Eye Believe BlindPod

Episode 30: An Interview with Sameena Karim

Sun, 31 May 2026 18:16:55 -0300

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the vision impaired and BAME communities.

Anela, Ashrafia and Saima have a candid, emotional and fun discussion with Sameena Karim. We learn about her childhood, growing up as a vision impaired British Pakistani in the 70’s and her education at a VI boarding school. She talks about her career as a medical secretary, moving onto her volunteering and running her local sight loss charity, VIPON, before sharing stories about being a wife, mother and grandmother. As always we finish off with a humorous anecdote and Sam even treats us to a short song that’s special to her.

Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes, rate us on your podcast platforms and please share across your family, friends, BAME and VI networks. You can catch us on Instagram, @eyebelievepodcast or send an email to, eyebelieve12@gmail.com.

Episode 29: Attending Religious Ceremonies - Weddings

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 06:13:06 -0300

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the vision impaired and BAME communities.

Saima hosts as Darren, Nanjiba and Sameena talk about wedding ceremonies in their particular religions and cultures. We learn about the different ceremonies and traditions, the barriers they have faced attending these ceremonies as blind and partially sighted people, how they have overcome these barriers, and any tips for the visually impaired attending these ceremonies. As always they finish off with some funny stories. Can you guess which one of the panel was left dancing on their own?

Episode 28: An Interview with Sadia Shahbaz

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 10:19:38 -0300

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the vision impaired and BAME communities.

Anela, Ashrafia and Saima have an honest and emotional chat with Sadia Shahbaz. They talk about her sight loss diagnosis as a child and how that affected her growing up as a British, Pakistani Muslim. Sadia is very open about her painstaking search for a husband, eventually finding her gem, and their experience as parents. She shares her volunteering journey and aspirations for the future, before finishing with a funny story or two. Find out what had the Pocket Rocket running round in circles.

Episode 27 Health & Wellbeing Part 2

Wed, 25 Feb 2026 10:03:56 -0400

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the vision impaired and BAME communities.

We have a bumper episode, as Darren chats with seven panellists about health and wellbeing. Darren, Anela, Ashrafia, Grace, Saima, Sameena, Nanjiba, and Alistair focus on sports and leisure activities. They share the activities they take part in, along with the barriers and challenges they have faced and tips for overcoming them. As always they finish off with some humorous anecdotes. Can you guess which of our panellists ruined their mother’s garden on a motorbike?

Episode 26 An Interview with Amrit Dhaliwal

Sat, 31 Jan 2026 08:14:57 -0400

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the vision impaired and BAME communities.

Ashrafia and Saima have an open, honest and enlightening conversation with Amrit Dhaliwal. They talk about growing up as the solitary vision impaired person in her area and how the barriers that came with that can be overcome. They discuss the struggles Amrit endured on her employment journey and how she has remained positive throughout it. Amrit also shares her experiences as a blind mother of two wonderfully supportive children, before all three of the empowered, vision impaired Asian women end with some humorous stories related to their sight loss.

Episode 25 An Interview with Darren Meade

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:01:13 -0400

Anila chats with the enigma that is Darren Meade. They talk about growing up as a black British man from Caribbean parents and how that has influenced his life, Darren’s employment history and how he fell into a job working with children heading for school exclusion, some of the funny situations he has found himself in, and why he is considered an enigma.

Episode 24 Health & Wellbeing Part 1

Mon, 08 Sep 2025 13:16:13 -0300

Listen to the latest Eye Believe episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the visually impaired and BAME communities.

Anita chats with Sameena, Faz and Alistair about what health and wellbeing means to them. They explore what barriers they have faced around health and wellbeing as blind and partially sighted people from a BAME background, and share tips for overcoming these barriers. As ever they finish on a light-hearted note with some funny stories related to health and wellbeing.

Episode 23: An Interview With Anela Wood

Mon, 12 May 2025 13:54:17 -0300

Ashrafia and Saima have an inspiring talk with Anela Wood, discussing her life as a blind, British, Pakistani Muslim. Anela is very candid, chatting about her childhood, schooling, relationships, as well as her immense amount of volunteering work, advocating for blind and partially sighted people, and as ever we end with some humorous anecdotes.

Listen to the latest Eye Believe episode, as we share our lived experience in order to empower and inspire others in the visually impaired and BAME communities. Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes, rate us on your podcast platforms and please share across your family, friends, BAME and VI networks. You can catch us on Instagram, @eyebelievepodcast or send an email to, eyebelieve12@gmail.com.

