Speaking Out For The Blind

Episode Notes OrCam Technologies says that worldwide soccer legend Lionel Messi will be the company’s new ambassador. Lionel will lead the charge to improve accessibility through OrCam’s technologies for the blind. Joining us to talk about this partnership will be Rafi Fischer, Public and Media Relations Director for OrCam Technologies, and Dr. Bryan Wolynski. Doctor Bryan Wolynski is a Doctor of Optometry and Consultant to OrCam. To listen to this week’s “Speaking Out for the Blind,” go to: http://acbradio.org/mainstream, and choose one of the links under the headings “Listen to ACB Radio Mainstream” and “Now Playing;” or call 1-518-906-1820, and when prompted, press “1” for ACB Radio Mainstream East or press “2” for ACB Radio Mainstream West. You may also listen to the program live on the ACB Link mobile app. For more information, go to http://link.acb.org. Show archive page is at http://acbradio.org/speaking-out-for-the-blind. Please note that there is a link located at the top half of the page and below t

Episode Notes CNN reports that accomplished Marimba Soloist Kyungho Jeon’s blindness made it difficult for him to play with an orchestra. So Kyungho looked to Rolf, Gehlhaar, and his son, Vahakn Matossian, the founders of the organization called Human Instruments. Kyungho, Vahakn, and Rolf teamed up to create the Haptic Baton. Kyungho and Vahakn will join us to explain the new invention and adaptive music technology. To listen to this week’s “Speaking Out for the Blind,” go to: http://acbradio.org/mainstream, and choose one of the links under the headings “Listen to ACB Radio Mainstream” and “Now Playing;” or call 1-518-906-1820, and when prompted, press “1” for ACB Radio Mainstream East or press “2” for ACB Radio Mainstream West. You may also listen to the program live on the ACB Link mobile app. For more information, go to http://link.acb.org. Show archive page is at http://acbradio.org/speaking-out-for-the-blind. Please note that there is a link located at the top half of the page and below the heading tha

Episode Notes We’ve invited a blind golfer to come on and explain how he plays this fun and challenging sport. Spectrum News 13 says that the blind golfer is Phil Hubbard. We’re also bringing on Phil’s wife, Patty Angel, to explain how she has supported her husband with this exciting pursuit. To listen to this week’s “Speaking Out for the Blind,” go to: http://acbradio.org/mainstream, and choose one of the links under the headings “Listen to ACB Radio Mainstream” and “Now Playing;” or call 1-518-906-1820, and when prompted, press “1” for ACB Radio Mainstream East or press “2” for ACB Radio Mainstream West. You may also listen to the program live on the ACB Link mobile app. For more information, go to http://link.acb.org. Show archive page is at http://acbradio.org/speaking-out-for-the-blind. Please note that there is a link located at the top half of the page and below the heading that says: “Home » Speaking Out for the Blind” where you can subscribe to the podcast feed and listen to Speaking Out for the Blin

Episode Notes Sanford D. Greenberg- September 25th, 8PM Eastern (ACB Radio Mainstream East) and Pacific (ACB Radio Mainstream West) and repeats throughout the next seven days (go to https://speakingoutfortheblind.weebly.com/ for more details) Sandy Greenberg is not your average blind individual. Sandy is the Board of Governors’ Chairman at John Hopkins University’s Wilmer Eye Institute. He is also a United States Foreign Relations Council Member and an American Academy of Arts and Sciences Fellow. Sandy joins us to talk about his life and his new book called: Hello Darkness, My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness into an Extraordinary Vision for Life. To listen to this week’s “Speaking Out for the Blind,” go to: http://acbradio.org/mainstream, and choose one of the links under the headings “Listen to ACB Radio Mainstream” and “Now Playing;” or call 1-518-906-1820, and when prompted, press “1” for ACB Radio Mainstream East or press “2” for ACB Radio Mainstream Wes

Episode Notes The organization called Leader Dogs for the Blind is located in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The mission of Leader Dog is to empower blind and visually impaired people with lifelong skills for independent and safe daily travel. Joining us to talk about Leader Dogs for the Blind is its Outreach Manager Leslie Hoskins.

Carroll Center for the Blind Technology Instructor David Kingsbury will talk about his new book titled: When One Web Browser Is Not Enough: A Guide For Windows Screen Reader Users. The new book is a timely resource for blind and visually impaired Windows Narrator and JAWS users who surf the Internet.

