Podcasts about blind visually impaired

Joeita discusses tips and tricks for blind home cooks with Renee Rentmeester, executive producer of the "Cooking Without Looking" TV show and podcast. She shares safety tips as well as accessible tricks of the trade.HighlightsCooking & Blindness - Opening Remarks (00:00)Introducing Renee Rentmeester of “Cooking Without Looking” TV Show and Podcast (01:10)About “Cooking Without Looking” (02:29)More on the Blind Hosts of the Show (03:47)Where to Find “Cooking Without Looking” (04:38)Typical Episode Format (05:17)Choosing Guests for the Show (07:15)Safety Tips for Blind Cooks (10:28)Safety on the Stove Top (12:55)Tips for Organizing Your Kitchen (15:00)Using Your Other Senses (16:26)Appliances, Kitchen Gadgets & Accessibility (18:11)International Cuisine (20:17)“Cooking Without Looking” Cookbook (22:51)The Most Complicated Recipe Made on the Show? (24:32)More Recipes & Tips from “Cooking without Looking” (26:19)Show Close (27:28)“Cooking Without Looking” WebsiteCooking Without Looking is the First TV Show which features People who are Blind/Visually Impaired. We provide the stage for people to show what living blind is really like, and to create a bridge of understanding.Join the “Cooking Without Looking” Facebook Group   About The PulseOn The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada.Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/ About AMIAMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI's vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal. Learn more at AMI.caConnect on Twitter @AccessibleMediaOn Instagram @accessiblemediaincOn Facebook at @AccessibleMediaIncOn TikTok @accessiblemediaincEmail feedback@ami.ca

Mychamplainvalley.com reports that over fifty million people will be seeing this April's solar eclipse. That includes the blind and visually impaired community. Harvard's Center for Astrophysics Astronomer Allyson Bieryla has figured out one way to help the blind see and experience the wonder of the solar eclipse. That's by turning light into sound. Allyson's here to talk about how the innovative method has been realized.   For more info related to this week's show, go to: https://speakingoutfortheblind.weebly.com/list-of-episodes-and-show-news/for-more-information-episode-339-the-blind-visually-impaired-and-the-solar-eclipse   Ways to Connect to Speaking Out for the Blind Amazon Alexa enabled device (RECOMMENDED) “Alexa, Ask ACB Media to play Media 1”. (1 = stream number).   PC / browser access (RECOMMENDED): Visit acbmedia.org at http://www.acbmedia.org/1 (1 = stream number). The site has a built-in media player and there is no need to install or use a media player on your device. Hit the play button and the stream will begin playing immediately. Smart device Access (RECOMMENDED): Download “ACB Link” from your app store. Find “Radio” along the bottom of the screen, then “Menu” in the top left corner. Select “Live Streams” and then choose “ACB Media 1 - Mainstream.” Double tap the play button. Victor Reader Stream Access: Navigate to “Internet radio library” in the “online bookshelf”. Locate the Humanware playlist. From the playlist, select ACB Media 1 (1 = stream number) and hit play.   Alternate Dial-In access Dial 1 (518) 906-1820. Listen to the menu prompts and press 1. IMPORTANT NOTE The ACB Radio Tuner is no longer supported. If you used the tuner in the past, you may access all ACB Media streams from acbmedia.org (see above) If you are using alternate ways to access ACB Media streams than those above (such as Tune In or Winamp using acbradio.org URL's, we kindly ask that you use one of the methods above.    Facebook page is at Speaking Out for the Blind and X (formerly Twitter) page is at SpeakOutfortheBlind (you may also access this at SpeakOutBlind).

The Ara initiative, a cornerstone of the Kalimat Foundation (KF), marked World Braille Day with an extraordinary workshop, beautifully illustrating their commitment to making learning and knowledge accessible to everyone. This special event, developed in collaboration with the ‘Emirates Association of the Visually Impaired' and the innovative 'La Vie Dolls' project creator, Noura bin Hadda, focused on nourishing the lives of visually impaired and blind children. Listen to #Pulse95Radio in the UAE by tuning in on your radio (95.00 FM) or online on our website: www.pulse95radio.com ************************ Follow us on Social. www.instagram/com/pulse95radio www.facebook.com/pulse95radio www.twitter.com/pulse95radio www.instagram.com/pulse95radio

Wheelchair tennis is booming and Zane Goodwin is riding the crest to the top of the game. The 16-year-old Birmingham, Ala., resident is the top junior wheelchair tennis player in the country and winner of the Cincinnati Wheelchair Open. Zane talks about his dedication to the sport while his mom, Lara Polk, describes how she loves traveling to tournaments nationwide.  USTA Southern recently hosted a blind and visually impaired workshop that was conducted by the Georgia Academy for the Blind. Superintendent Dr. Cindy Gibson welcomed the opportunity to help sighted players experience the sport from the perspective of the blind and visually impaired. Using audible balls, shorter racquets and tactile lines, 25 tennis professionals were tutored with specific strategies. Highlighted is junior Jaylon Salters, of Ladson, S.C. We preview a special episode with Marshall Happer, author of “Pioneers of the Game” and former USTA Southern President.

