Podcasts about Aira

Episode Notes In our inaugural episode of Staff Profiles, we introduce Wendell Hennessey, who describes himself as Aira's “Go-to Guy.” Starting as an early “agent,” he has held various roles and currently works as the IT Systems and Security Administrator. In this episode, we delve into what makes every call and interaction unique and special for him. We also get to witness some of his visual interpreting in action.    Watch the entire video with Wendell and Chuck. https://youtu.be/hSFZQsAbD5A Wendell acts as visual interpreter in this visit to the Veterans Memorial Museum. https://youtube.com/live/gotYKKZdbNE Learn more about Aira and visual interpreting at www.aira.io. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

In this episode, Steven and Shaun sit down with Aira CEO Troy Otillio to unpack the company's major collaboration with Google and DeepMind, announced at Google I/O. Troy discusses how this partnership will shape the future of visual interpreting for blind users, including the development of a new AI-powered visual interpreter model.He also explains Aira's Build AI initiative, how user data is used with consent, and what it means to become a "Trusted Tester." The conversation covers the ethical implications of proactive AI, the potential for memory-aware AI agents, and why humans will remain central to Aira's service. Troy also shares insights on the potential integration of Aira with smart glasses through Google's XR platform and answers directly what international users should do in order to access the service around the world.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:45 - Troy Otillio, CEO of Aira, joins Double Tap01:15 - Aira at Google I/O 202506:47 - Aira's Partnership With Google Explained15:57 - Proactive AI: Will it become a reality for live guidance?27:52 - Why Is The Trial US only?35:55 - What Will The App Experience Be Like?38:03 - Are There Any Time Limits?43:05 - Will Aira AI Be Available On Desktop?46:33 - Interesting Use Cases For Aira54:33 - Google Glaases & Android XRRelevant LinksAira: https://aira.ioGoogle I/O 2025: https://io.googleProject Astra by Google DeepMind: https://deepmind.google/Trusted Tester Sign-Up: https://aira.io/trustedtester Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website---Follow on:YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtubeX (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/xInstagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagramTikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktokThreads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threadsFacebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebookLinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/appleSpotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotifyRSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcastiHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart About Double TapHosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited. "Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Google I/O 2025 was packed with futuristic AI reveals, and this episode explores how these innovations are already transforming tech for blind and low vision users. Steven Scott, Shaun Preece, and special guest Carrie Morales dive into Gemini's new roles across search, mobile, and Chrome, highlighting real-world accessibility benefits and potential concerns around privacy and overreliance on AI.Carrie, who is the host of YouTube show “Carrie On Accessibility”, shares personal insights from homeschooling her son with the help of Gemini and discusses how AI tools like NotebookLM can empower blind users with better information access. The team also analyzes Google's developing partnership with Aira, the evolution of AI-powered smart glasses, and whether these technologies could eventually replace human support or level the accessibility playing field.Chapters0:00 – Introduction1:41 – Google I/O 2025 recap4:55 – Gemini AI: A universal assistant6:00 – Live vision, app integration, and real-time use cases7:47 – Will blind users switch to Android?10:12 – Gemini in Google Search and AI Mode explained13:24 – How AI mode simplifies information discovery15:31 – AI in education: Homeschooling insights20:04 – Gemini in Chrome and page-level interaction22:56 – From information to action: Gemini's next steps24:00 – The debate over AI vs. accessible web design26:45 – InnoSearch and the future of blind-first platforms31:17 – NotebookLM: Custom knowledge from your own data36:42 – Gemini Live and Aira partnership38:46 – Will AI replace Aira's human agents?43:24 – What's behind Aira's Build AI program?45:53 – Smart glasses and Android XR platform51:21 – Apple falling behind in consumer AI?54:32 – Why Gemini's video mode stands out55:42 – Final thoughts on AI's rapid evolution Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website---Follow on:YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtubeX (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/xInstagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagramTikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktokThreads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threadsFacebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebookLinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/appleSpotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotifyRSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcastiHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart About Double TapHosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited. "Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Niniejszy odcinek poświęcony jest MacBookowi Air 15” z najnowszym czipem M4. Czy jestem zadowolony po kilku tygodniach intensywnej pracy. Jak radzi sobie w codziennym użytkowaniu? Czy faktycznie jest lepszym wyborem niż MacBook Pro?Przyglądam się, jak nowy Air radzi sobie z wielozadaniowością, długimi godzinami pracy na baterii oraz podłączeniem do zewnętrznego ekranu. Sprawdzam także, czy brak wentylatorów nie jest przeszkodą w bardziej wymagających zadaniach.Jeśli zastanawiasz się nad zakupem nowego Aira – ten odcinek rozwieje Twoje wątpliwości!

Episode Notes It's an Airacast reboot! We return to our monthly format with some Aira history and deep thought about technology, discrimination, AI and life with Mike Hinson. So many explorers tell us that Mike motivated them to try the service. Now we look back over 10 years and forward to what AI brings us. Jenine also reviews how to find Access Network offers and use Aira, free!  You can contact Mike at speaker@michaelhingson.com.  Visit his web site, https://michaelhingson.com. Catch his podcast, Unstoppable Mindset, in your podcast app of choice. Check the Aira Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/c/airaio Comments about the podcast? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Steven and Shaun kick off with a fun Friday vibe and plenty of listener emails to explore tech quirks, from weak Bluetooth signals to TikTok's accessibility challenges. Listeners share mixed experiences using TikTok with VoiceOver and ask whether blind creators truly manage without sighted assistance. Steven breaks down the pros and limitations of the latest StellarTrek update, including access to text-based newspapers and magazines— finally offering a satisfying reading experience for blind users.The hosts also reflect on recent power grid outages across Europe and discuss the risks of overreliance on renewable energy without adequate backup systems. Later, they respond to listener Charles's compelling question: “If you could have one blind-related support service on demand for life, what would it be?” The answers range from on-call O&M specialists to always-available drivers and Aira agents.Additional topics include over-the-counter hearing aids, USB-C powered electric shavers, tips for retraining Siri, and the broader implications of accessibility tech in a changing world.[Chapters]0:00 – Friday vibes and Bluetooth tech fails2:58 – Spain and Portugal power outages & renewables debate6:02 – StellarTrek reader update and new Victor Reader features13:42 – TikTok accessibility feedback from listeners20:59 – Blind content creation and sighted assistance30:39 – What accessibility service would you want for life?40:27 – Exploring with Aira and missing out on the world48:13 – Over-the-counter hearing aids & shaver recommendations52:48 – Retraining Siri for better voice recognition54:46 – Final thoughts and what's coming Monday

In this episode of White Canes Connect, David Goldstein plays the latest episode of Federation Focus. This weekly video mentions what is happening within the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania. Make sure you visit our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@nfbofpa/ and subscribe! Show notes at https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/133        This is what the description on each episode looks like:  This week's Federation Focus comes to you from Las Vegas! Don't worry, I'm not wearing one of those skimpy showgirl outfits. Liz wouldn't have been able to hold the camera steady from laughter if I were wearing one! Check out the video: https://youtu.be/2fe-R-yz1jc  I mentioned two meetings (see the links below) and two fundraisers in the video. One fundraiser is tomorrow at Landmark Americana at 3333 Market Street in Philadelphia and benefits the Keystone Chapter. Keystone will receive 25% of your food and drink tab on all regularly priced menu items, including adult beverages! You need to print the Sip. Savor. Support Flyer (https://www.nfbofpa.org/sip/,) grab some friends and head to Landmark Americana for lunch, dinner, or drinks! What are you going to get? Meetings: April 29, 2025 at 7:30 PM State Convention Planning Meeting Via Zoom https://www.nfbofpa.org/planningzoom/ May 3, 2025, at 10:00 AM Jigsaw Chapter Meeting Via Zoom: https://www.nfbofpa.org/jigsawzoom/ One tap mobile +13017158592,,91793332704# US (Washington DC) Fundraisers Sip. Savor. Support. Fundraiser for the Keystone Chapter The Keystone Chapter has partnered with Landmark Americana at 3333 Market Street in Philadelphia. On April 29, 2025, from open to close, 25% of your check will be donated to the chapter on all non-promotional items. You must bring a paper flyer with you for the chapter to receive the donation. Find the flyer at https://nfbofpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sip-Savor-Support-FINAL-TROY.pdf I hope you can make it! Spring Fling Blind Vendor Showcase & Fundraiser The PA Association of Blind Merchants invites you to the Spring Fling Blind Vendor Showcase on May 17, 2025, from 4 PM to 10 PM at the Best Western Premier in Harrisburg Food, fun, raffles, and auctions on some very cool stuff. Be a sponsor of the event: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/sponsor/ Are you a blind entrepreneur? Exhibit at the event: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/exhibit/ Attend the event: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/fling/ Spring Fling Blind Vendor Showcase flyer: http://pablindmerchants.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/pabm-spring-fling-flyer-FINAL.png Please join us! White Canes Connect Episode 132 In Episode 132 of White Canes Connect, hosts Michelle McManus and David Goldstein welcome Shawn Welker, founder of Visual Eyes Access, a low-cost visual interpreting service with a unique approach. Shawn shares how his background in accessibility and mobility training gives him a deeper understanding of blind users' needs, setting his service apart from other platforms like Aira and Be My Eyes.  Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-welkers-mission-affordable-visual-interpreting/id1592248709?i=1000704263913 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/60bg3hmo5X4uIayLzhVv6A YouTube https://youtu.be/E7fT9O4g5PE?si=affJ34ubt9B2NrXL   White Canes Connect #19 on Best 100 Visually Impaired Podcasts We've been listed on the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts for a few months now, currently sitting at #19! Check out the list: https://podcast.feedspot.com/visually_impaired_podcasts/. Check out the list, you may find your new, favorite podcast on it! NFB National Convention Join over 2500 blind people in New Orleans from July 8 through July 13 for the National Federation of the Blind National Convention! Learn more at https://www.nfbofpa.org/nola/   An Easy Way to Help the NFB of PA Support the NFB of PA with every purchase at White Cane Coffee Company by going to https://www.whitecanecoffee.com/ref/nfbp. When you use that link to purchase from White Cane Coffee, the NFB of PA earns a 10% commission! Share the link with your family and friends! Listen to Erin and Bob Willman from White Cane Coffee on episode 072 of White Canes Connect. Donate to the NFB of PA Like what you hear on White Canes Connect? Support us and donate to the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania, visit https://www.NFBofPA.org/give/. We Want to Hear Your Story Reach out with questions and comments, or share ideas! We want to hear from you. Call us at (267) 338-4495 or at whitecanesconnect@gmail.com. Follow White Canes Connect Find out why White Canes Connect is currently ranked at #13 of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcast. Find the show on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/white-canes-connect/id1592248709  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YDQSJqpoteGb1UMPwRSuI  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pablindpodcast 

