Blind Abilities Podcast

RaqiG, Serina and Jeff join together to talk tech, smack and some week old Spring Loaded news. Marlon storms back and joins Jeff in the creatives corner to add some news relief. Air Tags are selling fast and iOS 14.5 is out and you can keep that mask on, if you sport an Apple Watch that is. Serina orders a new LG Gram laptop, graduates from AFB Leadership 2021 program, gives us a tease about the COSORI 12-in-1 Air Fryer   and forgets to order Air Tags, hmm. Raqi and Jeff got the tags arriving April 30th and Jeff is still flying on his Pfizer vaccination. Yes, good friends don’t let friends podcast on Pfizer but these hosts know no better. Well, Jeff did make it to the show because the show must go on. However, what if…. The Hokey Pokey is really what it is all about anyways? So climb on board and take a ride through the latest tech and who is suing Apple now and what about that extended warranty on the Max? Check out the links and notes below and enjoy the Tech Abilities episode. Man sues Apple for terminati

Matt Ater, Vice President at Vispero, joined Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about Vispero and what he and his team is doing to enhance the user experience and opportunities to learn about the products we have all come to know, such as the ever so popular screen reader, Jaws. Matt talks about the importance of the user experience and how the Vispero team is reaching out to listen to the users and find out what can be done to improve upon the products. The entire team has a passion to keep improving upon the long line of products Vispero brings to the Blind and Visually Impaired community around the world. Join Matt for this deep dive into the user experience conversation and be sure to meet up with the Vispero team on a social network of your choice. From webinars, to YouTube Videos and Facebook groups, the team is making themselves available and the latest platform of Clubhouse has the team available 2 or 3 times a week, answering questions, giving tips and letting your voice be heard all

Jeff Thompson and Pete Lane are joined in the Blind Abilities studio by Sandhya Rao. They recently met Sandhya a few weeks ago along with Michael McCulloch as they discussed the amazing organization called, I Blind User's Group, (iBug). You can listen to the iBugToday episode on Blind Abilities In this episode, they shift the focus to Sandhya, the person. Sandhya is currently employed as an Attorney in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, where she conducts legal research on constitutional issues and drafts judicial memoranda. Sandhya describes her life’s journey, not only with her blindness, but with Osteo Petrosis, the rare bone disease which brought about her blindness, along with a myriad of other serious effects. Listen as Sandhya outlines how this illness impacted her life, but not the goals and outcomes she set forth to achieve.  Sandhya completed four years at Rice University where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. This was followed by completing law scho

Dr. Ashley Tuan, Vice President of Medical Devices at Mojo Vision, joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio about the development of a new and innovative product for low vision individuals called Mojo Lens.  Dr. Tuan discusses the fascinating and impressive capabilities of these high-tech contact lenses, which are placed on the white part of the user’s eye, called the Sclera.  With the help of a wearable device which serves as a relay, the lenses will project a variety of images to the retina, providing a "heads up and hands-free” display for the individual.    Dr. Tuan has been with Mojo Vision for the past five years and shares her passion, and her very personal reason for embarking on this meaningful journey as the product has evolved not only into a promising technology for sighted people, but also a significant tool which will offer enhanced vision and information for individuals with low vision. The Mojo Lens will be able to project various images onto a functioning portion of the retina, much

In this episode of  Blind Abilities we feature the iBlind Users Group, aka iBUGToday, a nonprofit organization located in Houston, Texas, but which operates a variety of virtual training and social activities for individuals around the country using the Zoom platform.    The mission of iBUG, is to promote the individual independence, social integration and educational development of the blind and visually impaired community through accessible technology training.  Our guests in the Blind Abilities studio are Michael McCulloch, President and Founder, and Sandhya Rao, Vice President. Michael and Sandhya describe the numerous group training sessions offered, all of which are free, and taught or facilitated by members themselves who volunteer for these opportunities. All of the sessions are in Q&A format and are low key and relaxed. The first 25 minutes of each session is dedicated to new members so they can pose their questions freely.  From iPhones, Macs and Androids, there is a session for everyone at any