Have you ever heard of Ren'ee Rentmeester? Well, possibly especially if you lived in Florida in the early 2000s or if you searched around YouTube. Ren'ee is the producer and creator of a program called “Cooking Without Looking”. Ren'ee always wanted to have a career in journalism and began by getting her college degree in the subject.   She worked for television stations in Florida until she decided to start her own advertising agency. While interested in journalism Renee also has a strong entrepreneurial streak which was enhanced as she worked on a number of nonprofit boards.   In 2001 she decided to create this unique show called “Cooking Without Looking”. Ren'ee is not blind but felt having a program that would feature blind cooks and chefs was worth exploring. The program aired on a public tv station for a time in Miami. Now you can find it on YouTube and there is also a Cooking Without Looking podcast. Renee is seeking ways to bring the program back to a major streaming service. Don't be surprised if this happens as Renee is clearly unstoppable.     About the Guest:   For the past 22 years, I have advocated for people who are Blind/Visually impaired through the TV show called, “Cooking Without Looking,” the ONLY TV show which features people who are Blind/Visually Impaired. We aired on PBS in South Florida.   Blind people prepare their favorite recipes and speak frankly (including humor) about their lives as People living with Blindness. It's not sad. The feeling is like, “This is my life, and oh, by the way, I'm blind.”   Mr. Fred Schroeder, President of the World Blind Union, says this about our show: “Your work fits well with our belief that blind people need encouragement to live normal lives and the sighted public needs the opportunity to learn that blindness does not render people helpless nor grant them with superhuman gifts. Your show shows blind people doing normal things, and that is a powerful message for the sighted public and for blind people themselves.”   Over the years, I have spoken to thousands of Blind people in various organizations such as the National Federation of the Blind (NFB); the American Council of the Blind(ACB); and the American Federation of the Blind(AFB).   Before that time, I worked at CBS as a Press and Public Relations Manager/Spokesperson; Associate News Producer; and Assignment Editor. I've been nominated for two Emmys...one for a series of Black History Month PSAs about the Miami people who fought in the Civil Rights movement. The other was for the writing of a special on youth gangs, “Youth Violence: Walking The Line.” I've written/published two books of poetry available on Amazon…”Visions From a Dream Called, ‘Life': The Poetry of Meadowville”; and “Visions II: The Poetry of Life.”     Ways to connect with Ren'ee:   www.cookingwithoutlookingtv.wordpress.com   Twitter:   @cookwithoutlook   Facebook:   The Cooking Without Looking TV Show   YouTube channel:   Cooking Without Looking TV Show   Cooking Without Looking Podcast:   Anywhere you get your podcast, and is available on Alexa-enabled devices     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, and welcome to another exciting episode of unstoppable mindset. They're all exciting, actually. So I don't know why I said that. But they are and it's fun to talk about whatever comes along. today. Our guest is Ren'ee Rentmeester Ren'ee has an actually a very interesting story to tell, in terms of what she's doing now, what she has done, and so on. And I think it is a fascinating thing that hopefully will fascinate all of you as well. So we are really glad that you're here to listen to it. And Ren'ee, welcome to unstoppable mindset. Good morning or afternoon to you.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 01:58 Well, thank you so much, Michael. And thank you for the honor, I'm truly humbled by you honoring me with the interview. So thank you so much.   Michael Hingson ** 02:08 Well, my pleasure. And you know, as usual, this is really more of a conversation than just a plain old interview. So feel free to treat it that way. It's it's both of us talking to each other. Well, let's start with a little bit about the early Ren'ee you know, before you did what you've been doing lately and so on, so tell us about you growing up and all that and how you got where you are is it were?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 02:31 Well, usually my airplanes perfect.   Michael Hingson ** 02:35 Come fly with me.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 02:38 I was a born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin was a daughter My father is Anthony rent Meester. My mom, Margaret and dad was a worker in a factory, paper factory Procter and Gamble. And so you know, I'm just just was born and raised there. And I always wanted to go into TV. And my family were, you know, farmers and factory workers. So that seemed like, sort of a crazy idea to them. Like, what are you talking about get real and such. But I did it anyway. And I worked myself through college, working about six jobs. The favorite I could tell about is working in a pickle factory working six days a week, 12 hours a day putting pickles in jars or one at a time. I don't know if you remember the I Love Lucy episode where they were working in a factory. It was pretty much like   Michael Hingson ** 03:42 Yeah, well, one at a time. So why one at a time.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 03:48 Because they were spears, the pickle spears and and you had to put them in there because you had to get them standing nicely. next to one another. And in the middle, there would be a half a pickle half a half a cucumber that would go in and then at the end of the whole thing. The machine would cut that middle pickle into more spheres. So it was it was quite a learning experience. And I knew that I wanted to continue with college so I wasn't working in a pickle factory the rest of my life.   Michael Hingson ** 04:26 You didn't want to be in that much of a pickle. Oh, I had to say   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 04:30 it was a doozy of an opportunity.   Michael Hingson ** 04:32 I get it. Yeah, well we've been so it's pretty unique that that that kind of a job. How did all the pickle juice get into the jars? Did they also put pickle juice in or did the pickles just leak   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 04:50 in cotton pickles was a in the machine. I'm trying to visualize it now because honestly I don't remember but I know There was a part of the machine that just poured the pickle juice into it. Yeah.   Michael Hingson ** 05:04 And then when you filled a jar, what did you do with the jar?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 05:09 Well, it was on a moving line. So you know I'm a conveyor belt would just take it and then someone was at the end of the line, and those people will have to put them in put the jars that are already covered into a box.   Michael Hingson ** 05:28 So did you put pickles in while the jars were moving? Or? Oh, yeah. So you had to work at a at a decent speed and they didn't let you slow down.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 05:40 And they didn't let me talk, which earned me rubber gloves over the head several times from little Katie, the four person   Michael Hingson ** 05:51 which is for talking.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 05:52 That's right for talking, you know, so um, yeah, it was a problem. My head I talked too much.   Michael Hingson ** 05:59 Well, so that was one of your unique jobs in college. What were you majoring in?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 06:05 Journalism? I have a degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Wisconsin in Eau Claire.   Michael Hingson ** 06:12 So you did pickles among other things? Yes. You go ahead. Oh, no, no,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 06:20 and and worked in a disco bar? I thought I just throw that out there. So pretty much you can you can tell I was also a bouncer at that disco bar.   Michael Hingson ** 06:31 Wow. And did you throw pickles at people? Or why you? No, no, I hear you that that you had a variety of different kinds of jobs. You just were pretty flexible in that regard? Huh? Yes. Well, you know   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 06:45 what, I had the goal, I had the goal of working myself through college. And that was the only way I was gonna get through. And actually the I was bartending at the bar. But then they found that I could be useful as a as a bouncer as well, because guys didn't want to look nasty when I walked up to them on was really nice and said, Okay, you have to go now, you know, they couldn't get into a barber all with me and look bad in front of the girlfriend. So   Michael Hingson ** 07:20 that's pretty cool. What did your parents think of all these jobs?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 07:24 Well, a mom would after I got home from the pickle factory. Mom would make me take my most of my clothes off in the garage, and she gave me a set of clothes because I smelled so bad. Imagine vinegar times 1000. That's what I smell like. And then sometimes I would I had a marketing job in, in a mall, and I also worked at a TV station as a nighttime receptionist.   Michael Hingson ** 07:58 Okay. Well, so you again, you did a lot of different things. And that's pretty unique. But it certainly had to broaden your horizons and a lot of different ways that I can appreciate that. But you graduated then and had your degree in journalism, and what did you do?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 08:17 Um, hey, I moved to move to Tampa first. And I just looked for any kind of job I could get to keep myself going. And one of them was a receptionist at an employment agency. And so as people would come in to the employment agency, I would ask them if they knew anyone in TV because it's, it's, you know, it's always who you know, and all that sort of thing. And I talked to this one gentleman, and he told me all his sister worked at a TV station, which was amazing. And I'm so sure he gave me someone to contact by this time. I was in Miami. I was only in Tampa for a year. I sold magazines in Tampa, and then I moved to Miami. And that's when I became the receptionist. And they he led me to assist her who led me to a job at an independent station in Miami. I wrote on the back of a motorcycle I didn't have a car or in the back of a motorcycle to get there and it rained it poured. It was my summer. It's   Michael Hingson ** 09:35 Miami. Yeah. What made you move to Florida from Wisconsin?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 09:40 My boyfriend boy who I eventually married. Oh, good. Okay. Now here are the usual the usual suspect.   Michael Hingson ** 09:50 Well, so you moved down there and so you got a job. Then through your sister and her contact   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 10:00 The gentleman's sister Yeah, I don't have a system to gentleman sister. Yeah, through her and I got to know who she was. And she had been in Miami for a long time. And my boss was, was pretty amazing. And I was a writer there as a writer at the station.   Michael Hingson ** 10:20 So what kinds of things did you write for? What did you write?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 10:24 Um, I started out just writing voiceovers, you know, little voiceovers I used to have between shows, I   Michael Hingson ** 10:30 don't know shows. Yeah. Well, not commercials, not the commercials, but just   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 10:35 the little voiceovers, like telling you like you had an acute C and about the show that was coming up. Like Benson falls down the stairs. You know, whatever. And and so it was the little things like that.   Michael Hingson ** 10:52 And then again, the game say something like, can you believe that that Benson guy fell down those stairs? Like Benson we liked Benson. That was a fun show.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 11:03 BENSON Yeah. I don't know how I just started that. It just popped into my head.   Michael Hingson ** 11:08 Well, so you wrote, and then what   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 11:15 we see there, your independent station. I was there for 13 years, and it turned into CBS. And I just said one place. And so I became that an associate producer and news and an assignment editor and news. And that was pretty cool. Because as associate producer, you write the news stories, I was just gonna ask. Yeah, you write the news stories. And I remember one of my most memorable news stories that I wrote was about a little boy, he was three years old, and he needed a liver. And in Florida, there's a rule against giving livers to certain people of certain ages, like, if you're under certain age, and over a certain age, while I was on the news desk that day, and the mayor or the governor was doing one of those wonderful luncheons that they do. And I called the father of this little boy. And I said, Listen, I'm going to send my photographer over to you get over there. And my photographer is going to shoot you and the governor asking to get your son a liver. And it happened. I could have lost my job, but it happened.   Michael Hingson ** 12:36 So you created the news.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 12:39 Yes. Well, it helped because three days later, the little boy had a liver. So the Governor made it happen.   Michael Hingson ** 12:51 Well, that's cool. And then you took the the time and the interest in doing that. Because that certainly had to be, as you said, a little bit of a challenge and you could have lost your job over it.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 13:03 Right. But as your title is unstoppable mindset. I don't ever let any of that train stop me like, what's more important my job or little boy's life?   Michael Hingson ** 13:15 Yeah. So did anybody chastise you for it? Or because of that or not? Okay. They Oh,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 13:23 yeah. Yeah. turned out great. I don't even know if a lot of people knew that my cameraman and I did that. I mean, that we set it up, sort of, because, you know, no one ever said anything about it afterwards. So, but it worked for a while. And then the little boy died a couple months later, because his buddy Jack did it. But at least he has a chance.   Michael Hingson ** 13:48 Yeah. What year was that?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 13:51 Ah, let's see. It was probably late 80s, early 90s.   Michael Hingson ** 14:00 Okay. So how long did you work at writing the news and being an associate producer and so on.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 14:09 I was I was there for that in a news department for one year. And then they created a job for me. I was a press and public relations manager. And that went upstairs because the news was downstairs and I went upstairs. And so I was I suppose, spokesperson for the station. And I also produced the PSAs. So that was pretty cool. And in the meantime, I started on a whole bunch of boards because I dealt with a lot of nonprofits. So that's, that's what I did there. And eventually, you know, 13 years later and you're like, Well, what else can I do? And I started my own advertising and PR company. I left the station started my own advertising PR company. And then I thought of something because then with so many different so many different nonprofits, like six of them at once I was on the board. I wanted something for myself, and I wanted something that was a legacy for my family. So I wanted to make a purpose have a purpose.   Michael Hingson ** 15:23 Before we get there, I'm just curious. So you were there until after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks, because you were there? 13 years is that right?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 15:33 Was I? Um, no. Okay. Because we're already to that. Yeah,   Michael Hingson ** 15:41 you're gone by then. Because I was going to ask what, what you did or what was it like at the station and so on? Around September 11. But you were gone by then.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 15:51 Yeah, I was gone by then. I I remember that day, I remember where I was, I remember. I had a friend in New York, and I called her to see if she was okay. And I just watched her the coverage and and I kept my daughter home that day, my daughter was nine. And I kept her home from school. Because, you know, you didn't know what was gonna happen?   Michael Hingson ** 16:19 Yeah. Yeah, there was no way to know. No. Well, you eventually started as you're saying something that became very personal to you a project that you've been doing for quite a while, and in of itself is an interesting story. So why don't you tell us a little bit about that?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 16:39 Okay, um, I created cooking without looking at the first TV show that features people who are blind and visually impaired,   Michael Hingson ** 16:47 which we really call low vision today and appropriately. So. Because when you talk about visually impaired, where we should be compared to people who have eyesight, just like, if you said hearing impaired to a person who was partially deaf, they probably Dec you because hearing impaired is as they recognize a way of comparing to people who can hear rather than saying deaf and hard of hearing, right. So it's learning continuum. And so the whole concept of visually impaired is really unfortunate, for two reasons. One, visually, we don't look different, just because we're blind or partially, why do we deal with it in terms of impaired saying, well, you're impaired if you can't see fully? And so we're learning to say, as deaf people already have blind or low vision, but anyway. Alrighty. So you want it you started this this show?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 17:47 Right? Right. Because TV was what I did, that was my tool. And if you want to change the way people look at people who are blind or, or, you know, low vision, you will have to show people, you know, and it's also a way to bridge between the sighted community, the low vision community, the blind community, just just to show what is done because we still have an old mindset. So I did my research, and I went on some blind listservs. And learned about blindness from a lot of people. I did not know a blind person, I do not have a relative who was a blind person. It was just something I saw that needed to be done.   Michael Hingson ** 18:42 And you of course, are not blind. No, I am not. So you did a lot of research, which is always a great thing to do, and a great way to start. So this When did all this start?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 18:57 This started in 2001. Ironically, I'm talking to you and 2001. I was in my first meeting about the show, as the twin towers are being hit. That's what happened. And we actually took a break from the meeting and saw as the towers were being hit. Yeah. So your your story is much more compelling. But But I remember like, How can this happen? How, you know, like, we become desensitized to things like this, and it almost seemed like we were watching a movie. It didn't make any sense.   Michael Hingson ** 19:46 Yeah, it was very surreal to people because who would have thought somebody would fly our planes deliberately fly airplanes into the World Trade Center yet? That's the end of the Pentagon. And of course Shanksville, Pennsylvania, but that's what happened.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 20:04 Yep, exactly. So.   Michael Hingson ** 20:06 So what was the first meeting about? Was it trying to sell it to a station or plan or program? What was the meeting? Like? What was it?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 20:14 It was at Florida International University, the School of Hospitality, because that's where I met a man who was a blind chef. And I met him. And then he was a professor there. And he introduced me to all the people he worked with. And we were looking for anything like how can we work together? Sponsorships, whatever. Um, and that's, that's what we did. That's what we did it first. So So,   Michael Hingson ** 20:48 so when did the show actually start airing or when did you start producing it,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 20:56 we started producing an airing it. We started producing it in September of 2005. And after that, it went on in September. And we had a live studio audience at PBS station in West Palm Beach. And we were on like a couple of seasons. And then after that, we hit the recession at 2009.   Michael Hingson ** 21:31 How's my typical like three and a half years to actually bring the show to fruition? Since you had your first meeting in 2001. And it took until 2005, for the show to actually come on,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 21:44 there are so many moving parts. First, I found a man who I thought we should use as a host right. And then I had to start going out and selling the program. Because even my I was on the Board of Governors for the National Academy, TV Arts and Sciences. And even they couldn't understand having a show with blind people, because they thought blind people only only are taught, and that a lot of times I still find that out, but they couldn't understand it. So it was a lot of selling them apart just to sell the idea. Then I went to talk to the TV station. And then we had to find a sponsor, because we actually had to pay to get it produced on there. And so I produced it. And it was just a lot of explaining to people and making people understand and once they understood, you know, everybody really loved it and moved on from there.   Michael Hingson ** 22:58 So you obviously had a lot to go through at the same time you had your own advertising agency, you said right,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 23:07 right, exactly. So a lot of times whatever costs, I had to pick it up from my advertising company. And because I was you know, like, there were like three of us there. And PR, I do did a lot of PR for people. And I always tried to look at the positive side of it, trying to help people with my PR, you can have negative PR or positive PR. And I always I always used it for the positive and as a matter of fact, even just helping people with it.   Michael Hingson ** 23:42 Do you believe the in the comment, there's no such thing really as bad PR that even bad PR is really good PR?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 23:53 Well, I to a point, I won't say bad and good. Effective PR, which means that people at least know about you. And in some ways, because a lot of times they've done studies that people don't realize how they know about you or how they heard your name, but they just know you know, they know your name. And so So yeah, I just I believe that. Just getting your name out there. Sometimes people don't know how but they know of you.   Michael Hingson ** 24:36 And so there's no qualitative factor there. They just know who you are.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 24:42 Right. Exactly. Exactly. So then we continually went to many food festivals and people were just amazed we were at Macy's. We went to the Boca Raton wine and food festival. We do presentations with our hosts, one of which was time Although a blind on one was he has, he isn't nearly blind, nearly total and the other man who, who was not all the way blind at all, but we just we just had a lot of fun going together driving down the road hitting these festivals and showing people what it was like.   Michael Hingson ** 25:27 So was this before the show actually started airing or while the show   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 25:32 afterwards because when we hit 2009, we, most people didn't have any money to sponsor anymore because of the recession. So we just we had to find other ways to get the word out. And so that's what we did, we went on the road or went to the festivals and showed people, we pretty much closed down Macy's because the whole store when they announced that we were going to be there, everyone wanted to see people who were blind, you know, cook and give tips. And, and that's the cool part about our show because it actually is a bridge between, you know, the sighted and non sighted communities. And and so we can understand one another, we don't deal in stereotypes or, you know, something from the 1950s. We know what we can do, and we can do anything we want because we have an unstoppable mindset.   Michael Hingson ** 26:32 So is the show still airing at that time? Or were you just doing the festivals?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 26:37 No, the shows weren't airing but I had to keep, I had to keep it going. There was no way I was going to stop it. Because I had a purpose. And I felt like I had a commitment because so many people were backing it at least you know, supportive, even least just in their words. I had to keep it going. So I did we kept it going through. I started a podcast in 2018. Where we talk to people, our motto is changing the way we see blindness everyone there is either blind or low vision. And we also during the pandemic, we started doing it on zoom as a TV show, which we still do now. And we reached 61 countries.   Michael Hingson ** 27:33 Tell me if you want a little bit about maybe some of the unique recipes or some of the interesting experiences on the show. Love to hear some stories.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 27:44 Okay. Well, you know, um, we had South African, it was a, it was a sort of organization like the lighthouse. And its Cape Town society for the blind, and we had them on there and they made South African food, which was like pretty cool. And then we had one gentleman when we were in Palm Beach, it was funny. We had a live studio audience and he was an elderly gentleman and he was he was nice man a little crusty. And he was showing us how to make it was like a poor it was called poor man's I forgot what it was. Anyway, he was put here to test the noodles, he actually put his hand in the boiling water. And this was the way he did it. Obviously I cut it out for the TV crowd. But when I was there, the people were yelling at me stick his hands on the floor. It's like he's 80 years old, you know, he knows this is how he does it but I won't put it in I'll you know I'll edit it out because I don't want little kids watching that. But um, let's see what other types of stories we we've had just like a lot of fun. We went to a school in Minnesota and we taught blind kids how to cook and we did our own little cooking without looking with them. And that was a lot of fun. We had a special script for them you know, it was just it's just every everything is full of stories. We also have podcasts where we speak to individuals who are blind visually impaired, we they talk about their life as a person who's blind or low vision sorry, caught myself and and and then at The end they present a recipe and all of our recipes that we present is the cooking without looking recipes of the day are submitted to us by blind or low vision people, and they've actually made them themselves. So we know that you know that they're good recipes. We don't have any sighted people present them. We just, you know, we just have a lot of fun together, we went to a bar, a year and a half ago, we went to an NFB convention, the Florida NFB and was a net, Alan and I in that now in our, our hosts, and we just had a great time. It's like we're family, we've been together now the 22 years, a full 22 years. So we just get a lot of laughs that way too, because we each have our own personality. Oh,   Michael Hingson ** 30:59 well, and that's, that's, that's what really makes a long running operation work when you have a family and people are able to work together and so on. So what happened at the NFB of Florida convention? What did you guys do?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 31:16 Well, what we did was we put people on Facebook Live, and we had them tell their story. And then we took pictures with them, it's sort of like we were like, famous, quote, unquote. And we just, we just had a good time, we had people talk about themselves, and what they were doing at the NFB convention. And out of that, we got a sponsorship out of the Florida Division of Blind Services, and they appeared on one of our shows. So that was, that was a good time. It's nice to learn. I mean, every single person has a story that we can learn from, it doesn't matter who you are, where you are, where you are. Everyone has a story that we can all learn from. And that's it. That's what makes us unstoppable. You know, you know, my computer went down and and it was like, Okay, well, what's going on here? You know, what, what's happening with the universe, and my computer went down, because I couldn't do any of the shows or the podcasts. And those are really my fun. That's, that's the fun in my life. I don't bend to Disney World plenty of times.   Michael Hingson ** 32:37 There's a lot of that, then on cruises,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 32:38 Ben to other countries. But this is my fun, because I feel like I'm doing something that matters.   Michael Hingson ** 32:47 So you, I remember in looking at your biography, you mentioned Fred Schroeder, who is the past president of the World Blind Union, tell me about meeting him and a little about that.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 32:59 Well, that was wonderful. I actually met him when he was president of the NFB. And we spoke there. And when I met him, I was I was just, you know, he seemed like a really great person. But when he said all the nice things about us, you know, how he loved the show, I was honored, because here's a man who has been all over the place and who is blind, and told me that, you know, what we were doing helped. And honestly, when when you start something that has never existed, you're sort of sitting there all by yourself, going, you know, what, what am I doing? Why am I doing this? And, and he made me feel like, we were doing something that mattered?   Michael Hingson ** 33:59 Well, today, is the show airing on any TV stations or is it?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 34:07 Well, that's what we're working on. We wanted to get the TV stations, we want to stream it. So been working on getting it either Netflix or the Food Network or, you know, something like that. I've been in contact with Rachael rays, PR people. And Stevie Wonder is PR person. She's very nice. So you know what, we're starting the rebirth. Round two, but we keep it going on Zoom. And with Zoom, we can reach people around the world, which is what we've been going.   Michael Hingson ** 34:47 Yeah. Which absolutely makes sense. Well, how are you being received by Rachael Ray is people Stevie Wonder and so on, and kind of what have you had to do to keep them interested and so on.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 35:02 Well, you know, it's really just keeping on reminding people that we're there. Stevie Wonder's person, her PR, the PR person, you know, is Shelley. And she was very, very nice. And so I just keep up, you know, reminding her, Rachael Ray now has left her show, but she's starting something new. So I emailed them, which is very recent, and they're probably on vacation right now. And and people, you know, are actually very receptive. Well, we'll see what happens. But just like before, you just have to keep on knocking on the doors chiseling something out, you know, just keeping on trying. That's, that's all you can do.   Michael Hingson ** 35:47 Have you looked at any of the other Food Network people in the the other celebrity types and gotten any, anywhere with any of them? Or have you tried?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 35:56 No, I really haven't. Because I'm, I like the philosophy of Rachael Ray, which is similar to what we do. It's you don't have to be a fancy chef or whatever. It's the home cooking. We've all learned from our parents, grandparents or whatever, how to cook, and survive and have a good time. And, and I liked the way she does it. So our philosophies are similar. In the past, the first, the first host that we had did reach out to one of the people, I don't like the idea of, of, you know, racing or doing things fast and cooking in the kitchen or having a contest and you know, getting angry at one another. I don't like that. I you know, I like just showing people as they are. Because I think that's how we see ourselves. We're not all we're not all celebrities, we're just people who are trying to get by and do the best we can.   Michael Hingson ** 37:07 I would say I think there are places for some kinds of competitions, but I hear what you're saying. I think a lot of the angry, sharp edge things are really a problem. And they don't, they don't really serve a useful purpose. And I've enjoyed a lot of the Food Network. But I like things that are really more fun than yeah, getting angry.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 37:35 Right, right. And I and you can have so much fun in the kitchen. Think of it like, a lot of times, that's the way we get to know our grandparents are our parents is cooking with them in the kitchen. You know, like, I cooked with my daughter, my daughter cooked with me from the time she was little. And honestly, I think she's a better cook than me. She's more of a detail person where I'm like, You know what, this is my art. I'm just gonna throw this in. This sounds like it's gonna be good. Try this. Try that. So I'm a little more experimental. But that's the way you get to know your family, in a lot of instances. So I like that part.   Michael Hingson ** 38:16 Oh, I still think it would be fun to somehow involve Bobby Flay because he's such a fun guy. And yeah, he's an incredibly fun guy. He's an incredibly sophisticated guy. He's got an incredible grasp on food preparation, but I bet he would be a fun guy to somehow be involved with   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 38:37 that, well, you know what, firm your lips to God's ears. I'll give that a try. And you know, I'm living in a place of Ray Charles birthplace I live in Albany, Georgia. And, and so I was thinking about reaching out to their foundation to see how we could work together to get something done as well. There's a beautiful monument to Ray Charles is in the Ray Charles Plaza on the river in Albany. And it turns around, it's blueish. And it turns around, and it plays all of his songs in his voice. And is is is just really beautiful and inspiring, and, and a lot of funny things, a lot of the songs my mom used to sing.   Michael Hingson ** 39:28 Well, yeah, I think any place like that where you can get some funding would certainly be a valuable thing. But I, I think that an innovative visionary kind of guy, like a Bobby Flay might really take an interest in something like this, because it's unique and it's because it's different. And since that's just a thought, you know?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 39:54 That's good. It's a seed I'll work on seeing how I can reach Bobby flaying. No problem.   Michael Hingson ** 40:02 So, how has the show changed over the years? Like, from the pandemic, to now and so on? Is it really still basically the same format? How has it evolved overall?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 40:16 Well, um, it really evolved from the way we were doing it before. You know, during the pandemic, we started off with people from the United States, and it evolved into going to like seven countries, and having people from all around the world actually watch us. And so, as I wrote in the letter to, I contacted the CEO, both CEOs on ones left now of Netflix, like, Okay, we've planted the seeds all over the world for you. And, and there's an audience all over the world. And Netflix is, is one of the most watched shows by people who are blind, most watched streaming services of people who are blind, and all over the world. So they were, I had heard that that particular CEO was a very nice man. And I've always found a lot of people in TV are really nice, not, not the way we look at them. And TV shows they're actually like, real human.   Michael Hingson ** 41:28 So have you had a response from Netflix yet? What was that? Have you had a response from Netflix yet?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 41:36 Um, no, no, we haven't. His name was Ted Saran dose, and he's the CEO over there. And so that's where I sent it. You know, we'll do Bobby Flay. But we're, it's just, you know, an ongoing process of planting seeds, planting seeds. To get it this far, has been pretty amazing. Because, you know, I'm sort of like the Wright brothers with the first airplane, no one can really visualize that, like, What the heck are you doing? And, and, and now we've gotten to a point where we can launch it in a bigger platform.   Michael Hingson ** 42:20 Have you had guests on the show from other countries? Or just the Yeah,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 42:25 yeah. We have we've we've had seven countries. They're all blind people from other countries. It was, like I said, South Africa, Guyana.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 42:43 Barbados, Barbadoes. Let's see where else where else where else trying to think of the ones off the top of my head. But those are just some of them. But   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 42:57 everyone can go see them. They're all on our cooking without looking YouTube channel right now. And that's what we're focusing on just getting the things done and and showing people but yeah, we've had lots of different Oh, Jamaica, we had to make it too. So that was pretty cool. So yeah, we've had all these countries, that's really the biggest change that we've had is, is going and highlighting people from other countries, other people who are blind, cooking their native recipes in other countries.   Michael Hingson ** 43:35 How many shows have you produced so far?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 43:40 Wow. That's a good one. I think we were up to like 90 something. I'm not a numbers person. You know, I'm a writer. So um, but I'm pretty close to around 90 And then the podcasts as well. We just, you know, I've got another podcast to do tomorrow with a lady. So she's making peanut butter cookies. Yeah, only three ingredients. Peanut butter cookie. So she's going to talk about her life, and Tara coin. So that's what we do. So if you ever want to see or go to them, and enjoy them cooking without looking TV show on YouTube.   Michael Hingson ** 44:37 So how often do you produce a new show?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 44:42 Um, once a once a month, and we're going to start up again since my computer and then the podcasts are like, several times a month like whoever comes out and wants to do a podcast. We produce their podcast several times. The month.   Michael Hingson ** 45:02 So, you've, you've had a number of interesting people on needless to say, What's your favorite show so far?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 45:10 Oh my, well, that's hard. That's like asking her mother, a mother what her favorite child is, which one is your favorite child? It all depends on who was on there. We had a cute one. For Valentine's Day once, we had two blind couples on there. And we had a lot of fun with that. Um, that was, that was a cute one. And then I really liked the one from South Africa. That was, I was cool. Maybe it's like a little selfish because I love food from other countries. You can always see the similarities of of your own of the countries of your own. One of my favorite podcasts, we had a couple who was blind, and I actually they came to Miami and I walked him around Miami and the beaches and everything. And Mike Gravatt and his wife, Gianna, they're there just a hoot to talk to. Let's see what else they those are probably my favorites, that I can pop off the top of my head. But it's, it's nice to see that people get along and just enjoy themselves. And the blindness is really just a secondary factor. It's it's living and having fun and enjoying your life.   Michael Hingson ** 46:40 So when you do the shows, like on Zoom, and so on, you people are actually cooking during the shows. Oh, yeah,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 46:47 yeah, we have a script, everything.   Michael Hingson ** 46:50 So how does all that work in terms of the fact that typically, if you've got to have a camera and everything so people can see it? How, how easy is it to set all that up? I mean, from your side, it's great. But if the other end where the people are actually doing the, the cooking and so on, how does that work? Oh,   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 47:08 it actually works really great. Um, I've only had edit like one or two of them just a tiny bit, that people put their cameras up either the cameras or their computers, and they are able to cook and we practice first, we have a rehearsal a couple of days before. And we look to see where their cameras set up a lot of times, we you know, they have a family member or something who sets the camera for them in a certain area. It's, and it goes really, really well because we we just do it ahead of time we show them you know, we take a look at see how their camera is set up or whether they're using their computer, and whatever works for them. But we've had lots of success that way. Not a big deal. People are always excited to be on the show the tips. We had one young man mica, he made like he has it down the perfect chicken breast because that's one of those things that can be really really difficult. And sort of dry, you can wear him as a shoe. And he he had a doubt and that became like, pretty popular. And he's a young man and he just took us through it. He was like, Okay, you do this, you do this, you do this. I'm very, very attentive, lots of attention to detail.   Michael Hingson ** 48:43 When people are cooking, there's, there's, there's the actual cooking part. And there's the preparation part. So do people move their cameras around? Or do you just have them in one spot? How does all that work?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 48:56 No, um, it depends. It really depends on the recipe. We have one lady who has a special syrup, and she was making some food, very special syrup. Oftentimes, if there's like a lot of cutting or preparation or whatever, we have them prep their food ahead of time. And then maybe just for example, if you need a cup of carrots, chopped carrots, they chop their carrots ahead of time, just like any other TV show, they chop their carrots ahead of time, and then show us just one. But there's there's not a lot of moving around. Most of them don't move around, we haven't worked out so like depending on the recipe, we tell them how to position your camera, how to position your computer, and, you know, look this way to your right to your love, you know. So, um, it actually hasn't been harder. This is probably the first time I'm thinking about it when you ask me this, Michael.   Michael Hingson ** 49:57 The reason I ask is I'm just thinking Have me. One of my favorite recipes is a recipe that I will do on the grill outside. But the preparation is inside. It's a chicken recipe. It's called Chicken Diavolo. It's actually a recipe my wife got from food and wine. And it's really our favorite recipe uses chicken thighs. And the marinate that you put the chicken thighs in is wonderful.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 50:26 Sounds good. And it's just, Michael.   Michael Hingson ** 50:29 And it's, it's, it's got a, it's, it's, well, it uses a fair amount of oil, but they're not really oily by the time you're done. But it's a wonderful recipe to do. But just the preparation or doing it and then putting it on the grill is in two different locations. And that's what really prompted me to ask the question, when I'm sure that we could figure out it would be fun to to do it. It's been a while since I've done chicken D. But   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 50:55 I would love to have you on that one that will be great. Because we don't have anything like that, I would have to see you do part of it, like part of it would be done ahead of time. Because that's really like a lot of TV shows the cooking, a lot of things are done partially ahead of time. And then do you have like some sort of a table alongside of you or?   Michael Hingson ** 51:22 Well, when I do the grilling, everything else is done. And then I take it out and there's there's a table on the grill. But it wouldn't be fun to to think about doing it. The preparation is really creating the marinade. Because then the chicken thighs go into the marinate and then they go on to the grill. So it would be it would be something to explore. And yeah, we'd love the idea would the idea would be that you create marinate, put the chicken in it, then let them marinate a while. And so that could be done inside and then just move the camera and everything outside. It might be fun to think about.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 52:00 Well, you could you could just you could have, are there like lots of ingredients for the marinade.   Michael Hingson ** 52:08 Not too many.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 52:10 But take those ingredients outside. You can have the chicken in the marinade already done, right?   Michael Hingson ** 52:16 Yeah, you can just take the ingredients outside that would go into the marinate and, and create a little bit of it. Yeah, that's another way to do it. Which also means when you do that, you get a second batch, which is also good. So that's fine.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 52:29 Right? You can never have too much grilled chicken. That's fine. No.   Michael Hingson ** 52:33 And and if unlike anything else, if done, right? They come out pretty moist. You don't want to overcook them. It is chicken thighs so that the marinate does get absorbed a lot better into the thighs than it would into like chicken breasts and so on, which is why thighs are used. But it's a it's a great recipe.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 52:52 Oh, that sounds good. Well, what's in it?   Michael Hingson ** 52:55 There's rosemary, there is oil. I'm trying to remember some of the the other spices are. Well, there's peppermint   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 53:02 rosemary.   Michael Hingson ** 53:03 Yeah, there's pepper. And I have to go back and find the recipe. It's been a while. My wife was ill last year and passed away in November. So frankly, I haven't made it for a while. So I'm going to have to do that. I've been lazy, but that's okay.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 53:19 Well give you a reason to make it. I'm sorry to hear about your wife, Michael.   Michael Hingson ** 53:23 Well, it's okay. We, we we continue to move forward. And and she's around watching. So it's okay. So I will do it right. Otherwise, I'll be in trouble. So it's no problem. Well, so what are your future plans for the show? You are? I know you said you're restarting it and so on. So kind of what are the plans? What do you expect to see happen?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 53:46 Well, I would like to get some sponsors. I would like to go to more events, the season in California, I'd like to go there, you know, bring my troops. So I'd like to be more on the ground with people. And I would like to find a resting place for us on a streaming service.   Michael Hingson ** 54:13 Well, I still think of Bobby Flay and Food Network as far as a place to go. I don't know Bobby, and then and all that, but I've watched him and just he's clearly an innovative visionary guy. And I would think if anybody would be intrigued it would be would be He. So something to think about.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 54:34 Well, I don't think I just do so um, this this week, I'll get a note off the bobby off the research how to get a hold of him. And um, you know, Rachael Ray knows him and the thing with her is Rachel has a her mother has macular degeneration, so I thought there will be a special in with her as well. Have you? Go ahead? No, no go up.   Michael Hingson ** 55:03 Have you ever had the opportunity to interview Christine? Ha, who won the Mastership?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 55:10 I did. And she's on our, our Facebook. I'm sorry, our Facebook, our YouTube channel. She's on her podcast. Oh, cool. Yeah. What did you want to know about Christine?   Michael Hingson ** 55:24 Well, no, I was just wondering if you had I mean, I've met Christine. But again, that might be a way to, to get some context, but I just was curious if you'd met her and had her on because she'd be a natural, that would be a good person to be on the show.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 55:41 Yeah, she, she wanted to be on the podcast. So she was on the podcast, it's quite interesting with her. She, they thought she had they, they thought she had multiple sclerosis at first. And then it went into blindness. And, you know, some of the medications she was taking, wasn't working, weren't working. And but, um, you can always, as I said, go to our YouTube channel. And she's there   Michael Hingson ** 56:10 to tell us if people want to watch the show exactly. Where do they go? Do you have a web address that you can give? Or do you have a website they can go to and we start from   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 56:19 the website, the main place they can go is a Cooking Without Looking YouTube channel, go to YouTube, and then type in cooking without looking. We have a website, which is w w w . cooking without looking TV,  .wordpress.com. And if that's a lot for you to remember what it is for me. You can always just Google cooking without looking TV show on or bring it to our, to our web.   Michael Hingson ** 56:52 Great. Well, and I assume that if anyone wants to reach out to you, they can go to your website and and make contact with you there.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 57:01 Yes, or, you know, we also have a Facebook page and cooking with the cooking without looking TV show Facebook page, and I can email me there.   Michael Hingson ** 57:13 And what is it called?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 57:15 What was that?   Michael Hingson ** 57:16 What is the Facebook page called? Specifically?   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 57:18 The cooking without looking TV show. Okay, cool.   Michael Hingson ** 57:23 Well, I want to thank you for being on unstoppable mindset today. This has been fun. We've done some good cooking talk here. And a body is now getting hungry.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 57:36 Well, Michael, thank you. I'm so grateful for you to invite me over and and talk to you. I'm really humbled by you asking me so thank you so much.   Michael Hingson ** 57:46 Well, it's been an honor. And I really appreciate it. And I hope you listening out there enjoyed this as well go check out cooking without looking in all sorts of places from YouTube, to Facebook and everywhere in between, and go to the website. Reach out to Ren'ee. And we, we will I'm sure be hearing more from her as the show progresses. And hopefully we've given her and you some things to think about. Blindness isn't the problem. It's our attitude, that is really the issue that we have to address. So really appreciate Ren'ee again, you being here. And again, for all of you listening, we'd love to get your feedback and your comments. We would appreciate you giving us a five star rating wherever you're listening to our podcast. And if you'd like to reach out to me feel free to do so at Michaelhi at accessiBe A C C E S S I B E.com. Or go to our website. www dot Michael hingson m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com/podcast. And we'd love to have you rate us there and listen to all of the podcasts that are there. You can binge listen and spend a whole lot of time at it now. So we what we really appreciate you listening to us and all the wonderful comments that you've gotten. And again, Ren'ee, one last time, thank you very much for being here with us today.   Ren'ee Rentmeester ** 59:14 Thank you, Michael. Thank you.   Michael Hingson ** 59:21 You have been listening to the Unstoppable Mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com slash podcast. Michael Hingson is spelled m i c h a e l h i n g s o n. While you're on the site., please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hingson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free eBook entitled blinded by fear. The unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessiBe and is sponsored by accessiBe. Please visit www.accessibe.com. accessiBe is spelled a c c e s s i b e. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

