August 6, 2025 • 34 mins
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
“Book Week: With Leslie Heagney from Braille House”
Lizzie and Sam talk about their favorite books, and the ways they read them.
Lizzie talks to With Leslie Heagney, from Braille House, about the Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition; Book Week; Braille literacy and Braille House in general.
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.
EMAIL: studio1@visionaustralia.org or leave comment on the station’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/VARadioNetwork
Braille House Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition: https://www.braillehouse.org.au/education/dickinson-memorial-literary-competition-2025?srsltid=AfmBOoprEu486pZoaFdkkkRGgb5TC-Joq84hCzJ7ZtLa27pOk3MmEaff
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.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:14):
This is Studio One with Sam Rickard and Lizzie Eastham
on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (00:26):
Hi, I'm Lizzie.
S3 (00:27):
And I'm Sam.
S2 (00:29):
And this is Studio One, your weekly look at life
from a blind and low vision point of view. Here
on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (00:34):
This week we're dusting off our favourite books and celebrating
Book Week in style.
S2 (00:38):
Lesley Heaney from Brough House tells us about what they're
up to this week, as well as the Dickinson Memorial
Literary Competition.
S3 (00:47):
As we always say at this point, please do get
in touch with the show. Whether you have experience of
any of the issues covered on this week's episode of
Studio One, or if you think there's something we should
be talking about. You never know. Your story and insight
may help somebody else who is dealing with something similar.
S2 (01:03):
You can email us at studio One at Vision Australia. Org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia. Or of course,
you can drop us a note on our station's Facebook
page at facebook.com.
S3 (01:17):
Hello, Lizzie. It's book week, and if anyone could tell
because yes, we do seem to be dressed for the occasion.
S2 (01:25):
You look very splendid, Sam, I must say.
S3 (01:27):
Well, uh, it was, uh, my favorite dressing gown for
a while, so. Yes, it's, uh, it's not every every
day that we get to, uh, show up in, uh,
dressing gowns and slippers and that sort of stuff, but
I'm not sure exactly what you've come as. You've got
this sort of, um, multi-coloured day glo dressing gown with. Oh,
was that, um, Dame Edna, um, glasses? Um, what's that
(01:48):
supposed to be?
S2 (01:49):
Well, I'm supposed to be done. I mean, do you
like the fake beard? I'm supposed to be.
S3 (01:52):
Dumbledore, actually.
S2 (01:53):
But, you know, I mean, do you think it's fitting?
Do you think I look the part or what?
S3 (01:58):
Oh, um. Yeah. You don't really look like, uh, the, um,
the movie or really not what? I sort of pictured
reading the books, but.
S2 (02:05):
No, for one thing, I think I'm a bit too
feminine and probably a bit too short as well. I
always imagined Dumbledore would be quite tall.
S3 (02:12):
Well, I have come, of course, as Arthur Dent from
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So, uh. Yes. Beware
out there if you, uh, hear, um, the Vogons are coming.
S2 (02:22):
Indeed. Well, it is book week, and I just want
to ask, Sam, what book is your favourite book and
what are you currently reading?
S3 (02:30):
So my favourite book is, uh. Well, there's a few,
in fact, but I've got to admit, my favourite book
of all time because I've got a lot of pleasure
out of reading. It was catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
S2 (02:42):
Aha!
S3 (02:43):
So yes, you have, uh, gritty war versus a very
dark sense of humor indeed.
S2 (02:49):
That sounds like my kind of book. And what are
you reading at the moment?
S3 (02:52):
I've just finished book four in a series about, uh,
Mark Antony. So, uh, I'm now looking around for something
else to read. So, what have you been up to?
What's your favourite book?
S2 (03:04):
Well, you know, um, anybody who knows me knows that
I love the Harry Potter series. Absolutely adore it. I
grew up with it. The books, the movies, all of it.
I'm so immersed in Harry Potter headcanon. I don't think
there's anything I don't know. But at the moment, uh,
back in 2015 or 2014, at the 100 year anniversary
(03:27):
of World War one, uh, Apple Books brought out a
series of different books relating to war and not just
World War One, but there was some on World War two,
the Vietnam War. I am reading one at the moment
called The Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson,
and it's about a Navy Seal from Texas who goes
(03:50):
to Afghanistan. And all of his comrades are pretty much
wiped out, and he ends up making an unlikely friendship
with an Afghani man. And that friendship still blossoms to
this day. So it is a dark book. It is
a heavy read, but it is also a bit heartwarming
(04:12):
in the sense that, you know, it shows us that
friendship can grow under any sort of circumstances.
S3 (04:18):
So what is your favorite format and why?
S4 (04:20):
Well, I love.
S2 (04:21):
An old fashioned Braille book. I, I just love feeling
the Braille on my fingers and the sound of the
pages turning and the creaking of the binders. But I've
been reading The Lone Survivor on Apple Books. So on
my iPhone, that's not audio, it's just in their e-book format.
But I've been. Obviously, when I revisit the Harry Potter series,
(04:44):
I have to listen to the Stephen Fry versions of
the audiobooks. So Braille definitely my favorite, and audio a
close second.
S3 (04:53):
My favorite format, I've got to admit, is just good
old fashioned reading. Yes, sir. You can't necessarily find the
range or what you want to read in large print,
so I've really never bothered. I've just have this, um,
stand magnifier balanced on my eye as I'm sort of
lying back and, uh, pushing this thing across the pages of,
of whatever I'm reading until I give out. And then
(05:14):
I will, um, give up for a while. But I've
also been getting into Kindle recently, which, uh, is a
lot more convenient and, well, it takes up a lot
less room because I've got essentially, um, 3 or 4
bookcases devoted to old paperbacks, which I probably will never
read again. So I really should do something about, um,
going through them and perhaps, uh, yeah, finding other homes
(05:37):
for them.
S2 (05:37):
Well, if anybody's listening, get in touch with Sam, and, uh,
he may be able to line you up with certain
books if he's got them. Right.
S3 (05:45):
Uh, it depends if you like, uh, trashy science fiction
or historical fiction.
S2 (05:49):
Well, there's nothing like a, uh, trash and treasure to
make you clear out your books. Yeah. Um, as far
as the the Kindles are concerned, my family absolutely love
them because they say you can trundle a hundred books
around with you, but, you know, you don't have to
log volumes of paper so.
S3 (06:06):
Well from a from a accessibility point of view as well.
You can make the print as large or as small
as you want. So it's very convenient there. And I
don't even have a Kindle. Um, play I think I
just use my tablet, which is extremely handy. But in
the meantime, who are we catching up with this week?
We've caught up with, uh, someone from Braille House at
(06:29):
the start of the year, but apparently she's moved on,
and we've got a new person.
S2 (06:32):
Yeah, so we caught up with Kelly Phelan earlier this year,
if you remember, for our International Braille Day episode. But
we are now talking to Lesley Heaney, who has taken
over the role since Kelly's departure. And, you know, we're
sort of going to chat about how Braille House started,
what they've been up to, the Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition,
(06:55):
also their literacy challenge. And I think she might even
be able to tell us about some of the books
that she and the volunteers and staff at Brough House
are reading. So I guess all that's left to ask is, Lesley,
how are you today?
S5 (07:10):
I'm really good. Thanks, Lizzie. How are you? I'm great.
It's book week and I like many of our listeners.
And of course, you probably really enjoy reading. Absolutely. I
think Book Week is every week here for us at
real House. I was thinking about this quite a bit. Is,
you know, although this week is a celebration of, um,
of books, especially for children. You know, we celebrate literacy,
(07:33):
especially accessible literacy, um, every day. We're so lucky to
have our Braille and moon library, and we promote it
very heavily for people who are blind or have low vision,
of course. And we'll get into.
S2 (07:44):
The Dickinson.
S5 (07:46):
Uh, literary competition.
S2 (07:47):
In a minute. But first, I.
S5 (07:48):
Wanted to ask.
S2 (07:49):
You about your role at.
S5 (07:50):
Braille.
S2 (07:50):
House, because I.
