Vision Australia

So I would really like to see male politicians like Matt Canavan using their voice for good and actually showing young boys how to respect young women as opposed to using this very serious challenge we face in keeping our young women and girls safe to make political points.

Vision Australia has hosted its annual Seeing Eye Dog graduation event, with 35 new Labradors and Golden Retrievers now qualified to support Australians who are blind or have low vision.

It brings the total number of Seeing Eye Dogs to 266 pups across the country.

Chris Edwards is Vision Australia's chief mission officer and is also a Seeing Eye Dog handler.

He says the demand for these animals is very high, but that it takes a lot of work to batch people with the right dog.

It's a very big science to match a seeing eye dog with their handler.

Mm-hmm.

And Vision Australia has supported that view.

They say that these glasses have been a game changer for vision impaired Aussies.

And in the midst of all of this, uh, someone else has weighed in, and that's the eSafety Commissioner, 'cause obviously it sort of plays into this space as well.

Disability advocates are warning banning smart glasses would limit accessibility.

Vision Australia's Chief Mission Officer Chris Edwards has told AAP the camera-equipped glasses technology have made it easier for people with sight impairments to participate in daily life.

He says the accessibility benefits outweighs potential risks when considering a blanket ban.

While Attorney General Michelle Rowland says the government is taking safety concerns seriously, she says the perspectives of people who are impacted by the technology in a positive way also need to be considered.

That's 1300 654 656.

Or you can email library at visionaustralia.org. That's library at visionaustralia.org. Have a lovely week.

And we'll be back next week with more Hear This.

Sometimes better internet starts with a small change.

But at the same time, Nat, there are very legitimate reasons for this.

We've had Vision Australia and other disability advocacy groups saying that this type of technology has been a game changer for them.

We want to make sure we get the balance right and we don't unfairly discriminate against people who are using this technology to better participate in society.

Yeah.

So having something tactile is really valuable.

And what I've also been doing is 3D printing these materials and donating them to places like Vision Australia to have folks with low vision being able to feel the topography and our planet in a different way.

Amazing.

They look really beautiful.

Sorry, just a question about that.

When you were doing it online, did you have like Vision Australia, someone like that help you with computer programs? What were you using then so people understand that, you know, you weren't just seeing a computer like sighted people were using something like Zoom or Dragon or whatever it is?

Yeah, so I had, I think it's called ZoomText.

Yep,

Hello, and welcome to Hear This.

This is the Vision Australia Library Radio Show on Vision Australia Radio, where we talk about books in the Vision Australia collection.

Today we have our usual monthly catch-up with Maureen O'Reilly, community engagement coordinator here at Vision Australia Library, telling us about what's coming up, the events, um, and the activities.

So watch our for part two.

[upbeat music] Hello, Maureen O'Reilly, community coordinator of Vision Australia Library.

How are you?

I coordinate the entire community.

Mm