When it comes to inclusion, it is all about education.   Surrounding yourself around others that are not like yourself is going to push you to learn more about others. This education then leads to the ability to be more inclusive and helping to be more accessible to other groups.   On this show, we had the chance to talk with two amazing gentlemen, both who started their lives out with vision and are now legally blind. The things that these gentlemen are doing to “change the perception of blindness” for others is instrumental!   In this discussion, they talk about the fears that set in when it comes to inclusion and accessibility. There is fear from one side when it comes to asking. Asking if a blind individual needs help. Asking how you can support them. There is fear from the blind community when it comes to applying for jobs, getting support, etc.   We all have fears when it comes to taking steps to change AND change is necessary. Asking the questions is something the simplest place to start.   This episode is a vital episode to listen to if you are wanting to support different communities in being more inclusive and accessible and you don't know where to start. This podcast gives encouragement to just start. It can start with simply asking questions. Ask how to help, how to change, how to improve… and then let's do it! Did you know?   7 out of 10 working age people in Arizona who are blind or visually impaired are not working Estimated to be about 20K 45% of hiring managers believe there are no jobs within their organization that a person who is blind could do Changing the perception of blindness is the biggest barrier to employment and inclusion So, ask the questions to start to make the change.   We are in this together and can make the changes to help others in the blind community. We can help this community and others to feel included and have the tools to allow them the access to resources and jobs.   Arizona Industries for the Blind (AIB) is a solution provider… Solving today's complex business problems by providing quality products and value-added Business Process Outsourcing services that matter to their customers. While providing a viable option for Arizonians who are blind or visually impaired to achieve their version of the “American Dream” through dignified employment.   Their mission is to inspire individuals who are blind or visually impaired to achieve their highest goals and aspirations by creating and sustaining career opportunities while providing quality products and services.   Through collaborative partnerships with Federal, State and private sector companies they are able to provide Third Party Logistics services, Document Conversion services and quality AbilityOne products. David Steinmetz is the Community and Public Relations Manager at Arizona Industries for the Blind in Phoenix. David works to “change the perception of blindness” through his advocacy and public relations efforts.   Mr. Steinmetz serves as the Public Information Committee Chair on the Governor's Council on Blindness & Visual Impairments (GCBVI), and is a Board of Director on the Vision Rehabilitation Assistive Technology Expo and Arizona Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. David is a graduate of Arizona State University and participated in the National Industries for the Blind Business Management Training program through the Darden School of business.   In 2008, David was the recipient of the National Industries for the Blind Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement award. This prestigious award recognized Mr. Steinmetz for his career achievements and community service work.   Mr. Steinmetz enjoys spending time with his family, fishing and traveling across the United States. David believes that every person who is blind deserves the right to full participation in work, community and life and with the right training, right technology and right attitude it is possible. Follow AIB on LinkedIn and Facebook.   With a 70% unemployment rate in the blind community, Clusiv is helping remove barriers to employment for the blind community by revolutionizing training and services for the modern workforce.   Their eLearning platform has been built to be accessible with assistive technology that blind or visually impaired people use, and this platform holds employment skills training courses to cover technology, occupational and career skills for the modern-workforce. Clusiv works with state vocational rehabilitation agencies to provide access to its courses to people who are blind or visually impaired. They help simplify the work of vocational rehabilitation counselors through their Assessment Tool, easy enrollment process, and positive outcomes for their clients to achieve measurable skills gained.   Clusiv is here to equip the blind community for employment and impact inclusion in the modern workforce by giving graduates the skills, confidence, and insights needed to find competitive integrated employment and be an advocate for positive change in the workforce for people with disabilities. To learn more and get in touch go to https://clusiv.io/. Blake Steinecke grew up with perfect vision and at the age of 16 a condition called LHON caused him to go through severe central vision loss and become legally blind. This created many new challenges of relearning how to do school, navigating college, employment and more.   Blake has a degree in marketing from Cal State San Marcos and has worked in software sales, marketing in the mountain bike industry, accessibility testing and training, and now leads marketing for Clusiv as the Growth Manager.   Through Blake's work, he is able to connect his educational and professional background, lived experience navigating the challenges of education and employment being blind, and his passion to serve the blind community through the work he does with Clusiv.   Outside of work Blake plays blind hockey for the US Blind Hockey Team, enjoys spending time with his wife, Amanda, and making videos, some of which you can find on his YouTube channel Adapting Sight.   Connect with Blake on LinkedIn and follow Clusiv on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. About Culture Crush Culture is not just a tag word to be thrown around. It is not something you throw in job descriptions to draw people to applying for jobs within a company.   According to Marcus Buckingham and Ashely Goodall in their book Nine Lies About Work, “Culture is the tenants of how we behave. It's like a family creed. This is how we operate and treat each other in the family.” As a growing company:    There are many resources out there for company culture but they are scattered and difficult to find. Culture is not a one size fits all, so it is important for companies to find the resources that are the right fit for growing their own company culture.    We have worked to build a hub that brings all of the resources together in one place and one community. The Culture Crush Business is the one stop shop for everything related to growing company culture.    On this podcast:   We focus on everything surrounding businesses with good company culture. We will talk with company leaders to learn about real-life experiences, tips, and best practices for creating a healthy work environment where employees are finding joy and satisfaction in their work while also striving and growing within the company. We also find the companies that offer resources to help improve company culture and showcase them on the show to share their tips and tricks for growing culture. About the Host Kindra Maples is spartan racer, past animal trainer, previous magician's assistant, and has a weakness for Oreo cookie shakes. Her journey working with people actually started working with animals as a teenager (don't worry we won't go that far back for her bio).   She worked for over 15 years in the zoo industry working with animals and the public. Her passion of working with animals shifted into working with people in education, operations and leadership roles. From there her passion of leadership and helping people develop has continued to grow.   Then came the opportunity for leading the Culture Crush Business Podcast and she jumped on it. Leadership, growth, and strong company cultures are all areas that Kindra is interested in diving into further.

