Podcasts about abilities app

In the first part of our Musicians Spotlight Series, we bring you John Kay from Steppenwolf Fame which brought us such great hits as Born to be Wild, Magic Carpet Ride, The Pusher and 50 years of John Kay music and his work with NGOs helping Elephants survive as they, too, were Born to be Wild. John Kay: from Rock Star to Elephants, We Were All Born To Be Wild #Steppenwolf to #MaueKayFoundation Show Summary (Full Text Transcript Below) John Kay reveals his journey from escaping the Iron Curtain, getting on with limited vision, his passion for music and his love and commitment for wildlife and especially elephants. Ironically, I first learned about John Kay being legally blind from Dan Gausman, a librarian at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota. A client requested to have the Communications Center record an audio copy of John Kay's 1994 autobiography, Magic Carpet Ride. This is a service provided to people who are blind, visually impaired, dyslexic or have difficulty in reading the printed word. Dan mentioned that John was legally blind. This I did not know. John Kay explains his vision and how it led him from behind the Iron Curtain to the freedoms of West Berlin, his adventures as a youth and his days at Sight Saving school in Toronto. Canada. Most importantly, John talks about feeding the fire, feeding his passion for music and for the protection of wildlife. John Kay is transforming from Rock Star to Wildlife Advocate as his touring days with John Kay and Steppenwolf come to a well-deserved rest after 50 years since the release of the first Steppenwolf album. John is ready to make this transition as he has been devoting his time and proceeds from his touring over the last 10 years towards John and his wife Jutta's Maue Kay Foundation, and NGOs, Non-Governmental Organization, similar to a Non-profit organization, that focus on the protection of wildlife. Image of Elephants provided by MKF Join Jeff Thompson and Pete Lane as they sit down with John Kay and learn about John's continuing soundtrack of his life, his experiences and his focus on the years to come. This podcast is over 80 minutes long and we suggest kicking back and enjoy this epic interview with one of the great social and political voices with us today. My son asked me while he drove us home from the John Kay and Steppenwolf concert September 29 in Prior Lake, MN, why don't today's bands make statements about causes anymore? I thought to myself and wondered… is John Kay one of the last? Maue Kay Foundation Logo Here are some links that will let you know more about his music and his foundation. I suggest starting here, Steppenwolf.comwhere you can dive in and find out about everything Steppenwolf, purchase their swag, read articles and more about John Kay. Be sure to get their latest release, a 3 CD set titled, John Kay and Steppenwolf-Steppenwolf at 50. Included in this 3-disk set is an entire CD of John Kay and Steppenwolf live. You will learn and enjoy this collection of hits, and somewhat over-looked songs from 1967 to 2017. That is where you will find all the music used in this podcast, John Kay and Steppenwolf-Steppenwolf at 50. Follow John Kay and Steppenwolf on Facebookand on Last.FM Be sure to check out John Kay's web site. Where you can find links to articles, interviews, his solo music, the elephant sanctuary and the Maue Kay Foundationand learn about the passion and selflessness that John and Jutta and others are doing to protect wildlife around the world. And an Elephant size Thank You to John Kay for taking time to conduct this interview and to Charlie Wolf for all that you do and whom I met at the concert in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Glad I could support the band and I love the T-Shirts. By the way, the concert was Great! Thanks 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Full Transcript John Kay: From Rock Star to Elephants, We Were All Born To Be Wild #Steppenwolf to #MaueKayFoundation John Kay: To become aware of how special they are. I'm a big elephant lover you might say. Jeff Thompson: Blind Abilities welcomes John Kay, wildlife activist. John Kay: My vision got me probably out of Communist East Germany and my vision very definitely kept me out of Vietnam. Jeff Thompson: Who happens to be a rockstar. John Kay: They were all telling her, “You got a legally blind, penniless musician, and that's your future? I think you can do better than that.” Jeff Thompson: John talks about his limited vision, his band, Steppenwolf, one's inner voice, and following your passion. John Kay: There's an old snide remark, what do you call a musician without a girlfriend? You call them homeless. Jeff Thompson: I would like to thank Dan Guzman of the Communication Center at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota, as Dan informed me that a client had requested the autobiography of John Kay to be converted into audio format. Dan also informed me that John Kay was legally blind, and this started the process that led me to the interview of John Kay. John Kay: Hey, we all got stuff to deal with, kid, just get on with it. You learn how to figure out workaround solutions for what you're dealing with. Jeff Thompson: Hello, John Kay. I'm Jeff Thompson, and with me is Pete Lane. Pete Lane: Good morning, John. It's an honor. I'm Pete Lane. I'm in Jacksonville, Florida. Jeff is in … Jeff Thompson: Minnesota, Pete. Pete Lane: Yeah, Minnesota. John Kay: I'm in Santa Barbara. Jeff Thompson: What's the tie to Tennessee then? John Kay: I lived there for 17 years. In '89 my wife and I were a little tired of Los Angeles beehive activity. We said, “If not here, then where?” To spare the other boring details, we wound up just south of Nashville, Tennessee. In our travels with Steppenwolf we had played there several times. We'd met a lot of friendly people. It's a beautiful area. Lots of music, obviously. We were out in the country, and lots of privacy, and had a recording studio and our tour bus. We just relocated what we called Wolf World out there. For the following 17 years that was home. It was a good period during our life to be a little bit away from large cities. Jeff Thompson: Great. Pete Lane: Do you have an elephant reserve, do you not, still in Tennessee? John Kay: I don't, but Tennessee certainly does. While we lived in Tennessee, we became aware of the elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, which was about, I don't know, maybe 40 minutes drive from where we lived, which was near a little town called Franklin, Tennessee. John Kay: Anyway, one thing led to another. Eventually my wife got involved with the board of directors of the sanctuary, and then they're after our daughter, who's all about animals, so from childhood wound up becoming a caregiver to three large African elephants. She was there for several years. It was like the Peace Corps slogan, the toughest job you'll ever love. She did love it, but she's rather slender in build and developed arthritis. The doctors told her she should quit, which she had to do very reluctantly. John Kay: However, the sanctuary of course continues doing very well. It's a wonderful place for often abused, neglected, sick, old circus and zoo elephants to finally live amongst their own kind without any human intrusion. They have 2,700 acres of rolling hills and woods and waterholes for them to swim in. Once you get to know elephants, because our foundation is involved with African elephants-focused NGOs in Africa, in Kenya, Tanzania, and the like, once you get to spend a real amount of time with them out in the wild, in those places where they aren't traumatized by poaching, you become aware of how special they are. I'm a big elephant lover you might say. Pete Lane: I was reading on your website where you posted the awareness of the elephant sanctuary in Tennessee and how they live a lifestyle that they never get to live when they're held in captivity. John Kay: Exactly. It used to be this way, and I don't suppose that has changed, the number one killer of captive elephants was foot rot, because unlike in the wild, where they walk up to 50 miles on relatively soft, sandy soil, in captivity they are often forced to stand on a solid concrete floor, and that's not good for them, so eventually they … One of the rescues, Tina, which came from the Vancouver Zoo, when she arrived, they had to … I was gonna say, one of the sandal makers, I can't think of the name of the brand right now, they actually made a pair of very soft boots for her because she was suffering so badly. Unfortunately, she died a couple of days before those boots arrived. I saw the bottom of her feet, which were just terrible situation. John Kay: They don't belong in captivity unless you can have a relatively good number of elephants together in a large area where they can at least simulate the kind of life they would have in the wild. Pete Lane: 2,700 acres is a large area. Do you know how many animals are on the preserve? John Kay: I think at the moment they have somewhere in the neighborhood of close to a dozen Asian elephants. They fenced off a section of the 2,700 acres for the African elephants, which are much larger, and thank goodness in relatively good health. They're larger and younger and very active, so they keep them away from the Asians, that are older and more docile. I believe right now they have about four Africans, because the Nashville Zoo I think has two of them that are there at the sanctuary now. I don't know whether they will stay there long-term, but that's what's going on there right now. John Kay: It's quite an amazing place, and so much has been learned about how to look after these creatures, and from the standpoint of veterinarian care. The research, both in the wild and in places like the sanctuary, on elephants continues, because there's still much to be learned, even though people like Joyce Poole has been studying their communication skills and language and rumbles and all of that for over 40 years. They're still working on figuring out what goes on that's beyond the grasp of science right now. Jeff Thompson: We'll be sure to put a link in the show notes for that. John, your story is quite interesting. I'm doing some research, and I just came across Feed the Fire. I was wondering, hearing about that elephant sanctuary, your foundation, it seems like you stuck to your passions. John Kay: Yeah. That's quite observant and quite spot-on, because long ago as a child, the first time I became aware of something that is I suppose related to passion or rooted in passion is when I discovered the power of music. That oddly enough was … John Kay: My father had been killed in Russia a month before I was born. When the Russian Army advanced on the area where my mother and I lived, I was just a few months old, she took me, and we got on a train headed west, and wound up eventually in a little town that wound up behind the Iron Curtain, and hence we were living under Communism until I was five. When we escaped, my mother and I, by paying off some people and getting through the border, which was patrolled with soldiers and all of that, anyway, we made it. John Kay: The point is that I was about eight or nine years old, living in West Germany, under democracy and freedom, and my mother took me to hear, of all things, an all-male, a Russian choir, the Don Cossacks. This was in a church with great acoustics. It was just a concert. Some of these ancient, incredibly sad songs that these 15 guys with these amazing voices were singing reduced me to tears, even though I didn't understand a word of Russian. I still don't. In fact, my mother was somewhat concerned. It introduced me to the power of music when it connects with your internal core. John Kay: Oddly enough, less than maybe four years later, I had a similar but very opposite experience when I first heard on American Armed Force Radio Network the likes of Little Richard and Elvis and all the rest of the rock-and-roll pioneers. I just had goosebumps, chicken skin from head to toe. Once again, I didn't understand a word of what they were singing, but the music was so primal, so intense, so full of just joy of living I'd say. That was just something that I had to have more of. John Kay: I became obsessed with trying to find this music wherever I could, and of course at a certain point started to have the delusion that someday I could be on the other side of the ocean and learn how to speak English and get a guitar and do this sort of thing myself. Obviously conventional wisdom and the adults were saying, “Yeah, sure, kid. In the meantime, pay attention in school.” Jeff Thompson: It's quite obvious you didn't lose that glitter in your eye. John Kay: Yeah. That's I think very important. It's one thing that concerns me with regards to young people that are raised with constant sensory stimulation and having a virtual life through their little screens that they're attached to all the time. John Kay: I remember once talking to university students, and I asked them, “Be honest. How many of you fear silence?” A number of hands went up, because a lot of them, from the time they're toddlers, whether it's TV or the background music of the supermarket or wherever, whenever there's silence, it astounds them, and it concerns them. I finally said, “I'm here to tell you that unless you learn to find some quiet spots, you may never hear a voice that's in you that is trying to tell you there's more out there. In other words, if you don't hear that voice, you may live a totally external life all your life, instead of finding something that is … ” John Kay: That is the humbling experience that I've had, running into people who all their lives have not been seeking the spotlight, but have been from early on moved by a passion to work on behalf of something greater than themselves. I'm specifically talking about the various people that in the last 15 years, through our efforts in various parts of the world, we've had the great pleasure and honor even to rub shoulders with. It's a humbling thing to see people who are not about themselves, but on behalf of others. You learn from that sort of thing. John Kay: There are a lot of young people who have that capability also. I'm often wondering whether they aren't so barraged with constant Twittering and social media and whatever else is going on that they never have a quiet moment. That's not necessarily a good thing in my opinion. Jeff Thompson: I was talking to Pete earlier, and I was dissecting your song, but you just answered the question for me, that solitude is no sacrifice. John Kay: That's right. You picked up on that. That song has been used by a number of people who wanted to play something for their daughter or son that were about to leave home and go to university or go far afield to do something on distant shores. That's basically it. “Solitude's no sacrifice, to catch a glimpse of paradise.” Jeff Thompson: That's an awesome song. I really like that song. Pete, you've got some questions I'm sure. I've been jumping in here. Pete Lane: John, I'm just honored to be speaking with you. I'm in my late 60s and of course grew up with you and your music and of course Steppenwolf. Until recently I had no idea of how enduring you have been and how diverse you are in your view of the world and society. I just want to compliment you on that for starters. John Kay: Thank you. That's very kind of you and generous. I would hope and think that I will continue to be still in a lifelong learning process of clumsily following the footsteps left by others that have preceded me with their examples of how to nurture their humanity and how to have a purpose in life beyond just mindless consumption and amusing themselves, as the book once said, amusing ourselves to death. It's something that keeps the inner flame burning, and been very, very fortunate in many different ways, currently still healthy, thank goodness. Any day when you remain vertical is a good day. Pete Lane: Absolutely. John Kay: There are so many out there who lead with their example. I have met some of them who have been inspirational. Every so often, some young people come along, say, “Hey, I came across your music, and it has given me some stuff to listen to when I have to get over one of the speed bumps of life, and thank you for that.” It's a generational thing. I'm still focused on the ones ahead of me. There are younger ones that have found something in what we have to offer of a value that went beyond just musical wallpaper, but with no real substance that you can use for your own. John Kay: There's so many out there who have written songs and played music practically all their lives, which has given sustenance to the rest of us, or the listeners, and have had personal little anthems that we go to when we need to have a moment of rejuvenation through music. John Kay: I sometimes talk to people who say, “You're talking about all these other people doing great work, making music that gives great pleasure and joy to people. It's not a bad way to make a living either.” While I agree with that, music will continue to be something that I do on occasion, meaning once in a while I have a desire to write a song or two, irrespective of whether they will ever be recorded and commercially released. I've performed at fundraisers and things like that. Music continues very definitely to be part of my life. John Kay: By the same token, I am very much now focused on bringing the word to a lot of people, who once they know what we are losing, meaning wildlife, we've had this number of times, we're talking to people who are well-educated, quite engaged, very successful in what they do, and when we talked about that an elephant was being killed every 15 minutes for their tusks and that we, at this rate, 15 years from now, may no longer have any living in the wild, and the same holds for the rhinos and numerous other species, they're aghast. They're, “I didn't know that. This is terrible. Who's doing anything about it?” Then further to that, “Who can I trust with my money if I want to help?” John Kay: That's really what our little foundation is about. We have been supporting various entities. I think at this point we're at 16 different NGOs we support annually for about 15 years. We're the ones who are a little bridge between the boots on the ground who are fighting to preserve what remains, and those who are willing to help provide it, there's some assurance that their money will go to the boots on the ground. We're the ones who can vouch for a number of wonderful people at NGOs. Because we have born witness to the work they do, we're going to back to Africa next year to look in on several of the NGOs again. That's my role of both my wife and I. John Kay: In fact, this year's the last year that Steppenwolf will be performing. We have six more engagements to play, the last one October 14, and after that the wolf will go into hibernation, if you want to put it that way. My emphasis is now on … I assume both of you are familiar with TED Talks. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Pete Lane: Yes. John Kay: With that in mind, although the following is not a TED Talk per se, because those talks are limited to 18 minutes in length, mine is more like an hour and 15 minutes, but what it is, it's similar to a TED Talk, in the sense that I'm up on stage giving my story, while behind me on a screen there are many, many still images and short video clips and so on. The whole thing is called Born To Be Wild: From Rock Star To Wildlife Advocate, John Kay of Steppenwolf and His Journey of Transformation. John Kay: It basically starts with my early life and how I got out from behind the Iron Curtain and was enthralled with American rock-and-roll when I grew up as a teenager in West Germany and made it to Canada as an immigrant, got my first guitar, and then got into music more and more, and of course the story of Steppenwolf, and then how gradually over time we, my wife and I, through our travels, went to Cambodia, where we saw the killing fields, and we got involved with building a school there, which was the start of our foundation, and then Africa and so on down the line. John Kay: Basically at the end of this presentation, towards the end, after having shown what we do, where, and who is doing what in Africa and Asia and Borneo and so on, it's basically a pitch of saying, “Now that you know, if you didn't know already, you can use our website as a gateway to other NGOs or you can support what we do directly, but do it for your grandchildren's sake or do it to honor the 2,000, almost, African rangers that have been killed by poachers in the last 12 years, or do it simply because our fellow living beings have very little left to call their home, and they too have a right to exist.” Pete Lane: Unbelievable. Jeff Thompson: That's awesome. I love the way you talk about your passion that you even have today. Pete and I both met because we had a passion for recording. One story that really caught my attention is when you were in Toronto and you received your reel-to-reel, and I don't think you listened to the books as much as you wanted it for recording music. John Kay: You got that right. It was a scam from the get-go. I said, “I don't need talking books. I can read books, even though I gotta read them with my nose.” I said, “I could use it for something else.” I was just simply appalled at what came out of that dinky little speaker that was built into that Wollensak tape recorder, because when I tried my hand at recording my first efforts of playing guitar and singing, I said, “I don't sound like that, do I? This is terrible.” It was sheer ego that kept me going, said, “One way I can get better if I keep at it.” Hope springs eternal. Sometimes you simply have more luck than talent. Pete Lane: John let's talk a little bit more if you don't mind about your eye condition. Talk about that a little bit. Let's start if you don't mind a little bit in your early years and maybe focus in Toronto when you were moved into is it Deer Park, that Deer Park school? John Kay: Yeah, that was the sight-saving classes. It's a strange thing, with respect to my eyes. When I was still a baby, lying in one of these carriages that back in those days were typical, I think the English call them prams or whatever, living in this tiny little town in what was then East Germany, I would cry whenever the sun was in my eyes. John Kay: When I was older, my mother took me to an ophthalmologist, and he said, “He obviously has very, very poor vision and he's very light-sensitive.” The only thing he could think of at the time was that, “His condition might improve if he had a better diet,” because at that time we were on food rations, and because of where we were, we were eating herring morning, noon, and night, boiled, fried, stewed herring, coming out of the ears. I never touched a fish again after that until I was 40-something years old. John Kay: This is the important point about this. My mother took that as a, “Maybe the doctor's right.” It was that that caused her to take the risky chance of getting caught, imprisoned, or shot by, in the middle of the night, together with about half a dozen other people, getting smuggled by a couple of border guides that worked for the railroad and knew how to time the searchlights from the watchtowers and the dog patrols and everything else. John Kay: We got through, and then it turned out that, this was in Hanover, Germany, West Germany, and of course this was after the war, there were still schools in short supply, having been destroyed, and so there were classes 50 children large, two shifts, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. I was not doing well. It was my mother who was working as a seamstress who managed to get me into the Waldorf school, the private school, which was banned under Hitler because it was far too humanitarian, but which looked after me. There I blossomed, and the eyes didn't play as big a role. John Kay: It wasn't until I came to Toronto that I was back in public school. I didn't speak English yet and couldn't read what was on the blackboard. The school officials got in touch with the CNIB, Canadian National Institute for the Blind, and they said, “We have these sight-saving classes in a, it's just one large schoolroom segmented into two or three different grades, at a public school called Deer Park School, in the northern part of Toronto.” That's where I went for about two years. John Kay: The primary benefit was that, yes, they had textbooks with extra-large print and all that, but I learned English during those years, not just in school, but because of my obsession with listening to the radio all the time, looking for music that connected, I was always having to try and make out what these speed-rapping DJs were saying, because they were yakking a mile a minute. Between radio and the Deer Park School, I got to the point where I got a handle on things. Of course during that period at that school, I was also given this tape recorder on loan. As I mentioned before, I immediately pressed that into service. Jeff Thompson: That's really impressive, just the journey. John Kay: One thing I should add, by the way, was that nobody really knew what was the matter with me. I went to a Toronto University I think, the medical department, ophthalmology I think it was. There I was treated like a guinea pig. They brought in all these medical students and take a look in my eyes and everything. They said, “Oh, you're totally colorblind. Let's see here.” John Kay: They had one of those books where every page is made out of these little mosaic little pebbles with different colors.” Embedded amongst them, so to speak, would be a combination of these colored tiles that spelled something, a letter or a number or something. At the beginning of the book, the contrast between the primary colors versus whatever the number or the letter was very stark. I said, “Yeah, that, it says six, okay.” As we went from page to page, the differences in terms of contrast became more and more subdued to the point where by page whatever, I don't see anything other than just one page of all these little mosaic tiles and pebbles. They would say, “No, actually there is a light yellow whatever something or other.” John Kay: They figured out later down the line that I was an achromat, achromatopsia, that as an additional bonus with that condition comes extreme light sensitivity. Then finally, I also have a congenital nystagmus, which is the eyes shaking all the time. You do the best you can with what you have. John Kay: Now in '63, and this has a point with respect to my vision, my vision got me probably out of Communist East Germany, and my vision also probably, in fact very definitely, kept me out of the U.S. Army and probably out of Vietnam, because when in '63 at age 19 my mother and stepdad, my mom had remarried, decided to move from Toronto to Buffalo, New York, because my stepdad had something going on business-wise, and I joined them there, the first letter that hit our mailbox was from the draft board. Of course I had to show up. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to the States. John Kay: Of course somebody once said that the military intelligence is an oxymoron. I'm not the judge on that, but I will tell you that I had something that made me scratch my head, namely when I was there and I was to have a complete physical, I tried to tell the man that I was legally blind, and of course he said, “We'll get to that, son.” After a very, very thorough, top to bottom, in and out physical examination, he said, “Now read those letters on that chart on the wall.” I said, “What chart?” He said, “You can't see the chart?” I walked a little closer, said, “I see it now.” “What do you see?” “If I can step a few steps closer … ” “Yeah, you can.” “Okay. I think there's a large capital A at the top, and the rest is guesswork.” He harrumphed about, “You could've said … Never mind.” My designation was 4F. I asked him, “What does that mean really?” He said, “Son, in your case it pretty well stands for women and children first, before you. Nobody's gonna put a rifle in your hands.” John Kay: It was one of those things where during those times, because in short order I went to the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island, to hear the greats, and I was amongst tens of thousands of young people my age, of course many of them, at least 50% or more, being young men. The draft in the Vietnam War was very much on everybody's mind. I could relate to their concerns about going off to a foreign land. This case, I would imagine my eye condition did me a service. Jeff Thompson: That was probably a baptism into the social issues of the United States coming from Toronto for you. John Kay: That's very true. That is very true. Sometimes you have the aha moment decades after it was already rather obvious. In certain ways, what makes up my musical background in terms of my self-taught things, is to some extent rooted in the early '60s folk music revival, in my visits to not just the 1964 but also the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. '65 of course I saw Dylan go electric. That is that I had already, because of my baptism with rock-and-roll, by the early '60s rock-and-roll had lost a lot of its punch and we had the pretty boy Philadelphia singer syndrome, like Frankie Avalon, Fabian, and the like. There wasn't much on the radio that I could really sink my teeth into. Here comes the folk music revival. John Kay: While living in Buffalo, a folkie says, “If you really want to know the roots of all this stuff, go down to the main library, they have a music department, which has all of the Library of Congress recording that John and Alan Lomax made in the field. You can listen to Appalachian Delta music. You can hear Delta blues, whatever.” I did that. They would let you take a few albums home every week and trade them out for other ones. I went through the entire thing and gave myself a bit of an education. John Kay: Then when I went to the Newport Folk Festival and saw some of those still alive, those recordings I'd heard, I didn't know that McKinley Morganfield, who was recorded in the Delta by the Lomaxes, was actually Muddy Waters. Here he was with his band playing at Newport, and all of those kind of things. John Kay: The blues, which as Muddy once said, “The blues had a baby and they called it rock-and-roll,” so the blues immediately spoke to me, particularly when I came across some of the lyrics of the chain gang songs and other things. There's a powerful song about … The lyrics go, “Why don't you go down ole Hannah.” Hannah was the name they gave to the sun, “And don't you arise no more, and if you rise in the morning, bring judgment day,” because these are guys, they hated her, because the sun came up, they were forced to work in the field, out of the prison, the chain gangs, and they didn't get any rest until the sun went down. I learned that the blues had a lot more to offer than just, “Woke up this morning, my chicken walked across my face,” and all the rest of the stuff they'd write. John Kay: The other thing was great, was that the likes of Dylan and numerous others of the times were following in the footsteps of Woody Guthrie and writing new songs about the here and now that was of interest to our own age group, because this was the time when the three civil rights workers were killed in Mississippi. I remember hearing, let's see, I can't think of his name right now, it'll come to me later, he was just like Dylan, a topical, as we called them, we never called them protest songs, topical songwriter. I remember he sang it, had just written it, about the killing of these three, at a topical song workshop in the afternoon. His name was Ochs, Phil Ochs. Jeff Thompson: Phil Ochs, yeah. Pete Lane: Phil Ochs, of course. John Kay: Suicide some years later. The refrain of the song was, “And here's to the land that you've torn the heart out of. Mississippi, find yourself another country to be part of.” Jeff Thompson: That rings through with your Monster song. John Kay: Yeah, because the thing that became obvious to me was that songs can have content which is reflective of what's on people's minds. One of the first things we experienced as Steppenwolf