00:16 S1
This is studio one on Vision Australia Radio.
00:24 S2
Hello, I'm Sam and I'm Lizzie, and this is Studio One, your weekly look at life from a low vision and blind point of view. Here on Vision Australia Radio.
00:31 S3
This week with the much vaunted change to the 13 cabs app. Has it really made any difference?
00:37 S2
We're joined by Kelly Schultz from noble me. G'day, Kelly. Hello. To pick apart reality from spin, good intentions from pragmatism and ask where we go from here.
00:47 S3
As we always say at this point, please do get in touch with the show. Whether you have any experience of the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One, or if you think there's something we should be talking about. You never know. Your story and insight may help someone who's dealing with something similar.
01:03 S2
Please contact us via email studio one at Vision Australia. Org. That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
01:09 S3
Org or of course, you can drop us a note on the station's Facebook page by going to facebook.com Slash Radio network.
01:18 S2
Well. Hello, everybody. Um, it's nice to have you back on the show. Uh, Kelly.
01:22 S4
It's good to be here on a, you know, nice afternoon in Melbourne.
01:26 S2
Well, yes, we're sort of scattered all about the place, uh, coming to you from our various homes and all of all of that. Uh, it's actually been a rather cold day in Adelaide, which, uh, I don't know. How have you coped with that, Lizzie?
01:36 S3
Uh, I've not been too bad. I was supposed to go on a hills ride this morning. But I must say that I'm rather glad that, um, technical issues put spanner in. That works, because. Yeah, it's cold, and, uh, I don't want to freeze.
01:50 S2
So when, um, going about on these hills rides, how do you get to where you need to go? Do you, uh, jump in a in a cab or by any chance?
01:58 S3
No. We ride.
01:59 S2
Oh, that's a shame. It would have made such a good segway, as it were. Alright, so what we're dealing with today is the changes that one three cabs have made to their systems and, well, whether they've actually made much of a change before. Now, Kelly, you've taken a bit of interest in this one. I've noticed.
02:18 S4
I have. I will tell people constantly that transport and reliable transport is the hardest thing about living with low vision and blindness. I know there are lots of others, but transport is the biggest barrier for me living my life.
02:35 S2
I'd agree wholeheartedly.
02:36 S3
Um, absolutely.
02:37 S2
Especially in this country where we seem to need a driver's license pretty much no matter where we live.
02:42 S4
Yeah, and don't get me started on a driver's license from an ID perspective. Maybe we could do a show on that, because that's also something that's bugging me right now.
02:49 S2
Well, we're talking about employment next week, so, uh, who knows? Uh, we'll, uh, um, probably have some fun with that as well. So, um, before we do get started properly, um, as I said last week, Olivia from, uh, one three cab seems to have talked to everybody except to to for, well, us. But she did speak to my colleague Emma myers, who I do the powered Newswrap with and well, this is what she said. And we'll come back at the other side and talk about that afterwards.
03:25 S5
We hear through people complaining, passengers and customers who've had a negative experience with one of our drivers, and it could be across the whole country. We have over 8000 taxis. MSO odds are that if passengers are moving around and they have a bad experience, we want to hear about them because the feedback is what can help us to improve those instances. And one is enough. When there's one bad one, it's completely unacceptable. And we really wanted to then listen to that cohort of passengers hear directly from them. So we set up these focus groups so we could do that to then work out and work through our own systems, which we have in place for bookings and for dispatching those bookings to make very clear to drivers that we were tracking these jobs and that we wanted to, that we would be able to have better vision of those trips and then deal with any instances where there was discrimination very quickly. And that includes suspending the driver immediately so that there's no recourse for the driver. We're not really interested in why he might not have done the right thing. We know he has done the wrong thing, and so we deal with him immediately.
04:56 S6
So why was it time to introduce the zero tolerance policy for cab drivers?
