EPISODE · Feb 9, 2026 · 21 MIN

Parenting blind, with Nas Campanella

from Ladies, We Need To Talk · host Australian Broadcasting Corporation

What’s it like to parent when you can’t see your kid? Nas Campanella, the ABC’s National Disability Affairs reporter, knows there’s many ways to be a great mum. As a blind woman, she’s navigated internalised ableism, and copped BS from strangers. Through it all, she’s given the middle finger to expectations and come out the other side stronger.She talks to Yumi Stynes about the quiet strength that comes from trusting her own instincts and the deep bond she’s formed with her son.  This episode will answer questions like: What’s it like to be a mother while vision impaired? How do blind parents use sound, touch and voice to care for their babies?What are the biggest challenges of parenting with a disability? How do you keep children safe without relying on sight? How do people use sound, touch and instinct to read their baby’s needs? What public scrutiny do disabled parents receive? How do you raise an empathetic child? What to listen to next: I love you but go away: Women taking marriage sabbaticalsLife without boobs: Meet the women staying flat after breast cancerBody image and babies with Turia Pitt and Sophie WalkerWhere's my village? Esther Perel on how to build communityYou can binge more episodes of Ladies, We Need to Talk on the ABC listen app (in Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts.  What to read next:  Why these women took marriage sabbaticals — and how it wentBuilding a village means showing up even when it feels hard, says Esther PerelWhy Kate chose to 'stay flat' after breast cancer surgeryWhy genital herpes does not mean the end of your sex lifeThis episode contains references to disability, vision impaired, blind, mother, parent, National Disability Affairs reporter, ABC, work-life-balance, working mum, child, baby, parenting, teaching, attachment.