was a baby band, when we went on our first cross-country tour and we were still approachable, so to speak, by long-haired kids in bellbottoms who wanted to say hello after the show, a lot of them said, “Those first two albums of yours we got, you're saying on our behalf some of the things that worry us or that we are concerned with.” John Kay: That's the first time we had positive reinforcement that what we were writing about was not just our own individual personal opinions, but it was reflective of what was on the minds of many of those in our own age group. Of course I had experienced that at Newport. It was a galvanizing experience to be amongst 20,000 young people, and they're listening to somebody like a Phil Ochs or a Bob Dylan, and others who were writing about what was going on in our country in the world. Like JFK once said, “And that's the role of the artist, to remind us of the potential we have yet to reach,” in terms of being a just society and all the rest. John Kay: When it came time for us to start writing our own songs, we had of course witnessed, in fact I'd played in a couple of the same coffeehouses as a journeyman folk musician solo act in Los Angeles with the likes of David Crosby and then still called Jim, later Roger, McGuinn and the rest, who formed of course The Byrds. Jeff Thompson: The Byrds. John Kay: Their first album was by and large electric versions of Bob Dylan songs. In fact I was at Ciro's nightclub when The Byrds played, when Dylan showed up and played harmonica with them. That was a photograph on the back of their first album. John Kay: The point is that I took from there, why couldn't even rock music have lyrics that go beyond “oowee baby” and the typical? That's why our first album had songs like The Pusher and The Ostrich and Take What You Need, which was really about the environment, and later, things like Don't Step On The Grass Sam and None of Your Doing, which was on the second album, which was about a Vietnam soldier coming home and nobody understands him and he can't deal with what he had witnessed. Then of course eventually came the Monster album. John Kay: The thing with the Monster album, which was very, very successful, popular on the college campuses, were all these demonstrations which were going on against the war in the campuses, and then of course the horrific Kent State shooting. These were things where what we had to say resonated with a lot of young people. John Kay: What I found interesting was that we after so many years were no longer playing that song as part of our show. Then came the Great Recession, 2007-08, and all of a sudden, a couple of things happened. I can't think of his name right now, he's been a stalwart writer for Rolling Stone for several decades, from the early days on, and he had posted a thing, something like, “I went back to listening to Steppenwolf's Monster album and I was astounded how appropriate it is in the here and now.” John Kay: That coincided shortly with getting more and more requests on our website via email primarily, “Please start playing Monster again.” From about 2009 onward, we've been playing it ever since. It's rare that that song does not get a standing ovation in the middle of the show. Of course it's aided and abetted by visuals that accompany our live performance, not every song, but many. In the case of Monster, it is a 10-minute film that illustrates pretty well what the song, line by line, lyrically is about. John Kay: I remember when we did it for the first time in 2009, our sound man, who's been with us now for over 30 years, and he said, “John, I had the most weird experience tonight, because there was this strange situation with Monster. It was like I was watching a movie that had a soundtrack that a live band was playing, and instead of a narrator telling me what the story was, you were simply singing the story. It was just a really intense experience.” It's been like that ever since. John Kay: Sometimes you write something, and it goes out there like a kid leaving home, and you have no idea what it's doing out there, and then all of a sudden it comes back and say, “I'm still here.” Jeff Thompson: The prodigal song. John Kay: It's been like that for the last 10 years. It's a song that seems to very much resonate about what we are dealing with right now. Pete Lane:         It's funny, John, Jeff and I, again, were speaking before you connected with us this afternoon, and I had prepared a question along those lines. As you did earlier in this interview, you've answered it. Let me ask you this question. It's a slight variation on what we just spoke of. For those of you who don't know, Monster is just a dynamite song. It chronicles the country, the United States from its inception to what was then modern-day U.S. back in 1970 I believe, '71, early '70s. John Kay: Correct. Pete Lane: My question is this. If you were to write that song today, would you title it anything different? John Kay: No, because in my opinion the Monster has almost taken human shape now. Donald Trump: The American Dream is dead. Richard Nixon: I'm not a crook. Donald Trump: We will make America great again! Richard Nixon: I'm not a crook. I'm not a crook. I'm not a crook. Pete Lane: Just a dynamite song. Jeff Thompson: There's another long big song. It was big on the album I bought. You had over I think it was 20-minute long, The Pusher. John Kay: Yeah, that thing. There's a story to be told about that, I'll tell you. You're referring to the so-called early Steppenwolf album, a vinyl album obviously, back in those days. One side was that 20-minute version of The Pusher. That whole thing came to be because it was really a performance done by the band The Sparrow, which I had joined. John Kay: When I was in the early '60s, like so many others, with a guitar, hitchhiking around, playing wherever they'd let me, in coffeehouses and the like, when I returned after a year of being in Los Angeles, hanging out at the Troubadour, doing various things, meeting Hoyt Axton, learning The Pusher from him, etc, and wound up in Toronto again, and York Village at that time, section of Toronto had exploded into this area of just coffeehouses and clubs, all sorts of things. While I played at a coffeehouse as a solo act, I bumped into this Canadian band called The Sparrows, with an S, plural at the time. We joined forces. I started to perform The Pusher with an electric band instead of just acoustically. John Kay: The Sparrows eventually left Canada, because in those days most people did, where there was Joni Mitchell and Neil Young or others, and wound up in the States. We played in New York for a while, got a record deal that went nowhere. I kept badgering them that having seen the formation of The Byrds in L.A., that we ought to go to California. That's what we did eventually, and wound up, through various reasons I won't take time to explain, in the Bay area. There we played on the weekends usually the Avalon Ballroom or the Fillmore Ballroom. During the week we would play different clubs. One of them was a permanently beached paddle wheeler ferry boat in Sausalito called The Ark. John Kay: We were now amongst all of these Bay area bands that liked to stretch out and experiment and jam and do different things. We said, “Hey, we can play songs that are longer than four or five minutes.” We started to do different things. One of them was this ad-libbed version of The Pusher, which was preceded by us doing different instrumental experiments. Steve Miller would come by and sit in and play all the different things. One of the things we'll always remember is that regularly the Hells Angels would come, drop acid, lie down on the dance floor, and stay all night listening. John Kay: We also played a club called The Matrix. Unbeknownst to us, the manager of the club had a couple of microphones suspended in the ceiling. When Steppenwolf later were moving forward into the '68 and '69, when we were quite successful with our first couple albums, we were being badgered to go back into the recording studio, because the label was always hungry for a new product. We had a couple record contracts that obligated us to deliver two albums a year, which was in hindsight ridiculous. John Kay: Anyway, the point is that the label said, “This young man, or this guy showed up, and he has these tapes that he recorded, unbeknownst to you, when you guys were still called The Sparrows, from a show you played at The Matrix in San Francisco. We would like to put it out as a collector's item called Early Steppenwolf.” We listened to it. Of course you can imagine that with a couple of microphones suspended from the ceiling, this was, yeah, a collector's item for those who must just for bragging rights have to have one of everything, to be able to say, “I got everything they ever did.” We hated that. We hated it then, but it bought us time. It bought us time in the studio, because when that thing was released, we got busy on writing and eventually recording what became the Monster album. That was a major step forward. Jeff Thompson: Yes, it was. Pete Lane: Fascinating story. Jeff Thompson: John, I want to go back to you told a story about how kids in school would bully you, but you took their names, you remembered, and you would get them back somehow. John Kay: It wasn't so much in school. What would happen is, like just about everywhere in the world, including the States these days, soccer, what they called football, every kid plays it. They play it barefoot in Africa. Whatever. We did too, meaning the kids in the street in West Germany when I was young. There was a vacant lot next to our little apartment building, and that's where we played. John Kay: During the day, with the sun in my eyes, even with my dark glasses, that wasn't so cool, but the moment the sun started going down, during twilight hours, I'm like a nocturnal creature that can make do with very little light. My eyes open up. I don't squint. I can see much better, not further, just more comfortably I can see things. John Kay: I would join the kids playing soccer. When they figured out that I couldn't always see what was going on, there's an 11-meter penalty kick that's part of the rules, and so when it was my turn to make that kick, some wise ass would put a half a brick in front of the ball, so I wouldn't see it. I'd come with just regular street shoes, no special athletic shoes, and take a run at shooting this ball, and of course, wham, would run my toes right into that brick- Jeff Thompson: Ouch. John Kay: … holding my foot and hopping around on one leg, doing a Daffy Duck, “Woo! Woo!” That did not go down well with me. I was fairly big for my size always, tall. They then of course saw that I was gonna come after them. They also knew that if they managed to run a certain distance, I could no longer find them. I had to learn to say, “This is not the time.” Two or three days would go by, and they would have forgotten about it, and whoever the instigator was would be doing something, and then I would go over there and deck them. They would be, “Oh man, what was that for, man? I didn't do … ” “Yes, you did, and I did not forget, but I hope you will remember this,” and they did. Jeff Thompson: I remember seeing your album covers. I collected albums. There was one of you leaning back, and you're very tall, the way the angle was on it. You wore the sunglasses. When I thought of artists, musicians, I go through Roy Orbison and other people that wore the sunglasses on stage and stuff, I never thought of you. When someone brought it to my attention, State Services for the Blind here, some client wants your book recorded, so they'll take volunteers, record chapter by chapter for the person to listen to. They contacted me, said, “Hey, John Kay, he's visually impaired.” I went, “Oh, that explains the sunglasses,” maybe for the lights on stage or something. John Kay: Absolutely the case. I had learned over time, since I wore dark glasses during the day, certainly outdoors, I got in the habit of keeping them on, because I went, “Spotlights and stage lights, they're pretty bright, and sometimes it's difficult for me to see the guitar fret board, where my fingers go and everything, and so I'll just keep the dark glasses on. Besides, some pretty cool people seem to be wearing them, and so that's just part of the persona.” Over time, meaning literally decades, I learned that I could avoid, provided the spotlights were mounted high enough with a downward angle, I could look under them in a sense, look at the audience rather than up into the bleachers. Gradually I was able to dispense with them on stage, although the moment we play outdoors they go right back on. In fact I have one pair that's damn near as dark as welding goggles when things get really super sunny, Africa's sun is very bright, or the snow is very reflective, that sort of thing. John Kay: Of course I remember one time, we were never the darlings of Rolling Stone, and so there was a negative review of one of our albums. The guy said, I'm paraphrasing, “As far as John Kay's jive sunglasses are concerned,” he went on about something else. Actually, one of our managers felt compelled to write them a letter and point out that those glasses have a purpose for being on my face. He's just like everyone else. John Kay: When I was a kid in West Germany when we first got there, I had a key around my neck, because my mother was a seamstress in other people's homes, so making a living until she remarried, and I had to learn how to get around, to get on this streetcar to get to there, because I was at a daycare center run by the Swedish Red Cross and I had to make my way back home and I couldn't read the street signs. You figure things out, there's this kind of a building on that corner, and markers that you imprint into your memory banks. John Kay: You have to remember, this is a time, post World War II, the Soviet Union alone lost 20 million people. In Hanover in 1949 and '50 and '51, there were tons of people, legs and arms missing and crutches and this and that, those who managed to survive the war in some semblance. It was basically a mindset of, “Hey, we all got stuff to deal with, kid. Just get on with it.” You learned how to figure out workaround solutions for what you're dealing with. I'm certainly one of millions who are having to make adjustments. John Kay: I remember we had a dear neighbor in Tennessee was a Vietnam veteran, Marine Corps, and he was in a wheelchair. He had to overcome his anger and started to meditate and do other things. He said to me, “Hey John, it's not the hand that's dealt you, it's how you play the hand that's dealt you.” He married, had a wonderful daughter. He became a cotton farmer and somehow got onto his tractor, and like so many out there, that okay, he's not perfect, but what are you gonna do with what you got? Jeff Thompson: John, regarding your visual impairment these days, do you use technology, computer, smartphone, anything along those lines? If so, do you use any kind of adaptive tools or screen enlargement features, anything like that? John Kay: I'm lucky enough in the sense that most standard issue devices have features that work just fine. I have a fairly large flat-panel monitor on my PC. Of course with the zoom feature and other things, I can make the font, what I'm reading, as well as what I may be writing, email and Word documents or whatever, whatever I want. The iOS, I have a phone, I have a iPad, they have a zoom feature that's just marvelous. I use that when needed. Some things with Siri or Chicano or something, in the PC world you can actually just ask for certain things to be brought to the screen. I'm learning how to do that more and more. It's a great convenience. John Kay: I really don't have any problems. I've flown all over the world to meet my band mates on my own. I've learned to do … That was a big deal for me, because of … One of you mentioned you had been to our foundation's website. There are a number of videos about the things that we support, and we have witnessed and the wildlife that we see and so on. All of that was shot by me, edited by me, and then narrated by me. Now granted my wife, who is a fine photographer and had no colorblindness like I do, I ask her sometimes, “What about this?” “We can tweak that a little, whatever.” Other than a little color assistance, I do all that myself. John Kay: The reason I can do it primarily is because there are several brands of prosumer or even professional camcorders that have up to 20x optical zoom lens, which gives you an incredible reach from where you are to get a closeup of whatever's in the distance, an elephant, whatever it may be. I use it like a pair of binoculars, because I remember one time we were in Africa and our guide was asking my wife, “He's constantly looking through that thing. Is he always shooting?” She says, “No no no. Instead of picking up a pair of binoculars, then finding something he wants to shoot, putting down-” Jeff Thompson: Good for you. John Kay: “… the binoculars, picking up his camera, he just uses that zoom lens of his like a pair of binoculars, and when he sees something, he just pulls the trigger and starts recording.” Jeff Thompson: That's great. That's neat. John Kay: That's my workaround solution for that. Jeff Thompson: John, there's so much information on your website. I was going through it. That's how I found out about the elephants and your foundation. I also was reading your question and answer, which any of the listeners who are out there, go to his website and check it out, the question and answer, because it answers so many questions. One of them was when someone mentions you are a legend, I loved your response to that. You would say it to if you met Chuck Berry or someone else or something. It was just such a humbling thing that you … Then I believe you met your wife in … John Kay: Toronto. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, in Toronto. Usually when you hear about rock stars and these legends, they've gone through wives, divorces. You're still together. John Kay: We are still together. I was a member of the aforementioned Canadian band in Toronto called The Sparrows. We were playing Downtown Toronto at a place. Between sets, our bass player said, “Hey, my girlfriend is here, sitting over there at that table, and she brought her girl friend. Why don't you join us for a drink or something?” I went over there, and I met this young woman by the name Jutta, spelled J-U-T-T-A. She was from Hamburg, Germany, where she had already as a teenager seen the band that later was to name itself the Beatles and numerous American rock-and-roll stars at The Star-Club in Hamburg. We had some things in common. I liked her a lot. I followed her home that night and moved in with her. We've been together ever since. Jeff Thompson: The longest one-night stand. John Kay: Yeah. The thing is that I, like so many others in the rock-and-roll world, being in our early 20s when we caught a wave as Steppenwolf and we were out there on the road, there's a degree of too much ego, testosterone, drugs, and temptations out there. When my wife sometimes, particularly women ask her, “Was it all roses and rainbows? You guys are still together. What's the secret to your marriage's longevity?” She'll look them straight in the eye and say, “The secret is not getting a divorce.” Jeff Thompson: Rocket science. John Kay: We're very much lifelong partners. We have much, much in common in terms of our interests and where we direct our energy and passion and time. The other hand, rather, she has certain intuitive traits that for whatever reason elude me, and I'm more analytical and more logical in some ways. We're a good fit. It's the yin and the yang together. We hope to remain like that until we are no longer vertical. Jeff Thompson: I have a question about this. When you met her, was your eyesight at the time, did you have to explain to her you won't be driving or something like that? John Kay: Yeah, you're right. Just like my thing that I mentioned earlier, when you're a 12-year-old and you're fantasizing about becoming a rock-and-roller on the other side of the ocean and being told, “Sure, kid,” when I moved in with her, she was a very young, desirable, good-looking woman, some of her friends, there's an old snide remark in the industry, which is, “What do you call a musician without a girlfriend? You call them homeless.” John Kay: When I went back to this other girl that I had been living with, to get some of my belongings to bring those over to Jutta's place, when I showed up at this other girl's place, there was another guy sitting there already, playing the guitar. I said, “Hello, who are you?” He says, “My name is Neil Young. I just came in from Winnipeg and I'm joining this band called The Mynah Birds.” I said, “Oh, cool. I just joined this band called The Sparrows.” In other words, all of us folkies were always looking for a kindhearted woman to put a roof over your head. John Kay: When I moved in with Jutta and we had been together for a while, they were all telling her, “You got a legally blind, penniless musician, and that's your future. I think you can do better than that.” Of course the conventional wisdom, they were absolutely right. The chances of all of this working out the way it did, you'd probably get better odds winning the lottery, if you go to Vegas, they would give you better odds for that, but like I said earlier, sometimes you just have more luck than good sense. It all worked out just fine. Jeff Thompson: That's great. How did you keep your focus? How did you, I keep going back to that song, but your eye on the chart, through all that has gone on with the early Steppenwolf to John Kay and Steppenwolf? What kept you focused? John Kay: That's an interesting story, question rather, because I've had to contemplate that before. I've never felt the need to go see a shrink. I seemed to always get over whatever emotional speed bumps there were. I suspect that the same deeply rooted passion for certain things, be it music, be it a sense of justice, being easily enraged by injustice, that I think is also the touchstone of other things where anger is the motivator and the engine. In the case of Steppenwolf, was very successful, we had various albums, some more commercially successful than others. It wasn't all roses and rainbows, but on the whole, it was a segment of my life that was pretty special, obviously. John Kay: Then came time when the obligations to the band, because of being its primary songwriter and lead singer and front man and all that, became such that I wanted time for the private me, which meant my family, our daughter, who was hardly ever seeing me. John Kay: When I pulled the plug on Steppenwolf in the late '70s, after a rejuvenating period in the mid-'70s on a different label, our little family went in our little family van all over the Southwest. We spent a lot of time in Hawaii, on Maui and stuff. That was quite nurturing and very good for me, but I was also, “Okay, I'm gonna do a solo album, this and that.” It was on pause to a certain extent. John Kay: Then the news reached Jerry Edmonton, the original drummer and co-founder of the band, and friend, that a couple of ex-members of the band were out there using the name Steppenwolf. Then all sorts of boring details as to lawsuits and other things involved, but the news that reached us was generally from fans, saying, “We went to see what was called Steppenwolf, and it was horrible. People were throwing stuff at them. They're trashing the name.” John Kay: We tried to put a stop to these activities, using the legal system, lawsuits and so on. Again, it would take too much time to go into the details. Let's just say that the results, I kept saying, “This legal system is limping along like a turtle with a wooden leg. We're not getting anywhere here with these lawsuits.” It was like whack-a-mole. You'd go after them in this state, they'd pop up in another state. John Kay: Finally, out of sheer desperation and anger, I had a number of musicians with whom I had been playing as the John Kay Band, I called Jerry and I said, “Man, I want to go out there as John Kay and Steppenwolf, because I want to resurrect the name and rebuild it. We'll work out something, so you participate financially.” He was already into his photographer and artist mode. That was fine. John Kay: In 1980 I went out there, driven by the outrage and anger of, “You guys are destroying something that you didn't build. I was the one who called everybody up to see if you wanted to what became Steppenwolf, and I'm going to go out there and compete with you guys on the same low-level clubs you guys have played the name down into, see who wins.” John Kay: We from 1980 on went out there 20 weeks at a time, five shows a week, overnight drives 500 miles, playing in the toilet circuit of bars, where some of them, you wouldn't want to enter those clubs without a whip and a chair. It was just horrible. John Kay: The mantra was, “Yeah, three years ago we were headlining in arenas. That's not the point. If there are 300 people here tonight at this club who are not above being here to hear us play, and we're certainly not above us playing for them, so the mission is every night we gotta send people home smiling and telling others, ‘You missed a really good show,' and all you can do is grit your teeth that that will eventually,” because we ran into, we distinctly remember, a club on the outskirts of Minneapolis, St. Paul. During the soundcheck time, relatively young guy came over and looked me straight in the face, said, “You're not John Kay. He wouldn't play a shit hole like this.” That was the level to which the name had been played down into. John Kay: That really got me aggravated. I said, “I'm gonna kick their butt, not by … The lawyers are still fighting over this and that, but in the meantime, we're getting great reviews and we're going town by town, state by state.” By 1984, after relentless touring in the States, also twice in Canada, by that time we had also released a couple new albums, twice in Europe, once in Australia, we in essence put what we called the bogus Steppenwolf bands out of business. John Kay: While we were at it, since we were somewhat damaged goods, we said, “Then we're gonna learn how to mind the store ourselves.” That's when we had our own music publishing company, our own recording studio, our own merchandise corporation, our own tour bus, huge truck with a triple sleeper, 105 cases of gear, and on and on. To give you an idea of how tight a bond was formed, our entire crew, all four members have been with me for over 30 years. Jeff Thompson: Oh wow. Pete Lane: Wow. John Kay: We took the reigns into our own hands and learned. I did not want to become a paralegal or para-accountant or any of those other things. Almost everybody in our 12-member organization, bus drivers, everybody, wore multiple hats, selling merchandise during the show or whatever. They were all quality people, and we learned how to fend for ourselves, and not just survive, but at a certain point, thrive. We knew exactly where the money was coming from and where it went. Nobody was running off with our loot to Ecuador. Jeff Thompson: What suggestions would you have for someone today who is interested in music like you were, driving your passion from Little Richard, Chuck Berry, all those people that inspired you to follow your passion? What suggestions in today's music world would you give to them? John Kay: Unfortunately, I wish I had some kind of a magic formula to impart to them, but obviously every situation is vastly different, is really I think in the end, I know people who are tremendously talented, vastly more talented than I am, who are not necessarily doing well. I've experienced in the early days where someone whose primary talent was to show up at every opportunity to pitch what they had to offer. It's one of those, “Did you go to that audition yesterday, this morning, or whatever?” “I had a really late-night last night. I'll go to the next one.” How many opportunities are gonna come your way? It's one of those. John Kay: The other thing is, do you have the fire in your belly to handle the ego-destroying rejections, because there are probably hundreds, if you were to take a poll of … Well-known singer-songwriter Nora Jones, that first album, which I love, was rejected I think by every label in town twice. There are stories like that all over the place. John Kay: How do you pick yourself up every morning after, “I'm sorry, it's just not radio-friendly,” or, “You don't really fit into our whatever.” You need to have a pretty intense flame of passion about what you are and what you have to offer. You need to be able to handle … John Kay: You may be the one that wins the lottery, where the first attempt reaches the right set of ears and you've got a partner in your career moving forward, but most likely you will be like so many of the baby acts these days, and some who have been around already for 10 years plus, which is you have to learn how to wear a lot of different hats, the social media stuff, the pitching your music on YouTube or whatever, to endlessly tour in clubs, to build a following, four of you sleeping in the van with the gear, whatever. It'll burn you out if you're not made of something that can handle those rigors. John Kay: Meantime, you have the temptations of, “I want to have a private life too,” depending on whether you're a female or male, an artist, “I met somebody I want to share my life with. At some point we want to have children. This band isn't getting me anywhere.” There are all these things that are strikes against your ability to prevail in this, unless you are one of those who's willing to take those beatings out there, in terms of the rejection and being often the response that you get from reviewers or whatever is not always positive, particularly if you're still in the process of really finding and tweaking who you are and what you have to offer. John Kay: If you're a singer doing other people's stuff, that's one thing. If you are a writer and you really have something to say, that may be an advantage in the sense that if it resonates, you may find what we found in the early days, which is, “Wow, you've become our musical spokesperson. When I play that song, it is my inner voice, having been give voice, by your voice.” If you're one of those who's able to put in words what moves you most, and there are lots of others out there that take your music as their personal soundtrack, then it may still be a long slog uphill, but usually that sort of thing spreads readily on social media. John Kay: We have the Wolf Pack. When we played our official 50th anniversary, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the formation of the band, when we played that official concert to commemorate that at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee last August, and the Wolf Pack fan club was notified of that. We had over 300 Wolf Pack fan members coming from all over North America and at least close to 70 or 80 of them coming all the way from Europe. They all know each other. They're all like the Dead Heads. They have a passion that they share with others. John Kay: If you are able as an artist to reach people in that kind of way where what you have to offer becomes more than just sheer entertainment, then I think your chances of making a go of it are pretty good. Some of more or less my contemporaries that are still writing, still out there, still loved, John Prine, John Hiatt, if you are one of those, or you're aspiring to become one of those, I wish you a lot of good fortune. John Kay: Sarah McLachlan song Angel, it has moved millions to tears. One of the verses that basically I'm paraphrasing, about when you're always being told you're not good enough, you're basically having the door slammed in your face all the time, and the self-doubt creeps in and nobody seems to get what it is you have to offer, those kind of things, they're hard on you. John Kay: You wouldn't want to be a writer, artist, player, whatever, singer, if you didn't have some degree of ego that says, “Hey, I've got something to offer, something to say. I'm up here. Do you like what I got?” That's rooted to some extent in your ego. If you have that ego under co

