Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look through a different lens.

On this week’s show

"New Puppy”

By an interesting coincidence a number of friends of the Studio 1 Team have recently acquired a new Guide Dog/Seeing Eye Dog – this includes Lizzie. So it was time to tlk to Shayne, Vicki and Kirsten about the experiences. Vicki lost her previous dog, Bella, to cancer and had to decide whether it was possible to replace her best friend. Shayne talks about “Second Dog Syndrome” and how experience with one dog does not necessarily prepare you for the next one. And Kirsten talks about how some dogs are better for particular times of life. Meanwhile Steven and Lizzie talk what happens to the dog who has been “Retired”

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to Steven; Kirsten Busby; Shayne Allan and Vicki Cousins

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look through a different lens.

On this week’s show

"David Williamson”

Sam talks to Vison Australia CEO David Williamson. David was appointed in October; how has he settled in and what lies ahead for Australia's largest agency catering for people with a Vision Impairment of Blindness.

David talks about his background in the disability sector and how those experiences along with lived experience shaped his decision to take on the role of CEO.

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to David and also Kate (David’s hard-working PA) for helping to set this up.

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look through a different lens.

On this week’s show

“It's Your Call”

Which phone is best for you? Is the Iphone still superior to Android when it comes to accessibility? The Operating System “Debate” is explored with some rather surprising results.

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to: Shayne; Lisa-Marie; Heidi and Connor

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look through a different lens.

On this week’s show

“Elise Lonsdale”

Lizzie catches up with Elise Lonsdale, the founder of DATA Australasia. They discus access-technology; digital accessibility; and how it impacts education; employment and everyday life. Elise also talks about the role of Toastmasters.

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

For more information about the topics covered in this show go to: https://dataaustralasia.com.au/

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look through a different lens.

On this week’s show

“There's Never Been a Cooler Time to be Blind!”

For International Braille Day (4th January 2026), Lizzie speaks to Aasha Rose about her research. Aash is doing a PHD into whether Braille literacy leads to higher life satisfaction.

And we ask, friend of the show Shaun Oliver, whether it really is a cool time to be blind?

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to Aasha Rose and Shaun Oliver.

You can find Aasha's survey here: https://surveys.unisq.edu.au/index.php/147465?lang=en

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view.

On this week’s show

“Sam and Lizzie’s Year in Review”

Our hosts look back at 2025 and give their top 3 episodes for the year.

Lizzie's top 3:

Annette and Valda (Vision Loss): https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/annette-and-valda-vision-loss

Ski for Light: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/ski-for-light

Camp Abilities Part 1 & 2: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/camp-abilities-part-1 https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/camp-abilities-part-2

Sam's Top 3:

Eyewear: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/eyewear

And the Winner is... Sydeny: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/the-winner-is-sydeny

TAXI! https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/taxi

Honorable Mentions:

Taking Care of Business: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/taking-care-of-business

Francois and Victoria: Audio Description: https://omny.fm/shows/studio1/francois-and-victoria-audio-description

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to everyone who has contributed to Studio 1; including our chior of angels; and, of course, thank you to our listeners.

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view.

On this week’s show

“Another Very Studio 1 Christmas”

It's Christmas Eve, if you haven't finished your Christmas shopping... well too bad!

Sam and Lizzie are joined by a few friends to look back at Christmas Past and how some things have changed.

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to David Burston; Emma Myers; Shayne Allan; Stephen Eastham and Shaun Oliver.

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lizzie Eastham and Sam Rickard present Studio 1 - Vision Australia Radio’s weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view.

On this week’s show

“Mr Chips”

Children's Author, David Burston (AKA Mr Chips) talks to Lizzie and Sam about his adventures out at sea and working as an IT adviser at a local school in the mid-1990s – and how these experiences affected his writing.

Studio 1 welcomes any input from our listeners. If you have any experience or thoughts about issues covered in this episode or believe there is something we should be talking about.

You may also be interested in joining our choir of angels and telling your story.

EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork

A special thank you to David, you can hear more from him next week when we bring you “Another Very Studio 1 Christmas”

You can find David’s books on most popular retail sites including Amazon; Andgus and Robinson, and Booktopia. However David did mention a few other places:

Hemlocks Book and Coffee: https://www.facebook.com/hemlocksbooks/

Evan’s head Infomration Centre: https://www.visitnsw.com/destinations/north-coast/lismore-area/evans-head/visitor-information-centres/evans-head-visitor-information-centre

Balina Book Warehouse: https://bal1.circlepos.com/

This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at https://cbf.org.au/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.