We wrap up our series on informed parent choice with a discussion from the lady who inspired this topic: Emily Shepard. Emily shares the experience of navigating a complex diagnosis for her son, and provides advice for professionals working in early intervention.    You can access the transcript here.  You can learn more about UsherKids Australia here. 

This week Trudy talks to Fiona Mackay about the decisions she and her family made and the advice that informed those decisions regarding modality and education choices for her daughter.    You can access the transcript here.

Trudy talks with Sarah KIenbort this week about the journey for her family to find the right educational settings for her daughter. This chat continues our series about informed parent choice for families with children who are Deaf or hard of hearing.    You can access the transcript at this link. 

Trudy begins a new series about informed parent choice today a discussion with Suzie Robertson, a parent of a child who is Deaf and leader of the Parent of Deaf Children organisation.  Learn more about Parents of Deaf Children at this link.    The transcript for this podcast is located at this link. 

Trudy talks to Mel Stephens about being the first blind woman to rescue and raise horses in Australia, and her very active online presence on YouTube.  You can find Mel's YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpBrQD0KEWZSYpCk0gdLV6Q  You can view the transcript from this link.  Other links for Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melsblindlife/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Personal-Blog/Mels-Blind-Life-1326898004158153/ Blog: https://melsblindlife.wordpress.com/author/mickmate9/ Facebook group for visually impaired socializing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/290837205375888/?ref=share Guide Dog Penelope Instagram: https://instagram.com/guidedogpenelope?utm_medium=copy_link Guide Dog Penelope FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyguidedog/

Trudy speaks with Rowena Dowling about accessible and dignified health care services for people who are blind or have low vision.    The transcript is available from this link. 

Trudy talks to David Woodbridge this week, David is a Blindness Product Specialist and discusses the way he navigates life.    Transcript can be accessed from this link.

Return guest Elise Lonsdale joins Trudy to talk about what self-determination means to them.    You can access the transcript at this link. 

Trudy speaks with Daniel Kish, one of the keynotes for the OMAA 2025 Conference being held in March. His topic is Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: a framework for collaborative facilitation of Self-determination, inclusion, and Belonging. Join us for this interesting conversation!   You can access the transcript from this link.  Learn more about the conference from this link. 

Trudy talks to siblings Ben and Tristan Clare about their individual keynotes for the OMAA Conference in March.  They talk about navigating the world, locally in Tristan's case and globally for Ben. Join us for this thought provoking discussion! More details about the OMAA Conference can be located at this link.    The transcript can be downloaded from this link. 

Longtime friend of the NextSense Institute Podcast Professor John Ravenscroft joins us to talk about his keynote at the Orientation and Mobility Association of Australasia's 2025 Conference being held in March 2025. This fascinating discussion covers cerebral vision impairment (CVI), the differences between voxels and perception and how this knowledge influences programs for children with CVI in daily living activities and orientation and mobility.    To learn more about the conference, go to the website: https://www.omaaustralasia.com/resources/professional-development/omaa-conference-2025/    Download the transcript from this link.

Trudy spoke with Bronwyn Newman about the Listen to Me project that is pioneering the development of a patient-reported experience measure for people with intellectual disability.    You can access the transcript here. You can contact Bronwyn with more questions here. 

Trudy speaks with PhD Candidate Natalie Skinner about her work with culturally diverse clients in speech pathology.    You can access the podcast here. 

Trudy spoke to Emre Ilhan, a physiotherapist and lecturer within the Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health, and Human Sciences, at Macquarie University about inclusion in research. Join us for this thought provoking discussion!   The transcript is located here. Contact Emre here: emre.ilhan@mq.edu.au

Trudy spoke with the Clinical Research Network Manager from Cochlear, Dr Colleen Psarros about the research that she is involved with.    You can access the transcript from this link Learn more about the research at Cochlear from this link You can contact Colleen Psarros directly through her email: cpsarros@cochlear.com

Trudy speaks to Macquarie academic, Kathleen Tait about a quality of life study for families of children who are blind or have low vision.    Transcript is located here. 

Trudy speaks with Dr Nicola McDowell about the Austin Assessment, a tool to support clients with CVI.    Find the Austin Assessment here.  You can access the transcript here. 

Trudy speaks with Jermy Pang about her experiences as an advocate for herself, her children and deaf colleagues and friends.    The transcript is available at this link.

Trudy speaks to Naomi Clarry about her experiences as an advocate. Naomi is the NSW Programs Facilitator at Hear For You.    You can access the transcript here: Transcript

Trudy speaks with podcast favourite Elise Lonsdale about the advocacy work they do for themselves and the community.    The transcript can be located here.