Larry Goldberg, Head of Accessibility at Verizon Media, joins Brian Fischler and Jeff Thompson in the studio to talk about bringing awareness to accessibility as May 21, 2020 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Larry talks about developers building in accessibility from the start, Born Accessible is how Larry put it, and without regression. Not breaking accessibility. Larry talks about how Teach Access was started to bring awareness to colleges and corporations about having accessibility embedded in the college curriculums so students can become aware and realize the importance of accessibility in the design stages.   Larry explains how collectively the big companies, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intuit, Walmart and more, share the need for developers, engineers and future employees to have accessibility in their education and to offer students the opportunity to see career paths in accessibility.  Virtual Reality and Accessibility together? Larry talks about the XR Access Program. This year’s symposium will be held online July 20th, You can learn all about it at xraccess.org. Larry discusses his involvement with the 21st Century Communications Act. Brian, you got that 21st Century, not 20th Century, there’s a difference, and it is about 100 years! Thanks Jeff for the editing. Larry takes us through his day at Verizon Media Group, there is a lot of people to talk to as the Head of Global Accessibility and bringing corporations, companies and organizations together to learn from each other. Hear what Verizon Media Group planned to share at CSUN this year. How the next generation is being showcased. Yahoo Finance brings the accessibility to you with a new approach, listen to your stocks rise and fall through sound interpreting the graphs. Even during this shelter in place, it is still full steam ahead at Verizon Media Group, nearly all workers are getting it done from home and ensuring the customers are being served. And how about that accessible Yahoo Fantasy Football app? Give it a try, it’s all at your fingertips and Voice Over accessible ready. Larry is excited about Global Accessibility Awareness Day. So kick back and enjoy. To find out more, here are some links from the show: Verizon Media Group Teach Access XR Access Yahoo Fantasy Football App on the App Store Yahoo Fantasy Sports App on Google Play Thanks for listening. Contact 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.  

The Super-Sized Group is Virtually back in the saddle and fixing up a Live show on June 10th. Ed returns from a deep but restless sleep, Serina might be making cookies later and Brian is going nowhere soon. Meanwhile, Jeff is saving the world and barely having time to rest in the Hammock. I didn’t write that. Hmm. Did you hear that Yahoo Fantasy Football is back? Yup, yup! We got a call in number now! 612-367-6093. Drop us a message, give us some feedback and offer up some suggestions. Looking forward to hearing from you and give us permission and we may put your voice on the show. Ok, here are some links from the episode:   Tile comes to Skull Candy Ear buds. Tile says Apple not playing fair. Samsung announces three new features for Global Awareness Day. How are you sleeping? 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Greg Stilson, Head of Global Innovation at American Printing House (APH) joins Satauna Howery and Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about 2 new Refreshable Braille devices now available from APH on the web at APH.org. Greg talks in detail the thought process behind the new Mantis and Chameleon refreshable braille devices. How APH is listening to the students and Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI). With a 40 cell and a 20 cell option and the partnership with Humanware, these new devices add to the APH product line of Braille devices with refreshable Braille. Learn all about the Mantis and the Chameleon and how you can get yours today. Greg also touches base with Access Academy, the webinars done in partnership with Paths to Literacy. Same time every day, different and new topics for students during these challenging time. You can find out and learn more about what APH is doing to enhance the opportunities for students on the web at APH.org. Thanks for listening! Contact 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

Jyotsna Kaki, Google’s Accessibility Testing Program Manager, joins the That Blind Tech Show team in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about Google Accessibility and Jyotsna’s journey to her present position at Google. Jyotsna tells us about her use of the Google Suite in her daily routine, talks about features and apps that helps her and brings a bit more access to the world around her. Jyotsna loss her sight six months before she was to graduate from college. With determination Jyotsna forged forward, learned access technology and graduated with honors a year later. Jyotsna carved out the role she wanted and landed at Google  Testing accessibility. She is now leading the Accessibility Testing team and ensuring that we will have access to the Google Suite and more. Join Brian Fischler, Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson as they welcome Jyotsna to the Blind Abilities studio for this wonderful episode of That Blind Tech Show. Jyotsna Kaki challenged herself to do the best she could be and blindness did not stop her from reaching her goals and leading the Accessibility Testing team at Google. Jyotsna tells anyone, whether they are blind, low vision or sighted, “Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, trust me, no one is going to believe in you.” If you are using any of the Google Suite apps or products and have a question about accessibility, you can contact Google’s Disability Support team at G.Co/DisabilitySupport. If you want to Learn more about Google Suite regarding accessibility you can go to G.Co/GSuite/Accessibility and find the GSuite user guide to accessibility. If you are interested in becoming a trusted Google Beta tester, you can apply on the Google web site at Google.com/Accessibility and click on Initiatives and Research. And be sure to download the Lookout app from the Google Play Store! Thanks for listening. Contact 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

Serina, Brian and Jeff hit the studio fast and furious. And yes, furious is a 3 syllable word. Score one for me. Serina brings her Google game, Brian puts his dog to shame until Aira checks out B Brian’s sock. Jeff keeps on track with his Reminders App, as well as Serina. This beauty of an app is getting the respect it deserves. How about Apple going audio on the news plus stuff? Hmm. And what about Spectrum and the new Spectrum Access App? Will it grow into the dream app or will it not? Hmm. We dance through the tech news and sway into our experiences all at the beat of your requests.  We love hearing from you all and we are about to have a get together, and yes, in one big room. Thank you The Facebook, as Brian says, for the new Rooms for chatting and meeting. Ok, let me publish this episode and get on with the Memorial Weekend.  We wish all the families of those lost in war and service a blessed day and a big thank you to all those serving our country around the world. Stay Well, Stay Informed and Stay Strong! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

Full Transcript Larry Goldberg, Head of Accessibility at Verizon Media, joins Brian Fischler and Jeff Thompson in the studio to talk about bringing awareness to accessibility as May 21, 2020 is Global Accessibility Awareness Day. Larry talks about developers building in accessibility from the start, Born Accessible is how Larry put it, and without regression. Not breaking accessibility. Larry talks about how Teach Access was started to bring awareness to colleges and corporations about having accessibility embedded in the college curriculums so students can become aware and realize the importance of accessibility in the design stages.   Larry explains how collectively the big companies, Google, Microsoft, Apple, Intuit, Walmart and more, share the need for developers, engineers and future employees to have accessibility in their education and to offer students the opportunity to see career paths in accessibility.  Virtual Reality and Accessibility together? Larry talks about the XR Access Program. This year's symposium will be held online July 20th, You can learn all about it at xraccess.org. Larry discusses his involvement with the 21st Century Communications Act. Brian, you got that 21st Century, not 20th Century, there’s a difference, and it is about 100 years! Thanks Jeff for the editing. Larry takes us through his day at Verizon Media Group, there is a lot of people to talk to as the Head of Global Accessibility and bringing corporations, companies and organizations together to learn from each other. Hear what Verizon Media Group planned to share at CSUN this year. How the next generation is being showcased. Yahoo Finance brings the accessibility to you with a new approach, listen to your stocks rise and fall through sound interpreting the graphs. Even during this shelter in place, it is still full steam ahead at Verizon Media Group, nearly all workers are getting it done from home and ensuring the customers are being served. And how about that accessible Yahoo Fantasy Football app? Give it a try, it’s all at your fingertips and Voice Over accessible ready. Larry is excited about Global Accessibility Awareness Day. So kick back and enjoy. To find out more, here are some links from the show: Verizon Media Group Teach Access XR Access Yahoo Fantasy Football App on the App Store Yahoo Fantasy Sports App on Google Play Thanks for listening. Contact 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

The Team virtually gathered into the studio and put their heads virtually together to come up with another That Blind Tech Show. We are happy to bring you the latest news and happenings from around the accessible tech world, blindness related news and some community happenings that absolutely matter. Ever try to get those photos and videos out of the long grip of Facebook? Now you can transfer them to Google Photos. Check out the steps below and in the show. How about OCRs? Have you stayed on top of the updates? Seems like Envision AI has notched a few new updates and is working well, swell and seems worth the bill. SuperSense AI is the new kid on the block and for a light-weight app, it comes out fighting. Prizmo is really hitting the Share Sheet and it seems like VoiceDream Scanner could use a lesson on getting some Actions in the Share Sheet. Google Suites is filling the needs of the everyday worker and Serina explains her daily uses and new discoveries. Ed hits the News and about social distancing, Jeff is still working on the camper as we don’t expect to see room service any time soon. How accessible is the Corona Virus updates in your state? We talk access, lock-down, working from home and is this all actually helping the blind community as more and more on-line access is generating week by week? Well, we talk and talk and that is what we do here, share our experiences, the news, and try to make it a bit entertaining. So thank you for taking the time and joining us in this episode. We appreciate you and feel free to contact us and give us feedback, suggestions and just say hello. Here are the steps from the demo on Transferring Photos and Videos: Transferring a copy of your Facebook photos and videos to Google Photos. Open your Facebook App on your iPhone. Go to the Facebook menu button down in the bottom Right-hand  corner. A four finger touch near the bottom of your screen will do just that. Single finger double tap. Go down to Show  Settings and Privacy.. Swipe down and choose Settings. Go down to Transfer a copy of your photos or videos. You will be asked to enter your Facebook password to proceed. Enter password and continue. Swipe down to choose the location that you want to transfer to. Double tap on the pop-up button and make your choice  Choose Google Photos  Then choose what to transfer, photos or videos. Double tap on Next. You will have to give permission with your Google account and then proceed to transfer. You can repeat this process and choose videos this time around. The copies of  your photos and videos will be placed into folders in your Google Photos app. Here are some links from the show: You can now transfer your Facebook photos and videos to Google photos NFB finds 48 out of 50 states Corona virus websites are not fully accessible  CBS Bringing Back Sunday night movie of the week with audio description for first five films announced SuperSense AI, the OCR app. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.  

