Blind Abilities Podcast

That Blind Tech Show is in the Studio and do we got a show for you. From Google Docs on the PC, Aira rebooting under Blue Diago and the Sun is setting on the Horizon Glasses. Why is NBC All Access not all accessible? Do those call protections really serve you well? Is that Brian talking or is my White Noise machine turned down to low? And, tell me this, how does Brian get an entire keyboard in his pocket?  How about the new update to the BARD App? Sweet! We got all the answers and some stuff like limiting them pesky questions like do you want to connect to a hot spot or Wi-Fi connection, yes, stuff like that. The crew is traveling in March and logging them there miles in the air while all is well on the studio front, but what about the show? Oh my gosh, stop reading and just listen. I just got this episode ready and these show notes are the only thing in the way of publishing.  So, I got to get a going and be sure to give us feedback and let us know what you like and what you want to know more about. That is

In this iPhone101 episode Jeff will show you how to turn off ad tracking and reset your advertising identifier. This won’t stop all advertising, however, do we want Big Apple to tempt our habits? By tracking your movements on the iPhone, apps and basically anywhere you go, Apple can form a profile on you and target advertising towards you that may be hitting too close to home. Ever get that Wow moment when you receive an ad about a certain item and you were just mentioning that the other day to a friend? Coincidence? No not at all, your profile is being targeted. This could serve you will or this may be something you feel is a bit uncomfortable. Well, you have a choice of turning this feature off or turning it on. Here is how we do it: Go to Settings, Privacy, Advertising and then Limit Ad Tracking to toggle on or off. Move on down to Reset Advertising identifier. Be sure to check out the entire iPhone101 Series on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com. Thanks for Listening! Contact: You can follow us on Twitter 

Jeff Thompson talks with a fascinating guest in this, yet another feature interview on Blind Abilities. Joey Stuckey is many things, not the least of which is a talented musician, a sound engineer and owner of Shadow Sound Studio in Macon, Georgia. He is also an insightful, thoughtful and articulate guest who has so many interesting things to share.  Joey talks about everything from his blindness, which stemmed from a brain tumor in early childhood; his entry into the world of music and sound production and how he embraced it as a “calling" as a blind youth; and his advice to young folks, blind and sighted who are thinking of getting into the music business. He takes us through his studio, a high-tech and vibrant business in Macon, his experiences while touring with his bands out on the road, and numerous opinions about all things that you, as a Blind Abilities listener will enjoy. Pete Lane had the opportunity to work on Jeff’s interview with Joey, and said of the experience” “This was an absolute pleasure!

Brian Fischler, from That Blind Tech Show, gives us a demonstration of two sound masking machines from Adaptive Sounds Technologies. Brian demonstrates the functions and usability of each machine and has enjoyed his experience since purchasing the Sound+Sleep High Fidelity Sleep Sound Machine. From the web: Adaptive Sound Technologies, Inc. specializes in high quality, white noise, sound masking fans for bedrooms. The LectroFans feature white, pink and brown noise variants, as well as well as twenty unique, real-time synthesized, non-looping sounds designed to mask disruptive noises and aid sleep. You can find out more about Adaptive Sound Technologies  on the web, and if you have any other questions Call Adaptive Sound Technologies at408-377-3411. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blin

If you follow social media, you may have noticed some initiatives to enlighten our fellow society members on how to interact with people who happen to be Blind/Visually Impaired.  There was the “Just Ask, Don't Grab” campaign by Dr. Amy Kavanagh and other people from the Blind and Visually Impaired community addressing incidents where sighted members of our society feel obligated to save the day for the presumably helpless blind person. If you are out and about in the public sphere, chances are you've also encountered those people who take it upon themselves to determine what is best for you and have no idea how to assist and land up grabbing, insisting, demanding and upsetting you when they're actually trying to help. Unsolicited help can be frustrating, distracting or even dangerous  especially when focus on the environment is needed - crossing streets, navigating train platforms, ascending and descending stairs, to cite just a few examples.  Yes, sometimes those interactions can be useful, answering a qu