S5 (07:51):
Believe you've only recently come into the role. You're right. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Lizzie. Yeah.
So my role, um, is. I'm responsible for all fundraising,
marketing and business development. So a really unique role, um,
a role I'm really proud to have. Uh, I've got
a background in fundraising, not for profit marketing and sales. So, um,
(08:13):
you're really passionate about, um, you know, out there supporting, um,
causes just like Braille house. So I am new to, um,
to this particular space, but not new to the type
of role. So I'm really enjoying, you know, learning more
about this. And, um, I've always been an avid reader
ever since I was a kid. My, um, when I
first joined, I was really pleased to see that, uh,
(08:36):
a book that I would give credit to teaching me
how to read is transcribed into Braille here, um, at
Braille House. So it's a really nice combination of a
lot of the things that I love. Well, what book
is that? Just out of interest. Great question. I always
like the opportunity to tell it. It's, um, I don't
think it's a super popular one, but I loved it
because I could memorize it and it's called The Kangaroo
by Woolloomooloo. And it was one of those, you know,
(08:57):
those ones you get at the supermarket, you know, and
they were on the shelves there. And, um, I just
loved it so much because there's a line about a
rainbow snake with a birthday cake. And, uh, it's very
repetitive and rhymey. So, um, I'm told that I just.
And I remember doing it, I memorized the book and
then matched the words with what I knew it was. So, um,
(09:18):
you know, very proud, very proud reader. Well, that's a.
S2 (09:21):
Very unique way of of learning to read, I guess, isn't.
S5 (09:24):
It?
S6 (09:24):
Yeah, yeah.
S5 (09:25):
Who knows? Like, I was pretty pretty interested in reading
still at school, but, um, you know, it was a
really great platform for me to, you know, to launch
into my, uh, the rest of my life now it seems,
isn't it? So what drew you to Braille House?
S2 (09:38):
What made you think.
S5 (09:39):
Oh, I really want to work here. So Braille House
has been around for. I think it's just gone 128 years. So, um, really,
really unique organization, um, you know, proudly run by, um,
you know, you know, very passionate volunteers for a very
long time. And recently we've been growing the, you know,
(09:59):
the space to make sure that we're doing as much
as we can in, uh, promoting touch literacy. So there's
a lot of discussion about there with, you know, increases
in technology around, you know, Israel still relevant? Um, you know,
do people still read Braille and all of that? And
whilst we know it's not for everybody, the those that
do read it, it's extremely powerful. Someone told me the
(10:23):
other day, actually, someone very wise, they said, just because
we have audiobooks, which are a beautiful thing and I
listened to myself, doesn't mean we don't teach sighted kids
to read anymore. So, you know, the same applies for our, um,
you know, children who are blind and have low vision
as well. Um, you know, we're really passionate about, um,
literacy for and the opportunities that that brings. Um, for,
(10:46):
for those that, um, do learn Braille, do you.
S2 (10:48):
Think then the Braille is still relevant?
S5 (10:50):
Yeah, absolutely. So like I said, you know, Braille, um,
it's actually about literacy, isn't it? And, um, you know,
so literacy to us is a foundation for lifelong learning independence. Um,
it empowers people to communicate. You make informed decisions and
fully engage in their communities to the best of their ability.
So we invest really heavily in supporting our community across
(11:13):
all age groups. For that reason, we just couldn't believe
more in in the power of that. And, uh, you know,
our braille literacy challenges coming up that we it's one
of our favorite events of the year. And we're proud
to have a guest speaker this year who's coming back to,
you know, celebrate what the you know, the power of
Braille has had on him and his career.
S2 (11:31):
The big thing at the moment, which we're really here
to talk about, is the Dickinson Literary Memorial Competition. It's
in its 104th year.
S5 (11:40):
Yeah, absolutely. So 104 years, which is a pretty incredible, um,
legacy in anyone's standards and, uh, particularly in a fast
moving world that we live in today. So, um, you know,
it started a long time ago, and the first thing
I'm told is self-reliance, which I think is a really
beautiful theme, especially for this event. We're really proud to
(12:02):
be the custodian of this, of this writing competition. And
it's named after a really beautiful family called the Dickinson family. So, um,
there's a few names to mention. So it's the brothers
Harold and Edwin, but also Doctor Mercy Dickinson, who was
a pioneer in blindness education. So mercy lost her sight
(12:24):
at seven, but went on to become Uq's first blind graduate,
which is pretty impressive, especially in those days. She earned
a Fulbright scholarship in 1953, and her work in education
and advocacy is part of the competition's enduring legacy, as
we say. So, you know, she definitely earned the honor
(12:44):
to have her name, um, on this on this beautiful competition.
Was it always called.
S2 (12:49):
The Dickinson Memorial Competition because if it started in 1929.
S5 (12:54):
You're right. Yeah. I don't believe so. That's a great question, Lizzie.
I'd love to know. And I know that it has
been I think, um, you know, you guys were also the, uh,
the custodians of the event for a while, uh, before
it came home to to bridal house as well. So,
I don't know, we'll have to put that on the,
on the list of things to find out. Yeah.
S2 (13:11):
Of course. How long is Braille House been custodians of
the event, or is this the first year?
S5 (13:15):
No, since about 2014, I think. Yeah. So, um, part
of what we do is we also publish, um, the
winning stories in the special anthology. So they get put
into our library as well, so people can borrow them
and access them and becomes part of our history.
S2 (13:31):
Fantastic. So tell us about the theme of the competition
this year, because you told us the first one was self-reliance.
So what is the theme for this?
S5 (13:39):
Um, heavily, uh, you know, debated won this one. Um,
in terms of who gets to to choose the theme
each year, this year we've landed on it goes to
a vote just so that everyone knows it's all fair.
Is discovery so really think, um, you know, this is
a really beautiful one that connects back to the roots
of self-reliance and growth. You know, we try and keep
it broad because it is about creative writing, but something to,
(14:02):
you know, to direct them. Um, so, you know, you
invite writers to explore any form of discovery with its
internal educational, imaginative or even geographical. You know, it can
be applied to so many different things.
S2 (14:15):
There are different categories of the competition. Can you talk
us through what they are?
S5 (14:19):
Yeah, absolutely. So there's six different categories. Um, and they
range for different age groups. So we've got, you know,
creative writing pieces, uh, you know, and then we've got youth,
we've got, um, adults as well. And then we also
have a category specially for everyone to enter as well,
(14:40):
which is the people's choice. So everyone can enter, including
our sighted friends as well.
S2 (14:44):
Amazing. And how do we vote on the People's Choice category.
S5 (14:47):
Then that one will be done online. Um, following the event. Um,
so yeah, love people to get involved in that. The
more people involved in reading this as part of the
fun as well. And, you know, we love putting that
one out to our community too. So important time to
note that there is prizes for both first and second
place across all six categories as well. So it's $350
(15:10):
for first place and $150 for second, which is pretty good.
S2 (15:14):
So in terms of the length or the style of
the creative pieces that you're looking for, what sort of
lengths are we going for? Is it is it like
a long story with chapters or is it a short story?
S5 (15:26):
I say a bit shorter. So, um, you know, we've
got a word limit there. I think it's 2000 words.
I should have checked that, shouldn't I? But, um, really,
what we're looking for is, you know, short stories, poems,
opinion pieces, song lyrics. You could do a blog, even
a Limerick, um, which, you know, these days, you're going
to see too many of them. But they are, you know,
(15:47):
really popular as well, really fun to write. So, um, it's, uh,
it's more about, you know, the creation of something fun
and interesting than it is. Um, you know, in connecting
back to that theme, practicing, you know, your Braille or
your writing skills as well.
S2 (16:00):
Fantastic. And what sort of criteria are the, uh, participants
judged on?
S5 (16:06):
Yeah. So, um, this is a good question. We have
a judge, um, who's been doing it for a long
time because it's a creative writing piece. It's really about
celebrating that. Celebrating how connected to the theme it is. Um, and, um,
you know, the thoughts in behind that. So we try
to keep it pretty open and give everybody a chance. It's, um,
you know, we're all about accessibility and inclusion here. So,
(16:27):
you know, it is down to to the judge. And, um,
you know, we we compare across all of the different
entries that we receive.
