Podcasts about be my eyes

JAWS and ZoomText pricing in the UK is changing, and users are confused. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece bring in Stuart Lawler from Sight & Sound Technology to break down the new subscription model, explain Software Maintenance Agreements (SMAs), and clarify what the changes mean for long-time users. Plus, a hands-on look at the Keychron Q6 Max mechanical keyboard, updates on Aira desktop support, and a listener email about life with prosthetic eyes.This episode tackles one of the biggest questions in UK accessibility tech right now: what's happening with JAWS and ZoomText pricing? Steven and Shaun are joined by Stuart Lawler from Sight & Sound Technology to cut through the confusion. Stuart explains why Vispero has moved to a subscription model, what the pricing tiers look like, and how current users can still benefit from SMAs before the October deadline.Alongside the pricing discussion, Steven shares his experience with the hefty Keychron Q6 Max mechanical keyboard, exploring both its impressive build and the accessibility challenges of customizing it. The hosts also highlight how services like Aira desktop support and Be My Eyes can help blind users navigate inaccessible software.Listener feedback adds humor and insight, with one email describing the quirks of prosthetic eyes, while Shaun shares breaking news about Meta's new detailed description feature for Ray-Ban smart glasses in the UK. The conversation rounds off with speculation about Google's upcoming hardware event and the future of smart glasses.Chapters0:00 – JAWS & ZoomText UK pricing confusion4:52 – Steven's new Keychron Q6 Max keyboard review21:45 – Using Aira desktop for accessibility support31:12 – Meta AI's new detailed description option for Ray-Bans36:40 – Listener email: fun with prosthetic eyes48:25 – JAWS subscription vs SMA explained with Stuart Lawler1:20:10 – Google Pixel event speculation and smart glassesRelevant LinksSight & Sound Technology: https://www.sightandsound.co.ukVispero (JAWS, ZoomText, Fusion): https://www.freedomscientific.comAira Desktop Access: https://aira.io/desktopBe My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.comKeychron Q6 Max: https://www.keychron.com 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.

In this episode of AppleVis Extra, hosts Dave Nason and Thomas Domville welcome back Karthik Kannan from Envision for his second appearance this year. The discussion centers around Envision's newest wearable: the Ally Solos Smart Glasses, developed in partnership with Solos. The conversation covers design, functionality, pricing, and how these glasses differ from Envision's previous offerings and other competing smart glasses.Key Topics CoveredBackground on EnvisionBrief history of the Envision AI app and original Envision glasses.Introduction of Ally, Envision's conversational AI assistant.The Ally Solos Smart GlassesLightweight design (approx. 42g) with two HD (2K-class) cameras.Directional stereo speakers with minimal sound leakage.Beamforming microphones for clear audio pickup in noisy environments.Touchpad controls for volume, Ally activation, and navigation.USB-C rechargeable stems with fast charging (14-hour battery life).Functionality & IntegrationFull Ally integration for text reading, object recognition, facial recognition, and conversational interaction.Can also function as standard Bluetooth headphones for calls, music, and voice assistants.Ability to take photos with auto-generated alt text.No built-in GPS — relies on paired phone for location-based services.Pricing & AvailabilityPre-order tiers from $399 to $599 USD (€ pricing equivalent).Post-launch price expected to be $699 USD.Worldwide availability.Pre-orders include one year of Ally Pro subscription (valued at $200).Accessibility & Language SupportDesigned specifically for blind and low-vision users, with accessibility in setup and daily use.Supports over 20 interface languages (planned to expand to ~40) and understands 100+ languages for input/output.Future Features & PartnershipsPlans for offline Ally functionality in future updates.Potential integration with Aira and Be My Eyes.Commitment to continue supporting original Envision Glasses alongside the new model.Links & ResourcesPre-order Ally Solos Glasses: ally.me/glassesTranscriptDisclaimer: This transcript was generated by AI Note Taker – VoicePen, an AI-powered transcription app. It is not edited or formatted, and it may not accurately capture the speakers' names, voices, or content.Dave: Hello there and welcome to another episode of the AppleVis Extra. This is episode number 110. I am your host, David Nason, and joined once again by Thomas Domville for AnonyMouse. Good to see you again, buddy. How are you?Thomas: Hey, it's good to see you too. Oh my gosh, we're going to be bringing them on for the second time this year, right? It seems like they're on a roll here.…

Double Tap is officially renewed for its ninth season, launching September 1. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece share the behind-the-scenes news, explore the surge in pre-orders for the Ally Solos smart glasses, and debate the evolving personality of ChatGPT-5. The episode also dives into listener emails covering NAS vs Tailscale remote storage, accessible audiobook players, mental health resources for blind users, and the game-changing potential of Be My Eyes' real-time video feature via smart glasses.Thanks to Turtleback Low Vision for sponsoring this episode of Double Tap. As a thank you to the Double Tap community, Turtleback is offering 12% off your entire order with promo code DT12. Visit https://www.turtlebacklv.com to shop the full lineup!Steven and Shaun open with the big announcement—Double Tap will return for a ninth season on AMI, continuing daily tech talk for blind and low-vision audiences. The pair celebrate with sound effect banter before shifting to reaction to the Ally Solos smart glasses, now sold out in their first pre-order run. They discuss price appeal, app-based testing, and the role of big tech AI models in driving innovation.The conversation shifts to ChatGPT-5, with both hosts noting backlash over its personality changes and human-like voice. This leads to a wider discussion on how blind users value speed and efficiency over conversational tone in assistive tech.Listener emails spark discussions on:Network storage: Pros and cons of NAS devices vs. the Tailscale app for secure remote access.Accessible media: Trevor's Android audiobook player recommendation, Simple AP Player.Mental health: Greg shares US-based vision loss mental health resources, prompting candid conversation on loneliness, social isolation, and guilt around commitments.Be My Eyes: Gregory celebrates the app's new real-time video feature for social and practical tasks.The show closes with Charles challenging Steven to name a modern song he likes, leading to a lighthearted music taste debate.Chapters0:00 – Season nine confirmed for Double Tap4:32 – Ally Solos smart glasses sell out11:45 – ChatGPT-5 voice personalities & accessibility20:12 – NAS vs Tailscale for accessible storage32:18 – Listener email: Android audiobook player app34:40 – Soundscape on Android update36:00 – Mental health resources & personal reflections1:02:20 – Be My Eyes real-time video excitement1:07:15 – Modern music debate 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.

Envision has announced the Ally Solos smart glasses — a lightweight, phone-connected wearable offering AI-powered text reading, object and face recognition, and upcoming offline features. With early bird pricing at $399 and worldwide shipping, Ally Solos aims to bring advanced accessibility tools to blind, low-vision, and older users at a lower cost than previous Envision glasses.This episode is supported by Pneuma Solutions. Creators of accessible tools like Remote Incident Manager and Scribe. Get $20 off with code dt20 at https://pneumasolutions.com/ and enter to win a free subscription at doubletaponair.com/subscribe!Steven Scott and Shaun Preece speak with Envision co-founder Karthik Karnan about the launch of the Ally Solos glasses. These next-gen wearables feature dual HD cameras, up to 15 hours of battery life, and seamless Bluetooth pairing with smartphones to run Ally, Envision's AI assistant. Users can ask natural questions — such as finding vegan menu items — and Ally chooses the right tool automatically.Unlike standalone devices, Ally Solos leverage phone processing for extended battery life and reduced cost, while still supporting future offline capabilities like instant text reading and document scanning. The glasses double as Bluetooth headphones, support voice assistants like Siri or Gemini, and allow text/image export to other devices.A free Ally plan offers core functionality, while Ally Pro ($10/month or $100/year at launch) unlocks unlimited conversations, custom “Allies,” conversation history, shortcuts, larger file imports, and upcoming live video AI. Existing Envision glasses will remain supported for years, with updates continuing. Pre-orders are open worldwide, with prices rising to $599 after the campaign.Chapters00:00 – Introducing Karthik and Ally Solos launch01:00 – Specs and early bird pricing02:11 – Why phone pairing boosts battery life05:18 – Offline features planned for updates07:22 – Bluetooth connectivity and assistant support08:20 – Why Solos hardware was chosen11:20 – Why not Meta Ray-Bans?13:07 – Accessibility-first setup and onboarding16:36 – Frame styles, lenses, and prescription options18:08 – Key features: text reading, face recognition, exports22:06 – Ally vs Envision AI app24:05 – Ally free vs Pro subscription27:18 – Pro features: unlimited minutes, customisation, live video AI28:03 – Pricing and subscription offers31:17 – Trying Ally app before buying glasses32:30 – Support for existing Envision Glasses39:17 – Commitment to ongoing updates41:55 – Aira, Be My Eyes, and companion app plans44:22 – Worldwide availability and multilingual support45:19 – Post–early bird pricing 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.

