Podcasts about blind convention

Full Transcript   Maddy and Amy are SSB students conducting peer-to-peer programming for students across the state for instruction on various topics of interest for visually impaired students. They are also available to meet with others one-on-one for peer discussion and will be planning virtual and in-person group activities! Meet Addy and Amy as they talk about their schooling and leadership roles as Peer Ambassadors at State Services for the Blind (SSB) in Minnesota. Here  are some upcoming events mentioned in the podcast:   Student Meet Up: Come join us on Thursday, May 30th, to hang out and connect! We'll get to know each other and talk about summer plans/activities! We will meet over  Zoom from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you there!   Explore golfing on Monday, June 17, at Oak Marsh Golf Course. Learn more.   Three-day, two-night camping experience with Wilderness Inquiry - August 13, 14, 15.   Twin Cities Blind Sailing - Youth Camps starting June 1st - please contact Katy Boyd at kboyd@twincitiesblindsailing.org  TwinCitiesBlindSailing.org   American Council for the Blind Convention in Jacksonville Florida July 5th through July 12  National Federation for the Blind National Convention in Orlando, Florida. July 3rd through July 8th.   Two baseball opportunities:  ·       Minnesota Twins Beep Ball Clinic June 15th ·       and Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing Clinic June 15th You can find all this information and links on the web at mn.gov/deed/ssb/teens/   Contact State Services for the Blind If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Pre-ETS Program and Transition Services Coordinator Shane DeSantis by email or 651-358-5205. Thanks for listening!