On this episode, Stewart Alsop talks with Suman Kanuganti, founder of Personal.ai and a pioneer in AI for accessibility and human-machine collaboration. Together, they explore how Suman's journey from launching Aira to building Personal.ai reflects a deeper mission of creating technology that enhances memory, communication, and personal empowerment. They touch on entrepreneurship, inclusive design, and the future of AI as a personal extension of human potential. For more information, visit the Personal.ai website or connect with Suman on LinkedIn.Check out this GPT we trained on the conversation!Timestamps00:00 Introduction to Suman Kanuganti and the vision behind Personal.ai, setting the stage with AI for accessibility and personal empowerment.05:00 Discussing the startup journey, the leap from corporate life to entrepreneurship, and the founding of Aira with a focus on inclusive technology.10:00 Deep dive into communication empowerment, how Aira built independence for the blind community, and lessons learned from solving real-world problems.15:00 Transitioning from Aira to Personal.ai, exploring memory extension and the future of personal communication through AI models.20:00 Addressing privacy, ownership of personal data, and why trust is fundamental in the development of personalized AI systems.25:00 Vision of human-machine collaboration, future scenarios where AI supports memory, creativity, and human potential without replacing human agency.30:00 Closing reflections on entrepreneurship, building technology with deep purpose, and how inclusive design drives innovation for everyone.Key InsightsPersonalized AI is the Next Evolution in Human Communication: Suman Kanuganti emphasizes that AI is moving beyond generic tools and into deeply personal territory, where each individual can have an AI modeled after their own thoughts, memories, and style of communication. This evolution is aimed at making technology an extension of the self rather than a replacement.Accessibility Technologies Have Broader Applications: Through his work with Aira, Suman discovered that building tools for accessibility often results in innovations that serve a much wider audience. By designing with people with disabilities in mind, entrepreneurs can create more universally empowering technologies that enhance independence for everyone.Entrepreneurship Requires a Deep Sense of Purpose: Suman's transition from corporate engineering to entrepreneurship was fueled by a personal desire to create meaningful change. He highlights that a strong mission—like empowering individuals through technology—helps sustain entrepreneurs through the inevitable challenges and uncertainties of building startups.Memory Is a Key Frontier for AI Development: One of the core ideas discussed is that memory preservation and recall is an essential human function that AI can augment. Personal.ai aims to assist individuals by organizing and retrieving personal memories and knowledge, offering a future where mental workload is reduced without losing personal agency.Building Trust Is Critical in Personal AI: Suman stresses that for AI to become truly personal and trusted, users must retain ownership and control over their data. Personal.ai is designed with privacy and individual autonomy at its core, reflecting a future where users dictate how their information is stored, accessed, and shared.The Best Innovations Come from Solving Specific, Real Problems: Rather than chasing trends, Suman advocates for entrepreneurs to focus on tangible problems they understand deeply. His success with Aira stemmed from addressing a clear need in the blind community, and that same principle now drives the mission behind Personal.ai—addressing the growing problem of information overload and memory fragmentation.Human-AI Symbiosis Will Define the Future: Suman paints a future where humans and AI work symbiotically, each complementing the other's strengths. Instead of replacing human intelligence, the best AI systems will support cognitive functions like memory, creativity, and communication, ultimately expanding what individuals can achieve personally and professionally.

Memento #336. La gran dama del crim literari, una de les escriptores m

17-Year-Old Japanese Amateur Golfer Aira Nagasawa Qualifies for US Women's Open

In Episode 132 of White Canes Connect, hosts Michelle McManus and David Goldstein welcome Shawn Welker, founder of Visual Eyes Access, a low-cost visual interpreting service with a unique approach. Shawn shares how his background in accessibility and mobility training gives him a deeper understanding of blind users' needs, setting his service apart from other platforms like Aira and Be My Eyes. Shawn discusses the evolution of visual interpreting, the limitations of mainstream services, and why affordability and personalization are key to his mission. He explains how Visual Eyes Access offers on-demand and scheduled interpreting at $1/minute, with rollover minutes and community-funded options like earning minutes through purchases in his online pet supply shop. He also teases upcoming initiatives, including a city-based navigation pilot and app integration with smart glasses, allowing hands-free assistance via WhatsApp. Shawn is scaling his business with a pool of trained student volunteers and emphasizes a client-first, access-centered philosophy. Listeners of the podcast get a 50% discount on his 30-minute trial session by mentioning the show.  This episode highlights how tech, heart, and community can intersect to build better access, one client at a time. Show notes at https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/132       Links Mentioned Learn more about Visual Eyes Access at https://www.visualeyesaccess.com  Connect with Shawn via email at shawn@visualeyesaccess.com  Have you checked out Federation Focus yet? https://www.youtube.com/@nfbofpa/  Sip. Savor. Support. Keystone Chapter fundraiser at Landmark Americana: https://nfbofpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sip-Savor-Support-FINAL-TROY.pdf  Attend PA Association of Blind Merchants Spring Fling Blind Vendor Showcase: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/fling/  Exhibit at PA Association of Blind Merchants Spring Fling!: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/exhibit/  Be a sponsor of PA Association of Blind Merchants: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/sponsor/  An Easy Way to Help the NFB of PA Support the NFB of PA with every purchase at White Cane Coffee Company by going to https://www.whitecanecoffee.com/ref/nfbp. When you use that link to purchase from White Cane Coffee, the NFB of PA earns a 10% commission! Share the link with your family and friends! Listen to Erin and Bob Willman from White Cane Coffee on episode 072 of White Canes Connect. Donate to the NFB of PA Like what you hear on White Canes Connect? Support us and donate to the National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania, visit https://www.NFBofPA.org/give/. We Want to Hear Your Story Reach out with questions and comments, or share ideas! We want to hear from you. Call us at (267) 338-4495 or at whitecanesconnect@gmail.com. Follow White Canes Connect Find out why White Canes Connect is currently ranked at #13 of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcast. Find the show on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/white-canes-connect/id1592248709  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1YDQSJqpoteGb1UMPwRSuI  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pablindpodcast 

In episode 284 of iCantCU, I talk about another hiccup with my psoriatic arthritis meds—this time, the pharmacy wanted over two grand out of pocket. Spoiler: I said no. Taltz has helped a bit, but not $2,000-a-month helpful. So now I'm back on the hunt for something else that won't break the bank or mess me up with scary side effects. I also share some sad news: we lost Stan Ingram, a fellow blind entrepreneur in the Business Enterprise Program here in PA. That means one less BEP operator and a big question mark about what happens to his spot. Plus, my friend Ken's dad passed, and I send love to his family. It's been a rough week. I share the fact that my other podcast, White Canes Connect, is currently ranked #19 on the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts! So much for the false rumors being spread about the show. We've got a Keystone Chapter fundraiser coming up on April 29 at Landmark Americana in Philly. Print the flyer and bring your appetite. I'll be there around 1 p.m. for lunch—come say hi. Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/284 Links Mentioned (product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission.) Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Wayfarer: https://amzn.to/42EU0Sy Keystone Chapter Landmark Americana fundraiser flyer: https://nfbofpa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Sip-Savor-Support-FINAL-TROY.pdf White Canes Connect one of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts: https://traffic.libsyn.com/whitecanesconnect/white_canes_connect_132_post.mp3 Federation Focus on the NFB of PA YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@nfbofpa I edit the show with Descript and love it!: https://www.iCantCU.com/descript/ Attend the Blind Merchants Spring Fling Blind Vendor Showcase: https:www.pablindmerchants.org/fling/ If you are a blind entrepreneur and would like exhibit at the Spring Fling: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/exhibit/ Be a sponsor of Spring Fling: https://www.pablindmerchants.org/sponsor/ Be My Eyes app (free): https://www.bemyeyes.com/  Seeing AI app (free): https://www.seeingai.com/  Index of That Real Blind Tech Show episodes: https://www.icantcu.com/trbts/  Watch iCantCU episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@iCantCU Support iCantCU When shopping at Amazon, I would appreciate it if you clicked on this link to make your purchases: https://www.iCantCU.com/amazon. I participate in the Amazon Associate Program and earn commissions on qualifying purchases. The best part is, you don't pay extra for doing this! White Canes Connect Podcast Episode 129 In episode 132 of White Canes Connect, hosts Michelle McManus and David Goldstein welcome Shawn Welker, founder of Visual Eyes Access, a low-cost visual interpreting service with a unique approach. Shawn shares how his background in accessibility and mobility training gives him a deeper understanding of blind users' needs, setting his service apart from other platforms like Aira and Be My Eyes. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/white-canes-connect/id1592248709  Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/1YDQSJqpoteGb1UMPwRSuI YouTube Https://www.youtube.com/@pablindpodcast My Podcast Gear Here is all my gear and links to it on Amazon. I participate in the Amazon Associates Program and earn a commission on qualifying purchases. Zoom Podtrak P4: https://amzn.to/33Ymjkt Zoom ZDM Mic & Headphone Pack: https://amzn.to/33vLn2s Zoom H1n Recorder: https://amzn.to/3zBxJ9O  Gator Frameworks Desk Mounted Boom Arm: https://amzn.to/3AjJuBK Shure SM58 S Mic: https://amzn.to/3JOzofg  Sony ZV-E10 camera : https://amzn.to/4fFBSxM  Sennheiser Headset (1st 162 episodes): https://amzn.to/3fM0Hu0  Follow iCantCU on your favorite podcast directory! Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/icantcu-podcast/id1445801370/  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3nck2D5HgD9ckSaUQaWwW2  Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/iCantCU-Podcast-Podcast/B08JJM26BT  IHeart: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/256-icantcu-podcast-31157111/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/davidbenj  Reach out on social media Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/davidbenj Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidbenj Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davidbenj LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbenj Are You or Do You Know A Blind Boss? If you or someone you know is crushing it in their field and is also blind, I want to hear from you! Call me at (646) 926-6350 and leave a message. Please include your name and town, and tell me who the Blind Boss is and why I need to have them on an upcoming episode. You can also email the show at iCantCUPodcast@gmail.com.