05:05 S5
We wanted to do something very pragmatic to make sure we got the results. So. That has included some of the measures that we've put in place to make sure that drivers are, in fact, held to account. The rules have always been there, but the enforcement across the industry hasn't always matched the severity of the offense. So we just wanted to address those issues through these reforms and really try and change the culture. Everybody deserves to travel with dignity. So some of the reforms that we have put into place now include trip prioritization. And we know if passengers note that they're travelling with an assistance or guide dog, or we know people are travelling in our wheelchair accessible taxis via their booking, that we prioritise those trips inside our business to ensure they're dispatched with priority. And then of course, there's the driver Accountability piece. The drivers are reminded via messages into their car once they've accepted one of these jobs, that it is a criminal offence to refuse service to any passengers with assistance or guard dogs. Then, if we have any issues, we have eyes on that job inside our business, inside our contact centres, and we have people watching those jobs very closely. And that's then led to us being able to have that zero tolerance policy for drivers. And then on the other side of the coin, it's always about education. And we're really committed to that journey with our drivers. And we have just recently added a new module which is built on top of other training we've done, designed with best practice in mind. But we can't ever stop doing that either, because some drivers from different cultural backgrounds are actually frightened of dogs, and so they don't want to be that close to them, really in the proximity of having the dog in the car. And that's something that I'm sure we can all understand is confronting. Our job at one three cabs is to make sure drivers, as I say, are educated that. Assistance animals and guide dogs are very highly trained animals, and they're certainly very well behaved and respectful of their environments, sometimes more so than other passengers they probably take. So we need to continue to break down those barriers for our drivers. And we have open days and driver expos and things like that, where we have been lucky enough to have guide dogs and assistance dogs that come along so our drivers can pat them and understand that they are incredibly disciplined animals and not anything that they need to be afraid of. And then I guess there's another. We've heard feedback from drivers that they don't want the dog here in the car, things like that. And one three Cabs has embarked on rolling out special dog mats for our taxi drivers, so that is no longer an issue or a reason for them to refuse either.
08:17 S2
All right. So we'll start at the beginning of the system, I suppose. And that is there's they're supposedly starting new training modules. I think it's a great idea. Do you think it's going to work?
08:32 S4
For me, training isn't the issue because most of the cab drivers that I come across that refuse or don't bother or decline the A job or whatever it is, know they're doing the wrong thing. No one's they might deny it and go, well, no, it's for other reasons. But I don't think education is actually the problem.
08:51 S2
And it does seem to be a societal thing. I mean, they say that they're afraid of dogs or that in some cases, yes, they're afraid of dogs causing a mess in their car. Ah, but the fact that we do seem to sort of be pushing back on it means that they seem to be pushing back on us. That's my observation anyway.
09:09 S4
I find that, you know, I wish the training included interaction with a guide dog in a car, like where they can sit in the driver's seat and experience what it is like to have a fully trained guide dog in the car, because it amuses me sometimes how often they go, oh, they're so well behaved. I'm like, you know what? Good behavior isn't isn't even the cool stuff my guide dog does. Like, that's just that's just the basic expectation. And yes, they are well behaved because they're supposed to be. And if you get one that's not actually I want you to kick it out because it's probably not legit.
09:46 S2
Well, this is the the thing is that there are two creatures in the guide dog team. There's the the handler and the dog. And if either of them are not doing the right thing, then the public and that includes a driver has every right to complain about it to the either to guide dogs or seeing eye dogs Australia or whoever else is, you know, giving them that that dog.
10:06 S4
Totally. And it's the same for you know, we actually do have responsibility as guide dog handlers as well. So we have a responsibility to do the best we can with a dog's cleanliness and, you know, shedding and all those sorts of things. And all the handlers I know are super conscious of that. They're super conscious of trying to limit the number of things that can cause someone to be annoyed or upset or restrict their access. So yes, it's a responsibility. But like I remember, I remember one day when my dog farted in a cab and the driver just went and lost his lost it. He kept going, you know, did it, did it poop? Did it? I'm like, no, no, it's just a really bad fart.
