Season 1, Episode 8: Carol Brill

In episode 8 of the In-Focus podcast, Avril welcomes Carol Brill to speak about her life and experience as a person living with Usher Syndrome during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to being on the Board of Directors for Fighting Blindness Ireland and CureUsher, Carol is very involved with the Retina International Usher Syndrome Special Interest Group and leads a very active lifestyle, as a member of her local Stackstown golf club and Irish Blind Golf. In her interview with Avril, Carol speaks openly and honestly about how the current pandemic has impacted her as a person living with a visual impairment,  and the issues she has faced with respect to the accessibility of many virtual platforms for the visually impaired community. As these means of communication become more prominent, Carol recognises that special considerations will need to be made to make these technologies more inclusive and accessible for the retina community. Additionally, as a person living with what she describes to be an “invisible” disability, Carol highlights the importance of raising awareness around the reality of retinal conditions and other disabilities which are not so easily recognised and urges us to become a more compassionate and considerate society post COVID-19.