In this episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun explore the expanding world of AI-powered vision across devices and platforms. Steven shares his first hands-on experience using Google Gemini's live vision feature on the Samsung Galaxy S25, using it to identify blinking lights and navigate the menu on an inaccessible VoIP phone—saving himself an Aira call in the process.They dive deep into what this technology can do (and what it can't), including its potential for identifying objects like mugs, clothing, CDs, and reading text on the fly. While Gemini impresses in some use cases, its limitations in real-time accuracy reveal that we're still a few steps away from fully trusting AI for independent navigation or complex spatial tasks.Listeners also weigh in. Aaron shares a glowing review of the Stellar Trek and its breadcrumb navigation, color detection, and tactile buttons—offering a hands-free experience separate from his smartphone. Steven reflects on past struggles with the device and confirms plans to revisit it with Humanware's help for a more in-depth review.Other topics include: The strengths and weaknesses of the Envision smart glasses vs. Echo Vision by Agiga Meta Smart Glasses glitches and fixes The growing reliability of AI voices and TTS tools for audio production The future of smart glasses hardware amid global supply issues A hilarious and practical debate on using fingers vs. liquid level indicators for pouring teaWith firsthand insights, practical listener advice, and thoughtful reflections on what accessible AI could mean for blind users, this episode offers both inspiration and grounded realism.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Chapter Markers:00:00 Introduction09:03 Exploring Practical Applications of AI18:18 The Evolution of AI and User Interaction22:10 Navigating with Technology: User Experiences28:11 Navigating New Technology: The Learning Curve30:01 Exploring the Stellar Trek: Potential and Expectations31:59 Audio Narration and TTS: Enhancements in Accessibility33:51 Editing with VoiceOver: Overcoming Challenges35:18 Smart Glasses: Innovations and User Experiences37:18 The Future of Assistive Tech: Anticipating New Developments39:12 The Impact of Market Changes on Technology41:09 User Preferences: Form Factor and Functionality43:08 Stockpiling Tech: Concerns and Considerations45:56 Community Questions: Seeking Solutions47:50 User Experiences with Smart Glasses49:41 Troubleshooting Tech: Common Issues and Fixes52:28 Liquid Level Indicators: Preferences and Alternatives55:18 Upcoming Innovations: AI and Accessibility Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap WebsiteJoin the conversation and add your voice to the show either by calling in, sending an email or leaving us a voicemail!Email: feedback@doubletaponair.comPhone: 1-877-803-4567

Coordina Isaías GardePara participar de los encuentros de lectura:⁠⁠isaiasgarde@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠https://isaiasgarde.blogspot.com/⁠⁠⁠También pueden seguir la actividad en los siguientes canales:Canal YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWIBGqqa770Ix6EH4Lk7hF0HqUezVvw37Canal Whatsapp: ⁠⁠https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaBZRE39sBIABWavgA1f⁠⁠Canal Telegram: ⁠⁠https://t.me/+RJr1kBJeSDt_YLHZ

On this episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun break down the latest rumors surrounding Meta's upcoming Hypernova smart glasses. With prices rumored to start at over $1,000, they debate the practicality of AR displays in smart glasses and how accessible (or not) they might be for blind users. The discussion digs into Meta's broader wearable strategy, comparing it to past attempts like Google Glass and current AI-driven tools such as Be My Eyes and Aira.Listener emails pour in, ranging from app organization tips to feedback on Braille displays and screen reader tech. Rebecca raises concerns over the constant delays in assistive tech product launches like the Optima and Orbit Player, while Steven defends the need for accessible glucose monitoring—especially when the NHS doesn't always recognize accessibility as a necessity.Steven also dives deep into document accessibility tools, sharing his experiences using Scribe and DocuScan Plus from Numa Solutions for converting inaccessible PDFs into readable and audio-friendly formats. The episode highlights the growing utility of these tools and why OCR still matters even in the age of AI.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Relevant LinksMeta Ray-Ban Glasses – Official site for Meta's smart glasses lineupScribe by Numa Solutions – Convert inaccessible files to audio or textDocuScan Plus – OCR scanning and document conversion toolBe My Eyes – Free visual assistance through live volunteersAira – Visual interpreting services for blind usersSensee – Creators of the accessible Braille calendarOrbit Research – Braille displays and assistive devicesMantis Q40 by Humanware – Braille display with QWERTY keyboardRemote Incident Manager – Remote desktop tool for blind users Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap WebsiteJoin the conversation and add your voice to the show either by calling in, sending an email or leaving us a voicemail!Email: feedback@doubletaponair.comPhone: 1-877-803-4567

Send us a textWant to turn your podcast guest appearances into a powerful marketing machine? Discover how to leverage every interview for maximum exposure, repurpose content efficiently, and attract your ideal audience.Most people get onto podcasts and then waste the full potential of this leverage opportunity by not doing these simple and strategic things. What's Covered:The #1 mistake small business owners make when guesting on podcastsHow to transform a single podcast episode into months of contentThe secret to making your interviews work for you long after they airA simple system to boost visibility without feeling overwhelmedThe best way to turn listeners into leads (without being salesy)Episodes mentioned: The Simple Strategy For Creating High-Impact Content Without Burning Out (Most People Ignore This) Podcast guesting resource mentioned: Podmatch.com Simple & strategic marketing solutions for the busy coach and consultant. Visit www.reinventingperspectives.comSupport the showThank you for listening in!

Antonio Martínez Asensio ha elegido como libro de la semana 'Una vida'  de Alejandro Palomas (Destino) que  cierra la tetralogía entorno al personaje de Amalia que empezó con 'Una madre' y siguió con 'un perro' y la premiada con el Nadal 2018 'Un amor'.  En 'Una vida' , a la protagonista, Amalia , le diagnostican un cáncer terminal y sus hijos Fer, Emma y Silvia tienen que adaptar sus vidas para cuidarla en el final de su vida. Pasan de hijos  a cuidadores con todo lo que ello implica y las reflexiones vitales que provoca. Una novela espejo en la que muchos lectores se verán reflejados. Pero aunque la tetralogía se cierra, se abre otra puerta para esta familia literaria en abril con la publicación de la novela gráfica "Amalia. Una madre incorregible” (Lunwerg) . Palomas nos ha donado además su novela gráfica sobre el personaje de Amalia “Amalia. Una madre incorregible” (Lunwerg)   y   dos libros imprescindibles para él: 'La pasión'  de Jeanette Winterson (Lumen) y 'Lo demás es aire' de Juan Gómez Bárcena (Seix Barral) .  Nuestro bibliotecario Antonio Martínez Asensio nos trajo además tres lecturas 'disfrutonas' para la semana  que son "El año que nevó en Valencia' de Rafael Chirbes y Paula Bonet (Anagrama), 'El mármol' de César Aira, ilustrado por Pedro Mancini (Libros del Zorro Rojo)  y la reedicion de 'La verdad sobre elcaso Savolta ' de Eduardo Mendoza (Seix Barral). En el capítulo de novedades , el empleado Pepe Rubio nos dejó dos: 'Dos tardes con kafka' de Manuel Vilas (Alianza) y '100 Haikus' de Valentí Gómez-Oliver (Lapislatzuli) . El libro abandonado y recuperado por Pascual Donate esta semana fue 'Orgullo, prejuicio y  zombis' de Janes Austen y Sth Grahane- Smith (Umbrie). En 'Un libro una hora' Antonio Martínez Asensio contará  'Nosotros, los Rivero' de Dolores Medio (Libros de la Letra Azul) . Y finalmente las donaciones de los oyentes que fueron: 'El ruiseñor' de Kristin Hannah (Suma), 'La elegancia del erizo' de Muriel Barbery (Booket) y 'Redada de violetas" de Arturo Arnalte (Esfera de los libros)  