10:50 S3
Yeah. I think it's interesting you talk about that because. Yeah, I mean, of course we're not going to do things that lead to us being restricted from certain places. And most people that have guide dogs, like you said, are fully aware of what the expectations are of them in public and of their dogs. So the fact that people like cab drivers are constantly surprised by the dogs good behaviors kind of surprises me.
11:15 S2
There's an association, I think, because, I mean, I'm I'm generalizing here, but I mean, it seems to be quite rare that we get refusals from, uh, Australians, for example, or people from an English speaking background. Um, feel free to correct me on that one.
11:31 S4
Yeah, I think it's I think that's confirmation bias, to be honest, because I also think you'll find that the population of cab drivers is also skewed. Um, it's not an equal representation of nationalities in driver population either. So I think there's a bit of confirmation bias in that, because I've certainly been refused by, uh, white Australians, if you want to call them that. So I think there is there's often that talk of its religious reasons and everything else. I actually have a local cab driver who I get when I can, who is a practicing Muslim, and tells me all the time that, you know what? It's just an excuse. It's genuinely about car. Cleanliness is the most that people have a problem with, and that they think is a whole lot of effort. There are going to be some genuine fears of dogs, but most of it is about cleanliness and the expectation that they're going to have to do more work.
12:28 S2
So yeah, unless you've, as you said, unless we've got a dog and a and a guide dog user coming in on these, uh, courses, then yeah. You're not you're not going to get any change in the education. So that's sort of one thing that I can sort of cross off the list really. Um, so I.
12:47 S4
Don't think it's a classroom thing either. It's actually in a car, like get them in a car to show you where that dog sits and show that it has options. I get tired of being told you have to sit in the back. No, I don't sit like in a cab. You don't get to tell me where I sit. It's actually not your choice. It's mine, stuff like that. But they should be able to experience it in the car, not just in a classroom or in an online training module.
13:12 S3
That's the thing though. It's so easy to just peruse through an online module and make your way through it relatively quickly without having to absorb any of the information or any of it actually being processed by the brain. Whereas if they had like a realistic element of it where, yeah, you actually had to do a ride with a guide dog in the car just so that you become familiar with what's expected, that would be better. But the other thing that I wanted to ask or to touch on, I suppose, was, um, they have mentioned 13 cabs. This is that they put together some focus groups to help co-design that training module. Yet when I've interacted with a lot of dog guide users on Facebook. None of them were aware that the focus groups were even being formed.
13:56 S2
There doesn't seem to have been much of a it was sort of alluded to, but I mean, how big were the focus groups and where yeah, where where were they from? And, um, you know which parts of Australia. Any of your own thoughts on that one? Um, Kelly?
14:09 S4
Yeah. I've not heard of them either. I had heard that they run. Quote unquote, regular focus groups to learn about their experiences, but I've certainly not heard one that would be shaping training or or anything like that. Um, I don't know whether a vow representative orgs have been involved in that, but you'd think even if you weren't gonna directly invite guide dog users, you might approach guide dogs or seeing eye dogs for a bit of advice on what that training might look like. So yeah.
14:38 S3
Well, they have stated multiple times that Guide Dogs New South Wales have been working closely with them and, you know, they've been helping to form the focus groups and to build that training module. But if that's the case, why not get more organizations involved or more people? Because Guide Dogs New South Wales is just one of many bodies representing blind and low vision people.
15:02 S4
I'd like to think that it'd be relatively similar advice, and at least if we know that that has happened, that's better than better than not. But I also question sometimes, uh, you know, this may not be the forum to question it, but I also question sometimes the reality that orgs have in representing us as well. Yes, they often have people with lived experience who are who are working for them. But I often find that their idea of the training technique and what they expect of us doesn't always become the reality and the reality of navigating taxis and rideshare all the time in different shaped cars, with different drivers, with different accoutrements and, you know, just different locations and environments means that the reality is very different from how you might get trained in a car park to get your dog in and out of a car, for example.