In this episode of iCantCU, I talk about the new Oakley Meta smartglasses and why, despite the hype, I'm holding off for now. The camera's not centered like I'd hoped, and they still only shoot vertical video—great if you're all-in on Instagram, not so much for YouTube. The recording time is a win, though: 30 minutes vs. just three on the Ray-Bans. But if the Oakleys don't wrap around like my standard pair (which helps with glare), I'm probably not interested—unless they start shooting horizontal video. I also dive into my trip to New Orleans for the NFB national convention. Let's just say the travel there started with a missing wallet and at the convention, almost everything that could go wrong, did—from tech issues to accessibility frustrations to a basement flood back home. There's also a PSA for allies: if you're helping someone blind or low vision, ask before jumping in. Don't assume. And don't hand my boarding pass to someone else. Finally, we're selling raffle tickets to fund the NFB of PA scholarship program. $5 could win you up to $100—and helps students who need it. Email me if you're interested: icantseeyoupodcast@gmail.com. Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/288 Links Mentioned Product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission. Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Wayfarer: https://amzn.to/42EU0Sy White Canes Connect one of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts: https://traffic.libsyn.com/whitecanesconnect/white_canes_connect_132_post.mp3 And another Top 100 Best lists for White Canes Connect: https://www.millionpodcasts.com/visually-impaired-podcasts/?utm_source=smtp&utm_medium=F1_email&utm_content=template_b Can you believe it?!? The White Canes Connect website is live: https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/. 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/ 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 140 In Episode 140 of White Canes Connect, contributor Simon Bonenfant speaks with Zachary Ledford, Second Vice President of the National Association of Blind Students (NABS) and chair of the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Student Seminar. The conversation highlights the seminar's theme—“Charting the Course: Finding Your Fit as a Student”—and explores how blind students can build confidence, navigate college life, and connect meaningfully with peers. WhiteCanesConnect.com is now live! Listen to episodes there or in many podcast directories. Find this episode at: Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/charting-your-course-finding-your-fit-at-the-mid/id1592248709?i=1000718865472 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/1AzKR5qTPApcZ900uADNOO  YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uzSvbqVBUA&t=2s White Canes Connect Website https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/140/ 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  GoPro Hero 11 Black: https://amzn.to/3SKI7WX Rode Video Micro (used on GoPro): https://amzn.to/4kVMJWI 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 January, 2022 today's guest, Mike Paciello, made his first appearance on Unstoppable Mindset in Episode 19. It is not often that most of us have the opportunity and honor to meet a real trendsetter and pioneer much less for a second time. However, today, we get to spend more time with Mike, and we get to talk about not only the concepts around web accessibility, but we also discuss the whole concept of inclusion and how much progress we have made much less how much more work needs to be done.   Mike Paciello has been a fixture in the assistive technology world for some thirty years. I have known of him for most of that time, but our paths never crossed until September of 2021 when we worked together to help create some meetings and sessions around the topic of website accessibility in Washington D.C.   As you will hear, Mike began his career as a technical writer for Digital Equipment Corporation, an early leader in the computer manufacturing industry. I won't tell you Mike's story here. What I will say is that although Mike is fully sighted and thus does not use much of the technology blind and low vision persons use, he really gets it. He fully understands what Inclusion is all about and he has worked and continues to work to promote inclusion and access for all throughout the world. As Mike and I discuss, making technology more inclusive will not only help persons with disabilities be more involved in society, but people will discover that much of the technology we use can make everyone's life better. We talk about a lot of the technologies being used today to make websites more inclusive including the use of AI and how AI can and does enhance inclusion efforts.   It is no accident that this episode is being released now. This episode is being released on July 25 to coincide with the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Americans With Disabilities Act which was signed on July 26, 1990. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADA!   After you experience our podcast with Mike, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to email me at michaelhi@accessibe.com to tell me of your observations. Thanks.     About the Guest:   Mike Paciello is the Chief Accessibility Officer at AudioEye, Inc., a digital accessibility company. Prior to joining AudioEye, Mike founded WebABLE/WebABLE.TV, which delivers news about the disability and accessibility technology market. Mike authored the first book on web accessibility and usability, “Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities” and, in 1997, Mr. Paciello received recognition from President Bill Clinton for his work in the creation of World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). He has served as an advisor to the US Access Board and other federal agencies since 1992.   Mike has served as an international leader, technologist, and authority in emerging technology, accessibility, usability, and electronic publishing. Mike is the former Founder of The Paciello Group (TPG), a world-renowned software accessibility consultancy acquired in 2017 by Vispero. Ways to connect with Mike:   mpaciello@webable.com Michael.paciello@audioeye.com Mikepaciello@gmail.com     About the Host:   Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.   Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards.   https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/   accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/       Thanks for listening!   Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below!   Subscribe to the podcast   If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can subscribe in your favorite podcast app. You can also support our podcast through our tip jar https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/unstoppable-mindset .   Leave us an Apple Podcasts review   Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts.       Transcription Notes:   Michael Hingson ** 00:00 Access Cast and accessiBe Initiative presents Unstoppable Mindset. The podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet. Hi, I'm Michael Hingson, Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe and the author of the number one New York Times bestselling book, Thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion unacceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by accessiBe, that's a c c e s s i capital B e. Visit www.accessibe.com to learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson ** 01:21 Well, hi everyone, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset where inclusion diversity and the unexpected meet. Normally, our guests deal with the unexpected, which is anything that doesn't have to do with inclusion or diversity. Today, however, we get to sort of deal with both. We have a guest who actually was a guest on our podcast before he was in show 19 that goes all the way back to January of 2022, his name is Mike Paciello. He's been very involved in the whole internet and accessibility movement and so on for more than 30 years, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun chatting about what's going on in the world of accessibility and the Internet and and, you know, and but we won't probably get into whether God is a man or a woman, but that's okay, God is actually both, so we don't have to worry about that. But anyway, Mike, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Mike Paciello ** 02:21 Yeah, Hey, Mike, thanks a lot. I can't believe has it really been already since today, six years since the last time I came on this? No, three, 320, 22 Oh, 2022, I for whatever I 2019 Okay, three years sounds a little bit more realistic, but still, it's been a long time. Thank you for having me. It's, it's, it's great to be here. And obviously, as you know, a lot of things have changed in my life since then. But, yeah, very   Michael Hingson ** 02:46 cool. Well, you were in show number 19. And I'm not sure what number this is going to be, but it's going to be above 360 so it's been a while. Amazing, amazing, unstoppable, unstoppable. That's it. We got to keep it going. And Mike and I have been involved in a few things together, in, in later, in, I guess it was in 20 when we do the M enabling Summit, that was 2021 wasn't it? Yeah, I think it was, I think it was the year before we did the podcast, yeah, podcast, 2021 right? So we were in DC, and we both worked because there was a group that wanted to completely condemn the kinds of technologies that accessibe and other companies use. Some people call it overlays. I'm not sure that that's totally accurate today, but we we worked to get them to not do what they originally intended to do, but rather to explore it in a little bit more detail, which I think was a lot more reasonable to do. So we've, we've had some fun over the years, and we see each other every so often, and here we are again today. So yeah, I'm glad you're here. Well, tell us a little about well, and I guess what we'll do is do some stuff that we did in 2022 tell us about kind of the early Mike, growing up and all that and what eventually got you into dealing with all this business of web accessibility and such. Yeah, thank you.   Mike Paciello ** 04:08 You know, I've tried to short this, shorten this story 100 times. Oh, don't worry. See if I get let's see if I can keep it succinct and and for the folks out there who understand verbosity and it's in its finest way for screen reader users, I'll try not to be verbose. I already am being   Michael Hingson ** 04:28 intermediate levels fine.   Mike Paciello ** 04:30 I came into this entire field as a technical writer trying to solve a problem that I kind of stumbled into doing some volunteer work for the debt the company that I then then worked for, a Digital Equipment Corporation, a software company, DEC software hardware company, back then, right back in the early 80s. And as a technical writer, I started learning at that time what was called Gen code. Eventually that morphed in. To what Goldfarb, Charles Goldfarb at IBM, called SGML, or standard, Generalized Markup Language, and that really became the predecessor, really gave birth to what we see on the web today, to HTML and the web markup languages. That's what they were, except back then, they were markup languages for print publications. So we're myself and a lot of colleagues and friends, people probably here, I'm sure, at bare minimum, recognized named George Kercher. George and I really paired together, worked together, ended up creating an international steer with a group of other colleagues and friends called the icad 22 which is 22 stands for the amount of elements in that markup language. And it became the adopted standard accessibility standard for the American Association of Publishers, and they published that became official. Eventually it morphed into what we today call, you know, accessible web development. It was the first instance by that was integrated into the HTML specification, I think officially, was HTML 3.1 3.2 somewhere in there when it was formally adopted and then announced in 1997 and at the World Wide Web Conference. That's really where my activity in the web began. So I was working at DEC, but I was doing a lot of volunteer work at MIT, which is where the W 3c was located at that particular time. And Tim Bursley, who a lot of people i Sir, I'm sure, know, the inventor of the web, led the effort at that time, and a few other folks that I work with, and.da Jim Miller, a few other folks. And we were, well, I wasn't specifically approached. Tim was approached by Vice President Gore and eventually President Clinton at that time to see if we could come up with some sort of technical standard for accessibility. And Tim asked if I'd like to work on it myself. Danielle, Jim, a few others, we did, and we came up that first initial specification and launched it as part of the Web Accessibility Initiative, which we created in 1997 from there, my career just took off. I went off did a couple of small companies that I launched, you know, my namesake company, the Paciello Group, or TPG, now called TPG IGI, yeah, yeah, which was acquired by vector capital, or this bureau back in 2017 so it's hard to believe that's already almost 10 years ago. No, yeah. And I've been walking in, working in the software, web accessibility field, usability field, writing fields, you know, for some pretty close to 45 years. It's 2025 40 years, I mean, and I started around 1984 I think it was 8384 when all this first   Michael Hingson ** 07:59 started. Wow, so clearly, you've been doing it for a while and understand a lot of the history of it. So how overall has the whole concept of web accessibility changed over the years, not only from a from a coding standpoint, but how do you think it's really changed when it comes to being addressed by the public and companies and so on.   Mike Paciello ** 08:26 That's a great question. I'd certainly like to be more proactive and more positive about it, but, but let me be fair, if you compare today and where web accessibility resides, you know, in the in the business value proposition, so to speak, and list the priorities of companies and corporations. You know, fortune 1000 fortune 5000 call whatever you whatever you want. Accessibility. Is there people? You could say section five way you could say the Web Accessibility Initiative, WCAG, compliance, and by and large, particularly technology driven, digital economy driven businesses, they know what it is. They don't know how to do it. Very rarely do they know how to do it. And even the ones that know how to do it don't really do it very well. So it kind of comes down to the 8020, rule, right? You're a business. Whatever kind of business you are, you're probably in more online presence than ever before, and so a lot of your digital properties will come under you know the laws that mandate usability and accessibility for people with disabilities today that having been said and more and more people know about it than ever before, certainly from the time that I started back in the you know, again, in the early, mid 80s, to where we are today. It's night and day. But in terms of prioritization, I don't know. I think what happens quite often is business value proposition. Decisions get in the way. Priorities get in the way of what a business in, what its core business are, what they're trying to accomplish, who they're trying to sell, sell to. They still view the disability market, never mind the blind and low vision, you know, market alone as a niche market. So they don't make the kind of investors that I, I believe that they could, you know, there's certainly, there are great companies like like Microsoft and and Google, Amazon, Apple, you know, a lot of these companies, you know, have done some Yeoman work at that level, but it's nowhere near where it should be. It just absolutely isn't. And so from that standpoint, in where I envision things, when I started this career was when I was in my 20 somethings, and now I'm over now I'm over 60. Well over 60. Yeah, I expected a lot more in, you know, in an internet age, much, much more.   Michael Hingson ** 11:00 Yeah, yeah. Well, it's it's really strange that so much has happened and yet so much hasn't happened. And I agree with you, there's been a lot of visibility for the concept of accessibility and inclusion and making the the internet a better place, but it is so unfortunate that most people don't know how to how to do anything with it. Schools aren't really teaching it. And more important than even teaching the coding, from from my perspective, looking at it more philosophically, what we don't tend to see are people really recognizing the value of disabilities, and the value that the market that people with disabilities bring to the to the world is significant. I mean, the Center for Disease Control talks about the fact that they're like up to 25% of all Americans have some sort of disability. Now I take a different approach. Actually. I don't know whether you've read my article on it, but I believe everyone on the in the in the world has a disability, and the reality is, most people are light dependent, but that's as much a disability as blindness. Except that since 1878 when Thomas Edison invented the light bulb. We have focused nothing short of trying to do everything we can to improve light on demand for the last 147 years. And so the disability is mostly covered up, but it's still there.   Mike Paciello ** 12:37 You know, yeah, and I did read that article, and I couldn't agree with you more. In fact, I personally think, and I actually have my own blog coming out, and probably later this month might be early, early July, where I talk about the fact that accessibility okay and technology really has been all along. And I love the fact that you call, you know, you identified the, you know, the late 1800s there, when Edison did the the light bulb, Alexander Graham Bell came up with, you know, the telephone. All of those adventures were coming about. But accessibility to people with disabilities, regardless of what their disability is, has always been a catalyst for innovation. That was actually supposed to be the last one I was going to make tonight. Now it's my first point because, because I think it is exactly as you said, Mike, I think that people are not aware. And when I say people, I mean the entire human population, I don't think that we are aware of the history of how, how, because of, I'm not sure if this is the best word, but accommodating users, accommodating people with disabilities, in whatever way, the science that goes behind that design architectural to the point of development and release, oftentimes, things that were done behalf of people with disabilities, or for People with disabilities, resulted in a fundamental, how's this for? For an interesting term, a fundamental alteration right to any other you know, common, and I apologize for the tech, tech, tech language, user interface, right, right? Anything that we interact with has been enhanced because of accessibility, because of people saying, hey, if we made this grip a little bit larger or stickier, we'll call it so I can hold on to it or softer for a person that's got fine motor dexterity disabilities, right? Or if we made a, you know, a web browser, which, of course, we have such that a blind individual, a low vision individual, can adjust the size of this, of the images and the fonts and things like that on a web page, they could do that unknown. Well, these things now. As we well know, help individuals without disabilities. Well, I'm not much, right, and I, again, I'm not speaking as a person beyond your characterization that, hey, look, we are all imperfect. We all have disabilities. And that is, that is absolutely true. But beyond that, I wear glasses. That's it. I do have a little hearing loss too. But you know, I'm finding myself more and more, for example, increasing the size of text. In fact, my note, yes, I increase them to, I don't know they're like, 18 point, just so that it's easier to see. But that is a common thing for every human being, just like you said.   Michael Hingson ** 15:36 Well, the reality is that so many tools that we use today come about. And came about because of people with disabilities. Peggy Chung Curtis Chung's wife, known as the blind history lady, and one of the stories that she told on her first visit to unstoppable mindset, which, by the way, is episode number five. I remember that Peggy tells the story of the invention of the typewriter, which was invented for a blind countist, because she wanted to be able to communicate with her lover without her husband knowing about it, and she didn't want to dictate things and so on. She wanted to be able to create a document and seal it, and that way it could be delivered to the lever directly. And the typewriter was the result of   Mike Paciello ** 16:20 that? I didn't know that. I will definitely go back. I just wrote it down. I wrote down a note that was episode number five, yeah, before with Curtis a couple of times, but obviously a good friend of ours, yeah, but I yeah, that's, that's, that's awesome.   Michael Hingson ** 16:37 Well, and look at, I'll tell you one of the things that really surprises me. So Apple was going to get sued because they weren't making any of their products accessible. And before the lawsuit was filed, they came along and they said, we'll fix it. And they did make and it all started to a degree with iTunes U but also was the iPhone and the iPod and so on. But they they, they did the work. Mostly. They embedded a screen reader called Voiceover in all of their operating systems. They did make iTunes you available. What really surprises me, though is that I don't tend to see perhaps some things that they could do to make voiceover more attractive to drivers so they don't have to look at the screen when a phone call comes in or whatever. And that they could be doing some things with VoiceOver to make it more usable for sighted people in a lot of instances. And I just don't, I don't see any emphasis on that, which is really surprising to me.   Mike Paciello ** 17:38 Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, there are a lot of use cases there that you go for. I think Mark Rico would certainly agree with you in terms of autonomous driving for the blind, right? Sure that too. But yeah, I definitely agree and, and I know the guy that the architect voiceover and develop voiceover for Apple and, boy, why can I think of his last name? I know his first name. First name is Mike. Is with Be My Eyes now and in doing things at that level. But I will just say one thing, not to correct you, but Apple had been in the accessibility business long before voice over Alan Brightman and Gary mulcher were instrumental towards convincing, you know, jobs of the importance of accessibility to people with disabilities,   Michael Hingson ** 18:31 right? But they weren't doing anything to make products accessible for blind people who needed screen readers until that lawsuit came along. Was   Mike Paciello ** 18:40 before screen readers? Yeah, that was before,   Michael Hingson ** 18:43 but they did it. Yeah. The only thing I wish Apple would do in that regard, that they haven't done yet, is Apple has mandates and requirements if you're going to put an app in the App Store. And I don't know whether it's quite still true, but it used to be that if your app had a desktop or it looked like a Windows desktop, they wouldn't accept it in the app store. And one of the things that surprises me is that they don't require that app developers make sure that their products are usable with with VoiceOver. And the reality is that's a it doesn't need to be a really significantly moving target. For example, let's say you have an app that is dealing with displaying star charts or maps. I can't see the map. I understand that, but at least voiceover ought to give me the ability to control what goes on the screen, so that I can have somebody describe it, and I don't have to spend 15 or 20 minutes describing my thought process, but rather, I can just move things around on the screen to get to where we need to go. And I wish Apple would do a little bit more in that regard.   Mike Paciello ** 19:52 Yeah, I think that's a great a great thought and a great challenge, if, between me and you. Yeah, I think it goes back to what I said before, even though we both see how accessibility or accommodating users with disabilities has led to some of the most incredible innovations. I mean, the Department of Defense, for years, would integrate people with disabilities in their user testing, they could better help, you know, military soldiers, things like that, assimilate situations where there was no hearing, there was they were immobile, they couldn't see all, you know, all of these things that were natural. You know, user environments or personas for people with disabilities. So they led to these kind of, you know, incredible innovations, I would tell you, Mike, I think you know this, it's because the business value proposition dictates otherwise.   Michael Hingson ** 20:55 Yeah, and, well, I guess I would change that slightly and say that people think that the business proposition does but it may very well be that they would find that there's a lot more value in doing it if they would really open up their minds to looking at it differently. It's   Mike Paciello ** 21:10 kind of, it's kind of like, it's tough. It's kind of like, if I could use this illustration, so to speak, for those who may not be religiously inclined, but you know, it's, it's like prophecy. Most people, you don't know whether or not prophecy is valid until years beyond, you know, years after. And then you could look back at time and say, See, it was all along. These things, you know, resulted in a, me, a major paradigm shift in the way that we do or don't do things. And I think that's exactly what you're saying. You know, if, if people would really look at the potential of what technologies like, you know, a voice over or, as you know, a good friend of mine said, Look, we it should be screen readers. It should be voice IO interfaces, right? That every human can use and interact with regardless. That's what we're really talking about. There's   Michael Hingson ** 22:10 a big discussion going on some of the lists now about the meta, Ray Ban, glasses, and some of the things that it doesn't do or that they don't do well, that they should like. It's really difficult to get the meta glasses to read completely a full page. I think there are ways that people have now found to get it to do that, but there are things like that that it that that don't happen. And again, I think it gets back to what you're saying is the attitude is, well, most people aren't going to need that. Well, the reality is, how do you know and how do you know what they'll need until you offer options. So one of my favorite stories is when I worked for Kurzweil a long time ago, some people called one day and they wanted to come and see a new talking computer terminal that that Ray and I and others developed, and they came up, and it turns out, they were with one of those initial organizations out of Langley, Virginia, the CIA. And what they wanted to do was to use the map the the terminal connected to their computers to allow them to move pointers on a map and not have to watch the map or the all of the map while they were doing it, but rather, the computer would verbalize where the pointer was, and then they could they could move it around and pin a spot without having to actually look at the screen, because the way their machine was designed, it was difficult to do that. You know, the reality is that most of the technologies that we need and that we use and can use could be used by so much, so many more people, if people would just really look at it and think about it, but, but you're right, they don't.   Mike Paciello ** 24:04 You know, it's, of course, raise a raise another good friend of mine. We both having in common. I work with him. I been down his office a few, more than few times, although his Boston office, anyway, I think he's, I'm not sure he's in Newton. He's in Newton. Yeah. Is he still in Newton? Okay. But anyway, it reminded me of something that happened in a similar vein, and that was several years ago. I was at a fast forward forward conference, future forward conference, and a company, EMC, who absorbed by Dell, I think, right, yes, where they all are. So there I was surprised that when that happened. But hey, yeah, yeah, I was surprised that compact bought depth, so that's okay, yeah, right. That HP bought count, right? That whole thing happened. But um, their chief science, chief scientist, I think he was a their CSO chief scientist, Doc. Came up and made this presentation. And basically the presentation was using voice recognition. They had been hired by the NSA. So it was a NSA right to use voice recognition in a way where they would recognize voices and then record those voices into it, out the output the transcript of that right text, text files, and feed them back to, you know, the NSA agents, right? So here's the funny part of that story goes up i i waited he gave his presentation. This is amazing technology, and what could it was like, 99% accurate in terms of not just recognizing American, English speaking people, but a number of different other languages, in dialects. And the guy who gave the presentation, I actually knew, because he had been a dec for many years. So in the Q and A Part I raised by hand. I got up there. He didn't recognize it a few years had gone by. And I said, you know, this is amazing technology. We could really use this in the field that I work in. And he said, Well, how's that? And I said, you know, voice recognition and outputting text would allow us to do now this is probably 2008 2009 somewhere in that area, would allow us to do real time, automated transcription for the Deaf, Captioning. And he looks at me and he he says, Do I know you? This is through a live audience. I said. I said, Yeah, Mark is it was. Mark said, So Mike gas yellow. He said, you're the only guy in town that I know that could turn a advanced, emerging technology into something for people with disabilities. I can't believe it. So that was, that was, but there was kind of the opposite. It was a technology they were focused on making this, you know, this technology available for, you know, government, obviously covert reasons that if they were using it and applying it in a good way for people with disabilities, man, we'd have been much faster, much further along or even today, right? I mean, it's being done, still not as good, not as good as that, as I saw. But that just goes to show you what, what commercial and government funding can do when it's applied properly?   Michael Hingson ** 27:41 Well, Dragon, naturally speaking, has certainly come a long way since the original Dragon Dictate. But there's still errors, there's still things, but it does get better, but I hear exactly what you're saying, and the reality is that we don't tend to think in broad enough strokes for a lot of the things that we do, which is so unfortunate,   Mike Paciello ** 28:03 yeah? I mean, I've had an old saying that I've walked around for a long time. I should have, I should make a baseball cap, whether something or T shirt. And it simply was, think accessibility, yeah, period. If, if, if we, organizations, people, designers, developers, architects, usability, people, QA, people. If everybody in the, you know, in the development life cycle was thinking about accessibility, or accessibility was integrated, when we say accessibility, we're talking about again, for users with disabilities, if that became part of, if not the functional catalyst, for technology. Man, we'd have been a lot further along in the quote, unquote value chains than we are today.   Michael Hingson ** 28:46 One of the big things at least, that Apple did do was they built voiceover into their operating system, so anybody who buys any Apple device today automatically has redundancy here, but access to accessibility, right? Which, which is really the way it ought to be. No offense to vispero and jaws, because they're they're able to fill the gap. But still, if Microsoft had truly devoted the time that they should have to narrate her at the beginning. We might see a different kind of an architecture today.   Mike Paciello ** 29:26 You know, I so I want to, by the way, the person that invented that wrote that code is Mike shabanik. That's his name I was thinking about. So Mike, if you're listening to this guy, just hi from two others. And if he's not, he should be, yeah, yeah, exactly right from two other mics. But so let me ask you this question, because I legitimately can't remember this, and have had a number of discussions with Mike about this. So VoiceOver is native to the US, right?   Michael Hingson ** 29:56 But no, well, no to to the to the to the. Products, but not just the US. No,   Mike Paciello ** 30:02 no, I said, OS, yes, it's native to OS, yeah, right. It's native that way, right? But doesn't it still use an off screen model for producing or, you know, translate the transformation of, you know, on screen to voice.   Michael Hingson ** 30:27 I'm not sure that's totally true. Go a little bit deeper into that for me.   Mike Paciello ** 30:34 Well, I mean, so NVDA and jaws use this off screen model, right, which is functionally, they grab, will they grab some content, or whatever it is, push it to this, you know, little black box, do all those translations, you know, do all the transformation, and then push it back so it's renderable to a screen reader. Okay, so that's this off screen model that is transparent to the users, although now you know you can get into it and and tweak it and work with it right, right? I recall when Mike was working on the original design of of nary, excuse me, a voiceover, and he had called me, and I said, Are you going to continue with the notion of an off screen model? And he said, Yeah, we are. And I said, Well, when you can build something that's more like what TV Raman has built into Emacs, and it works integral to the actual OS, purely native. Call me because then I'm interested in, but now that was, you know, 1520, years ago, right? I mean, how long has voiceover been around,   Michael Hingson ** 31:51 since 2007   Mike Paciello ** 31:54 right? So, yeah, 20 years ago, right? Just shy of 20 years, 18 years. So I don't know. I honestly don't know. I'm   Michael Hingson ** 32:02 not totally sure, but I believe that it is, but I can, you know, we'll have to, we'll have to look into that.   Mike Paciello ** 32:08 If anyone in the audience is out there looking at you, get to us before we find out. Let us we'll find out at the NFB   Michael Hingson ** 32:12 convention, because they're going to be a number of Apple people there. We can certainly ask, there   Mike Paciello ** 32:17 you go. That's right, for sure. James Craig is bound to be there. I can ask him and talk to him about that for sure. Yep, so anyway,   Michael Hingson ** 32:23 but I think, I think it's a very it's a valid point. And you know, the the issue is that, again, if done right and app developers are doing things right there, there needs to, there ought to be a way that every app has some level of accessibility that makes it more available. And the reality is, people, other than blind people use some of these technologies as well. So we're talking about voice input. You know, quadriplegics, for example, who can't operate a keyboard will use or a mouse can use, like a puff and zip stick to and and Dragon to interact with a computer and are successful at doing it. The reality is, there's a whole lot more opportunities out there than people think. Don't   Mike Paciello ** 33:11 I agree with that. I'm shaking my head up and down Mike and I'm telling you, there is, I mean, voice recognition alone. I can remember having a conversation with Tony vitality, one of the CO inventors of the deck talk. And that goes all the way back into the, you know, into the early 90s, about voice recognition and linguistics and what you know, and I know Kurzweil did a lot of working with Terry right on voice utterances and things like that. Yeah, yeah. There's, there's a wide open window of opportunity there for study and research that could easily be improved. And as you said, and this is the point, it doesn't just improve the lives of the blind or low vision. It improves the lives of a number of different types of Persona, disability persona types, but it would certainly create a pathway, a very wide path, for individuals, users without disabilities, in a number of different life scenarios.   Michael Hingson ** 34:10 Yeah, and it's amazing how little sometimes that's done. I had the pleasure a few years ago of driving a Tesla down Interstate 15 out here in California. Glad I wasn't there. You bigot, you know, the co pilot system worked. Yeah, you know, I just kept my hands on the wheel so I didn't very much, right? Not have any accidents. Back off now it worked out really well, but, but here's what's really interesting in that same vehicle, and it's something that that I find all too often is is the case if I were a passenger sitting in the front seat, there's so much that I as a passenger don't have access to that other passenger. Do radios now are mostly touchscreen right, which means and they don't build in the features that would make the touchscreen system, which they could do, accessible. The Tesla vehicle is incredibly inaccessible. And there's for a guy who's so innovative, there's no reason for that to be that way. And again, I submit that if they truly make the product so a blind person could use it. Think of how much more a sighted person who doesn't have to take their eyes off the road could use the same technologies.   Mike Paciello ** 35:35 You know, Mike, again, you and I are on the same page. I mean, imagine these guys are supposed to be creative and imaginative and forward thinking, right? Could you? Can you imagine a better tagline than something along the lines of Tesla, so user friendly that a blind person can drive it? Yeah? I mean this is, have you heard or seen, you know, metaphorically speaking, or that's okay, a an advertisement or PR done by any, any company, because they're all, all the way across the board, that hasn't featured what it can do to enhance lives of people with disabilities. Where it wasn't a hit. I mean, literally, it was, yeah, you see these commercials played over and over to Apple, Microsoft, Emma, I see McDonald's, Walmart. I mean, I could just name, name the one after another. Really, really outstanding. Salesforce has done it. Just incredible. They would do it, yeah. I mean, there is there any more human centric message than saying, Look what we've built and designed we're releasing to the masses and everyone, anyone, regardless of ability, can use it. Yeah, that, to me, is that's, I agree that's a good route, right for marketing and PR, good,   Michael Hingson ** 37:03 yeah. And yet they don't, you know, I see commercials like about one of the one of the eye injections, or whatever Bobby is, Mo or whatever it is. And at the beginning, the woman says, I think I'm losing sight of the world around me. You know that's all about, right? It's eyesight and nothing else. And I appreciate, I'm all for people keeping their eyesight and doing what's necessary. But unfortunately, all too often, we do that at the detriment of of other people, which is so unfortunate.   Mike Paciello ** 37:39 Yeah, you know again, not to, not to get off the subject, but one of my favorite books is rethinking competitive advantage, by Ram Sharon. I don't know if you know know him, but the guy is one of my heroes in terms of just vision and Business and Technology. And in this, this book, he wrote this a couple of years ago. He said this one this is his first rule of competition in the digital age. The number one rule was simply this, a personalized consumer experience, key to exponential growth. That's exactly you and I are talking about personally. I want to see interfaces adapt to users, rather than what we have today, which is users having to adapt to the interface.   Michael Hingson ** 38:32 Yeah, and it would make so much sense to do so. I hope somebody out there is listening and will maybe take some of this to heart, because if they do it right, they can have a huge market in no time at all, just because they show they care. You know, Nielsen Company did a survey back in 2016 where they looked at a variety of companies and consumers and so on. And if I recall the numbers right, they decided that people with disabilities are 35% more likely to continue to work with and shop, for example, at companies that really do what they can to make their websites and access to their products accessible, as opposed to not. And that's that's telling. It's so very telling. But we don't see people talking about that nearly like we should   Mike Paciello ** 39:20 you talk about a business value proposition. There is bullet proof that where you are leaving money on the table, yep, and a lot of it, yeah, exactly. We're not talking about 1000s or hundreds of 1000s. We're talking about billions and trillions, in some instances, not an exaggeration by any stretch of the imagination, very, very simple math. I had this conversation a couple years ago with the CEO of Pearson. At that time, he's retired, but, you know, I told him, if you spent $1 for every person that it was in the world with. Disability, you're, you're, you're talking about 1/4 of the population, right? It's simple math, simple math,   Michael Hingson ** 40:08 but people still won't do it. I mean, we taught you to mention section 508, before with the whole issue of web access, how much of the government has really made their websites accessible, even though it's the law?   Mike Paciello ** 40:19 Yeah, three years, three or four years ago, they did a study, and they found out that the good that every federal agency, most of the federal agencies, were not even keeping up thinking with reporting of the status, of where they were, and yet that was written right into the five way law. They were mandated to do it, and they still did do   Michael Hingson ** 40:37 it. We haven't, you know, the whole Americans with Disabilities Act. Finally, the Department of Justice said that the internet is a place of business, but still, it's not written in the law. And of course, we only see about 3% of all websites that tend to have any level of access. And there's no reason for that. It's not that magical. And again, I go back to what do we do to get schools and those who teach people how to code to understand the value of putting in accessibility right from the outset?   Mike Paciello ** 41:10 Yeah, no, I totally agree with you. I think this is what Kate sanka is trying to do with with Teach access. In fact, you know, again, my company, TPG was one of the founding companies have teach access back again, 10 years ago, when it first started. But that's where it starts. I mean, they're, they're pretty much focused on post secondary, university education, but I could tell you on a personal level, I was speaking at my kids grade school, elementary school, because they were already using laptops and computers back then it starts. Then you've got to build a mindset. You've got to build it we you've heard about the accessibility, maturity models coming out of the W, 3c, and in I, double AP. What that speaks to fundamentally, is building a culture within your corporate organization that is think accessibility as a think accessibility mindset, that it is woven into the fiber of every business line, in every technology, software development life cycle, all of the contributors at that level, from A to Z. But if you don't build it into the culture, it's not going to happen. So I would love to see a lot more being done at that level. But yeah, it's, it's, it's a, it's a hero. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 42:34 we're, we're left out of the conversation so much. Yeah, yeah, totally. So you, you sold TPG, and you then formed, or you had web able and then able Docs.   Mike Paciello ** 42:48 So what web able came out was a carve out, one of two carve outs that I had from when I sold TPG. The other was open access technologies, which which eventually was sold to another accessibility company primarily focused on making documentation accessible to meet the WCAG and other standards requirements and web able I carved out. It's been a kind of a hobby of mine now, for since I sold TPG, I'm still working on the back end, ironically, from the get go, so we're talking, you know, again, eight years ago, I had built machine learning and AI into it. From then back then, I did so that what it does is it very simply, goes out and collects 1000s and 1000s of articles as it relates to technology, people with disabilities, and then cleans them up and post them to web able.com I've got a lot more playing for it, but that's in a nutshell. That's what it does. And I don't we do some we do some QA review to make sure that the cleanup in terms of accessibility and the articles are are properly formatted and are accessible. We use the web aim API, but yeah, works like magic. Works like clockwork, and that's got aI uses IBM Watson AI built into it. Yeah, enable docs was abledocs was, how should I say this in a nice way, abledocs was a slight excursion off of my main route. It can work out. I wish it had. It had a lot of potential, much like open access technologies, but they both suffered from owners who really, really not including myself, who just didn't have good vision and in lack humility,   Michael Hingson ** 44:43 yeah. How's that? There you go. Well, so not to go political or anything, but AI in general is interesting, and I know that there have been a lot of debates over the last few years about artificial. Intelligence and helping to make websites accessible. There are several companies like AudioEye, user way, accessibe and so on that to one degree or another, use AI. What? What? So in general, what do you think about AI and how it's going to help deal with or not, the whole issue of disabilities and web access,   Mike Paciello ** 45:22 yeah, and we're going to set aside Neil Jacobs thoughts on how he sees it in the future, right? Although I have to tell you, he gave me some things to think about, so we'll just set that to to the side. So I think what AI offers today is something that I thought right away when it started to see the, you know, the accessibes, the user ways, the audio, eyes, and all the other companies kind of delving into it, I always saw potential to how's this remediate a fundamental problem or challenge, let's not call it a problem, a challenge that we were otherwise seeing in the professional services side of that equation around web accessibility, right? So you get experts who use validation tools and other tools, who know about code. Could go in and they know and they use usability, they use user testing, and they go in and they can tell you what you need to do to make your digital properties right, usable and accessible. People with disabilities, all well and good. That's great. And believe me, I had some of the best people, if not the best people in the world, work for me at one time. However, there are a couple of things it could not do in it's never going to do. Number one, first and foremost, from my perspective, it can't scale. It cannot scale. You can do some things at, you know, in a large way. For example, if, if a company is using some sort of, you know, CMS content management system in which their entire sites, you know, all their sites, all their digital properties, you know, are woven into templates, and those templates are remediated. So that cuts down a little bit on the work. But if you go into companies now, it's not like they're limited to two or three templates. Now they've got, you know, department upon department upon department, everybody's got a different template. So even those are becoming very vos, very verbose and very plentiful. So accessibility as a manual effort doesn't really scale well. And if it does, even if it could, it's not fast enough, right? So that's what AI does, AI, coupled with automation, speeds up that process and delivers a much wider enterprise level solution. Now again, AI automation is not, is not a whole, is not a holistic science. You know, it's not a silver bullet. David Marathi likes to use the term, what is he? He likes the gold standard. Well, from his perspective, and by the way, David Marathi is CEO of audio. Eye is a combination of automation AI in expert analysis, along with the use of the integration of user testing and by user testing, it's not just personas, but it's also compatibility with the assistive technologies that people with disabilities use. Now, when you do that, you've got something that you could pattern after a standard software development life cycle, environment in which you integrate all of these things. So if you got a tool, you integrate it there. If you've got, you know, a digital accessibility platform which does all this automation, AI, right, which, again, this is the this is a forester foresters take on the the the daps, as they calls it. And not really crazy about that, but that's what they are. Digital Accessibility platforms. It allows us to scale and scale at costs that are much lower, at speeds that are much faster, and it's just a matter of like any QA, you've got to check your work, and you've got it, you can't count on that automation being absolute. We know for a fact that right now, at best, we're going to be able to get 35 to 40% accuracy, some claim, larger different areas. I'm still not convinced of that, but the fact of the matter is, it's like anything else. Technology gets better as it goes, and we'll see improvements over time periods.   Michael Hingson ** 49:49 So here's here's my thought, yeah, let's say you use AI in one of the products that's out there. And I. You go to a website and you include it, and it reasonably well makes the website 50% more usable and accessible than it was before. I'm just, I just threw out that number. I know it's random. Go ahead, Yep, yeah, but let's say it does that. The reality is that means that it's 50% that the web developers, the web coders, don't have to do because something else is dealing with it. But unfortunately, their mentality is not to want to deal with that because they also fear it. But, you know, I remember back in the mid 1980s I started a company because I went off and tried to find a job and couldn't find one. So I started a company with a couple of other people, where we sold early PC based CAD systems to architects, right? And we had AutoCAD versus CAD. Another one called point line, which was a three dimensional system using a y cap solid modeling board that took up two slots in your PC. So it didn't work with all PCs because we didn't have enough slots. But anyway, right, right, right. But anyway, when I brought architects in and we talked about what it did and we showed them, many of them said, I'll never use that. And I said, why? Well, it does work, and that's not the question. But the issue is, we charge by the time, and so we take months to sometimes create designs and projects, right? And so we can't lose that revenue. I said, you're looking at it all wrong. Think about it this way, somebody gives you a job, you come back and you put it in the CAD system. You go through all the iterations it takes, let's just say, two weeks. Then you call your customer in. You use point line, and you can do a three dimensional walk through and fly through. You can even let them look out the window and see what there is and all that they want to make changes. They tell you the changes. You go off and you make the changes. And two weeks later, now it's a month, you give them their finished product, all the designs, all the plots and all that, all done, and you charge them exactly the same price you were going to charge them before. Now you're not charging for your time, you're charging for your expertise, right? And I think that same model still holds true that the technology, I think most people will agree that it is not perfect, but there are a lot of things that it can do. Because the reality is, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are all things that can be defined with computer code, whether it necessarily does it all well with AI or not, is another story. But if it does it to a decent fraction, it makes all the difference in terms of what you're able to do and how quickly you can do   Mike Paciello ** 52:52 it. Yeah, I can argue with that at all. I think any time that we can make our jobs a little bit easier so that we can focus where we should be focused. In this case, as you said, the expertise side of it, right to fix those complicated scenarios or situations that require a hands on surgical like Right? Expertise, you can do that now. You've got more hours more time because it's been saved. The only thing I would say, Mike, about what, what you just said, is that there with that, with that mindset, okay, comes responsibility. Oh, yeah, in this is where I think in everybody that knows anything about this environment, you and I have an intimate understanding of this. The whole overlay discussion is the biggest problem with what happened was less about the technology and more about what claims are being made. Yeah, the technology could do which you could not do in, in some cases, could never do, or would never, would never do, well, right? So if you create, and I would submit this is true in as a fundamental principle, if you create a technology of any kind, you must, in truth, inform your clients of of what it can and cannot do so they understand the absolute value to them, because the last thing you want, because, again, we live in a, unfortunately, a very litigious world. Right soon as there's   Michael Hingson ** 54:49 a mistake couldn't happen,   Mike Paciello ** 54:51 they'll go right after you. So now you know, and again, I don't I'm not necessarily just blaming the ambulance chasers of the world. World. I was talking to an NFP lawyer today. He referred to them in a different name, and I can't remember well, I never heard the expression before, but that's what he meant, right? Yeah, it's the salesman and the product managers and the marketing people themselves, who are were not themselves, to your point, properly trained, properly educated, right? It can't be done, what clearly could not be said, what should or should not be said, right? And then you got lawyers writing things all over the place. So, yeah, yeah. So, so I look people knew when I made the decision to come to audio eye that it was a make or break scenario for me, or at least that's what they thought in my mindset. It always, has always been, that I see incredible possibilities as you do or technology, it just has to be handled responsibly.   Michael Hingson ** 55:56 Do you think that the companies are getting better and smarter about what they portray about their products than they than they were three and four and five years ago.   Mike Paciello ** 56:08 Okay, look, I sat in and chaired a meeting with the NFB on this whole thing. And without a doubt, they're getting smarter. But it took not just a stick, you know, but, but these large lawsuits to get them to change their thinking, to see, you know, where they where they were wrong, and, yeah, things are much better. There's still some issues out there. I both know it that's going to happen, that happens in every industry,   Michael Hingson ** 56:42 but there are improvements. It is getting better, and people are getting smarter, and that's where an organization like the NFB really does need to become more involved than in a sense, they are. They took some pretty drastic steps with some of the companies, and I think that they cut off their nose, despite their face as well, and that didn't help. So I think there are things that need to be done all the way around, but I do see that progress is being made too. I totally   Mike Paciello ** 57:11 agree, and in fact, I'm working with them right now. We're going to start working on the California Accessibility Act again. I'm really looking forward to working with the NFB, the DRC and Imperato over there and his team in the disability rights consortium, consortium with disability rights. What DRC coalition, coalition in in California. I can't wait to do that. We tried last year. We got stopped short. It got tabled, but I feel very good about where we're going this year. So that's, that's my that's, that is my focus right now. And I'm glad I'm going to be able to work with the NFB to be able to do that. Yeah, well, I, I really do hope that it passes. We've seen other states. We've seen some states pass some good legislation, and hopefully we will continue to see some of that go on. Yeah, Colorado has done a great job. Colorado sent a great job. I think they've done it. I really like what's being done with the EAA, even though it's in Europe, and some of the things that are going there, Susanna, Lauren and I had some great discussions. I think she is has been a leader of a Yeoman effort at that level. So we'll see. Let's, let's, I mean, there's still time out here. I guess I really would like to retire,   Michael Hingson ** 58:28 but I know the feeling well, but I can't afford to yet, so I'll just keep speaking and all that well, Mike, this has been wonderful. I really appreciate you taking an hour and coming on, and at least neither of us is putting up with any kind of snow right now, but later in the year we'll see more of that.   Mike Paciello ** 58:45 Yeah, well, maybe you will. We don't get snow down. I have. We've gotten maybe 25 flakes in North Carolina since I've been here.   Michael Hingson ** 58:53 Yeah, you don't get a lot of snow. We don't hear we don't really get it here, around us, up in the mountains, the ski resorts get it, but I'm out in a valley, so we don't, yeah,   Mike Paciello ** 59:02 yeah, no. I love it. I love this is golfing weather.   Michael Hingson ** 59:05 There you go. If people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?   Mike Paciello ** 59:11 There's a couple of ways. Certainly get in touch with me at AudioEye. It's michael.paciello@audioeye.com   Michael Hingson ** 59:17 B, A, C, I, E, L, L, O,   Mike Paciello ** 59:18 that's correct. Thank you for that. You could send me personal email at Mike paciello@gmail.com and or you can send me email at web able. It's m passielo at web able.com, any one of those ways. And please feel free you get on all the social networks. So feel free to link, connect to me. Anyway, I try to respond. I don't think there's anyone I I've not responded to one form or another.   Michael Hingson ** 59:46 Yeah, I'm I'm the same way. If I get an email, I want to respond to it. Yeah, well, thanks again for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening. We really appreciate it. Love to hear your thoughts about this episode. Please feel free to email. Me, you can get me the email address I generally use is Michael h i at accessibe, A, C, C, E, S, S, i, b, e.com, or you can go to our podcast page, which is Michael hingson.com/podcast, and there's a contact form there. But love to hear from you. Love to hear your thoughts, and most of all, please give us a five star rating wherever you're listening. We value your ratings and your reviews a whole lot, so we really appreciate you doing that. And if any of you, and Mike, including you, can think of other people that you think ought to be guests on the podcast, we are always looking for more people, so fill us up, help us find more folks. And we would appreciate that a great deal. So again, Mike, thanks very much. This has been a lot of fun, and we'll have to do it again.   Mike Paciello ** 1:00:44 Thanks for the invitation. Mike, I really appreciate it. Don't forget to add 10 Nakata to your list,   Michael Hingson ** 1:00:49 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com . AccessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for Listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

