Author: Tim Schwartz

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week on the Life After Blindness podcast, Tim is joined by Maria Johnson from girlgoneblind.com, Marty Schultz from Kid Friendly Software and Shaun Preece from the RNIB Teh Talk and Double Tap Canada podcasts.

We begin with Maria sharing her “Because of My Blindness” story. Maria talks about what she has learned and how she has grown since going blind.

Tim then introduces Shaun Preece to the podcast. They start by listening to an interview Tim conducted with Marty Schultz about the issues he has been having with Apple concerning his Blindfold series of games.

Marty tells Tim in the interview that upon further review and after such a great response from the community, Apple has reversed their original decision. Which had been to flag Marty’s games as spam and preent him from adding new games and updating his current games. Marty says that Apple took the time to consider his appeal, liten to the community as well as play the games for themselves and ruled that the Blindfold Games did not meet the requirements of their new rule.

After Tim and Shaun discuss the fallout of this news, they move on to other topics.

Net, they discuss the new character limit increase for Twitter. Then they debate the iPhone X and whether someone with no vision like Tim should get one.

They round out their discussion by referring to an email from listener Beth. Beth asks about the Samsung Galaxy phones from a year ago and their issues with exploding batteries. Tim ties this into the recent news about the screen burn-in on the new Google Pixel 2 XL phones.

Thank you very much for listening to another episode of Life After Blindness!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Welcome to the Life After Blindness Spotlight podcast. My special guest this week is Marty schultz from Kid Friendly Software. Marty develops the Blindfold Games series that we all appreciate and love!

This special edition of the podcast is to Spotlight the issues that Marty is having with Apple and a new rule they have implemented that is preventing him from adding new games at the App Store as well as updating any of his existing apps.

In this interview, Marty talks about the humble beginnings of the Blindfold Game series and it’s growth up untill now. He explains the current issues that he’s having with Apple and what we can do as a community to help him remedy the problem. He also talks about the possible future of Kid Friendly Software and what he would like to do if Apple would change this rule.

Below is a description of the problem in Marty’s own words from his blog:

Two weeks ago, Apple rejected 3 updates: Blindfold Hopper, Blindfold Craps and Blindfold Horserace, by saying it violates a new rule of the App Store: apps that vary only by content (such as video or audio or text) must be merged into one app.  I explained that these apps are all different, and that only their menus and settings screens are similar.  I requested a phone call to discuss this further.  Tap here for details on Apple’s rejection.

On Wednesday night, I talked with an Apple representative, and Apple’s decision is that unless I merge the 80 Blindfold Games into a handful of apps, they will no longer allow new games to be released or allow updates to be made.

From a technology perspective, that’s extremely hard and time-consuming.  From a business perspective, that would mean spending hundreds of hours recoding the games, with no possible return-on-investment.  Most of the games generate sales in the first three months of the game being released, and I’ve been building these games for 4 years.

From a usability perspective, that means the main menus would be ridiculously complex, and the settings screens would be confusing and almost unusable.

If you are unhappy with this decision, you can express your opinion to Apple.  The accessibility desk is at accessibility@apple.com or you can call 1-800-MY-APPLE.  Thanks to everyone for enjoying my games.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Welcome to a very special Halloween addition of the Life After Blindness podcast!
Email your questions and comments to: tim@lifeafterblindness.com

The show starts this week with a new “Because of My Blindness” story from Wade. Wade talks about being inspired by other blind people to remain motivated.
Next, Tim covers many news headlines pertaining to the blind community.
Netflix offers many shows and movies with audio description. Tim tells us how to access this content. He then suggests a variety of Halloween related shows and movies.
The show wraps up this week with an interview about the Ring Doorbell. Randy Rusnek joins Tim to talk about the installation, usage and benefits of adding a Ring Doorbell to your smart home.

Thank you so much for listening to this special Halloween episode of Life After Blindness!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Life After Blindness begins this week with a “Because of My Blindness” story from Mark. He talks about being an orientation and mobility instructor and how because of his blindness, he is able to educate others. Mark also talks about coping with his sight loss and how rewarding his ork his.

Tim then takes a moment to discuss the short absence of the podcast. He explains that he has been dealing wih some health issues. Tim also says that his daughter has just started kindergarten and that he has been working with today’s guest, Steven scott, on other podcast and radio projects.

Steven scott then joins the podcast for this week’s interview. Steven and Tim talk about losing your vision and how Steven has dealt with his plethora of eye diseases.

Steven tells several stories about coping with vision loss at different stages of his life and how each transition was different. He also describes how he approaches sighted people and their questions about blindness.

Be sure to listen again next time as we continue our journey together to find that their can truly be a life after blindness.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week on the Life After Blindness Spotlight, I am happy to be joined by New York Times best-selling author and Director of Strategic Sales for Aira – Michael Hingson.
Michael and I began by discussing his childhood experiences and how the strength and perseverance of his parents inspired his independence going forward. As we continue from childhood into adulthood, We talk about more than just Michael Hingson the blind kid. Michael talks about several childhood interests including electronics and ham radio. We discuss Michael’s aptitude for math and how he turn that into a Masters degree in physics.
I asked Michael to explain the transition from physics major to salesman and how that journey placed him in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. We examine some of the events of that day and the impact that it is made on Michael’s life. One of the more impactful lessons that we can learn from Michael’s escape from the Twin Towers on that day comes from the magnificent teamwork shared between Michael and his guide dog Roselle. We discussed the importance of that teamwork and how it affects other parts of our lives.
You can read more about Michael Hingson’s life as well as more about that inspiring escape from the World Trade Center by purchasing Michael’s New York Times best-selling book; Thunder dog, The true story of a blind man, his guide dog & the triumph of trust.
Michael and I continue our conversation by discussing what he’s been doing since that fateful day in 2001. Michael has worked hard as an advocate for the blind as well as a motivational speaker. And now he has been hired by Aira as their Director of Strategic Sales. For more information about Ira and what their service can do for the blind and visually impaired community, you can select the link above or participate in an upcoming conference call. This conference call will be held on September 12 at 8 PM Eastern time, 5 o’clock Pacific.
The phone number and access code for the conference call is:
Phone: (605)468-8004
Access Code: 329906 pound

Thank you again to Michael Hingson for sharing his amazing story and thank you very much for listening to the life after blindness spotlight podcast!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Welcome to episode #12 of the Life After Blindness podcast.
This week I talk about the new accessibility features of Phillips and Samsung televisions. I also discuss audio description as it relates to new over the air regulations as well as Amazon Prime Video. I mention a couple of the more notable things to be announced at the ACB and NFB national conventions. In in an upcoming podcast we will have special coverage of all the major announcements coming out of the conventions.
I also discuss a little bit about why I missed an episode of the podcast.
I then share another “because of my blindness” story.
The podcast wraps up with my announcement that an article I wrote about the iPhone and it’s impact on the blind and visually impaired was published on the mighty.com.
I break down the article by section and discuss each bullet point.

Thank you very much for listening to the Life After Blindness podcast! Be sure to listen again next week as together we find that there truly can be a life after blindness