S2 (16:34):
How do you decipher whether somebody has used AI to
make their piece. And how are you going to enforce that?
S5 (16:41):
Yeah, that's a great question, Lizzie. So we do ask
everyone to sign a declaration. So bit of an honesty
system because, you know, we know I can be a
really great time saver. But coming back to, you know,
the mission of, you know, this one is about creative
writing and practicing. So, you know, we ask people to,
you know, to honor that, um, honor the legacy of
(17:01):
104 years and, um, you know, and put, uh, you know,
put their thoughts down. So I'm told we have a
question here in our team, uh, who used to be
a teacher. So, um, so sit up nice and straight
when she tells me to, um, but, uh, jokes aside,
I am told there's ways of identifying, um, you know,
there's trends and things, um, you know, but we hope
(17:23):
we don't need to use that. You know, we're really, um,
you know, really like our, uh, participants in these competitions,
to be honest. And, um, you know, take the theme
for what it is.
S2 (17:32):
So when the participants put their, uh, their pieces in,
did they get any feedback? Even if they don't get
a prize, you know, do they receive any sort of
feedback about their piece?
S5 (17:44):
That's a great question and a good consideration, actually. Um,
I'm not told of any from previous years, but I'm sure,
you know, with the approach that we take to our community, uh,
you know, if people did want feedback, I'm sure we
could source some, um, you know, no doubt there'd be
some notes that the judges would put together. And then
the people's choice, I think, you know, that speaks for
itself as well as you'll have, you know, you'll see
(18:05):
some votes and things and, um, yeah, always be more
than happy to chat about it. Cool.
S2 (18:10):
So for anybody that is interested in putting in a
piece for this competition, when is the cut off date?
S5 (18:16):
Yeah, the cut off date is is it the 19th
of September at 4 p.m.. So it's a Friday afternoon
and then so it's probably time to get writing now
as well. We've still got a little bit of time
then the judging and public voting for People's Choice will
run until about mid October. So we'll announce the winners
on the 24th of October.
S2 (18:36):
Fantastic. And how do people submit their Braille bile pieces.
S5 (18:40):
Yeah, absolutely. So again, we keep this one nice and easy. Um,
so we accept entries in multiple formats so it can
be in word format. So it doesn't have to be
in braille even though we're Braille house, um, as well
as braille. Um, you could submit both digitally or. So
we've got an online form as well as email if
you would prefer. And you can also even post your
(19:03):
entry in, um, if you're doing it on a Perkins
machine or something similar. So we keep it pretty open. And, um,
you know, we're here to facilitate, um, you know, getting
those entries in, in, however, works for you.
S2 (19:15):
If I was to enter, I'd do it old school. I,
I still have a Perkins, to be honest.
S5 (19:22):
There's something really romantic about that, isn't there? And, uh,
you know, having the, um, the physical copy as well is, um,
is really, really precious in my books. Oh, yeah. I'd
have to agree with you.
S2 (19:32):
I was actually thinking about this, too, just as there
are some sighted people who prefer to read hardback or
paperback novels. I guess there are definitely blind or low
vision people that prefer to have their Braille books as well.
S5 (19:45):
Yeah, absolutely. And, um, you know, we see that quite
a lot. Um, you know, we obviously have, you know,
both the digital and the physical books and our physical
books are posted out, um, thankfully free from Australia Post.
And even this morning I was watching, you know, there
was ten bags of books coming back to the library
that had been sent back by borrowers. And that's a
pretty regular daily occurrence. In fact, I think ten's probably
(20:07):
pretty low. So our library loans have been increasing, um,
in all formats, um, and across all age categories over
the last few years as well. So it's really inspiring. And, um,
I think I'm in the same boat as you, Lizzie. I, um,
I like all formats of books. I listen to audio books.
You know, I like to read on my e-reader, but
there's nothing more special sometimes than picking up an old
(20:28):
fashioned book and, um, sitting there with a cup of
tea or something and, um, and enjoying it.
S2 (20:32):
I agree, I absolutely love reading Braille books. I have
to get myself some.
S5 (20:37):
Absolutely. Yeah. Are you a member, Lizzie? I am.
S2 (20:40):
Not. I that was going to be. My next question is, uh,
how do we sign up to be a member of
the library?
S5 (20:46):
So the membership is all free. Um, and as I said, we, uh,
we work on posting, so it's sort of a home
service library. Our beautiful librarian, Eva. She spends a lot
of time getting to know our readers and makes great recommendations.
So she's constantly trying to, you know, keep a good
flow of new and interesting books coming in. So we
(21:07):
know that the the book panel, as we call it,
is a very highly contested, you know, sort of meeting
as well, where we we're really challenging the, um, opportunity
to get as many books through as possible. So we've got,
you know, more more things for people to read and consume.
Because what one person likes is not the same as
what another person likes. And um, yeah. So Eva's there
(21:28):
to support. So we do have a link on our
website under library. But the easiest way is to to
reach out to us, um, either by phone or on
email as well.
S2 (21:38):
How many books are you allowed to check out at
one time?
S5 (21:41):
I think from memory, it's. Oh, that's a that's a
really good question, Lizzy. I should know that one because I'd.
S2 (21:49):
Imagine, like.
S5 (21:50):
Braille.
S2 (21:50):
Books would take up a lot more space than print books.
So you probably wouldn't be able to check out eight
books at a time.
S5 (21:56):
Exactly. Right. And I think it's usually, you know, 3
or 4 at a time. But Eva, I actually had
this conversation with our librarian just the other day is,
you know, she's always happy to, you know, to work
with people on, you know, how many books they can
take out and then how fast they're reading them and
all of that kind of thing. So we're always trying
to get that balance right, to make sure the books
are still available for other people and share them around, obviously. But,
(22:19):
you know, our mission is really just to get those
books in the hands of as many people as possible. So, um,
you know, we do what we can. So we're not
very hard and fast in the rules. If you haven't
worked out, you know, it's a pretty personal service as
well that Eva offers. So, um, she's just always happy
to work with you.
S2 (22:33):
So I know that Bryan House is located in Queensland,
but that you service all around Australia. Do you have
many people visit the library on a daily basis?
S5 (22:43):
Not on a daily basis. Not that we wouldn't welcome them,
but because we are a National Library service and our books.
Do you know they travel more than me, sadly, don't they? Um, yeah.
We we don't have a lot of visitors, but we
would very much welcome them. Our Braille house, I think
it's it's definitely a home. I think we should change
it to Braille home. Um, because it's a it's a
(23:05):
beautiful old Queenslander house, and the library actually sits underneath
the house in a, you know, really nice. We keep
all those books nice and safe and, uh, there's a,
you know, a lounge room. We've got a kitchen and
we've got a kitchen dining table, and our volunteers sit
often are the ones that come into the house anyway,
sit around and have a cup of tea and some
(23:26):
cake and, um, you know, and enjoy their time together. So, um,
brown house has a really beautiful community, whether that's physical or,
you know, more remote. We welcome visitors. So you were
talking about volunteers.
S2 (23:38):
What role do volunteers play in the organization?
S5 (23:42):
Yeah. Our volunteers are so crucial. As I mentioned earlier,
we were founded by a group of volunteers who did
a lot of the transcribing. So, you know, over that
128 years, I can only imagine the number of hours
and have a volunteer on a board. Um, as well.
That's how crucial the volunteers are to our service. So,
as you know, even with advancements in technology, like being
(24:03):
able to get books in word and PDF file, we
still go to a lot of care and a lot
of effort to make sure that those books are transcribed. Um,
you know, 100% correct that there's no mistakes. So there's some,
you know, the transcription is received by the reader in
exactly the same way as the the print book. So
there's all sorts of roles. We have a lot of
(24:26):
people who work remotely and do transcription as well as proofreading,
which is, you know, obviously, um, you know, a lot
of those people are cited as well. So they can
do that, um, visual braille, um, you know, proofreading for
us and, um, you know, we have people who work
in our binding team. So that's here in the house
where they bind the books and put them together in
(24:48):
a really accessible way, because they do travel right through
to people who volunteer and help out, checking books in
and out in our library and making recommendations. So, um, yeah,
we're very, very lucky to have a beautiful group of
very close knit volunteers as well.