In this episode of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece celebrate a small victory: Meta has fixed a major accessibility issue in the iOS version of WhatsApp. The long-standing bug affecting voice message recordings for VoiceOver users is resolved, with a new double-tap gesture that makes sending messages easier and more efficient. But not everything is fixed—especially on Windows.The hosts and listeners sound off on the broader trend of apps moving toward inaccessible web wrappers. Steven voices frustration with Meta's shift away from native apps and expresses concern that accessibility is often an afterthought in development. Listener feedback from Australia, Pakistan, and the US highlights global frustrations, beta tester burnout, and issues with Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses and Be My Eyes integration.With real-world feedback, humorous personal stories, and sharp commentary, the episode is a passionate call for accessibility-first design—before it's too late.Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:52 - Meta fixes the WhatsApp iOS voice recording issue12:56 - Listener Scott shares his thoughts on Meta's recent week26:04 - Listener Gordon praises Steven for his latest rant31:54 - Get in touch with the Double Tappers32:37 - Listener Shahzad shares his thoughts on upcoming WhatsApp changes40:26 - Listener Nolan is fed up with Meta and Microsoft!46:14 - Listener Jim has an issue with Voiceover talking all over his Be My Eyes calls50:29 - Listener Awaz is looking for help with the Android keyboard52:00 - Listener Gregory thanks Shaun for this recent gardening story 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.

