Show Notes
RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for another audio described theatre review. This time we have Birmingham Royal Ballet’s revival of a true ballet classic with ‘Swan Lake’ at the Birmingham Hippodrome with description by Professional Audio Describers Julia Grundy and Jonathan Nash. About ‘Swan Lake’ Birmingham Royal Ballet revives Sir Peter Wright and Galina Samsova's glorious journey into Swan Lake – with the Royal Ballet Sinfonia performing Tchaikovsky’s superb music live alongside BRB’s spectacular dancers. Prince Siegfried is out hunting one night when he happens upon a flock of graceful swans. When one of them turns into a beautiful woman, the Prince is utterly smitten – but Odette explains that she has fallen under an evil spell cast by Baron von Rothbart, which keeps her in swan form from dawn to dusk. Can Siegfried’s love break the spell? Find out in this exquisite production of a true ballet classic. There is another audio described performance of ‘Swan Lake’ at Sadler’s Wells in London on Saturday 31 October at 2pm with the touch tour at 11.15am. and to find out more about Birmingham Royal Ballet’s access programme including described performances of their productions do visit - https://www.brb.org.uk/whats-on/access Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.
More from RNIB Connect
Each month RNIB Connect Radio speaks to the Policy and Campaigns Team from RNIB Cymru. This month, Hywel Davies has been finding out about some of the different strands to RNIB’s ‘See Cymru Differently’ project. To find out more about the RNIB’s campaigns work in Wales and across the country you can email [email protected], call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit - https://www.rnib.org.uk/campaign-with-us/ Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.
These days everyone likes to take a selfie of themselves while out and about, making a record of trips and holidays or just letting people know through social media what they are up to. So how easy might it be for blind and partially sighted people to take that perfect selfie photo of themselves standing outside a great historical landmark or iconic location. Well VISITFLANDERS have come up with a great solution and have co-created the ‘Selfie for All Tile’ with representatives from visually impaired organisations and experts too. The tiles feature integrated footprints for positioning and use Google Maps and NaviLens technology for audio guided orientation. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey was joined by Anita Rampall from VISITFLANDERS and Leive Veys, a partially sighted volunteer from Licht and Liefde who are an advocacy group who were very much involved in the development of the tiles, to find out more about the project and how the ‘Selfie for All Tiles’ work enabling visually impaired people to take that perfect selfie. To find out more about the ‘Selfie for All Tiles’ and the various locations they are currently available do visit the following pages of the VISITFLANDERS website - https://www.visitflanders.com/en/travel-information/accessibility/selfie-all Image shows a man with a white cane in one hand taking a selfie with a smartphone in the other with the tower of St Rumbold's Cathedral in Mechelen in the background
Adapted from Lemony Snicket’s picture book, ‘The Dark’ by Peut-Être Theatre is a universal and empowering family adventure about facing one’s fear is on at Battersea Arts Centre in London from 27-31 October 2026. Laszlo is afraid of the dark. The Dark lives in the basement. It doesn’t visit Laszlo in his room. Until one night it does . . . Merging vibrant physicality with live music to create captivating performances, ‘The Dark’ is accessible for blind and visually impaired children through integrated audio-description and touch tours. RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey caught up with Ellie Isherwood and Daphna Attias from Peut-Être Theatre to find out more about ‘The Dark and what visually impaired children and their families will experience when they attend one of the truly accessible performances. To find out more about ‘The Dark’ at Battersea Arts Centre and the performances from 27 - 31 October 2026 do visit the following pages of the BAC website - https://bac.org.uk/whats-on/the-dark/ Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.
RNIB have been working with the Scottish Queer International Film Festival (SQIFF) to make the festival more accessible for blind and partially sighted attendees. Amelia spoke with Charlie Little from SQIFF and James Kyle and Conor Joseph from RNIB to learn more. Find the SQIFF events programme and further details here - SQIFF – Scottish Queer International Film Festival Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.
Barry Snell learns about the importance of RNIB’s peer support groups in the Scottish Highlands. He is talking to RNIB Scotland's Project Support officer Ian White. Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white and black background ‘RNIB’ written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio’ is written in black in a smaller font.