15:59 S2
Well, I take for an example. Um, yes. I was taught how to use a white cane by several guide dogs instructors. And, uh, there is two ways to use a white cane. That's the way that they show you and the way that everybody else does, because it's just, um, if you if you keep the things centered and you hit something, then you get that cane in a very, very sort of sore spot. I mean, so, uh, so, yeah, I'd expect that that would come through also when, um, dealing with a, a living animal and trying to find the best way to navigate a motor vehicle.
16:30 S4
I feel like we need a poll on that, Sam, at some point to go. How many people still send to their cane when they use it?
16:36 S2
I think that would be very skewed.
16:38 S3
Oh yeah, animals react differently to different cars and different environments too. I mean, they pick up on our stress levels and it's, I would say, much more stressful being refused a dog if you're trying to get somewhere at a certain time, rather than if you just go on to meet up with a friend. And if your animal can can sense that stress, then that's going to also determine how they behave and affect the standard of their behaviour as well. So like you said, there's so many variables, there's so many things to take into consideration. And it's such a nuanced topic and such a nuanced issue. It's there's no one size fits all answer. I don't think.
17:18 S4
Well, I think if we want to turn to to answers, um, I can also talk about my experience with the changes, um, as well. But if we want to talk to answers, I think there are. The stick approach isn't working, whether it's a cane or some sort of other stick. Uh, it's not working, am I? My whole point on, you know, getting on a bit of a hobby horse about this topic is the fact that nothing is working. This isn't like the first training module that's ever existed. Let's not pretend this is novel in some way, Why? Because it's not. Training's been happening. And like I said, most of them know what they're supposed to do. They just don't understand the consequence. They don't empathize with the experience when they don't get it right. I often say to them, you know, how would you feel if that was your mum or your sister or your daughter standing out on the street at night and you chose not to pick them up? How would you feel about that? But I don't think it's the answer. Like, I, I think we need some sort of greater incentive, even if it's related to acknowledging that maybe they do need to stop at the next servo and vacuum the dog hair. Like, I'm sure there is some element that maybe they do need to do. So maybe we need to think about the schemes, like the wheelchair schemes where they get a little bit of extra on top of the fare, because there is an acknowledgement that getting wheelchairs in and out of wheelchair accessible taxis takes a bit longer. So maybe there needs to be some sort of incentive that actually says, hey, we acknowledge that taking a guide dog might incur an additional burden of cleaning or something else. Great. Here's some extra cash for it, because the current systems aren't working, so we've got to try something else.
19:01 S2
Well, that is actually something that was part of this interview, is that she did acknowledge that they are stocking up on special mats that are apparently dog hair repellent. So that is one thing that they are looking into, which is a bit more practical. I mean, I.
19:17 S4
Get a bedspread made of that.
19:22 S2
Oh, yes. Uh, having having had a Jack Russell with white hair in the past. Yes. I just loved my whole house to be made of that. Um, the whole. The carpet.
19:30 S3
Hey, Shay.
19:31 S2
Um, but, I mean, the question I've really wanted to ask, and this is the problem is, having not been having the opportunity to, um, talk to them. Is that the way they've gone now? From where this particular company was is a complete 360 to to their original stance. I mean, there have been complaints to various authorities and their line has always been we don't run the taxis, we're just a booking company. And now they seem to be going all out saying, no, no, no, we'll book them. We'll, uh, you know, discipline them. And we're doing this, this and this and this. I mean, um, I suspect I know the answer to it, but what's the cause of all the changes?
20:09 S4
We've got a reputation problem, don't they? Um, particularly with the video evidence of a driver abusing people with disabilities who weren't capable of defending themselves. I think they've got a long standing reputation problem. They've also got a problem in that ride share. You know, since Uber's Uber's and, you know, all the others have come into the market, they've they've got a they've got an image problem that they need to solve. And I guess thankfully the media takes up a guide dog story. I think it's about every three months I reckon. See a media story about guide dog refusals. Be it taxi or rideshare or something else. And I reckon they've got an image problem. I don't think it's out of care for us, to be honest.