On this episode of The Vergecast, we're going to dive deep into why accessible design is universal design. First, guest host Victoria Song will chat with Jason Valley, a visually impaired Verge reader. Jason initially reached out to Victoria after her Live AI hands-on, challenging the notion that the feature was a “solution looking for a problem to solve.” Jason shares how the tech has helped him live a more independent life, what he's hoping to see improve, and how the blind and low-vision community has enthusiastically embraced the technology. After that, Victoria sits down with Be My Eyes CEO Mike Buckley. Be My Eyes is an app that pairs blind and low-vision users with sighted volunteers to help them go about their day. Buckley gives his thoughts about how accessible tech design benefits everyone, why smart glasses and AI are a natural combo, and what challenges and opportunities in this space remain. And finally, we have features reporter Mia Sato on to answer a spicy question about smart glasses from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email vergecast@theverge.com). Specifically, do smart glasses belong in the bedroom? Further reading: Live AI on Meta's smart glasses is a solution looking for a problem Meta's smart glasses can now describe what you're seeing in more detail The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses actually make the future look cool Be My Eyes AI offers GPT-4-powered support for blind Microsoft customers The principles of wearable etiquette Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Steven Scott and Shaun Preece as they explore the latest in accessible technology live from Sight Village Birmingham. From wearable navigation aids to tactile imaging, it's a jam-packed episode with real-world insights, humour, and tech highlights.In this special on-location episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun broadcast from Sight Village in the UK, sharing first impressions, accessibility challenges, and the tech that caught their attention. They recount the chaotic journey to their Airbnb, highlight products from HumanWare and Kapsys, and dig into emerging wearable navigation aids like the WeWalk SmartCane 2, BiPED, and KapX.The hosts also reflect on how AI is quietly transforming assistive tech—whether through devices like the Hark AI Reader or the potential for 3D tactile printing. Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses continue to generate buzz, though concerns about limited availability of functions and underwhelming AI persist. They also discuss the digital divide, accessibility in healthcare, and concerns about data privacy and regulation in the age of AI.Chapters0:00 – Live from Sight Village03:05 – Travel drama and Airbnb confusion11:30 – Navigation apps and accessibility challenges17:22 – Wearable tech: WeWalk, CapEx, BiPED28:15 – SmartCane 2 and ChatGPT integration33:50 – HumanWare tech preview: Monarch, Mantis, Cloverbook42:08 – Hark AI Reader and desktop scanning50:20 – 3D tactile printing and accessible imagery57:32 – AI regulation and digital inequality1:04:15 – Meta Ray-Bans and Be My Eyes feedback1:08:47 – The importance of Sight Village and community 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.