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. We don’t know much about history, don’t know much about biology but Brian will always sing his tune and yes, I got to edit this stuff, so have a little kindness and sympathy for me. You try to put Brian in your ears for days at a time. Whew, poor West. BTW, that is the name of Brian’s Guide Dog. So enjoy this episode and the comic relief provided by Marlon and Jeff in their skits or whatever you call those inserts.  Here are some links from the show: Uber driver took blind singer’s phone to give himself £20 tip and five-star rating Legally blind student sues college for allegedly separating her from seeing eye dog: Emotional Support Animals Could Soon Be Banned From Planes: Advertisers panicking as iPhone users have been turning off their GPS location tracking: Facebook and YouTube moderators sign PTSD disclosure   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.    

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 is stuck in the studio, all work and no play. Actually, he is on the ice with the Minnesota Wild Blind Hockey and reliving his youth and nursing his pains. LOL Here are the links to the articles from the show: Chuckles the Connecticut Groundhog is blind PETA Wants Punxsutawney Phil replaced by an AI Robot Five of the worst ways people have tried to fix their computer. EU moves closer to banning Lightning Cable Are Subscription Apps Sustainable? Memes are still inaccessible to the blind, Man gets eyesight back after being hit by vehicle 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.      

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 inserted there! No nutritional value in this Apple product. Do you sit at the computer all day? Want to stretch those legs? Then Jeff brings us the news from a Husky product he found at Home Depot. An adjustable desk!  By the way, are you signing in with the same passwords and user-names all across the board? Stop that! Right now! Change it up and the best password is the one you don’t even know! Get that 2 Factor Varification going and rest assured your privacy and security is doing the best job it can do for you. So much more in this episode and so few words left in my vocabulary. So jump on in and take a ride on the TBTS AirTaxi of Podcasts, the Black Pot Kettle Cat of the Nation and without a doubt, just another That Blind Tech Show making a lot of ToDo about Tech, News, and a bent perspective to the visual impairment and blindness world we live in. And remember, showing up is everything. Make it happen. You are worth it! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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 @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.    

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 is stuck in the studio, all work and no play. Actually, he is on the ice with the Minnesota Wild Blind Hockey and reliving his youth and nursing his pains. LOL Here are the links to the articles from the show: Chuckles the Connecticut Groundhog is blind PETA Wants Punxsutawney Phil replaced by an AI Robot Five of the worst ways people have tried to fix their computer. EU moves closer to banning Lightning Cable Are Subscription Apps Sustainable? Memes are still inaccessible to the blind, Man gets eyesight back after being hit by vehicle 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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. We don’t know much about history, don’t know much about biology but Brian will always sing his tune and yes, I got to edit this stuff, so have a little kindness and sympathy for me. You try to put Brian in your ears for days at a time. Whew, poor West. BTW, that is the name of Brian’s Guide Dog. So enjoy this episode and the comic relief provided by Marlon and Jeff in their skits or whatever you call those inserts.  Here are some links from the show: Uber driver took blind singer’s phone to give himself £20 tip and five-star rating Legally blind student sues college for allegedly separating her from seeing eye dog: Emotional Support Animals Could Soon Be Banned From Planes: Advertisers panicking as iPhone users have been turning off their GPS location tracking: Facebook and YouTube moderators sign PTSD disclosure   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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 inserted there! No nutritional value in this Apple product. Do you sit at the computer all day? Want to stretch those legs? Then Jeff brings us the news from a Husky product he found at Home Depot. An adjustable desk!  By the way, are you signing in with the same passwords and user-names all across the board? Stop that! Right now! Change it up and the best password is the one you don’t even know! Get that 2 Factor Varification going and rest assured your privacy and security is doing the best job it can do for you. So much more in this episode and so few words left in my vocabulary. And I do have to mention Marlon dropping in to add his Vows, or Snipps. One or the other. Thanks Marlon! Congrats on 16 years ! So jump on in and take a ride on the TBTS AirTaxi of Podcasts, the Black Pot Kettle Cat of the Nation and without a doubt, just another That Blind Tech Show making a lot of ToDo about Tech, News, and a bent perspective to the visual impairment and blindness world we live in. And remember, showing up is everything. Make it happen. You are worth it! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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 @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Welcome back to another That Blind Tech Show, after numerous reasons from a disappointing Yankees playoff run, to health and my mom’s hospital scare, the show and production finally gets its’ wings and published. We want to wish all of you and your families a wonderful start to the holiday season approaching. May good health and lots of happiness come your way.  The TBTS Team took to the microphones and shared, advised and listened as the New Apple Air Pod Pros were talked about as Brian and Jeff got theirs in a trick or treat surprise delivery. Serina was upset with the boys, and you know what? She already has her new Air Pod Pro s as of this release, and loves them. Really comfortable and sounds great! Is Russia shutting down the internet as they know it? Is having a guide dog cruel to dogs? iOS 13.2 gets the big Okay! Apple letting you erase all that they have been keeping and you can actually opt out of the Siri and Dictation recordings. Reset your privacy settings with a demo and another demo with the Siri and Dictation steps. Russia is About to Disconnect from the internet! Rudy G. Needed Genius Bar help to unlock his iPhone You can finally opt out of Siri and dictation recordings Guide Dog Harassment man should burn in hell Google Maps Voice Guidance Air Tags are coming from Apple. iOS 13.2 may have broken multi tasking 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. ˆ

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) Thanks for putting up with us and 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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) Thanks for putting up with us and 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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 will accent any kitchen space (bonus all included accessories fit inside, taking up even LESS space) INCLUDES: Dash Rapid Egg Cooker is backed by a 1-year manufacturer warranty and includes a poaching tray, omelet tray, 6 egg holder tray, measuring cup, recipe book and recipe database access (all non-electric parts are dishwasher safe).Power:360 watts   You can find the Dash Rapid Egg Cooker on Amazon. Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency.   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Welcome back to another That Blind Tech Show, after numerous reasons from a disappointing Yankees playoff run, to health and my mom’s hospital scare, the show and production finally gets its’ wings and published. We want to wish all of you and your families a wonderful start to the holiday season approaching. May good health and lots of happiness come your way.  The TBTS Team took to the microphones and shared, advised and listened as the New Apple Air Pod Pros were talked about as Brian and Jeff got theirs in a trick or treat surprise delivery. Serina was upset with the boys, and you know what? She already has her new Air Pod Pro s as of this release, and loves them. Really comfortable and sounds great! Is Russia shutting down the internet as they know it? Is having a guide dog cruel to dogs? iOS 13.2 gets the big Okay! Apple letting you erase all that they have been keeping and you can actually opt out of the Siri and Dictation recordings. Reset your privacy settings with a demo and another demo with the Siri and Dictation steps. Russia is About to Disconnect from the internet! Rudy G. Needed Genius Bar help to unlock his iPhone You can finally opt out of Siri and dictation recordings Guide Dog Harassment man should burn in hell Google Maps Voice Guidance Air Tags are coming from Apple. iOS 13.2 may have broken multi tasking3. Catalina  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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired. ˆ

Brian and Jeff are in the studio all alone and unlucky 13 gets a good going over. From Beta to the real deal, strike 2 for Apple is just hitting the corner of the plate. Lucky for the new strike zone, this pitch from Apple has the umpires across the World all chiming in. Bad iOS, Love it, Hate it, and you know what? It’s Ok. Join Brian and Jeff as they give their thoughts about the latest operating system for the iPhones. And honestly, remember that your experience with your device and how you interact with the features may be totally different from ours or others. My advice, dive in to the new iOS13.1 and explore. Experience is the best teacher.  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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Serina, Brian and Jeff with some cameos from Marlon, went into the studio for far too long and it begs me to question if it is the pain or the joy of podcasting that drives them to do what they do. Brian even upped his game with a new microphone. And stay tuned for a headset burning later this fall. Serina pitches her view of a Dominos Pizza in the Supreme style in court. Brian slightly, just slightly, sweetens up his view of the world and actually is now purchasing old movies with audio description legally! An Orcam overview with Monty from Orcam. A look at the Apple Card sign up process and when you do get the card in the mail. Do not toss the card packaging that contains your card. It is needed to activate your new Apple Card. Why are people upset about Aira giving everybody 5 minutes free? How do you slice up the Dominos debate with accessibility? Have you ever thought about losing your Air Pods? Some actually dream about it! Apple TV is coming and it’s nearly $10 a month. Hmm. Do you have a mid-2015 MacBookPro waiting to blow up? Jeff is returning his for the fix. Smart Speakers listening to us? Is the VERSE going to revolutionize deep smart speaker navigation on web sites? Job Insights co-hosts talk about Back to School and Back to Work. Fantasy Football from Yahoo is accessible and working great for the Blind Abilities Football league, Yahoo! A huge awkward shout out to the Islands and some senior excitement about TBTS! Jeff once again saves the day with the editing magic whilst his so called partners tap their fingers anticipating how well they will sound. It is all about them and Jeff is dearly underpaid, on acknowledged and under respected. Ok, surely as I write this, I am tired and have had Brian and Serina plus Marlon in my head for too long. They are great people to have as friends and although you may think Serina just took over these show notes, actually, it is a lot of fun with this crew. Join the TBTS team for this drawn out long, oops, this very intensively resourceful look at tech, the industry, and what the heck is happening and affecting the world from a blindness perspective. Here are some links from the show: Mangotek Apple Watch Stand Wireless Chargerfor iPhone and iWatch, 4 in 1 Phone Charging Station with Lightning Connector and USB Port for iPhone 8/X/XR/7/6 and iWatch Series 4/3/2/1 MFi Certified Are you having stress dreams about losing your Air Pods? If so, you are not alone! Apple 11 Event Set for Sept. 10th. Do you care? Apple TV Plus rumored to cost $9.99 a month  How does TSA know what Mac Book model people have? Siri, A Lady, Facebook listening to us but what about dictation? Dominoes petitions the Supreme Court to over rule that their website must be accessible to the Blind. New tool aims to make web searching friendlier to the blind  What would happen if the whole internet shut down 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

That Blind Tech Show got together and with all of us busy, busy, busy we got together in the Orchard to pick some apples. However, my dear listeners, was there really much for the picking? There were a couple of low hanging fruit and some elusive ones that never showed up. We decided to slice up the apples and add some filler and make some apple crisp. Yes, the crumbley kind at that. With iOS 13 ready to play with your accessibility, or maybe not, Apple already has thrown out a bone to us by letting everyone know when iOS 13.1 will be out. Sept. 29 so they say. What’s up Apple? From Apple Card, Apple Pay, Carrier prices and Apple trade ins, we manage to squeeze in some fantasy right away, Fantasy Football that is.  But hey, Arcade is all about games right? Accessible Games? Hmmm. We don’t go all nutso over the Apple pickings but we give our experience and views on the latest blossoms from the big old Apple tree. With a bit of love and laugh, Serina, Brian and Jeff bob for apples and whatever else comes out of their mouth I guess. But really, there are some good deals and price points for students and parents of students looking to outfit their youngins. So kick back and enjoy the attempt we make in getting a podcast out while we are all busy doing other things. Well, at least we don’t just sit in the orchard all cast, we even talked about… umm… ok, we didn’t fall far from the tree. Have a great day and see you all on the next That Blind Tech Show when Brian will know how to turn a simple knob and put it back at 12 o’clock. Maybe Serina is expecting too much? Rocket science? Stay tuned! ***** 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Brian and Jeff are in the studio all alone and unlucky 13 gets a good going over. From Beta to the real deal, strike 2 for Apple is just hitting the corner of the plate. Lucky for the new strike zone, this pitch from Apple has the umpires across the World all chiming in. Bad iOS, Love it, Hate it, and you know what? It’s Ok. Join Brian and Jeff as they give their thoughts about the latest operating system for the iPhones. And honestly, remember that your experience with your device and how you interact with the features may be totally different from ours or others. My advice, dive in to the new iOS13.1 and explore. Experience is the best teacher.  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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.

Serina, Brian and Jeff with some cameos from Marlon, went into the studio for far too long and it begs me to question if it is the pain or the joy of podcasting that drives them to do what they do. Brian even upped his game with a new microphone. And stay tuned for a headset burning later this fall. Serina pitches her view of a Dominos Pizza in the Supreme style in court. Brian slightly, just slightly, sweetens up his view of the world and actually is now purchasing old movies with audio description legally! An Orcam overview with Monty from Orcam. A look at the Apple Card sign up process and when you do get the card in the mail. Do not toss the card packaging that contains your card. It is needed to activate your new Apple Card. Why are people upset about Aira giving everybody 5 minutes free? How do you slice up the Dominos debate with accessibility? Have you ever thought about losing your Air Pods? Some actually dream about it! Apple TV is coming and it’s nearly $10 a month. Hmm. Do you have a mid-2015 MacBookPro waiting to blow up? Jeff is returning his for the fix. Smart Speakers listening to us? Is the VERSE going to revolutionize deep smart speaker navigation on web sites? Job Insights co-hosts talk about Back to School and Back to Work. Fantasy Football from Yahoo is accessible and working great for the Blind Abilities Football league, Yahoo! A huge awkward shout out to the Islands and some senior excitement about TBTS! Jeff once again saves the day with the editing magic whilst his so called partners tap their fingers anticipating how well they will sound. It is all about them and Jeff is dearly underpaid, on acknowledged and under respected. Ok, surely as I write this, I am tired and have had Brian and Serina plus Marlon in my head for too long. They are great people to have as friends and although you may think Serina just took over these show notes, actually, it is a lot of fun with this crew. Join the TBTS team for this drawn out long, oops, this very intensively resourceful look at tech, the industry, and what the heck is happening and affecting the world from a blindness perspective. Here are some links from the show: Mangotek Apple Watch Stand Wireless Chargerfor iPhone and iWatch, 4 in 1 Phone Charging Station with Lightning Connector and USB Port for iPhone 8/X/XR/7/6 and iWatch Series 4/3/2/1 MFi Certified Are you having stress dreams about losing your Air Pods? If so, you are not alone! Apple 11 Event Set for Sept. 10th. Do you care? Apple TV Plus rumored to cost $9.99 a month  How does TSA know what Mac Book model people have? Siri, A Lady, Facebook listening to us but what about dictation? Dominoes petitions the Supreme Court to over rule that their website must be accessible to the Blind. New tool aims to make web searching friendlier to the blind  What would happen if the whole internet shut down 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

That Blind Tech Show is out of the studio and washing their hands of this episode. Yes, actually we should have worn gloves while recording this one! Serina returns once again and Brian and Jeff flipped an accessible coin to see which one had to sit next to Serina. Let’s just say, Brian virtually loss. Amazon Prime, NFB2019 overviewed, Microsoft, American Printing House, Google, Aira and Two Blind Brothers make the scene and much much more as we dabbly doop a dooble along trying to make out which way we are headed. Well, the kids make sure we are off to a good start and the even encourage Brian to raise the bar.  WayAround, Microsoft To Do App and the Bose Frames get a good solid and Marlon stops in at the studio late one night and splashes his audio onto the canvas as well. A Huge shout out goes out to T and B for there cameo appearances and letting us know that kids can play in more than just reindeer games, they can have a voice and we will make sure they are heard.  So kick back and check out this serious no frills totally factually filled documentary about tech and nothing but tech to educate and discipline everyone into learning. Learn fast! Learn Fast! Ok, I am done. No more babble and on with the show. Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy That Blind Tech Show as much as we enjoyed making the cast. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

That Blind Tech Show is out of the studio and washing their hands of this episode. Yes, actually we should have worn gloves while recording this one! Serina returns once again and Brian and Jeff flipped an accessible coin to see which one had to sit next to Serina. Let’s just say, Brian virtually loss. Amazon Prime, NFB2019 overviewed, Microsoft, American Printing House, Google, Aira and Two Blind Brothers make the scene and much much more as we dabbly doop a dooble along trying to make out which way we are headed. Well, the kids make sure we are off to a good start and the even encourage Brian to raise the bar.  WayAround, Microsoft To Do App and the Bose Frames get a good solid and Marlon stops in at the studio late one night and splashes his audio onto the canvas as well. A Huge shout out goes out to T and B for there cameo appearances and letting us know that kids can play in more than just reindeer games, they can have a voice and we will make sure they are heard.  So kick back and check out this serious no frills totally factually filled documentary about tech and nothing but tech to educate and discipline everyone into learning. Learn fast! Learn Fast! Ok, I am done. No more babble and on with the show. Thanks for listening and we hope you enjoy That Blind Tech Show as much as we enjoyed making the cast. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

  Show Summary Well, we let the dust settle a bit on the Apple Orchard Fest and we picked a bushel of Apple bits together and got to the core of our Catalina dream as well as our hopeful lucky iOS 13 gems and darlings. Serina, Brian and Jeff climb up to the Apple tree fort and share their bite size slices from the WWDC event last week. Marlon is here with us as well, making his knocks and slams when he can. We hope you enjoy our perspective as we enjoy sharing what we got. And a huge Thank You goes out to Stephen Letnes for his beautiful music. Stephen provided the music for the Apple soldiers segment. Find out more about Stephen Letnes and the Able Artist Foundation on the web at www.AbleArtist.org@   Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to That Blind Tech Show on iTunes or your favorite pod-catcher.    That Blind Tech Show is part of the Blind Abilities Network and this show will be moving to is own feed Http://www.ThatBlindTechShow.Libsyn.com/RSSin the coming weeks. You can check it out there right now!   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary Well, we let the dust settle a bit on the Apple Orchard Fest and we picked a bushel of Apple bits together and got to the core of our Catalina dream as well as our hopeful lucky iOS 13 gems and darlings. Serina, Brian and Jeff climb up to the Apple tree fort and share their bite size slices from the WWDC event last week. Marlon is here with us as well, making his knocks and slams when he can. We hope you enjoy our perspective as we enjoy sharing what we got. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and subscribe to That Blind Tech Show on iTunes or your favorite pod-catcher.    That Blind Tech Show is part of the Blind Abilities Network and this show will be moving to is own feed Http://www.ThatBlindTechShow.Libsyn.com/RSSin the coming weeks. You can check it out there right now! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