Episode Notes Airacast  Return from CSUN By now, you've likely come across numerous podcasts discussing the 40th annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. The Aira staff gathered to share their experiences in the exhibit hall, during sessions, and in workshops. Join Jenine Stanley as she engages in conversations with Troy Otillio, Everette Bacon, Jill Ratliff, Blake Steinecke, and Dianne Howie. Aira ASL made its debut, and the response far exceeded our expectations. Discover more insights and learn about the other valuable takeaways from the conference.  Learn more about Aira Explorer and Aira ASL at www.aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Starbucks is one of our premiere Access Network partners here at Aira. It's a great place to try out visual interpreting if you're new to our service. On this episode of Airacast, we brought in the amazing duo of Christine Malec and JJ Hunt from the popular podcast “Talk Description to Me”. They'll give us an in-depth look at this caffeine icon from Starbucks green to the story of the Siren and her two tails on every cup. Christine will also talk with one of our visual interpreters and grab a coffee  of course. You'll find out why she calls it “the smell of hope.”  Want to learn more about Christine and JJ and their podcast? Visit their web site at https://talkdescriptiontome.com. Learn more about visual interpreting at www.aira.io. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Airacast The Road to CSUN Week 8 Pregame! In only a few short days the 40th annual  CSUN Assistive Technology Conference will begin. Our Pregame Show features Geoffrey Peddle, Everette Bacon and Jill Ratliff, ready to take the field. Geoffrey gives us a brief glimpse at what our engineers have worked on this year to make our apps the premiere way to receive visual and ASL interpreting. Everette and Jill will talk about their workshops and all the activity in the Aira booth. If you're heading out to Anaheim be sure to visit us at Booth 216 in the exhibit hall to learn about the Aira ASL app, new partnerships and yes, Aira swag.   Aira Presentations  State of Interpreting Services for Blind and Low Vision, Everette Bacon Thursday, March 13, 2:20pm Pacific time,  On-Demand ASL Interpreting as a Public Accommodation, Jill Ratliff  Friday, March 14, 9:20am Pacific time,  For more about CSUNATC 2025, visit https://web.cvent.com/event/2c5d8c51-6441-44c0-b361-131ff9544dd5/summary Learn more about visual and ASL interpreting from Aira at https://aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes The Road to CSUN Week 7 We built it and they came There are many ways to get free Aira service. With our Build AI project you can not only get free visual interpreting but also help to structure new AI features. In this episode Jenine and BlakeSteinecke, talk about the difference between Build AI and Access AI and how to opt into ten free minutes every thirty minutes. Great for that road trip to CSUN! Check out Blake's video tutorials on our Youtube channel: https://youtube.com/c/airaio Learn more about visual interpreting at https://aira.io. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Aira is all about the blending of people with technology. In this episode we talk with Kellie Herbert, Vice President of Service Delivery. How do Kellie's experiences with large international corporations compare to her work at Aira? We'll also learn about her personal connection to people with disabilities and her thoughts on AI. For more information about visual interpreting, visit www.aira.io. Contact us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Aloha Spirits and Alien Believers! We finally review one of the best anime of 2024 - Dandadan! The movie was excellent but what they did with Acrobat Silky was truly cinematic! Some choices were weird but overall it was great experience. Hear out thoughts in this week's episode Follow us on Twitter/Instagram/Tumblr for updates, anime anniversaries, and fanart + https://twitter.com/FunUntitled + https://www.instagram.com/fununtitled/ + https://www.tumblr.com/fununtitled   Buy Anime-related keychains and stickers at Annie's Shop + https://suraelis.bigcartel.com/   Subscribe to our Youtube channel to listen to our Podcast AND watch a speed drawing of our thumbnails + https://www.youtube.com/@fununtitled   Check out our Linktree for all our Accounts + https://linktr.ee/FunUntitled

This podcast is about big ideas on how technology is making life better for people with vision loss. Technology developed specifically for people with low vision has historically been bespoke, specific, and expensive, requiring the creation of new technology for a relatively small population of users. But recently we're seeing a paradigm shift from building new vision tech from scratch to building on top of existing technology that most people use daily. In this episode, Dr. Cal talks with Karthik Mahadevan, the founder and CEO of Envision, about how his technology company builds on existing tech, like smartphones and smart glasses, to benefit users with low vision. Envision's software uses AI to recognize important visual cues in a user's environment and then relays that information to the user with computer-generated speech. Karthik's breakthrough realization early on that he didn't need to build hardware when he could just tap into the cameras of smartphones and smart glasses that people already owned, enabling Envision to reach a much wider audience. The episode also features an interview with Troy Otillio, the CEO of Aira. Aira's platform links users to a human visual interpreter, who can access the camera on their device and guide the user through the task, whether reading a letter, navigating a grocery store, or finding their way around an unfamiliar city. Ultimately, the future of creating vision technology might not be in reinventing the wheel but in improving it and figuring out how to turn the tech people already use every day into easy and accessible solutions for people with low vision.   The Big Takeaways Building on Existing Tech: Karthik stresses that for vision tech to be impactful, it has to be accessible. He describes his inspiration as building on top of existing consumer technology to create Envision and thus create a product that millions of people already have the hardware to operate. Later, Dr. Cal discusses the “Taco Bell Phenomenon”, which theorizes that while there may be no such thing as a new idea, the novel combinations of existing ideas are so infinite that they may be limitless. The Importance of a Visual Interpreter: Karthik discusses the limitations of communication formats such as braille and audio announcements in public places for people with vision impairment. While well-meaning, they can never really provide complete access to spaces that are meant to be navigated visually. That's where Envision comes in, allowing access to the camera on a smartphone or smart glasses to give the user a complete and accurate sense of their environment. Would You Like a Human for That?: To AI or not to AI? Speech-to-text technology is advanced enough that it can excel at reading something simple like a gas bill or a chicken soup recipe. But what if you got a birthday card from your grandchildren? Troy Otillio discusses how Aira recently partnered with Envision to offer their human visual interpreters as part of Envision's technology — providing camera access to a human agent who can fully understand the nuance of the user's situation. We Don't Make Hardware: A small market company like Envision doesn't have the capacity to build smart glasses (or smartphones) from scratch. The cost would be too high for a company that necessarily has a limited user base. Instead, the future of vision technology is likely to be in creating apps or finding novel uses for hardware that already exists. This will provide accessibility to people with vision impairments via tools they're already quite familiar with.   Tweetables “In the future, these AI are going to interact with other AIs… You know, someone like a Walmart will have their own AI. Someone like a Target will have their own AI. And your AI can speak to that AI and ask for specific information. And that's when it becomes super, super exciting.” — Karthik Mahadevan, Envision Founder & CEO “So for many years, consumer electronics was evolving in one direction, and assistive technology was evolving in a different direction. But what I noticed recently is this merger of the two: that consumer electronics are becoming more accessible.” — Dr. Cal Roberts, Lighthouse Guild President & CEO “You can look at Aira as just a layer, an accessibility layer that exists for when an automated solution, a pure software solution, doesn't work or when there is no solution, right? We're like that, call it a backstop, a more general purpose layer that you can always fall back to.” — Troy Otillio, Aira CEO   Contact Us: Contact us at podcasts@lighthouseguild.org with your innovative new technology ideas for people with vision loss.   Pertinent Links Lighthouse Guild Envision Aira

Episode Notes Road to CSUN  Week 5 Welcome to Aira's Web App Take a tour of one of the best kept secrets in assistive tech, Aira's web app. We'll show you that this easy to use app has the same functionality as our award winning mobile app. Not only can you use the app to call a visual interpreter, you can also use our powerful Access AI feature with your webcam or to recognize screen shots. To get started, go to https://explorer.aira.io. Visit our Youtube channel for more tutorials: https://youtube.com/c/airaio  Learn more about Aira at www.aira.io. Contact us for more info at 1-800-835-1934 or support@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

"Yan pa talaga ang iniisip mo? Uunahin mo pa talaga 'yung sasabihin at iisipin ng iba sa'yo? Kesa sa kapakanan ko? Ang gulo mo naman Marvin! Akala ko ba para sa'kin 'yung mga ginagawa mo?." #DearMORMakalaya - The Aira StoryFollow us:Youtube:https://www.youtube.com/c/MOREntertainmentTwitter:https://www.twitter.com/MORentPHInstagram:https://www.instagram.com/morentertainmentph

Episode Notes A Brief History of Tech with Geoffrey Peddle  Aira's Chief Technology Officer, Geoffrey Peddle, joins Airacast to talk about the tech behind visual and sign language interpreting. We'll hear about how Aira works to maximize the important aspects of each app. Geoffrey will also talk about the influence of AI, autonomous vehicles and robots.  For more about visual interpreting visit www.aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