20:50 S3
Well, I think this segues perfectly into, um, we put the call out on Facebook. We posted in a couple of groups in different areas and places, just to sort of get some response and see if anyone was keen to, um, take a ride and try out these new changes. And I think, Kelly, that what you said is correct because there are so many people who are like, no, I'll never use this company again. I don't trust them. Somebody disclosed that they'd been through assault and other things, and there's a real reluctance within the dog guide handler community to use 13 cabs because there is an image issue. Like you said, they've already betrayed people's trust. They've already burnt bridges.
21:36 S4
And it makes you wonder how hard that is to build up if they won't front us either, Though, including, you know, having a conversation like this. I believe that the people in the office do want to improve customer experience, but they don't seem to be going about it in a strategic way. That is going to make a tangible difference to us as end users. And we're probably small fry in the context of, you know, all the people that are going to the airport and back every day. But, you know, we've got a bit of a loud voice at times. So I'd like to think there's some change, but I, I haven't seen it. My experience is that I've been using it since I actually had a conversation with them a few months ago. Myself and I have been using it. I've been testing it out because I was assured that there was human intervention if it was needed, and lots of other things. But, you know, I've had multiple situations where, uh, you know, a cab is six minutes away, for example, and you're then going, okay, all right, I'll be out on the curb right on time, and then it's not looking for another one. The next one's ten minutes away. you go. Great. Okay, so we're looking for another one. Clearly, that one saw the note and didn't like the idea of a dog.
22:45 S2
Um.
22:45 S4
And then you go, oh, okay. So ten minutes. All right. Um, and we were all ready now, quite some way into the journey, and then it'll happen again. And the next one's 14 minutes, because they're getting further and further out from where I am. And in one scenario, one of them started the job from wherever they were 14 minutes away and didn't move. Now I had the luxury of going, you know what? I'm not cancelling that. That is on you. You can sit there with that job running until you decide you're going to cancel it, because I'm not going to. This is the last.
23:20 S2
Thing that I was expecting that that was going to happen is when they get the notification a that, you know, they'll, they'll pick up on. Alright, okay, this is an assistance dog user and they'll try this kind of thing.
23:30 S4
And that's what they do. Yeah that's my experience of it. And, and now so rather than having these taxis who turn up and then go oh no, it will drive past or say, no, I don't want to do it. They're getting that opportunity before they even get to me. And the thing is, is so often with the refusals, you can guilt them into it. I guilted one into it a while ago. Who refused? And I said, well, you're going to have to drive away and cancel the job because I'm not doing it. And he drove away and I sat on the footpath because, you know, what else do you do while you're waiting for another cab? And he drove back about eight minutes later and said, oh, I saw you sitting there. And I felt bad. And the problem I've got is, I don't want to go with you anymore. Like, I genuinely don't want to go with you because you didn't want to take me. And I'm uncomfortable. You're clearly uncomfortable. And all he did the whole way on that trip was try to backpedal and say, oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean. I'm just not sure I'm out yet. Like, please don't complain about me. I'm like, too late, buddy. Too late.
24:30 S2
There's a very simple solution to this. And that is that the reminder in inverted commas that, um, you know, guide dog or working dog refusal is illegal. Just be sent out randomly for any job so that they don't know if it's going to be a, uh, an assistance dog or not. I mean, that's the way I sort of see it. If it if it's just occasionally if someone books a job and the driver gets that, that reminder anyway and oh, surprise, surprise, no, they don't have a guide dog, then I think that it would, um, stir things up a little bit more, make things a lot more unpredictable. And that's. Well, at least that's that's my sort of view. I mean, what are you.
25:06 S4
Maybe that's the movement we need to start rather than rather than the company doing that, we do a public push to go. Every single person who takes one three cabs via the app needs to say that they've got an assistance dog.
25:19 S2
It's not a bad idea.
25:20 S4
It could be fun.
25:21 S2
All right. Okay. Dear listener, um, if you are, uh, visually impaired or blind and.