  Show Summary: Blind ability see sun coverage is sponsored by Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Download for iOS Download for Android Our very own, yes, we will claim him, Brian Fischler, attended the CSUN Conference in Anaheim, California. This Assistive Technology Conference is huge, Brian boarded his plane and headed West from New York and got quite the experience at the conference. Join Brian along with Jeff Thompson from Blind Abilities as Brian shares his preparation plan, his feedback from the sessions he attended and all about the exhibits. Brian knows what he will do differently next year and gives us a great perspective being that this was his first CSUN conference. And yes, he said he would do it again. This Assistive Technology Conference is huge, Brian boarded his plane and headed West from New York and got quite the experience at the conference. Join Brian along with Jeff Thompson from Blind Abilities as Brian shares his preparation plan, his feedback from the sessions he attended and all about the exhibits. Brian knows what he will do differently next year and gives us a great perspective being that this was his first CSUN conference. And yes, he said he would do it again. Be sure to check out all the #CSUNATC19 coverage. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: Apple just quietly released some new updated products and now held an Apple Event focused on services. Yes, from an Apple Card, Apple News Plus, Apple TV plus, Apple TV App with Channels and Apple Arcade for the gamers. It is all here and you can find out more about all the new products and services on the Apple web site, www.Apple.com I would go into detail in the show notes but why not just listen to the show and become the smartest new Apple News knower in your neck of the woods? Yes, we can give you that! Not much more, so take it. Oh, surely I jest, Yup, Jeff the Jester. Hmmm. Join Serina Gilbert our Voc Rehab Counselor from the Mountains, Allison mervis, a Voc Rehab Super from the Grape fields of California, Brian Fischler, an Assistive Technology Specialist, stuck somewhere in the Big Apple and myself, Jeff Thompson, Teacher, Woodworker and media Specialist from the Frozen Tundra of Minnesota. And a special little cameo from our man in trouble, Marlon Parieaho from Trinidad. That Blind Tech Show is definitely a humorous take on the latest news and happenings around the World of Blindness. We try to have fun with each other and bring a smile to your day. Humor is good for the soul and if we can’t laugh at ourselves, then hey, we would miss out on having a lot of fun. Don’t take us seriously all the time and yet, we do our best to bring you good news and information to help you through the obstacles and brick walls that seem to be holding us back or blocking our path. If you have any suggestions and/or feedback for us here on the show, be sure to let us have it. Smack between the eyes if need be. But, start with Brian, he started it anyways. If he can’t take it for the team, then I am in trouble. Ok, thanks for listening and see you next time on That Blind Tech Show! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: Apple just quietly released some new updated products and now held an Apple Event focused on services. Yes, from an Apple Card, Apple News Plus, Apple TV plus, Apple TV App with Channels and Apple Arcade for the gamers. It is all here and you can find out more about all the new products and services on the Apple web site, www.Apple.com I would go into detail in the show notes but why not just listen to the show and become the smartest new Apple News knower in your neck of the woods? Yes, we can give you that! Not much more, so take it. Oh, surely I jest, Yup, Jeff the Jester. Hmmm. Join Serina Gilbert our Voc Rehab Counselor from the Mountains, Allison mervis, a Voc Rehab Super from the Grape fields of California, Brian Fischler, an Assistive Technology Specialist, stuck somewhere in the Big Apple and myself, Jeff Thompson, Teacher, Woodworker and media Specialist from the Frozen Tundra of Minnesota. And a special little cameo from our man in trouble, Marlon Parieaho from Trinidad. That Blind Tech Show is definitely a humorous take on the latest news and happenings around the World of Blindness. We try to have fun with each other and bring a smile to your day. Humor is good for the soul and if we can’t laugh at ourselves, then hey, we would miss out on having a lot of fun. Don’t take us seriously all the time and yet, we do our best to bring you good news and information to help you through the obstacles and brick walls that seem to be holding us back or blocking our path. If you have any suggestions and/or feedback for us here on the show, be sure to let us have it. Smack between the eyes if need be. But, start with Brian, he started it anyways. If he can’t take it for the team, then I am in trouble. Ok, thanks for listening and see you next time on That Blind Tech Show! 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: The gang is all back but where is Serina? Well,, Brian is off to CSUN, I am anticipating a Grandson and Allison can’t hold a steady last name. With all this going on, they all climbed back into the studio, whilst sharing but one chair! TMI? Stick around. Aira Powered by Bose! Yes, the perfect marriage. Great job Aira Team! Keep them busy in the engineering and development department, we are liking what we hear! Seeing AI has just updated their app with the ability to explore photos, yes, you can slide your finger over the screen and find objects that the sophisticated Swiss Army of an app comes up with. Impressive, I do say, mates! You can also rearrange the Channels to your hearts content. Good job Microsoft. Amazon turning up the privacy dial?Maybe. Stay tuned. And how about web accessibility for politicians? Are they really government? Or, is their web site and social media included in this debate? First time CSUN or any convention goer, take notes. We are sure that Brian didn’t. We wish him well. Good luck with a 6 AM wake up call, too. Much more between the intro and outro, that is a fact Jack, and I am all about accessibility, no matter what this podcast says! Here are some links mentioned in the podcast: Don’t pack your batteries in your suitcase. Is Augmented reality going to leave the blind behind? If the government doesn’t care about accessibility why should it care about AI bias? I cut the Big 5 tech giants from my life it was hell 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: The gang is all back but where is Serina? Well,, Brian is off to CSUN, I am anticipating a Grandson and Allison can’t hold a steady last name. With all this going on, they all climbed back into the studio, whilst sharing but one chair! TMI? Stick around. Aira Powered by Bose! Yes, the perfect marriage. Great job Aira Team! Keep them busy in the engineering and development department, we are liking what we hear! Seeing AI has just updated their app with the ability to explore photos, yes, you can slide your finger over the screen and find objects that the sophisticated Swiss Army of an app comes up with. Impressive, I do say, mates! You can also rearrange the Channels to your hearts content. Good job Microsoft. Amazon turning up the privacy dial?Maybe. Stay tuned. And how about web accessibility for politicians? Are they really government? Or, is their web site and social media included in this debate? First time CSUN or any convention goer, take notes. We are sure that Brian didn’t. We wish him well. Good luck with a 6 AM wake up call, too. Much more between the intro and outro, that is a fact Jack, and I am all about accessibility, no matter what this podcast says! Here are some links mentioned in the podcast: Don’t pack your batteries in your suitcase. Is Augmented reality going to leave the blind behind? If the government doesn’t care about accessibility why should it care about AI bias? I cut the Big 5 tech giants from my life it was hell 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: Brian, Allison and Jeff are in the studio and sifting through the latest news and happenings. From privacy being a thing of the past to seniors being blamed for Fake News, the TBTS get down deep into the bowels of Smart products from C.E.S. and did I mention the Smart Toilets for about 8 grand? Yes, fittingly, that’s where we found them. Oh my, how about Smart Diapers! Smart Home eco-systems?  Which one is for you or is it too late? I hear you, and so do most of the Smart Assistant devices as well.  So, buckle up for this ride on the That Blind Tech Show Episode 26. And please give a warm welcome to Marlon Parieaho, as he  snuck into the studio for a few laughs. Hey, being around Brian and Allison is alright, but give me a break! Right? No worries, it’s all for fun and fun for all! Check out the topics and links related to the show: Dumbest person of the year in January. Glad we got it out of the way https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/10/blind-woman-told-to-get-off-bus-because-guide-dogs-cant-be-black-8329869/ New study shows people over 65 share the most fake news https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18174631/old-people-fake-news-facebook-share-nyu-princeton City of L.A, sues Weather Channel App over misuse of targeted marketing https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/04/weather-channel-app-data-lawsuit/ Is your TV tracking you? If you own a Vizio it may be. https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/vizio-settlement-moves-forward/ Package tracking app turns users cell phones in to a Bot Farm https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/07/package-tracking-app-turns-users-devices-into-a-bot-farm-violates-user-privacy/ Carriers can sell your location to Bounty Hunters. Boba Fett https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/8/18174024/att-sprint-t-mobile-scandal-phone-location-tracking-black-market-bounty-hunters-privacy-securus Now Tile is partnering with chip makers to embed its location tracking services https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/7/18168760/tile-bluetooth-low-energy-item-tracking-ces-2019 So many different smart home plugs will everything be compatible? For https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/07/fibaro-home-center-app-walli-outlets/ Apple Home Kit was the surprise winner of CES 2019 https://www.macworld.com/article/3332023/apple/homekit-ces-2019-siri.html#tk.rss_all  Hey Siri, Flush the toilet! It’s finally coming! https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2019/1/7/hey-siri-flush-the-toilet-homekit-support-for-kohlers-8000-intelligent-toilet` Or if you rather Alexa flush the toilet thanks to Kohler https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/kohler-put-alexa-in-a-toilet-so-happy-new-year/ Samsung is launching a wearable Exoskeleton or as we know it Iron Man! https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/samsung-is-launching-a-bunch-of-new-robots-and-a-wearable-exoskeleton/ apple patent hints at smart clothing and smart furniture my parents recliners https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2019/1/10/apple-patent-filings-hint-at-smart-clothing-and-smart-furniture 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store      

Show Summary: Brian, Allison and Jeff are in the studio and sifting through the latest news and happenings. From privacy being a thing of the past to seniors being blamed for Fake News, the TBTS get down deep into the bowels of Smart products from C.E.S. and did I mention the Smart Toilets for about 8 grand? Yes, fittingly, that’s where we found them. Oh my, how about Smart Diapers! Smart Home eco-systems?  Which one is for you or is it too late? I hear you, and so do most of the Smart Assistant devices as well.  So, buckle up for this ride on the That Blind Tech Show Episode 26. And please give a warm welcome to Marlon Parieaho, as he  snuck into the studio for a few laughs. Hey, being around Brian and Allison is alright, but give me a break! Right? No worries, it’s all for fun and fun for all! Check out the topics and links related to the show: Dumbest person of the year in January. Glad we got it out of the way https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/10/blind-woman-told-to-get-off-bus-because-guide-dogs-cant-be-black-8329869/ New study shows people over 65 share the most fake news https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/9/18174631/old-people-fake-news-facebook-share-nyu-princeton City of L.A, sues Weather Channel App over misuse of targeted marketing https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/04/weather-channel-app-data-lawsuit/ Is your TV tracking you? If you own a Vizio it may be. https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/vizio-settlement-moves-forward/ Package tracking app turns users cell phones in to a Bot Farm https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/07/package-tracking-app-turns-users-devices-into-a-bot-farm-violates-user-privacy/ Carriers can sell your location to Bounty Hunters. Boba Fett https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/8/18174024/att-sprint-t-mobile-scandal-phone-location-tracking-black-market-bounty-hunters-privacy-securus Now Tile is partnering with chip makers to embed its location tracking services https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/1/7/18168760/tile-bluetooth-low-energy-item-tracking-ces-2019 So many different smart home plugs will everything be compatible? For https://9to5mac.com/2019/01/07/fibaro-home-center-app-walli-outlets/ Apple Home Kit was the surprise winner of CES 2019 https://www.macworld.com/article/3332023/apple/homekit-ces-2019-siri.html#tk.rss_all  Hey Siri, Flush the toilet! It’s finally coming! https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2019/1/7/hey-siri-flush-the-toilet-homekit-support-for-kohlers-8000-intelligent-toilet` Or if you rather Alexa flush the toilet thanks to Kohler https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/kohler-put-alexa-in-a-toilet-so-happy-new-year/ Samsung is launching a wearable Exoskeleton or as we know it Iron Man! https://techcrunch.com/2019/01/07/samsung-is-launching-a-bunch-of-new-robots-and-a-wearable-exoskeleton/ apple patent hints at smart clothing and smart furniture my parents recliners https://www.appleworld.today/blog/2019/1/10/apple-patent-filings-hint-at-smart-clothing-and-smart-furniture 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store      

Show Summary: Brian Fischler, from That Blind Tech Show, gives a great description and overview of the new 2018 MacAir from Apple. From ports to keyboard and Track Pad gestures, Brian runs through the paces as well as his way of setting up the MacAir with iCloud and sharing across his other Apple devices. Here are some common commands that Brian used throughout the demo: First, the VO reference is the Command and Option keys pressed down. This is always associated with another key or keys pressed down as well. VO+space – Activates an action such as pressing a button, tab, link, etc. VO+ right or left arrow – moves cursor left or right. VO-up or down arrow – moves cursor up or down. VO Shift + D – Go to Desktop VO Shift Down Arrow – interact with item. VO Shift Up Arrow – Stop interacting with item. Tip: VO + K -  Start Keyboard help, type keys to hear their names, hold down the VO keys while typing keys to here Voice Over commands. Press the escape key in the upper left hand corner to stop keyboard help. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: Brian Fischler, from That Blind Tech Show, gives a great description and overview of the new 2018 MacAir from Apple. From ports to keyboard and Track Pad gestures, Brian runs through the paces as well as his way of setting up the MacAir with iCloud and sharing across his other Apple devices. Here are some common commands that Brian used throughout the demo: First, the VO reference is the Command and Option keys pressed down. This is always associated with another key or keys pressed down as well. VO+space – Activates an action such as pressing a button, tab, link, etc. VO+ right or left arrow – moves cursor left or right. VO-up or down arrow – moves cursor up or down. VO Shift + D – Go to Desktop VO Shift Down Arrow – interact with item. VO Shift Up Arrow – Stop interacting with item. Tip: VO + K -  Start Keyboard help, type keys to hear their names, hold down the VO keys while typing keys to here Voice Over commands. Press the escape key in the upper left hand corner to stop keyboard help. 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: Ed and Brian are back together and Jeff just keeps hanging out counting the days. That’s days until New years 2019! The boys hit the studio hard with nothing but true stories and nothing but the facts. Ed and Jeff keep Brian in-line somewhat and maybe Brian is turning over a new leaf? Well, you can decide when you listen to episode #25 of That Blind Tech Show.  We cover Facebook Privacy, if there is any. Jaws, ChromeBooks, PC’s, Macs  and some demos on Verticle Navigation and Voice Recognition in your Amazon Device. And what about Aira Boxing? Yes, it was mentioned here first! Aira Boxing, coming by 2030 or so. We even do a smack down of sorts, pitting the Mac against the PC world. So kick on back and take in the show. There will be a test next week, so you better take some Braille notes. BTW, it’s all true or false, and here on TBTS, you know all the answers are True! Here are some links pertaining to some of the topics from the show: A human heart was left on a Southwest flight. Have you ever left anything important on a flight or in a hotel room? Facebook just keeps continuing to give your info away. Are they to blame what about the companies that received it? Is privacy dead unless you are living in the woods? Amazon promises Apple Music is coming to Third Party Alexa Speakers Apple Patent Describes both Touch and Face ID on the same phone Controversial AI service for flagging risky Babysitter’s gets shut down What was your favorite tech lie of 2018? Kids in 1904 had interesting predictions about the future. What do you think 2019 will bring for accessibility? 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store    

Ed and Brian are back together and Jeff just keeps hanging out counting the days. That’s days until New years 2019! The boys hit the studio hard with nothing but true stories and nothing but the facts. Ed and Jeff keep Brian in-line somewhat and maybe Brian is turning over a new leaf? Well, you can decide when you listen to episode #25 of That Blind Tech Show.  We cover Facebook Privacy, if there is any. Jaws, ChromeBooks, PC’s, Macs  and some demos on Verticle Navigation and Voice Recognition in your Amazon Device. And what about Aira Boxing? Yes, it was mentioned here first! Aira Boxing, coming by 2030 or so. We even do a smack down of sorts, pitting the Mac against the PC world. So kick on back and take in the show. There will be a test next week, so you better take some Braille notes. BTW, it’s all true or false, and here on TBTS, you know all the answers are True! Here are some links pertaining to some of the topics from the show: A human heart was left on a Southwest flight. Have you ever left anything important on a flight or in a hotel room? Facebook just keeps continuing to give your info away. Are they to blame what about the companies that received it? Is privacy dead unless you are living in the woods? Amazon promises Apple Music is coming to Third Party Alexa Speakers Apple Patent Describes both Touch and Face ID on the same phone Controversial AI service for flagging risky Babysitter’s gets shut down What was your favorite tech lie of 2018? Kids in 1904 had interesting predictions about the future. What do you think 2019 will bring for accessibility? 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store    

Show Summary: We are back in the Studio for another podcast and we held nothing back this time! We got a demo here and a demo there. So kick it on back and join Serina, Brian and Jeff on this epicly long TBTS episode filled to the brim, just like your Christmas stockings should be. The nice thing is, you don’t have to wait for Saint Nick! Brian even through in a squeaky chair for all of us to get Grinchy about. Marlon makes a cameo appearance bringing in all that Holiday cheer, oops, I mean, bringing in What’s Pissing Off Brian Now! From all of us here on the show, we wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!   Here are some links to the News and topics from the TBTS show #24: That Blind Tech Show TBTS, has a new Facebook Group! Check them out on Facebook groups, That Blind Tech Show.   Who knew the blind were missing out on Cyber flashing? Starbucks to block porn watching at all of its storescome January  British Cops are building an AI.that flag people for crimes that have not happened yet! The Malware of the future will have A.I.Super Powers. Are we prepared and doing enough to protect ourselves?   Flying for the holidays why not track your flight in i-Messages? You can now say Hey Siri to launch ok Google   Apple Music is now coming to Alexa   Amazon TechTractcould it be the future of OCR Instagram adds new features for the visually impaired. Do you care?   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Show Summary: We are back in the Studio for another podcast and we held nothing back this time! We got a demo here and a demo there. So kick it on back and join Serina, Brian and Jeff on this epicly long TBTS episode filled to the brim, just like your Christmas stockings should be. The nice thing is, you don’t have to wait for Saint Nick! Brian even through in a squeaky chair for all of us to get Grinchy about. Marlon makes a cameo appearance bringing in all that Holiday cheer, oops, I mean, bringing in What’s Pissing Off Brian Now! From all of us here on the show, we wish you all a happy and safe holiday season!   Here are some links to the News and topics from the TBTS show #24: That Blind Tech Show TBTS, has a new Facebook Group! Check them out on Facebook groups, That Blind Tech Show.   Who knew the blind were missing out on Cyber flashing? Starbucks to block porn watching at all of its storescome January British Cops are building an AI.that flag people for crimes that have not happened yet! The Malware of the future will have A.I.Super Powers. Are we prepared and doing enough to protect ourselves?   Flying for the holidays why not track your flight in i-Messages? You can now say Hey Siri to launch ok Google   Apple Music is now coming to Alexa   Amazon TechTractcould it be the future of OCR Instagram adds new features for the visually impaired. Do you care?   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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store

