3 June 2024 – Making amateur radio accessible

The presentation

In this webinar we’ll be looking at how amateur radio can be accessible and enjoyable, even if you have sight, hearing or mobility difficulties.

We’ve invited three radio amateurs to explain how they have adapted their equipment, written software or used extra support from the RSGB or other radio amateurs to enable them to enjoy all that amateur radio has to offer.

We’ll also hear from Sight Matters, an Isle of Man charity helping to assist over 700 visually impaired members.

The charity has recently discovered how much amateur radio can offer people with visual impairments, and it has formed the Sight Matters Amateur Radio Club.

This aims to encourage new people into the hobby and to help assist existing licence holders back onto the air.

Whether this webinar is relevant for you, a friend or colleague, or you’re a club that is wondering how to support all radio amateurs to enjoy the hobby, come along and be inspired!

About the presenters

Nigel Limb, M7FFU
Nigel is registered partially blind following a motorbike accident in 2015 that left him with permanent brain damage and partially blind in both eyes. This, however, did not stop him pursuing his childhood dream of obtaining his amateur radio licence. In December 2023 he achieved this and passed the Foundation Licence exam.

Steven Dodd, M0SNZ
Steven is a tetraplegic, partially paralysed, wheelchair-bound and has very limited arm and hand movement which occurred as a result of a swimming accident in 2018. In 2020 he managed to return to work, as an IT consultant working remotely. He held his Intermediate licence at the time of his injury and decided to obtain his Full licence and operate VHF/UHF with a focus on satellites in 2022. He has written some software to help; one is a budget antenna rotator—featured in a RadCom article—and the other is a CI-V programmer so he can set up his transceiver remotely.

Keith Hotchkiss, G0FEA
Keith became a wheelchair user after an infection left him with lower leg weakness in 2001. He will talk about the changes you have to work round when you can’t use your legs in the same way, the helpfulness of the amateur radio community, and the positive benefits for mental wellbeing.

Dave Wilson, MD0NKX
Dave is the Technology and Accessibility Lead at Sight Matters, a charity on the Isle of Man that supports over 700 visually impaired members. He has gained all three licence levels in the last few years and is excited to see how amateur radio can be used by visually-impaired people. He has helped to set up the new Sight Matters Amateur Radio Club which will be affiliated to the RSGB shortly.

Find out more

• RSGB
  • Exams – if you need help and support with an exam, email exams@rsgb.org.uk before booking your exam
  • Stories – if you have an inspiring story to share, email comms@rsgb.org.uk
  • General help – go to the RSGB contacts page at rsgb.org/main/contact
• RAIBC
  • raibc.org.uk
    For a membership of £10/year, RAIBC provides audio recordings of the training manuals and amateur radio magazines, as well as a range of other help and support
• Steven Dodd
  • qrz.com/db/M0SNZ
  • github.com/stevendodd/pycom
  • github.com/stevendodd/rotctlpy

Watch again

You can watch this Tonight @ 8 webinar again on our YouTube channel 

Category: Tonight @ 8 - archive main list by year