Slumber party time! As the party drifts off to sleep, join our team behind the scenes to talk fan (and player!) theories, dorm room renovations, and fishing metaphors. Can you figure out Jared's trail of clues better than us? Tune in to find out!Here are links to some of the videos Jared watched on writing Blind/Visually Impaired characters: https://youtu.be/_nRCFjaPNxc https://youtu.be/Nxh-f_Ot01AJoin the party!To talk with us, theorize, and send memes, join our Discord.To stay up to date on all things G&G, follow us @galsandgoblins on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Youtube.Don't forget to leave a 5 star review! If you write us something, we'll read it on the show!

Scott Eggen, Randall Crosby and Linda Allison joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio. They are owner/operators in the Business Enterprise Program (BEP) and are here to talk about their experiences and successful careers. The Business Enterprise Program (BEP) was established for Blind/Visually Impaired individuals to create opportunities and careers through food vending services and food and merchandise sales on Federal and state properties. The BEP program is nationwide and if you or anybody you know is interested in owning their own business, wants to work and begin a promising career, share this podcast and let them know about the Business Enterprise program. If you are interested in knowing more about the BEP, contact State Services for the Blind, or your Vocational Rehab agency if outside of Minnesota and ask about the Business Enterprise Program.   Be sure to check out Randolph-Sheppard Vendors of America on the web and stay up to date with all the latest news and events.   Episode Web Site we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Blind Abilities welcomes Shane DeSantis, Transition Coordinator at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota, to the studio to talk about an upcoming College 101 webinar.   Are you interested in attending college to gain education and training needed to meet your employment goals? Do you have questions about what the transition to college will look like and what skills are needed to be successful in higher academics?   What: SSB is hosting a College 101 webinar for prospective blind, visually impaired, and DeafBlind college students to learn from current college students the skills needed for success in higher education. Please join us for the conversation and feel free to ask questions you might have about college. Who: This is open for any prospective college student in high school or recently graduated from high school. A small group of current college students will serve as panelists to discuss their experiences at college and answer questions.   When: Monday, November 28th from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM   Where: Zoom! Please click here to register.   If you have any questions, please contact Shane DeSantis at shane.desantis@state.mn.us or 651-358-5205.   Full Transcript   Read More we would love to hear from you! Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired and Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired will offer the scholarships for the first time in an effort to help local students achieve their goals.

• Teri Shirk, President/CEO, Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired; Chris Faust, President/CEO, Clovernook Center for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Teri and Chris joined the show to tell listeners about a scholarship available to individuals diagnosed as legally blind or severely visually impaired. Terri Shirk explained that the two organizations have teamed up to award five $5,000 scholarships and five $1,000 scholarships.

This episode has an update about clubhouse event bougie. Also an email question about jobs for blind and visually impaired person with a masters degree. I will explain the different opportunities for blind/visually impaired people as well as a bonus list of professional jobs available. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/talkingblind/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/talkingblind/support

Our SFN Mentor Father this week is Kyle Malone of Indianapolis has two children: Zion (12) and Noah (19). We'll hear about the Malone family and how Noah has overcome his inability to see and is setting records in track at Indiana State University, participating in the Paralympics and his TEDx Talk. It's an uplifting and inspiring story and you'll hear it on this Special Fathers Network Dad to Dad Podcast.Contact Kyle at: K.Malone@me.comNoah's TEDx Talk – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQRxEkxhY7w WTHR 13 Video – https://www.wthr.com/video/news/local/the-amazing-noah-malone/531-6be42a1d-c32d-4580-a6ff-3e42900a241c Indiana School for the Blind & Visually Impaired – https://www.in.gov/isbvi/ Lebers - https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/6870/leber-hereditary-optic-neuropathy Fishers Disability Council – https://fishers.in.us/999/March-Disability-AwarenessAbout the Special Fathers Network - SFN is a dad to dad mentoring program for fathers raising children with special needs. Many of the 500+ SFN Mentor Fathers, who are raising kids with special needs, have said: "I wish there was something like this when we first received our child's diagnosis. I felt so isolated. There was no one within my family, at work, at church or within my friend group who understood or could relate to what I was going through."SFN Mentor Fathers share their experiences with younger dads closer to the beginning of their journey raising a child with the same or similar special needs. The SFN Mentor Fathers do NOT offer legal or medical advice, that is what lawyers and doctors do. They simply share their experiences and how they have made the most of challenging situations. Special Fathers Network: https://21stcenturydads.org/about-the-special-fathers-network/Please support the SFN. Click here to donate: https://21stcenturydads.org/donate/

Being able to move around the world independently can be tricky when you're blind or visually impaired. Avery shares how she is able to navigate Seattle and the extra steps involved in getting around and being able to live a full life.

On this episode of Change Makers, we are celebrating TVI's. We'll learn more about the field and the important work they do and the need for more TVI’s.  After that, we’ll check in with Partners with Paul. Podcast Participants (In Order of Appearance)Sara Brown: APH Public Relations Manager, sbrown@aph.orgEmily Coleman: Superintendent of the Texas School for the Blind, colemane@tsbvi.eduKristin Oien: Specialist for the Blind / Visually Impaired, Minnesota Department of Education  kristin.oien@state.mn.usRachel Bigham: M.Ed., TVI, COMS, Visual Impairments Specialist, Zanesville City Schools, rbigham@zanesville.k12.oh.usLeanne Grillott: APH National Director of Outreach Services, lgrillot@aph.orgPaul Ferrara: Partners with Paul Host, CPACC, ADS, Certified Braille Transcriber Communications Accessibility Editor, pferrara@aph.orgJoyce Lopez: Product Developer, PlayAbility ToysDr. Marty Fox: President, PlayAbility ToysPlayAbility Toys Additional LinksCompany PageNurture SmartPlayAbility Toys at APHRib-It Balls 14 inch Rib-It Balls 18 inch Rib-It Balls 30 inchPaint-Pot PalettePaint by Number Safari Tropical RainforestPaint by Number Safari Under the SeaPaint by Number Safari Backyard CreaturesPaint by Number Safari Desert Creatures

introducing a new braille book for Teachers of the Blind/Visually Impaired, TBVI), parents and others who wish to instruct Blind students in learning Unified English Braille, (UEB). The book was written by one of our guests, Roberta Becker. She joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio along with her colleague, Lori Scharff. Roberta and Lori chat about a variety of topics, ranging from the implementation and description of "the new Unified English Braille (UEB), to many of the specific changes that it brought about for Braille readers, and how those changes are covered in Roberta’s book. Roberta is a Library of Congress Certified Braille Transcriber, and a Teacher of Children with Visual Impairments. Her brand is "Actual Tactuals Braille", and her book is entitled, Unified English Braille (UEB) Practice Sentences.  For details about her book and how to get it for your school or your child’s school, be sure to check out her web site at ActualTactuals.com. Feel free to contact Roberta with any questions, via Email, Or by phone at 516-434-1506. * Below is information from Roberta’s web site: Unified English Braille Practice Sentences-comes in print and braille for both students and teachers (sighted or blind). This book can be used to teach REMOTELY or IN CLASS. Suggestions on Roberta’s website will explain how these books can be used remotely. The book -is AVAILABLE IN HARD COPY BRAILLE, so you don't need to emboss anything. It is effective for children in mid-first grade until high school and beyond. Yes, they should know the alphabet first, but there is practice for writing the letters provided in the book.  This book can be used to teach appropriate level braille contractions, beginning with Alphabetic “Word signs” and it Easily and systematically TEACHES the UEB contractions to students of all ages. This is NOT just a review book! It is -Very easy to follow: a TVI’s “Go To” book. There is a lot of practice in reading and writing for each contraction, with 3-40 sentences for each contraction. Most sentences use multiple contractions-for additional practice and to build confidence. A Contraction Progress Chart helps you keep track of the contractions that your student knows. When you find a contraction that the student doesn’t know, simply locate that contraction in the book to give practice on it. NO contraction will be in those sentences unless it was presented in a previous lesson. Again, a contraction is NEVER used, unless it was presented in a previous lesson! You can also choose the level that you would like to work at from beginning reader to advanced reader, and anywhere in between. This book is very easy for teachers to use. Everything is done for you from planning to preparing braille materials.  It is very beneficial and even fun for the students. You will use these books throughout your career for teaching braille reading, braille writing, proofreading, keyboarding, spelling of braille contractions, and use of electronic Braille displays. So basically, you will use it with a student from elementary through high school. This book is being used successfully by TVI's in public and private schools, schools for the Blind, universities for teaching TVIs and also by transcribers, in the United States. It is also used by schools and/or universities in Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Africa. Here is one teacher's review of this book:             This book is a gem! It is well organized and user friendly for both teacher and student. The book enables learners to build confidence in recognizing contractions/braille characters and acquire fluency as they read or write sentences.              As the book progresses students have continued exposure to contractions already learned while continuing to build new skills. The book highlights correct usage of contractions and simplifies rules for using contractions such as ea versus er.             My student loved this book and enjoyed the challenges presented throughout the text.             The layout of the book also provides an easy reference for teachers like me who after an almost ten-year lull had to relearn braille. The simulated braille paired on the opposite pages from the printed material facilitates access and offers a convenient way for teachers or other individuals to check written work for accuracy.              As an added benefit, this book also serves as a resource for symbols used in math, computers, and other venues.  If you're interested in finding out more, please visit the website: www.ActualTactuals.com. 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. Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Storeand Google Play Store. Check out the Blind Abilities Communityon Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired group

Chaz Davis has since traveled across the country to compete, holding three American records and, most recently, was named the 2018 United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Men’s Marathon Champion. Show Sponsor: VENGA This week's sponsor is Venga CBD. Venga CBD is designed specifically to help athletes perform their best. Venga CBD Recovery Balm is beeswax-based and available in 500mg and 1000mg jars. The addition of lavender and eucalyptus essential oil makes you want to slather it all over! Just remember, a little goes a long way.  Just go to https://vengaendurance.com/303podcast to order yours today. First-time order is 30% off with code (303PODCAST).  We've also added 50% off your first month's subscription with code (303SUBSCRIPTION). In Today's Show Feature interview with Chaz Davis Endurance News - Data on what we've learned about cycling deaths; Zwift bans for data manipulation What New in the 303 - Gravel Graceland; Video of the Week - Chaz Davis beer mile; Resistance band workouts for cyclists   Interview Sponsor: UCAN Take your performance to the next level with UCAN Energy and Bars made with SuperStarch®  UCAN uses SuperStarch instead of simple sugars to fuel serious athletes.  UCAN keeps blood sugar steady compared to the energy spikes and crashes of sugar-based products.  Steady energy equals sustained performance! You put in the training, so don't let nutrition limit your performance.  Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly!  Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co,    Interview with Chaz Davis Charles “Chaz” Davis is a visually impaired runner from Grafton, Massachusetts. His debut as a marathon competitor occurred December 3, 2016 at the California International Marathon (CIM). With a finish time of 2:31:48, Davis set a new American record for the T12/B2 visual impairment category. Chaz's CIM finish time was 29 seconds faster than the 2:32:17 finish of Paralympian Gold Medalist El Amin Chentouf at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. The 2016 Rio games marked another first for Davis. As a member of Team USA's track and field contingency, he finished 8th in the 5000m and 10th in the 1500m. CIM prides itself as a starting block for would be marathon runners. The CIM website notes being a qualifier event for the oldest continuously running Boston Marathon and US Olympic Trials Marathon. In yet another personal best, Davis ran the 122nd Boston Marathon on Monday April 16, 2018. Although he broke no records, Boston.com lists Chaz 5th among its 15 notable 2018 Boston Marathon finishers. His official end time was 2:56:22. Davis began his career as a teen racing for Grafton High School in MA. Determined to excel, he entered the University of Hartford and accepted a position on its cross country team. Shortly after completing his inaugural running season, Davis was diagnosed with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). This rare disease destroys the optic nerve in the eye typically resulting in sudden vision loss which was the case for Chaz. Despite his legally blind classification, Chaz continues to make lemonade with his lemons. Davis currently works at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, a division of MAB Community services in the Greater Boston area. As the coordinator of Team With A Vision's para-athletics division and adaptive programs, Davis is responsible for leading the team of athletes. Having a master's degree in social work Davis will also work in the adjustment to vision loss counseling department. Our News is sponsored by Buddy Insurance. Buddy Insurance is the kind of peace of mind you need as an active outdoor enthusiast.  Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle.  You can now get on-demand accident insurance to make sure you get cash for bills fast and fill any gaps between your current coverage.  Go to buddyinsurance.com and create an account.  There's no commitment or charge to create one.  Once you have an account created, it's a snap to open your phone and in a couple clicks have coverage for the day.  Check it out! Endurance News: What We Learned from Tracking Cycling Deaths for a Year In December, the driver of a box truck plowed into a group of cyclists riding along U.S. Highway 95 south of Las Vegas. Five people died in the crash, and it was later discovered that the driver had methamphetamine in his system. At Outside, we were horrified by the tragedy, which was covered in local and national news, but we also knew it was part of a troubling trend: record numbers of cyclists (and thousands of pedestrians) on our nation’s roads are being killed by drivers often without any media attention beyond a brief local news story. In 2018, 857 cyclists died in crashes with drivers, the deadliest year for people on bikes since 1990. In 2019, while the total number of deaths dipped slightly, to 846, cities like New York recorded their highest number of cyclist fatalities ever. Last January, in response to those disturbing numbers, we launched the #2020CyclingDeaths project, which aimed to track every person on a bike killed by a driver in the U.S. over the course of the year. In the end, we recorded 697 cyclist deaths. Since we were only able to count deaths reported by local media, the actual total is likely significantly higher. The five victims of the Nevada crash were numbers 662 through 666 in our database. In late December, we partnered with the nonprofit BikeMaps.org, founded by Trisalyn Nelson, a professor in geographic information science at the University of California at Santa Barbara. BikeMaps.org has been collecting crowdsourced information about cyclist crashes, near misses, traffic hazards (like potholes and road construction), and bike thefts in the U.S. and Canada since 2014. Its team helped us analyze the data we collected and synthesize the information. While the overall number of cyclists deaths in 2020 appears to be lower than the past couple of years, likely because of the spring lockdowns in response to the pandemic, there is no sign that our streets are getting safer. Here’s what we found.   Zwift bans two more virtual racers for ‘data manipulation’ The online training and racing platform has handed out more sanctions to riders it believes edited their power files Zwift has banned two more riders from virtual racing for alleged data manipulation.   The online training and racing platform has released details of two more sanctions it has handed to riders accused of manipulating their power data after competing in online races. Both riders, Antonina Reznikov and Selma Trommer, have been banned from competing in official Zwift e-sports events for six months, after the Zwift Performance Verification Board found anomalies in the numbers. Reznikov, from Israel, has been sanctioned after competing in the Zwift Racing League (Season 2) Women’s Race 1 event, where she finished in fourth place. Announcing its decision, the Zwift performance board said following the race Zwift’s automated systems found that dual-recorded data from the rider’s power meter may have been edited, leading to further investigation.     What's New in the 303:     3-day Guided Gravel Adventures in Northern CO?–Includes a Demo Gravel Bike–Try Gravel! Northern Colorado contains some of the purest, rock and roll, mixed terrain experiences you can get in the world, that’s why we call it Gravel Graceland. Professional athletes Whitney and Zack Allison want to show you their favorite go-to routes and hidden gems in Gravel Graceland. The specific goal of this adventure is to be inclusive and an exposure focused-adventure to this region’s mixed terrain riding.  Each days route will contain at least 80% dirt to pavement. The routes are challenging, fun, and exploratory, and will range between 39 and 48 miles each day with varying elevation. Three stellar options in Fort Collins, CO: MAY 14-16TH, SEPTEMBER 3-5TH, AND OCTOBER 15-17, 2021. Riders are treated to specifically designed routes to get a taste of what’s offered East, North, and West of Fort Collins. Take it all in from a pace you are happy with. We have that support there for you so you can soak it all in and enjoy the journey to have a great experience adventure cycling. Soon enough, you’ll be pouring over maps asking “does this connect?”   If you’re saying to yourself “this is a bit out of my comfort zone, I have some questions, but overall its something I’m interested in” — Just ask! We’re here to share with you a new, fun experience and hope you love it as much as we do. IF you don’t have a gravel bike you trust, WE HAVE IBIS DEMO BIKES FOR YOU TO RIDE! There’s nothing left to do  but give us your trust and let us take you to Gravel Graceland. Limited to 30 riders. Learn more and sign up: https://www.bikesportsco.com/gravel-graceland   Tips for Creating a Resistance Band Workout for Cyclists As a cyclist, are you looking to get better results when you ride? Maybe you’re aiming to get a competitive edge, increase your uphill power, or improve your performance on sprints.  Whatever your goals are, resistance training with bands will be the key to unlocking next-level performance. Why Resistance Band Training is Good for Cyclists To become a more efficient cyclist, even the most-beginner level riders need to incorporate some form of strength training into their weekly training routines. Factoring in just one to three workouts a week can produce significant results that will directly feed your performance on the bike.  Unless you’re a professional cyclist, the chances are you don’t have much time in your daily life to devote to extensive cross-training routines. Embarking on a progressive weight training program at the gym is all well and good for those who can devote their lives to cycling, but time is of the essence when it comes to balancing your job, family, and hobbies.  This is why you need to start doing regular resistance band training. No matter where you are or how little time you have, resistance bands can give you an effective workout without the hassle of having to travel to the gym or set up awkward equipment.  For a dynamic sport like cycling, resistance bands have the edge over conventional weights and dumbbells. When performing a banded exercise, the entire range of motion is carried out under tension, meaning that you activate and strengthen muscles on both the movement’s eccentric and concentric phases.  Eccentric training can lead to more robust and resilient muscles, enhanced joint control and proprioception, and even reduce the post-workout fatigue you may experience.    Video of the Week: Blind Runner Wins Beer Mile   Upcoming Interviews: Roderick Sewell - CAF Ambassador, Roderick Sewell never dreamed of participating in sports as he and his mother lived hand to mouth.  Today, he is a swimmer representing Team USA.  Roderick had both legs amputated before his second birthday due to severe deformities that prevented him from walking.  » Roderick Sewell (challengedathletes.org) Rocky Harris - Rocky Harris, CEO of USA Triathlon is joining us to talk about the Endurance Exchange, the State of the Sport and the latest on USAT strategy.   Closing: Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it! Happy New Year!  Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