Full Transcript Below: Show Summary: In this Job Insights episode, Serina Gilbert talks about her job interview process and the rejection she experienced and more so about what she learned and gained from the interview process. Serina goes into the details when she found out about a position opening in her work place. How she prepared for each step of the process and what she gained from taking the risk of challenging her self and wanting to stretch her possibilities. Join Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson in this Job Insights episode and learn how landing on the Moon is not so bad when you were shooting for the stars. We hope you enjoy this Job Insights episode and you can send your feedback and suggestions to the Job Insights team by email Follow the Job Insights team on twitter @JobInsightsVIP Job Insights is part of the Blind Abilities network. A big Thank You goes out to CheeChaufor his beautiful music! 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript: Serena Gilbert: Recently, I was presented with an opportunity to apply for a position that was not one level, but two levels above where I'm at right now. I am not joking you guys, there were literally nine people on my interview.   Jeff Thompson: Job Insights, a podcast to help you carve out your career pathway and enhance the opportunities for gainful employment.   Serena Gilbert: You will never know what you can do until you try. Even just the interview process built my confidence up.   Jeff Thompson: To help you navigate the employment world and give you job insights and enhance the opportunities to choose the career you want.   Serena Gilbert: It's a really good experience that helps me see that that interview process, wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be.   Jeff Thompson: You could find the Job Insights podcast on blindAbilities.com. Part of the Blind Abilities network with host Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson. You can contact us by email at jobinsights@blindabilities.com. Leave us some feedback or suggest some topics that we cover on Twitter @jobinsightsvip. Check out the job insight support group on Facebook where you can learn, share, advice and interact with the job insights community.   Serena Gilbert: There's lessons to be learned in every single life experience that we go through. Sometimes they're easier to find, and sometimes they're a little bit harder to look for, especially when it's news that we don't like.   Jeff Thompson: Learn about resources for training, education, and employment opportunities.   Serena Gilbert: Especially you, Jeff. I keep you on your toes.   Jeff Thompson: Now please welcome Serena Gilbert and Jeff Thompson, with job insights will come to job insights. Welcome to Job Insights, I'm Jeff Thompson. We're back with a brand new show with my co-host, Serena Gilbert. Serena, how are you doing?   Serena Gilbert: I'm doing good, Jeff. How are you?   Jeff Thompson: I'm doing really good. I'm glad to be back in the studio with you, and we're going to talk about a topic that's quite personal to you as of late. It's about rejection during a job interview. Serena, I really want to thank you for sharing this with the listeners.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah, it's something we all go through. It's not super fun, but I really wanted to ... Jeff and I talked about this podcast is like our therapy session in a way. So I wanted to take some time to share my experience and also talk about what do we do when we hear no, and when we get a little bit ahead of ourselves when we're looking at, oh my gosh, that'd be really cool to have that opportunity, and how do we make the best of those opportunities.   Jeff Thompson: Yeah, and sometimes opportunities turn into lessons that we learn. What do we gain from them and I'm sure there's a list of stuff that you have gathered lately and are going to use them for in the future. If you don't get out there and try, if you don't challenge yourself, then you're not putting yourself out there. You're not making opportunities so good for you. Some people that have a job, they get complacent and they just want to keep that job, but I think when someone looks at the job and sees that this is not the peak of the mountain, they want to keep climbing a little bit further and you did just that. Good for you.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah, and it's perfectly normal to want to advance your career. Sometimes when we get into the, "Oh my gosh, it was so hard for me to get this job. I'm just happy to be working. I'm happy to be earning an income," we do get a little bit complacent like Jeff said. It's something that I'd like to avoid because if you're not growing and moving forward, then why are we here? I really strongly feel that it's important to advance our skills and abilities, even if it's in our same position or if it's promotional opportunities like the one that I went for a few weeks ago, that Jeff helped me with.   Jeff Thompson: That's right, and I would do it again. Serena, you shot for the stars, landed on the moon. That's not a bad thing. Let's take our listeners back to when all this started.   Serena Gilbert: So why don't we start with my story from the last few weeks, because that's part of the reason we haven't been recording in a while. Right, Jeff? One of us, I don't know who, was a little bit distracted with some things going on. Right, Jeff? That was totally you.   Jeff Thompson: Plus, who had a cold for a while too?   Serena Gilbert: I was sick and then I was feeling better, and then what a month later I was sick again. So that was fun. So for those of you that have been listening to the podcast, you know that I am currently a rehabilitation counselor here in Colorado. Recently I was presented with an opportunity to apply for a position that was not one level, but two levels above where I'm at right now. In our State, we have counselors and then we have supervisors of the counselors and then above that, we have program managers which is middle and high management level positions. So I thought, "You know what? I'm going to try for it, see what happens." If nothing else, this is me showing, hey I would like to at least be considered for upcoming leadership opportunities and get the experience of interviewing on such a different level of the interview process.   Serena Gilbert: It was a little bit intimidating until I was actually sitting there and then I was like, "There's nine people sitting around me." This is awesome, but it's a great experience for what I went through. One thing that happened with me is the position posted early October and they did interviews late October, mid to late October. In that time from when I applied to when I had the interview, as is normal and human nature, I started thinking, "Oh my gosh, what if I get this position? What are the things I want to do? What are some things that would be different for me? How would our life look different," because it would have been a commute for me from where I live up to Denver, which I had already figured out.   Serena Gilbert: I'm a researcher when it comes to at least figuring out what are my options. That in a way made it a little bit harder to take the, "We're sorry, but this isn't quite right for you right now," kind of conversation that was hard with me and that's tricky.   Jeff Thompson: Because you put all that work into it.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah, because you start thinking about it. You know when you apply for that position that you're like, "Oh my gosh, this would be so cool." You start imagining yourself in that position. So in some ways, that's great because it shows that you're really thinking about what you'd like to do with that position, and the goals, and things that you have but then in other ways, it makes that fall a little bit further when you don't hear the news that you wanted to hear.   Jeff Thompson: But you did hear some positive news.   Serena Gilbert: I heard some great news. So I got really good feedback on my interview. It wasn't that I bombed my interview or anything. I was really well prepared. If you guys have listened to other podcasts that we've done on job interviewing and preparing, as you know I researched all kinds of really difficult interview questions that might be asked at the management level. I can answer lots of different questions from the counselor level, but there's a different way that you're looking at and approaching situations when you're interviewing for a management level position. So I did a lot of research with that and I knew that I did not have a lot of the management leadership experience that they would traditionally be looking for in candidates for that position.   Serena Gilbert: So I took it a little bit above and that's just me, and I wrote a little at least two or three pages proposal for what I thought some of the important goals would be for one year, three years, five years down the road in that particular position. I presented that as part of my interview. I got really good feedback on that. I know that that was something that they appreciated, because it shows that you're looking forward and you're not just thinking of the two weeks from now or a month from now. It really just came down to you. I just don't have that experience that they need for such a high-level position running literally an entire unit at this point in time, but the really whole news is the director of my agencies specifically gave me some tips and complimented me on my interview. That really made the blow a little bit easier to take, even though I didn't get the news that I wanted.   Jeff Thompson: What was some of those tips that you got?   Serena Gilbert: It was really just that I needed to develop more management leadership experience. I have some ways that I'm going to go about that and partner with some staff that's within our agency that can be really supportive of that and look forward to the next opportunity down the road because our agencies go in through lots of changes out left and right. There's always changes with any government agency, so I never know what might come about down the road.   Jeff Thompson: There might be a supervisor position opening up.   Serena Gilbert: You never know.   Jeff Thompson: Keep your ears spilled.   Serena Gilbert: I was lucky in my agency that I got that feedback so openly. I didn't even have to request that it was just provided to me by the person that let me know, "Hey, here's what happened and here's the feedback that I have for you." If you're not lucky enough where that feedback it's not just given to you, then just ask. If there was nothing that I learned in the situation that I was just in is that you will never know what you can do until you try and ask for what you want. It definitely built my confidence up, even just that. Even just the interview process built my confidence.   Jeff Thompson: That's great because now you're willing to share that experience with all the listeners here. I listened to you because when you're talking, you're invested in this all the time and I was really rooting for you to take this challenge. You did take the challenge. You got different news, but you're another step forward, I think.   Serena Gilbert: Well, and I left the situation knowing that I literally did everything I possibly could to show my passion for that position. I researched, I talked to stakeholders, I put together that proposal. I prepared for really common interview questions and that they helped, because even if I didn't get asked that exact question, some of the scenarios that I came up with were still applicable to the questions that were asked of me. So I did not leave with any regrets. I don't feel like, "Man, I should've done this better. I should have done that better." I literally put my best foot forward and I'm proud of that, and that's a really good experience that helps me see that that interview process wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it was going to be. Don't get me wrong. It was a hard interview, but I was prepared for it.   Jeff Thompson: Only nine people, huh?   Serena Gilbert: Only nine. There were nine people. I'm not joking you guys, there were literally nine people on my interview.   Jeff Thompson: All in the room?   Serena Gilbert: All in the room, in person. They were all very nice, very supportive. There were many times when we were making jokes and things like that. I never felt like anyone was out to get me, it's never ... That's the thing that I want our listeners to hear is when you come into an interview panel like that, nobody wants to see somebody fall on their face. They want to see you do your best. They want to see you put your best foot forward. One of the people that was interviewing me, saw me when I arrived and said good morning to me. They asked, "How are you doing?" I was like, "I am really nervous." He said, "Don't be nervous. It's just a conversation between friends, and we all want you to do really well." That helped a little.   Jeff Thompson: That was great.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I mean that's how supportive of an environment that I'm lucky enough to have to be in. That's why I'm like, uh. I was sad for a little while, I went through all those stages of no, man. At the end of the day, I really do feel that that's the case, that they really do want to see us succeed.   Jeff Thompson: You're more prepared for next time this opportunity comes up that you decided to take the challenge, and put yourself out there again. You have gone through it once, this won't be your first rodeo?   Serena Gilbert: No.   Jeff Thompson: No.   Serena Gilbert: No. Far from it, you know me. I don't give up.   Jeff Thompson: That's right and it's the tenacity. Now someone that's out there that doesn't have a job to fall back into that is trying and tries again, I've known people who have tried eight, nine times. They keep that tenacity, the move forward and they're gaining from each time and they'll land a job.   Serena Gilbert: It's really important to in my situation I was lucky enough that I'm in the agency. So I don't have, I have no problem. If I wasn't offered the feedback, I had no problem picking up the phone and saying, "Hey, how did I do? I need your honest feedback. I just want to be able to take that to improve the next time I go for something like this." We're not all applying for jobs that are within the agency, or the field that were already working in. So when that happens, I would still say do not hesitate to try to get that feedback from the employer that you interviewed with. You just say, "Hey, totally understand. I'm super grateful for the opportunity to have been able to interview with you, but so that I can move forward and improve upon myself, can you tell me a little bit about what I can improve on. What are maybe some skills and abilities that I need to work on?”   Serena Gilbert: Maybe they'll have some feedback about your interview, and maybe you do have those skills and abilities but had a hard time selling them in the interview room. So that does two things for you. The first is if there were other positions that maybe they thought you might be a good fit for, they might give you a second look because they're like, "Wow, this person really wants to seek some feedback and show that they're able to improve upon themselves." Be humble about it, not angry and bitter about it because yes, that's definitely an emotion that is going to come up, but you don't want the employer to see that ever. Then number two, if there's not an opportunity in that particular company, then use that feedback to improve for the next job interview that you have, and the next after that because there will be lots of them. All you need is one person to say yes.   Jeff Thompson: I got to hand it to you, because that is stressful to go through, put yourself through. I know over the last month that off and on you were talking about it, sending me emails on this and that and the other thing and it was consuming.   Serena Gilbert: That is a little bit of a weakness for me. I do tend to go full on into stuff, like it's either all or nothing with me. I'm either completely and totally committed to it, or I'm just completely and totally disinterested in it and do nothing towards it. So there's no in between for me.   Jeff Thompson: That's a good something to have or to illustrate on your resume. It's a good quality to have because people like to see finishers. People who go into something, invest into it and see it through. I know you gave 110% on this and I know it must have hit hard. When you got the news, how did you gather yourself after that? I mean you had to take a few minutes to just reflect.   Serena Gilbert: It was kind of, it's going to sound really weird, but it was nice in a way. So I interviewed on a Tuesday at 9:00 AM. I knew by the following day, literally the next day at 9:00 AM that I did not get the position. I was at work, there was a handful of friends at work that knew what I was up to and helped me prepare and things like that. So I immediately went and chatted with them and I was like, I'm okay with it because they did tell me the individual that got it, and that person was well deserving of it. Think that person will do a fantastic job, and there was truly no hard feelings. It's still just the, "Man, I went for it and I didn't get it." It's not like I was truly slighted I guess is not the right word, because I knew even in the back of my mind, I was always telling everyone, "This is going to be a long shot, this is going to be a long shot."   Serena Gilbert: As I prepared more and more forward, I was like "Maybe it's more reachable. Maybe it's more, maybe it's more realistic than I think." Then you get in your head. Really what helped me a lot is being able to chat with friends and reflect upon the feedback that I got that truly was really positive, and that helped during the work day. Then that night, I got home, and you start to ruminate about things. I had my little, I call it a blue funk for just that night. The next day was perfectly fine. I think that that's okay to go through that and be like, "I don't really want to talk to anyone right now for a few hours. I'm just going to go, listen to an audio book for a few hours. Just escape for a little while." That's okay. That's where I usually go when I need to regroup and things like that. This was almost a week ago now and I'm not letting it keep me down.   Jeff Thompson: Serena, with this experience that you just went through, does any of this help you at your current job that you're doing today? Does any of this roll over into it?   Serena Gilbert: With the position that I applied for is management level, so you're looking at things from a much more strategic perspective. I'm starting to look back and look at the job that I'm doing and starting to think, "How can I do this better? What are some strategic things I can do to expand what I'm already doing in my current role, and also serve the clients that I'm working with a little bit better?" Just look at that from more of that leadership slant on things, as opposed to just being the counselor. I think that that's going to help me down the road when it comes to being able to demonstrate some of that leadership experience. So it's just changed my perspective a little bit, because I put a little bit of a different hat on when I was looking for getting into that opportunity.   Jeff Thompson: So all that work and all that studying, and all the questions that you went through and research that you did may be paying off today.   Serena Gilbert: Yes sir. Darned schooling.   Jeff Thompson: I tell you. That's the trouble with students, they lack education.   Serena Gilbert: Just can't stop learning. Jeff, have you ever gone through some disappointments with a job search or business opportunities you were hoping to get into?   Jeff Thompson: Of course there has been. There's been positions like even in the workforce when you want to move up a step, or a grade, or ask for a raise, or do something. You challenge yourself and you put yourself into that, to go into your supervisor's office or like you did. You went into a job interview with a panel of people talking to you. To go into those situations, you have to be thinking about yourself, putting your best foot forward. When it doesn't happen, you have to walk back out to where you were and do the best you can. Typically like you did, you improve upon what you're doing, and you take on extra steps, and other people will notice. I'm glad people noticed and gave you some good feedback in your situation as well.   Serena Gilbert: I think it's important. One thing you just said is that other people will notice. People are watching you. When you have that kind of thing happen, people are watching what your reaction is going to be. Especially if you're already in the workplace, and you had gotten from promotion like we were talking about. If you react poorly and speak negatively of the individual that got the position, or down the road start talking negatively about that particular person, people are going to take note of that. They're going to start to wonder, "Well, how are they going to react if things don't go their way in the future?" They're going to fill in the gaps. They're not going to let you have that opportunity to demonstrate or show them, because they're going to look at your historical behavior.   Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Earlier episodes we've talked about what they're really looking for. One of the key things they're looking for is someone who fits the culture. Someone who is a team player and even though you're doing a job interview, it's always related. It's always 100%, you're on the clock. I mean there's no, that was during this situation. No, they'd look in at a comprehensive view of you whether your  in this situation, the other situation, they want team players and there's no room for negativity. Did I say that word right?   Serena Gilbert: Did you say negatitivity?   Jeff Thompson: I think I did.   Serena Gilbert: We're totally leaving that in there.   Jeff Thompson: There's no room for negativity.   Serena Gilbert: Yes, there you go. Good save.   Jeff Thompson: Well Serena, I'm glad you went through this experience and I'm glad you took from it and came out of it with a great positive, and you're willing to come back here. It's only been a week and you're here talking about it. So I think this was really good experience for you.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah, I think so. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not going anywhere. When I got into working for Vocational Rehabilitation, I already decided, and I even said this in my interview. I was like, I don't know if there's a really nice way to say this. I didn't want to say I'm an old timer or whatever, but I was like, "I'm not going anywhere." I plan on retiring from Vocational Rehabilitation, so this is a position or an opportunity that I'm committed to and that's why went for this opportunity, because I see myself being able to contribute to the agency on a little bit more strategic and larger scale. Not that I don't like my counseling job. I love it, but there's other ways that you can also contribute in that position.   Jeff Thompson: I think it's really good. Here you're the host of Job Insights and usually talking about people going out and doing what you just did. So you actually experienced exactly what we've been talking about, and you're going to bring back this information and you're going to carry it with you. So like you said earlier, we both have been talking about it. The experience you gained from these, even though it doesn't come out the way you want it, there's so many little gems in there that you can take with you that enhances your job that you're in right now, and your opportunities for the future.   Serena Gilbert: Yeah and not to sound too cheesy, but there's lessons to be learned in every single life experience that we go through. Sometimes they're easier to find, and sometimes they're a little bit harder to look for especially when it's new is that we don't like. Having that true growth comes from looking at, well what lesson can I learn here? How can I improve? What can I do better the next time?   Jeff Thompson: That's good and I'm glad you came back and talked about it.   Serena Gilbert: I honestly want to take the time too to thank all of the people out there that helped support me from that first day when that job was posted, and I sent all these frantic text messages out saying, "Oh my God, that position's posted. I thought I had time to think about it. What do I do?" Every single person that surrounded me said, "Go for it. Try it. I support you." I had lots of people offer to write me letters of recommendation, and I just really appreciate every single one of you guys. I thank you for encouraging me and lifting me up to go for that opportunity.   Jeff Thompson: You did a great job.   Serena Gilbert: Especially you, Jeff and Pete from the Blind Abilities team.   Jeff Thompson: Well, it's not hard to speak highly of you because you do such a great job.   Serena Gilbert: I keep you on your toes.   Jeff Thompson: Yes you do. Yes you do. Well I want to thank all of you for coming on the Job Insights. You can check out more of the Jobs Insights on the Blind Abilities website, that's at www.blindabilities. com and follow us on Twitter @jobinsightsvip.   Serena Gilbert: Well, don't forget about our Job Insights Facebook page and Facebook support group, and you can also follow me on @BlindyBlog that's on Twitter and Facebook.   Jeff Thompson: And @KnownAsJeff on Twitter for myself. A big thank you to Chee Chau for his beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. I want to thank you all for listening, we hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye bye.   [Music]  [Transition noise] When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com. On Twitter @BlindAbilities. Download our app from the app store, Blind Abilities, that's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.      

show Summary:  That Blind Tech Show comes out fighting and takes on Spiders, a Messenger and what got into those earphones? The largely anticipated Apple event came early, and boy did Brian take notice. But due to his ability to dig down deep into the news and posts he filled the outline with all that mattered and was joined by Allison, Serina and Jeff to bring you a fun filled, informative and down-right explosive show. That is if you store your dynamite in the candle box. And by the way, the Air is back with the Mac Mini and some iPad pro’s that are on steroids. At least it seems like that. We talk about Audio description and Roy Samuelson makes a brief appearance to talk about his start in the Audio describing business. I can’t go on as I got to get this posted before the Apple Air Power is launched. Oh wait, tha’ts probably not until 2023. Keep your fingers crossed. You can find links to the topics and products mentioned in the cast below: Man sets fire to his home trying to kill spiders Facebook rolling out simplified interface for Messenger. Get ready for an explosion of Alexa enabled headphones. Apple has brought the Mac Air Back to life today! Mac Mini 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store  

show Summary:   That Blind Tech Show comes out fighting and takes on Spiders, a Messenger and what got into those earphones? The largely anticipated Apple event came early, and boy did Brian take notice. But due to his ability to dig down deep into the news and posts he filled the outline with all that mattered and was joined by Allison, Serina and Jeff to bring you a fun filled, informative and down-right explosive show. That is if you store your dynamite in the candle box. And by the way, the Air is back with the Mac Mini and some iPad pro’s that are on steroids. At least it seems like that. We talk about Audio description and Roy Samuelson makes a brief appearance to talk about his start in the Audio describing business. I can’t go on as I got to get this posted before the Apple Air Power is launched. Oh wait, tha’ts probably not until 2023. Keep your fingers crossed. You can find links to the topics and products mentioned in the cast below: Man sets fire to his home trying to kill spiders Facebook rolling out simplified interface for Messenger. Get ready for an explosion of Alexa enabled headphones. Apple has brought the Mac Air Back to life today! Mac Mini 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.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store  