S2 (25:03):
So if someone was to come to you, for example,
and request a book that you don't have, is there
any way that they could then get that book transcribed
and then added to the library, or do you guys
just sort of add books annually?
S5 (25:17):
So we do. I alluded to it earlier. We do
have um, our book panel, which is uh, run by
our librarian. We would love to transcribe every single book
that is available, um, into Braille. As, um, a lot
of people know, the transcription process is time consuming and
quite expensive, so we don't receive much government funding, and
(25:39):
we are supported by, um, by fundraising as well, um,
like most organisations similar to us. So, you know, we
do have to do that juggle of, uh, you know,
which books are going to be most borrowed. So we
do that in a few ways. Um, you know, one
of the main ways is we survey the readers, we
ask them what sorts of topics they're interested in. Eva
(26:00):
spends a lot of time, as I said, connecting with
our our members, talking about what things they're interested in, um,
looking at borrowing patterns as well. Like what are people
checking out? But we actually do also love, you know,
a recommendation and a request as well. So all of
those books are put together so they meet every few months. Um,
and then they're put together and they're discussed. And then,
(26:21):
you know, based on the number of, um, you know,
the amount of resources we have to produce more books.
That's how we, um, you know, we choose the ones
that go through. So sometimes if we can't put it
through the book panel one time, it'll still hold on
for the next month, and we see if we can
juggle the resources available to get to get more through. So,
you know, really, really do. Um, you know, we've got
(26:43):
borrowers from, you know, five months to 99 years old, right?
So you know what what their needs are, you know,
and what their interests are is, um, you know, is
quite varied. Um, but we're really proud we've got, you know, a,
you know, 8500, I think resources in our library and
some of those, you know, traditional books right through to
something a little bit more modern as well.
S2 (27:05):
So you mentioned earlier the Braille literacy challenge that's coming
up later. So tell us a bit about what the
challenge is and how it got started.
S5 (27:15):
Yeah, yeah. So the Braille Literacy challenge is one of
our favorite events of the year. So at the moment
it's for Queensland kids. So we work with the Queensland
Education Department. Um, and kids come together once a year
in around about September every year to challenge themselves and compete.
Healthy competition of course, to, you know, celebrate their Braille skills,
(27:38):
encourage them. A lot of it is about connection with
their peers as well. So because we know that children
go off into all sorts of schools, they can choose
where they where they study and they've got, you know,
great access to teaching. This one's about them coming together
on a day. And, um, you know, comparing themselves against,
(27:58):
you know, other students who are like them. And, um, yeah,
we love it. So there's prize books and also there's
a category called Braille is fun. There's superhero characters and
all sorts of different things that happen on the day.
So I don't know, the original, um, story behind, you know,
how it started, but it doesn't surprise me that, um,
that we've been hosting it for a while and you know,
(28:21):
that it's actually all about bringing those kids together. You know,
it really does fit in with the the whole personality
of Brielle House. Someone called it the Braille Olympics because
they get medals. And I recently met Tyrell, who was
one of the medal winners from last year. And he said, it's,
you know, one of the best days of his, um,
of his life. And he, uh, he goes, I don't
get to win many medals. So it's pretty cool to,
(28:43):
to win one for my braille reading skills.
S2 (28:45):
Is that kids of all ages, or is it just
for primary school children?
S5 (28:49):
Yeah, kids of all ages. Yeah. All the way through,
the team put together different age categories, and it's all
based on the curriculum here in Queensland, which is why
it's state based.
S2 (28:56):
So as mentioned in the beginning of the interview, it
is book week. Kids are dressing up as their favourite
characters and maybe people have made new resolutions to read more.
So can you talk us through what are some of
the books that the staff or volunteers of Braille House
are currently reading?
S5 (29:14):
Yeah, absolutely. So this one really touches me. I've got
kids myself and book week is a really exciting week.
Although I did have an argument with one of my
kids saying, you know, the character he wanted, I won't
name them, but the character he wanted to go to.
I said, that's not got anything to do with the book.
That's a movie. You know, we worked our way through it. So,
you know, I love that the kids get so involved
(29:36):
in it these days. Um, and it's a really big
thing at school. So, you know, it is an opportunity,
as you said, to celebrate, um, you know, books as
they come through and the magic of reading, as we say.
So I actually read a lot of the old classics
to my kids. They have had to sit through the
kangaroo from Zoumalou. And you don't even things like, um,
possum magic, diary of a wombat. Jackie French has another
(30:01):
book shortlisted this year, I believe. You know, they're all
still favourites and we have twin vision versions of those
in our Braille House library. But for me, I just
finished reading or listening to. Actually, I will confess, I
listened while I'm driving to work. It's called Chai Time
at Cinnamon Gardens, and it's a bit of a heavy read,
but it's a, um, it's a really, really great one.
(30:23):
It talks about a few challenging cultural things, and I
actually got recommended it by our librarian, Eva. And, uh,
it's about a nursing home, which is, um, has a
lot of Sri Lankan residents and just goes through, you know,
a story of how how that is. And they talk
a lot about their history and how they ended up
in Australia in this book. And, you know, go through it.
(30:46):
So I won't give away any of the storyline. But,
you know, if you're looking for something that is, um,
you know, a little bit educational with really good, beautiful
descriptive text, um, there's a, an opening paragraph, I think,
in the very early stages where they talk about what
they're cooking.
S2 (31:02):
The.
S5 (31:02):
Residents for breakfast and, you know, they cook quite a
lot of traditional Sri Lankan foods. And, you know, the
language that they use to describe, I feel like I
can smell it through the, you know, through the air. Amazing. So, um,
I really enjoyed listening to that one in that case.
But we do have, um, we have that one in
the Braille house library as Braille and in braille format
(31:24):
as well, the old school braille format, too.
S2 (31:26):
Amazing. And can you tell us what any of the
other staff are reading at the moment?
S5 (31:30):
Ah, yes. So, um, I know there's a few things, um,
happening as well. We recently put one up on Facebook, actually.
Who Margot, um, is is reading, and she looks after
special projects, and she is, I think it's called it's
part of a series which is called the Thursday Murder Club.
I believe this one is called The Bullet That Missed.
(31:53):
So it's written by Richard Osman. And, um, it can
be a standalone book, which is really good. So I
asked her, you know, why she loves mysteries? And she
said she started because she loved Nancy Drew when she
was a kid, and she said she's been hooked ever since.
So this particular one is, um, apparently coming out as
(32:13):
a Netflix adaption soon in August, so that's always, always
means it's a good story, which is part of the
reason why we got this one into our library as well.
And the installment follows four lovable amateur sleuths living in
a retirement village. There's a theme there, isn't it? Uh,
they unravel a cold case full of clever twists, dry wit,
(32:35):
and just a touch of romance. Well, thank you, Leslie,
for chatting with me.
S2 (32:39):
Uh, on this lovely book week 2025. A happy reading
to all of you and the staff at Brough House,
and we look forward to hearing about the winners of
the Dickinson Literary Memorial Competition. That is a mouthful, by
the way.
S7 (32:54):
It is, isn't it? Yeah.
S2 (32:56):
That's a wrap for this week. Thank you to Leslie
Heaney from brewhouse for joining us.
S3 (33:01):
And of course, thank you for listening, including our listeners
on the Reading Radio Network. You can find the podcast
of this program, including some extra content occasionally, at least
on Google, Spotify, Apple or your favorite podcast platform.
S2 (33:15):
Next week contact lenses versus glasses.
S3 (33:19):
Does looking normal in inverted commas outweigh the inconvenience?
S2 (33:24):
But between now and then, please do get in touch
with the show. Whether you have experience of any of
the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S3 (33:38):
You can reach us via Email Studio one at org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S2 (33:44):
Org or of course, you can find us on all
of the social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram by
searching for VA Radio Network.