Chaz Davis has since traveled across the country to compete, holding three American records and, most recently, was named the 2018 United States Association of Blind Athletes (USABA) Men’s Marathon Champion. Show Sponsor: VENGA This week's sponsor is Venga CBD. Venga CBD is designed specifically to help athletes perform their best. Venga CBD Recovery Balm is beeswax-based and available in 500mg and 1000mg jars. The addition of lavender and eucalyptus essential oil makes you want to slather it all over! Just remember, a little goes a long way.  Just go to https://vengaendurance.com/303podcast to order yours today. First-time order is 30% off with code (303PODCAST).  We've also added 50% off your first month's subscription with code (303SUBSCRIPTION). In Today's Show Feature interview with Chaz Davis Endurance News - Data on what we've learned about cycling deaths; Zwift bans for data manipulation What New in the 303 - Gravel Graceland; Video of the Week - Chaz Davis beer mile; Resistance band workouts for cyclists   Interview Sponsor: UCAN Take your performance to the next level with UCAN Energy and Bars made with SuperStarch®  UCAN uses SuperStarch instead of simple sugars to fuel serious athletes.  UCAN keeps blood sugar steady compared to the energy spikes and crashes of sugar-based products.  Steady energy equals sustained performance! You put in the training, so don't let nutrition limit your performance.  Use UCAN in your training and racing to fuel the healthy way, finish stronger and recover more quickly!  Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co Use the code 303UCAN for 20% off at ucan.co/discount/303UCAN/ or ucan.co,    Interview with Chaz Davis Charles “Chaz” Davis is a visually impaired runner from Grafton, Massachusetts. His debut as a marathon competitor occurred December 3, 2016 at the California International Marathon (CIM). With a finish time of 2:31:48, Davis set a new American record for the T12/B2 visual impairment category. Chaz's CIM finish time was 29 seconds faster than the 2:32:17 finish of Paralympian Gold Medalist El Amin Chentouf at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. The 2016 Rio games marked another first for Davis. As a member of Team USA's track and field contingency, he finished 8th in the 5000m and 10th in the 1500m. CIM prides itself as a starting block for would be marathon runners. The CIM website notes being a qualifier event for the oldest continuously running Boston Marathon and US Olympic Trials Marathon. In yet another personal best, Davis ran the 122nd Boston Marathon on Monday April 16, 2018. Although he broke no records, Boston.com lists Chaz 5th among its 15 notable 2018 Boston Marathon finishers. His official end time was 2:56:22. Davis began his career as a teen racing for Grafton High School in MA. Determined to excel, he entered the University of Hartford and accepted a position on its cross country team. Shortly after completing his inaugural running season, Davis was diagnosed with Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON). This rare disease destroys the optic nerve in the eye typically resulting in sudden vision loss which was the case for Chaz. Despite his legally blind classification, Chaz continues to make lemonade with his lemons. Davis currently works at the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired, a division of MAB Community services in the Greater Boston area. As the coordinator of Team With A Vision's para-athletics division and adaptive programs, Davis is responsible for leading the team of athletes. Having a master's degree in social work Davis will also work in the adjustment to vision loss counseling department. Our News is sponsored by Buddy Insurance. Buddy Insurance is the kind of peace of mind you need as an active outdoor enthusiast.  Buddy’s mission is simple, to help people fearlessly enjoy an active and outdoor lifestyle.  You can now get on-demand accident insurance to make sure you get cash for bills fast and fill any gaps between your current coverage.  Go to buddyinsurance.com and create an account.  There's no commitment or charge to create one.  Once you have an account created, it's a snap to open your phone and in a couple clicks have coverage for the day.  Check it out! Endurance News: What We Learned from Tracking Cycling Deaths for a Year In December, the driver of a box truck plowed into a group of cyclists riding along U.S. Highway 95 south of Las Vegas. Five people died in the crash, and it was later discovered that the driver had methamphetamine in his system. At Outside, we were horrified by the tragedy, which was covered in local and national news, but we also knew it was part of a troubling trend: record numbers of cyclists (and thousands of pedestrians) on our nation’s roads are being killed by drivers often without any media attention beyond a brief local news story. In 2018, 857 cyclists died in crashes with drivers, the deadliest year for people on bikes since 1990. In 2019, while the total number of deaths dipped slightly, to 846, cities like New York recorded their highest number of cyclist fatalities ever. Last January, in response to those disturbing numbers, we launched the #2020CyclingDeaths project, which aimed to track every person on a bike killed by a driver in the U.S. over the course of the year. In the end, we recorded 697 cyclist deaths. Since we were only able to count deaths reported by local media, the actual total is likely significantly higher. The five victims of the Nevada crash were numbers 662 through 666 in our database. In late December, we partnered with the nonprofit BikeMaps.org, founded by Trisalyn Nelson, a professor in geographic information science at the University of California at Santa Barbara. BikeMaps.org has been collecting crowdsourced information about cyclist crashes, near misses, traffic hazards (like potholes and road construction), and bike thefts in the U.S. and Canada since 2014. Its team helped us analyze the data we collected and synthesize the information. While the overall number of cyclists deaths in 2020 appears to be lower than the past couple of years, likely because of the spring lockdowns in response to the pandemic, there is no sign that our streets are getting safer. Here’s what we found.   Zwift bans two more virtual racers for ‘data manipulation’ The online training and racing platform has handed out more sanctions to riders it believes edited their power files Zwift has banned two more riders from virtual racing for alleged data manipulation.   The online training and racing platform has released details of two more sanctions it has handed to riders accused of manipulating their power data after competing in online races. Both riders, Antonina Reznikov and Selma Trommer, have been banned from competing in official Zwift e-sports events for six months, after the Zwift Performance Verification Board found anomalies in the numbers. Reznikov, from Israel, has been sanctioned after competing in the Zwift Racing League (Season 2) Women’s Race 1 event, where she finished in fourth place. Announcing its decision, the Zwift performance board said following the race Zwift’s automated systems found that dual-recorded data from the rider’s power meter may have been edited, leading to further investigation.     What's New in the 303:     3-day Guided Gravel Adventures in Northern CO?–Includes a Demo Gravel Bike–Try Gravel! Northern Colorado contains some of the purest, rock and roll, mixed terrain experiences you can get in the world, that’s why we call it Gravel Graceland. Professional athletes Whitney and Zack Allison want to show you their favorite go-to routes and hidden gems in Gravel Graceland. The specific goal of this adventure is to be inclusive and an exposure focused-adventure to this region’s mixed terrain riding.  Each days route will contain at least 80% dirt to pavement. The routes are challenging, fun, and exploratory, and will range between 39 and 48 miles each day with varying elevation. Three stellar options in Fort Collins, CO: MAY 14-16TH, SEPTEMBER 3-5TH, AND OCTOBER 15-17, 2021. Riders are treated to specifically designed routes to get a taste of what’s offered East, North, and West of Fort Collins. Take it all in from a pace you are happy with. We have that support there for you so you can soak it all in and enjoy the journey to have a great experience adventure cycling. Soon enough, you’ll be pouring over maps asking “does this connect?”   If you’re saying to yourself “this is a bit out of my comfort zone, I have some questions, but overall its something I’m interested in” — Just ask! We’re here to share with you a new, fun experience and hope you love it as much as we do. IF you don’t have a gravel bike you trust, WE HAVE IBIS DEMO BIKES FOR YOU TO RIDE! There’s nothing left to do  but give us your trust and let us take you to Gravel Graceland. Limited to 30 riders. Learn more and sign up: https://www.bikesportsco.com/gravel-graceland   Tips for Creating a Resistance Band Workout for Cyclists As a cyclist, are you looking to get better results when you ride? Maybe you’re aiming to get a competitive edge, increase your uphill power, or improve your performance on sprints.  Whatever your goals are, resistance training with bands will be the key to unlocking next-level performance. Why Resistance Band Training is Good for Cyclists To become a more efficient cyclist, even the most-beginner level riders need to incorporate some form of strength training into their weekly training routines. Factoring in just one to three workouts a week can produce significant results that will directly feed your performance on the bike.  Unless you’re a professional cyclist, the chances are you don’t have much time in your daily life to devote to extensive cross-training routines. Embarking on a progressive weight training program at the gym is all well and good for those who can devote their lives to cycling, but time is of the essence when it comes to balancing your job, family, and hobbies.  This is why you need to start doing regular resistance band training. No matter where you are or how little time you have, resistance bands can give you an effective workout without the hassle of having to travel to the gym or set up awkward equipment.  For a dynamic sport like cycling, resistance bands have the edge over conventional weights and dumbbells. When performing a banded exercise, the entire range of motion is carried out under tension, meaning that you activate and strengthen muscles on both the movement’s eccentric and concentric phases.  Eccentric training can lead to more robust and resilient muscles, enhanced joint control and proprioception, and even reduce the post-workout fatigue you may experience.    Video of the Week: Blind Runner Wins Beer Mile   Upcoming Interviews: Roderick Sewell - CAF Ambassador, Roderick Sewell never dreamed of participating in sports as he and his mother lived hand to mouth.  Today, he is a swimmer representing Team USA.  Roderick had both legs amputated before his second birthday due to severe deformities that prevented him from walking.  » Roderick Sewell (challengedathletes.org) Rocky Harris - Rocky Harris, CEO of USA Triathlon is joining us to talk about the Endurance Exchange, the State of the Sport and the latest on USAT strategy.   Closing: Thanks again for listening in this week.  Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment.  We'd really appreciate it! Happy New Year!  Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!

Season 2 of Dangerous Vision is about work.  What we do for work,  why we do our work, and what are the barriers that keep some from working. In Episode 1 of Season 2 host Randy Cohen catches up with Peter Sagal.  To many who listen to him on  NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me he is curious and witty.  To runners, Peter Sagal's column in Runner's World offers insight into the sport and a look into how the activity shaped  Peter's adult life.  Yet running can be dangerous to those who are visually impaired or inaccessible to those living with blindness unless a guide is available. In 2013 and 2014 Peter was a guide with Team With A Vision--the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired's marathon team.  In the first episode of Season 2 host, Randy Cohen chats with Peter about how he got into guiding and why he credits it for changing the way he views running. The Boston Marathon Virtual Experience happened between September 7-14, in this one-hour LIVESTREAM Event hosted by Peter Sagal learn more about the team past and present. Listen to PeterWait Wait Don't Tell MeRun with PeterRunner's World Peter Sagal ColumnRead PeterPeter Sagal the authorLearn About Guiding 

On today's show I get a little random but towards the end I also talk about my thoughts on being totally blind visually impaired or physically handicapped --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Special Guest: Ed Henkler  Ed has been committed to helping those that are visually impaired.  Thriving after Vision Loss: Ensuring that people who have lost their sight shift their goals from surviving to thriving. Dedicated to people experiencing vision loss and those that love them. He also developed https://theblindguide.com/ working with partners and companies on enhancing the opportunities to help blind be successful in the workforce.  Breakdown of today's podcast:First experience with visually impaired people.Creating opportunities for the 70% that are unemployedMisconceptions of blind people and inability to workEducating people on how to assess abilities based on level of impairmentPositions people can thrive inSoftware and tools helping the blind be successfulIntegrated blind people into the workforceGovernment or Non-Profit Funded organizations to help support companiesHow should people interact with blind coworkersTalk to the employee, trust their feelings on how interactions should take placeAdvocacy groups can provide educationWhat can companies do to recruit blind people?Employees need to take initiative to help themselves and also educating the hiring companies. Cost to accommodate is minimalGuidance to people that are blindDo NOT assume the person you are interviewing with gets what it means to be blindOther positions blind people can be successful withEd's partnerships and initiatives Guest InfoEd HenklerFounder of The Blind Guide:Passionate about prevention of blindness and enabling technology for people who are blind or visually impaired. Implementing solutions to improve quality of life and increase the employability of people with visual impairments. https://www.linkedin.com/in/edhenkler/ edhenkler@gmail.com  GLINTER SOCIAL MEDIA AND CONTACT INFO michael@michaelglinter.com (Email) http://bit.ly/michaelglinter (Podcast) http://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelglinter2 (Linked In) #MichaelAGlinter (Twitter) http://www.facebook.com/michael.glinter (Facebook) https://www.youtube.com/c/MichaelGlinter (YouTube) www.michaelglinter.com (Website) 

With the COVID-19 epidemic spreading across the World, there are so many questions being asked and protocols being established. Stephen Letnes took it upon himself to ask around the state of Minnesota, “How does a Blind/Visually Impaired person establish a ride to the Doctor’s office if they want them to come in and be tested?” After fining absolutely no protocols in place, Stephen started his mission to bring his question to the attention of the Legislators, the, Health Department and the governor. Join Stephen Letnes and Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio and find out how little has been done with concerns towards people who can’t drive and how do they get to the doctor for testing to see if they have Covid19. In Minnesota you can call the Minnesota Covid19 Hotline: 651-201-3920 Here is a comprehensive list of all the states and their hotline phone numbers. You can contact Stephen Letnes by email. You can find out the latest from the web site of the Center of Disease Control Check out the Corona Virus Resources for the BVI Community page from the BlindyBlog web site. We want you to stay well, be kind and together, we will get through this. 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 Store Check out the Blind Abilities Community on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page, the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired, the Assistive Technology Community for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the Facebook group That Blind Tech Show.