The title above does not do justice to today's guest, Alex Achten. Alex is from Kansas City where he grew up. After college he spent time in Texas where he worked as a news reporter for several years. We talk quite a bit about news reporting and what makes a good reporter.   As Alex explains, he finally felt that the stress of the reporting job caused him to want to go more into the communications and public relations aspects of media and media relations. His parents had moved to San Diego several years ago and so Alex decided to moved to San Diego as well. He joined the staff of the national nonprofit agency, Identity Theft Resource Center, where he directs media relations.   Alex tells us some about identity theft although he says he is not an expert. Even so, he has some excellent ideas about identity protection he passes along.   I asked him about his college minor in Leadership Studies and a certificate he recently earned in “Coaching as a Leadership Tool.” As you will hear, he is quite passionate about this topic and offers some great ideas about good leaders and quality leadership.   In all, no doubt that Alex is quite an unstoppable person. I am sure you will see why by the end of our conversation.     About the Guest:   Alex Achten is the Director of Communications & Media Relations for the Identity Theft Resource Center. Alex oversees the Communications Department of the ITRC and all of the company's Communications initiatives. He specializes in public relations and media relations. At the ITRC, Alex has helped secure media coverage with programs like CBS This Morning, NBC Nightly News, CNBC's American Greed, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Red Table Talk, and many others.   Previously, Alex was a TV Reporter at KAUZ-TV News Channel 6 in Wichita Falls, Texas. While at News Channel 6, Alex covered the political beat and interviewed Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, U.S. Congressman Pat Fallon, former U.S. Congressman Mac Thornberry, and many others. He also worked the city beat and covered breaking news ranging from plane crashes and fires to shootings and stabbings.   Alex is a graduate of Kansas State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science with a Major in Broadcast Journalism and a Minor in Leadership Studies. While at K-State, Alex was involved with Channel 8 News, The Collegian, and The Wildcat 91.9. Alex won First Place in the Kansas Association of Broadcasters Student Awards for Complete Sports Feature and Sportscast, as well as Honorable Mention for Entertainment Programming and DJ Personality. His radio show was also a finalist in the South Central Competition for Audio Talent.   Alex recently completed and received a certificate for his participation in Fieldstone Leadership Network's Course titled “Coaching as a Leadership Tool.” His passion for leadership dates back to his involvement in Student Leadership Institute in high school. He has taken part in numerous leadership projects, most notably a service project that consisted of gathering and manipulating data to figure out better and more efficient ways of advertising for the Flint Hills Discovery Center in Manhattan, Kansas. Alex was born and raised in Kansas City and is a huge Chiefs and Royals fan! There is a good chance you will find him in San Diego wearing either blue, red, or purple!     Ways to connect with Alex:   Alex Achten LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-achten-27a9002b/ Alex Achten Twitter: @Alex_ITRC https://twitter.com/Alex_ITRC Alex Achten Facebook: @Alex-Achten-Identity-Theft-Resource-Center https://www.facebook.com/people/Alex-Achten-Identity-Theft-Resource-Center     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 also subscribe in your favorite podcast app.   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, yep, it is Mike Hingson Once again, and welcome to another episode of unstoppable mindset. Today, we get to chat with Alex Achten and Alex and I have had some wonderful discussions ahead of this podcast and just to help you out and get you hungry. Since he spent a lot of his life in Kansas, we talk about ribs and shrimp. And we're now both very hungry, but we are going to resist on the podcast we're going to just chat and not eat in front of all of you. And we we do have the willpower at least for one episode to resist. Alex, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Alex Achten ** 02:02 Thank you I'm so so happy to be here and appreciate the the invite to be on. And I have to say saying no to ribs as someone from Kansas City that that's just wrong. Like I you know, I should not be saying no to ribs or rib talk or anything barbecue related or shrimp related. But here I am saying let's talk about something more important. So people listening to this against that. You might say Alex, what are you doing? Why are you giving up an opportunity to talk about ribs? But But hey, you know, you mentioned it we talked a lot about in our political.   Michael Hingson ** 02:38 I want to say that we're going to talk about something more important what we're going to talk about something else. But we could always talk about ribs, you know that's   Alex Achten ** 02:44 true. Ribs is an evergreen topic. You can talk about a whenever, wherever,   Michael Hingson ** 02:48 right? And eat them wherever and whenever you can just to say,   Alex Achten ** 02:54 just don't wear a white shirt. Like I'm like, I'm   Michael Hingson ** 02:56 right now. Right? Yeah, we're at least wear a bib. Yes, I've   Alex Achten ** 03:00 been at the minimum. Yeah, federal. Well, I   Michael Hingson ** 03:03 really am glad you're here. We had a fun time when we chatted last time. So why don't we start by maybe you telling me a little bit about you growing up and a younger Alex and all that kind of stuff?   Alex Achten ** 03:15 Yeah, absolutely. So I started I suppose I told you. I grew up in Kansas City. That's where I was born and raised. That's where my roots are. That is, that's where a lot of my family is. And and it's still home. You know, it is absolutely still home at my core. But yeah, that's where it that's where I grew up. I went to Kansas State University. So I am a Wildcat. Through and Through. I graduated there in 2015. I got a Bachelors of Science and I majored in broadcast journalism, and I minored in Leadership Studies and and from there, I went and pursued a TV career. And I went down to Texas, and was a TV reporter and multimedia journalist for about three to three and a half years down at KU Zee TV NewsChannel, six, and had a really good time there did a lot of a lot of interesting, interesting things that you wouldn't get to do it. Many other jobs, covered tons of different stories there. But even after three, three and a half years, I made the decision that I wanted to get into communications and public relations and also wanted to have the opportunity to get closer to home. And as I told you, in the past, my parents actually moved to San Diego in 2011, which is when I went to Kansas State so they had been there for a while I come out here and I knew I loved it. And I knew that ultimately, you know with my brother in Los Angeles as well, you know, it gave me an opportunity to get closer to home. So I went ahead and moved out here and I was able to land a job with the identity that The Resource Center where I'm at now and I've been here for four years working in communications and public relations. I'm our Director of Communications and Media Relations at the identity theft Resource Center now, and it's just really worked out. It's been a it's been a great, a great experience and opportunity for me. So that is kind of be in a nutshell on my background. But again, my roots, my roots are in Kansas. That's there's no doubt about that. But, but you know, you can't be living in America's Finest City there.   Michael Hingson ** 05:33 Well, having lived in Vista for six years, I can very well appreciate what you're saying. And we love the San Diego area. I still think it's the best weather in the country.   Alex Achten ** 05:44 I will not debate you on that. I will not debate you on I was telling I literally like the 10 day forecast for the next 10 days it is sunny and either 7374 75 or 76. That 10 day so yeah, doesn't get much better than that. It does it.   Michael Hingson ** 06:00 Next Friday, I fly to the National Federation of the Blind Convention, which this year is in Houston. Oh, one that's gonna weather Yeah, well be nice and toasty. That'll be nice and toasty there. You're wearing your clothes. Yeah, there is something to be said for air conditioning.   Alex Achten ** 06:22 But I've been down there to the   Michael Hingson ** 06:24 humidity in Houston is no fun either. been there before. That's okay. I can cope. Well. So when you were a news broadcaster, that must have been pretty interesting. Did you find it interesting and fun. And you must have introduced interviewed lots of people like the governor of Texas and people like that. Did you get a chance to talk to people like that?   Alex Achten ** 06:46 Absolutely. I did. I did interview the governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, three or four different times, in my stint there at Channel six. And I actually worked the political beat. So I interviewed a lot of political figures in the state of Texas. So I interviewed Governor Greg Abbott, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. I also interviewed Beto O'Rourke a handful of times when I was there, and then pat Fallon, who is in the he is in the US House. Now. I interviewed him a handful of times, former congressman Mac Thornberry was was one of them. So a lot of a lot of political figures. I interviewed in my time there and I also had the, the city beat so that actual Wichita Falls that he beat. So I've covered all the the government related things going on in the city of Wichita Falls. And, you know, really what was kind of the, the wildcard was was really the breaking news that you've covered. I think, you know, I think every reporter will tell you that's one of the probably one of the most exciting parts of the job is the breaking news that you cover. And unfortunately, you know, not not all breaking news is good news. But as a reporter, you know, that's that's, that's what you go to school for, you know, you go to school for opportunities to be able to tell the public, you know, do your service tell the public what is going on and, and while it is something that you know, a lot of it is stuff you never want to see happen. You want to do to the best your ability, and it is a thrill to be in a situation now it can be a moment, don't get me wrong, it is emotionally draining. It is physically draining, mentally draining, it is draining in every sense of that word, but but your passion, your passion is what drives drives you and I tell everybody you know what my passion and my core is journalist I'm a I'm a I'm a journalist, at my core, even though I work in public relations, and Media Relations and Communications now and I love it. At my core, I'm a journalist and I am telling story. So in Wichita Falls, you know, I was able to, to cover so many stories that impacted my life in so many different ways and stories they'll carry with me forever. And I met people that I will remember and carry with me forever. You know, you talk with so many people every single day. When you when you're doing so many different stories and you hear so many stories from so many different people. It is just a very rewarding job and it can be very exhausting job. So it was it was something that again, I covered everything from you know, amazing story. I covered one guy who had like, multiple heart surgeries, didn't know if he was going to live and then he ended up a few months later being able to come out and ride in the Hunterdon hell bike race, which is a really really popular bike race Wichita County. I got to interview him. That was a great story. I got to do stories like that I got to ride To be 25 Bomber for one particular story, which was something that was actually really near and dear to my heart because my grandma was actually a Rosie the Riveter. So that was really, really cool opportunity for me. But on the flip side of that, you know, I covered a handful of stories and breaking news that didn't end well, that things that you won't forget. And, you know, those are the things that stick with you. But you know, I know, as a reporter, something that I was passionate about was telling these people, some of these people that may have been gone too soon telling their story, and telling their story in a way that that really highlighted them and showed them in the best light possible, so people could really get to know who they were in some of the tragic events that happen. And so that was something I took very seriously. And those are some of the things that I'll definitely remember. So, again, I could go on for days, about everything I got in that, in that in that role. But ultimately, what it just came down to was, it was a position where sustainability, you know, I just didn't think it was something that I could sustain long term going through that, again, that that mental, emotional, psychological, physical strain, needed some better work, some better work life balance, that was something that was really important. And then look, you know, I'm honest with people about it, you know, TV reporters, it's not the biggest salary in the world. It's not a and, you know, you also got to worry about you being able to support yourself financially. So you know, that's another piece of it, too. And again, not that you don't make a livable wage. But that, you know, I know a ton of people who have made the jump to communications PR for that reason, as well. So, but don't get it all.   Michael Hingson ** 11:47 As a speaker. I know that when I go somewhere to speak, from the time the airplane lands until I take off, I have to be on. Oh, yeah. And so I appreciate what you're saying about the whole emotional aspect of it, then sometimes you go on well, I went, I've gone to places where it was very interesting. And certainly the the tenor and tone of people and some of their views. Were not the views that I had. But I can't ever let that get in the way. And I'm there to do something. And I'm there to inspire. And I learn as much as I can about how to inspire every audience when I go. So it is different for different kinds of audiences. And for you, it must have been a challenge. I mean, going from beta O'Rourke to Greg Abbott, talk about two different ends of the spectrum. And that kind of thing has to be a real challenge for you, as a reporter, and if you are working to represent the story and talk to the people, then you have to do it without getting emotionally involved in and letting your biases and show on show and that has to be emotionally draining   Alex Achten ** 13:01 it 100% It absolutely is emotionally draining. I don't think people understand, understand how many aspects of that job, are emotionally draining. And, you know, not just that, but there's, you know, there's a lot of people out there that, that don't love what you do, and that, that you have to deal with when you're on the public as well. And unfortunately, I have stories about things that have happened to me, just trying to do stories and cover stories. And unfortunately, too many reporters do have stories like that. And it just kind of comes with the territory. But you're right, getting back to what you were saying, working that political beat in particular. When you're covering, you know, politicians from these, you know, complete opposite sides of the spectrum. You do, you have to let your biases, you have to leave your rises at the door, and you have to come in and you have to do your job, which is strictly to report, report what this person is saying, and then report what the other person is saying. And then you let the viewer come to the conclusion of whatever conclusion they're going to come to but your job is to report the facts. Your job is not to apply any, you know, any sort of speculation or any sort of any sort of leanings one way or the other. There's just something that you can't do. And I think I always told people that I thought the ultimate compliment was not when a when a when a politician told me that I did a good story. It was when they told me that I did a fair story, that that was what I really took as the ultimate cost. Because if I did a fair story, it meant they respected what I did, but you know, understood that, you know, I was tough, you know, and but I was but I wasn't disrespectful. You know, I did, I did my job. And so that was really kind of what I strive for in that in that position. So that was one piece that was really important. And then as you mentioned when you're getting a lot of these other stories that are emotional like Again, you know, I, you know, one story, did a touched on a girl who unfortunately was murdered walking home from school and her friend was with her and shot as well. And that was a story that really captivated kind of the way it happened really captivated the entire community. And it was really hard to leave your emotions out, you know, at the door on this particular piece, he was only 14 years old. It was a really sad backstory to it. And I was reported it was live on the scene, I was the reporter that was at her memorial, and I was the reporter that was speaking with her family, and that was just super emotionally draining. And there's multiple times stories like this, where you're trying to talk about someone's life. And you're also trying to report about the breaking news that might be happening, and maybe also about that trial, you know, I was part of the trial coverage do? How do you leave your emotions out of that when there's so much heavy emotion in it. But you have to find a way to leave it at the door. And that is really difficult to do, and it takes a toll on you. But you have to do it to be able to do the job to the best of your ability   Michael Hingson ** 16:07 I listened to from a standpoint of collecting old radio shows some interesting news reports through the years, I think the probably one of the most dramatic ones is when the Hindenburg exploded, and there was one reporter on the scene everybody else had left because it was late coming in. And he was there reported the whole thing herb Morrison did and did an incredible job. Although his emotions came through some there was no way not to. But yeah, but the point is that he was able to report the whole thing. And even through the emotion, he reported everything. I've heard reports, because I was alive then about JFK getting shot. And I heard the Columbia challenger or the Columbia space shuttle thing. And, you know, other things. What amazes me today is how many people when we see some reporters reporting on stories, and clearly being very bias and not just reporting, which we see a lot, and to all too many people won't hold them accountable and say that's not your job, your job is to report the news. And it's really scary. And so unfortunate that we see all too often today where people don't leave their biases at the door. And they portray things as facts that aren't. And that's too that's too bad too, because that gives the whole industry a very bad name.   Alex Achten ** 17:43 Exactly. You nailed it right there. At the end, it gives the industry a bad name. And it really damages the credibility of good reporters and a majority. And we say this best so many different fields of work, but you know, there's always a few bad apples that seemed it can ruin it for everybody. And in the news, everybody sees what to do. So if those few bad apples are going to be directly seen what what they're doing, and I used to tell some of the new reporters that came in, that I would train, you know, don't you know, don't take, you can't take some of this, you know, stuff that you're going to hear some stuff you're going to encounter, you can't take it too hard. You can't take it too personal. Yeah. And you can't you have to let it go if you have a bad day, because the reality of the fact, you know, the reality is, when you have a bad day, unfortunately, everybody's gonna see it, because you're on TV every day. And, you know, people aren't gonna see my bad days. Now, you know, when I'm when I'm working at the CRC, but they did when I was on TV, and there was no way to get around that and it's in the public eye. But you have to find a way to let that go. Getting to these kind of these bad apples that really kind of paint media in a bad light. It's the same thing, you know, they're being seen. And then, you know, people think, well, that's what all journalists and all media are like, and I think that's what's most disappointing to me is that there are so many good journalists out there, and they get overshadowed by some bad apples that ruin it. And I'm very clear with people that, you know, those that are inserting their opinions into things. That's not news. I mean, that that is entertainment programs and entertainment. Right? That is entertainment, that is not news. Entertainment, but no, I agree. And I've had people come up to me and say, you know, well, you know, I don't watch the news because of this person. And I think that's not like I don't even consider that a news program, whatever. They whatever. They came to me, and I'll tell them, you know, some of some of the some of the places that I think do have good news, but again, I you know, I got to know a ton of reporters when I worked in the industry. I know a ton now for my current role and working in media relations. And again, there's just so many good reporters out there. Air. And you know, I will say that the line, it's thinner now than it's been in a long time with within certain opinion in the news. And that is kind of a, you know, scary thing a little bit. But, you know, when you, you know, they teach you these things in school, how to handle these situations, and there's a lot of really good reporters who do good work. And it's hard work work that requires tons of research and education, and being able to be impartial and ask good questions. And not even just that, you have to, after you ask the question, do you have to tell the story and you have to be a good storyteller. There's so many pieces of that. And there's so many good reporters that doing that, and getting messages out that needed need to get out there. But unfortunately, not enough people. Read the news, watch the news, hear the news, because they just associate some of those bad apples in the opinion with it. So it's disappointing to hear kind of that misconception. And again, I, as a former reporter, I will obviously stand up for many reporters, and believing that it is it is still a good industry. But I will admit at the same time that there are some some some bad apples out there. But I definitely encourage people to if you hear opinion, you see opinion, there is a differentiator between what I would consider news and entertainment program. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 21:22 yeah. Well, for me, I was so impressed, watching a lot of the news once I got home on September 11, having gotten on at the tower and all that, but people like Aaron Brown on CNN, who all day stayed and covered it. Of course, they were across the river. I think he was in New Jersey, I believe, but he, he did the reporting for hours and hours. And I finally got to meet him. And just anyone who could do that, and Peter Jennings did the same thing on ABC, and just being able to do that. And I think with Peter Jennings Finally, there was some emotion, but but still ropey, how can there not be on the next Monday? Dan, rather, was interviewed on Letterman, and and he broke up on the Letterman Show. And yeah, how could you not and why shouldn't you? Yeah, because you're doing Yeah, they're human, they should you be able to react?   Alex Achten ** 22:26 Exactly. I, you know, I, I, I haven't met a reporter that hasn't had a broker who has not had a breakdown, I'll be honest and honest, I, every single reporter that I've worked with had a breakdown at one point or another, I've had breakdowns before as a reporter. It's going to happen, it comes with the territory. And when you're covering something like, like, September 11, I can't even imagine how difficult that had to be. And again, you're only human, you only can take so much. And, and that that is just a incredibly tough job to do. But I'm glad that you mentioned that is because that's that's a great example, and a perfect example. But you know, I think that you mentioned in there human. I mean, I think that that is kind of when I would remind people of you know, these reports are human. And, you know, they they're out here trying to do the best job that they can. Yeah, sure, there are again, there are some bad apples out there. And they're gonna, you know, you know, you need to be able to decipher news from non news. That's deaf, right thing. But But I again, I think that there's just a lot of lack of respect for for some media out there. And I don't think people understand how hard they work and what they go through. And so, you know, hopefully, that's something that, you know, I've been an advocate, again, that a lot for a long time, I'll continue to advocate for that. Because it's like I said, I'm a journalist at my core. Those are my people always advocate for them. But, but just again, you know, you're human, you will and go through so much. And I can't even imagine what it was like this 911 coverage, but I will say I have watched, I have gone back again, news junkie, I've just pronounced surprised anybody. I've gone back and watched to the coverage, one of the coverage from September 11. And it was, it was some very, very good coverage that day.   Michael Hingson ** 24:14 There was some some really good coverage that day. And it was very amazing that people held it together as much as they did. And it's a testimony to them and to their character that they did and they didn't go off and try to go off on deal with diatribes and lecturing people and so on but reported the business which is what they should have done.   Alex Achten ** 24:34 Exactly. And I'll say just one thing with that, too, that's so hard because you don't know they didn't know initially what was going on? No, and you have to have essentially wall to wall coverage of what's going on and you have to fill that time was something so you have to fill it and it's hard not to go to those places on well, they could have been this or it could have been that right it's that is that is so hard when you don't have a script, there's there's not a playbook for that. There's not there's not a playbook for that. That is so hard. You're going wall to wall all day long covering this event where you're learning what's going on. But you don't fully know, I mean that there's no job more difficult.   Michael Hingson ** 25:13 And one of the things that I realized pretty early on, and I'm not sure it was said, as much as it should have been, is that this was not an attack by Islam, this was attacked by a fringe group that wanted to have their way. But that's not the representation of the Muslim church. Yeah. And and I think that not nearly enough people understood that. And again, it's all too often that we, as the public haven't learned to step back and truly analyze, we listen, and we hear somebody, Oh, I agree with that. And then we just go on, and we don't analyze for ourselves. And we really need to do that. I'm not a great fan of Fox, but I watch Fox to hear what they say, as long as I can, can take it, and then I will go back and listen to other news, but I do like to watch a variety of different kinds of newscasts. And I could also go off and say things like, watching the BBC, or news from Europe and so on is really fascinating, because the way they report a lot of stuff is totally different, compelling way we do it here. And there's a lot of value in what they do.   Alex Achten ** 26:29 Oh, yeah, absolutely. Did you write I would encourage someone go go watch a BBC broadcast and see what the way that it did. It is much different than the way than the way and that's not a bad thing. No, no, not a bad thing at all. And, but But I will say, you know, you're right. I think that it is important for people to again, be able to watch different different news outlets and be able to get news from different places. And because, you know, again, I just think it's good to be hearing what everybody's saying and thinking and then I think if you can come to more of an educated opinion, on whatever it is that that that's going on. But if you're only watching the news that plays into the narrative that you want to believe I mean, how much are you really, you know, learning or to the flip side of that, if you're only watching news that goes against what you believe in, they're there to just, you know, mock what they're saying, again, I'll say the same thing. What are you what are you really gaining from that? I my default is always tell people that I go back to you know, I like to watch. You know, I like to watch a galley i I'm, I worked at CBS affiliate, I think CBS news is, is pretty good. I work with the investigate TV team, for television a lot. I actually used to be in a great, great TV employee. But I think investigate TV has an has an incredible team of people there. And I think that NBC is not not MSNBC, just NBC MVCs investigative team is tremendous. I think that there's some tremendous reporters on their investigative team. So again, I think it's about you know, figuring out being able to sift out you know, who's, you know, who's going to really tell this, you know, who tells stories from an impartial standpoint,   Michael Hingson ** 28:28 given my age. I'm a relative late comer to 60 minutes. I love watching 60 minutes, but I had a radio program on our college radio station K UCI at 9.9 on your dial on every Sunday night, I played old radio shows for three hours. And I learned along the way when somebody called from the Orange County Jail in California, that half the people in the jail wanted to listen to our show on Sunday nights and roughly half of the people wanted to listen and watch 60 minutes. And ultimately we beat out Wallace so I'm really glad that we'd be Wow, look at that. And you know, of course what I say to everybody is that Wallace was really just kind of a guy with criminal tendencies if you listen to him when he did old radio shows. What did he announce the Green Hornet What's that all about? Crime and Sky King you know, what's that all about crime? So we know what we don't what kind of mic well, it says I never got to meet him and say that a person who would have been great to do   Alex Achten ** 29:29 Mike Well, that is true. But it was it   Michael Hingson ** 29:33 was really funny that we we we beat out 60 minutes and so they wanted more entertainment the news that's okay.   Alex Achten ** 29:40 Hey, you know what? There's so many there's so many things that are coming into my mind right now but it's it's what was it I you know, if it bleeds it leads like that was one that I remember being like a really popular saying yeah, and then there I there was another one that rhymed at sales, and I'm pretty sure I'm forgetting what it was but but You're right. I mean, you know a lot of these news producers, I mean, they're stalking their shows know what what people are gonna be most interested in here and are seeing at the beginning of a show.   Michael Hingson ** 30:09 My favorite, my favorite 60 minutes is still the one where Morley Safer interviewed Miss Piggy. And she had him on the ropes. It was so funny. I'd love to get a copy of that. She kept calling him Morty and all sorts of stuff that is still my favorite 60 minutes episode.   Alex Achten ** 30:29 Well, I'll say this. I do like some good news mixed in with that. Yeah. I hear people talk about you know, I hate how much bad news is the beginning. And I get it why people say that. I also understand why is it the beginning of shows and why it's so prevalent, but I think it is important to sprinkle some things in. And yeah, I watched CBS Sunday Morning, every morning because I love their feature stories. And I at the station that I worked at, we had a good news segment at the end of every show. So I'm sure it's something that we that we'd like to mix in, I think it's important to be able to get that in. So again, you know, you have to hear the people and there's a lot of people want some more good   Michael Hingson ** 31:05 news. Yeah. And sometimes I don't think we get as much of it as we could, and probably should. There's so much bad stuff. And that's what seems to get a lot of the headlines, I understand it. But and the other part of it is there always seems to be something that is dramatic enough that we do have to get those headlines. So you know, that's the other part about it. We there's there's hardly a slow news day anymore. No, no. Which is, which is too bad. Well, you know, but we cope. So how did you then I understand why you decided that you wanted to leave actually doing real reporting? How did you end up at the identity theft Resource Center?   Alex Achten ** 31:47 Yeah, well, you know, getting back to, you know, you count what I said a little bit earlier in the podcast, you know, it was kind of a situation where, you know, okay, and do you want to sign on it, you know, sign a contract with your, you know, with your current employer and, you know, stay longer? Do you want to look to go to a new station and a bigger market? You know, what do you want to do, and I was kind of at the crossroads, they were, you know, it was time to make a decision one way or the other. And I've been mulling it over for a while, you know, again, I was like, This is not something that's not sustainable. It's really a stressful job. I love what I'm doing. But it's super stressful. And, you know, again, I wanted a little bit of more financial stability, my life, I wanted a little more work life balance, and I wanted to be ultimately be, you know, a little bit closer to family. That was something that would that I wanted as well. So I moved to San Diego, and said, You know what, I'm going to go after this communications thing and see what happens. So I came out to San Diego, I got involved in prsa, which is the Public Relations Society of America, the San Diego chapter in particular, and took part in a mentorship program actually, there. And that was an amazing experience, I was able to work with somebody who at the time was with VA II, out here in San Diego. And they helped me with with a ton, you know, with prep on the industry, interview PrEP. PrEP on the resume, refining the resume. And they really helped me with a lot of that. And I'll say this is a very common jump. And I don't know how many of you will know this very common jump for people and news to jump to communications and PR, I would say, I mean, I don't know if 50% of the people who work in PR are former news people but it, it feels like it well, I'm meeting with them all the time. And it feels like half the time they're like, Yeah, I used to be a reporter as well or used to work in the news as well. And I have a ton of friends that have made the jump since me even from news to PR. So it's a really, really common jump. There's a lot of parallels there. But I ended up you know, the mentorship program was great, it helped me learn a lot. And then I landed a position with the identity theft Resource Center is a communication specialist with a focus on PR. And after about a year, a little over a year, year and a half, I got a promotion to earn an own media specialist. So it was more really focused on media relations. In particular, which is more what I wanted to do. And then from there, I got a promotion to head of earned and owned media relations, which really kind of allowed me to kind of begin to run the show on that side of things. And then the way things ended up shaking out I got another promotion to Director of Communications and Media Relations. So now I'm running an overseeing the communications team for the identity theft Resource Center. And it is a position that that I Love, you know, I love the company, I love the people that I work with. And I love that, you know, I have an executive that we have an executive team there that is so supportive of me and supportive of the work that I do, and they give me the freedom to go out and, and do what I think needs to be done to put the ITRC in the best light publicly, to get us media coverage, to execute successful communications campaigns. And it is something that I really do enjoy, we got a great team. I'm in a managerial role now, which is something that that I said I would never do. I was like, I'll never I'm never I'm never gonna be be a manager, I'm never going to manage people. That's not something I'm going to do. Here I am 31. And now I'm a director, so, so much for that. But, but that's what I said, But you know, I really do enjoy it. I better work life balance. Closer my parents, I get to see them more often. And I've built a community of friends out here that that I really enjoy. And, again, you can't beat San Diego, but but I really I really do. I really do love it. And I think what is something that has really helped me is being a former reporter. Being able to speak with people who work in the media, I feel like it's so much easier for me to speak with them. And so yours didn't say easier. But it's so easy for me to speak with them. Because I feel like I know how to talk to them. How would I know? How to myself back when I was sitting at my news desk? What would I tell? What would I tell Alex like, that's what I think when I'm when I'm writing a press release, or I'm right, you know, I'm I'm personally pitching somebody, or if I'm about to send out a media alert, you know what, what I want to hear and then I think of it just about how people will have it I want people to communicate with me, so much of it is about building relationships. And I put a ton of stock and building relationships with with these people in the media, and it goes beyond just hey, I've got a story for you, or, Hey, I'll scratch your back here, if you scratch our back there, you know, it goes further than that. It's about you know, taking genuine interest in these people. Because again, you know, these amateurs, good journalists, I mean, they're good people, and being able to build those relationships with them. And getting to know them is something that I think is really important. And when I was a reporter, it was the same, you know, I kind of had the same approach, I wanted to get to know the PR people that I was working with, and I took a lot of stock and building those relationships. So I that's something that's really important to me, kind of with where I'm at right now with the with the communications team, at the ITRC is our executive team knows that media relations and public relations is really kind of my my bread and butter. So they let me really stay in the weeds and kind of do all of that. But, but I delegate for the most part, a good chunk of the the other stuff that we do marketing stuff, project management stuff, I'll delegate that to other to other people on the team. But, but I really do stay in the weeds with the media relations stuff, because I love it, I mean that I really am passionate about that. And I love to see the ITRC highlighted on these programs. And and now that I've worked in a space for four years, I didn't I am really passionate about helping these victims because I see the the way that these victims of identity crimes are impacted. And I always I you know, one of the things I wanted to do, and I moved into communications, I wanted to take take a role, where I felt like I would make a difference. You know, I didn't want to take a role to take a role, you know, I wanted to take a role or I could make a difference. And I feel like you know, being able to get media coverage of the ITRC and our services and our reports and our data and all this stuff in return helps get more, you know, help to these victims who need it again, whether or not that means it leads to more government assistance, government programs, whether it means that they find the ITRC and we're able to help them whatever it might be they know that's something that I'm that I'm definitely passionate about. So it has been it has been a great four years working with the communications team at the ICRC   Michael Hingson ** 39:23 well tell me a little bit more about what the ITRC is what it does and and all that kind of stuff. Yeah, the   Alex Achten ** 39:29 I didn't have resource center there. It's a national nonprofit. And it really is and I won't sit here and you know, read off I'm not gonna I won't go into Mr. PR and read off the mission statement and do all that. I'll say the thought of that. But I but I will say it's a national nonprofit that works in the in the identity crime space. The only national nonprofit that has free remediation services for for victims of victims can call us or live chat with us for free and we can help I help them with their identity crime case. Or we can help. Even if you're not a, you know, a victim of identity theft, you know, you can always message us if you have a question or you know, something that's preventative, you can message us about anything. And we are advisors will, will work with people on whatever the issue is toll free. And it's not like you just call one time or message one time, and then we're like, well, there's a fee, the second or third time No, it's, you know, you can, however, many times you need to reach out to us however long you need to talk to us, we'll do it, we'll do it. And that is something that we do. And we also work with, we also work a lot in the research side of things, we do a lot of research. When it comes to identity crimes, right now we're doing a lot of research in the identity crime landscape, in particular in the black communities, and how they're impacted by any crime. So that's something that we're working on right now. We track data breaches, and we report our findings and our trends and what they mean and, and we do things to try to see, you know, try to get additional support for victims. So you know, we'll work we'll work with the, with other organizations, and you know, the government, we have a lot of federal federal grants, and we'll we'll work to try to get more resources for victims add that as part of it as well. And then, you know, we obviously provide education, we'll provide education to businesses, and things of that nature. So there's a lot of different things that we do. But ultimately, you know, the goal is to, is to help reduce identity crime, and, and really to be able to educate people on what's going on in cybersecurity,   Michael Hingson ** 41:36 privacy. So somebody, so somebody calls and says, you know, my identity has been stolen, I've had 10,000 or $50,000, in lost credit card charges, and so on. How do you guys help? What is it that the senator does?   Alex Achten ** 41:51 Yeah, so the senator, what we do is we ultimately can help somebody create a resolution plan with, okay, you know, here's what you need to do next. In regards to steps, who, here's who you need to call, here's what you need to tell them. Here's what you need to get from them. And then here's the steps that you need to take to protect yourself. So we're not there actually doing all of these things for the victims, but we are there to help provide them a resolution plan. And to really guide them through this process that is so tricky, and so difficult, especially people are so vulnerable at those moments. And it's hard. I mean, look, I mean, I mean, a lot of us are the victims of identity crimes, and we know how it can play on your emotions. And you may not be thinking in your proper state of mind at that time, you know, well, we can we can help you in that moment. Walk you walk you through that process, and make sure that you're able to take the appropriate steps to keep yourself as as safe as possible. So that's really, really our role in that. And again, you know, we're there to always provide support.   Michael Hingson ** 42:58 One of the things that we did I have a niece who had she and her family had their identity stolen, gosh, it's gotta be close to 10 years now. And one of the things that we did was we signed up with LifeLock obviously gives some protection and so on. But that's a different kind of an entity that does sort of different things than what you do, right.   Alex Achten ** 43:24 Yeah, yeah, exactly. You're You're right that there, that's more identity theft, protection. Talking about that, and look, you know, I Norton, Norton LifeLock is one of our is one of our supporters. So we work with them on certain things, but But you're right, that that is that is more service based. And we, you know, we're really, we're really not service based, you know, we're just some things in the works that that will roll out at a later time, but, but we're really not.   Michael Hingson ** 43:54 You help people and you help give people perspective and you help give guidance in some way.   Alex Achten ** 43:59 Exactly. We're there to provide guidance for people that help help victims and, and be able to help businesses and and again, get and do the research and figure out what's going on what are the trends and that really could help guide us and what needs to be done next in the space to to help reduce the number of data breaches or identity crimes or whatever it may be. And so again, there's so many layers to what we do, but at the core, again, it comes back to the victims and being able to help those help those victims and provide them the best resources that we can.   Michael Hingson ** 44:38 And really, again, help them get back to having some perspective because you are in a very traumatized situation when you discover something like this has happened. And sample. Generally, it's like being a reporter. They don't know how to step back like most reporters can do and you're probably in theory, a little bit better position. Shouldn't if identity were to be stolen from you, because you can learn to step back, but I'll bet even then you are going to have to deal with it with the emotions. And so it's a challenge for you to.   Alex Achten ** 45:09 I'm glad you brought that up. Because recently that did happen to be where I was targeted, I won't get into the details of it, but I was targeted with with a particular scam, and even knowing exactly what scam there, I could I could have told you the name of the scam, I could have told you what exactly their tactics were, I could have told you everything. But when you hear it, it's still scary. And it still can, you know, make you paranoid, and you can freeze and you know, I froze for a brief, you know, brief minute in that situation. And again, that's with a background is being a reporter and working in this space and all these different things and knowing what scams are talking about and knowing that they're they're literally following a playbook knowing all this, it's still hard for me to pull myself back. So I can't even imagine someone who may not have that type of knowledge. And you know, it can there's so many identity criminals out there. And it's really, it can just be really difficult. And I think the emotional impacts is again, you know, people talk about identity crimes and financial losses. And yeah, you know, financial losses are really, really sad seeing some of them. But I think one of the things that people don't talk about enough as the the emotional impacts of those crying, we ever we do a report that's strictly on that, because it's such a such an important piece. But, um, but it's just, you know, that's something that I don't think people think about is just that, you know, yeah, physical physical abuse, you can see, right, you can you can see the marks from the emotional abuse, you can't, you can't see it. And so, you know, it's harder sometimes to to get people to take it seriously, they can't actually see the, you know, the physical marks of what you've gone through, you know, because it's something that's emotional.   Michael Hingson ** 47:05 One of the challenges that happened with my niece was, for a while even law enforcement was not convinced that she wasn't doing this to herself, or perpetrating and in some way, and she said, look, here's all the evidence, and it was still hard for people to accept that this really occurred, which is so unfortunate   Alex Achten ** 47:29 why and unfortunately, it's not surprising. Yeah, I've heard that story so many times, too. And the crazy thing is, I've had, again, working in media relations. I've had reporters who I'll work with who work, maybe a cybersecurity beat, or a consumer reporter beat reach out to me and say, Oh, my gosh, I'm a victim. Can I talk with one of your advisors like that? Or, you know, this horrible thing is happening to me, I need your help. That is absolutely, I've had a handful reach out like that. It is just so hard to to escape it. I really, really is. And I tell people I said I think this just made me a little more of a cynic now because I feel like I'm questioning everything. My mom will it's funny. I'll use this example. She so I'm still on my parents family plan for our phone because we're all on the family plan together. But my brother and I, we have to pay right? You know, so yeah, Your Honor family pay up you have to pay. So we Venmo my mom every month she'll sit she'll send us like the transaction saying this is how much you owe. And you know, we'll we'll pay through Venmo I am such a cynic. Now that I text my mom every time even though I know it's coming. And it says it says the amount it says it's from her it says what it's for, but I'll still text her and say did you just spend money for this this much money for the phone bill? Then yeah, she'll say yep. And I'll be I'll go, Okay, I'll pay it now. I mean, that is like, that is where my brain is, because of where I work, but, but they're just they're just, you know, there's so many, again, identity criminals out there and, and you have to you have to keep an eye on them. But the good news is, the good news is there are things you can do to protect yourself. And that's the great thing. And, you know, again, we're about education. So you know, we'll try to educate people the best we can, so they can be as safe as possible. So hopefully they don't fall victim.   Michael Hingson ** 49:17 Yeah, and it is it is so easy. I've seen some really good email scams that I almost fell for until I really looked carefully at where the mail came from and all the stuff in the header. I went Wait a minute and chose correctly I know not to do anything with it, but you've got to watch 24 hours a day. Because it is so scary that they're they're getting so clever about what they do much less all the robo calls on the scams that come from that   Alex Achten ** 49:53 100% and and you know, again, this gets back to BBA probably being a little bit of a cynic, but this is this is it definitely something that we put in all of our content. We always tell people, if you get a message or someone you're not expecting, don't respond to it, you know, reach out directly to the person they claimed to be, or the sword, you know, the company they claimed to be from and say, did you send this? And if they did, then you're going to respond? And if they didn't, you know, that it's a scam? And, and again, it's crazy that it's like, oh, I have to I really have to, like, go to the source every time I receive a message where Yep, for somebody I didn't, didn't expect. And I'm gonna say, Yeah, I mean, that that would be my that would be what I would encourage you to do.   Michael Hingson ** 50:32 I do it from people where I'm expecting a message. And this is this comes through. And I haven't had a problem that is I haven't, like you with Venmo haven't had one where it wasn't true. But I still check. Because I've seen some really good texts, too. I got a message about a month ago, from Walmart. And it said that there was a charge for $124 or $184, or something like that. And I forget what it wanted me to do to verify it or whatever. But Amelia, I'm going, Wait a minute. First of all, I didn't spend any money at Walmart. Yeah, of course, the scammer wouldn't know that. But you know, I wasn't even going to respond to the message because of that kind of thing. I didn't expect it. It couldn't have possibly been true. But unfortunately, things happen. I've done credit card charges somewhere, like buying gas. And a day or so later, suddenly, the bank calls and said, we've got these other charges that we don't know about how in the heck, they got the credit card. Info. I mean, this is a long time ago. So I don't think that they even had the ways of sticking the credit card tracker inside of the reader. But nevertheless, somehow people got charged information and used it. And you got to watch everything that goes on. You've got to monitor it all.   Alex Achten ** 52:01 Yeah, it's a scary world. It's a scary world. And unfortunately, people are going to continue to try to find ways to to get Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 52:08 yeah, it is. It is really too bad. Well, what are some things that you would advise people to do to protect themselves?   Alex Achten ** 52:19 I, you know, yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 52:21 Obviously, one is, is what we just talked about, what kinds of things would you advise people?   Alex Achten ** 52:27 Yeah, you know, I'll go back to our default messaging that we have at the ITRC, which really is gets back to kind of what we would call I know, we, you know, preventative tips, some of you could call it cyber hygiene. But really, it gets back down to not over sharing information. I think that's yeah, that's one we always talk about, you know, not over sharing personal information, using unique passwords on all your accounts. So essentially, using a different password on every account, in particular passphrase is that's actually something that's more effective passphrase is that we say, are usually at least 12 characters long. So some sort of saying that you'll remember. So that way, if somebody may get into one account, they won't get into all your accounts. So that's, that's one of the common ones we give. And then we always encourage people to use multi factor authentication with an app if possible, because text messages can get spoofed. But But user acquisition is an added layer of security that people have to go through to get into an account. So if you have that, that's just going to, you know, make it make your accounts that much safer. So those are some of the basics. And we always tell people freeze their credit, if you there's no reason for your, you know, if you don't have, you know, a loan out or anything like that, you know, we always tell people that or I shouldn't say tell we don't tell people anything, we encourage people to freeze your credit, if it's something that they may not need at that time, because, again, you know, a criminal can't access credit that's frozen. So that what does that mean, exactly? Here? You know, I have to be 100% honest, it's hard for me to get into the specifics, because I tell people all the time, I'm not going to act like I'm an expert in identity theft.   Michael Hingson ** 54:10 But if you talk about freezing freezing credit, what does that mean?   Alex Achten ** 54:14 Yeah, so freezing credit, essentially, that means that you can't have your credit taken by somebody else. I mean, that that you can do there's you can get your credit frozen by the credit reporting agencies. And essentially, they can't, uh, you know, they can't happen to that they can't get that credit and use it against you and commit identity crimes. That is because that's again, you can there's credit monitoring, right that we were you can monitor your credit, but it's just, you know, it's something that we always tell people it's not necessarily as effective because you can monitor it but once something happens to us, something happened to it. If your credit if your credit is frozen, you know, nothing. Again, nothing can happen to it because it is frozen, and then you can unfreeze it. We especially tell people who have who have children to freeze their credit, reduces child identity theft, because a child's not going to be using their credit, no, that's not you, they don't, they're not going to have their child's not going to go get an apartment tomorrow, you know, go buy a car and get a loan. That's not something that's going to happen. So that's something that we encourage, too. But, but yeah, so that's just a good universal tip. But again, you just take those tips, typically, it it does indeed, help bring someone   Michael Hingson ** 55:25 at risk. If someone freezes their credit, does that mean then that nothing can be charged, or you have to verify it before a charge can be made?   Alex Achten ** 55:33 Well, essentially, freezing the credit. So do that you can't do again, like if you've got a loan out or something like that, that's not something that you can that you can do, I that more really applies to and again, I won't get too too much in the weeds, you don't want to act like I'm the expert on it. But, um, but that is something that it can't be you, right? You can't like if your credit is frozen, you can't necessarily use that if you need to use it for something you will have to go thaw that credit or unfreeze it. And then you can use that credit again, if you want again, you go in, I'm ready to go buy a car, you know, how to get a loan? Well, you can unfreeze that credit, and then you can use it for for that purpose.   Michael Hingson ** 56:13 Freeze credit again, so that nothing else can be done.   Alex Achten ** 56:16 Exactly that you can think of when you're when you're not using it again. So that is it. And I think there's a misconception people think if I freeze it, I can't unfreeze it when you can't, I   Michael Hingson ** 56:23 am That was why I was asking. Well, you minored in Leadership Studies and you just got a certificate. Tell us about that?   Alex Achten ** 56:32 Yes, I did. So I am a Leadership Studies minor. And you know, my passion for leadership studies, actually, I think came in high school, where I was involved in the Student Leadership Institute at Kansas Christian, where I, where I graduated high school. And I actually got a scholarship to leadership, the School of Leadership Studies at Kent State. And so, you know, I was I can't, you know, this is this is interesting. And let me let me, you know, obviously, what this is about, and I got into it, and, you know, I was captivated. I was captivated immediately, in my introduction class. And, and we learned about so many different things. So many different leadership styles, you know, culture and context, adaptive leadership, a bunch of different types of leadership practices that can be implemented. And by the way, people, people think about leadership, and they think, oh, you know, that just means you're a good leader here. You're a good leader there. But there are so many, I mean, there's so much, there's so much leaders that people don't understand. But it really hooked me and, and I learned a ton about being a good leader, being an effective leader. And our, our mission statement, which is something that I really believed was becoming, I'm gonna blank on it now that I'm on the spot, but it was becoming more it was becoming. I see I rattle off time all i rattle it off all the time. And now I'm on here, and I'm freezing when I'm trying to think of it, but the crux of it is to become knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive leaders for a diverse and changing world. knowledgeable and knowledgeable, ethical, knowledgeable, ethical, caring, inclusive. I'm missing one, I'm missing one or two. But everywhere people get the point of that. So the cool, knowledgeable, ethical, caring, caring giver, yes. And in inclusive. Yeah, exactly. Because you haven't. And I think it is something that is really, really true. Because, you know, the world is constantly changing. And to be a good leader, you have to be able to evolve and adapt with what is changing in the world. And so it's something that has been really helpful to me, I've been able to apply it to my jobs, I was able to, again, apply a lot of that a lot of those things as a reporter. And then in the role now I'm able to apply it as a manager as a director as a leader. And you mentioned that I just got done. Taking a about a four month course, that on coaching, coaching as a leadership tool, and it was through the fieldstone fields Student Leadership Network, in San Diego, through the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance. And it was really, really a beneficial course and it really kind of reinforced kind of reinforced a lot of the things that I really tried to implement, which is the first thing you have to do as a leader is you have to look at yourself and who like who are you what are your values, what do you stand for, and we talk about being like the self aware leader, you know, you have to be a self aware of the type of leader that you are. Once you're aware of that then you can dive into you know, the other aspects of being able to be a good coach. And, you know, we talk about one thing we talked about a lot was was, was these different models that you can use, and one is the is the GROW Model, which can apply to many different leadership, leadership situations where you're able to kind of objectively look at these situations and say, you know, what's the goal, you know, what are some realistic opportunities here. And, you know, what's next, and when, and, and it's really, really an impactful model, that that you can apply. So I, that was a very, very helpful course and being able to look at that, you know, being able to be a good leader includes so many things, and you have to be authentic, you have to be empathetic, you have t