S3 (33:53):
Bye for now.
S1 (33:54):
Studio one was produced in the Adelaide studios of Vision
Australia Radio. This show was made possible with the help
of the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at.
This is Studio One with Sam Rickard and Lizzie Eastham
on Vision Australia Radio.
S2 (00:26):
Hi, I'm Lizzie.
S3 (00:27):
And I'm Sam.
S2 (00:29):
And this is Studio One, your weekly look at life
from a blind and low vision point of view. Here
on Vision Australia Radio.
S3 (00:34):
This week we're dusting off our favourite books and celebrating
Book Week in style.
S2 (00:38):
Lesley Heaney from Brough House tells us about what they're
up to this week, as well as the Dickinson Memorial
Literary Competition.
S3 (00:47):
As we always say at this point, please do get
in touch with the show. Whether you have experience of
any of the issues covered on this week's episode of
Studio One, or if you think there's something we should
be talking about. You never know. Your story and insight
may help somebody else who is dealing with something similar.
S2 (01:03):
You can email us at studio One at Vision Australia. Org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia. Or of course,
you can drop us a note on our station's Facebook
page at facebook.com.
S3 (01:17):
Hello, Lizzie. It's book week, and if anyone could tell
because yes, we do seem to be dressed for the occasion.
S2 (01:25):
You look very splendid, Sam, I must say.
S3 (01:27):
Well, uh, it was, uh, my favorite dressing gown for
a while, so. Yes, it's, uh, it's not every every
day that we get to, uh, show up in, uh,
dressing gowns and slippers and that sort of stuff, but
I'm not sure exactly what you've come as. You've got
this sort of, um, multi-coloured day glo dressing gown with. Oh,
was that, um, Dame Edna, um, glasses? Um, what's that
(01:48):
supposed to be?
S2 (01:49):
Well, I'm supposed to be done. I mean, do you
like the fake beard? I'm supposed to be.
S3 (01:52):
Dumbledore, actually.
S2 (01:53):
But, you know, I mean, do you think it's fitting?
Do you think I look the part or what?
S3 (01:58):
Oh, um. Yeah. You don't really look like, uh, the, um,
the movie or really not what? I sort of pictured
reading the books, but.
S2 (02:05):
No, for one thing, I think I'm a bit too
feminine and probably a bit too short as well. I
always imagined Dumbledore would be quite tall.
S3 (02:12):
Well, I have come, of course, as Arthur Dent from
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So, uh. Yes. Beware
out there if you, uh, hear, um, the Vogons are coming.
S2 (02:22):
Indeed. Well, it is book week, and I just want
to ask, Sam, what book is your favourite book and
what are you currently reading?
S3 (02:30):
So my favourite book is, uh. Well, there's a few,
in fact, but I've got to admit, my favourite book
of all time because I've got a lot of pleasure
out of reading. It was catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
S2 (02:42):
Aha!
S3 (02:43):
So yes, you have, uh, gritty war versus a very
dark sense of humor indeed.
S2 (02:49):
That sounds like my kind of book. And what are
you reading at the moment?
S3 (02:52):
I've just finished book four in a series about, uh,
Mark Antony. So, uh, I'm now looking around for something
else to read. So, what have you been up to?
What's your favourite book?
S2 (03:04):
Well, you know, um, anybody who knows me knows that
I love the Harry Potter series. Absolutely adore it. I
grew up with it. The books, the movies, all of it.
I'm so immersed in Harry Potter headcanon. I don't think
there's anything I don't know. But at the moment, uh,
back in 2015 or 2014, at the 100 year anniversary
(03:27):
of World War one, uh, Apple Books brought out a
series of different books relating to war and not just
World War One, but there was some on World War two,
the Vietnam War. I am reading one at the moment
called The Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson,
and it's about a Navy Seal from Texas who goes
(03:50):
to Afghanistan. And all of his comrades are pretty much
wiped out, and he ends up making an unlikely friendship
with an Afghani man. And that friendship still blossoms to
this day. So it is a dark book. It is
a heavy read, but it is also a bit heartwarming
(04:12):
in the sense that, you know, it shows us that
friendship can grow under any sort of circumstances.
S3 (04:18):
So what is your favorite format and why?
S4 (04:20):
Well, I love.
S2 (04:21):
An old fashioned Braille book. I, I just love feeling
the Braille on my fingers and the sound of the
pages turning and the creaking of the binders. But I've
been reading The Lone Survivor on Apple Books. So on
my iPhone, that's not audio, it's just in their e-book format.
But I've been. Obviously, when I revisit the Harry Potter series,
(04:44):
I have to listen to the Stephen Fry versions of
the audiobooks. So Braille definitely my favorite, and audio a
close second.
S3 (04:53):
My favorite format, I've got to admit, is just good
old fashioned reading. Yes, sir. You can't necessarily find the
range or what you want to read in large print,
so I've really never bothered. I've just have this, um,
stand magnifier balanced on my eye as I'm sort of
lying back and, uh, pushing this thing across the pages of,
of whatever I'm reading until I give out. And then
(05:14):
I will, um, give up for a while. But I've
also been getting into Kindle recently, which, uh, is a
lot more convenient and, well, it takes up a lot
less room because I've got essentially, um, 3 or 4
bookcases devoted to old paperbacks, which I probably will never
read again. So I really should do something about, um,
going through them and perhaps, uh, yeah, finding other homes
(05:37):
for them.
S2 (05:37):
Well, if anybody's listening, get in touch with Sam, and, uh,
he may be able to line you up with certain
books if he's got them. Right.
S3 (05:45):
Uh, it depends if you like, uh, trashy science fiction
or historical fiction.
S2 (05:49):
Well, there's nothing like a, uh, trash and treasure to
make you clear out your books. Yeah. Um, as far
as the the Kindles are concerned, my family absolutely love
them because they say you can trundle a hundred books
around with you, but, you know, you don't have to
log volumes of paper so.
S3 (06:06):
Well from a from a accessibility point of view as well.
You can make the print as large or as small
as you want. So it's very convenient there. And I
don't even have a Kindle. Um, play I think I
just use my tablet, which is extremely handy. But in
the meantime, who are we catching up with this week?
We've caught up with, uh, someone from Braille House at
(06:29):
the start of the year, but apparently she's moved on,
and we've got a new person.
S2 (06:32):
Yeah, so we caught up with Kelly Phelan earlier this year,
if you remember, for our International Braille Day episode. But
we are now talking to Lesley Heaney, who has taken
over the role since Kelly's departure. And, you know, we're
sort of going to chat about how Braille House started,
what they've been up to, the Dickinson Memorial Literary Competition,
(06:55):
also their literacy challenge. And I think she might even
be able to tell us about some of the books
that she and the volunteers and staff at Brough House
are reading. So I guess all that's left to ask is, Lesley,
how are you today?
S5 (07:10):
I'm really good. Thanks, Lizzie. How are you? I'm great.
It's book week and I like many of our listeners.
And of course, you probably really enjoy reading. Absolutely. I
think Book Week is every week here for us at
real House. I was thinking about this quite a bit. Is,
you know, although this week is a celebration of, um,
of books, especially for children. You know, we celebrate literacy,
(07:33):
especially accessible literacy, um, every day. We're so lucky to
have our Braille and moon library, and we promote it
very heavily for people who are blind or have low vision,
of course. And we'll get into.
S2 (07:44):
The Dickinson.
S5 (07:46):
Uh, literary competition.
S2 (07:47):
In a minute. But first, I.
S5 (07:48):
Wanted to ask.
S2 (07:49):
You about your role at.
S5 (07:50):
Braille.
S2 (07:50):
House, because I.
S5 (07:51):
Believe you've only recently come into the role. You're right. Yeah, absolutely. Thanks, Lizzie. Yeah.