This Manager Minute episode spotlights how the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and MassAbility are leveraging AI to improve service delivery. Host Carol Pankow discusses innovative AI applications with guests Lola Akinlapa, Nathan Skrocki, and John Oliveira. They explore an AI-assisted intake platform designed to streamline processes, enhance multilingual support, and enable faster access to services. The conversation also highlights AI-powered tools like policy lookup systems and data visualization platforms like Tableau. Emphasizing accessibility and transparency, the episode showcases AI's potential to alleviate administrative bottlenecks, support staff, and empower consumers while preserving the human touch in service delivery.   Listen Here   Full Transcript:   {Music} John: We were looking for items that might be helpful to our staff. As many of our veteran counselors move on to retirement, it became imperative that we find a way that the newer counselors could find access to information quickly.   Lola: We're not looking to reduce workforce. We're not looking to reduce your day to day operations, right. We're looking to streamline and to make the consumer's journey at MassAbility more accessible to them.   Nate: What we're doing is just enhancing and streamlining the process to better understand and strengthen their policy knowledge, to make their jobs a little bit easier.   Intro Voice: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well, welcome to the manager minute. Today joining me in the studio is Lola Akinlapa, director of strategic initiatives in Massachusetts. Nathan Skrocki, Policy director at the Massachusetts Commission for the blind. And John Oliveira, Commissioner for the Mass Commission for the blind. So how goes it, Lola?   Lola: Oh, everything is good. Thank you for having me, Carol. I think this is a really great forum to kind of spread the word on what we've been doing at the state of Massachusetts.   Carol: Excellent. How about you, Nate? How are you doing today?   Nate: Happy new year. Doing well. Glad to be here. Thank you.   Carol: Excellent. And last but not least, John, how is it? How are things? You got a new role.   John: Everything is great. A very cold day today, but we'll get through it. Uh, it's close to zero wind chill. So very cold day here.   Carol: Ah, it's like you guys are in Minnesota...   John: Yeah, I think so.   Carol:  Joining Jeff and I...   John: I think so.   Carol: Yeah. We were three below today. It was fabulous. Well I'm super excited about our topic. So artificial intelligence, although it's really not a new concept, it's gained significant attention in the recent years and the field of AI research was officially established during a workshop at Dartmouth College in 1956, where researchers optimistically predicted that human level intelligence machines would be achieved within a generation. However, it became clear the challenge was really greater than anticipated. But today, you know, we have AI everywhere seamlessly integrated into our life. You know, we've got Siri and Alexa. I rely on them all the time to your biometric scanning at the airports and the list goes on. And I had the good fortune to find out that Massachusetts is really standing out as a state that has embraced the broad implementation of AI and incorporating it extensively across various aspects of daily life and governance. So I want to dig in and learn some more from you guys. So I'd like to start out because our listeners like to get a little insight into all of you. If you could tell us about yourself and your role. And for our my two friends from the Blind agency a little bit. How you got into VR? And Lola, I'm going to start with you first.   Lola: Thank you, Carol. So a little bit about myself, as you mentioned, Lola Akinlapa, I am Director of Strategic Initiatives at now, formerly what used to be the Mass Rehab Commission and now known as MassAbility. I came into the agency back in 2014. I actually started in research and development, doing a lot of the analytic work. I actually was voluntold, I would say, to assist in a new project that we were implementing. It was a statewide case management system for our different divisions at MassAbility. Through that process, I was able to kind of take a step back to say, well, what do we need at this agency to push us toward the future?   Carol: Yeah, Lola, it is great being voluntold, because that leads to some of the best things when you're working on different things. So, Nate, how about you? How did you land at Mass Commission for the Blind?   Nate: I landed at MCB about eight years ago. At this point. I've been a manager within state government for many years and ended up at MCB. Hopefully this is where I'll be staying for many more years. I really like the mission of MCB and the work that we do as an agency to provide services to residents of Massachusetts.   Carol: Good stuff, good stuff. And John, you've switched roles, so I've known you for a while. But tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.   John: All right. Carol, I've been with the agency for, wow, 37 years.   Carol: Oh my gosh.   John: And started out in services and worked with the senior staff, senior consumers, and was in vocational rehab for a while, worked as director of staff development and training for a while. I headed up the assistive technology program for a while. I was deputy commissioner for something like 12 years, oversaw the programs, and I've been commissioner now for a year and a half.   Carol: Good for you. Well, sure good to see you again. So in the fall, I had the had the chance to attend an AI convening with Tony Wolf, who is the MassAbility Commissioner. And Tony was mentioning she kept talking about all these really cool things happening in Massachusetts. And I just I needed to learn more. So now, Lola, like, how is MassAbility moving in this AI space? And I know you're doing some things that are helping the consumer experience be quicker and easier. What's that look like?   Lola: Oh my God. It's been quite a journey to say the least. At our agency, we as many other agencies identified bottlenecks, identified issues with maybe the bureaucratic side of things where it takes longer to get someone from point A to point B. It was through, actually, our centralized intake unit where we discovered there's area for improvement here. And that area of improvement could be resolved through an assisted intake form. So at MassAbility, we're developing an AI assisted intake platform that's meant to support our staff at MassAbility, who are doing the intakes to allow them to have more leeway on doing what's more important to the work, which is getting our folks to the services they need. Through this intake form, we're actually removing the repetitive task. We're looking at some speech to text technology and then also some guided workflows. And we're also able to get multilingual support. And through the intake, it's meant to guide a lot of our consumers to feel a little bit more empowered to get from I'm stuck here, how do I get services that I need, whether I'm going to work or looking to live or transition into the community, instead of waiting months before someone can speak to you to get you through the process.   In this platform, we're actually able to allow our staff to have more time to be dedicated to more personalized interactions with our clients. So it's been a journey to kind of develop what that roadmap looks like. But we are super excited about this. We actually will be going live early this year through our MassAbility site, through our consumer portal, where it will be housed, and individuals will be able to go in, log in and fill out the form, and the form would guide them through the entire process without human interaction. And for us, I think it's really important to take a step back and really understand the purpose of this. Right. It's not to remove the individual from their work, right. It's to make some processes a little bit more streamlined, but then have our staff, our counselors, our case managers be able to focus on more of the human interaction. It's been quite a journey for us, to say the least.   Carol: So, Lola, are you working on that with your own state IT folk or who kind of is helping you mastermind all this?   Lola: So this is in collaboration with our IT folks at Executive Office of Technology. Also, we're working with a contractor who's been helping us build this platform out. They've been super great. It's been a very collaborative effort across the board. I would even have to throw in Microsoft because there's some work that they're assisting us doing, and it's been a team effort to get it to where it is today. And we're actually very proud of what we've done in such a short period of time.   Carol: Very cool, I like it. I know Lola, you had talked to me too, you were interested in doing something kind of in this data realm because I know data isn't cool always. But you were trying to do some stuff with Tableau and AI. So what does that look like?   Lola: Tableau. For folks that don't know, it's a visual data tool that we've been using at MassAbility for a little bit over four years now. The really cool thing about technology is as the years go on, the tools get better. Tableau was another way that we were using to kind of drive our data decision making at the agency. You know, things that are really core to the MassAbility beliefs in our missions. With Tableau, we're able to have a chatbot, and the chatbot would be utilized something similar like ChatGPT, where you could say, show me how many individuals are getting X services, or show me how many individuals are served in certain parts of the region. Right?   Carol: Yeah.   Lola: very cool things like that where you don't have to be a data analyst or a data science...   Carol: right.   Lola: to use Tableau. It kind of makes it more user friendly and at your fingertips. I think of it like on demand data. So that's something that we've been looking at that is in collaboration with an initiative that we have over at Northeastern. And we've submitted a proposal for that. So we haven't started, but we're looking forward to some of the cool and innovative things, because I think many state agencies will agree. Data is really, really interesting to look at, especially when you're looking to tell a story, when you're looking to improve just the overall outcomes of your agency, depending on what you're looking to achieve. So it's really been something great that we're looking forward to getting started. And then also on the back end, kind of showing and empowering our own staff as to what this data means, right? Because not everyone is a data scientist. Not everyone enjoys. It's a very dry subject, but I think this is a way to keep folks engaged in terms of what's really going on at the agency, and it kind of tells a story without having to truly understand the data to tell the story.   Carol: I love that. I think you'll find if you guys can make that all happen, there's going to be a lot of folks across the country that are going to be super interested in that piece because data has been so critical, especially as WIOA passed, and we're looking at so much more of the data and what really is happening for individuals with disabilities and getting into employment. And so I feel like sometimes we're data rich, but we're analysis poor. And people are like, I don't know what all this means. You get a little bit overwhelmed by the data. So I think that would be great for people to be able to do the old ChatGPT kind of thing and just ask a question and get the answer.   Lola: Absolutely.   Carol: I love that, that's very cool. So when you look at AI, there really has been considerable impact, too, for individuals who are blind and visually impaired. And Nathan and John, I mean, what are you guys seeing with the customers you serve? Just in general, when you think about AI and the work you're doing now?   John: Well, obviously in the assistive technology field, there's always been a lot of talk about incorporating AI to serve consumers. And over the past 4 or 5 years, many of the wearables have become very popular. And every year when you see these items, they get better and better. And that's benefiting a lot of our consumers tremendously. I'm sure that you've all heard about the meta glasses. Tremendous assistance for our consumers. You put on this pair of glasses, you can take pictures of the environment you're walking through. You can use it with description services such as Aira and Be My Eyes. And it works great for someone who doesn't know the area. For someone who's trying to do some work and needs to access print immediately, a great way to do this. Many other things are coming down the pipeline, but we were looking for items that might be helpful to our staff. As many of our veteran counselors move on to retirement, it became imperative that we find a way that the newer counselors could find access to information quickly. We do the trainings the usual way, but that takes quite a bit of time. And if you have questions and you want answers right away, we were looking for a solution and we came across this solution in Outlook Insight. I read about it somewhere, I called them, I spoke to an individual at the company and we agreed that we would meet at the NCSAB Conference. And I turned them on to Nate and his policy team. And he can give you more of the story about that journey going forward here.   Carol: So what do you know, Nate?   Nate: Thanks, John.   Carol: John is the idea guy and he's like, Nate, go do the thing.   Nate: And it works out great. So what we did was we connected with Outlook Insight, and we wanted a tool that would allow kind of a quick reference lookup for our case managers. So it could be that they have questions themselves and the policy or procedures. And making sure a case is executed properly or consumer may have a question and they want a quick reference for that. So what we did with Outlook Insight is develop a tool that takes all of our internal policies and all of the other policies that govern us, and kind of housed it all in one place and very similar to ChatGPT or some of these other AIs out there. You can ask it a question and it will provide a response. And when it provides a response, we have the ability to really take a look at where it's coming from. So it will include all the resources that it's pulling from with the response. So it will cite the documentation. So it might be some direction from RSA or some of our internal policies or another piece of policy that is out there, another piece of guidance that is out there. And it will cite that particular piece of policy where it's coming from. You can click on it. When you click on it, it will bring that policy up and you can read further, but it will also provide that response. So if you ask it what form is needed at this step of a case procedure, it will bring up what form is needed. Bring up the form and you can go from there.   Carol: Nice. So where are you at in the process with this rolling out?   Nate: We have rolled it out to some staff. It's not officially rolled out yet as an agency. It's something we're still testing. But we did roll it out to some staff to test to really kind of understand what they're using it for. Another piece of it is we're allowed to add tiles to this particular system. We can create these buttons or tiles above the search bar that will have preloaded questions. So say a consumer is going to college and we you know we might have a button that has the question on it. What is college reimbursement for a student at MCB. You can click on that and we'll bring up all the information about what's appropriate for college reimbursement, how much that college investment can be, so on and so forth. We wanted to get an idea of what people were asking it. We wanted to get an idea of what they're using it for, so we can kind of load in those different tiles on the top as well. And as we go through certain cycles in case management, those will change over the year, in the future when we do roll this out. And we also just were curious on what people were looking up for quick reference. And people are using it. It is a very good tool. It's been helpful for us in the policy unit. We're not getting as many questions for people that are using it, because they're going to that first to see if they can look up the policies on their own and get a response on their own. We do caution people though, because it is AI, so sometimes it does not provide the full picture. I guess is the best way to put it. It might give a partial answer. We haven't seen where it's giving any wrong answers yet, but sometimes it doesn't fill in the whole picture. So that's why we include the policies with the response, because people can go in and search further within that policy if they need to formulate a decision a little bit better.   Carol: Yeah, you bring up a really good point. You always have to trust but verify, even ChatGPT you throw something in there. And I use it a lot because it's super helpful and it'll be going along. It's really great. It gives this response and then you have some kind of wacky line comes in there and you go, I don't really know where that came from, but that isn't right. So you can't just turn it all over to the bot. You still have to use your own kind of critical thinking skills and take a look to apply it.   Nate: For sure. The advantage that we have, as opposed to like an open source AI, is we control what goes in and out of where it's pulling from. So we're the ones putting the policies in. Or as Lola had mentioned before, if you want statistics or something like that, you can put it in a document with certain statistics and it can pull from that. But we control everything in there. So it's not pulling from this open source where it might recognize something as helpful, but it really isn't. It's everything in there. We've kind of vetted and we understand it's something that is needed by the agency.   Lola: Absolutely. And just to Nathan's point, open source, we're talking about like Google, you know, you can get millions of results back and very true at MassAibility. Similarly, we obviously have regulations that we're following with RSA. And there are things that we have to control just to make sure the language is correct. So we're putting in what needs to be said at the bot kind of just follows that logic. So that's kind of the nice thing where you can still have that control, even if it is kind of AI, but it's still guarded. It's not as loose as just an open source would be.   