If you follow social media, you may have noticed some initiatives to enlighten our fellow society members on how to interact with people who happen to be Blind/Visually Impaired.  There was the “Just Ask, Don't Grab” campaign by Dr. Amy Kavanagh and other people from the Blind and Visually Impaired community addressing incidents where sighted members of our society feel obligated to save the day for the presumably helpless blind person. If you are out and about in the public sphere, chances are you've also encountered those people who take it upon themselves to determine what is best for you and have no idea how to assist and land up grabbing, insisting, demanding and upsetting you when they're actually trying to help. Unsolicited help can be frustrating, distracting or even dangerous  especially when focus on the environment is needed - crossing streets, navigating train platforms, ascending and descending stairs, to cite just a few examples.  Yes, sometimes those interactions can be useful, answering a question or confirming what we already know. And sometimes they can be an educational experience where we can teach society how best to engage with us in a manner that works for us. But sometimes the opposite can happen.  How do we negotiate these moments?  Lois Strachan, Author of “A Different Way of Seeing” and host of the podcast “A Different Way of Travelling”, and Jeff Thompson, Audio Producer and Host of the Blind Abilities podcasts, take on the tough questions surrounding the interaction between the sighted and Blind individuals. A question we want you to answer is, “What 3 Golden Rules would you like for the sighted world to know when interacting with a person from the BVI community?" In this Analysis Paralysis episode, we take a look at the entire picture and want to hear from you and your thoughts. Send us an email and let your voice join the conversation. Stay up to date with Lois Strachan on her Facebook page, Lois Strachan - A Different Way of Seeing. Catch up with Jeff Thompson on Facebook at Blind Abilities Page and follow him on Twitter @KnownAsJeff. 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.

At the age of 45, San Fransicso architect Chris Downey lost his sight.  It was dramatic and sudden yet it didn't alter Chris's chosen profession.  In fact, Chris thinks he is a better architect because he designs with inclusion in mind.  In this episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy and Chris talk about how an architect without sight designs, he experiences the building in a much different manner, ie feeling parts of the building and hearing other parts. From loss of sight came a new perspective and the discovery of Outsights – lessons learned that form an expanded vision for architectural work, research, service, and talks.Chris's top tech go-to piece continues to be his iPhone as well as Aira. Chris has designed The new Lighthouse for the Blind's new buildingThe Salesforce Transit CenterSustainability Pavilion UAEFor more information visit The Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired  

There are few men in the Boston area who have done as much for the blind community than NBA Celtics owner and philanthropist Wyc Grousbeck.  While he is a high profile owner of an NBA team it is clear from this conversation he is a devoted and loving father. In mid-November, at the PRX Podcast Garage in Boston, Dangerous Vision hosted a LIVE  conversation between host Randy Cohen and Wyc Grousbeck.Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired Sassy Outwater-Wright welcomed the audience mainly from the blind community by saying "there is no right way to do blind. The Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired or MABVI is here to support you where you are in your journey." She went on to say there are many voices in the blind community and this is one of the reasons why she loves the podcast, there is room for discussion and dialogue. This is the first part of a two-part episode with Wyc.  For more information visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/ 

Cincinnati Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired. Dinning in the Dark, Saturday, November 9, 2019, 6:00PM-10:00PM, Jack Casino Event Center. https://www.cincyblind.org/

Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Jeff Thompson from Blind Abilities sat down with Christian, Alexander and Will from the Be My Eyes Team. From the latest news about Specialized help and announcing the new Be My Eyes Podcast, the Be My Eyes team talk about experiences and uses of the Free Be My Eyes App and the growing number of users and volunteers in the Be My Eyes community. 2.5 million volunteers World Wide and over 140,000 Be My Eyes users. With 24/7 capabilities and Specialized help, Be My Eyes is impacting the lives of sighted volunteers and Blind/Visually Impaired users in more ways than ever imagined. The Be My Eyes Stories are available in the App and you can learn about experiences, and the people making Be My Eyes what it is today. We included some of these stories in this podcast and if you want to check out more of the stories and give Be My Eyes a try or become a volunteer or want to suggest a Specialized Help partner,, download the Free Be My Eyes app from the App Store or Google Play Store.  To find out more about Be My Eyes, check them out on the web at www.BeMyEyes.com. Follow Be My Eyes on Twitter @BeMyEyes  Stay up to date and follow Be My Eyes on Facebook. ***** 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.

Show Summary: In this Tech Abilities podcast we talk with Timothy from Eschenbach. There are many opportunities in our everyday life when a vision aid can be beneficial and help improve one’s quality of life.  When you’re reading a newspaper or a bill or watching television or at an outdoor event, do you often find that the object being viewed is too small or difficult to see? If so, Eschenbach can help! In this Tech Abilities podcast, I met up with Timothy from Eschenbach at the NCSAB conference in Washington D.C. If you are a teacher of the Blind/Visually Impaired or Counselor or Tech Specialist  at an agency, then Eschenbach may have the Low Vision solution you have been looking for. Timothy talks us through two electronic magnifiers that are portable and loaded with features that can enhance the classroom experience for Low vision students. The Vario digital Desktop Foldable  The Vario Digital FHDis a foldable desktop video magnifier with outstanding image quality and compact design. It features a 15.6” full HD monitor with optical zoom from 1.3x - 45x magnification and an FHD camera that provides a true color image with a large field of view. The Visolux Digital XL FHDis an advanced portable video magnifier that features a 12” TFT LCD display with touch screen interface an FHD camera, built-in stand, and many other features! The device’s unique Dynamic Line Scrolling (DLS) feature allows the user to scroll both horizontally and vertically when on the higher magnification levels without having to move the device. Its FHD camera actually sees more than what’s shown on the screen, making reading a book or magazine easier than ever. Images can be captured and stored on a removable 8GB SD card. Join Timothy as he explains the usability and multiple features found in these new magnifiers from Eschenbach. You can find out more about Eschenbach and all of their Low Vision solutions on the web at www.Eschenbach.com About NCSAB: The National Council of State Agencies for the Blind (NCSAB)held their Spring conference in Washington D.C., This is a conference attended by Directors and Administrators from the State Agencies and Vocational Rehab Centers across the United States. The attendees share successes and discuss the challenges with leaders from the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Department of Education and the Consumer Organizations including the American Foundation of the Blind, American Council of the Blind and the National Foundation of the Blind. Be sure to check with your State Services for the Blind, your Voc. Rehabilitation Services and find out what they can do for you. Blind abilities NCSAB coverage is sponsored in part by Be My Eyes. Be My Eyes is a free app that connects blind and low-vision people with sighted volunteers and company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call. Download for iOS Download for Android 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 Store.

Show Summary: ROY SAMUELSON is one of Hollywood’s leading voiceover talents in film and television. Currently Roy is leading the way in the area of DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION / AUDIO DESCRIPTION, an aspect of television and filmmaking that allows Blind/Visually Impaired viewers to get audio description during a show without interruption and fills in the void as the action is not always obvious. Roy Samuelson is a professional Audio Describer for some of the latest Hollywood productions. Movies like First Man, Venom, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Spiderman: Homecoming, Jason Bourne, The Magnificent Seven, Get Out, Skyscraper, Atomic Blonde and television shows like Lethal Weapon, NCIS, Blue Bloods and Criminal Minds. Roy stops by the studio to join Brian Fischler and Jeff Thompson for an in-depth look at Audio Description and where it is today. You can Follow Roy on Twitter @RoySamuelsonand check out his Facebook page, Roy Samuelson Biz, and be sure to check out his latest works and send in some feedback. Roy is happy to hear from you. 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 Store.

Show Summary: ROY SAMUELSON is one of Hollywood’s leading voiceover talents in film and television. Currently Roy is leading the way in the area of DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION / AUDIO DESCRIPTION, an aspect of television and filmmaking that allows Blind/Visually Impaired viewers to get audio description during a show without interruption and fills in the void as the action is not always obvious. Roy Samuelson is a professional Audio Describer for some of the latest Hollywood productions. Movies like First Man, Venom, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Spiderman: Homecoming, Jason Bourne, The Magnificent Seven, Get Out, Skyscraper, Atomic Blonde and television shows like Lethal Weapon, NCIS, Blue Bloods and Criminal Minds. Roy stops by the studio to join Brian Fischler and Jeff Thompson for an in-depth look at Audio Description and where it is today. You can Follow Roy on Twitter @RoySamuelsonand check out his Facebook page, Roy Samuelson Biz, and be sure to check out his latest works and send in some feedback. Roy is happy to hear from you. 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 Store.