Sight Village is the UK's leading exhibition of the latest technology, products, and support services for blind and partially sighted people. RNIB Connect Radio's Toby Davey was at Sight Village Central in the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham taking in the atmosphere and chatting with a number of the exhibitors and caught up with Jesper from Be My Eyes. For more about Be My Eyes do visit their website - https://www.bemyeyes.com Image shows Toby posing with his recording kit by a Sight Village banner. Behind him a door open wide shows a busy exhibition space. Toby is smiling and is wearing a light check short sleeve shirt. He's holding his big interview microphone and is wearing his headphones around his neck.

In this episode of iCantCU, I'm trying something completely different—an audio-only format recorded while walking laps around my house. I talk about the frustration of unreliable audio description devices at theaters and why it's such a barrier for blind patrons like me. I also share how my recent Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses videos on YouTube outperformed anything I've done before and preview an upcoming video on the new Oakley Meta Smart Glasses. Inspired by other podcasters, I'm hoping this low-tech, low-barrier approach helps me put out more episodes, more often. Let's see how it goes!. Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/287 Links Mentioned Product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission. Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Wayfarer: https://amzn.to/42EU0Sy The Federation Focus missing AD: https://youtu.be/tX6eEa3Cje4?si=WJtmpop4q0BumaFr White Canes Connect one of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts: https://traffic.libsyn.com/whitecanesconnect/white_canes_connect_132_post.mp3 And another Top 100 Best lists for White Canes Connect: https://www.millionpodcasts.com/visually-impaired-podcasts/?utm_source=smtp&utm_medium=F1_email&utm_content=template_b 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/ 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 138 In Episode 138 of White Canes Connect, hosts Lisa Bryant and David Goldstein welcome back Shawn Callaway, President of both the National Federation of the Blind of the District of Columbia and the National Organization of Blind Black Leaders (NOBBL). Shawn shares updates on NOBBL's growth, programming, and plans for the upcoming National Convention in New Orleans. He reflects on the organization's journey from its roots in the DEI Committee in 2018 to its official division status in 2022. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shawn-callaway-and-nobbls-national-impact/id1592248709?i=1000714779734 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/6LTcvrGqwvK8OpUAnmkgfu YouTube https://youtu.be/85VxfsQOF1w?si=KVZoTp4D8l4rI28f 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  GoPro Hero 11 Black: https://amzn.to/3SKI7WX Rode Video Micro (used on GoPro): https://amzn.to/4kVMJWI 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 iCantCU, I discuss two major audio description failures—one that's on me, and one that's simply unacceptable. The first happened when I was at the NFB National Center in Baltimore for the IEP Advocacy Academy. I shot a Federation Focus video to show what it's like there, but I totally missed the mark on describing some of the visuals. Thanks to Auphonic's amazing processing, it cleaned up the audio so well that it actually removed sounds people needed to hear—like a ball rolling in a game and doors opening. So, blind folks watching had no idea what was happening for parts of it. My bad. The second fail? A company presented at an OVR meeting and played a video with zero audio description. Just music. No clue what was on the screen. And this was in a room full of people with disabilities—including blind folks. Totally missed the point of accessibility. Plus, I give a quick update on White Canes Connect, which just hit two “best of” podcast lists, and my guest host spot on That Real Blind Tech Show. All the links are below. Let me know what you think—I'd love to hear from you. Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/286 Links Mentioned Product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission. Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Wayfarer: https://amzn.to/42EU0Sy The Federation Focus missing AD: https://youtu.be/tX6eEa3Cje4?si=WJtmpop4q0BumaFr That Real Blind Tech Show with WWDC coverage and me: http://thatrealblindtechshow.libsyn.com/episode-182-wwdc-25-recap-assumption-is-the-mother-of-all-fups White Canes Connect one of the 100 Best Visually Impaired Podcasts: https://traffic.libsyn.com/whitecanesconnect/white_canes_connect_132_post.mp3 And another Top 100 Best lists for White Canes Connect: https://www.millionpodcasts.com/visually-impaired-podcasts/?utm_source=smtp&utm_medium=F1_email&utm_content=template_b 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/ 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 137 In episode 137 of White Canes Connect, Lisa Bryant and I welcome John Berggren, Executive Director for Operations at the National Federation of the Blind. With just weeks to go before the 2025 national convention in New Orleans, John offers a rare behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to coordinate the Federation's biggest annual event. From humble beginnings in 1999 building NFB-NEWSLINE® boxes to now orchestrating logistics for thousands of attendees, John shares how the convention has grown in scale, complexity, and impact. Find the podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/inside-nfb-convention-prep-with-john-berggren/id1592248709?i=1000712721231 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/1mdqD7T7cK2dzbKksCqv4e YouTube https://youtu.be/W_Yw1HSNdbQ?si=huXa1fm0GtO3QTmg 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  GoPro Hero 11 Black: https://amzn.to/3SKI7WX Rode Video Micro (used on GoPro): https://amzn.to/4kVMJWI 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.

If some of the conversations you've heard in this season of Made For Us have felt like a glimpse into the future, then you're not alone. Our final guest of season 2, Marcus Engel, feels like he's already living in the future, thanks to AI, apps like Be My Eyes and other assistive devices. Marcus is a speaker, author and compassion consultant. He's also an advisor to Haptic, whose founder, Kevin Yoo, was our guest last week. Haptic is the company behind one of the world's first touch-based navigation apps and it was a meeting with Marcus that inspired Kevin to start the company.Today, we'll hear Marcus' story, how surviving massive trauma led him to become a compassion consultant and how he thinks haptic technology could impact mobility for people who are blind or visually impaired. You'll learn:Haptic technology's potential to guide people living with sight lossMarcus's four-part definition of compassion and how it's different to empathy Which products Marcus considers to be ‘compassionate' Enjoyed the episode? Text it to a friend. Loved the episode? Tell the world with a 5-star review.You might also like:Navigation you can feel: the startup making the world accessible through touchHow to design a fairer healthcare system---About Marcus EngelMarcus Engel is an adjunct professor at the University of Notre Dame teaching compassion science to pre-meds. He's also a survivor of massive trauma, a keynote speaker, author and hospital/system consultant. He's written two books that have been adopted by scores of nursing and health profession programs across the country. Learn more about Marcus Engel: www.MarcusEngel.comCompassion & Courage podcastCompassion is Action training videoFollow Marcus on LinkedIn---Connect with Made for UsShow notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ Social media: LinkedIn and InstagramNewsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/

Facilitator: SandhyaTopics:   Issues using Setting; How to change name in Zoom;  Anyone familiar with the headset Municio; Getting emails for Facebook post that says unavailable; Unblocking someone in WhatsApp;  What's the best phone chargers?;  Steps to label a photo;  Reply to an email with email as attachment; Issues with dragging apps to different pages on IPad; Issues using Worldview in Seeing AI;  Voiceover for hearing aids;  Links in email asking which browser to use;  How to use PDF files;  Sharing recipes with Seeing AI; Sharing with Be My Eyes;  Issues with Brail input keeps being triggered; Accessible printer for Iphone;  Screen Curtain staying on when turning VO off;  How to hear the Passcode typing when unlocking phone?;  Is the Face ID in infrared;iBytes:  Sandhya:  Entering a phone number manually on the Iphone. Q & A

Link to Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com/ Modern-Day Debate is launching our own 'Jubilee-style' video series called Outnumbered this June, 2025 and our base for recordings will be in Los Angeles. Email moderndaydebate@gmail.com if you'd be interested in participating as we will be doing casting soon. LINKS TO GUESTS: @MuslimSkeptic on YouTubeThe Female Prophet: https://x.com/mahleej_s https://www.youtube.com/@UClBzbl8_lFWDNTT1lEITixAAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Help shape the next season of this podcast! Please answer a few quick questions and tell us how we can make this show better for you: https://bit.ly/madeforuspod---What if navigating the world didn't rely on sight at all? In this episode, Kevin Yoo, the CEO and founder of Haptic, joins us to tell the story of one of the world's first haptic navigation apps. Kevin shares how he was motivated by his friend's experience of becoming blind, how haptic technology is shaping a more accessible future and the challenges that come with rethinking how we move through the world.This episode dives into: - Why the sense of touch has been underutilized in tech and how Haptic is trying to change that- What guiding a blind runner at the New York City Marathon revealed about the potential of haptic technology for blind and visually impaired runners- Kevin's experience of putting himself in the shoes of a blind person for a few weeks and the lessons that came from it ⭐️Enjoyed the episode? Leave us a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts and help more listeners discover the show!You might also like: Be My Eyes: the app powering a global volunteer movement for accessibility | Hans Jørgen Wiberg'I don't need fixing - the world does.' Lucy Edwards on redefining disability ---About Kevin Yoo Kevin is the CEO and Founder of Haptic, a technology company creating a universal language of touch. Haptic is developing products and experiences that communicate information through vibrations. Kevin's mission is to redefine the way we intake information through technology, especially for people with disabilities. Haptic's flagship product, HapticNav, made history by guiding the first blind runner in the NYC Marathon without sighted or audio assistance. Learn more about Haptic: https://haptic.works/Download HapticNav on IOS and AndroidFollow Haptic on Instagram and LinkedInFollow Kevin Yoo on Instagram---Connect with Made for UsShow notes and transcripts: https://made-for-us.captivate.fm/ Social media: LinkedIn and InstagramNewsletter: https://madeforuspodcast.beehiiv.com/

The theme for National AccessAbility Week this year is “ Breaking barriers together: Paving the way for an inclusive future .” Established in 2017, National AccessAbility Week celebrates, promotes and showcases the diversity, inclusion and accessibility in this country, and highlights some of the important initiatives aimed at creating an Accessible Canada. We begin and end in Cornwall with this one as we celebrate “Breaking Barriers” together through exploration and investigation. The birds are out and for this Outlook, we're back live, as we discuss the themes of this year's National Accessibility Awareness Week (airport assistance stories) along with a few narrated image descriptions we all caught on our travels lately, with the birth of an old friend's baby girl to the serenity of the resort's deck in Cornwall, we share our image descriptions provided by accessibility app Be My Eyes.. From a shoutout to Scott the Uber driver, cheers to George, and thanks to Tim's clear directions, we're celebrating accessibility with kindred spirits and friends who make it easier instead of harder. On this last May 2025 Mixed Bag show, Barry and Kerry share about a dog encounter on their recent springtime block rout walk with guide dog Oyster and brother co-host Brian shows us a musical release he found, Robyn Rocket from the UK with People You May Of Heard Of and an inclusive audio version of the record's accompanying comic strip. From chats with life guards and other visitors including the Cornish gulls at the seaside in Cornwall, England back into studio in London, Ontario - it's National Accessibility Week, (end of May) as we soon bridge into June. Learn more about NAAW: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/national-accessability-week.html Check out the Robyn Rocket album: https://robynrocket.bandcamp.com/album/robyn-rocket-and-people-you-may-of-heard-of-2

Dans l'actu des nouvelles technologies et de l'accessibilité cette semaine : Du côté des applications et du web Sharada-Braille-Writer, un éditeur de texte pour Windows pour saisir en braille sur un clavier standard. Navis, une nouvelle app de guidage. Lancement de la version bêta le 1er juin. Apple active Tap to Pay en Belgique, en Islande et dans 6 autres pays européens. Le reste de l'actu Lumen Glasses, des lunettes pour DV avec de l'IA. Be My Eyes est annoncé en France sur les lunettes Meta Ray-Ban. L'audiodescription de Rolland Garos dans l'appli France.TV, ok, mais pas facile à activer avec un lecteur d'écran. Les Borne Libre-Service de la SNCF sont accessibles aux DV, se munir d'un casque audio filaire. Cyberattaque Free : vous pouvez enfin vérifier si vos données ont fuité. Salon autonomic Paris 2025, les 3, 4 et 5 juin 2025. Foire Aux Questions Cette semaine, David nous pose une question au sujet d'un message fantôme sur macOS. Astuces de la semaine Retrouver un flux vidéo chronologique dans les Abonnements dans l'appli Youtube pour iOS. Supprimer le bouton “Transcription” à côté des messages audio dans Whatsapp. Remerciements Cette semaine, nous remercions David, un 2ème David, Murielle et Tony pour leurs infos ou leur dons. Si vous souhaitez vous aussi nous envoyer de l'info ou nous soutenir : Pour nous contactez ou nous envoyez des infos, passez par le formulaire de contact sur la page oxytude.org/contact. Pour nous soutenir (dons, liens affiliés ou liste de produits) rendez-vous sur la page oxytude.org/soutenir. Pour animer cet épisode Cédric, Pascale et Philippe

It's Shaun Preece's birthday, and while gifts may be off the table, the jokes definitely aren't. Steven and Shaun tackle listener questions ranging from Echo and Sonos setups to whether the Echo Show 8 can automatically show your Blink Doorbell feed. They also revisit the infamous Be My Eyes live video demo and explain why OpenAI's rollout delays are holding back features the community craves.There's discussion around Seeing AI vs. Gemini for CD identification, a shoutout to the queen of iOS Shortcuts, Rosemary Orchard, and a strong recommendation for the budgeting app YNAB. On the Android front, they talk Gemini's growing usefulness, the flexibility of TalkBack 16, and why Steven might be falling back in love with Google's platform.Listeners share frustrations, app picks, tech hacks, and awkward public interactions—like when someone gave listener Eleanor travel directions to a guide dog.Thanks to Turtleback Low Vision for sponsoring this episode of Double Tap. As a thank you to the Double Tap community, Turtleback is offering 12% off your entire order with promo code DT12. Visit https://www.turtlebacklv.com to shop the full lineup!Chapters00:00 - Introduction00:27 - It's Shaun's Birthday!02:21 - Amos Miller From Glidance Joins Us Tomorrow05:30 - Listener: Camille on playing Amazon Echo through Sonos speakers08:01 - Listener: Amanda on using Seeing AI to read CDs17:35 - Listener: Juan wants his Blink doorbell to appear on his Echo Show20:39 - Listener: Negative Julian on Android updates27:18 - Sponsor: Turtleback27:56 - Subscribe to the Double Tap newsletter32:21 - Listener: Trevor on using his Yeti mug44:46 - Listener: Chanelle's app review of You Need A Budget53:51 - Listener: David on caring for the cane55:14 - Listener: Eleanor on dealing with the public 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.