introducing a new braille book for Teachers of the Blind/Visually Impaired, TBVI), parents and others who wish to instruct Blind students in learning Unified English Braille, (UEB). The book was written by one of our guests, Roberta Becker. She joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio along with her colleague, Lori Scharff. Roberta and Lori chat about a variety of topics, ranging from the implementation and description of "the new Unified English Braille (UEB), to many of the specific changes that it brought about for Braille readers, and how those changes are covered in Roberta’s book. Roberta is a Library of Congress Certified Braille Transcriber, and a Teacher of Children with Visual Impairments. Her brand is "Actual Tactuals Braille", and her book is entitled, Unified English Braille (UEB) Practice Sentences.  For details about her book and how to get it for your school or your child’s school, be sure to check out her web site at ActualTactuals.com. Feel free to contact Roberta with any questions

Bree Klauser, Spencer Frankeberger, Juan Alcazar and Jeff Thompson got together in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about the Easterseal Disability Film Challenge that they participated in and want you to check out their films and “like” them as the Awareness campaign is ending soon.  A Dog-umentary & Scene of Possibilities” PREMIERED ON MARCH 27, 2021 Sponsored by Access Acting Academy  FEATURING : Two teams of Blind/Low-Vision Cast and Crew. Each team released a short film as part of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, with team 1 releasing  “SERVICE: A Dog-umentary,” and team 2 releasing “Scene of Possibilities” and Both feature a diverse cast/crew of blind and visually-impaired creatives. The Easterseals Disability Film Challenge is a filmmaking contest that challenges filmmakers to produce original films in just five days,  and gives new voices within the industry an opportunity to write and produce short films that challenge the limited representation of disabilities in the media by telling

In the Blind Abilities Studio, we welcome Jagadish K. Mahendran, Artificial Intelligence Developer and Engineer,and Hema Chamraj, director, Technology Advocacy and AI4Good at Intel Raqi joins Jeff in the studio to learn and find out more about this great initiative that may one day enhance the  navigating experience while Blind. From the Intel Press Release: Intel just announced a research project involving an AI-powered backpack that can help the visually impaired navigate and perceive the world around them with voice commands. Artificial intelligence (AI) developer Jagadish K. Mahendran and his team designed an AI-powered, voice-activated backpack that can help the visually impaired navigate and perceive the world around them. The backpack helps detect common challenges such as traffic signs, hanging obstacles, crosswalks, moving objects and changing elevations, all while running on a low-power, interactive device. “Last year when I met up with a visually impaired friend, I was struck by the irony that whil

The crew is feisty on Fridays but hey it’s Monday, Raqi. From the release of Audio Description on HBO Max to Flicktype bolstering some Apples, we seem to get into a lot about what we want in the Clubhouse arena. What is it with Ringtones anyways? The real thing here is this, have you heard the Home Pod Minis in Stereo? Wowie Wow Wow is all I got on that. We talk tech, we talk a lot and we dive right into it. Join us for some fun in the sun if you got it. Maybe in a month from my vantage point but we got all of you covered. Now scoot over and lets play this episode of Tech Abilities! Here are some links from the show: HBO update with accessibility improvements,  and HBO Max starts adding Audio Description on the app. Not the Apple TV though. Here is the link to the Audio Description Project where you find nearly anything and everything about the availability of Audio Description and who and where to find the titles with it. If you subscribe to HBO Max, here is a direct link to HBO Titles With AD. Moment line

our guest on Blind Abilities today is Sheila  Koenig, Transition Services Coordinator for State Services for the Blind of Minnesota (SSB). Sheila talks about a variety of opportunities available to Transition Age students. Learn about the programs such as the Summer Transition Program (STP), Chill and Chat, Peer Educators, Blind and Socially Savvy and the Learning Ally College Success Program. There is something for everyone! Sheila also discusses the Spectacle Newsletter, where you can find all of the programs, events and connecting opportunities that you do not want to miss. .  Jeff and Sheila also chat about the upcoming conventions, with NFB, ACB and others, once again holding their events virtually. They pointed out that even virtual conventions offer excellent opportunities for attendees to socialize and network, meet others, problem-solve, and juts interact with peers who share common interests, ideas and solutions.  Sheila’s overarching message to students is to “"get involved and do some programs dur

