilities and locations.It aims to reduce anxiety and uncertainty when visiting a new place.

If you want to learn more about Cérge click here

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If you can move your arm or your hand, or express yourself no matter how minimally: you can dance.

We are delighted to be joined this week by the effervescent Rayna Lamb, a dynamic disability advocate and passionate dancer. Rayna shares her stories and experiences, from forming Women With Disabilities WA to performing in an upcoming groundbreaking production of The Little Mermaid.

To learn more about The Little Mermaid, or purchase tickets, click here.

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Join us as we explore the world of Deafblindness. Our guest this week, Hannah McPierzie, is the Chairperson of Deafblind West Australians (DBWA). She gives us an insight into the great work DBWA is doing and how they support their community. Hannah also shares a little of her own personal story, which led her to be in a leadership role with this organisation.

DBWA has developed a new leadership program for people aged 18-35, and we learn all about this fantastic initiative.

DBWA provides support for West Australians who are Deafblind. Find out more on their website.

Find out more about DBWA's Young Leaders program here on their website. This program was developed for anyone living with sensory loss, who is Deafblind, Deaf, Hard of Hearing, blind or has low vision, and who has initiative and drive.

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