Month: August 2017

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My special guest on the podcast this week is Maria Johnson from Girl Gone Blind.
Congratulations to the Indy thunder beep baseball team for winning their second consecutive World Series championship! Maria and I discussed their win and our thoughts about beep baseball overall.
Next, we discuss two stories about accessible appliances. GE has developed a box that you can attach to any washer/dryer to make it accessible. And samsung is researching the possibility of voice activated home appliances like refrigerators and microwaves.
I then demonstrate an app for the iPhone and Apple Watch called Intervals. This app is used to set individual timers and receive alerts for different types of intensity interval training.
Maria joins me again to discuss her experience as a group fitness instructor. She talks about teaching her classes, the help she receives and the importance of just doing something to move your body.
The podcast closes with a Because of My Blindness story shared this week by Beth. Beth tells us about how the determination and teachings of her parents helped to guide her to become the independent blind woman she is today.
Thank you for listening to the Life After Blindness podcast! Join me again next time as together we continue to find that there can truly be a life after blindness.

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Welcome to episode number 14 of the Life After Blindness podcast.
We begin this week by talking with Mel Scott from Blind Alive about a new series of balance exercises that she has developed specifically for the blind.
Next I demonstrate an app called Eclipse Soundscapes. This app not only offers audio description but also a tactile interface for the upcoming total solar eclipse in the United States.
I then interview the President of the Audio Description Project, Joel Snyder. He talks about the state of audio description and where he thinks it will go next. We also discuss the ADP’s upcoming initiative to offer live programming on ACB radio for the total solar eclipse. This will include music, educational information as well as audio description of the eclipse itself.
Recently I received my equipment for use with the Aira service for the blind. I talk about my first impressions of the service.
Last but not least, we share another “Because of My Blindness” story from a listener named Marana. Her story of perseverance shows that just about anything is possible!

Thank you very much for listening to Life After Blindness. Join us again next week as together we continue to find that there truly can be a life after blindness.

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Welcome to episode number 13 of Life After Blindness! This week I am joined by Shaun Preece from the RNIB Tech Talk podcast.
First we discuss a new iPhone app from Microsoft called Seeing AI. This app can be used to scan documents, spot read text, scan barcodes, recognize objects as well as be used as a camera with face recognition.Then we discuss AIRA and the impact that the service has had on the blind and visually impaired community.
Next, we discuss a new pair of binaural 3-D headphones called Hooke Verse Audio. When used with an app on your smart phone, these Bluetooth headphones with built-in microphone’s promise an amazing 3-D recording.
We also talk about a new product from Canada called Key 2 Access. Used as either a pocket sized device or an app on your iPhone, the service will allow you to request an audible crosswalk signal without having to find the button on a pole.
Shaun then tells me everything he knows about the highly anticipated Orbit Braille Reader. This product has been a long time coming but seems to be living up to the hype.
The last product that Shaun and I talk about this week is the new Victor Reader Trek from Humanware. This device combines all the book reading functionality of the Victor Reader Stream with the GPS capabilities of the formerly discontinued Trekker Breeze. We continue a conversation that started on the RNIB Tech talk podcast where we discuss whether there is still a use case for a device like this or not if you are already using a smart phone.
We finish the podcast by discussing efforts made by the NFB to make sure that blind people are included in future legislation involving self driving vehicles. On July 19, the NFB spoke to the House Energy and Commerce committee in order to make sure that legislation going forward would include accessibility for the blind and visually impaired.
Thank you for listening to episode number 13 of the Life After Blindness podcast! Please return next week so that together we can continue this journey to find that there truly can be a Life After Blindness.