Transitioning from High School to College is a major step towards self-determination and independence. Career choices are made and Colleges and Universities are explored to best fit one’s needs. A group of high school students ask a panel of college students questions to help them understand the challenges and gain from the experience the college students share. When leaving the high school and the security of the Individual Education Plan (IEP) and move into the Independent Plan for Employment IPE, the sharing of these college students can go a long way in preparing for their transition to college. The College Transition Panel was created to help share the experiences and to let high school students know that there is a pathway and that they do not have to take this journey alone. One of the key themes stemming from this conversation is that networking with other Blind and Low Vision students is a great resource for support and answers to the questions that will arise during this journey. No one has to reinv

Blind Abilities welcomes Tony Gebhard back into the studio. he first appeared on Blind Abilities in the summer of 2019, when Geoff and Pete chatted with him at the NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida. You can find that interview here, A Morning with Tony Gebhard… The focus then was on his musical journey, This time back in the studio, the focus of this interview, is Toni‘s life, his recent completion of assistive technology training and TVI classes at World Services for the blind.  Congratulations to Toni on his certification as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI). And his subsequent move to Anchorage Alaska to begin his career with the Alaska Center for the blind. listen as Toni describes his “journey“ which encompassed some significant lifestyle and emotional changes, and which ultimately led to his move to begin his new job. Tony candidly discusses what has occurred with him over the past three years, which provide a compelling story as well as inspiration to those who may not have found their

Japricia shares her experience from Elementary school with discipline, race, and her Individual Education Plan (IEP) that inspired the goals she has for college. In this interview, Beau RaRa a staff attorney for the Youth Law Project and Minnesota Disability Law Center, sits down with Japricia, a recent high school graduate, to talk about the experiences of racial disparities in school discipline of students with disabilities. Beau's work includes the Client Assistance Program, also known as CAP, where they provide legal assistance with vocational rehabilitation services for clients." They love working with youth and young adults, believing firmly that each client is the expert of their own life. youth with disabilities can reach us at intoadulthood@mylegalaid.org or 1-800-292-415   Minnesota Disability Law Center  The Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) provides free civil legal assistance to individuals with disabilities statewide, regardless of age or income, on legal issues related to their disabilitie

Jeff and Pete are in the studio again, this time to chat with Javier Pita, founder and CEO of NaviLens Corp., and their remarkable product, NaviLens.  NaviLens is a new and enhanced kind of QR code, but unlike existing QR codes that can only be read from a short distance, the NaviLens tag can be detected by your smart phone camera up to 60 feet away with a 160 degree wide-angle range. This means that you will now be able to detect NaviLens tags that are almost at your 9 o’clock or 3 o’clock direction, thus being simple to find if you are blind or visually impaired. For example, you will now be able to find an indoor room if you are walking down a hallway, or another destination as you are approaching a bus stop or store front. And with NaviLens, you don’t even have to aim or point your phone as precisely as before. Jeff and Pete sometimes refer to them as "QR Codes on Steroids.”  In addition, there are home-use NaviLens tags that are free and you can print them out on your own personal printer and use them at

Laura Allen joins Raqi and Jeff in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about new developments in Google’s accessibility and disability inclusion. Laura Allen is Head of strategy for Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, bringing together the Google network of teams to bring awareness to accessibility and disability inclusion within the entire google corporation. Laura uses a mix of accessibility tools to be independent which gives her a clear perspective on the need for accessibility and how inclusion in the workplace is an everyday experience for everyone. Laura talks about the new developments in accessibility, resources and how the teams at Google are innovating for a more accessible future. From high school to college to the workplace, Laura has been building on  her life experience to bring awareness and to develop strategies for accessibility across Google’s products and building a more inclusive workplace environment at Google. To find out more about Google and Accessibility check out the links to the