IFB Solutions has created the People First Fund to help the organization’s blind and visually impaired employees during the coronavirus pandemic. The People First Fund helps employees receive assistance, including financial help. Joining us to talk about that fund will be IFB Solutions’ Sewing Machine Operator Roderick Wilson. He is a recipient of the fund and a blind COVID-19 survivor. Also joining us will be IFB Solutions’ Senior Director of Corporate Communications Nicole Ducouer.

It may be hard for blind and visually impaired kids to attend summer camp during this current pandemic. But WCNC-TV in Charlotte, North Carolina that says that a group called S.E.E. or SEE is teaming up with the YMCA at Lake Norman so that visually impaired children can interact with non-visually impaired kids through games, activities, and exercises. The YMCA Lake Norman Executive Director Matt Fitzwater and S.E.E. Charlotte Youth Program Director Alli Romero join us to tell about this special free summer camp.

Fierce Healthcare says that CVS Pharmacy is rolling out a special new feature on its mobile app to help visually impaired patients with reading their prescription information. Joining us to talk about this development will be Eleanor Wong, CVS Health’s District Leader for the San Francisco, California area.

According to Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, the college is taking on a research project, aiming to help blind and visually impaired people learn computer circuit design. Joining us to talk about the work will be the project Senior Researcher and Dartmouth Assistant Professor of Computer Science Xing-Dong Yang.

Worcester Magazine reports that the Coronavirus pandemic is causing some unique issues for regular listeners of Audio Journal. Audio Journal is a nonprofit organization whose mission in Central Massachusetts is to connect individuals with a visual impairment, or an inability to access print material, to their communities through broadcasting of local news, information, and entertainment. To talk about these issues will be Audio Journal’s Executive Director Mary Frandsen.

The Muskogee Phoenix Newspaper says that June 2nd marked the 100 th anniversary of vocational rehabilitation for the United States. The U.S. Vocational Rehabilitation program is the program that helps the blind and all people with disabilities get jobs. Oklahoma Department of Rehabilitation Services specialists will join us to talk about the U.S. vocational rehabilitation program’s historical success and future for the blind and disabled.

According to CBS46 Atlanta, a Madison, Georgia non-profit is giving away care packages, full of basic necessities to rural blind and visually impaired residents. The non-profit is called Living Life Team, Inc. Joining us to talk about Living Life Team, Inc will be its President and Founder Rita Harris.

The top international journal called Nature reports that technology is essential for the lives of blind, even though many computer devices and programs aren’t universally accessible. While attending Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands to pursue his Master’s Degree in Integrated Product Design, Krishna Rajagopal developed a special tool to address this serious problem. He’ll talk about this tool.

The coronavirus is an especially difficult time for the blind and visually impaired. According to the Miami Herald, the rules of social distancing are hard to follow when you can’t see. So what can be done about this major challenge? Joining us to answer this question are Miami Lighthouse for the Blind Chief Executive Officer Virginia Jacko, their spokesman David Stiefel, and also blind motivational speaker Mike Lance.

Finger Lakes Times reports that visually impaired man Daniel O’Dell is helping North New York based company V Technical Textiles perform packaging of protective masks for healthcare providers. How did Daniel speak out to get this work opportunity and how does he do the job? We’ll find out!

According to the Portland Press-Herald newspaper in Maine, the State’s students are getting settled into distance learning for the rest of the school year. Catholic Charities Maine has moved from helping blind and visually impaired students in the classroom to assisting them at home. Catholic Charities’ Education Services for Blind & Visually Impaired Children Program Director Nancy Moulton, Teacher of the Visually Impaired Nichole Poisson, and Program parent Amy Snow will explain the new atmosphere.

We’re going to be talking with visually impaired man Vladimir Goncharov about how he beat the odds and became both an Oracle Database Administrator and an Oracle Application Express Platform, or APEX developer. We’ll also learn more about the platform.

Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired grows and creates employment opportunities for the blind and visually impaired and is the leading voice for teaching businesses on designing, creating, and building accessible workplaces. Industries for the Blind and Visually Impaired President and CEO CJ Lange, Director of Customer Success Deborah Ambro-Crandell, and employee Matt Baumeister will tell us about this unique organization.

There’s an ACB organization that advances the opportunity and accessibility for all blind and visually impaired professional artists or you audience members who do music and art for fun. That organization is known as Friends In Art, or FIA. And former Friends In Art President Lynn Hedl will tell us all about it.