Jim Johnson, Vice President of Pharmacy Operations for In-Store Pharmacy with Sobeys and Jenna Reed, Director of Marketing, from En-Vision America, join Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio to bring you the breaking news: ScriptAbility Accessible Rx Labels First Time in Canadian History -- Accessible Prescription Labels Available In-Store Across Large Pharmacy Chain! En-Vision America has partnered up with Empire LTD of Canada and has brought the Script Ability service across Canada through the Empire brand pharmacies. Empire Company Limited, which runs brands Lawtons Drugs, Sobeys, Safeway Canada, Thrifty Foods, Foodland, IGA (Western Canada) and Fresh Co are now offering talking prescription labels for blind, visually impaired and print impaired patients at all pharmacy locations, in store, throughout the country. As usual, it's free for patients.   En-Vision America is an innovative technology company specializing in enhancing the lives of people who are visually impaired, print impaired and blind.

Welcome back to another That Blind Tech Show Episode where we try to bring you the lighter side of Blind Tech news and information to help you navigate the world of blindness. In this show we barely get out of the gates when Brian funbles the football, and yes, right after the big game, The Super Ball! Yes, just ask Brian. Serina is off to become a leader and Jeff is on ice as he skates away on the thin ice of a brand new TBTS episode. With the big snowstorm hitting the mid-west and out East, this show was delayed and I want to thank everybody who supports and contributes to the work and content for the TBTS shows. Marlon, Nick, Edith, Lori, Pete and all the listeners sending in their feedback and comments.  You too, can send us feedback and your comments to us by email and let us know what you think, feel and/or want us to do differently. We want to hear from you. We demo how to add alt text to a photo on Facebook, talk about the AFB Leadership program coming up in March. Brian is headed out to CSUN and Jeff

That Blind Tech Show returns with just Brian and Jeff at the helm. Serina will be back on the next episode as she understandably has taken some time off for her Goat Training. Good luck with Billy Goat, Serina. With that said, we got a couple of demos showing us how to limit your advertising privacy and how to control how much Location Services can keep tabs on your device. We bring you all the joy found in the latest iOS 13 release, and don’t be afraid or overwhelmed by the complexity of the greatness packed into the Gigabytes of delight brought to you by Apple. We got it condensed down into a digestible piece of audio information and brought to you in stereo so you can hear both sides of the story. We bring you news from around the world and give you our best opinions but remember, do not quote TBTS, we do not claim to be the end-all on such deep conversations and we feel your opinion is best for you. Hmmm. So if you want to share your opinion, email us, tweet us, send us a carrier pigeon and let us know. W

Kelsi Hansen is starring in the Waterloo Playhouse Theater production of “Wait Until Dark.” She will be playing the part of Susan, a Blind person threatened by a murderous villain. Audrey Hepburn played the part of Susan on the big screen years ago, but a huge difference Kelsey will point out is that: "“…Audrey was actually playing the part of me, because I am actually Blind”. As usual, Kelsi laughs and is glad to be doing what she is doing. She has tried out for other plays and finally landed a role and will be opening this Friday. I sat down with Kelsey to talk about what it is like to work on a production as a visually impaired/blind actor and how the crew and team has adjusted to her blindness. Join Kelsi and me as we talk about overcoming some unexpected barriers, educating the cast and crew about some of the myths about blindness,  and facing the challenges of taking on such a role in the production of “Wait Until Dark.” Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On t

Daniel Bernstrom has just released his 3rd book, Big Papa and the Time Machine. His 3rd book for children  and one that has deep roots in Daniels’s life journey, dealing with being scared, bravery and love. Big Papa and the Time Machine recalls a past that Daniel could only imagine but the realities, facts and some fiction put it all together in this wonderful book. From his African American heritage, to remembering his Papa’s story telling, Daniel captures the moments in this fictional depiction through the eyes of a 5 year old grandchild and his Big Papa.  Daniel relates how the Picture books convey some of the similarities of his vision loss and the depiction of the story illustrated by the artists drawing the pictures. How vision loss can blur the images and how memory can be a bit fuzzy in the mind. So too can what Daniel sees and doesn’t see. Join Daniel Bernstrom and Jeff Thompson as they open the story wide open and how Big Papa and the Time Machine came about. You can find all of Daniel’s books on Am