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun are joined by regular guests Michael Babcock and Damashe Thomas from the UnMute Presents and Technically Working podcasts. The guys are heading to conventions taking place in America from the 1st of July onwards, in particular the National Federation of the Blind Convention in Texas and the American Council of the Blind Convention in Chicago. Both Michael and Damaashe will be appearing at the events separately as part of their daily jobs with the AT Guys and will be selling a range of products at their booths. But, because they are wonderful people, they will also be out with their microphones talking to vendors and the public who have come along and will be reporting back for Double Tap all next week. Some of the products mentioned on the show as sold by AT Guys are: Accessible Portable Charger & Power Bank, 20,000mAh Battery with Vibration & Sound, New Model: https://www.atguys.com/store/index.php?main-page=productinfo&cPath=46&productsid=379 Accessible Portable Charger & Power Bank, 10,000mAh Battery with Vibration & Sound, New Model: https://www.atguys.com/store/index.php?main-page=productinfo&cPath=46&productsid=378 Plugable USB-C 7-in-1 Hub with 3 USB 3.0, HDMI, 87W Charging: https://www.at-guys.com/store/index.php?mainpage=productinfo&cPath=46&productsid=331 Plugable 2-outlet Travel Power Station with USB Smart Charging: https://www.at-guys.com/store/index.php?mainpage=productinfo&cPath=46&productsid=330 Tribit StormBox Blast Portable Speaker: 90W Loud Stereo Sound with XBass, IPX7 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker With AUX: https://www.atguys.com/store/index.php?main-page=productinfo&cPath=16&productsid=388 Tribit Stormbox Pro 40-Watt Bluetooth Speaker; 360-degree Sound: https://www.at-guys.com/store/index.php?mainpage=productinfo&cPath=16&productsid=337 The guys also stay with Steven and Shaun and answer some of your questions too as a special treat. Keep the feedback coming! Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation: Email: feedback@doubletaponair.com Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK) Twitter: @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed / @DoubleTapOnAir Mastodon: @DoubleTap YouTube: DoubleTapOnAir

20221028-3 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-3 Accessible Voting WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Accessible Voting This was an update on proposed legislation to allow electronic signatures on ballots in Washington State. Here's what you need to know about this legislative effort and what you can do to help get this legislation passed in the next session. o Presenter: Jacob Lodge, King County elections How to find your state legislator o Presenter: Judy Brown https://app.leg.wa.gov/districtfinder/ Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-1 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221029-1 We Are ACB WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Announcements We Are ACB Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement, American Council of the Blind Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-2 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221029-2 Fundraising WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Maximize Your Fundraising o Presenter: Lisa George Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-3 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221029-3 Journey to the Job WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! The Journey to the Job: Three people who are blind shared their journey to employment. Facilitator: Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement, ACB Panelists: o Tony Gebhard Assistive Technology Instructor and Youth Transition Coordinator Alaska Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired Anchorage, AK o Andi Thom Teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired California School for the Blind, Fremont, CA o John Gassman Sales Reservation Agent Walt Disney Travel Company Anaheim, CA Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-4 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-6 State of the State WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! State of the State Participants learned what's happening with our three state agencies serving the blind. Panelists: o Danielle Miller Director and Regional Librarian Washington Talking Book and Braille Library (WTBBL) o Lisa Wheeler, MA Assistant Director of Vocational Rehabilitation and Workforce Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) o Scott McCallum Superintendent Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-5 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221029-5 Annual Business Meeting WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Annual Business Meeting The annual business meeting of Washington Council of the Blind included agenda items such as: o In Memoriam o Elections of Officers (2nd Vice President and Secretary) and Board Directors (3 two-year term positions) o Proposed 2023 Operating Budget o Proposed Amendments to the WCB Constitution and Bylaws o Resolutions o Old business o New business o Adjourn Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221029-6 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221029-6 Banquet WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Banquet Mistress of Ceremonies Malissa Hudson Invocation - Julie Brannon, WCB President Presentation of WCB Scholarships - Kim Moberg, Chair Presentation of WCB Awards- Jessamyn Landby, Chair Recognition of WCB Life Members - Julie Brannon, WCB President Banquet address - Cindy Hollis, ACB Manager of Membership Engagement Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-7 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-7 Democracy Live WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Democracy Live - Accessible Voting Advocacy and Government Affairs Committees joint presentation Democracy Live demonstrated what an online ballot is and how it works. There was an opportunity for hands-on interaction with the software. Accessible Voting Machine Demonstration - King County Elections o Presenter: Charlie Kinnune, Director of Education Democracy Live Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-8 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-8 Published Authors WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Published Authors Participants met a panel of accomplished published authors and were inspired and enlightened as they talked about their journey. Facilitator: Mark Adreon Panelists: o Dr. Wendy David Sherri Gomes o Abbi Johnson Taylor o Heather Meares Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-1 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-1WCB General Session WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! WCB General Session - Presiding Officer: Julie Brannon, WCB President Opening Ceremonies Presentation of the Colors - o Darryl Roberts, President, United Blind of Seattle o Bob Cavanaugh, President, Clark County Council of the Blind Invocation: Malissa Hudson Welcome to SeaTac - Host Chapter Presidents President's Report - Julie Brannon, President, Washington Council of the Blind Report of the Nominating Committee - Nathan Brannon, Committee Chair Report of the Constitution and Bylaws - Committee Frank Cuta, Committee Chair Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-2 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-2 Breaking Through the Storm WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Breaking Through the Storm - Presenter: George Abbott, President and CEO, Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. George is the President and CEO of Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc., headquartered in Seattle, Washington. He earned a BS in finance and an MS in blind adult rehabilitation from Northern Illinois University. He grew up in the Chicago area. Prior to joining the Lighthouse, he worked in a variety of management positions at the American Foundation for the Blind and Hadley. He started his career teaching access technology at the Idaho Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and the Hines Veterans Affairs Central Blind Rehabilitation Center. Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-4 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-4 Current Look at Accessible GPS and Way finding Resources. WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Current Look at Accessible GPS and Way finding Resources. This presentation featured a discussion covering what we believe to be some of the best resources for the blind traveler. Facilitator- Frank Cuta Panelists: o Frank Cuta, Retired Engineer o Deb Cook, ACB 1st Vice President o Jeff Bishop, Product Manager, Microsoft o Jessica Hipp, Chief Operating Officer, Wayaround Senior Vision Loss Participants learned about how the Independent Living (IL) Program can help adults feel more independent and confident in their homes and communities! This presentation about the Department of Services for the Blind IL Program, for adults who aren't working or who aren't interested in going back to work, introduced what the program offers, how services are delivered around the state, and who the IL program's clients are. Facilitator: Beth Greenberg Presenter: Kim Canaan, Independent Living Program Manager, Blind Services Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-5 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-5 Awards Luncheon WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! WCB Awards Luncheon It was time for special awards to be presented. Participants met some of this year's first-time attendees, and learned firsthand about Ron Jasmer, the new DSB Orientation and Training Center Manager. o Hosted by Cathy Wilson Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20221028-6 WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND Convention 20221028-6 Vision Loss WASHINGTON COUNCIL OF THE BLIND 2022 Convention WCB, BREAKING THROUGH THE STORM! Dealing with Vision Loss Perhaps you, yourself, or someone in your realm of influence is currently, or will soon be, dealing with all aspects of vision loss. It can be daunting, but invigorating at the same time as new daily living methods are learned and new acquaintances who are blind and visually impaired become a part of one's world. Participants came on a journey with three adults who are currently dealing with vision loss, as they shared all aspects of this unique experience. Facilitator: Julie Brannon Panelists: o Heidi Coggins o Tim Downie o John Halliday Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

The recent war between Russia and Ukraine has stoked fears that the situation could escalate into an all-out nuclear war. This has many wondering, what would a large-scale modern nuclear war look like? We know about radiation. But how would a conflict affect the weather, agriculture, and even the climate in the long-term? Cheryl Harrison, Assistant Professor with the Department of Oceanography & Coastal Sciences at LSU, was asking herself the same question. She and other researchers ran multiple computer simulations on the environmental impacts of potential nuclear war. She joins us today with their conclusions.  And, last week, the National Federation of the Blind met in New Orleans for its 2022 convention. Not only is the annual meeting the largest gathering of blind people in the world, but it also serves as a space for training, support, and decision-making for the blind community.  Last Friday, we learned of a documentary screening about a team of blind cyclists tackling the world's toughest bike race. Today, we dive deeper into the mission behind the National Federation of the Blind Convention, as Louisiana Considered's Alana Schreiber speaks with Pam Allen, President of NFB-Louisiana and Executive Director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind. Today's episode of Louisiana Considered was hosted by Adam Vos. Our managing producer is Alana Schreiber and our digital editor is Katelyn Umholtz. Our engineers are Garrett Pittman, Aubry Procell, and Thomas Walsh.  You can listen to Louisiana Considered Monday through Friday at 12:00 and 7:30 pm. It's available on Spotify, Google Play, and wherever you get your podcasts.  Louisiana Considered wants to hear from you! Please fill out our pitch line to let us know what kinds of story ideas you have for our show. And while you're at it, fill out our listener survey! We want to keep bringing you the kinds of conversations you'd like to listen to. Louisiana Considered is made possible with support from our listeners. Thank you! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's graduation season and our guest this week is a recent Masters of Counselling Psychology graduate at University of Victoria in British Columbia on Vancouver Island. We met Kyla Berry when she attended the 2022 National All-Virtual Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention in May and invited her on Outlook. On the show this week, we talk to Berry about how she became interested in counselling, coming from a biology background at home. We hear more about what two out of three on this episode have, an artificial eye. Guess which two. We learn about Kyla's years of study, about the options and accessibility at a smaller program and campus, and what she wants to do with her degree going forward. So much to learn from her and plenty more left to get into on future episode appearances with us. Kyla Berry brings us along on the upds and downs, but we didn't even get time to go too far into her other medical conditions, but as school is out for summer in most places, it's important to remember that many students manage to get through their education while living through/with multiple medical emergencies and chronic conditions, no matter how long it takes.