Episode 22 Talking Tech

Sun, 23 Mar 2025 09:11:08 -0300

Anela, Ashrafia and Darren join Saima to talk about the technology they use to assist them in their daily lives and the barriers they have faced in accessing technology. They also give their top tech tips and, as ever finish off with their funny stories, which in this episode relate to technology.

For the first time Eye Believe has a special guest, Scott Wood. Scott is blind and a friend of the podcast, being Anela’s husband. He has worked with technology all his working life and until recently was a member of the RNIB’s Technology for Life team. We collated some frequently asked tech related questions and put them to Scott. His wealth of knowledge blew us away, and we are sure you will feel the same.

Episode 21: An Interview with Saima Ashraf MBE

Wed, 23 Oct 2024 18:33:17 -0300

Anela and Ashrafia chat to Saima about her life as a visually impaired British/Pakistani woman. She talks about some of the barriers she has faced throughout her life, her passions, her projects and achievements, including her recent MBE nomination. She’s got some useful tips that will not only help the visually impaired, but also sighted listeners, and of course, there’s a funny story or two.

Listen to the latest Eye Believe episode, as we empower, inspire and share. Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes, rate us on your podcast platforms and please share across your family, friends, BAME and VI networks. You can catch us on Instagram @eyebelievepodcast or send an email to eyebelieve12@gmail.com.

Episode 20: Travel Live from Blackpool

Sat, 14 Sep 2024 11:13:23 -0300

In our second travel podcast, recorded live from Blackpool’s Carousel Hotel, Saima and Ashrafia chat to Deborah, Yusuf, Thomas, Sadia, Shazia and Sameena about their experiences travelling as visually impaired people. The group share their travelling top tips, and as always we tickle your funny bones with humorous anecdotes.

Listen to the latest Eye Believe podcast episode, as we empower, inspire and share. Don’t forget to subscribe for future episodes, rate us on your podcast platforms and please share across your family, friends and BAME and VI networks. You can catch us on Instagram @eyebelievepodcast or send an email to eyebelieve12@gmail.com.

Episode 19: A Conversation with Eye Believe's Founder Ashrafia Choudhury

Mon, 29 Jul 2024 12:54:11 -0300

Listen to an interview with Ashrafia Choudhury, the founder of Eye Believe. Hosts Anela, Pardy and Saima ask Ashrafia questions about her life as a visually impaired Asian woman and what has led her to form both Eye Believe and her charity Beyond Sight Loss. She shares her personal experiences as well as tips she has picked up along the way which listeners may find helpful.

Listen to the latest July podcast from Eye Believe via the Spotify link, as we, "Empower, Inspire and Share". Please share across your family, friends and VI networks. Don’t forget to subscribe to future monthly episodes and rate us on your podcast platforms.

Festivals

Wed, 15 May 2024 14:04:44 -0300

Join the Eye Believe Team for another episode focusing on festive celebrations. Enjoy listening to Host Anita talking to panelists Anela, Amrit, Fazila and Samina about their experiences as visually impaired people who participate in a variety of religious festivals. We share the challenges and positive aspects, top tips to benefit listeners plus share humorous experiences when hosting or attending festive celebrations.

Episode 18: Employment

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 12:50:40 -0300

This month, the panel move the discussion onto the world of employment and how being visually impaired impacts not only the chances of getting work but how you're treated once you're there. As always it's insightful, thoughtful and occasionally very funny.

Episode 16: Mental Health and Emotional Well-being

Fri, 08 Mar 2024 05:55:59 -0400

Join host Anita with panellists Amrit, Anela, Ashrafia, Pardy, Saima and Sam as they discuss the mental and emotional aspect of sight loss.

The panel share feelings associated with their visual impairment journey plus offer coping strategies and support systems that have benefited them in a positive manner, which may help listeners.

Food Part 3: Dining Out

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 05:44:11 -0400

Come and join the Eye Believe team for another episode in the Food series. Part 3 focusses on eating out. Enjoy listening to host Anela talking to panelists Amrit, Pardy and Saima about their experiences as visually impaired people who like to eat out as much as the next person. We share the difficulties and helpful aspects, top tips to benefit listeners plus share humorous experiences when dining out.

Food Part 2: Dining In

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 18:41:13 -0400

Join Darren for part two of the food series with his guests Ashrafia, Chaz and Sunita. This month the panel discuss the trials and tribulations they face when preparing to host guests for dinner, what techniques or equipment they may use to assist them and of course we finish with some humorous misadventures while hosting a dinner party.