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) October 11 is White Cane Day in Minnesota and the Blindness community came out strong to support the awareness of the White Cane. Speakers shared the history of White Cane day and others talked about the freedom and independence the white cane brings to them. The Minnesota State Academy for the Blind shared their voices and sang aloud in the Capital’s Rotundra. With the support of the local Lions Clubs, MSAB, NFB of MN and Blind, Inc. the White Cane Day event was a great event with a lot of participation. From joining in on the song to marching in the walk from the St. Paul Capital to the St. Paul Cathedral and bac, participants chatted and talked while blazing through the chilly and windy Autumn day in Minnesota. As Carol Pankow put it, “Rain, sleet or snow, we do it and the weather doesn’t stop us. We just keep moving and grooving with life. You can find out more about MSAB on the web. http://msab.msa.state.mn.us Check out the NFB of MN on the web at www.NFBMn.org http://members.tcq.net/nfbmn/ And be sure to see what opportunities and events are happening at Blind, Inc. on the web at https://www.blindinc.org And check out your local Lions Club and see what they are doing in your community.   Thanks 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript: What Does White Cane Day Mean to You? Voices at the Capital 2018 John Jasinski: So, on behalf of governor Mark Dayton, I have a proclamation.   Alycia Howard: Hi, I am Alycia Howard.   Brian Daniels: My name's Brian Daniels. I'm the representative from the Faribault area.   Holly Nordmeyer: My name is Holly Nordmeyer. I'm from the Minnesota State Academies.   John Jasinski: So, what does White Cane Day mean to me? My name is Senator John Jasinski. I'm from district 24 where the Minnesota Academies have a facility. So, I believe it's important to raise the awareness on White Cane Day and what it is and making sure that the people with disabilities, blind disabilities are safe on their streets in a safe area so they can walk and navigate through our communities.   Trume: My name is Trume and I feel like coming to White Cane Day means a lot because I know that I ... Although I've been blind for a really long time, I can still use my resources to my advantage.   Kristina T.: My name is Kristina Tinason. I am a teacher for the blind and visually impaired and I come today to celebrate equality and just awareness in general. White Cane Safety Day.   Quinn H.: My name is Quinn Hobble. I come to White Cane Day because being blind myself, I have seen just how much the long white cane gives me freedom and being a contract worker for the state of Minnesota teaching cane travel, I get to see how much freedom the long white cane gives each and every one of my students on a daily basis.   Sheila K.: My name is Sheila Koenig. I'm the transition coordinator at State Services for the Blind and I come to White Cane Day because it's a gathering of blind people from all over the state and we're here to show that we have a voice and a presence. I think it's amazing to kick off the program at the state capital, which is a place that really symbolizes people's voices.   Ryan Strunk: Back in 1928 I believe it was, we passed a resolution that said that we were approving a new travel device for getting safely across the street. And that new travel device was a whistle. The idea was you'd come up to the curb and you'd pull out your whistle and you would blow on your whistle until somebody heard you and came out and you would say, can you please help me across the street?   Eva: I'm Eva. White Cane Day is spreading awareness about blindness and the use of the canes and who we are and that we are out there.   Brian Daniels: My name's Brian Daniels. I'm the representative from the Faribault area. I've been in the legislature for four years and I have to tell you, this White Cane event I think is the best of all our functions that we have. It's showing that people are not disabled if they're blind or disabled in different way, and I love that. I love the school they have down in Faribault. They do a good job for all of our kids and I'm just proud to represent this area.   Carol Pankow: I'm Carol Pankow, Director of State Services for the Blind. Well, White Cane Day, I think, and I love it especially today because it's crappy out, the weather's crazy, but it's just representative of what people go through every single day. Whether it's rain, sleet, snow, beautiful weather, there are people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf-blind, all around this country going out, doing their thing. They're working, they're going to school, they're making it happen and they don't just stay in 'cause the weather got bad. You can't. You gotta keep moving and grooving with your life. So, I just think this day is really representative of all things that ... It's like another day, but it symbolizes what blind, visually impaired and deaf-blind people stand for and that they're able to go out and move around with confidence and do their thing and live their life.   Greg Smith: I'm Greg Smith and I'm here with a group of students from South High School and we're coming just to celebrate the freedom that the white canes provide the students and their independent. We think this is a great event.   Nick: My name is Nick. I come to White Cane Day because it's nice to see that there are other people that are visually impaired like me.   Ryan Strunk: Even though we had this idea in mind that it was now National White Cane Safety Day on October 15th, the public still wasn't always cool with it. You'd walk into a shop that sold glassware with your cane and you could be kicked out or you'd walk into a restaurant with your guide dog and you could be kicked out and so we started fighting across all 50 states to make sure that we had the right to participate.   Nadia: Hi, my name is Nadia and I'm a student at BLIND, Inc. What White Cane Day means to me is that this is a day of pride of us using our white cane. Our white cane shows that we can go anywhere and we're not scared to do anything out in the public. It's a symbol for people to know that we're out here doing our thing just like they are. I love using my white cane every day. I have so much pride in using it and I'm so glad that today we get to celebrate a day like this.   Jeff Thompson: Raise your canes.   Nadia: Oh, that'd be cool. I'm open to that.   Speaker 16: Yeah. I think today is really just good about for the public awareness of people ...   Nadia: I know, yeah.   Speaker 16: There's a lot of people in the general public ...   Nadia: They don't understand it.   Speaker 16: But no. They don't know anyone who's blind, so they're not really exposed to it. So, I think today is just really good ... It's a good day to just, yeah. Kind of makeup. This is one person.   Nadia: Right.   Speaker 17: It's like a chance to stand out from the crowd and understand that even though we're visually impaired or blind, we can still do whatever we set our mind to do.   Anya Swenson: My name is Anya Swenson and I come here to raise awareness about safety and about this important issue.   Ryan Strunk: Because that white came is not only a symbol of who we are, but it is at the core of what makes us independent.   Josie Lion: Hi, like John Davis said, my name is Josie Lion. I found about ... My disability about four years ago in Oklahoma and sadly Oklahoma doesn't have a lot of support, so I didn't really get my cane until about two years ago when I moved here. So, when I was in Oklahoma I was afraid and scared 'cause I didn't have anything to help me figure out what to do. So, I was not social. I was not getting good things. I was just ... I just lived in my own little room, kind of like a hermit crab. When I got here to Minnesota, I got my cane. I felt more positive and I felt more social. I finally went to my first party. So, finally did clubs after school. I finally made friends and actually did things with them and I wouldn't be able to if it wasn't for my white cane.   Kristen O.: Hi. I'm Kristen Orien, state specialist for the blind and visually impaired for the Minnesota Department of Education and I come to White Cane Day to celebrate independent travel.   Terry Wilding: Hello, my name is Terry Wilding. I'm not blind, but I am deaf. What I see for White Cane Day means what we can do to spread awareness about what our students need. The State Academy is what the blind community needs. How we can better advocate for more legislation and changes within our communities as well as changing the culture so that way people are aware of us and willing to work with us from this point forward.   Brent: My names Brent. I'm a new student. I've only attended BLIND, Inc. for about a month now.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, good for you.   Brent: I am from Hastings, Minnesota. White Cane Day means to me that it's a chance for everybody out in the big city and everywhere just to understand that there are visually impaired and blind people out there who deserve to be respected for their blindness, treated fairly just as anybody else and when it comes to street crossings and everything, they're just real willing to ...   Jeff Thompson: At least slow down a little bit, right?   Brent: At least slow down or give us the opportunity to cross. Yeah, yeah.   John Jasinski: Blind pedestrians have the right of way. Any person operating a motor vehicle in this state shall bring such motor vehicle to a stop and give the right away at any intersection of any street, avenue, alley, or other public highway to a blind pedestrian who was carrying a cane, predominantly white, metallic in color, or with or without a red tip or using a guide dog.   Jenny P.: My name is Jenny Pelletier. I'm the music therapist at MSAB and we're excited to be here with all these other folks from Minnesota and celebrate today.   Dan Wenzel: Dan Wenzel. I'm the Executive Director of Blindness: Learning in New Dimensions, BLIND, Incorporated. Love to be here. I think that White Cane Day means to me independence, but also a chance for us to get together as blind people and show the capabilities that we have. So, look forward to getting out there and walking with my friends.   Beth: Beth. I come to White Cane Day because I work with two students that are legally blind and it gives me an opportunity to see other students and how capable they can be.   Alycia Howard: Hi, I am Alycia Howard and to me White Cane Day means a celebration of independence and a celebration of how the long white cane has impacted not only the blind community but how sighted people perceive the blind community and just the positive light that White Cane Day sheds on that.   John Davis: Hi, this is John Davis. I'm the Director at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind and what White Cane Day means to me, it's an opportunity to share and bring forth the importance of white cane awareness and for people to understand that when they're out driving that they need to be aware of individuals that have either a white cane or a guide dog and that they follow the rules of law, which means that they provide the right away for those individuals so that they can travel safely and those in the vehicles can travel safely as well. It also means that ... For our students in our academy, that white cane means that freedom to be able to get out and just participate in life like everybody else.   Isaac: My name is Isaac. I'm currently an intern student at BLIND, Inc. I'm student teaching there, hoping to obtain NOMC, which is the National Orientation and Mobility Certification. I think it's really great thing that they do here and it's good to get everyone out in the community.   Holly Nordmeyer: My name is Holly Nordmeyer. I'm from the Minnesota State Academies and I'm the Orientation Mobility Instructor and I'm also a teacher for the blind and visually impaired. Well, White Cane Day, for me, it's independence. It's recognition for our students. I mean, our students are a minority in the population overall. To me, it's a time for them to get together and meet other people that are cane travelers and travel at whatever level of skill that they have and show off those skills and let all the drivers out there know that there are white canes and to let the public know what the white cane law means. It means a lot to me.   Dan Wenzel: A lot of people talk about safety, but for me it also means opportunity. An opportunity to explore the world. An opportunity to get out there with our canes and our dogs and make a difference.   Betsy S.: I'm Betsy Shallbetter. I'm a teacher at the Academy for the Blind. White Cane Day means a whole lot to me as it has made a difference in my community. Whenever we do the walk in Faribault, Minnesota people start to pay attention.   Dan Wenzel: For me, it means participation. A chance through action to show the abilities of blind people as we go and live the lives we want.   Brittany T.: My name is Brittany Thomforde. I am the Director of Special Ed at the State Academies and this is my first White Cane Day.   Jeff Thompson: Your first?   Brittany T.: My first. I've never participated in a White Cane Day.   Jeff Thompson: Well, welcome.   Brittany T.: I'm really excited to see how this event works and see all the students and adults and teachers and staff and I'm excited to cheer everybody on. I'm the first one down at the end of the steps today, so I'm excited to do that.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, so they get a job for ya?   Brittany T.: I have a job. I chose to volunteer today.   Jeff Thompson: There you go.   John Jasinski: So, on behalf of Governor Mark Dayton. I have a proclamation.   Samantha: Hi, I'm Samantha and I think that the white cane is very important because to so many people it's such a symbol of independence.   John Jasinski: Whereas there are estimated 63,000 Minnesotans who are blind or visually impaired, many of them who've traveled with white canes.   Samantha: I know, for me, I've been blind my whole life. I've never not used a cane. I know a lot of kids sort of reject it and don't wanna be seen with it, but to me, I never felt safe traveling without one.   John Jasinski: And whereas the need for the orientation and mobility services and White Cane Safety awareness will continue to grow and remain vital to the educational, vocational and recreational needs of all Minnesotans who are blind or visually impaired.   Samantha: To me, it's always been a big deal. My mom is blind as well. I was using a cane from the time I could walk. I was walking around conventions and stuff when I was two with the canes.   John Jasinski: And whereas the Minnesota Department of Education and Minnesota Public Schools support educational outcomes for all children.   Samantha: Always been something I have had and I think it's something that it's important that people realize it's sort of a symbol of independence rather than a stigmatized symbol of needing assistance. I think there's an important distinction there.   John Jasinski: Now therefore, I, John Jasinski, on behalf of Governor Mark Dayton, do hereby proclaim Thursday, October 11th, 2018 as White Cane Safety Awareness Day.   Jennifer Pelletier: Our students at the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind have been working on composing a song in the last few weeks. Many of them have had the opportunity to put some thoughts together about what White Cane Day means to them. We talked about what it was like to use a white cane for the first time. We read the white cane law and had a little bit of discussion about that.   Ryan Strunk: So, as you walk today, as you stride out around the Capitol, down the streets, be proud of your white cane. Tap that white cane and let everybody know that we are here, we are not going anywhere and we are proud of who we are. Thank you ladies and gentlemen.   Kristen Oien: All right. Hello everyone. I'm Kristen [Oien, I would like to send out a special thank you to Holly Nordmeyer and Michelle Gip for helping arrange this awesome day. So, let's give them all a round of applause. I'd also like to thank all of our volunteers who will be along the route if you have some ...  