20220521 2022 Arizona Council of the Blind Convention 20220521 Morning Session Day 2 Smart Home appliances o Tim Scwartz Sponsor, Member Testimonial Ed Henkler: Employment Access for Veterans and the Blind and Visually Impaired and Introduction to Smart Cane Technology Sponsor, Member Testimonial Ability360 – Advocating in Arizona (Legislative 101) Sponsor, Member Testimonial Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

20220520 2022 Arizona Council of the Blind Convention 20220520 Afternoon Session Day 1 Opening / President's Welcome Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs Sponsor, Member Testimonial ACB Legislative Initiatives o Eric Bridges o Clark Rachfal Sponsor, Member Testimonial Frank Vance: Helping Others Help Us Sponsor, Member Testimonial Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

Friday, April 23 9:00 - 10:00 am: Advocacy Workshop #1 Your Voice Counts! Self-Advocacy Basics 10:00 - 11:00 am: Advocacy Workshop #2 Make a Difference! Systems Change Advocacy Basics Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

11:00 -12:30 pm: Virtual Exhibit Hall Part 1 Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

Thursday, April 22 First Session ·         Welcome ·         Pledge of Allegiance ·         National Anthem ·         Roll Call of Chapters and Affiliates ·         Adoption of CCB Convention Rules ·         CCB History: Remembering Our Past, to Build Our Future ·         Credentials Committee Report ·         Nominating Committee Report ·         First reading of Bylaw Amendments Find out more at https://acb-events.pinecast.co

We've been back, doing Outlook in studio for the fourth quarter of the year, with our final official live episode rounding out these twelve months, second year with COVID-19 in our lives. This one was a musical themed episode to finish off 2021 in style and in creative expression, after recently Brian having Kerry on his music show Chin Music, from music to advocacy with songs from Ski Patrol and recent guest Heather Hutchison. We review some of what Outlook got up to in 2021, (year of the vaccine rollout) including the first attempt at live music to begin the year, last January, with Sky Mundell playing his soothing piano sounds to help us celebrate 100 episodes of this show which we officially marked back in March with our 100 Episode Spectacular and marking the podcast that preceded this one, Ketchup On Pancakes which turned five back during the summer. We had family time with our older siblings, on Family Day, going on to celebrate all April long with other blind sibling pairs like us, the month of National Siblings Day. And we were the hosts of the first all virtual national Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention, an event months in the prepping and then we gathered all the highlights into a two part convention special. This year was the year of There Plant Eyes on Outlook, a book released on June 1 and led to Kerry doing an interview with the author, M. Leona Godin, which was published in print on The Rumpus literary journal back from August. (Find multiple episodes of Outlook involving There Plant Eyes discussions.) This year we spoke about deaf-blindness, about Indigenous disability issues with the CEO of the British Columbia Aboriginal Network On Disability Society (BCANDS), and we spoke with friends, both new and old, to share their outlooks too. What a year, from book reviews to the special accessible Christmas card Kerry received from her yoga teacher to cap it all off. Outlook in 2021 meant exploring tough topics, strongly needing attention, such as the CNIB's 100 year monopoly here in Canada, sexual and emotional abuse and misconduct in blindness orgs and at related events and training centres, and mental health and suicide. (More hard but necessary subject explorations to come next year.) With 45 new episodes this year and 39 guest interviews, we finish 2021 on episode 140 as we produce our wrap up show before a much needed break and we're tying up loose ends, with a great big Christmas beau. Outlook wishing for loads of peace and joy for our listeners, over the holidays and into the new year. See you again, for all new shows, in 2022. Music played in this episode includes “Reason To Stay” by Heather Hutchison who you can listen to and support here: https://heatherhutchison.bandcamp.com “Lighting Up A Dark Season” by Ski Patrol available here: http://soundcloud.com/skipatrolmusic/ski-patrol-lighting-up-a-dark-season And listen to Kerry's recent appearance on Brian's show Chin Music: https://www.mixcloud.com/chrwchinmusic/chin-music-2021-12-17-guest-request-sets-kerry-kijewski/

In the month following our 2021 first ever all virtual Choices and Goals Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention, we've been hard at work to bring together the highlights of this year's event. This week on Outlook, we continue with Part II, with us two, continuing on as the MC's). From the weekend of convention, finishing off on May 1 where we led a diverse session day, full of insightful speakers (Natalina Martiniello from Braille Literacy Canada, Ben Fulton on housing discrimination, Doris Belusic and Kerry on The Blind Canadian, etc). In this episode of Outlook we share people's big plans and ideas looking to the future for a better Canada for its blind citizens. Listen to Part II with another door prize draw with a humorous element (awkward), some truly touching moments of our co-host/sibling relationship demonstrated from over the weekend, and a banquet lineup of speakers (CFB President Mary Ellen Gabias, NFB Rep Scott LaBarre), all highlighting, through shared experiences, the themes of making choices and the setting of/carrying out of goals. From the awkward moments, to the touching ones, to the truly profound - all this was at the heart of the entire 2021 Canadian Federation of the Blind convention. To learn more about the people and presentations featured on this episode, check out the convention webpage. Also included are imbedded YouTube videos from the event. https://www.cfb.ca/save-the-date-2021-cfb-national-convention-choices-and-goals-april-30th-may-2nd-2021# Videos can also be found directly from our YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/CFBdotCA

In the weeks since our 2021 first ever all virtual Choices and Goals Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention, we've been hard at work to bring together the highlights of this year's event. This week on Outlook, we begin with Part 1, with us two as the mc's from the weekend of April 30th, welcoming a diverse two days of sponsoring companies and insightful speakers. Door prizes (read with the help of an OrCam), accessible tech presentations (Canadian Assistive Technology, HumanWare), and the adrenaline filled few days of panels on intersectionality and parenting.. Listen to Part 1 with the exhibit hall presenters, funny mishaps of an all virtual Zoom convention, all with the theme choices and goals and the diversity we are talking more about across Outlook episodes. We also feature clips from speakers and organizations who have appeared on Outlook in the past (NNELS, Talk Description to Me, CNIB monopoly report). Find out more about the presentations and speaker's featured on this episode by taking a look at the convention page here: https://www.cfb.ca/save-the-date-2021-cfb-national-convention-choices-and-goals-april-30th-may-2nd-2021 And we'll be back, next week, with Part 2 of an extraordinary weekend including news of what the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) and its flag ship magazine (The Blind Canadian) have been up to, about the value of braille literacy with Braille Literacy Canada (BLC-LBC), and a lawyer's story of housing discrimination towards him as a lawyer with a disability. Not to mention our fabulous banquet to round out the festivities. Stay tuned.

The two of us at Outlook took a week off, for an excellent reason, to MC the 2021 Canadian Federation of the Blind Convention. This year, our theme was Choices and Goals and this theme has felt rather fitting in these strange times, us hosting from home in our first all virtual convention weekend, April 30th to May 2nd. We're back, this week with an all new show, as we return to one of our mixed bag episodes, a May Mixed Bag with the two of us, talking our first vaccines and what it takes to plan and execute an online event, with a wrap-up on the first four months of 2021 and what we're both lookking forward to now that convention is behind us for another year.

In this month's edition of AppleVis Unleashed, Thomas Domville and Randy Rusnak discuss recent Apple news and other topics of interest. Topics featured in this podcast include: All the major announcements from Apple's iPhone 12 event iPhone 12 preorders twice that of last year's iPhone 11; Pro demand higher than expected iPhone 12 battery is smaller than iPhone 11, still just as good iPhone 12 Pro Max Has Smaller 3,687 mAh Battery According to Regulatory Filing iPhone 12 only uses 5G when necessary to save battery life 5G Drains iPhone 12 Battery 20% Faster Than 4G in Benchmark Apple Releases iOS 14.1 and iPadOS 14.1 with VoiceOver Fixes and Support for New iPhone Models Apple Releases watchOS 7.0.3 for Apple Watch Series 3 to Fix Unexpected Restart Issue Apple Will Announce Apple Silicon Macs in Another Virtual Event in November 'AirTags' announcement predicted for November Apple Silicon event Apple's location-tracking AirTags could come in 2 different sizes Apple Reports Q4 2020 Financial Results: $12.7B Profit on $64.7B Revenue Apple Music TV launches as MTV-style 24-hour music video stream How to watch Apple Music TV for free Apple One is Now Available: Save Money by Bundling Apple Music, iCloud Storage, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and More GoldWave American Council of the Blind Convention going Virtual for 2021 Settlement Brings Audio-described Content to HBO max You can contact the Unleashed Team with feedback or questions at unlea…

Welcome to the 2020 MSCB convention! Here is the agenda for this evening: Welcome and opening remarks. Donna Brown, MSCB President and Glen Pinkard, convention chair. What Can ACB Do for You? Dan Spoone, ACB President, Orlando, FL. Up Close and Personal with the Real Voice of the West Virginia Mountaineers, Tony Caridi, Morgantown, WV. Walkin' and Rockin' Through the West Virginia Hills, Josh Haza, writer of the ACB Walk songs, Romney, WV. Many thanks to Doug Hunsinger for editing and preparing these archives.

Here is the order of events for the 2020 MSCB Convention Banquet: Welcome and door prizes. Awarding of the Anna L. Hunt Memorial Academic scholarship. Meet the Real Claire Stanley, ACB's Advocacy and Outreach Specialist and Actress. Closing remarks and thank yous, Donna Brown. Many thanks to Doug Hunsinger for his editing and preparing these archives.

Welcome to the 2020 MSCB Convention - Saturday Morning. Here is the morning's schedule of events: Welcome, Donna Brown, MSCB President. Updates from the West Virginia Library Commission, Jasmyn Louis. Rehab Review. Kevin Maynus, Beckley, WV. Independence with AIRA, Paul Schroeder. Hay is for Horses, Clay is for Potters, Marcia Springston-Dillon. Issues Impacting Seniors, Jeff Thom, AAVL President. Managing Your Health from Home, Claire Stanley, Director of Advocacy and Outreach for ACB.

Here is a list of the afternoon events: Welcome, Donna Brown. Ramen Noodles and Beyond, Monica Andis, Nutritionist, Morgantown, WV. Canine Care, Steve Hoyt, Pilot Dogs, Columbus, OH. Blastoff in Coalwood, Touchdown in Huntsville, Homer Hickam, Renown author and actor. Just Keep Moving, Leslie Spoone, Orlando, FL. Uddates from Vanda Pharmaceutical, Maggie Felton. Accessible Prescription Labels and More, Jenna Reed. EnVision America. Tips for Your Sticks, Matthew Stuart, O&M Therapist, WVSB. What has MSCB Been up to Since we Last Met? A year in review for MSCB, Donna Brown. Many thanks to Doug Hunsinger for preparing and editing these archives.

This segment includes the following: 5:00-7:00 PM: Convention Information from ACB President Dan Spoone, and Our Keynote Speaker, Claire Stanley, Hosted by FCB President Sheila Young

This segment includes the following: 10:30-11:00 AM: Break 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Membership, Outreach and Retention 12:00-1:00 PM: Break 1:00-2:00 PM: FCB Annual Town Hall Meeting 2:00-2:30 PM: Break 2:30-3:30 PM: Coalition for the Concerns of the Totally Blind (CCTB) 3:30-4:30 PM: Florida Council of Citizens with Low Vision (FCCLV) 4:30-5:00 PM: Break

This segment contains the following: 2:30-3:00 PM: Break 3:00-4:00 PM: Audio Description and Museums 4:00-5:00 PM Break 5:00-7:00 PM: FCB Awards Ceremony — Speeches from Silver Convention Sponsors, Award Presentations for State, Chapter and Affiliate Awards, and Presentation of Scholarships

This segment contains the following: 1:30-2:30 PM: Annual Legislative Seminar

This segment contains the following: 1:00-1:30 PM: Break

This segment contains the following: 11:30-12:00 PM: Break 12:00-1:00 PM: Inherited Retinal Disease (IRD)

Welcome to the 2020 Annual Florida Council of the Blind Convention! This segment contains the following: 8:00-9:00 AM: Braille Revival League of Florida (BRLF) 9:00-10:00 AM: Guide Dog Users of Florida (GDUF) 10:00-10:30 AM: Break 10:30-11:30 AM: Technology Committee

This segment contains the following: 8:00-8:30 AM: Welcome by FCB's President Sheila Young, and Speeches from Our Platinum FCB Convention Sponsors 8:30-9:30 AM: Conversation with ACB Presidents Past and Present 9:30-10:30 AM: The ACB National Office, What Happens There

In this episode we will walk down a picturesque mountain trail designed to be experienced instead of viewed, join the largest number of blind people to ever be in one place at one time, and experience Typhoon damage in the Philippines. All of us on the show are volunteers, and since we all live in Colorado many of our early stories are from Colorado. And since all our stories will be reported from the prospective of blind people, and there are very few blind reporters, we will be giving blind people the opportunity to become reporters.

In this episode of the iCantCU Podcast, David is joined in the studio by his wife, Elizabeth, to talk about their delayed trip to Las Vegas and the National Federation of the Blind Convention.

While at the NFB2019 Convention Jeff Thompson met up with RTB Safe Traffic Director of Sales, Olivia Harden. Interested in the sounds stemming from the RTB Safe Traffic booth, Jeff inquired about the Audio Pedestrian Signal device and Olivia filled his cup to the brim with some great information. Full Transcript Below She is very passionate about her work and the products RTB Safe Traffic are creating and has taken the message across the States to all the Department of Transportation personnel to educate them on the practicalities of installing and needs for audio pedestrian signals. Not just to push her line of product, but to bring awareness and value to the decision making by people who make the decisions for safe traffic crossings. You can find out more about RTB Safe Traffic on the web at www.RTBSafeTraffic.com. And be sure to voice your concerns and needs in your city, your county, about having RTB Safe Traffic educating your department of transportation. ***** Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.   Full Transcript   Creating Safe Traffic Crossings with Audio Pedestrian Signals – RTB Safe Traffic is Crossing that Road for All of Us. #NFB19   Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. While in attendance at the National Federation of the Blind Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada 2019, I was in the exhibit hall and I met up with Olivia Harden and she is from RTB Safe Traffic. They do audio pedestrian signals, and these are what you install at crossings so that you can audibly hear what the location of them and the timing when to step off the curb.   Jeff Thompson: I thought it was really neat device and I like her approach. She spends 80% of her time talking to the Department of Transportation in cities across the United States, educating the personnel on why an audio pedestrian signal is needed and how it helps and assists more than just the visually impaired, but everyday people navigating traffic crossings.   Olivia Harden: I'm Olivia Harden. I'm the director of sales for RTB safe Traffic and we are a manufacturer of pedestrian push buttons and acoustic units. And we're really approaching this market quite differently by actually looking at accessibility as a whole. And we're really tackling some main challenges. First of all, we really believe in ease of activation of the ped button. We utilize sensor technology that allows persons to activate the button with any part of their body. If you're traveling with a cane in one hand and shopping in another, you can just lean against the button and it will activate through your clothing or you can activate with your hip or the back of your hand.   Olivia Harden: Secondly, we really believe in providing true directional information and that's done by having an arrow that's located under the button where as we know a lot of intersections are not beautifully perpendicular, so we can actually rotate that arrow 360 degrees so that if a crosswalk is on an angle, we can actually place the arrow on an angle and give you true directional information.   Olivia Harden: And the final thing is, we really try and tackle the issue that we're facing in the community where these systems have been deployed. Existing technology is quite noise polluting, and as a result, residents are not living in harmony with these systems and they're complaining to the cities. What we're typically seeing is traffic technicians are going and turning them down, which really strips the integrity out of these systems and defeats the whole point of them being deployed in the first place.   Olivia Harden: The first thing we tackle is how do we manage volume controls of the locator tone? Which is really critical for finding the pole. We've got a smartphone app that you can download for free on your phone. All you need to do is activate it and then put your phone away in your pocket. And then within 10 meters of approaching a pole that has our equipment on it, we will automatically detect you and immediately turn the locator volume up to the volume that you should have had in the first place, giving you 100% integrity every time, you approach an intersection.   Olivia Harden: And the final thing is, we utilize a beacon that's located up a pole. A lot of manufacturers now are building the loud speaker and the microphone into the push button and deploying it at push button height, which basically means that if pedestrians are surrounding the pole, it's actually covering and masking the audible signal. We believe in having a beacon that's located up a pole that points into the crosswalk for actual true beaconing and we actually control the sound waves by utilizing three speakers in a horizontal row.   Speaker 3: And what that does is create a forward penetrating sound vortex into the crosswalk. Existing infrastructure does 360-degree orientation of the acoustics, which means that for a walk guide signal, it's just blasting sound waves all the way through an intersection. And what we're actually doing is we're actually creating a very strong forward penetrating stream of sound waves so that you're not just hearing noise over there. You can actually get a very acute alignment and orientation to the pole and it also mitigates a lot of the sound pollution that's affecting residents and causing these systems to be turned down.   Jeff Thompson: That's really neat that it's really focused like that because that could be a concern to people dining or something around an intersection or something.   Olivia Harden: Absolutely. We're really tackling the root issues with very, very strong design and technology. And we've come up with this because our company owner was an O and M in the 80s, obviously training his clients with existing infrastructure at the time was very difficult. He partnered with the German Blind Association and his clients to create the system that we have today. And our Look ID smartphone app was actually designed through a research project that was done with the University of Hamburg in Germany in collaboration with the German Blind Association. Everything that we have here has been designed fully by advocates in the community as well as the German Blind Association that has firsthand knowledge of the challenges that this community faces with complex navigation issues of traffic intersections.   Jeff Thompson: Well I think this is really great technology and it's something that's needed and you've been traveling around to all the departments of transportation advocating for this.   Olivia Harden: That's right. I would say 80% of my job currently is going around meeting with traffic engineers that are responsible for designing these intersections, as well as traffic technicians that are responsible for the procurement and deployment of these systems. And I'm not going in for an hour talking about why my product's better than the others. I'm actually taking the opportunity to discuss exactly how this community navigates complex intersections, the challenges that you're facing and how we as manufacturers can do better by creating smarter technology to make this easier and to remove the anxieties.   Olivia Harden: And I really do this because I believe that the only way we can change the current situation is by invoking empathy and compassion with these traffic technicians that are responsible for deploying massive traffic intersections and they're just looking at audible signals as just another thing to tick off their list. But I'm going in and saying, "No, when you actually deploy these systems or when you think about procuring them, we need to be finding solutions that are really tackling these major challenges that are still existing with current infrastructure."   Jeff Thompson: I thought what was really neat is when they employ these, they can actually monitor them from headquarters basically.   Olivia Harden: That's right. If they do go down for whatever reason, say a car runs into a pole and we lose a button and acoustic unit it will actually send an alert back to the central office and actually tell a city and that's a huge part of maintenance issues. I'm sure there have been many situations. I've had a lot of advocates yesterday telling me that they've gone to intersections and buttons don't work. This is just further technology that helps aid cities in being able to maintain these systems that might be deployed all over their city.   Jeff Thompson: They would know in real time when something's wrong.   Olivia Harden: Exactly. It will send them an alert by email and they might integrate them into their current monitoring systems and they might get a red alert on their traffic screen.   Jeff Thompson: Could we get some sound from it right now?   Olivia Harden: Sure. I'll just plug this in for you. You currently hear the locator tone and then I will activate the audible signal.   Speaker 3: Wait.   Olivia Harden: It's just running through a cycle right now and then I'll activate again.   Speaker 3: Wait.   Olivia Harden: The audible signal will go off soon.   Jeff Thompson: Then you can cross.   Olivia Harden: This is the walk guide signal to tell you when you can step off the curb.   Speaker 3: Two, one.   Olivia Harden: And this particular countdown is the audible countdown that sighted persons see in the clearance phase. We would be seeing numbers that would count down anywhere from 30 downwards and we are actually doing an audible version of that.   Jeff Thompson: Some departments of transportations and counties or cities could actually have one of these installed for a needs base.   Olivia Harden: Absolutely. We're typically throughout America, seeing these being deployed on a needs case basis. Obviously members in the community might put in a request, they send someone out to evaluate the intersection and determine whether this is an intersection that needs this system. And then they have to obviously find budget to be able to do it. But we're typically seeing them being deployed on a needs case basis. We have some state departments like Virginia Department of Transportation have now created a rule that for any new construction, so any new intersection that's being deployed, these are automatically included in the design. And so they actually get deployed from the get go on a new construction intersection.   Jeff Thompson: Well that's really interesting. This is really good stuff. Sorry, can you tell people where they can find out more information?   Olivia Harden: Yeah, so we have a website. It's www.rtb, that's Roger, Tango, Bravo, safetraffic.com. My name's Olivia Harden. I will also be available by email at sales@rtbsafetraffic.com.   Jeff Thompson: Thank you very much and I'll get this out to everybody and you have a wonderful convention.   Olivia Harden: Thank you. Thank you so much for your time.   Jeff Thompson: It was a great time meeting up with Olivia and hear about RTB Safe Traffic and her work with audio pedestrian signals. And if you want to find out more about RTB Safe Traffic, check them out on the web at www.rtbsafetraffic.com and remember to check out the Blind Abilities skill on your Amazon device just by saying enable Blind Abilities. You can also listen to Blind Abilities on the Victor Stream and on any pod catcher out there. Just type in Blind Abilities. That's two words, Blind Abilities. And most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener. Thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time. Bye Bye.   [Music]  [Transition noise]  -When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.   Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store:  'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.