That Blind Tech Show is back in the saddle and no, not riding a guide dog as Brian is quite confused  about drive-throughs and kiosk. Screen Reader access may be coming to a restaurant near you according to the work being done by Visaro and the Jaws team. Is Brian using Seeing AI or is the CIA looking for Brian? And who did fall off that ladder? Is Facebook still crashing for VoiceOver users and how about jumping into an Uber with wings? No, angels are not using them, yet, but Hyunda wants to get you airborne and using the Uber Air-Taxi service by 2023. Ambitious? Hmm, we will have to see. Um, no pun intended. What is in your daily meal? Jeff is Juicing and Brian is doing the NutraSystem plan, while Serina is just fasting away now and then staying perfect as she believes she is. Yes, Serina is… Oh wait, Serina Williams just won her first title in 3 years and I guess the big question is, “Hey Gilbert, what have you done lately?” Don’t eat your Air Pods! Please don’t do that. Silly kiddo, pods are not to be ins

Yes, it has been a few months since the summer conventions but we got this one coming out right now, and it nearly drove itself right out of the Blind Abilities studio. By the way, this is episode #600, Wow! Michael Colbrunn and Liz Bottner reflected back at an experience that made Las Vegas a ride they will never forget.  From the Aira party, Liz and Michael both won the opportunity to be driven back to the hotel across town in a Lift provided BMW 3 Series that was fully equipped with autonomous components and the technology to get them through traffic, city roads and without a glitch. The company Aptiv has over 70 BMW 3 Series Liftvehicles on the roads of Las Vegas at any given moment. Gathering data, experience and impressing riders with the state of the art technology and ultimately, influencing public opinion to thousands of tourist from around the world. Thank you Aira, Aptiv and Lift for creating this experience and thank you Liz and Michael for bringing your experiences back to life on this podcast. J

Lucy Hodges, MBE is a 6 time World Champion Blind Sailor from the United Kingdom. Lucy is Commodore of the Blind Sailing Charity. Her work with Blind Sailing and her accomplishments were recognized by the !Queen of England as she has been awarded the MBE, Member of the British Empire. Lucy talks about receiving the award, her path to employment and her work with the Blind Sailing Charity. Lucy has a passion for bringing others along into the world of sailing and helping others connect and reach their fullest potential. With the new year upon us, her new adventure, Inspiration In You, is launching and her sailing plans are getting underway as well.  Join Lucy Hodges and Jeff Thompson in this Blind Abilities Presents interview and learn about how Lucy navigates the seas, what accessible tools she uses on a daily basis, how one can join the Blind Sailing Charity team and begin their journey into Blind Sailing. You can find out more about Blind Sailing on the web. Follow Lucy on her Facebook page.  Contact: Thank

A Big Shout-Out to our listeners and contributors and the voices from many around the world sharing a common feeling of Joy, Happiness and comfort as we head on through the holiday season and into the New Year. As Pete Lane puts it, “The Year of Vision – 2020.” Yes, Pete Lane returns and is back in the saddle talking about the BooGininng , when Blind Abilities was a channel on the AudioBoo platform. We talk about previous guest interviews and what this podcasting adventure means to us, and so many others. Pete leaves us with a heartfelt message filled with love and hugs. Brian Fischler drops into the Blind Abilities Studio for some Nog and a few laughs as he heads off to being home for Christmas and the Holiday season. Safe travels to Brian and to all of you that will be traveling this time of year. I want to thank all of you listeners, contributors and supporters that encourage and help us do what we do. We got a great vision for 2020 and thanks to all of you, we are looking forward to bringing you more ente

Roy Samuelson, Audio Description advocate, and the voice of a many Audio Described movies and TV shows, returns once again to talk about the Audio Description boom as of late and answers the questions from our listeners. You can find Roy Samuelson on the web at RoySamuelson.com On twitter @RoySamuelson and check out the Facebook Group Audio Description Discussion. Roy is always interested in hearing from listeners and connecting with the community. The TBTS crew go over some of their most used apps of 2019 and wrap it up with some observance of the iOS 13.3 short comings.    Surely we jest about the Big Bird on the show and we assure you that no animals were harmed or mis-used during the creation of this podcast. We highly suggest you check with Chuckie about those mysterious Yellow feathers tucked in his cap.  Contact Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow That Blind Tech Show is produced in part with Blind Abilities Network You can follow us on Twitter @Blind