This episode opens with reactions to the official announcement that the Glide device by Glidance is delayed until Spring 2026. Steven and Shaun preview their upcoming interview with CEO Amos Miller, offering insights into supply chain disruptions and tariff issues affecting many assistive tech manufacturers.Listener Chris shares his own customized mobility system using the Navi Pouch, Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses, and apps like Voice Vista and Be My Eyes. The hosts applaud this DIY innovation and discuss the growing importance of hybrid navigation solutions.The conversation shifts to Braille, sparked by feedback from listener Sharon in Detroit. Steven and Shaun discuss the value of Grade 1 Braille, especially in public environments, and the challenges of maintaining reading fluency without regular use.Finally, developer Aaron Vernon joins the show to talk about Land of Livia, a new accessible iPhone game. Shaun shares his excitement for accessible gaming and the desire for more developers to prioritize inclusive design.Chapters00:00 - Introduction01:32 - Glide Delayed Until Spirng 202606:45 - Listener Chris On The Ideal O&M Toolkit18:06 - Listener Sharon On The Need To Learn Braille22:38 - Sign Up For Double Tap's Newsletter23:44 - Meet Aaron Vernon Talking About Land Of Livia Adventure GameRelevant LinksGlidance: https://glidance.ioVoiceVista: https://apps.apple.com/app/voicevistaBe My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.comLand of Livia (iOS Game): https://apps.apple.com/app/land-of-livia/id6475987951 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.

It's an all new That Real Blind Tech show as Brian sits down with Mike Buckley, CEO, Be My Eyes and Patrick Long, CEO and Co-Founder, Innosearch.AI.   You have probably heard by now about the exciting new partnership between Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI, well join us for a behind the scenes look with some humor along the way.   We kick the show off discussing how Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI came to their strategic alliance.   We discuss a special cash back offer you will receive when using Innosearch.AI through the Be My eyes app.   Patrick fills us in on the highly demanded food and grocery delivery feature, what they have been working on, what it will be,  and when it may launch.   We then discuss Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI's experiences  from this year's CSUN.   Which leads to a conversation about how exciting the times are we live in for accessibility with A.I.   We then discuss the obstacles and difficulties of expanding services beyond the United States.   Brian then brings up his CSUN presentation and the Be My A.I. Celebrity Doppelgänger Challenge.   Patrick discusses the insanely popular Innosearch.AI shop by voice feature.   Mike then discusses some possibilities he hopes for in the future to combine using your Meta Glasses, Be My eyes, and Innosearch.AI. and thinking about this, I have to quote Bill and Ted, and say “WHOA!   Patrick then discusses the Innosearch.AI ctrivia nights and community involvement. It's an all new That Real Blind Tech show as Brian sits down with Mike Buckley, CEO, Be My Eyes and Patrick Long, CEO and Co-Founder, Innosearch.AI.   You have probably heard by now about the exciting new partnership between Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI, well join us for a behind the scenes look with some humor along the way.   We kick the show off discussing how Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI came to their strategic alliance.   We discuss a special cash back offer you will receive when using Innosearch.AI through the Be My eyes app.   Patrick fills us in on the highly demanded food and grocery delivery feature, what they have been working on, what it will be,  and when it may launch.   We then discuss Be My Eyes and Innosearch.AI's experiences  from this year's CSUN.   Which leads to a conversation about how exciting the times are we live in for accessibility with A.I.   We then discuss the obstacles and difficulties of expanding services beyond the United States.   Brian then brings up his CSUN presentation and the Be My A.I. Celebrity Doppelgänger Challenge.   Patrick discusses the insanely popular Innosearch.AI shop by voice feature.   Mike then discusses some possibilities he hopes for in the future to combine using your Meta Glasses, Be My eyes, and Innosearch.AI. and thinking about this, I have to quote Bill and Ted, and say “WHOA!   Patrick then discusses the Innosearch.AI ctrivia nights and community involvement.   To contact That Real Blind Tech Show, you can email us at ThatRealBlindTechShow@gmail.com, join our Facebook Group That Real Blind Tech Show, join us on the Twitter @BlindTechShow  To contact That Real Blind Tech Show, you can email us at ThatRealBlindTechShow@gmail.com, join our Facebook Group That Real Blind Tech Show, join us on the Twitter @BlindTechShow 

Au programme de l'actu des nouvelles technologies et de l'accessibilité cette semaine : Du côté des applications et du web Les nouveautés de TalkBack 16. Google I/O 2025 : de l'IA, beaucoup de blabla… et quelques nouveautés bluffantes. Mise à jour de Dolphin Easy Reader en version 12. Gemini Live Vision dispo sur le SmartVision. Témoignage et activation. Mise à jour importante pour Be My Eyes pour Windows. AppleVis va lancer une plateforme communautaire de suivi des bugs des logiciels Apple. USA : Be My Eyes permet aux DV d'effectuer des achats depuis l'application avec InnoSearch AI. NotebookLM : l'outil de recherche IA de Google débarque sur les smartphones. AppStore. Google Play. Le reste de l'actu Des témoignages d'utilisateurs Android suite à notre Appel au peuple. Le projet ALIAS cherche des participants. Campus Louis Braille, Demo Day du 2 juin 2025 Cette semaine sur Oxytude Nous vous avons proposé : Edito – La presse Apple et l'accessibilité des produits pommés, fainéantise, je m'en foutisme ou incompétence ?. Remerciements Cette semaine, nous remercions Arnaud, Arnaud le Belge, Carlos, Corinne, Murielle, Nicolas, Pascal, Stéphane, Tony et Yannick pour leurs infos ou leur dons. Si vous souhaitez vous aussi nous envoyer de l'info ou nous soutenir : Pour nous contactez ou nous envoyez des infos, passez par le formulaire de contact sur la page oxytude.org/contact. Pour nous soutenir (dons, liens affiliés ou liste de produits) rendez-vous sur la page oxytude.org/soutenir. Pour animer cet épisode Cédric, François et Philippe.

In this episode, I recap my trip to Las Vegas for the NFB of Nevada State Convention—part learning, part getaway with Liz. As chair of the upcoming Pennsylvania convention, I wanted to see how other states run theirs. Nevada's was short but packed, and I took notes, especially on their use of breakout tracks and Family Feud. Liz and I also hit In-N-Out Burger twice and even saw Michael Symon at his BBQ spot. Navigating the hotel-casino was tricky, and I share some challenges, especially solo ones. The Meta smart glasses I wore were a game-changer for identifying signs and surroundings. We capped off the trip with a frustrating movie experience—the audio description device failed again. Still, it was great getting away and gathering ideas for our Harrisburg event this fall. If only In-N-Out would come east! Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/285 Links Mentioned (product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission.) Ray-Ban Meta Glasses, Wayfarer: https://amzn.to/42EU0Sy 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/ 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 135 In episode 135 of White Canes Connect, Lisa Bryant and I welcome Martha Steele and Natanya Sortland to spotlight the inaugural Blind Birders Birdathon. This nationwide event invites blind and visually impaired individuals to identify birds by sound during a flexible two-hour window within a 24-hour period. No birding experience required—just a love of listening. Martha, a lifelong birder from Massachusetts, was inspired by an article about a blind bird guide and helped launch the event to build community and highlight that birding is, above all, an auditory experience. Natanya, an ambassador for VisionCorps and a self-described "bird-loving beginner," is leading a group walk in Malvern, PA at Brightside Farm, with expert Rick Kaiser guiding participants through the art of bird song recognition. 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.

Thanks to Turtleback Low Vision for sponsoring this episode of Double Tap. As a thank you to the Double Tap community, Turtleback is offering 12% off your entire order with promo code DT12. Visit turtlebacklv.com to shop the full lineup!In this lively episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun catch up after a short break, diving into personal stories involving home renovations, Shaun's dog's medical emergency, and their shared exhaustion. Steven reveals the high-tech features of his new sofa—including USB ports, wireless charging, and a built-in cooler—while Shaun praises his partner's impressive DIY efforts.Later, they're joined by Allison Sheridan of the NosillaCast podcast to reflect on the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference. Alison shares standout products including the Case for Vision magnification tool, the Augmental MouthPad, and Solid3D's retinal projection innovation. The trio also debates accessibility pricing, representation from major tech firms, and the importance of inclusive design.Chapters00:00 - Start00:45 - Steven's New Sofa06:14 - Shaun's Poorly Dog25:35 - Sign Up For the Double Tap Newsletter26:34 - SPONSOR - Turtleback27:41 - Allison Sheridan from NosillaCast reflecting on CSUNRelevant LinksNosillaCast Podcast: https://www.podfeet.com/blog/category/nosillacast/Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.comQuality of Life Plus: https://www.qLplus.orgCase for Vision: https://www.caseforvision.comForecast App (for podcast chapters): https://overcast.fm/forecast 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.

It's an all new That Real Blind Tech show with the entire gang Allison, Brian, Ed , and Jeanine talking the latest nonsense and tech.   We kick the show off discussing the PornHub Awards and what they have in common with Ed.   Thanks to Gen-Z audio cassette tapes are making a come back!   Max is changing their name again, can you guess what the new name will be?   LG was recognized for their excellence in accessibility in Bangkok.   Tim Dixon published an interesting article about Password Managers and Accessibility.   We then get to discussing Global Accessibility Awareness Day and Apple giving us Accessibility Nutrition Labels. Say what?   Meta is rolling out for the blind on the Meta Ray Bans for customers in the United States and Canada. We then discuss how Meta is advancing accessibility.   The biggest coming together since Chocolate met Peanut Butter is Be my Eyes and Innosearch. Be My Eyes also announced a new redesign to their Desktop PC app.   We then discuss Google Gemini Live with screen sharing and using your android camera. Google will be launching a whole new OS redesign.   Brian then discusses some new products he recently purchased. First up are the Panasonic Technics 100. Next Brian discusses the awesome Anker SoundCore Portable 2. And then Brian discusses the SoundCore Liberty 5 by anker Ear buds.   And it's more of What's Pissing Off Brian Now and Watcha Streaming, Watcha Reading.   It's an all new That Real Blind Tech show with the entire gang Allison, Brian, Ed , and Jeanine talking the latest nonsense and tech.   We kick the show off discussing the PornHub Awards and what they have in common with Ed.   Thanks to Gen-Z audio cassette tapes are making a come back!   Max is changing their name again, can you guess what the new name will be?   LG was recognized for their excellence in accessibility in Bangkok.   Tim Dixon published an interesting article about Password Managers and Accessibility.   We then get to discussing Global Accessibility Awareness Day and Apple giving us Accessibility Nutrition Labels. Say what?   Meta is rolling out for the blind on the Meta Ray Bans for customers in the United States and Canada. We then discuss how Meta is advancing accessibility.   The biggest coming together since Chocolate met Peanut Butter is Be my Eyes and Innosearch. Be My Eyes also announced a new redesign to their Desktop PC app.   We then discuss Google Gemini Live with screen sharing and using your android camera. Google will be launching a whole new OS redesign.   Brian then discusses some new products he recently purchased. First up are the Panasonic Technics 100. Next Brian discusses the awesome Anker SoundCore Portable 2. And then Brian discusses the SoundCore Liberty 5 by anker Ear buds.   And it's more of What's Pissing Off Brian Now and Watcha Streaming, Watcha Reading.     To contact That Real Blind Tech Show, you can email us at ThatRealBlindTechShow@gmail.com, join our Facebook Group That Real Blind Tech Show, join us on the Twitter @BlindTechShow ,  To contact That Real Blind Tech Show, you can email us at ThatRealBlindTechShow@gmail.com, join our Facebook Group That Real Blind Tech Show, join us on the Twitter @BlindTechShow , 

Dans l'actu des nouvelles technologies et de l'accessibilité cette semaine : Du côté des applications et du web Apple dévoile les nouveautés d'accessibilité d'iOS 19, macOS 16, watchOS 12 et visionOS 3. Google ajoute Gemini à TalkBack, et ça change tout : on vous explique pourquoi. Le logiciel d'OCR pour Windows ScanVox est désormais disponible. Suite à des abus, Be My Eyes réduit le nombre de requêtes quotidiennes dans Be My AI. Augmentation des prix de Jaws, ZoomText et Fusion. Microsoft Edge propose des alternatives pour les zones ARIA Live. iOS 18.5 : Correction de dernière minute des contrôles multimédias pour les utilisateurs aveugles – Des tests d'accessibilité Apple toujours perfectibles ! Le reste de l'actu Comment Samsung intègre l'accessibilité et les valeurs centrées sur l'utilisateur dans ses appareils électroménagers. Remerciements Cette semaine, nous remercions Myriam et Pascal pour leurs infos ou leur dons. Si vous souhaitez vous aussi nous envoyer de l'info ou nous soutenir : Pour nous contactez ou nous envoyez des infos, passez par le formulaire de contact sur la page oxytude.org/contact. Pour nous soutenir (dons, liens affiliés ou liste de produits) rendez-vous sur la page oxytude.org/soutenir. Pour animer cet épisode Fabrice, François et Philippe.