Gill Beeri from Orcam tells us about the latest updates to the Orcam MyEye 2. Gives us a great overview of the features and uses. Announces breaking news about the partnership with NFB and ACB and how NFB and ACB members can get a 10 percent discount on the Orcam MyEye 2. Full Transcript Below Orcam was a huge sponsor at the NFB convention in Las Vegas and we want to thank them for supporting not only the convention, we want to thank them for their innovative solutions and hard work at bringing the Blind Community a tool that empowers us and enhances our independence. Thanks Orcam. You can find out more about Orcam on the web at www.Orcam.com/en And WorldWide at www.Orcam.com. Stay up to date with all the breaking news on the Orcam Facebook Page. Follow Orcam on Twitter @Orcam   ***** Contact Your State Services If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361. To find your State Services in your State you can go to www.AFB.org and search the directory for your agency. Contact: Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impairedand the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired.   Full Transcript:   Orcam MyEye 2: The Most Advanced Wearable Assistive Technology Device for the Blind and Visually Impaired, that Reads Text, Recognizes Faces, Identifies Products and More. #NFB19 {Music} Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. All in attendance at the National Federation of the Blind Convention 2019 held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Sin City. I ran into Gil Beeri from OrCam. I met up with Gil a couple of years ago, so it was really nice to meet up with him once again and talk about the MyEye 2. It's had some updates, some new features, and Gil's just ready to talk about it and let us all know the new features and what the OrCam team is up to.   Jeff Thompson: I'd really like to thank OrCam for being such a big sponsor at the convention. It's nice that they support the convention. They've been out there for four years now. OrCam's come a long ways, so thank you, OrCam.   Jeff Thompson: Their booth was right up front and it was quite busy, so I really want to thank Gil Beeri for taking the time away from the booth a little bit just to share with us all a little bit about the OrCam MyEye 2, and announcing some special partnerships with NFB and ACB and some discounts just for you. So let's head into the exhibit hall, over to the OrCam booth and talk to Gil Beeri. We hope you enjoy.   Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. I'm at the NFB 2019 convention in Las Vegas, and I came up to the OrCam booth and I'm talking with Gil Beeri. How are you doing?   Gil Beeri: I'm great. How are you doing, Jeff?   Jeff Thompson: I'm doing great. Nice to see you again. It's been a couple of years.   Gil Beeri: Yeah, exactly.   Jeff Thompson: So OrCam, you've been around for a few years, why don't you tell the listeners a little bit about it?   Gil Beeri: Yeah, we were here for our fourth time already, and very proud sponsors for the NFB convention this year. We have special news for this convention this year. We signed a collaboration agreement with the National Federation of the Blind, which will, first of all, offer members of the federation a special 10% discount buying an OrCam MyEye or an OrCam MyReader through OrCam. And we also join hands with the National Federation of the Blind on seeing where development goes on assistive technology and our product in particular. So we're very excited about that. Just last year we've came up with a few updates to our new MyEye 2 device adding an app that you can use the app for basic menu set up and operating the device. We also came up with voice commands.   Jeff Thompson: I like some of the gesture bases. You just pretended to look at your watch and all of a sudden it just told you the time.   AI: The time is 9:01 AM.   Gil Beeri: Another way to get time is by using voice commands. I would double tap on the device.   Gil Beeri: Tell time.   AI: The time is 9:01 AM.   Gil Beeri: More than 20 voice commands that will make operation of the device much easier for the user and that would [inaudible] to the new Bluetooth connection and other things that came out with the MyEye 2 when we came out with it a little bit less than two years ago.   Jeff Thompson: So I could use the OrCam with my Bose frames?   Gil Beeri: Yes, you can. I actually tested that and they worked perfectly with it.   Jeff Thompson: That's great. Now this is something that someone could just be in the comfort of their own home and just point at the newspaper magazine and just have it read to them.   Gil Beeri: Exactly. The whole idea behind OrCam was to make the usage as intuitive as possible. There are a lot of man hours that are put in the design of the device to make it as easy to use as possible.   Gil Beeri: Now, using artificial intelligence is not always very easy and we understand that, especially for a person who is blind or visually impaired, it's not very easy learning about technology. So this is why we put a lot of hours in design of the comfortable and relatively easy user interface.   Jeff Thompson: One thing that's really unique about the OCR that you have, it's all done internally. It doesn't go up to the web or anything. So the privacy of what you're actually scanning is contained.   Gil Beeri: Yeah. Well this is a great question, Jeff, because privacy is an important thing today, not only in your day to day life, but also in your workplace. We know that employment is a huge challenge. Using OrCam at the workplace enables the user to read information without sending any of it up to the cloud, which then exposes that information to third parties that you do not want to have that ability. So everything is done, the whole process is done, on board on that tiny little device, which is the size of a finger basically and weighs less than an ounce.   Gil Beeri: This is one of the advantages we see for using OrCam at the workplace.   Jeff Thompson: And it just clips right onto your existing glasses?   Gil Beeri: Yeah. There's a magnetic mount. A tiny magnetic mount that connects to your glasses. Basically any frame will do. Basically it doesn't matter if it's sun glasses or regular glasses, as long as they're not those little tiny wire frames. Almost any frame you can put the mount on and the device clicks magnetically on that mount, ensuring also that it's in the right direction.   Gil Beeri: You cannot put it on the wrong direction. The camera cannot go pointing backwards. It only can only point forward because the mount won't take it because of the magnetic fields. So it won't stick.   Jeff Thompson: If someone has hearing problems, they could switch to one ear or the other?   Gil Beeri: Yes, exactly. Can go now on both sides. The old device was mounted only on the right side, but this device can go on both sides, no problem.   Jeff Thompson: So what else can they do? It can do OCR.   Gil Beeri: Well it does OCR, facial recognition. It recognizes products, recognizes barcodes, money notes, colors. Basically that's it. But you ... regarding barcodes, colors, and facial recognition, you can also program the device to recognize either your friends and loved ones, your preferred products in the grocery store, or if there's a barcode on a product that is not stored in our about million barcodes that are on the device, you can program that barcode and it will announce it on your own voice the next time you scan that barcode.   Jeff Thompson: The first time I experimented with OrCam, it was in Minnesota Convention and it said Monty. Hey, it knows you. Monty?   Gil Beeri: Yeah. Well, I think we've made a few steps forward since then. OrCam now is a device that is sold in 42 different countries all over the world and 25 different languages. By the way, the device in the US for example, comes already on board with reading capabilities in Latin Spanish and Canadian French. So you can use the device if you are a multilingual speaker, you can use that device to read in Spanish, to read in French, whatever you prefer. In other countries, we have other sets of languages. Again, 25 different languages in 42 different countries and they're all localized to that specific country, meaning that on that device you'll read the money notes of that country, the barcodes of that country.   Jeff Thompson: So that's really great. You mentioned members of the NFB do get a discount? You're also at the ACB convention and you made that announcement there too, right?   Gil Beeri: Yes. Well, both ACB members and NFB members will get that special 10% discount. Right here on the NFB convention and valid only for the convention, we have a special exclusive convention deal. So not only that you will get the 10% discount. You will also get a package of accessories from OrCam valued at $300 that we have with that.   Gil Beeri: Part of it is this tiny little thing I'm showing you here, which is a special designed charger for the MyEye device that has a belt clip on it and it's like a cradle that you put the device in it. It can sit on your belt and if the device has about one hour and 30 of consecutive work, this will add four times that time of usage.   Jeff Thompson: Oh, wow.   Gil Beeri: So you can actually hold the whole day using that cradle. You can put it up and down from your mount into this cradle and it will charge it when you're not using it.   Jeff Thompson: And that's just about the size of a pack of gum.   Gil Beeri: Yeah. That's right about it.   Jeff Thompson: Yeah, that's really neat.   Jeff Thompson: Well, Gil, thank you very much for taking the time out of your day here at the convention and sharing everything with the Blind Abilities listeners.   Gil Beeri: Thanks Jeff. It's always a pleasure and I hope the next time I see you will be less than two years.   Jeff Thompson: All right.   {Music}    Jeff Thompson: Always a great time talking to Gil. Always a great time at the OrCam booth and always a fun time at the Exhibit Hall of the NFB Convention. So, if you want to find out more about or camp, check them out on the web at O-R-C-A-M. That's orcam.com. Follow them on Twitter @Orcam and on their Facebook page at OrCam Tech.   Jeff Thompson: And be sure to check out blindabilities.com or the Blind Abilities app or on your podcatcher of choice, Blind Abilities. That's two words. And you can find all the convention coverage from the summer of 2019. And be sure if you got a Victor Stream, check us out on the suggested list. You can listen to the Blind Abilities podcast right on the Victor Stream and you can enable the Blind Abilities skill on your Amazon device just by saying, "Enable Blind Abilities." And most importantly, I want to thank you, the listener, for listening to the show. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye bye.     [Music]  [Transition noise]  -When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.   Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store:  'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.

In this episode of the iCantCU Podcast, David talks about his travel day from hell after sitting on American Airlines flight 1886 for over six hours and never leaving the ground while trying to get to the National Federation of the Blind Convention in Las Vegas.

In this episode we’ll talk national conventions and how you can help your affiliate, division or national fund. Get to know  TJ Squires from our customer Care Department.  Finally, it’s a Tech Tip about messaging. You can learn about Aira at the American Council of the Blind’s 2019 Conference and Convention at www.aira.io/acb. Go to www.aira.io/nfb to learn about us at the 2019 National Federation of the Blind Convention.  