25:27 S4
Or not.
25:28 S2
Or not.
25:28 S3
Or not. Yeah, not at all.
25:30 S2
If you have, well, some spare time up your hands, I suppose, because I suspect you'd need it then. Yes. Register that you've got a working dog. And, um, if asked about it, simply say I'm sorry. He's staying home today.
25:42 S3
It's honestly not that hard to do. Sam, like when you set up your profile in the app, it's a two second thing. Um, yeah, we.
25:49 S2
Actually did that prior to our last show about this, uh, you know, that our last show. And I was going to include that in there, but we sort of had a whole lot of other lovely material there. So, yes, I mean, we were we were actually talking as Lizzie was doing, doing it. And it was it was really simple.
26:04 S3
Yes.
26:04 S4
I'm just really excited because I think it's a great idea. I might start publicising it and go, you know what? Everybody I know who ever uses the one three cabs app, go and add that you have an assistant stuff.
26:13 S2
Yes, exactly. This is the the thing that is also extremely frustrating about this is this is an opportunity for this company to actually distinguish itself from the rest of the herd. Yeah, but been constant complaints about rideshare taking their market from them if they could guarantee a smooth ride. for all people with a disability, they would have a guaranteed market and it would get around. There would be, you know, I mean, it was still still dealing with the fact that, um, it's between one tenth and one fifth of the population identifies as having a disability. So if you've got that in there, then it might be that one pushback against the Rideshares. That's the way I see it anyway.
26:55 S4
It totally should be a differentiator for them. Like there's not much else they can differentiate on. They're not gonna discount prices or do anything else, but they could totally differentiate on that level of service.
27:08 S2
Um, I'm going to actually throw a few comments, uh, here. So, um, there was one comment here, and this is about, uh, a tactic that actually I've seen as an able bodied in a way. And that is you've had, um, just a straightforward refusal and we've had, um, yes. The uh oh, I see it says an assistance dog, so I'm not going to accept the case. The other one that one of our contributors to the Facebook page said was they'd ordered a cab. The taxi had driven past and said that they'd actually picked the person up and then about five minutes later, supposedly dropped them off. So they're actually that desperate that they're actually going to give up five minutes worth of meter time.
27:56 S4
Yeah, I think that's that whole thing of not being seen to cancel the job. Um, I don't really have evidence that cancelling a job is a bad thing, but, um, I assume that makes it onerous on them for cancelling a job rather than on the customer for cancelling a job. So I reckon there's something about them not wanting to cancel the job, so they start it. And then if you haven't been picked up, I've had this happen where they start the job. Not necessarily that they've driven past, but they start the job, like I said, and just sit there and don't move. I think they expect the customer to cancel it and go, no, I'm not in it. Yeah, I reckon the tactic so they don't they're not then seen to have cancelled the job.
28:33 S2
Well in this particular case the, the passenger was actually looking at the app. And the app had said that they'd been picked up. Yep. And here they were sitting at home going oh that's interesting. I'm still here. And as I said then it was registered. Oh yeah. How was your journey? So, um, yeah, as I said, there's sort of various techniques and it's a simple fact that that we know what they're doing. So it shouldn't be that hard for the taxi company to work out what they're doing as well. Really? I mean, they've got they're the ones with the stats. I mean, I think we could sort of sit here all day and come up with things that might be simple solutions to dealing with this, but it's just surprising that no one else is actually, um, bothering with this. And I'm not just talking about the current company we're talking about. I'm talking about Uber and companies like that where it may not seem like a big problem to them, but it's a massive problem to the disability community in general.
29:21 S4
I think it's also the thing that switched me to actually turning that option on. I was never convinced by it myself because I knew it was going to create this whole, well, you can just discriminate against me without ever seeing me or, you know, without doing anything. Uh, and they had a conversation. And so I was really skeptical about it. But then when it came to data and actually then being able to do something about it, I was sort of convinced to go, actually. Yes. All right. This will help with those stats. But I think if they're not willing to engage in a conversation or even share it, like start by going, hey, we want to make this better. This is where it's currently at, and we're ashamed of ourselves and we're going to do something about it. Like at least be transparent about it. Because as it is, we're all just arguing about, you know, why it's so terrible? Well, give me credit for anything else.