In this exciting episode of The Blind Life, Sam is joined by InnoSearch AI and Be My Eyes representatives to announce a groundbreaking new partnership that will revolutionize accessible shopping for the blind and visually impaired community. InnoSearch AI is a screen-reader-optimized shopping and travel platform offering access to over one billion products and services. Thanks to their collaboration with Be My Eyes, users can access InnoSearch directly from the Be My Eyes app, making the experience even more seamless and convenient. If you're blind or have low vision, this partnership could unlock new levels of independence, savings, and confidence when navigating the online world. Learn more about InnoSearch AI and sign up for a free account + $10 shopping credit: ► https://innosearch.ai/r/nRhfYt Download Be My Eyes for iOS, Android, or Windows: ► https://www.bemyeyes.com/

In this special Global Accessibility Awareness Day edition of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun are joined by top voices in tech accessibility, including Matt Ater from Vispero, Mike Buckley from Be My Eyes, Patrick Long from InnoSearch, and Apple's Director of Accessibility, Sarah Herrlinger.Matt shares news of Vispero's global rollout of accessible payment terminals powered by JAWS for Kiosk, and reflects on 30 years of JAWS development in partnership with Microsoft. Meanwhile, Be My Eyes and InnoSearch announce a new collaboration, offering 2% cashback for accessible shopping and a voice-based AI shopping assistant for non-tech users.Apple's Sarah Herrlinger unveils a suite of upcoming accessibility features, including Braille Access for note-taking, Magnifier for Mac, AI-powered object recognition in Vision Pro, and new Accessibility Nutrition Labels in the App Store. The show also features GAAD co-founder Joe Devon recounting how the movement began and why the mission continues.Chapters0:00 – Introduction4:40 – JAWS for Kiosk expands globally7:03 – Celebrating 30 years of JAWS and Microsoft's role9:23 – AI Labeler and Picture Smart in JAWS13:40 – Insert+J Club and JAWS community engagement14:52 – Be My Eyes and InnoSearch partnership announcement20:37 – InnerSearch's accessible shopping evolution33:44 – Origins of Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Joe Devon41:49 – Apple Vision Pro accessibility features44:14 – Braille Access and new note-taking tools46:24 – App Store Accessibility Labels explained51:01 – Magnifier for Mac and Accessibility ReaderRelevant LinksApple Accessibility: https://www.apple.com/accessibilityBe My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.comVispero: https://www.vispero.comInnoSearch: https://www.innosearch.ai/Global Accessibility Awareness Day: https://accessibility.dayGet in touch with us by email at feedback@doubletaponair.com or connect on WhatsApp at https://www.doubletaponair.com/whatsapp 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.

It's a major milestone as Steven and Shaun hit their 1000th episode of Double Tap! In this special edition, they're joined by executive producer Marc Aflalo for a surprise celebration packed with heartfelt tributes from major names across the accessible tech world. You'll hear messages from Amos Miller (Glidance), Mike Buckley (Be My Eyes), Kelly MacDonald (AMI), and even Chris Patnoe from Google and of course Mr. F.But that's not all — Steven delivers an impassioned rant about the state of radio in 2025. From inaccessible DAB radios to smart speakers demanding sign-ins, he questions why a traditionally blind-friendly medium has become so complicated. The conversation then shifts to digital ownership, AI tools like Gemini and Copilot, and how listener feedback shapes every episode. Expect laughs, honesty, and a deep appreciation for community in this milestone moment.Chapter Markers00:00 – Introduction02:10 – Surprise video: Messages from Glidance, Be My Eyes, Google & more06:30 – Reflections on what Double Tap has become09:00 – Steven's full-blown rant on radio accessibility12:30 – Why DAB and smart speakers fail blind listeners18:20 – The problem with owning digital media in 202521:45 – Resurgence of DVDs & physical media explained26:30 – When power goes out: The critical case for accessible radios28:45 – Listener Scott asks about TalkBack on Samsung35:30 – Gemini Live: Using AI with your camera40:20 – Carl's diabetes accessibility tips for CGMs47:30 – Libre app, Sweet Dreams, and audiographs explained49:45 – Larry shares a simple iOS app library tip51:00 – Renée asks: How do you know a site is inaccessible?54:00 – The web is a Wild West for screen reader users56:00 – Final reflections and thank yous from Steven and Shaun 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

Facilitator:  NedTopics:  Bluetooth recommendations,  Screen black after incoming calls;  Using RCS in messages;  Difference lights occurring on calls;  How to turn off seconds in time app onwatch;  Using VoiceVista;  Groups getting other notifications with Be My Eyes, do you see whose calling;  Screen not staying unlocked long enough;  Phone will not send text to android phone since update; Adding multiple people to a call;  Scanning a QR codes;  Shock headphones started speaking in another language;  Allowing YouTube to share information with secondary phone;  Getting random feedback with VO; Blocking someone in a group or leaving a group message;  How to delete favorites in Safari;  Deleting multiple message groups;  SIRI not finding/recognizing contacts on phone;  iBUG Bytes:  Sandhya:  Creating contacts from a number in text message.

What do the Clicks Keyboard, Ember Mug, Monarch braille display, and AirPods Pro 2 all have in common? They're all in the inbox this week on Double Tap!Steven and Shaun dive into your messages, starting with Mallory's reflections on Clicks and warm drinks, to Daisy's deep dive into the Monarch's potential—and price tag. You'll hear honest takes on smart glasses like EchoVision, plus a listener story about using AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids (and one almost lost at Burger King). And in true Double Tap fashion, things go hilariously off track with accidental disco rants, talk of cigarette-scented hospital doorfinding, and a legendary Scottish passive-aggressive takedown on a public bus.From accessibility insights to laugh-out-loud commentary, this episode captures exactly what makes Double Tap so beloved—and why the community keeps growing.[Chapters]00:00 – What day is it? Time for emails02:15 – Message from Mallory: Clicks Keyboard & Ember Mug04:45 – Is the Clicks Keyboard worth it? Bulk, buttons & thoughts07:50 – Tech for blind coders: Start your podcast!09:22 – Monarch feedback from Daisy in Nebraska13:10 – Why the Monarch matters (but is still out of reach)16:20 – Are high costs keeping us from better tech?20:30 – Should price come first in a review?22:50 – Orbit Reader questions & alternatives24:00 – Gregory's smart glasses: Celeste vs. EchoVision27:15 – Why do so many companies chase the same idea?29:30 – Smart glasses: Designed for blind people, or just usable?32:05 – Could OpenAI take over this space?34:20 – What's the perfect mix of tech and real-world tools?38:50 – Hetty's AirPods Pro 2 as hearing aids (and ear tip issues)43:40 – Using earbuds in noisy environments45:50 – Meta Ray-Bans and adaptive audio in action48:10 – Public transport disco and hospital soundscapes50:18 – Chris McCausland praise & TTS audio description debate52:35 – The future of AD: More content, fewer humans?55:10 – Why writing the description script matters most⸻[Key Quotes]“We do need to have a range of voices. And if they were all the same, it wouldn't really be very good for the community, right?” — Steven Scott“If it works for you, and it's amazing, then the money kind of becomes irrelevant—you'll find a way to pay for it.” — Steven Scott“Smart glasses don't need to be ‘for blind people.' They just need to work well for everyone.” — Shaun Preece[Relevant Links]Clicks Keyboard: https://clicks.techEmber Mug: https://ember.comHumanWare Monarch: https://www.humanware.comMeta Ray-Ban Glasses: https://www.ray-ban.com/metaApple AirPods Pro 2: https://www.apple.com/airpods-pro/Be My Eyes (partnered with OpenAI): https://www.bemyeyes.com

We kicked off the program with four news stories and different guests on the stories we think you need to know about!National Baseball Poetry Festival Blends Sports & Fine Arts – 3rd National Baseball Poetry Festival is coming up May 2-4, 2025 at Polar Park, Worcester, MA. Steven Biondolillo - founder of the National Baseball Poetry Festival joined Dan.Massachusetts High School Selected to Represent the State in National Mascot Showdown! Justin Woo - entrepreneur, philanthropist, and founder of The64 (group responsible for competition) stopped by.What to know about the results of the NFL Draft for the New England Patriots. Chris Price – Boston Globe Sports Reporter checked in.How the organization Be My Eyes connects people who are visually impaired with volunteers and companies worldwide through live video and artificial intelligence. Joan Hamilton – Volunteer for Be My Eyes discussed it with Dan.Listen to WBZ NewsRadio on the NEW iHeart Radio app and be sure to set WBZ NewsRadio as your #1 preset!

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 

Facilitator:  SandhyaTopics:   Using Starbucks App;   Issues with Zoom update;   Phishing Scam warning;  Using the Merlin Bird App;  Changing items in Fitness App on Watch;  Audio messages now works;   Forwarding an attachment on Messages;   Charging Iclever for Iphone;  Not able to select AI Corrective sentences;   Using Amazon Card;  Creating Custom greetings in Message;  Email stating expose ID;  ICloud email account benefits;   Using Satilite to send text messages;  New item in settings since update;  Using Ira or Be My Eyes without WIFI;   Using Voice Vista;   Differences in 16Pro and 16E;  Be My Eyes volunteer calling working intermittently;  Can't find last Voice Memos recording;  Voice memos on watch not syncing to phone;  VO not reading word selection while typing an emailiBUG Bytes:  Sandhya:  Navigating around on a podcast track

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.

Facilitator:  BradTopics:  Labelling Photos in Be MY Eyes app;  Merlyn Bird ID app;  Where's Screen Recognition?;  Using ChatGPT App;  Using the signature feature in Gmail app; Creating accounts in Apple mail App;  Turning Updates on or off;   Setting up shortcuts in Be My Eyes with Siri;  Using Category behavior in Mail;   Turning Categories on or off;  Calls going on Watch and not Phone;  Locking Phone with IRA;  Voice Memo not syncing from Watch to Phone;  What is RCS?; Fixing Portrait/Landscape mode;  Not hearing audio while joining zoom on Iphone;  Setting up passcodes; using Important labels in Gmail;   Unable to turn VoiceOver Speech on watch;  Forwarding emails using screen readers;iBUG Bytes: Brad:  Sending Group Text messages with SIRI

Read transcriptHello our spring flowers and welcome to BGC ep 121. We have a great show for you: Óran and Jan are talking about the new smart kid on the block when it comes to smart glasses: Echo Vision. Have you heard of these? Do you have a pair? Well, if you do let us know if you like them and are finding them of benefit in your daily life - email us at blindguyschat@gmail.com.   Our guest this week is Kevin Sherwin. Yes, it's a welcome back to the Eurovision song contest guru who is just back from a world wind tour of New York New York. Kevin has the latest news on all the latest musicals and plays on Broadway at the moment. He also gives us a rundown of the who's hot and who's not when it comes to Eurovision 2025! Will Ireland be sending Johnny Logan? Will Sweden bring snow? Will The Netherlands bring their bikes? And who is having a sauna on top of a microphone stand? Kevin will explain all, while Jan and Óran have a lie down. (Together?

In this episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun celebrate Microsoft's 50th birthday with a deep and honest conversation about the company's evolution—warts and all. From the nostalgia of Windows 3.1 and the disaster of Vista to today's innovations with Copilot and AI, the hosts discuss how Microsoft's tech has shaped their lives and the lives of millions globally.They break down Microsoft's recent anniversary event, including bold demos of new Copilot features and a major on-stage protest over AI weaponization claims. The discussion turns serious as they unpack what it means when AI is embedded in tools we rely on daily—and the ethical responsibilities that come with that.The duo explores how Copilot is evolving into a personalized AI assistant with memory, action-based commands, and even screen-sharing capabilities. Can it revolutionize accessibility for blind users? Could it become a true assistant or even a podcast generator? And is Apple falling behind in the AI race?Plus, Steven shares a cautionary tale about trusting AI with a Korean-translated manual, reminding us that while the tech is powerful, it's not infallible. It's an episode full of laughs, critical thinking, and real-world implications of AI's role in our tech lives.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 LinksMicrosoft Copilot: https://copilot.microsoft.comWindows 11 Accessibility: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/windowsOpenAI ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.comGoogle Gemini AI: https://deepmind.google/technologies/gemini/Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.comChapter Markers:00:00 Celebrating Microsoft's 50th Anniversary02:20 The Evolution of Windows: Love and Hate04:44 Protests at Microsoft Event: A Call for Attention12:22 Introducing Copilot: The AI Companion18:18 Personalization and Memory in AI23:30 The Future of AI: Trust and Usability30:46 Exploring PhoneLink and Android Integration39:31 Economic Impacts of Tariffs on Technology41:00 Meta's Shift in Fact-Checking Approach44:20 Nostalgia for Early Computing Experiences 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

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

In this episode of Double Tap, Steven and Shaun dive into the latest iOS 18.4 update and put Apple's much-hyped Visual Intelligence feature to the test—and let's just say, it didn't go quite as expected. They discuss real-world accessibility challenges with this new tool, especially when compared to apps like Be My Eyes. Plus, they explore the new ambient playlists in Apple Music and debate their actual usefulness.The conversation soon shifts into a broader Apple critique: from Siri's unreliability to ongoing accessibility issues in iCloud for Windows, and the frustrating UI in Apple's Voice Memos app. Listener Brian introduces the accessible Tape It app, prompting a larger discussion about mobile vs. desktop recording and editing for blind users. Meanwhile, Steven shares his workflow for using VoiceOver with Final Cut and reveals how he's mastering drag-and-drop with a screen reader.We also hear thoughtful feedback from listeners about Braille literacy, the challenges of light sensitivity, and the emotional impact of losing sight—especially when thinking about past visual experiences like video games or driving. The episode wraps with an email segment touching on the confusing new AI categorization in Apple Mail and audio clarity issues in podcasting.Chapter Markers:00:00 Introduction and Tech Rush02:53 iOS 18.4 Features and Visual Intelligence06:09 Apple Music's Ambient Playlists08:59 iCloud for Windows Accessibility Issues12:14 VoiceOver Command Customization15:12 Mouse Control with VoiceOver17:57 Exploring Drag and Drop Functionality20:50 Light Sensitivity and Personal Experiences23:47 Conclusion and Future Topics28:59 Nostalgia and Gaming Experience32:18 The Importance of Open Conversations33:48 Listener Feedback and Community Engagement35:44 Accessibility in Audio Recording Apps39:03 Desktop vs Mobile for Audio Editing42:20 Clarity in Communication for Accessibility52:44 Braille Literacy and Employment PerspectivesGet 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 LinksTape It App – Audio recorder with dual-mic support and accessible trimmingAppleVis iOS 18.4 Review – Deep dive into the update and accessibility featuresEcho Vision Glasses by Agiga – AI-powered smart glasses for blind usersFerrite Recording Studio – Mobile audio editor for iOSMarsEdit – Mac-based WordPress editorNon-24 Awareness – Learn more about circadian rhythm disorders affecting blind individuals 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

In this episode of iCantCU, I talk about my recent trip to Baltimore for a National Federation of the Blind leadership seminar. The travel down was rough—high winds, delayed trains, and a soaked suitcase—but once I got there, it was an incredible few days. I met fantastic people from all over the country, learned a ton, and left feeling inspired (and maybe a little intimidated) by how sharp some of these folks are. I also get into how the trip lit a fire under me to do more back home in Pennsylvania. That's where Federation Focus comes in—a new weekly video series I started to keep everyone updated on what's happening in the affiliate. I walk through how that came together and all the other NFB-related stuff I've been working on, from graphics to fundraising letters to podcast editing. Show notes at https://www.iCantCU.com/283  Links Mentioned (product links are affiliate links so that I may earn a commission.) 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 Episode 129: To make the beauty and grandeur of nature accessible to everyone, Bartram's Garden teamed up with a local audio describer and visually impaired accessibility consultant to produce audio descriptions of three gardens on their grounds. Join White Canes Connect contributor Simon Bonenfant, as he speaks with audio describer Beth Feldman Brant, along with Accessibility Coach Charmaine Parrish, about everything you need to know as part of this exciting initiative! 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.