Carol: Yeah, absolutely. It's a great point, Lola. And I know for the both of you, you know you're doing things that are impacting the staff. So staff can definitely have a reaction to this. Sometimes positive, sometimes not. Like we're all super excited. I see your smiling faces like, yay, we're doing the thing. And then they're like, you know, people feel like back what I was saying in the beginning, like, we're going to replace everybody with robots or something. And so staff can get concerned. So I'm going to kick this to you first, Lola, what's been kind of the response from staff about the things that you guys are trying to do?   Lola: Well, I'm very fortunate to work at an agency where folks are very open minded. Change is a little different, but we're very open minded at MassAbility. I think it's all about the messaging and the purpose on why we're doing certain things right. For sure. There are people that are going to have, you know, pros and cons about it, but I think how we message it is we're not looking to reduce workforce...   Carol: right.   Lola: We're not looking to reduce your day to day operations, right? We're looking to streamline and to make the consumer's Consumers journey at MassAbility more accessible to them. The option that we have right now and how we've messaged it to staff is it's an option, right? We're not removing the human aspect of it, but it's an option for individuals who are in certain circumstances that need to get something done a little bit faster, right? It takes a little bit longer to talk to individuals, but if it's something that they feel like, you know, I'm just going in and I'm looking for a job, I know everything I need to have. This is another outlet that they can use where the system itself is like, I'm not a person, but I can guide you like an individual, right? At the end of it, you will be meeting with a person. You will have that personalized experience, that interaction, but mostly for the admin and the data entry, right? We can repurpose that. We can shift that burden to some of the tools that we have available to us, like the AI assisted intake form. So that's really the messaging behind it, right? The messaging is not to impact staff. It's not to scare staff.   Carol: Right.   Lola: But it's more to help think of allowing people to have different options to come into the agency that aren't so impactful or don't feel like a bottleneck.   Carol: Yeah, I love that. I love that point. How about you guys, Nate or John? Have you seen any initial responses from staff, maybe different than you thought or how has it been going?   Nate: I think for us it's a little bit different too, because we're providing human services, so we're not replacing that in any way with an AI tool. We're not going to be replacing us, going out and sitting with a consumer and meeting them where they're at and providing the services that they need to be successful. What we're doing is really just enhancing and, like Lola said, streamlining the process to better understand and strengthen their policy knowledge to make their jobs a little bit easier. We haven't really explored any type of AI that would help with case management work or anything like that, and it's really tough because like I said, in the human service field and in Lola can probably also agree with this. Every consumer is so different. We're meeting with them a lot of times in person, especially at our agency, and providing the services that they need. A lot of it's hands on services, something that we're not going to be able to do with AI. What we're really looking at is how do we enhance their ability to provide and streamline services and make the experience better for the consumers and for our workers. And that's what we've done with this first policy tool. And I think it's been successful. I don't know if you have anything to add there, John.   John: Yeah, we're supporting the staff at this point. So it's not that we're trying to take staff out of the process. We're making it easier for you to do your job and for you to answer questions that you may have about the process of moving the client through the system, or even questions that a consumer may ask you, and you can explain to them. And if you're missing any of that data, you can pull it up on your laptop. And that tool is always with you. You can ask it at that point, or you can refer to other resources we have on that machine. So you could certainly help them get the information they need faster and help yourself process the information they've given you faster.   Carol: Well, having done technical assistance for years with state agencies, and I see the hundreds of pages in all your policy manuals and all this craziness, I'm sure staff will greatly appreciate anything that streamlines some of that work that they have to do, and all the things they have to retain. And you've got your policy and your procedure and your desk and your 14 other directions. It's a lot. I mean, it's a lot to keep track of, as well as just paying attention to the individual that's sitting before you. And so I think anything you can do to streamline that is great. I'm wondering if you all have other ideas. I know Lola, when I talked to you before, you are full of lots of thoughts. Do you have any next steps for accessibility that you're thinking about?   Lola: I have a couple of next steps right now. I have to rein myself in. We're for sure right now really focused on getting our automated intake form out. We're at the tail end of testing and everything has been looking great on the up and up. So we've been really trying to get our messaging around what that looks like, especially to our constituents that are looking for services. So folks just understand the purpose, the why and how we're trying to make this a little bit better. I'm hoping eventually one day I can take this to phase two where the eligibility pieces may come into play, but we're not there yet. Right. We're taking baby steps.   Carol: Yeah.   Lola: I'm really excited we've gotten this far. I know Nathan and I have had conversations a few months back about looking at something similar to what they're doing with the policy, because we have our own policies, right, that are kind of everywhere. They need to be updated and staff need to reference them or individuals are looking for them. So I think definitely what MCB has been doing has been in the back of our minds a little bit. But like we said, we're taking baby steps and hopefully we can get there. But I think across the board, these are all great initiatives.   Carol: Yeah, absolutely. How about you Nate and John are you guys looking at, you thinking a 2.0 on anything or some other areas you'd like to dabble in with AI?   Nate: I think it's rolling this out first and kind of once we get this completely rolled out to staff and kind of understand how well it's working, I think we can take those next steps. We're always keeping our finger on the pulse of technology and how it's advancing, and if it can assist us in any way, and we'll continue to do that. I think an interesting, it kind of fits in with AI is, you know, one of the biggest barriers for our consumers is transportation. And as far as AI goes, one of the big conversations in that community is automated cars and those type of things. And we have in the past provided some input about automation. And when they're creating those type of things for transportation, how to think about how it would benefit people with disabilities and those type of things. It's a long way off, but it's something interesting and something I personally get asked about a lot when I'm out speaking in different areas is, where is that? You know how close that is?   Carol: Yeah.   Nate: That's nothing we'll ever do as an agency. We're never going to be providing, you know, services. But we have provided some just some input in the past on that. But as far as like case management and service to consumers and those type of things, like Lola says, eligibility is something that's very interesting. If there's something that can help with that, it's for different programs within our agency. You know, when you're coming to MCB, we're a little bit different than MassAbility. By law, you have to be registered with us if you reach the threshold of legal blindness in Massachusetts. So you're registered with us. It's the law. But depending on what services you're receiving and what programs you're in and those type of things and maybe something interesting to look at in the future.   Carol: Yeah, definitely. Blind agencies have a lot of moving parts and pieces. So how about any advice you all might have for states that are starting to think about this? Because states are in all different, you know, places and people are kind of, their administrations. Some are very proactive, some are not. Do you have any advice, as you've been working through these projects that might help other people that are starting to dabble? Lola, I'll kick that to you first.   Lola: Yeah, I think that's all dependent just on where you are as a state agency, right? It's taken us a while to come to the realization, like, maybe there's something more we can do to kind of help the process that we're in. And it just so happened some of the things that we've identified as pain points, it looks like AI and technology would really help alleviate. And I'm not going to say remove because we're always going to have issues, but it would help alleviate some of those pain points. I think one of the things that would be insightful for folks to know, and just because the disability community loves the community, it's just when it comes to technology, we have to be very careful, right? We need to be mindful of some of the biases that come along with that. We need to make sure that the accessibility is actually accessible. It's usable, right? To Nathan's point, we serve various consumers ranging from different types of disability. And I think sometimes that gets lost in the conversation because we're so much let's get it to the next level and let's make it work for us and automate it. And I think we forget to take a step back and remember who we're doing it for, right? We're doing it for the folks that maybe don't have mobility, the folks that can't always read or have low vision, or the deaf or hard of hearing individuals. We really try to make this form all about the people. So I think as agencies are probably trying to embark on technology, those are some of the things that they might want to keep in mind. And it depends just where you are in the process. Just it was great timing for us, and I'm sure Nathan would agree. It was probably great timing for his agency to start some of the discovery process around how we can utilize AI.   Carol: Good advice. John, do you have anything you want to add?   John: Yeah. When you're going down this road, be prepared that you understand the process that your state has, because there's many other departments that come in and want to take a look at what you're doing and ask for a lot of different documentation. And so that all has to be done before any product can be deployed. And depending how bureaucratic the state is, it can be different. A large state might have a whole bunch of departments Moving in and wanting to take a look in a smaller state may not be as complicated or as cumbersome process as it can be. So just be aware. Once you understand the idea and you think of a potential product, make sure that you've understood all the steps you have to do at the state level to be able to deploy that product and not have it pulled when you're halfway through, or you've spent money on development so that it gets scrapped in the development stage. So just be very aware of how to get that process through the state.   Carol: Yeah, that's  very good advice. Nate you get the last word on this.   Nate: Patience. For a lot of reasons and pointing at both what Lola and Commissioner Olivera talked about here. You got to have patience to go through the process. But you also have to have patience to make sure that it is accessible. Here at MCB, we obviously have a myriad of different folks using it and with different abilities and ways that they approach the system. We got to make sure it works for all those different ways. And that wasn't easy either, but more so for the process. It's a long process. We're still in the middle of that process, but it's worth it. I do want to say that have the patience, but it is definitely worth it. AI is extraordinarily able to just provide a way to save time. You know, a question that may come up to us where we research a question, decide on what the answer is, reach back out to a worker, give them the answer and they go to a consumer. Give them the answer. It could be days. This is seconds. The time that it saves. And maybe even if you, depending on how it's deployed, the cost it could save in the long run. It's extraordinary and worth the time put in.   Carol: I love that you would mention that. There used to be something that I compared every year that came out from RSA, and I'd compare to the previous year, and so I'd always look at, you know, I'd do this side by side, kind of mark up what all change, what language changed. And it used to take me hours, you know, just to look through the document. Now I send it through a tool and literally in a minute it highlights everything that changed from one year to the next. I'm like, boom, done. You have it. People always are asking us questions as a TA provider, and I'm like able to immediately tell them what change they're like. How'd you do that analysis so fast? Well, I used my friend, you know, an AI tool that was able to do it. It really is an amazing Time saver. So how can our listeners find you guys? Could you leave us with like, an email address or something? Lola, would you mind saying your email address for the listeners in case somebody wants to reach out to what you're doing there?   Lola: Yeah, absolutely. I can be reached at Oluwafunke.Akinlapa@mass.gov. The spelling is o l u w a f u n k e dot a k I n l a p a at mass.gov.   Carol: Oh that's great. And then Nate or  John, do you both want to give your email or who's the contact there.   Nate: It's Nathan.w. Skrocki@mass.gov and I'll spell that out. It's n a t h a n dot w dot s k r o c k I at mass.gov.   Carol: Oh, that is awesome you guys! I really am looking forward to seeing your stuff roll out. You need to give me an update. I am super happy about this. In fact, we were having an AI conversation the other day on our GW team and I said, hey, I'm doing a podcast this week and they're like, you got to give us the names of the people, because some folks are working on something, they like, they're gathering up information from across the country. So I said I'd be happy to share. So thanks so much. And please do keep in touch. I wish you the very best with your projects.   Lola: Awesome. Thank you Carol.   John: Thank you Carol.   Nate: Thanks.   {Music} Outro Voice: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Episode Notes In this episode we take a look at what debuted at the 2022 CSUN, the completely overhauled Aira app! It's now Aira Explorer and it's everywhere, from the smart phone to the Mac or PC. Check out improvements for low vision users and the plethora of things you can do under the “More” tab.  Learn more about Aira at www.aira.io. Email us at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Last year at CSUN Aira debuted our Access AI feature for image description. We'll take a quick tour of its unique tasks and options. Our “Road to CSUN” episodes will come out every Friday through March 7 so stay tuned! Learn more about Aira at www.aira.io. call our Customer Care team at 1-800-835-1934 or email support@aira.io Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes Our look back at 2024 takes us through the many innovations of the past year. From Access AI to work with Meta Ray-Ban Smart glasses, plus our new Access Network partners, Everette and Jenine cover it all. Then we talk about Aira's annual customer survey, the upcoming CSUN conference and our 10th Birthday Celebration!  Join us on January 29 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm Pacific time https://aira.zoom.us/j/89073345341  You can find the event in the Aira Explorer app by tapping on More, then Events and the link for the 10th Birthday.  Comments or questions about the podcast? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Learn more about visual interpreting at www.aira.io or call our Customer Care team at 1-800-835-1934. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Episode Notes For more information and assistance with your Aira/Meta Ray-Ban connection, contact our Customer Care Team at 1-800-835-1934 or support@aira.io. Check out our Youtube channel for more demos. https://youtube.com/c/airaio Email this podcast at airacast@aira.io. Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Katherine Longhi (she/her), Inclusive Culture Consultant at Limitless Possibility, and I recap the latest 5 Things (good vibes in DEI) in just 15 minutes. This week, our conversation is about Starbucks serving up parental leave perks, justice literally taking the stage, Walmart's game-changing visual interpretation initiative, and more!Here are this week's good vibes:Starbucks Serves Up Parental Leave PerksJustice Takes the Stage—Literally!Walmart Provides Visual InterpretationBreaking Up Is Hard to HideHasbro Plays to Win on InnovationGood Vibes to Go: Bernadette's GVTG: Listen to this short National Public Radio segment about President Jimmy Carter's “legacy of advancing progress for Black women.” I wasn't previously aware of the appointments he made and the opportunities he created. Katherine's GVTG: Get uncomfortable. One way is to read the book White Women: Everything You Already Know About Your Own Racism and How to Do Better by Regina Jackson and Saira RaoRead the Stories.Connect with Katherine Longhi. Join thousands of readers by subscribing to the 5 Things newsletter. Enjoy some good vibes in DEI every Saturday morning. https://5thingsdei.com/