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) On White Cane Day, Blind Abilities is proud to bring you part 2 of Dr. Amy Kavanagh: Accepting the Cane and Guide Dog Possibilities. Amy has adjusted to her limited vision since she was born and when it came time for the White cane, she thought it was for other people to understand or recognize that she doesn’t see very well. Never thinking she needed a cane for her own good and never thought about using a Guide Dog.   This all changed when she made a couple of phone calls to GuideDogsUK – it was life changing! Her new-found independence and her ability to gain so much information from the White Cane was revolutionary and put to ease some of the constant struggles that held her back from reaching her full potential.   Join Dr. Amy Kavanagh and Jeff Thompson as they explore Amy’s long road toward accepting the cane and her introduction to GuideDogsUK.   Stay tuned for the next episode in this 3-part series with Dr. Amy Kavanagh’s journey and her revolations when she accepted her blindness. Check out Part 1 - Just Ask Don’t Grab – Meet Dr. Amy Kavanagh, Blogger, Activist, and Volunteer with a Message - #JustAskDontGrab Contacts: If you want to learn more about GuideDogsUK, check out the web site at http://www.guidedogsuk.co.uk   You can follow Amy on Twitter @BlondeHistorianand follow her blog, Cane Adventureson the web.   A very big Thank You to Chee Chaufor your beautiful music!   Thanks 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 Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript:   Amy Kavanaugh: Somebody said to me, "Oh Guide Dogs, they do the long cane training, why don't you contact them?" So I was like well, you know, whatever I'll try, I guess. And I sent off an email and I had a phone conversation that frankly changed my life. Jeff Thompson: Dr. Amy Kavanagh. Amy Kavanaugh: It's like I've now got this new sense that is tactile and teaches me about the world, that I just realized how much information I was missing out on. Jeff Thompson: Accepting the cane, and the possibilities, at Guide Dogs UK. Amy Kavanaugh: I used to, you know, feel my way with my feet doing like a little penguin shuffle everywhere. I'm opening up and doing proper steps now that I have a cane. Jeff Thompson: From realizing that the cane was just not a symbol for others, but a tool to navigate the world around her. Amy Kavanaugh: Yes, I'm on a waiting list. So you know, I'm good friends with my cane. I'm always going to be super big pals with my white cane. Muddling along for now, I'm getting my independence back, that's the main thing. I can wait, it's okay. I don't mind. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. In part-two of this three-part series with Dr. Amy Kavanagh, Amy talks about her discovery of the white cane and her introduction to Guide Dogs UK. Be sure to check out the first part of this three-part series titled "Just Ask, Don't Grab" and stay tuned for the third part of this series with Dr. Amy Kavanagh, where Amy takes a look at her journey and the revelations she's found once she accepted her blindness. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the app store and the Google play store, and check out the Blind Abilities skill on your Amazon device by saying, "Enable Blind Abilities." Jeff Thompson: So without further ado, here's Dr. Amy Kavanagh. We hope you enjoy. Amy Kavanaugh: It's so silly, I get like really emotional. Jeff Thompson: And as we left off from part one. Jeff Thompson: Creating hash tags is not your only occupation! Amy Kavanaugh: No! Well it feels like full-time at the moment. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, it's great. And you have a blog, and I saw your Cane Adventures blog, which is a great blog I love your reading, and I got hooked up on this one about guide dogs. Can you explain about the guide dog situation that you're... You're in wait, aren't you? Amy Kavanaugh: Yes, I'm on a waiting list. So, Cane Adventures is a blog, and a recent post that I did, which is really important to me actually to get that message out there, is all about my experience with Guide Dogs UK. Amy Kavanaugh: So Guide Dogs in the UK is the equivalent of the seeing eye dogs in the States. And as far as I understand, it's a slightly different setup in that I believe in the States there are lots of different schools where you can get different types of seeing eye dog or assistance dog. In the UK, it's mainly this one big charity for visually impaired people. Guide Dogs are the providers of seeing eye dogs for the blind. That's our main one. I think there's a few others, people who have perhaps dual sensory loss, and there are definitely growing charities for autism assistance dogs, dogs for deaf people, medical alert dogs. America is definitely I think leading the way in assistance dogs, and the UK is playing catch up a bit. Amy Kavanaugh: But we do have a good solid old, since World War two, institution in Guide Dogs. It is very well known to all British people and it kinds of helps a bit. I think I've spoken to a few friends online that have seeing eye dogs and the different schools mean that sometimes harnesses are different, the rules are different in different states about access and stuff. Whereas in the UK it's a little bit more kind of universal, there is one look of the harness and types of dogs that Guide Dogs use. So it's kind of very consistent brand. Amy Kavanaugh: Anyway so my experience with, again, through social media I desperately wanted training with the long cane because I knew that it was something that would help me. And mainly I thought it would help me by being a symbol, being a symbol of my visual impairment. I commute through central London, it's extremely busy, it's a city of like 8 million plus people. I go in and out of one of the busiest stations in the city, 200,000 people a day use the station that I use. It feels like they all use them at the time that I'm using it. And I thought well I'll get this white cane, I guess I'm kind of a blind person, I'll use this white cane thing. And I thought it was just going to be for a symbol of showing people that I'm disabled, but now I know it's much more. Amy Kavanaugh: Anyway, I was trying to find out how I could access the training, and in the UK, again, this training is normally provided through your local social services. Based on where you live, your council, or kind of your local municipal area will have a team of social workers who provide training and assistance as part of our local government. Unfortunately our government currently has slashed the budgets to these social workers, and they are massively overwhelmed, underfunded, and did not have the resource to train me appropriately. I really struggled to access it. Amy Kavanaugh: So as many people are unfortunately having to do in the UK, I turned to a charitable organization for support, and somebody said to me, "Oh Guide Dogs, they do the long cane training, why don't you contact them?" So I was like well, you know, whatever. I can try, I guess. And I sent off an email and I had a phone conversation that frankly changed my life. Jeff Thompson: Really? Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah. I had a lady phone up and say to me "I'm calling from Guide Dogs; can you tell me a bit about yourself?" And this was like a pretty low point in my life and it just spilled out of me. I think, much like you Jeff, I ranted on the phone to her about everything I was struggling with and was finally kind of honest with myself about what I was finding hard as well. And she just listened, she just listened, and she didn't do what so many do many people do with the kind of platitudes of, "Oh well you'll be fine," blah blah blah "Oh I'm sure you'll be alright." She just listened and she said "You're struggling. You are struggling. You need some help." And for someone to say that to me, to recognize it, was so powerful. I am a crier and I cried on the phone at this complete stranger, and I even get wobbly talking about it now, if I'm honest. Jeff Thompson: Well struggling is a hidden emotion kind of. Like no one sees it, you're just scared to make moves, kind of. Amy Kavanaugh: Yes, and you feel it very strongly but it's often inside, right. It's in your head. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, indecisiveness and yeah. Amy Kavanaugh: And for someone to A, be able to recognize it just over the phone, to hear someone and to go, "I know what this person's going through. I know what that is." To see it, and to hear it, and to say, "We can help you." It was incredible. It's just so silly, I get like really emotional. Jeff Thompson: I'm going there with you, I'm going there with you, I know what it's like. Jeff Thompson: You mentioned something earlier, it was ... As my mind goes blank as I was just drifting off into that thought ... When you said you were going to get the cane for a symbol, I use the scarlet letter B, like I'm blind or the cane tells everybody, "Hey, hey I'm blind. I'm visually impaired, look out." So that's going to help you, but did you accept it that you needed the cane? Amy Kavanaugh: I mean, not for 28 years, no. Jeff Thompson: Just 28. Amy Kavanaugh: Just 28, yeah. Jeff Thompson: It's great that, it's kind of ... I'll use the word amazing myself, or ironic would be the better word ... that you called Guide Dogs UK, and they got you to get mobility training with the cane. Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: Was that like, whoa, wait a second. Was that a moment? Amy Kavanaugh: Oh, for sure. So I made that phone call, that first phone call, and had that lovely conversation where, as I've done on this call, I cried. And they said, "Oh we'll have someone come to your house and see you." And this was still ... I did have my job by that point because I was still ... The first few months of my job I had learned my way, and luckily where I work is very close to my first university and also to the big British library where I used to do all my research. Amy Kavanaugh: So I was like right, I've got that down, I can do that, that's okay. And I knew my sight was getting worse, and I did have that confirmed recently that my uncorrected vision is worse, down to the sort of 6/6 state which in the UK is what you would consider registered blind. But we did, annoyingly but also sensibly, your registration is based on your corrected vision. They take it from my glasses even though they become redundant sometimes because of stuff. Amy Kavanaugh: Anyway getting besides the point, at that point I went to work, I came home from work, I didn't leave the house without my partner, that was it. Like the only thing I was doing on my own, and mostly ending up in tears and then kind of hiding it a bit at work, was my commute to work. That was the only journey I did on my own and that was, I thought I was ... Two months in I thought, "I'm going to have to quit. I'm going to have to ... I can't do this. I can't do this." I couldn't even go to the local shop by myself anymore and just, I would come home from having traveled on the underground and just cry, and cry because I'd been frightened and pushed by people. Amy Kavanaugh: London traveling, as you may have experienced if you've been to London, we're not the most patient and polite of travelers. And we push, and we pull, and we get a bit grumpy in the underground stations. And with no visible indication I had a disability, when I was bumping into people, or classically you know the train spaces are very small? Because the tunnels were made for Victorians, and the main line I use is one of the really old ones, so the trains are super small and they get very, very crowded and you are like face to armpit with people and there's no air conditioning. Jeff Thompson: Thanks for that imagery of face to armpit. Amy Kavanaugh: It is! You are, I'm like 5' 2" so I am always face to armpit with someone. Amy Kavanaugh: When people move in busy environments, even though I've got this residual vision it just blurs to me because it's just such, so dense and so much information my brain can't process it. So people would move, and move down the carriage, and I just wouldn't see that there was a space there. And people would push me and get really grumpy and like, "Oh come on move, move, move." And I just would cry when I got home because I used to think "I can't see, people get so angry with me because I can't see that they've moved." And so when I had this first meeting with a mobility officer, I'd had to go part-time at work because I just wasn't managing the journey, it was too much. My anxiety was just going through the ceiling, I was having panic attacks on the trains and having to get off [inaudible 00:11:12]. Amy Kavanaugh: And I had a symbol cane in the UK, so it's like a little short one, I think you call it an ID cane sometimes. So you don't actually use it for mobility, you just kind of hold it. I do think they're kind of pointless, I know that's slightly controversial but people don't really get what it is and so they still don't really react properly because it's like, "Why has that lady got like an orchestral baton that's white?" So I wanted to use a longer cane because I knew people would understand what that was. Amy Kavanaugh: And Tommy, my mobility officer, he came, and he did a whole great big like three-hour chat with me at home, and I sobbed all over him, like honestly like a big ugly crying, because he was so nice. And again, much as I've rambled on for you, he asked me like, "Oh you know, what are you finding hard?" and it just spilled out of me for like and hour I just talked at him, I was just like, "Oh my .... You know ... This is, I can't go to the shops, I can't ... I'm so frightened, I keep falling over, I can't manage, I can't do this, I don't know what to do, I can't have my job ..." And just he said at the end of this tirade that I'd put in his direction, "That sounds hard." And it's just three ... See here I go again. Just three words but they made such a different because again, it was somebody listening, and somebody seeing me struggle, and somebody hearing me say, "I can't do this." Jeff Thompson: And both times you communicated with Guide Dogs UK, they listened. Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah, and it was radical because I'd had, like I said, I had that whole experience of asking for help previously and people saying, "No." Amy Kavanaugh: At university, we have a scheme in the UK where you can get a travel pass that is free if you're disabled and you can use trains and buses and things for free at certain times of day, and I applied for that like four times and they kept rejecting me. And I think we all, as disabled people, experience that bureaucracy where they say, "You're not enough, you're not disabled enough. You don't deserve the parking permit. You don't deserve the extra time in exams. You're disabled, but you're not disabled enough for us to help you." And it was the first time really in my life someone had said, "We'll help you. You don't have to prove yourself to us. You don't have to fill out forms. You don't have to do a test. We believe you, and we're listening to you." Jeff Thompson: Can you explain, calling them with the expectation of getting a guide dog but now they're going to hand you a cane. A lot of people don't understand that having a guide dog, you still need good mobility skills. Amy Kavanaugh: Well I didn't think I'd be allowed the dog, and this is why I'd never, ever contacted them as an organization because I thought, "Well they won't give me a dog, that's only for the totally blind people." So I did call them asking for help with the cane and they said, "Yeah, no we can do that, that's no problem." So I was just so grateful for that, totally. But then as the application process went through, where we were talking and that first conversation in person with this mobility office, where he was talking about, "Yeah, a cane will help with this stuff." He said, you know "What about the dog though?" And I said, "Well I can't have a ... I can't have a dog, I'm not allowed a dog." He was like "Why, why would you not be ... You're registered visually impaired." And I said, "But I can ... I can see your face, I can see your glasses, and your ... I'm not allowed a dog." And he said, "Well, let's just see how we get on with that." Amy Kavanaugh: And so he ordered me a cane, started teaching me how to use it, and that ... Oh my ... It's so hard to describe to people. I, like I say, I thought it was just going to be a stick I was waving that meant people could see me, right? That's all I thought it was for. It is like having another sense. It's like I've now got this new sense that is tactile and teaches me about the world, that I just realized how much information I was missing out on. And it's almost like it helps me see the world better. Amy Kavanaugh: And it's so hard to explain that to people who don't use a cane, but every little vibration, every little movement, every tap, it gives you something. It gives you that information and especially I think as well for me, where I do have my residual vision. That blurry path in front of me, I suddenly know where the crack in the pavement is. And I suddenly know where the curb is and it's like, it's like someone's turned up the volume on my life, using a cane. And I get so much balance from it, I know you don't use it to prop yourself up, but simply the information that it gives me enables me to be more balanced. Amy Kavanaugh: It's just so revolutionary that I wished I'd been using it for ten years, so yeah, I'm glad I am using it now. My cane anniversary was last Monday so, it's a year and week old. Jeff Thompson: Well congratulations on that, that's a bit of freedom right there. Jeff Thompson: Now with your experience with the guide dog, getting some introduction to it, that might be a whole nother revelation. Amy Kavanaugh: Well yeah, I've done a little bit of working with dogs. So after we started the whole process with the cane training, and the mobility training, and all of that stuff, my mobility officer Tommy gradually introduced this concept of applying for the dog. And he said, "Why don't we just do it. why don't we just go through it, and then we can see where we go from there." Amy Kavanaugh: So we filled out the paperwork, it was similar to the conversations we already had about my mobility and what I was finding hard, and what I would like to achieve, and what the cane was helping me with. He said, "I'll just put you through to the ... We'll just do the next stage." He's very clever, he's very good, he's like, "Oh we'll just do the next bit." And that involved an assessment where one of the team who works with the dogs came and assessed my mobility. And he had a training handle, that was like the harness that the dog wears, that he was kind of holding one end, and I was holding the other end. And he said, "Well, let's just see how this feels. Let's walk along the street and see how it feels to be guided by this handle." And so we did that, my partner was with us saying you know the places that we could walk and try it. We got a lot of funny looks you know, "What's that poor blind lady doing? Does she think there's a dog in that harness? It's just a man on the other end. They've tricked that poor blind woman." Jeff Thompson: There's a shortage on dogs. Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah. It's like that joke lead that has like the stiff collar at the end? It was like that. Oh look at the invisible dog. So I was like, "Oh that feels different." And there was one, an instance where I was like, "I don't know about this, I don't think this going to work." And then we were walking back along the street back towards my house, and as I've said before, because of my ocular albinism I'm very sensitive to light. And it was summertime of time of year, I think it was kind of the autumn, when the sun in the UK is very low in the sky. Well you know on a nice sunny day everyone else is loving it in the autumn, but that sunlight is really low in the sky and straight into my eyes. And I can't see anything even with my sunglasses on, it hurts too much, or it's just too overwhelming, I've got no vision at all. Amy Kavanaugh: And then the trainer just goes, "Well, close your eyes. Just close your eyes." And I was like, "Well I do that when I'm traveling in the car, or if I'm sat somewhere and it's too bright." He said, "Just close your eyes and follow the handle." And that was revolutionary, you know? That I could rest my eyes, that I could travel with my eyes close, like a blind person. And I knew where I was going, I followed this handle and the handle moved when I needed to step to the left, or to the right, or up and down a path. Jeff Thompson: Did you get to the point where you could actually have a, not a conversation in your head, but be thinking like, "Oh today I have to do ..." You know like everyday people do as they're walking along, they're kind of thinking about their daily schedule. Just like when you started using the cane, you get to a point where, you're just doing normal walking, thinking stuff. Like planning your day, or thinking, "Oh did I leave the coffee pot on." Or ... But before you have those skills, that technique, or that freedom, you're just worried about the next step. Amy Kavanaugh: Oh for sure. And that used to, like I say, my slightly tragic internal monologue before was constantly like, "Can I remember the way? Where is it? Where is it? Where do I go? Is it this way? Is it that way? Oh no. Oh am I going to bump in to someone? Oh what's going to ... Where are they? What's ... Oh, is that moving? Is that car coming?" And now that voice, because I have those cane skills, it's still there sometimes especially if I'm in a new place, or if it's super busy. But now there are places I just do it like I'm on auto-pilot. And it's made me realize that probably most people walk around, and they don't have a constant internal monologue of, "Am I going to fall over? Am I going to fall over? Am I going to fall over?" Because that's just, that was all I was thinking, or "Am I going to bump into that person? Am I going to fall down these steps? Amy Kavanaugh: And now, I can walk through one of the busiest train stations in London and I'm thinking, "Oh yes, I think I might watch that on telly tonight." And you know, "Oh yeah, I'm already on the escalator that's fine. Okay I'm just going to walk ..." You know? Jeff Thompson: That in confidence or that fear just keeps, it's consuming. Amy Kavanaugh: Oh and it does consume you, and it's exhausting, it's exhausting constantly thinking, and planning, and worrying. So tiring. Jeff Thompson: And then someone grabs you. Amy Kavanaugh: And then someone grabs you, yeah. Amy Kavanaugh: But then after I had the invisible dog, and talked a bit more about the practicalities of having a dog ... Now I am a huge dog lover and when I did have ... Was working from home a lot with my PhD I used to volunteer at an animal shelter in London which is very old, very well-known animal charity called Battersea Dogs' Home, it will take on the most problem cases. And I used to go and volunteer, and again it was one of those times where I'd sort of said to them, "Oh I can't see very well. Oh maybe I shouldn't do too many walks with the dogs." And they were very good about it, and they didn't really question it too much. And they did all their risk assessments and everything and they said, "Okay well what you could be good at doing is the anxious dogs, who haven't been around people, they just need people to sit quietly with them and pet them, could you help us do that?" And I was like, "Could I help you do!? Yes I can do that." Amy Kavanaugh: I then fostered some of these very, very anxious dogs who just needed company. Older dogs, sick dogs who didn't need a lot of walking and exercise but just needed to be with someone. And they would sit in my office and I would pretend I was managing to do my PhD work and just pat them and make them feel better. So I did that for a couple of weeks at a time. And so I have had dogs, and problem dogs who were sick everywhere, and poop everywhere, so that I was used to. That part of it didn't bother me or my partner, we're dog people. Amy Kavanaugh: And I think a lot of that initial process is ... Lots of visually impaired and blind people, they have never had a dog in the house, they've got to get over the whole picking up the poo thing. So that for me was not a barrier at all, and if anything it was something, I was super conscious of because I was like, "Do you just want a dog, Amy? Is this ... Do you ... Because you would like a dog, this is not the solution for you just getting a dog. There are lots of dogs you could adopt, this needs to be the right reason. It's a mobility aid, it's not a pet dog." Amy Kavanaugh: So as part of that process, Guide Dogs gave me the opportunity to go to the training school and do a residential visit with them where they put a group of us up in a hotel and we did training and we worked with several different dogs in training. Amy Kavanaugh: And we had a dog stay overnight in our room with us, and we got to hang out with the dogs, and we groomed them, and we got a sense of how it would feel to be guided by a dog, to work with the dog, and how that is very different from the cane. And I absolutely loved it because that internal monologue that we're talking about, of that fear and that anxiety, that I still do have with my cane. Because the cane is great at finding objects that you have to work your way around, and that takes a lot of brain power, lot of thinking, lot of skills, lot of concentration. Whereas the dog just walks you right around that object. Yes you have to focus on your working relationship with the dog, on the commands, on understanding how the dog works, on following the rules of the way that the dog knows how to guide you, and it changes your mobility quite significantly. But that stress of, "Oh, what if I bumped into here? What's this? Okay, it's a street sign. Okay I can walk around this. Is it? Oh it's some construction work." Jeff Thompson: "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me." Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah. You go faster, it's smoother, and that internal monologue can focus a little bit more on what you want to eat, when you're going shopping, you know all this stuff that everyone else is thinking about, and I loved it. Amy Kavanaugh: It was a great process, the best thing about Guide Dogs is that they are really invested in you making the right decision for you. And it's not like ... You don't have to pass some test, and I think it has been like that in the past. I think they did used to be a little bit more like, "Look at this chart. Cover your left eye, cover your right eye." But I think they realized that it meant it was denying a lot of people like me a service that would make a big different to their lives. And the modern version of that is about being independent, reclaiming your confidence, getting out there, being able to do things just like everyone else can. Amy Kavanaugh: And so I sat down at the end of the weekend and I talked to all the different trainers and like the support team and they said, "You're going to go away and think about it, we won't accept and answer from you right now because that's not appropriate." So I went away, three days later I really thought about it, you know a couple of sleepless night, "Is this the right thing for me? I can't fold up the dog and put it away in my handbag. I can't stay out all night partying with the dog. I might get access refusals, which will be a new concept, you know, taxis will not take the dog, restaurants will not let me in, people will try to distract the dog." No one is trying to pet my cane, although they do like to grab it occasionally. Amy Kavanaugh: So I had to take on that whole decision, and they really support you through this, but they say it has to be the right decision for you. And it has to be the right decision for us as the people who are going to give you this working animal. To know that it's going to benefit you, that you're going to be committed to it, and that you're going to follow the rules, understand them, and get the best out of this working relationship. So yeah, I made that phone call at the beginning of January, and I said, "Yes, I think I would like to go on the list, what do you think?" And they said, "Yes, we think that's a good decision." Jeff Thompson: And you'll get that cold nose once in a while. Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah, don't mind that so much. I think it might be a very spoiled dog. Jeff Thompson: That's great that you have experience with a dog because my wife has a dog, she takes care of the dog, maintains the dog, sees that it's fit, does regular checkups, she's an animal type of person so it's a great fit for her. And always complained about how the cane gets tangled up with people near the bus stop and all the shrapnel that you can find on the sidewalks and stuff. I'm not knocking it, but for her it was just a great transition for her and she really likes that. Amy Kavanaugh: Yeah and I think it does suit some people and it doesn't suit others, and that's fine. I kind of met people who were like, "Yeah I had a guide dog for a while, it didn't really work for me. I prefer the cane." People prefer the flexibility of the cane, it does give you that ability to decide that you just want to stay out or go wherever. Having a dog can reduce your access in some ways, but it really opens it up in others. Amy Kavanaugh: You can get a dog to do an unfamiliar route with you, you know your Google Map's in your ears, the dog will just take you from curb to curb, and you will be safe. And I rarely have the energy, and concentration, and skill to be able to do that with the cane. You're stopping every three meters to look at your phone, am I in the right place, listening to the instruction again, "Okay right, travel a bit further, bump into someone, avoid something, Oh I forgot ... " You know, whereas that dog is going to take you that smooth part of that journey, and then you can focus on your direction, asking for any assistance. For me it feels like it's going to fit and suit me that way, and also, I'm very keen to be an advocate for them as well because they have supported me so much. Jeff Thompson: I have to toot their horn too, Guide Dogs UK. I met John Greedy when I was down in Teignmouth. A friend of mine Jo Fishwick, she has a charity there that's called VI Talk. And they actually at Teignmouth, there's a Cliffden Hotel there that they bring people there, so they can do that one week of interaction with the dog. It's a two-week program, they actually interact, and they actually release the dog to the owner, operator I guess, guide dog user. Jeff Thompson: So it was neat to be there at the same time that they were doing that, and I had an interview with them and I put it on the Blind Abilities podcast, and he's been doing it for 21 years and it was just so ... It was just so nice to talk to him and hear about how he goes about it, his interaction with the dog. And I don't know how many dogs he's done but over 21 years, he gets these dogs and hands them off to people, but he said, "Are they active people? Do they have low vision? Totally blind? Do they live in this type of environment?" So the criteria that they fit and match these dogs with is extensive in the sense that they're giving the right dog for the right purpose. Amy Kavanaugh: Absolutely, and that is why the wait is quite long because for me, I need a specific set of requirements. I am a short woman, so I don't need a great big dog with a great big long stride that's going to be dragging me along too fast. I currently do not walk very fast because I used to feel my way with my feet doing like a little penguin shuffle everywhere. I'm finally opening up and doing proper steps now that I have a cane, but I'm still pretty slow because I'm just so used to walking slowly because I thought, "Well if I'm moving super slow, I'm not going to injure myself as badly." And now that's speeding up a bit so they need to match me with a dog that isn't going to race me down the street, it's got to be a dog that will be able to handle one of the busiest cities in the world, that's going to get me on that public transport, not be phased by huge crowds of people, have the enthusiasm and determination to work in those busy spaces, a real problem solving dog. Amy Kavanaugh: I have heard they tend to be the naughtier dogs, the London dogs, because they need that kind of, spirit cheekiness to have that confidence to go into those busy environments. So they can misbehave a bit so you kind of have to keep an eye on that really, as best you can. It's going to be an interesting dog, I'm looking forward to meeting it. Amy Kavanaugh: And actually I have to take things into account, like I said, I'm starting this new job and I was doing some route practices for this new job. It's full-time, going back to full-time work which is a big step for me, and I will have a lot of external meetings. I might have meetings in parliament with the government in Westminster, so I was learning my way to get there from work recently on Wednesday. And the dog is going to have to deal with all the tourists in those busy central London areas, and the fact that I've had this slight life change, unfortunately there might have been a dog in the works that was suitable for how my life was nine months ago, now my life has changed a little bit. There'll be a bit more work for this dog, so that might make it a bit longer I don't know. But it's got to be right, because if it's not right it's not going to help me in the way that I need it to. Amy Kavanaugh: So I'm good friends with my cane, I'm always going to be super big pals with my white cane, muddling along for now. I'm getting my independence back, that's the main thing. I can wait. It's okay, I don't mind. Jeff Thompson: Such a great time talking to Dr. Amy Kavanagh and stay tuned for part three as Amy talks about her journey through blindness and the revelations she discovered when she was ready to accept her blindness. And a big thank you goes out to Chee Chau you can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @LCheeChau And as always, we want to thank you for listening, we hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye-bye. [Music] [Transition noise] When we share -What we see -Through each other’s eyes… [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] …We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with a blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com on Twitter @BlindAbilities, download our app from the App Store. Blind Abilities, that’s two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.