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) Screen readers, Refreshable Braille, Magnification, Audio Books, Computers and Smart Devices are just a few of the Tools for Success that are available to the Blind/Visually Impaired community. From education to the workplace, Assistive Technology enables people with a visual impairment to do just about anything they want to and apply for the jobs and the careers that they want. State Services for the Blind has a technology Unit that makes assessments and help clients determine what assistive technology would best suit their needs as they set their educational and career goals. Jesse Anderson is an Assistive Technology Specialist at State Services for the Blind (SSB) in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In this podcast, Jesse will take you through the assessment process and how assistive technology choices are made and individualized for each person and their educational and career goals.  Jesse admits he is a nerd and loves technology. Jesse loves Accessible Gaming and Advocates for accessibility in the gaming industry. You can find out more about Jesse and accessible gaming on his YouTube Channel, Illegally Sighted. If you want to find out more about State Services for the Blind. You can call (651) 539-2300 Find them on the web. Outside of Minnesota, search for your state agency/Vocational Rehabilitation Services in your state and find out what they can do for you.   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 Store. Full Transcript Full Transcription: Jeff Thompson: Be sure to check out the blind ability scill on your Amazon device. Just say, "Enable Blind Abilities." {Music} Jesse Anderson: We're not just looking at, okay, how can we get you through your classes that you're currently in. We're actually looking at more of a long-term goal. Jeff Thompson: Meet Jesse Anderson. Jesse Anderson: They use Windows PC's typically in many office environments. Jeff Thompson: Assistive Technology Specialist from State Services for the Blind in Minnesota. Jesse Anderson: Mac is in a lot of the more artistic areas, so maybe audio, video production, maybe some web design. It's good for people to learn that experience as well, to kind of know how to find ways to fix problems. If you are low vision, how would you do that? If you are blind, how would you do that? Well, I might take my phone and use it as a magnifier. Or if I am blind, I might take my phone or my laptop, and snap a picture of it and have it read aloud with my Bluetooth headphones. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I am Jeff Thompson. Today we're going to be talking about assistive technology. About the tools for success. The tools that will help you level the playing field in the job market, in employment, and in education. We'll be talking about the services that your state agency can provide to you, and how your participation is vitally important towards your success. So be sure to check out your state agency, your voc rehab, your state's services for the blind and see what they can do for you. Jesse Anderson: Have the technology skills and knowing those skills well I think is just a really good thing to do, no matter what you are going to be doing in your employment or education. If you are low vision, you may be a Zoom text user, but you know what? It might be a great idea to learn Windows Magnifier, because a. It's free, b. It's built into Windows. Jeff Thompson: If you wanna find more podcasts with a blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, and check out our extensive library. From job insights, TVI Toolbox, iPhone 101, and our tech show, Tech Abilities, where we cover the latest developments, the latest innovations and the technologies that will enhance your opportunities for success. Jesse Anderson: I am into a little bit of everything but I am definitely still a nerd. Jeff Thompson: Please welcome assistive technology specialist, Jessie Anderson. We hope you enjoy. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I am Jeff Thompson and today I am at State Services for the Blind in St. Paul, Minnesota, and I'm talking to assistive technology specialist, Jessie Anderson. Jessie, how are you doing? Jesse Anderson: I'm doing pretty good. Thanks for having me on today. Jeff Thompson: Great. Jessie, I wanna thank you for taking the time out of your day to come on the Blind Abilities and share with our listeners the services that you provide here at State Services for the Blind as an assistive technology specialist. Jesse Anderson: Yeah, there are actually five assistive technology specialists at SSB and we all work out of the St. Paul office. How it works is we are assigned to specific counselors who cover specific areas of the state. For instance, I do cover the [inaudible] Cato area, and then you have all the other tech specialists covering the different other parts of the state. And the last couple years, my role has changed a little bit because I am starting to work a lot more with transition age students, and that's a little bit more statewide. So I do a lot of metro, but I am traveling around the state a fair bit as well. So I will do assistive technology assessments. Meet with students in the schools or at SSB or wherever we need to. And there's a lot of stuff going on with the transition program. Jeff Thompson: Well that's a good age, 14 to 21. Students that are transitioning from high school to college where they really wanna hone in on some accessible technology to gain employment. Jesse Anderson: Yeah. During one of the ... when I meet with a students, it could be anyone between eighth grade on up in school, and like I said, if they are in the area, sometimes they'll meet here at SSB and if they are local, that is really helpful because we do have quite a few more types of devices in our technology lab or our resource center here. But I do go on the road a lot especially to greater Minnesota. So a lot of times, we'll set up a meeting to meet in the student school during some time that they can meet either during study hall or something, like that. And when I meet with people, some of the things we look at ... we're not just looking at, okay, how can we get you through your classes that you are currently in? We're actually looking at more of a long-term goal. So even if you're eighth, ninth grade, we're still going to kind of be looking at, well maybe you want a summer job. Maybe you want to work a little bit after school, or maybe you are participating in some transition related activities through SSB or other organization. Jesse Anderson: And then moving onto maybe what are you thinking after graduating high school? Are you going to go to college? You kind of maybe have an idea what type of degree. Maybe you wanna work with computers or people or animals. Maybe you don't wanna go to college and maybe you just wanna look for work right away. So those are the kind of things that we look at and then what types of technology would kind of best work to meet those types of education or employment goals based on their vision. Jeff Thompson: Covers a wide spectrum of low vision to totally blind from whether it's their braille, or if they are going to be using a lot of brail, to if they are using more audio. You do a full assessment of what would probably work best for those type of goals that they are seeking. Jesse Anderson: Absolutely. We work with people who are blind, who are low vision, who are deaf-blind, and I have met with people of all those groups. Blind, deaf-blind, and low-vision. And it could also be an accommodation thing. You may have a low-vision user who has some usability vision but honestly, it's much more affective for them to primarily listen to audio and maybe they even know braille. So, instead of maybe you have a very, very limited field of view or very, very low-vision and so visual is just not practical. So we may still look at brail displays. We still may look at a lot of audio. Yeah, it could be anywhere from computer software to smartphones, tablets, braille displays, note takers, portable devices, CCTVs. Any kind of number of things. Jesse Anderson: And so when we get a referrals from the counselor and just kind of get an idea of the person's vision and kind of what they are thinking of doing, then we can kind of help them identify what would work best for them. Jeff Thompson: And that's great because people are coming in. They're probably trying to set up an employment program. And so they are working with counselor and then you have a transition team, and your part of this is when it comes to technology. So what is an assessment? When someone does in come for that assessment, how long do you spend with them? And where do you start? Jesse Anderson: Well, when we do an assessment, usually I tell people that I kind of schedule things for, I would say, between an hour and a half to two hours. I usually block off a two hour block of time, and then even have a little bit of extra time after, if needed. Because I always let people know that if we go through things quickly and end early, or if we go a little bit longer, that's totally fine. My main thing is, I don't want to rush people through everything. We're going to cover a lot of different topics. A lot of different types of technology during that assessment as it is, and so I wanna give people enough time to ask questions, try out some of the technology and not rush through everything. We'll have the information from the counselor's referral and I'll just kind of ask some general questions. What is your vision? Is it stable? Because we also wanna look at, maybe your vision is like this, but oh, maybe it was a little bit better six months ago. And is it stable or is it expected to deteriorate over time? Jesse Anderson: And so we want to look at if that is the case, you may be able to use some large print now, but you may also kind of want to look at using more speech or gradually, especially if someone is not used to it, getting used to using more audio and maybe braille or something like that. Because as their vision changes, they'll need to do that. We look at what their needs are. How they like to best process information. Are they a visual learner? Do they have to physically read it either visually or tactilely through braille? Or do they prefer audio? What's most efficient? If we're looking at employment, we're looking at even things like, yes, okay, I might be able to read visually, but it's not really that fast and if I was in a fast-paced work setting where I had to get my job done quickly, maybe I am talking with customers on the phone. I need to access client information at a customer service job, maybe print isn't the fastest and you do have to look at audio because you also have to look at level of productivity that makes sense. Jeff Thompson: My experience out in the work force and businesses and corporations and all that, it seems like a lot of companies are PC based or they are Microsoft based through their databases. I see a higher percentage of people using JAWS or NVDA on their computers that are in the workforce. I mean, Apple is good with voiceover and your phone. A lot of people use that, and the Androids. But predominately in the workforce, I see Microsoft based computers. Jesse Anderson: Yeah. That's actually what we see a lot too. It's actually really interesting in education because in high schools and stuff right now, we have a pretty good mixture. I'll meet with some students and some schools will use iPads a lot, especially for special education. You'll see some schools that try to use Chromebooks which, they do have accessibility built into them. I don't have a lot of experience with it. I really need to get my hands on a modern Chromebook to play with that a little bit more. But, a lot of people do find even though they do have accessibility built in, they find it a little bit more restrictive. So they would like to either use more of a PC or a Mac, but you have some schools, it'll have PC. Some will use Mac. Some will use iPads. And it's just a wide variety of things. Jesse Anderson: And then when you get To college, it's kind of a free for all, because everybody has their own way to take notes or write reports. You can use your Mac. You can use your PC. But like you said, in the work world, and this is even if somebody is in high school and if they are like, "Oh, I wanna be a psychologist", or, "I wanna work in an office", or, "I wanna work in some type of setting like that", I do let them know that, like you said, they use Windows PC's typically in many office environments. The main place where I would see Mac is in a lot of the artistic areas. So maybe audio, video production. Maybe some web design. But that could go either way. Jesse Anderson: So I mean, we do recommend some Mac packages. Or if somebody is maybe you do have a technical position but maybe somebody is wanting to ... they are a programmer and they need to develop for Mac or iOS. You have to pretty much have a Mac to do that. So there are cases where we do recommend, but yes. In a lot of business settings, I would say, I can probably count the number of actual office settings on one hand that would use a Mac, as it's all been pretty much Windows. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well that's the unique thing about what you do here at State Services for the Blind, is you develop programs for individual for their needs. What works best for them to succeed. Jesse Anderson: Correct. Jeff Thompson: So Jessie, say someone does acquire a piece of equipment and it's working for them, but they wanna learn a little bit more about it. What do you suggest to them to do at that point? Jesse Anderson: Well, when we meet with people during the original assessment, we'll kind of also look at what their computer skills are. Not just computer skills, but how well they use the computer. If they are using an iPhone or an iPad, Android device, or whatever technology that is that they need or are currently using, and we'll let them know that we do have a couple of on-staff trainers that can work with them for some tasks and then we also have some certified contracted trainers that we work with throughout the state who can meet individually, one-on-one, with people for technology training. And that can happen at SSB. That can happen at the client's home. That can happen at the job site. Like I said, in addition to assessments, we will also go ... let's say somebody gets a job offer, and the company says we're using this software. Is this going to work with JAWS, Zoom Text or NVDA? Something like that. Jesse Anderson: And so we can work with the user and we can work with the business and we can set up a time to go to that business and get the demo of JAWS, or Zoom Text, let's say, installed on those machines, and have somebody at the job who knows what that position requires, and then they'll walk us through kind of what that person would be required to do, and then we can test how that assistive technology works with their software. Are there any problems? And if there are, what kind of things can we do to get around them or fix them? Yeah, there's a lot involved. With training, or with assessing job sites. All kinds of different things. Jeff Thompson: So they are not alone. Jesse Anderson: No, no. And if somebody has ... we got some equipment for them, or they have equipment already. Like I said, there is a training part of it, and then let's say somebody gets ... receives some technology with the assistance of SSB. We give them an assistive technology resource guide, and that's kind of a long document that has all kinds of helpful information. It'll have all of their device information. Their serial numbers of their devices. It'll have some common tips for different things. A lot of times we have a few cheat sheets for some programs like using some of the built in accessibility features of Mac and Windows. And then there's also in this resource guide, we also provide contact information for a lot of the common types of devices that we recommend. So be it a computer, a brail display, Zoom Text or JAWS. Something like that. Jesse Anderson: And we do encourage them. Yes, we are definitely there to help but we also do encourage them to contact ... let's say they have a computer program. Their computer just died, or they have a weird JAWS behavior problem or they have whatever issue. To also encourage them to learn how to contact some of the manufacturers and get some of their technical support too, because some of the really strange bugs, maybe some things that even we can't quite figure out. Or maybe there's a hardware issue, where they will have to kind of send it in. And so it's good for people to learn that experience as well to kind of know how to find ways to fix problems. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. And that's a life-long skill because all the way down to your job, career, whatever you are doing, you're going to come across problems and develop advocating for assistance, help, maintenance, whatever it is, pays off in the long run. So, Jessie, you've talked about going to college but employment seems to be the big thing. For people who are looking for employment, what suggestions would you have for them in regards to technology and maybe an employer not understanding what AT, assistive technology, is? Jesse Anderson: There are a few things that I will kind of tell people are as we are discussing things during the assessment or as we we're meeting in general. When we're talking about transition, the common sort of issues is that, well, this assistive technology is cool, but I don't really wanna look different. Like okay, I've got this CCTV or I've got this brail display and people are like what the heck is that? And we all know. I mean, I went through it. You went through it. Kids can be mean. When you're in high school, junior high, high school, kids can do some really mean things. And so they are kind of worried about looking different or standing out. And we just try to encourage them to ... if this makes your life a lot easier, like if you are really struggling to read that assignment, if you are really struggling to see the white board at the front of the room or to write that report or whatever it is for school, yeah, you might look a little bit different. But everybody uses technology in the room now. I mean, you've got people using their smartphones and tablets and laptops and things. Jesse Anderson: So you might have a few little bit different things, but if it's going to make your life a lot easier and more efficient, speed up what you're doing, and spend half an hour instead of three hours on an assignment, don't worry about it. And when you get to college, not only will people not care, but that's actually a really interesting conversation starter, because then people go, "Oh, dude, what's that?" And then you can show them stuff. Then they also get more of a positive impression of, "Oh, okay. You are going to college. You are going to look for work." Kind of gives them more of a positive impression on blindness or low-vision as well. Jesse Anderson: One of the other things that I would talk about is that when you are at that employment stage, I think it's just really important to treat the job search as a full-time job in itself. You know, I mean, a lot of people might kind of expect, "Oh, well SSB is here and they are going to help, or they are going to find me a job. Oh, they are going to get a job for me." No, we're definitely here to help you, but you definitely have to do your part as well. I'm speaking from experience, I got my undergrad degree and after that, I was unemployed for three and a half years. But that wasn't for lack of trying. I basically set aside anywhere between six, eight hours a day on weekdays, and sometimes weekends if I found a good job lead. And I would apply for jobs. I would look for jobs. Jesse Anderson: I had a whole jobs folder where I would have several types of templates for resumes and cover letters, where maybe I am applying for help desk jobs. Maybe I am applying for a web design job or a customer ... Any type of job, so I could just quickly get those out there. And then I would even have Excel workbooks, because I was applying for so many jobs, it's so hard to keep track. And so I would put, okay, I applied for this business, this position. I applied for it on that date. Did I get a response? Did I get an interview? What are the things [inaudible], because otherwise, I was not going to remember it. In that three and a half period, I got so many rejection letters, I jokingly would tell people that I could wallpaper my apartment with them. So it's just you really do have to put in the work and treat the job search as pretty much a full-time job to really get good results. You really gotta put in, especially since we have to prove ourselves. Hey, we're blind or vision impaired, or deaf-blind, but we can do things too. Jesse Anderson: The other thing that I would ... I kind of recommend as far as technology goes that can be really helpful is, okay, so you get an interview, and I didn't do this right away but what I found to be helpful as I started doing later on, was I would bring some ... not everything, but I would bring a couple of commonly used items with me to that interview. It could be my laptop in a laptop bag. It could be my ... now it would be my iPhone and you'll be doing the interview, and by that time, they will probably know that you have a vision impairment and they may ... employers will have concerns. "Oh can you do this part of the job?" Or, "How would you do this part of the job? Can you do it quickly enough?" And not only bringing the technology to the interview, but even having some documents on your laptop ready or some tasks in mind that you could do, so someone says, "Okay, we're in a meeting and we need to hand out these memos that we want people to read and we're going to discuss. Okay if you're low-vision, how would you do that? If you're blind, how would you do that?" Jesse Anderson: Well, I might take my phone and use it as a magnifier. Or if I am blind, I might take my phone or my laptop and snap a picture of it and have it read aloud with my Bluetooth headphones. How do I access the Internet? Well, let me bring up my phone or let me bring up my laptop and go to a website that you know, go to something fairly complex so that they can see that you are using the sites that everybody does. Go to Amazon. That's a pretty complex. There's a lot of information there. Pretty complex site. And just kind of showing them some of those things, offer to kind of show them so that way they think, "Oh, okay. Not only can you do it, but you can do it well." And know your assistive technology. That's the other thing. Know your assistive technology. Jeff Thompson: That's a good point. Because sometimes you may get the equipment, but you don't know how to use it and that takes a lot of time to get familiar with it so you can use it efficiently. And that's a great point when you're at a job interview because that person there, their internal monologue is wondering, can they do this? They're not saying it, but their thought bubbles are, I don't know if they can access a computer. So you're actually breaking that ice and it's showing them and just opening the door for the possibilities like, wow I didn't know that. Because a lot of people don't know what we can do with assistive technology. Jesse Anderson: Absolutely. And I would say that a lot of people really underestimate. That's one thing that I see in education. That's one thing that I see in employment. Just kind of everywhere. A lot of it isn't the ... as long as we're doing everything that we can, we're capable. But there's a lot of low expectations or just people just don't know that, oh ... I've had people ask me, actually it was very recently. I was getting my, I think I was getting mail and somebody at my apartment complex was like, "Oh so do you work?" And I'm like, "Yeah." "Oh, okay. That's interesting." I said, "Yeah. Not only do I work, I work full-time and I do this and I do that." It's just kind of even people that kind of see me around, they're like, I didn't know really what you could do. So yeah, we encounter that a lot. It's just a lot of low expectations. But something like that can help a lot. It's just being prepared. Jeff Thompson: That's the great thing about state services for the blind, because when you're in the predicament, maybe you just lost some eyesight or maybe you've been blind and you are looking towards transitioning to college to the work place, you can come here, get a counselor and you'll meet up with someone like Jessie, an assistive technology specialist, to find the tools for success that'll help you level the playing field basically. Put you on an even keel with everyone else. And like Jessie mentioned, employment. They have employment specialists as well that can help you look for jobs, teach you how to look for jobs, teach you some skills of resume building. Jesse Anderson: Mock interviews as well. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). There are so many services here that you can get at state services for the blind. Your state agency, your vocational rehab, wherever you are, check them out and Jessie what advice would you give to someone who is transitioning from college to high school to the workplace? Jesse Anderson: Really, it's just kind of a matter of look at what you wanna do. I've had people come in and say, "Well, what are some blind jobs I could get?" And yeah, there are certain things. I'm not going to become an airline pilot or a driver or something like that, but if you wanna work on mechanics, if you want to work in an office, if you wanna do ... work in education, there's probably ... especially with all of the services and all of the technology and different things, there's probably a way to make it happen. So don't pigeon hole yourself into necessarily like, oh, these are ... I can do customer service, or I can do tuning pianos or I don't know if that's even a thing anymore, but you know? And like I said, knowing your technology. Learning those technology skills as early as possible I think is really helpful because not only just for employment but I mean, for independence, I mean, just being able to look things up on the Internet. I mean, Amazon Prime is wonderful and evil at the same time, because it's so easy to buy things but I can research products and shop. Jesse Anderson: I can pay my bills. I can do all kinds of things with my phone or my computer. Whatever. So just having the technology skills and knowing those skills well, I think is just a really good thing to do no matter what you are going to be doing in employment or education. Jeff Thompson: Great. Jessie, on a daily basis, what tools do you utilize? Jesse Anderson: In my job, I use a lot of different tools myself, because I am indeed legally blind. I have some vision, but I am legally blind. So, I actually use a combination of magnification and speech. I find myself using Windows Magnifier actually, quite a bit. Especially in Windows 10. Windows 10 has Windows Magnifier built in. It also has some high contrast features that I've been ... especially in the latest October update. They've really fixed some things and added some things so it's worked better. But I'll use Zoom Text from time to time. But honestly, I use a screen reader. I use speech a lot. I use NVDA a lot. I do still use JAWS sometimes. But NVDA and even System Access, I really like the way System Access works on the Internet. So NVDA, System Access, JAWS, those are things I use all the time. I also use my phone. Jesse Anderson: I have an iPhone and I use the built in magnifier to read short little documents or serial numbers. Things like that. I use other magnification apps. I will use things like Seeing AI, or Prismo, or KNFB Reader to OCR a document really quick. I use Voice Dream Reader and BookShare books, and BARD, and I mean just reading books for recreation or even part as my job, I wanna keep up on technology and things like that. So I read a lot of technology related books and information. So there's all kinds of apps I use on my phone, but that's probably one of my most used tools is my phone. Jeff Thompson: And in the world out there, especially in the job market and having more tools in your tool box, [inaudible] that's a catchall phrase, but having different angles of attacking at certain solution problem is a screen doesn't read to have a couple things that you could draw from is probably a good skill to have. Jesse Anderson: I'm really glad you brought that up because I totally forgot about that. That is absolutely what we recommend as well. So if you are low-vision, you may be a Zoom Text user but you know what? It might be a great idea to learn Windows Magnifier because a. It's free, b. It's built into Windows. It doesn't cost anything, but you're not always using your computer. Maybe you go to a library, a computer lab, a friend or family's place and they don't have Zoom Text installed. You can still have magnification if you are a speech user, you may be a JAWS user, but guess what? NVDA is free. It runs on a thumb drive. You can use that. You might be able to get by with using Windows Narrator and of course Apple has its voice over for a screen reader. You have Zoom built into the Mac and iOS both. Yes, knowing more than one screen ... I regularly, professionally, I regularly switch between multiple tools. Like if one OCR app doesn't work, I'll use a different one. I might visit a website with JAWS and it doesn't work, and so I use NVDA or NVDA doesn't read something and JAWS does. So absolutely knowing more than one tool, especially nowadays with the way things move so quickly. Absolutely important. Jesse Anderson: It's really interesting being an assistive technology specialist right now, because things move just so much faster. Back in the day we had, maybe you had Magic and Zoom Text or you had JAWS and WindowEyes and now you've got the Windows stuff. You've got Mac. You've got iOS. Android. And then that's not even getting into people ask about smart appliances like Google Home and Alexa or the Amazon Echo. There's so many different platforms and they all can have good uses for them, but there's a lot to keep track of. Even we can't keep up with it all. I mean, I try to. I am a nerd, and I'm into that kind of stuff, but I can't even learn everything. Jeff Thompson: Especially, I'll go on my wife's PC and I'll hit the VO keys. Well there are no VO keys on that, the PC laptop, so it's kind of fun that ... going back and forth, for me, I can do it but I have to think about it for a little bit and staying up to date with stuff. So I'll use a Mac. I can use the PC. I can use a couple of other things and that's an asset that I do. But, it does take a little bit of work to get my brain wrapped around it again. Jesse Anderson: Yeah. Definitely. I want to say, especially if you are totally blind or if you are a speech user, magnification, you can kinda figure things out because the interface might be a little bit different, but you can kind of, oh I can click around and stuff. But me being a long time PC user and just learning Mac a few years ago, I'm still not a great Mac user, I'll admit it. But I know enough to kind of get around and do some damage. Yeah. The way that you would think of navigating a Windows screen reader is kind of a bit different with voice over and that took me a lot of time to kind of get used to. So people go, "Well I wanna use a Mac because I've heard it's good for blind people." Or, "I'm using a Mac and maybe I gotta learn [inaudible] a PC", and some people might have the mistake and impression, oh, well they are both speech. You just learn a few commands and you go. Yeah. Some can take a little more time to transition because some of the way you navigate and stuff can be a bit different. Jeff Thompson: Now in your position, a lot of us out here, we have friends in the community and stuff. We get to sample things once in a while. Try and kick it around the block a little bit here and there. Now, in your position, you probably go to conferences or events where they are displaying stuff or people want to show you stuff. Vendors and all sorts of stuff, so you probably get a whole onslaught of different tools and accessible devices to sample. Jesse Anderson: We do work with quite a few of our vendors. We do have vendors who come into SSB and show the tech specialists news devices or updates to new devises, but we also do periodically have events that are opened to the public where you'll have a vendor come by and they'll show their devices and device demonstrations and we've had people come in to do that. People come in to watch that as well. We also do, if we can, we will sometimes try to get down to the CSUN conference in California. Usually it's in March and that is kind of the premier assistive technology conference. You do have things like closing the gap in ATI, but those don't really focus on blindness as much, I think as they used to. I've gone to CSUN now twice and absolutely love it. They are actually going to be in a new hotel or a new venue this year. So that'll be interesting. I'm not going to be going to that unfortunately this year, but it's a fantastic conference if you're into assistive technology. If you're a tech specialist. If you're a user. Whatever. It is pretty fun. It's pretty informative. Jeff Thompson: So Jessie, this is your day time job. What are some of your hobbies that you do? And what's your interest in? Jesse Anderson: Well, I'm into a little bit of everything, but I'm definitely still a nerd. Like I said, I still do some technology stuff at home. Technology, gaming, I like music. I'm trying to teach myself the drums. Mess around with the guitar a little bit, that kind of a thing. But I do, like I said, I still do some technology and even game accessibility stuff in my spare time. For the past several years, I do run a YouTube channel called Illegally Sighted, and that's going pretty well. And I'm really trying to advocate, like I said, everything ... my day job is all about work, but there's more to life than just work and especially video games and VR. Virtual reality, augmented reality. Those things are all becoming quite popular in the mainstream world, and blind and low-vision users would like to be included in some of that, too, and so as I've been doing the YouTube channel, it's kind of turned into this ... I've really started working more with advocating for game accessibility and I have a VR headset at home. Jesse Anderson: So I've been trying to use that as a way to like hey, approach developers. We don't have standards yet for virtual reality officially, because everyone is still trying to figure it out. So if we can get someone in there to say, "Hey, you're trying to figure things out. Let's get accessibility as just one of those standards from the beginning because it's much easier to do it from the beginning than it is to bolt it on later." So I've been trying to advocate for that and as part of that, I did a presentation in fall of 2017 that's archived on my channel. I did a presentation for #id24, Inclusive Design 24, on VR accessibility for low-vision users, and in March of this year, I was actually invited to be a presenter, part of a panel, at the third annual game accessibility conference. GACon, as it's kind of referred to online and on Twitter. And you can go to gaconf.com and it's a one day conference that's held in San Francisco and I was able to get things lined up and working so I am going to be going down to that conference for the first time this year and be a panel speaker, and hopefully I'll be able to meet some developers, and a lot of the people that I have been kind of socializing with on social media, on Twitter and things like that. Jesse Anderson: So I'm really looking forward to it, and hopefully it can result in just getting another voice out there and making more developers and stuff realize, hey, it may not be as difficult as you think it is, but blind people, low-vision people are a market too, and we do have money to spend and we wanna do, we wanna participate in games and such as well. So, that should be really fun to see how that goes. Jeff Thompson: Jessie, thank you for being an advocate for everyone, because I know a lot of people out there that want to hang onto that or have the possibilities of playing games. It's a big market out there, and thank you for doing what you are doing. Jesse Anderson: Sure. No problem. Jeff Thompson: Great, well Jessie Anderson, I wanna thank you very much for coming on to Blind Abilities. Taking the time out here at SSB. That's State Services for the Blind of Minnesota. Thank you very much. Jesse Anderson: All right. Thank you. Jeff Thompson: Be sure to check out your state services, your state agency, your vocational rehab, and see what they can do for you. And be sure to check out the Blind Abilities scale on your Amazon device. Just say, enable Blind Abilities. And you can listen to the Blind Abilities on the Victor Stream. Just go to their favorites list and find Blind Abilities. There you go. You can search for Blind Abilities in any of your favorite PodCatchers. Just type in, Blind Abilities. That's too words. Blind abilities. And you can always download the free blind abilities app from the Apple store, or the Google Play store. And like I said, it's two words. Blind abilities. Jeff Thompson: I want to thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed and until next time. Bye-bye. [Music]  [Transition noise]  -When we share -What we see -Through each other's eyes... [Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence] ...We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities. Jeff Thompson: For more podcasts with 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. 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 Store.