@canal_yoruba

Aira was thinking of not inviting her sister to her wedding until Dr. Laura helped her see things in a different way. Call 1-800-DR-LAURA / 1-800-375-2872 or make an appointment at DrLaura.comFollow me on social media:Facebook.com/DrLauraInstagram.com/DrLauraProgramYouTube.com/DrLaura

On this episode, Elizabeth Whitaker and Oleg Shevkun introduce some of the new features in our December product updates. Then, we hear from Dan Clark about his path from a pizza store manager to access technology trainer. And finally, Everette Bacon is here to talk about what's new at Aira, including the latest partnership with TPGI. 

Today on the show Steven Scott and Shaun Preece discuss their holiday preparations, weekend plans, and the joys of a quiet Christmas. They share humorous anecdotes about cleaning their studios, ear cleaning mishaps, and the importance of slowing down expectations in daily life. The conversation eventually shifts to technology, including the Be My Eyes app and the challenges of using camera glasses for reading. They also explore the recent news about a driverless bus service in Scotland and the future of autonomous vehicles. Also, Steven shares his excitement about digitizing old cassette tapes, reflecting on the nostalgia of family memories. Our featured conversation today discusses the Aira visual interpretation service, its functionality, and its new partnership with Walmart. Jenine Stanley from the company, along with Michael Babcock who has been out testing the service at Walmart, explore how Aira provides visual interpreting services for individuals who are blind, emphasizing its value in everyday situations, privacy concerns by users, and the importance of trust. The discussion also highlights the role of access partners like Walmart in enhancing accessibility for users while reducing costs overall.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Chapter Markers:00:00 Holiday Preparations and Weekend Plans08:52 Be My Eyes Experience and Camera Challenges15:08 Driverless Bus Service in Scotland Cancelled25:06 Nostalgia and Digitizing Cassette Tapes30:15 Introduction to Aira and Be My Eyes33:03 Exploring Aira's Visual Interpreting Service40:32 Aira's Partnership with Walmart41:01 Aira in Action: A Walmart Experience49:13 Access Partners and Their Importance55:54 How to Sign Up for AiraAbout AiraAt Aira, we believe access to information is a human right. Aira breaks down accessibility barriers by providing on-demand video remote interpreting for both the blind and low-vision community, and the Deaf Community. People can download the Aira Explorer app or the Aira ASL app, and be instantly connected to a professional interpreter. Available 24/7/365, interpreters work with callers to facilitate more efficient communication and accomplish tasks together. Aira is proud to lead the way in delivering secure, on-demand, inclusive services that transform lives and open doors to new opportunities for all. #OnMyTerms Learn more at www.aira.io (https://www.aira.io)Download for iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aira-explorer/id1590186766Download for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.aira.explorer&hl=en_CA

Jesse Anderson, Assistive Technology Specialist at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota, discusses the latest advancements in assistive technology for high school and college students. He highlights tools like Aira's AccessAI, BeMyAI, JAWS, and smart glasses, emphasizing the importance of learning both mobile and computer-based solutions to improve independence and efficiency. Jesse also explores emerging technologies, such as multi-line Braille displays and AI-powered apps, while stressing the value of early adoption and flexibility in using various tools. His advice encourages students to embrace technology as a way to overcome challenges and succeed in academics, work, and everyday life. Full Transcript: To find out more about the services provided at State Services for the Blind, and what they can do for you, contact Shane DeSantis at shane.desantis@state.mn.us or call Shane at 651-385-5205. Read More

In this engaging episode, Marc Aflalo welcomes Steven Scott, host of the Double Tap podcast, for an in-depth discussion on the latest breakthroughs in assistive technology. From Glasgow, Scotland, Steven shares his firsthand experiences with Glide—a revolutionary mobility aid that blends AI, robotics, and navigation to empower blind and low-vision users. They delve into how this innovative device bridges the gap between traditional white canes and guide dogs, offering a practical, affordable alternative for enhanced independence. The conversation also highlights Aira, a visual interpretation service leveraging cutting-edge tech like Meta's Ray-Ban frames to deliver hands-free support in real-world scenarios. Steven explains how these tools are reshaping the way blind users navigate public spaces like airports and retail stores, fostering a greater sense of freedom. Beyond the tech, Marc and Steven tackle broader topics like societal stigma, accessibility challenges, and the transformative role of mainstream adoption in driving down costs. As they look ahead to 2025, they touch on the exciting future of Braille technology and the importance of keeping this essential format alive in the digital age.

The Tech Abilities Crew jingles back into the Blind Abilities studio—live (well, sort of)! Serina, Cindy, and Jeff dive into Black Friday blues, Cyber Monday madness, and the holiday vibes that keep the packages flowing and spirits glowing. From festive decorations and smart lighting to the latest gadgets like the iMac Mini with the M4 chip, there's plenty to unwrap! Serina takes flight solo with Meta Glasses and Aira, while the crew shares gratitude, laughs, and a touch of nostalgia (Bell Bottom jeans, anyone?). Join us for tech talk, holiday cheer, and an episode to remember. Thanks for tuning in! Read More

Join us for a fun-filled two hours of technology as we present AIRA and Vispero/Freedom Scientific. In the first hour AIRA and Jenine Stanley join us to give us the latest happenings with their service. In the second hour we bring Elizabeth Whitaker back to Main Menu Live. We here all about the new JAWS 2025 release as well as other happenings within Freedom Scientific. Sponsored by Blind Information Technology Specialists

Jeff, Serina, and Cindy reunite in the Blind Abilities Studio, bringing the Tech Abilities podcast back in full force! After a short break, the trio dives headfirst into the latest tech trends and practical insights, starting with Serina's new Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses—spoiler alert: Jeff has a pair too. From exploring the powerful Access AI feature in the Aira Explorer app, where users can now adjust response detail and vocabulary level, to  Jeff taking note of Serina's  makeup hacks using AI, this episode balances serious tech talk with a touch of fun. And with Black Friday just around the corner, the team shares Amazon shopping secrets to make the most of those holiday deals. Whether you're here for the tech demos or tips on smart shopping, buckle up and join the ride with Jeff, Serina, and Cindy on Tech Abilities!

