RNIB Connect

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 week Vidar is reviewing an award-winning stage adaptation of one of his favourite books as the current touring production of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ visited the Birmingham Hippodrome with description by Professional Audio Describer Jonathan Nash.
About ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’
Aaron Sorkin’s riveting, award-winning stage adaptation of the seminal American novel about racial injustice and childhood innocence became a Broadway and West End sensation with star-studded sell-out seasons on both sides of the Atlantic. Now this thrilling courtroom drama is touring the country.
Successful lawyer, Atticus Finch, encourages kindness and empathy in his children, but is pushed to the limits of these qualities himself when he resolves to uncover the truth in a town that seems determined to hide it.
Set in 1934 Alabama, To Kill a Mockingbird was inspired by novelist Harper Lee’s own childhood and has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and was long at the top of the banned book lists.
To find out more about the current tour of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ do visit - https://www.mockingbirdplay.com/tour

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As International Dawn Chorus day approaches, how can birdsong boost your wellebing?
Amelia gets tips from RSPB Wildlife Expert Beth Dean ahead of International Dawn Chorus day.
Learn more about International Dawn Chorus Day on the RSPB website - RSPB Bird & Wildlife Conservation Charity

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Each month, RNIB Connect Radio speak to some of the RNIB Campaigns Team to discuss some of the big projects they’re working on at the moment. Hywel Davies has been finding out more.
If you’d like more information on campaigns or want to get involved , email [email protected]

You can visit rnib.org.uk/news 
or call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999
Follow @RNIB_Campaigns on your socials or search for RNIB Campaigns

We are celebrating the power of people helping other people and an incredible £15 million in flexible funding raised by players of the Postcode Lottery supporting the work that the RNIB does to help blind and partially sighted people live more independently and with greater confidence too.
One such area of the RNIB’s work is the Visibly Better Employer Standard helping employers to support their visually impaired staff and job seekers too.
The Aneurin Bevan university Health Board in Wales was the first NHS health board to be awarded the standard.
RNIB Connect radio’s Toby Davey was joined by Katie Morgan-Jones, RNIB Employment Advisor Visibly Better Employer and David Chaffey, ABUHB Disability Inclusion Officer who is visually impaired and was instrumental in ABUHB applying for and being awarded the standard for an overview on the VBES and the impact it has had on ABUHB staff and patients too. 
Thanks to funding raised by players and awarded by Postcode Care Trust, RNIB has received an amazing £15 million in flexible funding since 2018.
To find out more about the RNIB Visibly Better Employer Standard do either call the RNIB Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or visit the RNIB website - https://www.rnib.org.uk
And for more about the Postcode Lottery do go to - https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk 
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If your blind or partially sighted and voting in the 2026 UK elections, there are various pieces of assistive technology, and staff support, on offer to help you cast your vote independently and in secret.
There are differences around the UK, so what can you expect?
RNIB Connect Radio’s Allan Russell spoke to RNIB to find out what you are entitled to.
If you’d like more info on what’s available to help you vote, accessibly, go to www.rnib.org.uk and search for voting.
You can also call your local council offices or RNIB’s Helpline on 0303 123 9999.
#RNIBConnect
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