JobInsightsExtra: Employment Breakouts, Aira on Employment and Zoom Zooms Ahead and a Great Tool in the Indeed App Full Transcript Below: In this Job Insights Extra Serina Gilbert and Jeff Thompson talk about the Employment Breakout Sessions at conventions. How Airais focused on employment, education and Bringing more value to their services. Serina talks aboutIndeed, an app for smart phones and a web site that assists one during the job hunt and finding employment opportunities in the field you want. Zoom Cloud Meetingsis becoming the go-to tool for conferenceing and meetings because it just works and Zoom has a lot to offer. We include a small segment from our Blind Abilities podcast, “Aira Workshop on Employment, Education, and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation,” with Michael Hingsonspeaking about Aira and how the Aira service can impact the job search, save time on the job and Aira as a Reasonable Accommodation. You can find the entire podcast on BlindAbilities.com We also bring you a conversation with Dacia Vanalstine, employment Specialist at State Services for the Blind. Dacia presented at the NFB Employment Committee workshops and Jeff sat down and asked her about the breakout sessions. We wanted to do this podcast to show how the conventions can be a resource for information, educational and a place that offers opportunities to meet and talk to professionals in the field.   Thanks for Listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript:   JobInsightsExtra: Employment Breakouts, Aira on Employment and Zoom Zooms Ahead and a Great Tool in the Indeed App Serena Gilbert: Cue fancy music. Jeff Thompson: They had breakout groups that you could go into, one was on resume building, one was on disclosure, another was upward mobility, another was on job searching. Michael Hingson: Aira, by any definition of the Americans With Disabilities Act is a reasonable accommodation. Serena Gilbert: You already know I'm like Aira jealous. Jeff Thompson: Zoom works pretty good, you can record on it, you can do all sorts of stuff with it, it's just always blowing my mind a little bit. Serena Gilbert: You can also live stream to Facebook from Zoom and they'll show whatever you're showing on your Zoom screen in the Facebook Live. This podcast is not brought to you by Zoom. Jeff Thompson: Job Insights is a podcast that is helping you find careers and gainful employment through innovations and opportunities. You can find the Job Insights podcast on BlindAbilities.com, part of the Blind Abilities network. And as part of the Job Insights podcast, we will be bringing you the Job Insights extras, consisting of interviews, demonstrations, and news surrounding employment, careers, and jobs. With hosts Serena Gilbert, and myself, Jeff Thompson. And you can contact us by email at JobInsights@BlindAbilities.com. Leave us some feedback, or suggest some topics that we cover. On Twitter, @JobInsightsBIP. Serena Gilbert: I use the Indeed website all the time with my clients when we're looking at job openings. I like it because it filters all the scams, and weird Craigslist ads and things like that, and gets right to what you're really looking for. Jeff Thompson: In this Job Insights extra, we'll be talking about Aira, and how they are enhancing the opportunities in education and employment for students and job seekers alike. We tap into a little bit about Zoom. Is it replacing Skype? It seems to have all the features to do so. Give it a try, see what you think. We touch base on an app called Indeed, which is also a website, which will help you along your job seeking journey. And we expand upon how conventions can help you in the job market, employment, and as a student, and the upcoming CSUN Convention as well. Jeff Thompson: So now, please join Serena Gilbert and myself, Jeff Thompson in this Job Insights extra. We hope you enjoy. Jeff Thompson: Well how you doing Serena? Serena Gilbert: I am doing great, Jeff, how are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good, just got back and I'm settling in back home here in Minnesota. Serena Gilbert: You survived. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yep, a lot of employment stuff, and people showed up, and that's one thing about these conventions is not only do you get experience of traveling, different types of adventure through using mobility, getting to place to place, but you meet a lot of people, and you have a lot of opportunity to focus in on the agenda. And I focused in on the employment parts of it. Jeff Thompson: They had breakout groups that you could go into, one was on resume building, one was on disclosure, another was upward mobility, another was on job searching. There was lots of opportunities for people to get involved. And there was even one on meeting the voc rehab panel, there was a panel of voc rehab teachers and professionals in the field, DVIs, lots of good stuff. Serena Gilbert: I know that there was a lot of talk about how Aira fits into everything having to do with employment, from the job search even through to completing job tasks, is that right? Jeff Thompson: Yeah. I was in attendance at a breakout session Aira sponsored, and it was Aira and employment, and Michael Hingson was speaking, along with Patrick Lane. And they were talking about reasonable accommodations, how Aira fits that bill, the things you can do, it saves you time compared to how much it would cost for a reader for some applications, and how Aira has this program where if you are filling out a resume and getting help, and using Aira while you're researching a job, say you're going to an interview, and back again, all those minutes are covered by Aira. You don't have to pay for those minutes, so they're free. Serena Gilbert: That could be a nice way to help with ... I know sometimes there's applications that aren't the most accessible, and something weird kind of happens with it, and you kind of get stuck. So that'd be nice to be able to have the Aira agent help you figure that out, especially when it's a time sensitive employment application you're trying to get in. Jeff Thompson: Exactly, and usually you're doing that on the computer. Another thing with Aira is they have a partnership with VFO, Andrew Joyce and Jos. Serena Gilbert: So Jeff, I know there was an another one that I saw come through that they have just partnered with, do you remember who it was? Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, more and more partnerships are being developed all the time and being announced. Just lately the 26 YMCAs in the Minneapolis area have come on board as a Aira access point, where you can use Aira services free. And some of the big news coming out is Andrew Cole from Microsoft, he's the senior data scientist that was responsible for developing seeing AI has now joined Aira as head of the artificial intelligence and research at IRA. That's great news, and Chloe is going to be worked on, and enhanced I'm sure. Yeah, where is this going to take us, we only know. But yeah, partnerships are being developed all the time, so stay tuned for more and more partnerships joining the Aira team and making Aira accessible and affordable to all. Jeff Thompson: Another area of growth is, I believe it's six days that their state agencies, vocational rehab, are now offering Aira as a service, and even colleges, their disabilities services office is now providing the service as well. Serena Gilbert: That's very nice to hear, I mean, I know it'll take a little while for the word to get out to the bureaucracy that it is. But I think it's great that that's something that people are considering to help with more accessibility for their clients. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, when you think about reasonable accommodation, what is it? Offering a free zone for your company, say you're a voc rehab, or a state agency for the blind and you have five or six people who could benefit from IRA, and if they do have it, why not allow those minutes to be free? I don't know, it's something interesting. I know San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired is considering making their area a free zone as well. So like you said, it's catching on, I think it's becoming more of a household name in the blindness community. It used to be kind of a idea, or people didn't know it was really out there and working, but I believe they're growing. I would have to say they've got to be up to at least 2,000 some users now, especially now that they're worldwide. And even Minnesota. Serena Gilbert: That's a whole nother country there. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. But that puts it more on the clock. So you can turn around and actually have service around the clock. Serena Gilbert: And even before they went international I feel like they had pretty accessible hours, because I believe it was like 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Pacific time, or something like that, that's pretty good. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). So now it's pretty much 24/7 and from what I reckoned, when we were ... reckoned, when did I ever use that word? Serena Gilbert: Yeah, who did you hang out with from the south there for a little while? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, there was people from all over the ... every walk of life is there. The blindness doesn't pull you all together, it's just normal people and we just have a common thing of visual challenges. Serena Gilbert: And that was in a free zone too, because I know they made Orlando and ... did they call it an Aira access point or something like that, where it was free for everyone? Jeff Thompson: Exactly. And we're the guest too because if you are down there with the iPhone, you could just download the app, sign up and you could get yourself an agent and use it just like you had it. Just like you were part of it, you were an explorer now, but you're a guest. I heard a lot of people really satisfied and excited about it. Serena Gilbert: I think that's really cool. I mean, you already know I'm like Aira jealous, and I'm just waiting for that price to come down a little bit for me- Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Serena Gilbert: Before I take that plunge. But I mean, it just sounds really cool. No surprise here, Jeff, so what I most want to do with is go shopping one day. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, to tell you the truth, I was in an Aira session, and Michael Hingson had a few words to say, so let's segue right into that right now. Michael Hingson: Aira, if you look at Aira in the general terms of what it is, Aira is an information source. Aira is a way that you can get any visual information that you otherwise would not have access to. When I talk to a lot of people about Aira, they think about the fact that oh, well, I really have good travel skills, so I don't need it. Or I've always got sighted people with me, so I don't have that problem. Let's deal with that in terms of a job. I'm on the job, I'm using JAWS, and suddenly the computer quits working. Now where do I go to get my sighted assistance? I'm in the office, I've got to go interrupt somebody else to get them to come and look at the screen, tell me what the error screen is, or of course the infamous blue screen of death. Michael Hingson: In any case, I have to go find someone. Why should I have to do that today? Because there is a way to do that on my own, namely using Aira. I can use Aira to contact an agent, the agent can look at the screen, see an error code, and if I can't easily move my cursor to where it needs to go, it's possible that I can even enter into a tandem or two way session using Team Voyeur or some other team technology with the agent. That might be a little harder with JAWS not talking, but for a lot of different things that I do where this is an inaccessible webpage, or something that isn't talking the way it should, I can interact with an agent and get their assistance, both in terms of actually having a session, a two way communication session, or at least getting information described. Michael Hingson: If I am an employee and I want to go to lunch, let's say I'm in sales and I want to take people somewhere for lunch for sales, I can more quickly use an Aira agent to research possible restaurants if I don't really know all the options, or when I get to the restaurant, or going to the restaurant using an agent's help to do all of that. Michael Hingson: Aira gives me the opportunity to get anything that I need that I don't otherwise have access to because it's visual. It is that simple, it is that general, and I urge people to look at Aira in that way. Don't limit yourself to looking at it as a travel device. Don't look at it as something that's going to diminish your skills, don't look at it as something that is anything other than what it is, an information source. And all of us, no matter how good our cane skills are, no matter how good our dog skills are, can benefit by having access to Aira, because Aira is the way that I can get more information to better tell my dog where I want to go, or interact with traveling with my cane. Michael Hingson: So you go off and you graduate, and then you go looking for a job. The first thing you should be aware of if you happen to be an Aira explorer is that we have an Aira access network for jobs, a job access network, whatever you want to call it, that will stick it in your memory. If you are doing anything relating to getting a job at all, whether it's writing a resume, writing a cover letter, making sure everything is formatted, getting dressed to go to a job interview, ladies putting on makeup, anything at all related to getting a job, that time is automatically free to you. So for any Aira explorer doing anything relating to getting a job is free. Michael Hingson: We are saying at Aira we want to take that unemployment from 70% unemployment rate among blind people down to 7%, which would be cool. And Aira is trying to help to make that happen by making it possible for you as an explorer to have access to the tools at no additional charge to get that job. Michael Hingson: What does it mean though as far as getting a job, and where does Aira fit into that? The way Aira fits in is really pretty simple. Aira, by any definition of the Americans With Disabilities Act is a reasonable accomodation. It is something that should be usable and used by you on the job. I can take almost any job that you can imagine and find a way Aira can help. Because again, remember what Aira is, an information source. It provides you with what information you need. Jeff Thompson: And this was just a snippet taken from the full podcast that we produced over on Blind Abilities. Be sure to check it out and see how Aira enhances the opportunities in employment, education, and as a student. There's a link in the shown notes, be sure to check it out. Jeff Thompson: So with Aira, it's getting more and more, like we said, a household name, more voc rehabs are aware of it, more counselors are aware of it, so who knows what it'll be tomorrow because they are ever changing. My wife Laurie just received the Horizon glasses, which puts the lens right in the center and gives you more of a fisheye look, so the agent can actually see more and do more. They have a Samsung device that is actually a phone, but it's locked for only Aira to use. So you turn that on and there's wire that goes up to the glasses, and now you don't have any connectivity between the Bluetooth for your phone to the wifi. You have three connections that all had to be in sync, and now it's just one wire, one phone, and I believe it's up to a seven and nine hour battery life. Serena Gilbert: Oh wow, that's pretty good. And I've heard they're pretty stylish now too. Because I guess the previous ones were like glasses with no lenses. Jeff Thompson: And some of these people are getting them with the tinted glass, so ... Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: It seems all right. You know, it's Clark Kent-esque. Serena Gilbert: Oh. Jeff Thompson: Well face it, you do have a charge going to it, you do have batteries going to them, they do have a camera mounted in them, so you're not able to just have wire rims and aviator glasses so ... Laurie told me that they don't fall, they don't move once they're on, so they're real stable. That means a lot. When actually the agent wants you to look at something that you can just turn and you don't have to look like a bobble head in the back of a car. Jeff Thompson: They probably did a lot of research on this, Greg Stillson who was the product developer there, part of the team, did a great job on the Horizon. Good things on the horizon they say. Serena Gilbert: So did she get hers at the conference or did they mail them to her? Jeff Thompson: Before the convention happened they sent out notice that said if you were attending they would then bring the glasses there, and so when she was there she was on the list, and she received them. Serena Gilbert: Oh, that's awesome. Jeff Thompson: So she went up the room, put it on the charger, and later on tried them on and they seem to work really well for her, and she likes the idea that you don't have to use your phone to do it. It's kind of interesting because the wire plugs into the back end of the glasses, so the wire comes down your ... you know, it doesn't hang down your cheek, it goes- Serena Gilbert: So it's out of the way. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it goes down behind your ear, and then down your shoulder. When she was using them I didn't even really recognize the ... well, my blindness helps there, I suppose. But yeah, people were excited about them. Jeff Thompson: You know Serena, we're talking about jobs and everything like that, one thing I noticed was kind of a common denominator, I would say three out of 10 people mentioned it while I was down there, the app and I believe there's a software product for computers, Indeed. Have you ever used that? Serena Gilbert: Yep, I use the Indeed website all the time with my clients when we're looking at job openings. Jeff Thompson: And you use that on the PC? Serena Gilbert: Correct. Jeff Thompson: How do you like it? Serena Gilbert: It used to be more accessible, it used to be when you typed in the job search and everything and you picked a job you wanted to look at, it would open up in a new window. And now it still opens, but it opens up at the bottom of the page. And unless you go adventure and look for it at the bottom of the page, you never would know. So it's still accessible, it's just different now. But I like it because it filters out all of the scams, and weird Craigslist ads and things like that, and gets right to what you're really looking for. You can also set up an alert where it'll send you every day jobs that matched what you're looking for, so you can be one of the first to see them and apply for them. Jeff Thompson: Well that's great because I got a new iPad and I noticed that there's a new upgrade to the Indeed app, so I'm going to try it out on the iPad, and I'm going to try it out on my iPhone because it updated there. Serena Gilbert: No, I do use it on my phone though, it is very accessible on the phone. But I wouldn't recommend applying for a job from your phone. Jeff Thompson: Or setting up a Zoom meeting. We use Zoom on here and it's a very good app, and while I was at the convention, and in the pool I ran into a gentleman, not physically, but we were chit chatting, he was part of a ... I believe it was South Carolina Voc Rehab for the Deaf/Blind, and they had switched to Zoom and he said that because I have the pro that I can actually switch my identification number, you know, when you set up a meeting it gives you an identification number, you can actually change that if you want. You could change it to, I don't know, Volkswagen, or Lovebug, or ... you could change it to Red Pony, anything you wanted to change it to, and that would be your meeting link. Serena Gilbert: I think it has to be a series of numbers still for the meeting ID, but you can customize it to be something that people would remember easier. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, so it's really interesting, a lot of people are using it, they have a business package that they have. And he says that if you had like 15, 20 people in a meeting, he said you can break out into four groups and five people go into each group, and then you can bring them all back again. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, you can do that, I believe it's in the webinar setting on it. That one's like $40.00 a month or something, to have the webinar piece. But you can also live stream to Facebook from Zoom if you have the webinar piece added on to the account. Jeff Thompson: Oh really? Serena Gilbert: And it'll show whatever you're showing on your Zoom screen in the Facebook Live. Jeff Thompson: It's just really impressive to me what Zoom is doing when you've had other companies sitting back on their laurels, let's take Skype for example, it was Skype for many, many years. That's all it was. That's all we used it for, and some others have come and gone, but Zoom seemed to come in all ready and prepared, because it just seems like it keeps growing. Or I keep on finding out more and more of what you can do with it. So people out there are looking for a conference type of, I don't know, walkie talkie communication here that we're using, Zoom works pretty good. You can record on it, you can do all sorts of stuff with it, it's just always blowing my mind a little bit. Serena Gilbert: This podcast is not brought to you by Zoom. Jeff Thompson: But you do like it, right? Serena Gilbert: Oh I love Zoom. I hate Skype, it's a pain to use. Zoom just works. That's really just ... it's kind of like Apple, it just works. Except it really does just work. Jeff Thompson: Really, really works. Except for when we did it today, when we were trying to connect up. I sent a request- Serena Gilbert: I am convinced you sent me a different link. Jeff Thompson: Well, I set it up on the phone and I sent it out, it says, "send request", and so I sent it out, and then I came into my computer, started it up, and I saw the meeting was there so I went into the room, and she went into a room, but we were in different rooms. And for some reason, my phone must be set up for ... what did you say, private room? Serena Gilbert: Yeah, well so when you have a Zoom account you get a personal meeting ID that is the exact same meeting ID every time you send someone that link. And that's the link that you sent me, was the personal meeting ID. I was like I feel special. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. So then I sent another link from my computer and then we got all connected up, so other than that ... Serena Gilbert: Jeff's still on conference time. Jeff Thompson: It is. If people ever get a chance to check out one of the conventions, next year it's in Las Vegas, the NFB, National Federation of the Blind Convention will be in Las Vegas, and I believe it runs from July 7th to July 12th, and ACB will be in Rochester, New York. I believe that will be before that, I don't think they're going to be running overlapping, I think they'll probably be going from ... my guess will be from the 1st to the 9th or something. I know ACB is a little bit longer, but they have a lot more fun activities, lots of walks, lots of, I don't know, boat rides and all sorts of stuff outside the area, a lot of busing around to do things, but they seem to make it a really social type of atmosphere at those. Jeff Thompson: And the NFB is I would say mostly locked into a lot of business and a lot of opportunities to get together with people. Serena Gilbert: And CSUN is in February. Jeff Thompson: End of February, that's right. And this time, it's moving to Anaheim, California. Serena Gilbert: And for those who don't know what CSUN is, it stands for California State University Northridge. From what my understanding is, is it's the biggest assistive technology conference for bling and low vision, at least in the North America, maybe even the world. And very large names come into that, that's where a lot of new technology is introduced and talked about that's related to blind and low vision. It's kind of like a person like my like biggest dream, because I'm just a tech nerd. I've been trying to go there for years, but it never works out. But I think it might work out this year, hint, hint. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I'm really excited about it because I haven't ever gone to one of those, and you hear about it, and you hear a lot about the tech stuff, that's really what it is. But there's also a lot of breakout rooms, like Microsoft might have three different sessions that they're talking about, Google would be there with sessions that you can go into and they'll talk about their accessibility and the development that they're doing with the Chromebook and what is the ... don't they have Voice Box or something like that? Serena Gilbert: Chromebox. Jeff Thompson: Chromevox. Serena Gilbert: Chrome ... yeah, it's like their built in screen reader for their Chromebooks. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). And I was talking to them and they wanted to give me a demonstration, but I had to move over to the Amazon because I got an interview with none other than Peter Korn. Amazon's Peter Korn. And there's one thing that I really want to make a point of at conventions, the things that are changing at conventions when you go into the exhibit halls, it used to be where's the JAWS? Where are they? Where's Hinter Joyce now it's VFO, where's Humanware, all these different places that we would flock to. Now you walk in, front and center you've got Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Aira, they've taken over the front of the convention hall. Kind of reminds me of Walmart coming into a small town, Walmart comes in and a lot of the small mom and pop shops disappear. Jeff Thompson: Well, it's not really happening like that to effect, but look how many timers are being sold by Maxi Aids when you can use your Amazon device, your Google device, your Siri, what time is it? Set timer. So a lot of the gidgets and gadgets have gone to the wayside, a lot of these devices, we're changing and it's starting to show in the convention. How many times has Microsoft ever showed up to an NFB convention? Two? Google, once? Now we Amazon, twice. Where's it going to be in five years? HIMS didn't even show up. Serena Gilbert: Oh wow. Jeff Thompson: So I think we're in for a change, more of the mainstream companies are starting to take over the products, making things accessible and that's what we want. So seeing these big companies come in and things might be more mainstream. They send in their people who are involved with the accessibility at the company, Peter Korn, he was an accessibility director, all the way back to Kindle his department went. So it was really neat to see them all there in full force, all about accessibility. Serena Gilbert: That's great. Sounds like you had fun. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Oh yeah. And I even went to convention. No, it was a lot of fun. Serena Gilbert: I even attended some breakout sessions. Jeff Thompson: It's really neat to meet people because that's what it is about networking, you know. You really get an opportunity to meet some interesting people with very like mindedness, people who have overcome the struggles and the challenges ahead of you with blindness as you go through your journey, so a lot of success stories there, and I captured a few of them that you'll be listening to, some job extras. Hey, if we were in the Tupperware, we'd be a Tupperware party, right? Serena Gilbert: Yes. Jeff Thompson: But it's always nice to get back home, you know, after you go to the convention, it's nice to get back home. You get too much of the different foods, different people, different stuff, and all the congestion, it's 2500 canes and dogs, elevators and all that. It's almost like you need more noise, heck, let's bring it to Vegas, that'll be a lot better. And then you have gambling machines going ding, ding, ding. To me it almost gets to a point of aggravation in Vegas. So I don't know, I imagine it'll be quite a trip. Serena Gilbert: Oh gosh, that could be stimulation overload, like, man ... Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, when you're actually just trying to figure out where you're going and your cane- Serena Gilbert: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: Tapping, how you use all the sounds to identify things and all you need is two people to win the jackpot and you get lost, like it's crazy. Serena Gilbert: Yeah. And that casino ... well, none of the casinos are really very well lit. For low vision. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, it's really interesting to meet all sorts of different people. Well it's all over for this year, now we get to wait for the next one, and like you said, it's CSUN isn't it? CSUN 2019. Serena Gilbert: If I have my luck at a yes. Jeff Thompson: There you go. The thing about CSUN, I would in advance try and find a place there because the hotels are pretty expensive, and Anaheim I don't think is any cheaper. Serena Gilbert: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: Usually when I go to a convention, on January 1st is when I do the stuff for the summer ones, so when you're talking CSUN, when you find out exactly which hotel it is, I would start looking probably around Thanksgiving time, start looking for those hotel rooms, because they fill up fast and then they go to an overflow, and overflow is not as much fun. Serena Gilbert: Yeah, that's not where the party's at. Jeff Thompson: But yeah, CSUN, Anaheim, I think I'll be there. You? Serena Gilbert: I don't know Jeff, will I? Jeff Thompson: We'll have to see. Serena Gilbert: To be continued. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. So stay tuned folks for more podcasts from Job Insights, my name's Jeff Thompson and you can find me at KnownAsJeff on Twitter. Serena Gilbert: And I'm Serena Gilbert, you can find me at BlindyBlog, that's @ B-L-I-N-D-Y, B-L-O-G. Cue fancy music. Jeff Thompson: I'm going to leave that. Thank you for listening to this Job Insights extra. And be sure to check out all the Job Insights podcasts on BlindAbilities.com. Big thank you to Cheechau for your beautiful music. And that's Lcheechau on Twitter. Jeff Thompson: Once again, thanks for listening. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye bye.   [Music]  [Transition noise]  -   When we share, What we see, Through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.   Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store:  'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.      

 Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Carving His Pathway Towards Success, Meet Simon Bonenfant   Full Transcript Below Blind Abilities presents the TVI Toolbox. Where the collaboration between Teachers, Counselors, Parents, Agencies and the Students themselves help enhance the opportunities for success. Transitioning from high school to college and the workplace is a major step and the beginning of lifetime goals and aspirations. As Simon Bonenfant , this month’s featured interview, talks about his goals and what he is doing to enhance his opportunities and gain the skills to succeed. Simon is entering Geometry and Physics and showing the self-confidence he has about his skills, tools and support system, Simon will make this all happen in order to achieve his career that he wants. Join Simon Bonenfant and Jeff Thompson in this introduction to Simon and be sure to stay tuned when Simon returns to tell us all about his experience he gained from summer camp. You can follow Simon on Twitter @TheTechKid123and on Skype at TheTechKid55. You can find out more about Independence Science at www.IndependenceScience.com and follow on Twitter @IndSci From the TVI’s to the Agency counselor’s and program specialist, working together along with parents as well, is creating more opportunities and successes for Transition age students. Sharing experiences through Success Stories, sharing programs that make a positive impact, sharing ideas, findings, upcoming events and the Tools for Success all play a part in making the transition process a natural progression and better understood by all. Check out your State Services by searching the Services Directory on the AFB.org web site. State Services for the Blind of Minnesota We offer tools and training for employment and for helping seniors remain independent and active. As Minnesota’s accessible reading source we also transcribe books and other materials into alternative formats, including audio and braille. We assist Minnesotans who are blind, DeafBlind, losing vision, or who have another disability that makes it difficult to read print. I hope you find what you need here. We’ve also created a Tips for Using Our New Website page. If you’d like to apply for services, learn more, or have more questions, just give us a call. You’ll find contact information for all of our offices on our contact page, or you can call our main office at 651-539-2300. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Full Transcript;    Science, Technology, Engineering and Math: Carving His Pathway Towards Success, Meet Simon Bonenfant   Speaker 1: The special education teacher and I, we worked on technology. We looked at different job options and job opportunities, and career opportunities. Speaker 2: Use state services for the blind all the way through college. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to TVI Toolbox. Speaker 4: Part of the blind skills that I had to learn which helped me with my job is I have to be really on top of things. Jeff Thompson: Success stories of students on their journey through the transition process from high school to college to the workplace. With agency professionals, teachers of the visually impaired, parents of students and the students themselves. What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? What's in your toolbox? Simon Bonenfant: I just finished doing algebra, math and now I'm going into geometry next year and I'm also going to be taking physics next week. Jeff Thompson: Meet high school student, Simon Bonenfant. Simon Bonenfant: Hopefully going to be using equipment from a company called Independent Science, which a good friend of mine Cary Supalo, he runs that company and he made all different talking science equipment and I'm going to be using that for my physics next year. Jeff Thompson: Working through science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Simon Bonenfant: I'm not exactly sure what college I want to go to exactly but I know a career I want to get into. Jeff Thompson: Working on independence, working on striving to be the best that he can be. Simon Bonenfant: Network with lots of different people who have done what you are looking to do. Jeff Thompson: You can find more TVI Toolbox episodes on the web at www.blindabilities.com. You can also find our Job Insights episodes where we focus on vocational rehab and transitioning to the workplace. Simon Bonenfant: And so often I've met people who have finished their journey but say they wish that they found the people they did at a younger age because they can network and mentor more. Jeff Thompson: And now welcome, soon to be 10th grader, self-driven, Simon Bonenfant. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson and I'm at the National Federation of the Blind Convention 2018 in Orlando, Florida. And I caught up with an old friend of mine. I shouldn't say an old friend of mine but a friend of mine from back in the Audioboom days and his name is Simon Bonenfant. How are you doing, Simon? Simon Bonenfant: I'm doing good how are you, Jeff? Jeff Thompson: Good. Just surprised to catch up with you because I've known you for four, five years and here we are here. You looked me up and it's just a great time to catch up with you and your mom. Simon Bonenfant: Oh yeah it is, has been. Jeff Thompson: So this is your second convention. Simon Bonenfant: My third. Jeff Thompson: Third. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I'm enjoying the convention, I'm enjoying the exhibit hall mostly and I also want to mention to you that I also live in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Jeff Thompson: What keeps bringing you back to the convention? Simon Bonenfant: I've been a part of NFB for a very long time and I have a lot of friends here that I know including you, Jeff, as one of mine. And I also enjoy learning about the technology too. I use a lot of HumanWare products and I use Apple products so I went to the different seminars and the different exhibit booths that have been here and I really enjoy that part of it. Jeff Thompson: What's your big excitement in the exhibits this year? Simon Bonenfant: I like the Google booth. I went to the Google booth I saw the Google Home that's the smart speaker that they have. I also went to Freedom Scientific that was very nice, cool. Yeah so I went to those booths. I enjoy that. Jeff Thompson: Did you get a load of the Aira stuff going on? Simon Bonenfant: Yeah I heard about Aira. I heard about that and it's very nice program. I heard that they have a free program for the people at the convention. Jeff Thompson: Yeah that program you can download the app right to your phone. You call up an agent and get service that way. Did you give that a try yet? Simon Bonenfant: No, I did not. I might do that maybe today or tomorrow just download the app and see if I can use it. And I heard about the there's glasses you can use too. Jeff Thompson: The new Horizon glasses just came out so give that a shot, get some instant access to information. So you went to the sessions and how were they going today? Simon Bonenfant: They were very good. I went to the general session today and that was very nice. And the part I like the most is they did a ... every state got up and they talked about their attendance at the convention and every state got to talk about themselves a little bit. And it was kind of cool because for Pennsylvania, I think Pennsylvania cheered the loudest we were screaming and yelling and having a good time. But we actually chanted the Eagles chant because the Eagles are Super Bowl Champions this year so that was kind of fun. Jeff Thompson: Rub it in. Rub it in. So you're going to a camp in a couple of weeks here? Simon Bonenfant: Yes I am. Yes, I'm going to a place called the Summer Academy down in Penn State Pennsylvania. It's a three week camp. They teach all blindness skills. They teach daily living skills, cane travel. They do all that kind of thing. It's going to be good for me because I'll be getting my independence and I'm actually going into 10th grade in high school. I've been getting more independent. I've actually done a lot of getting independent in this convention I've met a lot of people. And I actually was able to navigate the exhibit all myself, which at first I thought it was going to be giving me a little trouble but I made it around. I made it through and I found what I was looking for. I got around so I'm going to that camp for three weeks next Saturday actually I'll be leaving for that camp. Yeah I will be doing that and maybe I'll give a little recap on one ability after that of how it went and all. Jeff Thompson: Oh, we'll look forward to that. Can you tell us a little bit about your mathematics and your science and your school? Simon Bonenfant: Yes, well I just finished doing algebra, math and now I'm going into geometry next year. And I'm also going to be taking physics next year. It's going to be an interesting process for me. Jeff Thompson: So what kind of tools do you use, what kind of adaptive technology or accessible devices, alternative techniques do you use in that area? Simon Bonenfant: Well, for school mostly I use a BrailleNote Touch by HumanWare that's a relatively new device. For math, last year, I actually transferred back over to a bit of a low tech solution. I transferred over to the Perkins Brailler which had used in my early days but I transferred back to that because I find it was easy for me to do equations and read all my lines better and things like that. And next year, I'll be going to physics and actually, well, hopefully going to be using equipment from a company called Independent Science which a good friend of mine, Cary Supalo, he runs that company and he made all different talking science equipment and I'm going to be using that for my physics next year. Jeff Thompson: So when you talk about HumanWare you talked about the BrailleNote Touch. Did you check out the Brailliant that they have out now? Simon Bonenfant: Yes I did. Yeah I actually went to a session on HumanWare and I heard about the Brailliant and I went to the booth and I took a look at that. And the BrailleNote Touch for those of you who don't know it's by HumanWare. It's actually a braille note taker running Android on it. So, it's basically the first modern blind note taker and it's actually a certified Google tablet. And what's kind of neat is any kind of app that's on the Google Play store which is sort of like the Android of Apple so say equivalent to the Apple App store. So, anything that's on the Google Play store can be downloaded to the BrailleNote Touch and be used. And so it really opens up the playing field for the blind of note taking to have equal access to a lot of different, more opportunities and programs. Simon Bonenfant: And another thing that's neat about it is it has a screen on the device and what that's used for is blind users can actually type on the screen, type braille on the screen and it can be displayed for sighted viewing so it's really bridging the gap of blind and sighted. I've said this to a lot of people that out of all the generations and decades to be blind, this is probably the most exciting, and most fun and most accommodating era because of all this technology that's there. It's really accommodating. Jeff Thompson: Yeah I can tell your passion when you started talking about technology. What other type of technology do you utilize for school? Simon Bonenfant: Well I use a MacBook, I have the MacBook Boot Camp so I'm running Windows on it and I use that for Microsoft Word and other applications like that. I use this screen reader called NVDA which is a free screen reader, stands for Non Visual Desktop Access. And I also use JAWS as well. I also use iPhone which has been very helpful for me. An iPhone is a great tool. I've used seeing AI and other different apps like that. Jeff Thompson: Oh great, you're in the 10th grade and you got summer camp coming up here. Have you been starting to look towards college in the near future? Simon Bonenfant: Yes, I have been. I'm not exactly sure what college I want to go to exactly but I know a career I want to get into. I want to work as a technology teacher for the blind. And teaching JAWS, NVDA, voiceover, things like that. Because in my state and the country there's a real need for that expertise in the blind world. You know there is always something I heard from people that, "If you love what you do you never work a day in your life." And me doing that job would be me not working a day in my life because I have a passion for teaching people technology. And I'm actually starting, I'm trying to, in the future, hopefully I'll be starting a little bit of a tutoring business of tutoring people on using technology, assistance technology devices on trying to get that started in the near future. Jeff Thompson: I heard you're actually helping other students, tutoring them. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I have been doing that. Yeah. Jeff Thompson: What's that like? Simon Bonenfant: That's been good. I really want to give back to my community and technology is the way that I can do that. I would kind of say that I'm kind of like self-taught in technology. I'm involved in an online blind community on the service called Skype and a few other places where they kind of get me into using all kind of technology. I never really got any formal school training in technology and all it's been kind of me asking people or me just kind of playing around with programs and getting the knowledge, and I want to give back to the people in the community who are learning or to have an outlet where they can ask questions and talking things. In my technology exploration was when I found Audioboom which is where the Blind Abilities communities’ community channel started and I was involved with that for a very long time. Jeff Thompson: And you were actually part of that. You're part of the community that helped make that keep going for four years. Simon Bonenfant: I was and I tell people about my technology journey, I always imagine Audioboom because that was a real good outlet for me. I learned a lot. I met a lot of people through that community. It was really like a family, like a Blind Abilities family. So that's what it was kind of like. Jeff Thompson: I can't help but the time I heard your voice break it was really something because you were kind of like the child of the group, was like the kid. Also when you came on one time on a YouTube video you were speaking for your school, fundraising I believe it was. Also and I called my wife, Lorie, I said, "It's Simon, his voice changed." Simon Bonenfant: Yes I was doing some fundraising for school. The school that I previously went to was a school for the blind called St. Lucy School that's in Philadelphia. And I went there for all my grade school and that was a very nice school. That taught me a lot of good things. Taught me how to use a cane, cane travel, and braille. And it really taught me to be mainstream in a sighted classroom where I am in high school now, because it's the only blind school in the country that has a certain setup. And the way that they run their school is they actually partner up with a sighted school and they merged the blind students in with the sighted students and that gets the blind students, that gets us ready for high school and the challenges that's going to face and that has helped me tremendously. Now I can say I'm in a mainstream school called Archbishop Carroll High School. And the school I'm going to now is Catholic school and the St. Lucy School that's the blind school that one is Catholic as well. That's been my kind of schooling and education. Jeff Thompson: In that process, have you used teachers for the visually impaired like TVI's that are provided by the districts? Simon Bonenfant: Yes. I am working with one currently with two actually. Two teachers of visually impaired that are very good to me, they work very well with me. Jeff Thompson: Oh that's great. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah they're very good they help me with math and technology and a lot of other good things and they're very good. Jeff Thompson: A good resource. Simon Bonenfant: Oh yeah, very good. Jeff Thompson: So Simon, what advice would you have for someone who is in high school and considering transitioning into college one of these days and employment or going to camps or stuff like that? What advice would you have for them as they look forward to this journey? Simon Bonenfant: Well one advice I would have for them is network with lots of different people who have done what you are looking to do and find information from them. I know that some of my best friends are my best mentors and that's because I've reached out to them and talked to them. One of my friends, her name is Marta, she's an independent blind woman, and she went through a training center and she's one of my role models. And that's because she went through the things that I am planning to do and would like to do for my life, and I use her and you Jeff and people all from Blind Abilities as a resource because it's people that have gone through what I'm planning to go through. It's good to tap in and network to people that's how you find about things, like I found NFB. Simon Bonenfant: And so often I've met people who have finished their journey but say they wish that they found the people they did at a younger age because they can network and mentor more. Meet as many people and ask some questions as many people as you need to and as you want to and that are going into your same fields. And I would also say too, keep an open mind and meet people who are maybe not going into the exact same thing that you want to go into but you can learn something from everyone in this world. Jeff Thompson: That's great. Well Simon, thank you so much for taking your time out of the convention. I know those exhibits are a lot more fun than sitting with me doing a podcast. Simon Bonenfant: Oh it's a great time, definitely great. Jeff Thompson: But it's been a long time coming. Like we said Audioboom was something where we all met, a big community and now there's hundreds of us out there and we get to meet up sooner or later. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, I've known you for four years. I just figured that out today, I've known you since 2014 when I came on to Audioboom. Jeff Thompson: Well, now you're on Blind Abilities podcast. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, yeah there you go. Jeff Thompson: Alright, thank you very much Simon. Simon Bonenfant: Yeah, thank you. Jeff Thompson: Simon, if someone is interested in learning from you and want to get a hold of you how can they do that? Simon Bonenfant: Well, there's a few ways. You can either access me via Twitter @thetechkid123. That's t-h-e-t-e-c-h-k-i-d-1-2-3. And you can also find me where I most am more responsive is via Skype, and my Skype name is blindkid55, that's b-l-i-n-d-k-i-d-5-5. Jeff Thompson: All right, thank you. Simon Bonenfant: Thank you. Jeff Thompson: Such a great time to finally meet up with Simon Bonenfant. He's got such great self-determination and drive, I'm sure he's going to succeed in all his endeavors. Jeff Thompson: And if you or someone you know who is visually impaired or blind, be sure they contact their state services, their vocational rehab and begin to carve out your pathway to success today. And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. You can follow Chee Chau on Twitter @lcheechau. Jeff Thompson: I want to thank you all for listening. We hope you enjoyed. And until next time, bye bye.   [Music]  [Transition noise] When we share what we see through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at:info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.