Blind Abilities welcomes back to the podcast, Beth Gustin, licensed professional counselor, a nationally certified mental health counselor, to speak about the impact that the prolonged pandemic is having on our mental health. Beth was a guest on the Job Insights podcast show back in October 2018 where she spoke about mental health and job searching with Jeff and Serina. Beth addresses the stress imposed by restricted access to our favorite places, such as coffee shops and other activities, and more importantly, the isolation we experience by not enjoying the availability of our social connections, friends and family. This can easily cause anxiety, anger and even depression. Be sure to listen as Beth offers multiple ways to relieve these symptoms and to find a much needed respite from the pressure caused by these stressors. Beth also suggests that one can seek out professional help if one feels down during the pandemic, offering a resource where one can find a therapist or other mental health professional, at

Feather Chelle has just published her first book, Stranded, in December and soon her second book, a picture book, will be available as well. Feather Chelle, aka Heather, is a young mother of five and home schools her kids and leads a Girl Scout Troop as well. Heather lost her sight by age 3 due to cancer and adopted her late friends daughter while having 4 kids of her own. She is from a large family and kids have been a part of her life since she was a child herself. Heather started writing her book 4 years ago and on December 31, 2020, her book, Stranded”, became available on Kindle and on Amazon. From the web: Whales and dolphins are falling ill all throughout the Atlantic Ocean! Cherish and her family of Pilot Whales have been fleeing as far from other animals as possible, but some of them have begun to show symptoms. When danger closes in from all around them, will the Dolphin Riders make it in time to save the day? This is an educational and adventurous book for young readers as well as adults like me. 

Blind Abilities Teen Correspondent, Simon Bonenfant, chats with Cheryl Cummings and Ruth Kahn, representing an after school and career exploration program in Boston for middle and high school students who are blind or low vision. the Our Space Our Place program takes advantage of a variety of activities to promote social interaction and networking among the students, including the arts, theatre, dance, poetry and many more. The founder and Director is Cheryl Cummings, who shares her story about how she came to start this meaningful program. Cheryl went Blind at age 13 as a result of encephalitis from a mosquito bite, but adapted, finished high school and went on to Princeton University in New Jersey. She explains why she went there and how she had to get out from under the loving, but very protective  hold of her family in Chicago. Not only did she graduate from this distinguished Ivey League school, but she went on to graduate school in Boston. What happened then? Just as Cheryl had her future in focus and h

Full Transcript Dr. Natalina Martiniello completed her Doctorate in the study of Aging on Braille Literacy from the University of Montreal in December of 2021 and has a vast and robust knowledge of all things diversity, accessibility and related issues facing the Blind and Visually Impaired. Inclusion in the classrooms, inclusion in the curriculum building in Universities and the importance of learning Braille at any age are some of the focuses Natalina brings to the conversation. Dr. Martiniello is the President of Braille Literacy Canada and is a strong believer in braille literacy and shares her views on braille devices, how to approach educating seniors on braille, and the importance of having a physical connection to literacy  int order to know spelling, grammar, punctuation and modern terminology to effectively communicate in today’s professional and virtual world. As the President of Braille Literacy Canada, she instituted a new program called Braille Zoomers, aimed at providing a monthly  virtual peer

Full Transcript Kym DeKeyrel has faced life threatening challenges and has made the necessary changes in her life to take on more and more as she is now all-in on the CrossFit training. Kym is the 4th Fittest Standing Adaptive Athlete in the World. Working out twice a day and balancing her family life and work as a Massage Therapist, Kym strives on being the best she can be.  Listen in as Kym describes how her change in her diet saved her life and gave her back her life and she never looked back.  Kym is a believer that one can achieve their goals and proves it to herself every workout as she pushes herself to do more and be more. Kym wants you to check out a CrossFit Gym in your local area and give it a try.  You can follow Kym on her Facebook page at Kym DeKeyrel. Kym is on Instagram at KymPossiblexoxo. WheelWOD on Facebook CrossFit The CrossFit Open Adaptive Division: What We Know Now. Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from St