The boys got anxious while Serina was out saving the world, so Lori Thompson jumped into the studio and kept an eye on these boys and kept them to task. Brian and Jeff along with Lori skip on through the latest news, apps and updates along with sharing their experiences with Aira, OCR, Bose Frames, Soundscape, Airport Tipping and a lot of stuff in between. What gadgets did you get this last year? Well, Brian brings his top Gadgets front and center and Jeff and Lori just ask him to clean up before he leaves. No, it’s not like that at all, but Brian has the Gidgets and Gadgets from floor to ceiling and even in the closet. Join us in this intellectual, stimulating and thought provoking conversation… Oh wat, that’s another studio, oops. Join us as we enjoy ourselves at your listening pleasure or whatever we are all doing here. Hopefully, we got some insight and information that you can put in your pocket and use, share and gain from. Honestly, that is why Brian and I listen to Lori. (insert the LOL Emoji here) Th

Dan Oates, Director of SCiVIS, Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students, finished up this year’s camp and sat down to talk about the camp, the experience and his 30 years of working at and organizing SCIVIS. SCIVIS is a week-long camp held in Alabama at the Marshal Space Flight Center known as the Home of propulsion. Where after World War II all the rockets engines were put together and tested. With the week-long camp and youth from all around the world attending, the opportunities are endless. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) is just part of the community experience. With over 30 years of attendance, the program has grown and includes an adult program and an ever-growing SCIVIS alumni. With inclusiveness and accessibility first and foremost , SCIVIS welcomes everyone. Be sure to check out www.SCIVIS.org and find out more about how to be part of the next week-long Space Camp.  SCIVIS Creed "We are all here to learn with our peers. Let us celebrate our similarities and our di

Brian Fischler, from That Blind Tech Show, gives us an overview of the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker. It is safe and according to Brian, it works great! SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: Dash Rapid Egg Cooker is the ORIGINAL (and most trusted) egg cooker on the market, for perfect eggs, your way, EVERY TIME, we guarantee it! QUICK + EASY: Short on time? Simply choose your preferred eggs and set the timer. The auto-shut off function prevents overcooking, and the buzzer will alert you when your eggs are ready. It's so simple, even your kids can use it VERSATILE: This is the PERFECT appliance for picky eaters, large families, or those who have busy schedules. Hard boiled eggs, soft boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, individual omelets, and all within minutes of the push start button - it couldn’t be easier! COMPACT + LIGHTWEIGHT: Weighing 1lb, the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker is your MUST-HAVE for that first apartment, smaller kitchen, college dorm life, or camper/RV traveling. Plus, its sleek design and trendy color options w

Join the That Blind Tech Show Team as they wade through the stream of new Streaming Media companies floating their boat and offering up a pretty good line of shows with audio description and accessible means of accessing from AppleTV, iOS, Android, Computers, Fire Sticks and most anywhere you can imagine. What a change from just a couple years ago. With all the big names building their own smorgasbord  For us to choose from, which one will you board? Maybe a few? Is the cable ready to be cut or will Comcast and Spectrum up their game another notch to join in this new frontier of Stream Wars? Here are some links we mentioned in the podcast: Friends Reunion Talks going on with HBO Max ADP List Audio Description Project by the ACB Discovery/BBC 2020  Thanks for listening! Contact Thank you for listening. Send us Feedback via email Follow us on Twitter @BlindTechShow That Blind Tech Show is produced in part with Blind Abilities Network You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilit

Bryce Weiler is the Disability Consultant for the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team and is the co-founder of the Beautiful Lives Project. Bryce Weiler and Jeff Thompson sat down in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about the Beautiful Lives Project, his work with the Baltimore Orioles and a little bit of Bryce’s journey through high school to college and the inception of The Beautiful Lives Project. Here is a paragraph taken from the Beautiful Lives Project web site, www.BeautifulLives.org The Beautiful Lives Project gives people with disabilities the opportunity to actively participate in activities and events that may not have been available to them previously due to physical or facility limitations. We work with communities, organizations, groups, and individuals to create, build, and expand programs, ensuring an immersive and enriching experience for all participants. These programs include athletics, performing arts, visual arts, nature and wellness. We also work with communities to remove ob