Christmas 2023 & Our First Anniversary

Mon, 11 Dec 2023 10:12:53 -0400

Join Pardy and his panel of merry elves Amrit, Anela, Anita, Ashrafia, Faz, James, Saima and Sunita.

We share our festive experiences and what Christmas Means to us plus Top Tips benefiting VI people and humorous memories.

Enjoy seasonal surprises showcasing success including Amrit’s Dance award and Bollywood karaoke in recognition of our first anniversary!

Food: Part 1

Tue, 07 Nov 2023 11:59:59 -0400

The panel discuss shopping for food, cooking, being occasionally patronised by supermarket staff and how to overcome prejudice in stores. There's also a very special surprise for the Birthday Girl!

Relationships Part 4: Post-Marriage and Separation

Mon, 16 Oct 2023 11:00:32 -0300

Listen to our final episode of our Relationships series focussing on Post-Marriage and Separation. Our host Pardy is joined by Saima, Darren and Anela, who share their experience of divorce and separation. The panel give an insight into the reaction by friends and family, as in the South Asian and Caribbean communities divorce is deemed to be a taboo. They share how they have moved on and are thriving having overcome huge challenges and prejudices with sight loss and offer advice for listeners facing similar situations plus some funny anecdotes.

Relationships Part 3: Children

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 15:07:27 -0300

Join Anita for the third in a series of podcasts focusing on Children and Family life. Anita is joined by Ashrafia, Sunita and Sadia, sharing their experiences of how they felt when they found out they were going to become a parent and the strategies they used or using to bring their children up as vision impaired Mums. They also share insights to how their children feel about having a parent with a vision impairment. Some prejudice they have had to face due to their disability and from an ethnic background are explored.

Travel

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 08:57:35 -0300

With summer holidays on our minds, we explore travelling as a vision impaired person. Join host, Pardy with panellists Anela, Ashrafia, Faz, Saima, Shaz and Sunita in this special episode recorded physically at Blackpool. The team share travel insights and top tips benefiting listeners plus humorous travel experiences.

Relationships: Part 2

Thu, 20 Jul 2023 03:46:43 -0300

Join Saima Ashraf for the second in the relationships series, as the panel (Aneila Wood, Amrit Dhaliwal & Facial Sidat) discuss there experiences of getting married as a blind/visually impaired person. They lend insight to societies prejudices regarding their married lives and why their long term relationships continue to thrive.

Relationships: Part 1

Thu, 01 Jun 2023 09:23:27 -0300

Join Ashrafia choudhury for the first in a series of podcasts focussing on relationships. In part one she's joined by Rasheed Bello, Saima Ashraf and Fatima Khan, sharing their experiences as visually impaired people, navigating the world of dating, finding partners and some of the prejudices they have had to face due to having a disability and being from an Asian background.

Education: Part 2

Thu, 04 May 2023 03:03:59 -0300

Join Rasheed Bello for the second conversation about education with guests Ashrafia Choudhry, Saima Ashraf & Fatima Khan. In this episode the group discuss their experience through the higher education system and the challenges they faced securing professional qualifications.

Education: Part 1

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 07:55:10 -0300

Join Ashrafia & her panel, Shaz Iram, Saima Ashraf & Sajida Shah for their first discussion on Education. Listen as they share their experiences of having sight loss, whilst navigating primary/secondary school and giving insight into some of the barriers and challenges they faced.

The White Cane: Part 3

Sat, 04 Mar 2023 12:08:19 -0400

Listen for the final part of the White Cane trilogy, where Saima interviews Sunita Asal-Chander, Habilitation Specialist. Sunita gives her professional opinion on the use of the Cane and being vision impaired, shares her personal experiences too. We are also joined by panellists Pardy, Enela and Sajeda from the previous two White Cane episodes.

The emotional experiences of using a white cane

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 11:22:37 -0400

Join Anela, Amrit, Faz, Pardi and Sajeeda as they share their feelings around accepting and learning to use this essential mobility aid for visually impaired people.

Benefits of using a White Cane

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 06:04:31 -0400

Join Pardy, Anela, Rasheed & Saima as they discuss the different types of White Canes and share their personal experiences of using this essential mobility aid for visually impaired people

Getting ready for a night out!

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 09:31:36 -0400

Join, Saima, Pardy, Anela & Ashrafia as they discuss the challenges & sometimes surprisingly funny scenarios that arise when preparing for a big night out as a visually impaired person.