Christopher Duffley is an inspiring speaker, musician, and advocate who has overcome immense challenges to spread a message of faith, perseverance, and hope. Born prematurely at just 1 pound 12 ounces, Christopher lost his sight due to retinopathy of prematurity and was later diagnosed with autism. Despite these obstacles, he discovered his love for music, and at just 10 years old, his rendition of Open the Eyes of My Heart went viral, launching his career as a motivational speaker and singer. Today, Christopher shares his story worldwide, proving that with faith, determination, and the right support system, anything is possible. In this episode of The Wow Factor, Christopher and his mother, Christine, share his extraordinary journey—from being adopted into a loving family to becoming an advocate for accessibility, independence, and inclusion. They discuss the role of faith in Christopher's life, how technology helps him navigate the world, and why he is passionate about encouraging others to embrace their own mission possible. This conversation is filled with lessons on resilience, faith, and making an impact, making it a must-listen for anyone looking to overcome challenges and live with purpose. “With God, all things are possible.” – Matthew 19:26 - Christopher Duffley “I don't have sight, but I walk by faith. You don't have to see everything to believe in what's possible.” - Christopher Duffley “I want to inspire others, but I also want to break barriers. The world isn't built for people like me, but that won't stop me.” - Christopher Duffley This Week on The Wow Factor: From Challenge to Calling: How Christopher's early struggles with blindness and autism led him to a life of purpose and inspiration. A Mother's Love: The incredible story of how Christine fought to bring Christopher into their family and help him reach his full potential. Viral Moment to Mission: How Christopher's viral performance of Open the Eyes of My Heart launched his journey as a speaker and musician. Faith and Resilience: Why 2 Corinthians 5:7 – “For we walk by faith, not by sight” is Christopher's life verse. Assistive Technology: How tools like the Be My Eyes app and screen readers empower Christopher to navigate the world independently. Overcoming the Employment Gap: The staggering statistic that 70% of blind people are unemployed and how Christopher is breaking barriers. Mission Possible: How Christopher and his family are redefining what's possible through advocacy, music, and motivational speaking. Christopher Duffley's Words of Wisdom: Life's challenges do not define you—your faith, mindset, and perseverance do. Christopher's journey reminds us that obstacles can be stepping stones to greater purpose and impact. His mission is to inspire others to believe that anything is possible with faith, resilience, and community support. Connect with Christopher Duffley Christopher's Website Mission Possible Podcast Christopher's YouTube Christopher's Instagram Connect with The Wow Factor:  WOW Factor Website  Brad Formsma on LinkedIn   Brad Formsma on Instagram   Brad Formsma on Facebook   X (formerly Twitter)    

2513 Arizona Vacation with PiccyBot and Be My Eyes (Mar. 26, 2025) Show Notes Experience the vivid landscapes of Arizona as enhanced by detailed descriptions by AI. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey used various AI services like PiccyBot and Be My Eyes to describe their adventures in the Sonoran Desert, the Phoenix Botanical Garden, Sedona’s … Continue reading 2513 Arizona Vacation with PiccyBot and Be My Eyes (Mar. 26, 2025) →

On today's episode of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece dive into a jam-packed show that covers everything from Meta AI's disappointing European rollout to Steven's brand-new, powerhouse Mac Studio. They also speak with Tom Pey, president of Waymap, about how his organization is transforming indoor navigation for blind and visually impaired people through cutting-edge technology.The guys kick things off with frustration over Meta AI's European launch, which excludes the long-awaited “Look and Describe” visual features. They unpack the privacy and regulatory challenges affecting accessibility advancements across platforms like Meta, OpenAI, and Be My Eyes.Later, Steven gets hands-on with Apple's M3 Ultra Mac Studio and details the setup process, the power of its 10Gb Ethernet port, and how it fits into their production workflow. There's also a candid rant on iOS accessibility issues, from VoiceOver focus bugs to inconsistent gestures.Then, they welcome Tom Pey from Waymap to discuss how the app delivers turn-by-turn indoor and outdoor navigation with 1-meter accuracy—without GPS or internet. You'll learn about the groundbreaking tech behind Waymap and the growing importance of infrastructure-free navigation for blind users.Finally, the show wraps up with a discussion about Seleste smart glasses shutting down, a promising new ARx Vision iOS beta, and why leasing high-end tech might just be a smarter choice for creators and professionals.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 Meta AI Rollout in Europe: A Mixed Bag02:48 Privacy Concerns and Data Processing Regulations05:58 The Impact of AI Features on Accessibility09:10 Navigating iOS Accessibility Challenges14:52 Unpacking the Mac Studio: Specs and Performance20:08 Internet Speed and Workflow Efficiency33:55 Waymap: Revolutionizing Navigation for the Visually Impaired40:03 Technical Innovations Behind Waymap48:10 The Future of Navigation Technology51:14 The Rise and Fall of Seleste Smart Glasses53:06 ARx Vision: New Developments in Assistive Technology 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: 1-877-803-4567About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Technology is rapidly reshaping the world, but for people with disabilities, it’s doing something even more profound - it’s redefining what’s possible. Explore how cutting-edge assistive technologies are breaking barriers, restoring independence, and revolutionizing the way people navigate the world. Sam Seavey, creator of “The Blind Life” YouTube channel, shares how AI-powered tools are game-changers for people with vision impairments. And former stuntman Jonathan Goodwin introduces Kim-e, a self-balancing mobility robot redefining independence for wheelchair users. Suggested episodes: Revealing Our Blind Spots About Blindness MasterChef winner Christine Ha and poet Edward Hirsch on turning blindness into brilliance Hearing every color, feeling every earthquake: Life as a cyborg Stunt performers David Holmes and Jonathan Goodwin on life after paralysis GUESTS: Sam Seavey: founder of “The Blind Life” YouTube channel, where he provides tips, reviews of assistive devices, and interviews with visually impaired community members. Diagnosed with Stargardt disease at the age of 11, Sam has dedicated 30 years to researching and understanding assistive devices. Among the inventions Sam mentions during this conversation are Ray Ban Meta AI glasses, the Be My Eyes app, the WeWalk smart cane, and braille tablets Jonathan Goodwin: a retired stunt performer, screenwriter, keynote speaker, and hypnotherapist. In 2021, he was paralyzed while rehearsing a stunt for America's Got Talent: Extreme. He has been exploring a new piece of assistive technology called Kim-e, a self-balancing personal mobility robotSupport the show: https://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this packed episode of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece are back in the studio after an incredible week at CSUN 2025! They recap their experiences at the world's largest assistive technology conference, sharing insights into groundbreaking innovations in Braille technology, adaptive gaming, and accessibility software.Plus, the guys share their once-in-a-lifetime experience meeting Stevie Wonder, who gave an emotional speech at the event.Microsoft's Ability Summit is celebrating its 15th anniversary, and we break down the biggest accessibility announcements, including new adaptive packaging, AI-powered sign language detection in Teams, and advancements in GitHub's accessibility features. Blind Gamer Steve Saylor joins the show to give us an exclusive hands-on review of Xbox's new Adaptive Joystick, now available for purchase!And what's happening with Be My Eyes' highly anticipated live video feature? CEO Mike Buckley gives us an honest update on where things stand.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 And We're Back In The Studio!02:49 Reflections on CSUN 2025t09:09 Meeting Stevie Wonder12:14 The Importance of Community Engagement14:54 Microsoft's Ability Summit Highlights17:58 Accessible Gaming Innovations34:56 Be My Eyes: Updates and Future Plans41:17 Amazon's New Premium Device Line45:19 Sonos Cancels Streaming Box Project51:57 Sony's Commitment to Blu-ray Technology 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: 1-877-803-4567About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

Double Tap is live from the 40th annual CSUN Assistive Technology Conference! Steven Scott and Shaun Preece dive deep into groundbreaking accessibility tech, exclusive announcements from Be My Eyes and advanced radar-guided glasses from Lighthouse Tech. Plus, Blind Dave showcases robust mobility canes from Awarewolf Gear, DreamVision Group unveils a game-changing braille display, LogicKeyboards demonstrates specialized accessible keyboards, and Dolphin Computer Access revolutionizes screen reader and kiosk accessibility. Packed with hands-on experiences and expert insights, this episode highlights tech empowering independence.Chapters:00:00 - Live from CSUN 2025 Exhibition Hall01:12 - Be My Eyes announces partnerships with Emirates Airlines & Leonardo Da Vinci Airport08:30 - Hans Wiberg's top navigation tech25:10 - Awarewolf Gear's revolutionary canes with Blind Dave30:45 - Lighthouse Tech's radar-based vibrating mobility glasses demo27:15 - LogicKeyboards presents accessible, large-print keyboards & first-ever Braille keyboards34:20 - Dolphin's accessible software solutions, from touchscreen magnification to intuitive kiosks39:55 - Dolphin Guide Connect simplifies computing for seniors46:00 - Closing remarks & thanks to sponsors: Be My Eyes & Glidance Notable Quotes:“We're diversifying our portfolio—Be My Eyes is now your gateway to accessible air travel.” – Joe Weber, Be My Eyes“The laser projects the image directly onto your retina, allowing many visually impaired users to clearly see again.” – Mike Najad, Sony“People asked for a better cane; we delivered. It's strong, supportive, and keeping them upright.” — Blind Dave, Awarewolf Gear“We're designing tech for people of all abilities—truly inclusive.” – Mike Najad, Sony ElectronicsRelevant Links:Be My Eyes: www.bemyeyes.comEmirates Airlines Accessibility: www.emirates.comLeonardo Da Vinci Airport Accessibility: www.adr.it/web/aeroporti-di-roma-en-/GlideIn Navigation: glidance.ioSony Accessibility Tech: electronics.sony.comAibo AI Dog by Sony: us.aibo.comLighthouse Tech Radar Glasses: lighthousetech.chAwarewolf Gear Canes: awarewolfgear.comLogicKeyboards Accessibility Solutions: magickeyboard.comDreamVision Activator Braille Displays: dreamvisiongroup.orgDolphin Software & Guide Connect: yourdolphin.com 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: 1-877-803-4567About AMIAMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+Learn more at AMI.caConnect with Accessible Media Inc. online:X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaInc

The CSUN Assistive Technology Conference is back for its 40th year, and we are covering all the biggest innovations and conversations happening in the exhibition hall. From the latest advancements in mobility tech to AI-powered accessibility tools, we bring you in-depth discussions with some of the most exciting companies in the industry.In this episode, we speak with: • Luke Buckberrough from Glidance about their revolutionary mobility solution. • Bree Fraser from OneCourt on making live sports more accessible. • Sam Latif from Procter & Gamble on inclusive product design. • Quenton Christensen from NV Access on the future of screen readers. • Matt and Ryan from Vispero on JAWS' 30th anniversary and upcoming AI features. • Venkatesh Chari from Orbit Research on their latest Braille and tactile display technology.

Pedro Oliveira: User Innovation in Healthcare   Welcome to a new series inspired by Eric Von Hippel, and sponsored by Wazoku. In today's episode, we are joined by Professor Pedro Oliveira, founder and president of Patient Innovation, to explore the role of patients and caregivers in developing new medical products and services. Discover remarkable stories of user-generated medical innovations, such as Tal Golesworthy's life-saving aortic support and Louis Plante's innovative lung-clearing device. Learn how Patient Innovation is helping to bring these solutions to market through a multi-sided platform that connects patient innovators with industry. Find out more about this transformative approach to healthcare innovation and the positive impact it has had on countless lives.   00:00 Introduction to the Series and Sponsor 00:29 Focus on User Innovation in Healthcare 00:53 Interview with Professor Pedro Oliveira 01:20 Eric von Hippel's Influence on User Innovation 03:55 Patient Innovator Stories: Tal Golesworthy 05:17 Patient Innovator Stories: Louis Plante 12:35 Patient Innovator Stories: Hans and Be My Eyes 19:06 The Multi-Sided Platform for Patient Innovation 25:35 Encouraging More Patient Innovations 27:26 Conclusion and Sponsor Message   Find Pedro    Find Wazoku: User Innovation, Healthcare Innovation, Patient-Driven Innovation, Medical Breakthroughs, Pedro Oliveira, Eric von Hippel, Tal Golesworthy, ExoVasc, Louis Plante, Flutter Device, Hans Be My Eyes, Be My Eyes, Multi-Sided Platforms, Patient Entrepreneurship, Medical Devices, Assistive Technology, Digital Health, Open Innovation, Future of Medicine, Patient Advocacy, Caregiver Innovation