So my role, um, is. I'm responsible for all fundraising,
marketing and business development. So a really unique role, um,
a role I'm really proud to have. Uh, I've got
a background in fundraising, not for profit marketing and sales. So, um,
(08:13):
you're really passionate about, um, you know, out there supporting, um,
causes just like Braille house. So I am new to, um,
to this particular space, but not new to the type
of role. So I'm really enjoying, you know, learning more
about this. And, um, I've always been an avid reader
ever since I was a kid. My, um, when I
first joined, I was really pleased to see that, uh,
(08:36):
a book that I would give credit to teaching me
how to read is transcribed into Braille here, um, at
Braille House. So it's a really nice combination of a
lot of the things that I love. Well, what book
is that? Just out of interest. Great question. I always
like the opportunity to tell it. It's, um, I don't
think it's a super popular one, but I loved it
because I could memorize it and it's called The Kangaroo
by Woolloomooloo. And it was one of those, you know,
(08:57):
those ones you get at the supermarket, you know, and
they were on the shelves there. And, um, I just
loved it so much because there's a line about a
rainbow snake with a birthday cake. And, uh, it's very
repetitive and rhymey. So, um, I'm told that I just.
And I remember doing it, I memorized the book and
then matched the words with what I knew it was. So, um,
(09:18):
you know, very proud, very proud reader. Well, that's a.
S2 (09:21):
Very unique way of of learning to read, I guess, isn't.
S5 (09:24):
It?
S6 (09:24):
Yeah, yeah.
S5 (09:25):
Who knows? Like, I was pretty pretty interested in reading
still at school, but, um, you know, it was a
really great platform for me to, you know, to launch
into my, uh, the rest of my life now it seems,
isn't it? So what drew you to Braille House?
S2 (09:38):
What made you think.
S5 (09:39):
Oh, I really want to work here. So Braille House
has been around for. I think it's just gone 128 years. So, um, really,
really unique organization, um, you know, proudly run by, um,
you know, you know, very passionate volunteers for a very
long time. And recently we've been growing the, you know,
(09:59):
the space to make sure that we're doing as much
as we can in, uh, promoting touch literacy. So there's
a lot of discussion about there with, you know, increases
in technology around, you know, Israel still relevant? Um, you know,
do people still read Braille and all of that? And
whilst we know it's not for everybody, the those that
do read it, it's extremely powerful. Someone told me the
(10:23):
other day, actually, someone very wise, they said, just because
we have audiobooks, which are a beautiful thing and I
listened to myself, doesn't mean we don't teach sighted kids
to read anymore. So, you know, the same applies for our, um,
you know, children who are blind and have low vision
as well. Um, you know, we're really passionate about, um,
literacy for and the opportunities that that brings. Um, for,
(10:46):
for those that, um, do learn Braille, do you.
S2 (10:48):
Think then the Braille is still relevant?
S5 (10:50):
Yeah, absolutely. So like I said, you know, Braille, um,
it's actually about literacy, isn't it? And, um, you know,
so literacy to us is a foundation for lifelong learning independence. Um,
it empowers people to communicate. You make informed decisions and
fully engage in their communities to the best of their ability.
So we invest really heavily in supporting our community across
(11:13):
all age groups. For that reason, we just couldn't believe
more in in the power of that. And, uh, you know,
our braille literacy challenges coming up that we it's one
of our favorite events of the year. And we're proud
to have a guest speaker this year who's coming back to,
you know, celebrate what the you know, the power of
Braille has had on him and his career.
S2 (11:31):
The big thing at the moment, which we're really here
to talk about, is the Dickinson Literary Memorial Competition. It's
in its 104th year.
S5 (11:40):
Yeah, absolutely. So 104 years, which is a pretty incredible, um,
legacy in anyone's standards and, uh, particularly in a fast
moving world that we live in today. So, um, you know,
it started a long time ago, and the first thing
I'm told is self-reliance, which I think is a really
beautiful theme, especially for this event. We're really proud to
(12:02):
be the custodian of this, of this writing competition. And
it's named after a really beautiful family called the Dickinson family. So, um,
there's a few names to mention. So it's the brothers
Harold and Edwin, but also Doctor Mercy Dickinson, who was
a pioneer in blindness education. So mercy lost her sight
(12:24):
at seven, but went on to become Uq's first blind graduate,
which is pretty impressive, especially in those days. She earned
a Fulbright scholarship in 1953, and her work in education
and advocacy is part of the competition's enduring legacy, as
we say. So, you know, she definitely earned the honor
(12:44):
to have her name, um, on this on this beautiful competition.
Was it always called.
S2 (12:49):
The Dickinson Memorial Competition because if it started in 1929.
S5 (12:54):
You're right. Yeah. I don't believe so. That's a great question, Lizzie.
I'd love to know. And I know that it has
been I think, um, you know, you guys were also the, uh,
the custodians of the event for a while, uh, before
it came home to to bridal house as well. So,
I don't know, we'll have to put that on the,
on the list of things to find out. Yeah.
S2 (13:11):
Of course. How long is Braille House been custodians of
the event, or is this the first year?
S5 (13:15):
No, since about 2014, I think. Yeah. So, um, part
of what we do is we also publish, um, the
winning stories in the special anthology. So they get put
into our library as well, so people can borrow them
and access them and becomes part of our history.
S2 (13:31):
Fantastic. So tell us about the theme of the competition
this year, because you told us the first one was self-reliance.
So what is the theme for this?
S5 (13:39):
Um, heavily, uh, you know, debated won this one. Um,
in terms of who gets to to choose the theme
each year, this year we've landed on it goes to
a vote just so that everyone knows it's all fair.
Is discovery so really think, um, you know, this is
a really beautiful one that connects back to the roots
of self-reliance and growth. You know, we try and keep
it broad because it is about creative writing, but something to,
(14:02):
you know, to direct them. Um, so, you know, you
invite writers to explore any form of discovery with its
internal educational, imaginative or even geographical. You know, it can
be applied to so many different things.
S2 (14:15):
There are different categories of the competition. Can you talk
us through what they are?
S5 (14:19):
Yeah, absolutely. So there's six different categories. Um, and they
range for different age groups. So we've got, you know,
creative writing pieces, uh, you know, and then we've got youth,
we've got, um, adults as well. And then we also
have a category specially for everyone to enter as well,
(14:40):
which is the people's choice. So everyone can enter, including
our sighted friends as well.
S2 (14:44):
Amazing. And how do we vote on the People's Choice category.
S5 (14:47):
Then that one will be done online. Um, following the event. Um,
so yeah, love people to get involved in that. The
more people involved in reading this as part of the
fun as well. And, you know, we love putting that
one out to our community too. So important time to
note that there is prizes for both first and second
place across all six categories as well. So it's $350
(15:10):
for first place and $150 for second, which is pretty good.
S2 (15:14):
So in terms of the length or the style of
the creative pieces that you're looking for, what sort of
lengths are we going for? Is it is it like
a long story with chapters or is it a short story?
S5 (15:26):
I say a bit shorter. So, um, you know, we've
got a word limit there. I think it's 2000 words.
I should have checked that, shouldn't I? But, um, really,
what we're looking for is, you know, short stories, poems,
opinion pieces, song lyrics. You could do a blog, even
a Limerick, um, which, you know, these days, you're going
to see too many of them. But they are, you know,
(15:47):
really popular as well, really fun to write. So, um, it's, uh,
it's more about, you know, the creation of something fun
and interesting than it is. Um, you know, in connecting
back to that theme, practicing, you know, your Braille or
your writing skills as well.
S2 (16:00):
Fantastic. And what sort of criteria are the, uh, participants
judged on?
S5 (16:06):
Yeah. So, um, this is a good question. We have
a judge, um, who's been doing it for a long
time because it's a creative writing piece. It's really about
celebrating that. Celebrating how connected to the theme it is. Um, and, um,
you know, the thoughts in behind that. So we try
to keep it pretty open and give everybody a chance. It's, um,
you know, we're all about accessibility and inclusion here. So,
(16:27):
you know, it is down to to the judge. And, um,
you know, we we compare across all of the different
entries that we receive.
S2 (16:34):
How do you decipher whether somebody has used AI to
make their piece. And how are you going to enforce that?
