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In Touch: PIP, boot camp and Moon

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05/02/2013

PIP, boot camp and Moon

BBC Radio 4 - In Touch, PIP, boot camp and Moon

In praise of Moon literacy; 'boot camps' for young people; your PIP questions answered.

The 'boot camps' helping visually impaired young people make tough life decisions. Your PIP questions answered, and in praise of Moon - why we should preserve this alphabet.

Getting a job once school finishes, deciding on whether or not to pursue further education, or taking that step to leaving home; all tough decisions faced by young people. But are there higher barriers to attaining these milestones if you are visually impaired? The charity Action for Blind People thinks so. That's why it's developed a residential transition programme called "Boot Camps". Catering for the 18-25-year age group, they are designed to provide advice on finding employment or further training, and perhaps most importantly, giving visually impaired young people an opportunity to meet and network. Lee Kumutat visits one of the first courses to find out some of the challenges being faced by the participants.

Braille is the preferred choice for most visually impaired readers, nowadays. And with its growth in popularity, the use of Moon - an alternative alphabet where shapes are raised - has declined. First published by Dr William Moon in 1845, the characters are fairly large, with over half the letters bearing a strong resemblance to the print equivalent. That's why some people find it much easier to read than braille. However, the RNIB has now stopped most of their Moon products and services, but is there an argument for it continuing? We speak to people in favour of its use as a simpler alternative alphabet which still has a value for the visually impaired.

On last week's programme, Peter White spoke to the Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey, about Personal Independence Payments, or PIP, the new benefit replacing Disability Living Allowance. The interview prompted many questions about how to claim for PIP, and whether other benefits will be affected, which we'll answer in this week's programme.

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Katy Takatsuki.

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