In this powerful and educational episode of It Happened To Me, we sit down with Rachel Schreiman who turned her personal struggle with vision loss into a mission to support others. Rachel shares her story of resilience after experiencing two episodes of Non-Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (NAION), a rare and debilitating eye condition caused by insufficient blood flow to the optic nerve. These episodes left her with significant central vision loss, but instead of giving up, Rachel embraced a new path.   Rachel Schreiman is a CPA and musician who holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. In 2019 while working as the Controller for a trade association in Washington DC, she suffered two episodes of Non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), rendering her legally blind with significant central vision loss. After receiving rehabilitation care and training she started a new "career" devoted to others with low vision. She now works for Dr. Suleiman Alibhai OD, a low vision rehabilitation optometrist, and as a Resource Navigator for the Prevention of Blindness Society of Metropolitan Washington (POB). Both of these positions allow her to give back to others with low vision by sharing information about resources and demonstrating how to use many of the devices, assistive technologies and applications available that allow users to live full and independent lives.   Key Topics Discussed:   The Onset of NAION:  Rachel recounts the initial episode of NAION in 2019, the symptoms she experienced, and her journey to diagnosis. She describes NAION as a "stroke in the eye," explaining how lack of blood flow to the optic nerve led to significant vision loss.   Risk Factors and Triggers for NAION: Rachel discusses possible risk factors, such as sleep apnea and cardiovascular issues, which can contribute to the development of NAION. She shares insights into lifestyle adjustments and precautions she now takes to help manage her health.   Navigating a Second Episode:   Five months after the first NAION episode, Rachel suffered another in her other eye. She reflects on the impact of this second event, the rapid response from her medical team, and the steps she took to prepare for further adaptation to vision loss.   Diagnosing and Treating NAION:   Rachel describes the challenges of diagnosing NAION, which can be easily mistaken for other conditions such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumors, or stroke. She also explains the diagnostic process and the types of specialists who are essential for accurate diagnosis and care.   Adapting to Vision Loss: Rachel opens up about the difficult decision to stop driving and the profound impact it had on her independence. She shares the changes she made in her home and daily routines, along with the support she received from her husband and family, which helped her navigate life with low vision.   Coping Strategies for Low Vision:   Rachel reveals the practical and emotional strategies she uses to cope with vision loss, from using assistive technologies to finding new hobbies and ways to stay connected with her passions.   Advocacy and Empowerment in Low Vision Care:   Through her roles with Dr. Alibhai and the POB, Rachel describes her work in educating others about low vision resources, providing hands-on training with assistive devices, and guiding patients and their families through the journey to independence. She also highlights the services POB offers for those with low vision and encourages listeners to seek support early in their vision loss journey. Resources Mentioned:   - Episode 24 with Dr. Andrew Carey – For more on optic neuropathies, including NAION, check out our conversation with neuro-ophthalmic specialist Dr. Carey. - Episode 27 with Prevention of Blindness – Learn more about POB's programs and resources for individuals with low vision on POB's website.  - Assistive Technology Resources – Recommended apps and devices for managing life with low vision: Seeing AI, VoiceDream, BeMyEyes, Aira.    Stay tuned for the next new episode of “It Happened To Me”! In the meantime, you can listen to our previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “It Happened To Me”.    “It Happened To Me” is created and hosted by Cathy Gildenhorn and Beth Glassman. DNA Today's Kira Dineen is our executive producer and marketing lead. Amanda Andreoli is our associate producer. Ashlyn Enokian is our graphic designer.   See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, ItHappenedToMePod.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to ItHappenedToMePod@gmail.com. 

Episode Notes Airacast Navigating the Aira Access Network  October was a busy month at Aira. In this episode Jenine talks with Everette Bacon, VP of Blindness Initiatives about the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses experience. Then we learn about the call intent feature with Carla Kane, Manager of Learning & Development. But wait! There's more! Use those navigation skills at a new and long-awaited Access Network Partner.  Resources:  Konnie Ellis video: Using Aira with Meta Smart Glassesyoutube.com Carrie Morales video: Demonstrating what can the Meta Glasses do for people who are blind and visually impaired!youtu.be Everette Bacon contact: everette@aira.io  Questions or comments about the show? Email us at airacast@aira.io. Learn more about visual interpreting at www.aira.io.  Find out more at https://airacast.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Jenine Stanley, Director of Customer Success and Engagement at Aira, joins Jeff Thompson on Blind Abilities to share exciting updates. Aira can now be used with Meta Ray-Ban glasses, available in public beta for all users. This innovation expands Aira's accessible technology offerings, along with other developments like a custom call feature, navigation-certified visual interpreters, and partnerships with Walmart and Vispero. Learn more and download the Aira Explorer app to access the latest in visual interpreting technology. Aira on the App Store and on Google Play. Learn more about visual interpreting at Aira.io. Aira Tech Corp. Access to visual information is a human right.  Customer Care  1-800-835-1934 support@aira.io

Today on the show Steven Scott and Shaun Preece discuss the breaking news that Seeing AI now has the ability to describe videos live, plus friend of the show Jenine Stanley pops in from Aira to discuss some updates to their visual interpreter service.The big news of the day is Seeing AI's latest update which now allows you to upload an MP4 video file and have it analyzed and described back to you while the video plays. Steven demonstrates this with some of his own videos recorded on his Meta Ray-Ban glasses, plus we hear a clip from the archive of Saqib Shaikh from Microsoft, the man who created Seeing AI, talking about its creation and his aim with the project.Aira also has news to share and Jenine Stanley, the company's Director of Customer Service and Engagement, joins the guys again to talk about a new partnership with a UK train network, and also updates listeners on their use of Meta Ray-Bans for Aira calls.Get in touch with Double Tap by emailing us feedback@doubletaponair.com or by call 1-877-803-4567 and leave us a voicemail. You can also now contact us via Whatsapp on 1-613-481-0144 or visit doubletaponair.com/whatsapp to connect. We are also across social media including X, Mastodon and Facebook. Double Tap is available daily on AMI-audio across Canada, on podcast worldwide and now on YouTube.Chapter Markers:00:00 Intro01:51 Exciting Updates on Seeing AI07:58 Interview with Saqib Shaikh: The Vision Behind Seeing AI13:59 Demonstrating the New Video Description Feature19:45 Exploring Additional Features of Seeing AI27:18 Connecting with Aira: New Partnerships and Access Locations34:25 Meta and Aira: A New Era of Visual Assistance46:04 Innovations in Aira: ASL and New Services

2444 Encore of 1739 Running with a Remote Aira Guide (Oct. 30, 2024) Show Notes Aira is a service developed to give the blind instant access to information using a smart phone, a video camera, and a remote sighted agent. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Erich Manser, a blind distance runner and triathlete, … Continue reading 2444 Encore of 1739 Running with a Remote Aira Guide (Oct. 30, 2024) →

2443 Aira Anytime Anywhere (Oct. 23, 2024) Show Notes Learn how Aira is revolutionizing accessibility for the visually impaired with its blend of human interpreters and AI. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Everette Bacon, Chief of Blindness Initiatives, about Aira's partnerships offering free services in many locations. Find out how Aira provides secure … Continue reading 2443 Aira Anytime Anywhere (Oct. 23, 2024) →

This week, we're joined by our good friend Mark Haber to discuss his wonderful books, including the brand new Lesser Ruins. Fittingly, this episode features numerous digressions into literary influences and loves, coffee, music, art, travel, and much more!ShownotesBooks* The Cemetery of Untold Stories, by Julia Alvarez* The Rainbow, by D.H. Lawrence* Fog at Noon, by Tomás González, translated by Andrea Rosenberg* Difficult Light, by Tomás González, translated by Andrea Rosenberg* Living Things, by Munir Hachemi, translated by Julia Sanches* Vacated Landscape, by Jean Lahougue, translated by K.E. Gormley* The God of Endings, by Jacqueline Holland* Melvill, by Rodrigo Fresán, translated by Will Vanderhyden* Attila, by Aliocha Coll, translated by Katie Whittemore* Attila, by Serena, by Javier Serena, translated by Katie Whittemore* Deathbed Conversions, by Mark Haber* Reinhardt's Garden, by Mark Haber* Saint Sebastian's Abyss, by Mark Haber* Lesser Ruins, by Mark Haber* An Episode in the Life of a Landscape Painter, by César Aira, translated by Chris Andrews* The Netanyahus, by Joshua Cohen* Ada, by Mark Haber (forthcoming 2026)* 2666, by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer* Ten, by Juan Emar, translated by Megan McDowell* Out of Sheer Rage: Wrestling with D.H. Lawrence, by Geoff Dyer* Compass, by Mathias Énard, translated by Charlotte MandellOther* Episode 31: New Directions, with Mark Haber* Wakefield Press* LitHub: “Mark Haber on the Beauty of Digression”* Southwest Review: “How to Read Kafka,” by Mark HaberThe Mookse and the Gripes Podcast is a book chat podcast. Every other week Paul and Trevor get together to talk about some bookish topic or another. We hope you'll continue to join us!Many thanks to those who helped make this possible! If you'd like to donate as well, you can do so on Substack or on our Patreon page. These subscribers get periodic bonus episode and early access to all episodes! Every supporter has their own feed that he or she can use in their podcast app of choice to download our episodes a few days early. Please go check it out! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mookse.substack.com/subscribe

In this special episode of the Astrology Hub podcast, Amanda welcomes the legendary financial astrologer Ray Merriman to discuss the profound astrological cycles shaping our future. Ray, known for his expertise in predicting market trends through planetary movements, dives into the Aries Vortex, the “new aira” of Saturn-Jupiter cycles and why the upcoming years, particularly 2025 and 2026, will be pivotal in human history. This episode offers a deep exploration of astrological insights, blending financial wisdom with a broader understanding of the collective shifts we are about to experience.What You'll Learn:☄️ Ray Merriman's journey from pioneering evolutionary astrology to becoming a leading figure in financial astrology. The significance of the astrological cycles of 2025 and 2026 and why they are crucial for humanity.