S5 (16:41):
Yeah, that's a great question, Lizzie. So we do ask
everyone to sign a declaration. So bit of an honesty
system because, you know, we know I can be a
really great time saver. But coming back to, you know,
the mission of, you know, this one is about creative
writing and practicing. So, you know, we ask people to,
you know, to honor that, um, honor the legacy of
(17:01):
104 years and, um, you know, and put, uh, you know,
put their thoughts down. So I'm told we have a
question here in our team, uh, who used to be
a teacher. So, um, so sit up nice and straight
when she tells me to, um, but, uh, jokes aside,
I am told there's ways of identifying, um, you know,
there's trends and things, um, you know, but we hope
(17:23):
we don't need to use that. You know, we're really, um,
you know, really like our, uh, participants in these competitions,
to be honest. And, um, you know, take the theme
for what it is.
S2 (17:32):
So when the participants put their, uh, their pieces in,
did they get any feedback? Even if they don't get
a prize, you know, do they receive any sort of
feedback about their piece?
S5 (17:44):
That's a great question and a good consideration, actually. Um,
I'm not told of any from previous years, but I'm sure,
you know, with the approach that we take to our community, uh,
you know, if people did want feedback, I'm sure we
could source some, um, you know, no doubt there'd be
some notes that the judges would put together. And then
the people's choice, I think, you know, that speaks for
itself as well as you'll have, you know, you'll see
(18:05):
some votes and things and, um, yeah, always be more
than happy to chat about it. Cool.
S2 (18:10):
So for anybody that is interested in putting in a
piece for this competition, when is the cut off date?
S5 (18:16):
Yeah, the cut off date is is it the 19th
of September at 4 p.m.. So it's a Friday afternoon
and then so it's probably time to get writing now
as well. We've still got a little bit of time
then the judging and public voting for People's Choice will
run until about mid October. So we'll announce the winners
on the 24th of October.
S2 (18:36):
Fantastic. And how do people submit their Braille bile pieces.
S5 (18:40):
Yeah, absolutely. So again, we keep this one nice and easy. Um,
so we accept entries in multiple formats so it can
be in word format. So it doesn't have to be
in braille even though we're Braille house, um, as well
as braille. Um, you could submit both digitally or. So
we've got an online form as well as email if
you would prefer. And you can also even post your
(19:03):
entry in, um, if you're doing it on a Perkins
machine or something similar. So we keep it pretty open. And, um,
you know, we're here to facilitate, um, you know, getting
those entries in, in, however, works for you.
S2 (19:15):
If I was to enter, I'd do it old school. I,
I still have a Perkins, to be honest.
S5 (19:22):
There's something really romantic about that, isn't there? And, uh,
you know, having the, um, the physical copy as well is, um,
is really, really precious in my books. Oh, yeah. I'd
have to agree with you.
S2 (19:32):
I was actually thinking about this, too, just as there
are some sighted people who prefer to read hardback or
paperback novels. I guess there are definitely blind or low
vision people that prefer to have their Braille books as well.
S5 (19:45):
Yeah, absolutely. And, um, you know, we see that quite
a lot. Um, you know, we obviously have, you know,
both the digital and the physical books and our physical
books are posted out, um, thankfully free from Australia Post.
And even this morning I was watching, you know, there
was ten bags of books coming back to the library
that had been sent back by borrowers. And that's a
pretty regular daily occurrence. In fact, I think ten's probably
(20:07):
pretty low. So our library loans have been increasing, um,
in all formats, um, and across all age categories over
the last few years as well. So it's really inspiring. And, um,
I think I'm in the same boat as you, Lizzie. I, um,
I like all formats of books. I listen to audio books.
You know, I like to read on my e-reader, but
there's nothing more special sometimes than picking up an old
(20:28):
fashioned book and, um, sitting there with a cup of
tea or something and, um, and enjoying it.
S2 (20:32):
I agree, I absolutely love reading Braille books. I have
to get myself some.
S5 (20:37):
Absolutely. Yeah. Are you a member, Lizzie? I am.
S2 (20:40):
Not. I that was going to be. My next question is, uh,
how do we sign up to be a member of
the library?
S5 (20:46):
So the membership is all free. Um, and as I said, we, uh,
we work on posting, so it's sort of a home
service library. Our beautiful librarian, Eva. She spends a lot
of time getting to know our readers and makes great recommendations.
So she's constantly trying to, you know, keep a good
flow of new and interesting books coming in. So we
(21:07):
know that the the book panel, as we call it,
is a very highly contested, you know, sort of meeting
as well, where we we're really challenging the, um, opportunity
to get as many books through as possible. So we've got,
you know, more more things for people to read and consume.
Because what one person likes is not the same as
what another person likes. And um, yeah. So Eva's there
(21:28):
to support. So we do have a link on our
website under library. But the easiest way is to to
reach out to us, um, either by phone or on
email as well.
S2 (21:38):
How many books are you allowed to check out at
one time?
S5 (21:41):
I think from memory, it's. Oh, that's a that's a
really good question, Lizzy. I should know that one because I'd.
S2 (21:49):
Imagine, like.
S5 (21:50):
Braille.
S2 (21:50):
Books would take up a lot more space than print books.
So you probably wouldn't be able to check out eight
books at a time.
S5 (21:56):
Exactly. Right. And I think it's usually, you know, 3
or 4 at a time. But Eva, I actually had
this conversation with our librarian just the other day is,
you know, she's always happy to, you know, to work
with people on, you know, how many books they can
take out and then how fast they're reading them and
all of that kind of thing. So we're always trying
to get that balance right, to make sure the books
are still available for other people and share them around, obviously. But,
(22:19):
you know, our mission is really just to get those
books in the hands of as many people as possible. So, um,
you know, we do what we can. So we're not
very hard and fast in the rules. If you haven't
worked out, you know, it's a pretty personal service as
well that Eva offers. So, um, she's just always happy
to work with you.
S2 (22:33):
So I know that Bryan House is located in Queensland,
but that you service all around Australia. Do you have
many people visit the library on a daily basis?
S5 (22:43):
Not on a daily basis. Not that we wouldn't welcome them,
but because we are a National Library service and our books.
Do you know they travel more than me, sadly, don't they? Um, yeah.
We we don't have a lot of visitors, but we
would very much welcome them. Our Braille house, I think
it's it's definitely a home. I think we should change
it to Braille home. Um, because it's a it's a
(23:05):
beautiful old Queenslander house, and the library actually sits underneath
the house in a, you know, really nice. We keep
all those books nice and safe and, uh, there's a,
you know, a lounge room. We've got a kitchen and
we've got a kitchen dining table, and our volunteers sit
often are the ones that come into the house anyway,
sit around and have a cup of tea and some
(23:26):
cake and, um, you know, and enjoy their time together. So, um,
brown house has a really beautiful community, whether that's physical or,
you know, more remote. We welcome visitors. So you were
talking about volunteers.
S2 (23:38):
What role do volunteers play in the organization?
S5 (23:42):
Yeah. Our volunteers are so crucial. As I mentioned earlier,
we were founded by a group of volunteers who did
a lot of the transcribing. So, you know, over that
128 years, I can only imagine the number of hours
and have a volunteer on a board. Um, as well.
That's how crucial the volunteers are to our service. So,
as you know, even with advancements in technology, like being
(24:03):
able to get books in word and PDF file, we
still go to a lot of care and a lot
of effort to make sure that those books are transcribed. Um,
you know, 100% correct that there's no mistakes. So there's some,
you know, the transcription is received by the reader in
exactly the same way as the the print book. So
there's all sorts of roles. We have a lot of
(24:26):
people who work remotely and do transcription as well as proofreading,
which is, you know, obviously, um, you know, a lot
of those people are cited as well. So they can
do that, um, visual braille, um, you know, proofreading for
us and, um, you know, we have people who work
in our binding team. So that's here in the house
where they bind the books and put them together in
(24:48):
a really accessible way, because they do travel right through
to people who volunteer and help out, checking books in
and out in our library and making recommendations. So, um, yeah,
we're very, very lucky to have a beautiful group of
very close knit volunteers as well.