Meet Kristen Steele: Advocate, Massage Therapist, Aira Explorer and Braille Enthusiast #NFB18   Kristen Steele is a Massage Therapist, an Aira Explorer and an advocate who believes in fighting for what she wants and making sure others benefit as well in the long run. Her experiences are readily available as she shares her journey through gaining employment, advocating for accommodations and giving us a glimpse into the accessible tools she employs on a daily basis.   Kristen is an Aira Explorer and has utilized the Aira service in the job application process and as a daily tool to gain instant access to information when she needs it. She also fought the education system when she insisted on taking her test with Braille instead of the choice the school offered. She stuck it out and with the help of the NFB and encouragement from others, Kristen has opened the doors for others that will come behind her. She realizes that advocacy is not just for the self and that the time is well spent when the changes one is making will impact the future for others.   Join Kristen Steele as she talks about her journey, her job and the challenges she has overcome. From school to the workplace, from legal battles to success, Kristen hopes all of you can learn from her experiences and her successes.   If you have any questions for Kristen, you can contact her by email.   If you want to know more about Aira and the services they provide, check them out on the web and become an Aira Explorer today! www.Aira.io [caption id="attachment_2435" align="aligncenter" width="200"]Image of the Aira Logo[/caption] Your Life, Your Schedule, Right Now. Using augmented reality, Aira connects people who are blind or low vision to a trained professional agent who is dedicated to further enhancing their everyday experience – completely hands-free assistance at the touch of a button.   You can learn more about the National Federation of the Blind on the web at www.NFB.org   Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store   Full Transcript: Meet Kristen Steele: Advocate, Massage Therapist, Aira Explorer and Braille Enthusiast #NFB18     Christen Steele: So, I had a resume that I had done a few months back, but it wasn't as up-to-date as I would like it and I wanted to find a way that I could have it formatted and centered with all the headings in bold. I decided to use Aira, which is a service that will be a visual interpreter. Jeff Thompson: Meet Christen Steele, massage therapist, Aira explorer, advocate for the blind.   Christen Steele: And I talked to Mark Riccobono, who is the current president of the National Federation of the Blind. We were on the phone for about an hour one morning and he really turned me and told me to wait. He said, "It's not just for you, it's for other people." There's so many things that are best to look at in braille. Your bank statements. I just wouldn't have the peace of mind, the confidence, going around this hotel this week. The room numbers, it's accessible if you know braille. Jeff Thompson: Christen talks about the accessible tools that she used to succeed on the job.   Christen Steele: There's pictures and I type it in to my Braille Note and then I disconnect with the agent and go grab the client. Jeff Thompson: And how she built relationships with her instructors to receive the best accommodations possible.   Christen Steele: So, he was already thinking of ways to type up picture descriptions of the muscles or have me feel a skeleton hands-on. Jeff Thompson: You can find more podcasts with the blindness perspective on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com, on Twitter at Blind Abilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the App Store and the Google Play Store. That's two words, Bling Abilities. You can also follow Job Insights, where we talk about the challenges and the successes of transitioning from high school to college to the work place and you can find Job Insights on the Blind Abilities network, www.BlindAbilities.com and on Twitter at Job Insights VIP.   Christen Steele: And he was asking me what format to convert his Power Points into and I left that day and I'm like, "He just got it." Jeff Thompson: And now let's meet Christen Steele. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson. Today with National Federation of the Blind Convention in Orlando, Florida 2018, and we are talking to Christen Steele. Christen, how are you doing?   Christen Steele: Good. How are you? Jeff Thompson: I'm doing good. Christen, why don't you tell our listeners a little about yourself.   Christen Steele: Okay. Thanks, Jeff, for the invitation to be on this podcast. My name is Christen Steele and I'm a licensed massage therapist. I currently work at Synergy Advanced Massage Therapy in Ralston, Nebraska. I started there in May of 2018. So, it took me a little while to find what I would consider more of a perfect job. The kind you are looking for that you intend to stay for a couple of years or maybe 10 years down the road and it adds a few extra barriers when you live with a visual impairment when you go through the application process, the interview, the decision of acceptance. So, I just wanted to share my story to maybe give other bling listeners an idea of how the process works and to connect with others who have been in the same circumstances. Jeff Thompson: So, Christen, when your job research start?   Christen Steele: I was working at a couple of massage places, a physical therapy clinic was one in Council Bluffs, and it was okay, but I wasn't very happy with the hours they were giving me and the pay, so I kept looking on Indeed, which is a job sharing website. I was just glancing around for any openings in the area and one day when I wasn't looking, I was just scrolling through my Facebook feed in the morning, I saw a post on this group, Massage Professionals Omaha, it was someone from Synergy looking for another therapist to join their team. Jeff Thompson: And so you went on about that. How did you work your application?   Christen Steele: Well, the interview ad for the job application requested a resume. So, I had a resume that I had done a few months back, but it wasn't as up-to-date as I would like it and I wanted to find a way that I could have it formatted and centered with all the headings in bold so that they wouldn't know I'm blind until I come in to the interview and I can be judged equally. I had decided to use Aira, which is a service that will be a visual interpreter for the blind. They call themselves the description of life and as a monthly plan, when you're an Aira explorer, you pay a straight fee once a month for the number of minutes you receive with an agent and they will do anything for you from navigating to reading mail to formatting documents.   Christen Steele: So I sent an agent who picked up my resume by email and told them how I'd like to format it and it took her about 20 minutes and she was very thorough asking me everything from, "What would you like bolded?" or, "Would you like it on two pages?" "How do you want your references listed?" And by the time I was finished I was confident that I had a perfect resume. So I sent it off at about 11:00 a.m. in the morning and by 12:00, an hour later, I received a callback. Jeff Thompson: Congratulations.   Christen Steele: Thank you. I was shocked. I looked at the number and it looked like the one that was on the bottom of their job ad. Like, "They can't have received it already." But I went ahead and took the call and they wanted to schedule an interview with me. Jeff Thompson: Was that by phone, by in person?   Christen Steele: They scheduled the interview over the phone. They wanted to meet in person and they asked if I could come. The next available time slot was a couple of days later and they said they were in search of someone rather quickly because it was a busy clinic. Jeff Thompson: Disclosure, obviously, when you would go your guide dog spelled it out right to them when you arrived and all that. Were you apprehensive? Were you ... Any anxiety or anything? I suppose, it's a job interview too.   Christen Steele: Yeah, anxiety comes anyway. But I had met the owner several months back. I took a CEU on hot and cold stone therapy, so she had met me a couple of days for a short class, but I didn't know if she remembered me and by the sound of that phone call I didn't think she did, so I figured I would just go in. And the day of the interview happened to be the day after my guide dog had surgery, so I was even more nervous because I had to take my cane, which I hadn't used in a few months, and find this suite number inside a building and then find a place to sit down and not be awkward about it so she wouldn't know I hadn't used it in a while. But I entered the suite, found it after asking a couple of people and she automatically said, "Oh, where's Corvette today?" So, she remembered and I think that just lessened it a little bit, making me feel like she knew me and it was okay because she was willing to consider me anyway.   Christen Steele: But normally, disclosure's kind of a large issue for going into an interview blind because there's this whole debate. Do you disclose on the phone if it's a phone interview? Do you disclose in person when you meet them? I typically do it in person because I always think that if you have the chance to get an interview, why not let them judge you equally and consider your qualifications and then decide, once they meet you after you can, in a sense, prove yourself and demonstrate your skills and what technology we use to make it accessible. Jeff Thompson: Plus that gives you a great opportunity to put them at ease if they have any questions that come up at the time.   Christen Steele: Exactly. And then you can show them how I do things in braille. And one of the things I showed her during the interview, she was asking, how will you take a client back and do the intake, and we're all independent contractors, so she said no one's going to be here all day every day. And I pulled out Aira, which has a phone and then a set of glasses that connects via Bluetooth to a hotspot and called an agent just to demonstrate during the interview process what that would be like. And at first she was very concerned about HIPPA and privacy. How will these clients not have their information placed all over on the internet? And she didn't realize the quality of the company.   Christen Steele: I think in her mind she thought it was some volunteer driving down the road looking at this out the corner of their eye, but once I emailed Amy Bernal, the Vice President of Customer Experience at Aira, she's excellent and I've worked with her a lot in the past, she sent me a PDF of their confidentiality contract and the background checks that the agents go through and that really put the employer at ease. Jeff Thompson: Well, that's really great that Aira would do that to help support your initiative for working.   Christen Steele: They're awesome about supporting and they even offered to get on a conference call with my employer to describe their agents and describe some of their qualifications, but after I sent that PDF it wasn't really necessary and I still use them for reading forms to this day. Jeff Thompson: Can you describe what it's like to put on the glasses and all of a sudden have instant access to information?   Christen Steele: So, it's pretty quick and instant. What happens when I'm getting ready for a client, say I have a massage at 4:00 p.m., about five minutes til, I kind of wait til they walk in, grab the intake form and hand it to them and I go back in the room and just check to make sure everything's on and ready and then connect to an agent. So, you wear a pair of glasses and they're updating these right now, but the current version I have has a camera on the right side of your right lens and then that connects to a MiFi hotspot from Verizon and then you manage the app through your iPhone.   Christen Steele: So, I call an agent from the glass and they can basically see, I would say, from 45 degrees to your left and 45 degrees to your right and then a straight on view. If you have something like a printed paper with handwriting where people write on the lines, think when you go to the doctor, you're filling out this form with your personal information, your medications, and all of your health records, they take a picture of that and then I flip it over, they take a picture of the other side and it's immediately, I would say, within about 30 seconds, they're reading off both those pictures and I type it into my Braille Note and they I disconnect with the agent and go grab the client.   Christen Steele: And it's so freeing to think about in a profession where we have so many visual aspects such as knowing if the client is there, where are they sitting, and where were the intake forms placed by the last massage therapist and what they all say in handwriting. It's amazing to think that technology these days can make that all streamlined and accessible. Jeff Thompson: Well, that's great. Hey, are there any other accessibility tools or alternative techniques that you use on the job?   Christen Steele: I use, there's an app called Seeing AI and there's another one that I also like called Envision AI, it's a little better, but it's paid. But Seeing AI will tell me things like if the table warmer is on or they can read a bottle of oil and it's really not a live person, it's artificial intelligence, so you can hold your phone over a piece of paper and as long as it's not handwritten, they're not the best with that, but if it's print or if it's a digital display like a table warmer, it will read off instantly what is on that display and give me access to anything such as currency for checking a tip before someone walks out the door and then it will read things like the microwave sometimes or if I have gel or lotion. So, it's just some simple things that make it worth it to have apps on hand and your phone in your pocket. Jeff Thompson: That's great. So, let's go back a little bit. Coming out of high school and transitioning into getting your certification, what was that process like for you?   Christen Steele: I graduated high school mid-term, so I had enough credits and they decided with my AIP team that since my grade-point average was where I wanted it, 4.0, I graduated mid-term and then starting in the fall of 2015, I had plans to go to University of Nebraska at Omaha. I wanted to originally pursue education. I was thinking of becoming a middle school English teacher, and I did a semester of coursework there. One of my assignments for a public speaking class, which really turned my thought process and my career path, was a speech where you had to interview someone from the career field you're entering.   Christen Steele: So I did a lot of research and I was determined to find a blind teacher, there aren't many, and I found a blind English teach in Indiana. She actually won teacher of the year. Her name is Kathy Nemmer and I interviewed her. She just talked about how it was accessible to a point, but she's in her 40s, I can't remember, somewhere like 48, and said that she spends most of her days on a computer whether it's lesson planning, grading, getting back to parents. She's not married. She doesn't have any real hobbies outside of work. And she estimated about 16 hours spent on the computer and in the classroom.   Christen Steele: I just thought back a little bit. I wanted more of a lifestyle and a balance between my life and my work. There's a point where you can accommodate and you can spend extra time reading braille because it takes about double the time, but do you want to spend 16 hours a day fighting for something? So, after I shifted my career path from teaching, I was trying to decide what I would be interested in as well as I wanted to be right in the front lines with people, helping others to do some kind of service for anyone in need of any maybe attention, help, some kind of comforting. I didn't know at the time. I was thinking possibly nursing, something in the medical field. My dad and my uncle are both pharmacists, so any kind of medical jobs always interest me.   Christen Steele: When I was little I would go back, even before I could walk, I would sit on the pharmacy counter and crawl over the back and be in the pharmacy and count pills. He had this little board that looked like a cutting board and you had a spatula, basically, that would move the pills off the board into this container on the side and then you would dump them in the pill bottle and my dad would put me to work. Even sometimes in the summers I'll still go there. But I just wanted something to where I would have a niche and possibly something that would be medically oriented or along the same field as some of my family members.   Christen Steele: I had a blind friend who is a licensed massage therapist. I started calling her and talking to her a little more. I even came to her house for a massage once and then I was looking into school. She recommended a couple in Omaha, but one stood out to me. It was Midwest School of Massage. I did a lot of research and spent late nights on the computer and Midwest School of Massage looked to be the most accommodating in part because it was taught by two instructors. One was the anatomy, physiology, and pathology instructor and one did more of the outer modalities like reflexology and hot stone.   Christen Steele: So I toured that school and it was just exceptional to walk in to a place where someone gets it. You go to some interviews and they ask questions where you can tell they're not understanding completely what it's like to be a braille reader or what it's like to not be able to look at the board during class. So, he was already thinking of ways to type up picture descriptions of the muscles or have me feel a skeleton hands-on and he was asking me what format to convert his Power Points into. And I left that day and I'm like, "He just got it."   Christen Steele: So I applied to Midwest School of Massage. It's about a year program and it's 200 clinical hours in addition to that curriculum. And it was the best educational experience I've had to this day. The instructor was off on Fridays and he came in several times just to give me one-on-one instruction. He always gave me his cell phone number and said, "If you're not understanding a concept or if you want me to re-explain a technique, just give me a call and we'll meet here on Friday." I've never had an instructor in my life do that. You're always tracking them down and trying to find when can we meet.   Christen Steele: But after I graduated with 4.0 in massage therapy, I took the Massage and Bodywork Licensing Examination called the MBLEx and that took a lot of advocacy. It had never been in braille before, so when I applied, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards wanted me to take it with a human reader. I started thinking and stressing and getting all this anxiety about readers. I've had so many in college who cannot speak English well, do not know the terminology in the field. It's just not worth basing my score on other people's perceptions of the content or other people's human errors.   Christen Steele: So we did litigation against the Federation of State Massage Therapy Board. I had Disability Rights Iowa and Brown, Goldstein, and Levy working for me funded by the NFB and after about seven or eight months, we passed a settlement agreement and I was the first person to advocate for the MBLEx in braille and still, several people are trying to achieve the same settlement and I think they will. It's now possible for the first time ever to pass the exam in braille. And I give them all the credit for my score. I don't think I would have passed it with a reader. It was so long, four hours, a hundred questions, all multiple choice, and the questions were so similar that it's one of those things you have to look at it. Jeff Thompson: And you were able to do that independently.   Christen Steele: Yes. I took it on a Focus 40 with JAWS. I had a human reader there just in case something crashed or if it wasn't loading correctly, but it all worked out and I did request from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards that the human reader be from a medical profession. She was an occupational therapist and she was very patient about double checking what I had clicked or telling me how many questions I had remaining and it honestly couldn't have gone any better if I tried. Jeff Thompson: That's awesome for you to use advocacy and to get what you wanted that you knew you could do best if you had it in braille format and what you're doing for everyone else that come into the field behind you.   Christen Steele: Yeah. I really struggled with the decision on waiting because I'd finished my clinical hours in February 2017 and at that point the litigation was still underway and we were deciding whether we wanted a hearing so we were kind of in the middle, wavering out the options and I was working with Ty Tomasse from Iowa. I had several phone calls with her and I asked her if it was her exam for law school would she wait. And I talked to Mark Riccobono, who is the current president of the National Federation of the Blind. We were on the phone for about an hour one morning and he really turned me and told me to wait. He said, "It's not just for you, it's for other people," and it was courageous that I was taking the time to wait for braille literacy who, anyone could benefit, any massage therapist 20 years down the road. So, it was a huge change, but I'm glad we waited and made it possible. Jeff Thompson: What advice would you have for someone who is debating between using books on tape or learning braille, because some people aren't encouraged and it's not their fault they didn't decide to do it. Sometimes TBI, sometimes other people who are supposed to be influencing their success in some way may not say that braille is the best choice if you can kind of see or something. So, what would you suggest to them?   Christen Steele: I've seen this question a lot. I'm in this Facebook group called Parents of Blind Children and so many parents who have these kids in their elementary or middle school years debate on this topic. But I would say it's definitely worth the time to learn braille and the best thing you can do to learn braille is continue reading it whether it's children's books or a novel or your favorite short story, just get something in front of you and the more you read it and practice and say the words after you've read it and just immerse yourself, the more you will increase your speed, increase your accuracy.   Christen Steele: And the main thing, I remember I told my mom I was glad I learned braille when I did. I received an email a couple of months back. It was someone wanting an editor and I think it was spam, I don't know how they got my email, but I had edited for a creative writing publication in the past so I opened it on my phone and just listened with voiceover. I'm like, "Oh, this sounds interesting." And I got my Braille Note out to look at it further and they spelled writing R-I-G-H-T-I-N-G. I'm like, "This is a scam." Delete. Delete. T-O-O they had tried to write, it was T-O. I'm like, "Okay, a voiceover user wouldn't know that." And you could be scammed.   Christen Steele: There's so many things that are best to look at in braille. Your bank statements. I just wouldn't have the peace of mind, the confidence. Going around this hotel this week, the room numbers, it's accessible if you know braille. Anything from labeling items around the house just at your fingertips. If you want to jot down a note, it's accuracy and it brings you a lot more independence. Jeff Thompson: Christen, what advice would you give to someone who is in high school and looking for their future in employment?   Christen Steele: Be creative, but be realistic. I know a couple of people, one of them is blind and he wants to be a sportscaster. It's his dream job, but maybe he will do it someday, maybe he won't, but in my mind I'm just thinking, he can't see the game himself, how is he going to broadcast and there's so many places that are going to wonder that when you interview. So, think realistically. It doesn't have to be just a career for blind people, but something to the point where you can find your calling that you're interested in whether it's the medical field, English, any kind of degree that you would go on, associates, bachelors, even higher if you wish, but think of something that will bring you excitement and pride and be happy at the end of the day, but then be realistic that you can make this successful. Jeff Thompson: That's great advice. Now, being a fluent braille user, what kind of tools in braille do you use?   Christen Steele: I mainly use a Braille Note Touch and that has a braille display and a keyboard, but it also has a screen that you can flip up, which is nice for some of the apps. But I loved having the apps in braille from Google Play, so I have my bank account on there, I have all my Word documents, which is equivalent to a sighted person with a spiral bound notebook. I even have Amazon Kindle, BARD, Braille Terminal. I can connect it to my iPhone. I do all my massage scheduling, I have my app for that on here. And I just try to read braille every day whether it's a recipe or reading a book for leisure. It's something I look forward to when I sit down and relax for the night. Jeff Thompson: And that's a Humanware product.   Christen Steele: Yeah, that's by Humanware and sometimes I'll connect it to my iPhone just to have either Facebook or some website that's not very accessible at my fingertips. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's really neat. Christen, you mentioned earlier that you're a JAWS user so obviously you're using a PC.   Christen Steele: I have for certain exams. I don't really like screen readers to be honest and a lot of blind people swear by them, but I just like the accuracy and fluency of braille and it kind of drives me insane to listen to audio all day, so I do it if I have to and I know the basics of it, but if it was my choice I wouldn't do JAWS. Jeff Thompson: So, what kind of hobbies do you have?   Christen Steele: So, in my free time I enjoy swimming, I do a lot of tandem biking. We have an organization in Omaha called Outlook Nebraska and they do various activities for people with any kind of vision loss from bowling to bike rides even golf tournaments. I haven't tried that yet but I still want to. I like to do baking, shopping, any kind of reading. I go for a daily walk in the morning, that always wakes me up. But, yeah, even hanging out with friends and family. Jeff Thompson: Christen, is there anything else you would to say to the listeners? Christen Steele: I'd like to say to anyone out there just a little piece of advice. If you're thinking of advocating for something and you have a career path that you want to do or some college exam that's not currently accessible and you would like it to be in braille or you would like it be screen reader accessible, whatever method you prefer, go for it. Don't hold back because you're not only helping your grades and your life in the future, but you're doing it for all these other blind people. And when something doesn't work for one person or the MBLEx, for example, that I was taking, there's other people who have tried to take it and there will be other people 10 years down the road. So, you're not just alone, you're never alone. Fight for it and keep advocating. Jeff Thompson: Christen, thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy convention time you've scheduled at the convention here and thanks for all that you're doing for Aira and everybody else that ... You did volunteer time, you're down there doing popcorn, you're all over the place here and I think you're making a great impact. So, thank you very much.   Christen Steele: Thank you for invite. It was my pleasure. Jeff Thompson: Coverage of the 2018 National Federation of the Blind Convention is sponsored by Aira. And you can find Aira on the web at A-I-R-A dot I-O. Follow them on Twitter at A-I-R-A I-O. And thank you Chee Chau for the beautiful music. Follow Chee Chau on Twitter at El Cheechau. I want to thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed. Until next time, bye bye.   [Music]  [Transition noise]  -   When we share What we see through each other's eyes...   [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]   ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.   Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with the blindness perspective: Check us out on the web at www.BlindAbilities.com On Twitter @BlindAbilities Download our app from the App store: 'Blind Abilities'; that's two words. Or send us an e-mail at: info@blindabilities.com Thanks for listening.  

Humanware Brings it All to the Convention: Meet Sam AdlerSales Representative from humanWare   The Blind Abilities Team was out near the pool when we ran into Sam Adler from HumanWare. Sam tells us about the Humanware products, what’s new and what devices are available from Humanware. From low vision to 80 cel Braille devices including the latest Briliant 14, a handy companion that takes note taking to a very quick and efficiant level. Join Sam, Jeff and Nick as they sit poolside at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort whie attending the National Federation of the Blind Convention 2018. You can find out more about Humanware on the web at www.Humanware.com     Our NFB Convention 2018 coverage is sponsored by Aira and be sure to check out Aira on the web at www.Aira.ioand subscribe to the Aira service that best fits your lifestyle.   Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store. Get the Free blind Abilities App on the Google Play Store  

Attending The National Federation of The Blind Convention 2017

In this approximately 50-minute informal podcast, Allison, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker talk with Aira CEO Suman Kanuganti at the 2017 National Federation of the Blind Convention about this promising, new disruptive service that aims to give blind people “instant access to information” through the use of augmented reality and wearable technology. Listen or Pause: Suman… Finish Reading Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti

Lisa and Mel chat about the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind Convention, and how nice it was to meet many of our listeners. They gave away a Redpepper Waterproof Bluetooth 3.0 Speaker with Audio Tutorial in conjunction with Mystic Access, a sponsor of this podcast. Congratulations go to Cathy Long, who won this speaker and tutorial. The deadline to share your health journey in BlindAlive’s writing contest has been extended to November 15, 2016. You can read all the details in this blog post. To keep up with the latest news and to receive exclusive information and deals, subscribe to the newsletter from BlindAlive’s main page. Mel and Lisa round out their discussion by sharing some exciting changes to the website. Most notably, you can now order multiple items at once. Also, when you place an order, you can choose the zipped VERSION OF YOUR FILES to download on an iOS device. To do this, you will need a player capable of opening these files. Lisa recommends Voice Dream Reader in particular for its accessibility and overall ease of use. Our sponsor, Mystic Access, OFFERS A TUTORIAL THAT WALKS YOU THROUGH THIS APP, and of course, you can contact us for help placing and downloading your order. Next, Mel chats with Neil Ewers about the Instant Pot IP-Smart Bluetooth-Enabled Multifunctional Pressure Cooker. There is a wealth of information about this pot, and the accessible app that powers it. You can visit the manufacturorer’s website for recipes and additional information. Our friends at BlindBargains have done a review of this pot, and so have the fine folks at the Cooking with the Hazelnuts show. If you would like even more recipes, Bookshare has several titles on Pressure Cooking, and Hip Pressure Cooking, the book referenced in the app, is available through Kindle. Lisa concludes the podcast with a Bookit segment. This time, she discusses The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why It Matters, and What You Can Do to Get More of It by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. It is an enlightening, down-to-earth, science-based book, and is available through Bookshare, Audible, and anywhere books are sold. We welcome your feedback or questions! Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and our BlindAlive Community on Facebook. Be the first to know of new and exclusive promotions by Subscribing to our Newsletter. For more information on Eyes-Free Fitness® Workouts go to www.BlindAlive.com

Mel starts podcast 25 with an exciting announcement: The Gentle Workout Set is now available for purchase as a hardcopy CD on Amazon. If you live in or near Pennsylvania, Mel and Lisa would love to meet you. They will be exhibiting at the Pennsylvania Council of the Blind Convention in October, and the NFB of PA Convention in November. Mel then interviews Yvonne Felix from eSight Eyewear about an exciting piece of technology which can help those with Stargardt's Disease and other related visual conditions. For more information, visit their website or call eSight Eyewear at (855) 837-4448 Peggy Fleischer of "Let's Eat" fame is back, this time with a friend. Listen in awe as they discuss a revolutionary phenomenon sweeping the nation. You won't want to miss Wayne's Wonderful Washing Machine! Mel concludes the fun by mentioning she is trying out Periscope, and encouraging anyone who is interested to follow BlindAlive on that platform. We welcome your feedback or questions via the contact form You can also follow BlindAlive on Facebook Subscribe to the BlindAlive Community Twitter YouTube and LinkedIn