30:05 S2
Exactly. And I mean, as has been stated by an email that we received after our previous show, this issue has been going on since the 1990s and probably longer than that anyway. And so we're all just going around and saying exactly the same thing as we have before, which is, dear listener, why we will be following up on this same thing in three months time or thereabouts. So, um, I spent an idea to you, Kelly, that maybe we should, uh, run some type of market survey on the taxi and rideshare company. Now, what do you think of the idea?
30:38 S4
I think it's great. I think there's a lot of people, particularly in the disability community, who've got a story about taxis and rideshares and their experience, but also a lot of people with good ideas about the simple things that would make it better for them as well. So yeah, I reckon we should do some research.
30:54 S2
Well, how about in three months time we catch up and if you've got enough data there, we can you can share your ideas and, uh, we can see what happens. We who knows? Um, something might have changed. Or for all we know, the, um, people at Uber or, um, one three cabs might have decided they want to get in touch with us, but we'll see what happens. Apart from the, uh, rideshare ideas, is there anything major coming up for yourself at, um, I mean, in, say, the next couple of months or so.
31:24 S4
There's quite a few things on our plate actually at the moment, including things about cyber security and cyber risks. Uh, and we're also working with our friends at the ABC on the presentation of their news articles online. So that will be quite interesting as well.
31:41 S2
With the the incredible ness. Um, yes. We've got an invitation to something for for her for tomorrow. So that's interesting. So, um, anyway, thank you so much for for joining us again. This has been a, uh, a joy to, uh, come across a kindred spirit as far as all this goes. And your passion does inspire both of us, I think. Do you agree with me, Lizzie?
32:01 S3
Absolutely. This is an issue that I could rave on about. In fact, you know what? Last time we did this episode, I'm pretty sure most of it was me raving on about how terrible the situation was and how scary it could be. So I'm actually glad that there's somebody else to sort of take the reins over, because I don't want to be that person.
32:20 S2
Well, that is a wrap for this week. Again, a big thank you to Kelly Schultz. You can find out more about Noble Me by going to noble. Also, thank you to Emma myers from Powered Media. You will find the link to her interview in the podcast notes as well. Thanks to the many of you on Facebook who gave your comments. We didn't get around to reading them all, but very much thank you for giving us the mood of the episode.
32:44 S3
And of course, thanks to you for listening. And that includes our listeners on the Reading Radio Network. You can find the podcast of this program, plus some extra content on Apple, Spotify, Google or your favorite podcast platform.
32:59 S2
Next week we once again look at blind people and employment. Some of our friends talk about the challenges they face in getting work, keeping it, and navigating the workplace environment.
33:09 S3
But between now and then, please do get in touch with the show. Whether you have experience of any of the issues covered on this week's episode of Studio One, or if you think there's something we should be talking about. You never know. Your story and insight may help someone who is dealing with something similar.
33:24 S2
Our email address is studio one at Vision Australia. Org. That's studio number one at Vision Australia.
33:30 S3
Org or of course you can find us on all the good social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram by searching for RVA Radio Network.
33:39 S2
This program was made possible with support from the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
33:43 S3
Find out more at. Three months later.
33:52 S2
Hello. Studio one.
33:53 S7
Hey, Sam, it's Kelly. You remember that? Like third Rideshare and Taxi episode we were going to do?
33:59 S2
Yeah, yeah, I've got the pretty program right here.
34:02 S7
Well, we don't need it anymore. What? Guide dogs are given access everywhere. Now, it's not a problem anymore. People can travel wherever they like, whenever they like.
34:12 S2
Oh. That's terrific.
34:14 S3
What's that sound?
34:15 S2
Uh. Don't worry. They're just flying south for the summer.