S2 (25:03):
So if someone was to come to you, for example,
and request a book that you don't have, is there
any way that they could then get that book transcribed
and then added to the library, or do you guys
just sort of add books annually?
S5 (25:17):
So we do. I alluded to it earlier. We do
have um, our book panel, which is uh, run by
our librarian. We would love to transcribe every single book
that is available, um, into Braille. As, um, a lot
of people know, the transcription process is time consuming and
quite expensive, so we don't receive much government funding, and
(25:39):
we are supported by, um, by fundraising as well, um,
like most organisations similar to us. So, you know, we
do have to do that juggle of, uh, you know,
which books are going to be most borrowed. So we
do that in a few ways. Um, you know, one
of the main ways is we survey the readers, we
ask them what sorts of topics they're interested in. Eva
(26:00):
spends a lot of time, as I said, connecting with
our our members, talking about what things they're interested in, um,
looking at borrowing patterns as well. Like what are people
checking out? But we actually do also love, you know,
a recommendation and a request as well. So all of
those books are put together so they meet every few months. Um,
and then they're put together and they're discussed. And then,
(26:21):
you know, based on the number of, um, you know,
the amount of resources we have to produce more books.
That's how we, um, you know, we choose the ones
that go through. So sometimes if we can't put it
through the book panel one time, it'll still hold on
for the next month, and we see if we can
juggle the resources available to get to get more through. So,
you know, really, really do. Um, you know, we've got
(26:43):
borrowers from, you know, five months to 99 years old, right?
So you know what what their needs are, you know,
and what their interests are is, um, you know, is
quite varied. Um, but we're really proud we've got, you know, a,
you know, 8500, I think resources in our library and
some of those, you know, traditional books right through to
something a little bit more modern as well.
S2 (27:05):
So you mentioned earlier the Braille literacy challenge that's coming
up later. So tell us a bit about what the
challenge is and how it got started.
S5 (27:15):
Yeah, yeah. So the Braille Literacy challenge is one of
our favorite events of the year. So at the moment
it's for Queensland kids. So we work with the Queensland
Education Department. Um, and kids come together once a year
in around about September every year to challenge themselves and compete.
Healthy competition of course, to, you know, celebrate their Braille skills,
(27:38):
encourage them. A lot of it is about connection with
their peers as well. So because we know that children
go off into all sorts of schools, they can choose
where they where they study and they've got, you know,
great access to teaching. This one's about them coming together
on a day. And, um, you know, comparing themselves against,
(27:58):
you know, other students who are like them. And, um, yeah,
we love it. So there's prize books and also there's
a category called Braille is fun. There's superhero characters and
all sorts of different things that happen on the day.
So I don't know, the original, um, story behind, you know,
how it started, but it doesn't surprise me that, um,
that we've been hosting it for a while and you know,
(28:21):
that it's actually all about bringing those kids together. You know,
it really does fit in with the the whole personality
of Brielle House. Someone called it the Braille Olympics because
they get medals. And I recently met Tyrell, who was
one of the medal winners from last year. And he said, it's,
you know, one of the best days of his, um,
of his life. And he, uh, he goes, I don't
get to win many medals. So it's pretty cool to,
(28:43):
to win one for my braille reading skills.
S2 (28:45):
Is that kids of all ages, or is it just
for primary school children?
S5 (28:49):
Yeah, kids of all ages. Yeah. All the way through,
the team put together different age categories, and it's all
based on the curriculum here in Queensland, which is why
it's state based.
S2 (28:56):
So as mentioned in the beginning of the interview, it
is book week. Kids are dressing up as their favourite
characters and maybe people have made new resolutions to read more.
So can you talk us through what are some of
the books that the staff or volunteers of Braille House
are currently reading?
S5 (29:14):
Yeah, absolutely. So this one really touches me. I've got
kids myself and book week is a really exciting week.
Although I did have an argument with one of my
kids saying, you know, the character he wanted, I won't
name them, but the character he wanted to go to.
I said, that's not got anything to do with the book.
That's a movie. You know, we worked our way through it. So,
you know, I love that the kids get so involved
(29:36):
in it these days. Um, and it's a really big
thing at school. So, you know, it is an opportunity,
as you said, to celebrate, um, you know, books as
they come through and the magic of reading, as we say.
So I actually read a lot of the old classics
to my kids. They have had to sit through the
kangaroo from Zoumalou. And you don't even things like, um,
possum magic, diary of a wombat. Jackie French has another
(30:01):
book shortlisted this year, I believe. You know, they're all
still favourites and we have twin vision versions of those
in our Braille House library. But for me, I just
finished reading or listening to. Actually, I will confess, I
listened while I'm driving to work. It's called Chai Time
at Cinnamon Gardens, and it's a bit of a heavy read,
but it's a, um, it's a really, really great one.
(30:23):
It talks about a few challenging cultural things, and I
actually got recommended it by our librarian, Eva. And, uh,
it's about a nursing home, which is, um, has a
lot of Sri Lankan residents and just goes through, you know,
a story of how how that is. And they talk
a lot about their history and how they ended up
in Australia in this book. And, you know, go through it.
(30:46):
So I won't give away any of the storyline. But,
you know, if you're looking for something that is, um,
you know, a little bit educational with really good, beautiful
descriptive text, um, there's a, an opening paragraph, I think,
in the very early stages where they talk about what
they're cooking.
S2 (31:02):
The.
S5 (31:02):
Residents for breakfast and, you know, they cook quite a
lot of traditional Sri Lankan foods. And, you know, the
language that they use to describe, I feel like I
can smell it through the, you know, through the air. Amazing. So, um,
I really enjoyed listening to that one in that case.
But we do have, um, we have that one in
the Braille house library as Braille and in braille format
(31:24):
as well, the old school braille format, too.
S2 (31:26):
Amazing. And can you tell us what any of the
other staff are reading at the moment?
S5 (31:30):
Ah, yes. So, um, I know there's a few things, um,
happening as well. We recently put one up on Facebook, actually.
Who Margot, um, is is reading, and she looks after
special projects, and she is, I think it's called it's
part of a series which is called the Thursday Murder Club.
I believe this one is called The Bullet That Missed.
(31:53):
So it's written by Richard Osman. And, um, it can
be a standalone book, which is really good. So I
asked her, you know, why she loves mysteries? And she
said she started because she loved Nancy Drew when she
was a kid, and she said she's been hooked ever since.
So this particular one is, um, apparently coming out as
(32:13):
a Netflix adaption soon in August, so that's always, always
means it's a good story, which is part of the
reason why we got this one into our library as well.
And the installment follows four lovable amateur sleuths living in
a retirement village. There's a theme there, isn't it? Uh,
they unravel a cold case full of clever twists, dry wit,
(32:35):
and just a touch of romance. Well, thank you, Leslie,
for chatting with me.
S2 (32:39):
Uh, on this lovely book week 2025. A happy reading
to all of you and the staff at Brough House,
and we look forward to hearing about the winners of
the Dickinson Literary Memorial Competition. That is a mouthful, by
the way.
S7 (32:54):
It is, isn't it? Yeah.
S2 (32:56):
That's a wrap for this week. Thank you to Leslie
Heaney from brewhouse for joining us.
S3 (33:01):
And of course, thank you for listening, including our listeners
on the Reading Radio Network. You can find the podcast
of this program, including some extra content occasionally, at least
on Google, Spotify, Apple or your favorite podcast platform.
S2 (33:15):
Next week contact lenses versus glasses.
S3 (33:19):
Does looking normal in inverted commas outweigh the inconvenience?
S2 (33:24):
But between now and then, please do get in touch
with the show. Whether you have experience of any of
the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One,
or if you think there's something we should be talking about.
You never know. Your story and insight may help someone
who's dealing with something similar.
S3 (33:38):
You can reach us via Email Studio one at org.
That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
S2 (33:44):
Org or of course, you can find us on all
of the social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram by
searching for VA Radio Network.
S3 (33:53):
Bye for now.
S1 (33:54):
Studio one was produced in the Adelaide studios of Vision
Australia Radio. This show was made possible with the help
of the Community Broadcasting Foundation. Find out more at.
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