EPISODE · Aug 17, 2025 · 51 MIN
20th Anniversary Collection: Born blind at the right time
from Conversations · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Law Professor Ron McCallum was a premature baby in the 1940s. He completed his studies by recording people reading his textbooks aloud onto cassettes. Then an early version of text to speech opened up new possibilities for him.When Ron was born, prospects for blind people to have careers outside sheltered workshops were few.In the late 1970s enormous change swept into Ron’s life. He fell in love with fellow lawyer, Mary Crock, and they began a family. Ron became the first totally blind professor of any discipline in Australia with a role at the University of Sydney Law School.He was also chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and 2011 Senior Australian of the Year.Further informationFirst broadcast July 2019.You can read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website.The researcher on this episode of Conversations was Michelle Ransom-Hughes. The Executive Producer is Carmel Rooney.This episode touches on disability, a career in law, uni, life story, epic life story, premature babies, history and autobiography.To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
What this episode covers
Law Professor Ron McCallum was a premature baby in the 1940s. He completed his studies by recording people reading his textbooks aloud onto cassettes. Then an early version of text to speech opened up new possibilities for him. When Ron was born, prospects for blind people to have careers outside sheltered workshops were few. In the late 1970s enormous change swept into Ron’s life. He fell in love with fellow lawyer, Mary Crock, and they began a family. Ron became the first totally blind professor of any discipline in Australia with a role at the University of Sydney Law School. He was also chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and 2011 Senior Australian of the Year. Further information First broadcast July 2019. You can read all about the Conversations origin story on the ABC News website. The researcher on this episode of Conversations was Michelle Ransom-Hughes. The Executive Producer is Carmel Rooney. This episode touches on disability, a career in law, uni, life story, epic life story, premature babies, history and autobiography. To binge even more great episodes of the Conversations podcast with Richard Fidler and Sarah Kanowski go the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts. There you’ll find hundreds of the best thought-provoking interviews with authors, writers, artists, politicians, psychologists, musicians, and celebrities.
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20th Anniversary Collection: Born blind at the right time
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