Panel – Brian Norton, Belva Smith, and Josh Anderson – Q1- Interesting Technologies from ATIA including AMAneo iPad Mouse, SmartVision2 Phone for the visually impaired, SesameEnable hands-free access for android devices, CodeJumper programming tool for blind/visually impaired, BraiBook a wireless braille book reader, Boogaloo Smart Bed, Reveal 16 video magnifier from Humanware, BrainPort electro tactile […] The post ATFAQ093 – Q1- Interesting Technologies from ATIA including AMAneo iPad Mouse, SmartVision2 Phone for the visually impaired, SesameEnable hands-free access for android devices, CodeJumper programming tool for blind/visually impaired, BraiBook a wireless braille book reader, Boogaloo Smart Bed, Reveal 16 video magnifier from Humanware, BrainPort electro tactile aid for persons who are profoundly blind, Google Suite and O365 new accessibility features, and much more, Q2- Wildcard question – Do our kids need to learn expert QWERTY keyboarding skills appeared first on Assistive Technology at Easter Seals Crossroads.

Show Summary: Heather Gilbert, an Attorney from Gilbert Law, is a Disability Rights Advocate for United Blind of Minnesota. Heather, having a background in disabilities, realized that Minnesota was under represented in the Disability Rights Lawyer field. She decided to take on a second career and got her license and went to work, forming her own firm, Gilbert Law. The United Blind of Minnesota was in search of a Disabilities Rights Advocate and Heather came on board and now advocates for Minnesota residents who are Blind/Visually Impaired through the mission of the United Blind. Heather joins Jeff Thompson from Blind Abilities and talks about discrimination and how she approaches cases to get to the bottom of the problem. Whether it be a violation of the ADA or it may be just a misunderstanding, Heather works with both parties to get a solution. Hopefully, it is a misunderstanding, and if it is more than that, Heather is there for you. If you are a Minnesota resident and are Blind or Visually Impaired, you can contact the United Blind For Legal Advocacy at 651-528-8466.  Check out the United Blind Facebook page. If you reside outside of Minnesota, here is a link to the Members of the Disability Rights Bar Association. This link will bring you to a state by state listing of Disability Rights Advocates near you.  If you find yourself in a situation and believe that you have been or are being discriminated against, be sure to find a Disability Rights Advocate, either by the links above or by contacting your State Services for the Blind, your s State Services, your Vocational Rehab or a local blind Organization as they most certainly will have some solutions and experience in your rights and will be a great resource for you. Contact: You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) ROY SAMUELSON is one of Hollywood’s leading voiceover talents in film and television. Currently Roy is leading the way in the area of DESCRIPTIVE NARRATION / AUDIO DESCRIPTION, an aspect of television and filmmaking that allows Blind/Visually Impaired viewers to get audio description during a show without interruption and fills in the void as the action is not always obvious. For example, the movie Castaway is nearly silent during the first half of the movie.  This is where Roy steps in with his descriptions. Roy Samuelson is a professional Audio Describer for some of the latest Hollywood productions. Movies like First Man, Venom, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Spiderman: Homecoming, Jason Bourne, The Magnificent Seven, Get Out, Skyscraper, Atomic Blonde and television shows like Lethal Weapon, NCIS, Blue Bloods and Criminal Minds.   Join Roy and Jeff in the Blind Abilities Studio and find out how Roy got involved in Audio Description and how his voice makes it to your TV and Movie Screens across the world.   Contact: You can Follow Roy on Twitter @RoySamuelsonand be sure to check out his latest works and send in some feedback. Roy is always happy to hear from you.   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 Appon the App Store. Full Transcript: Audio Describer and Voice Artist for Hollywood Movies and TV Shows: Meet Roy Samuelson Jeff Thompson: Blind Abilities welcomes Roy Samuelson, one of Hollywood's leading voiceover, audio description, and voice narrative artists. Jeff Thompson: A sharp dressed man steps from the train, pulls out a cane, and proceeds to go towards a building. Jeff Thompson: Including films First Man, Venom, Jurassic World, Spiderman: Homecoming, Jason Bourne, The Magnificent Seven, and TV shows Criminal Minds, CIS, Blue Bloods, and Lethal Weapon. Jeff Thompson: He enters a door where the sign says Blind Abilities Studios. A young lady looks up from the desk. Speaker 2: Good morning. Jeff Thompson: Good morning. Speaker 2: You've got Roy Samuelson, Studio Three. Jeff Thompson: Okay, thanks. I'm going in. Speaker 2: All right. Blind Abilities Studios. Uh-huh. Jeff Thompson: He proceeds down a hallway. He stops at a door and reads the Braille. It's door number three. He enters and sits comfortably in his chair, reaches over, flicks a few switches, pulls his boom microphone down. He pulls on his headphones, and then reaches for the big red switch and flicks it up. From the hallway, the sign above the door now glows brightly, On The Air. Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I'm Jeff Thompson, and today in the studio, we have Roy Samuelson, who is out in Hollywood leading the way in voiceover, audio description, and descriptive narrative. How are you doing, Roy? Roy Samuelson: Hey, I'm doing great, Jeff. It's good to be on your show. Jeff Thompson: Well, thank you very much. I'm sure our listeners are excited to hear from someone who does voiceover, audio description for movies and television shows. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, I'm really passionate about it. This is really wonderful work. I really, I like it a lot, and I'm going to stop using the word really. Jeff Thompson: Now you've got me thinking about it. I'll probably be using it. Let's first tell the people what kind of movies you have been doing and television shows. Roy Samuelson: Oh sure. There's a few series that are on right now. On CBS, there's NCIS and Criminal Minds, and on Fox, I'm doing description for Lethal Weapon. Jeff Thompson: Oh, you're busy. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, it's a great season this year. There's a bunch of movies and there's another one that's coming out next month, and right now there's two movies that are out in the theaters, and they're really fun on the descriptive narration side. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, I saw the likes of, what was it, Spiderman? Roy Samuelson: That's right. Yeah, the more recent one. I was on Spiderman: Homecoming. Jeff Thompson: Wow. You even did Jurassic World. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, the most recent one, mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: So what do you do in your spare time? Roy Samuelson: That's a great question. The things that I love about audio description have kind of started to spill into my own personal life. Some of the connections that I'm making through social media are turning out I'm getting some more friends on that side, so it's been fun to correspond with them and some people that have been listening to audio description. As far as other things, I really enjoy hanging out with friends. There's nothing like a night out, cooking some dinner at home, and having some fun, laughs, and conversations. I'm pretty low key when it comes to that. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, when it comes to audio description, there's so many different areas that people can receive their movies or television shows now that some people are cutting the cables and all that or in theaters, and now they're starting to hear your voice. What got you into giving audio description to movies? Roy Samuelson: That was a long ... I can trace it backwards. I can say from where I'm at now, I can look back and say all these steps led back to one person who introduced me to someone who introduced me to someone, and I did an audition, and I'm hesitating, because it's hard to say how it exactly happened. I think a whole bunch of things happened to come together at the right point and at the right time, and a lot of the work that I do in voiceover has certainly carried over into what I do with audio description, so I think I was kind of ready for it. Jeff Thompson: So you took to the microphone. Roy Samuelson: Yeah. My first paid job was down at Walt Disney World for the Great Movie Ride, which is no longer around, but they had a gangster take over the ride, and the ride was maybe 60 people looking at different movie scenes kind of going through the movies on a ride, so with all the distractions going on, I was on mic as a gangster, so trying to figure out what's the best way to say what I needed to say, but not get in the way of what the audience members are trying to appreciate, but still getting the message across. The more that I thought about the comparison between audio description and that first job, there's so many overlaps. It's really amazing to think about it that way. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. That was one of the questions I was going to ask is how do you find the space? Like you were just saying, that gap, that space, that little pocket where you can describe something without taking away from the audio itself. Roy Samuelson: That's a great question. There's a script that's given to me. I don't write it. There's some really talented describers who look at the movie sometimes four or five times or even a TV show, and what they do is use a special program that gives me the words that I say as a narrator in between audio cues and between dialogue, sometimes in between visual cues. They give me a script with any one of those things, whether it's a time code where I'm looking at a screen that shows kind of like a timer countdown or a stop watch that shows all the time code, and that time code is a cue for me to say the next line. And sometimes they'll say this line needs to be brisk. You'll hear narrators talk a little faster than they normally do just to try to get it in. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. You have to nail it between those two points. Roy Samuelson: Yeah. Jeff Thompson: And so by doing that, you do that in your own studio? Roy Samuelson: For the jobs that I mentioned, those are done at a studio. I guess it is possible that I could remotely do it. However, there's a few things that it's kind of to my advantage to do it in studio. First of all is having the time there at the office. I get to interact with the people there. It's not just going in and doing the job. I'm not socializing and hanging out at the water cooler, but a friendly hello to someone, these are the people that I work with, and that's pretty special. The other thing is there's a lot of legal requirements. I think with the internet, it's easy for things like content to get lost in the internet and get into some hands that might not use it for the intentions needed, not that I'd do it, but the studios as well as the networks are pretty protective of their content. Jeff Thompson: Plus they're pretty much isolated there. You've got all the equipment, the room, the booth, there you go. You're at work and you don't have the phone going off or someone knocking at the door at home. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, exactly. It's very focused. People talk about being in the flow, and I appreciate that so much, being able to go in and do my job while experiencing the movie, and it taps a lot of really good synapses in my brain. Jeff Thompson: So I have a question, and this is kind of personal for me, I guess, but I'm sure listeners might be curious too. As you're taking in the script and the movie, you are a narrator. You do a narrative to it, the audio description, but do you, like you said, you get brisk or do you go with the flow of the movie? Roy Samuelson: Yeah. I'm given the script, and then two minutes later we start recording, so there's no time to really look at what is about to happen, so it is ice cold. I can watch a trailer for a movie ahead of time or some of the series that I'm on, I get a sense of what the characters are and the kinds of things that they would normally do, but when it comes to ... let me make sure I'm answering your question correctly too. Roy Samuelson: I think when I'm doing the narration, my goal is to not be the spotlight. I don't want people who listen to audio description think, oh wow, that narrator sounded so good. If anyone thinks that, I'm not doing a good job because the attention should be on the storyline, the content that I'm sharing, whether it's the TV show or the movie. I don't want to get in the way of that. I think I want to enhance it. I don't want it to be all about me, so I try really hard to be within the tone or the genre of the film or TV show, and as that changes try to go with it so that it's not jarring or unexpected. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that makes sense. Now that I think about listening back to movies, the narrative or the audio description just wants to fill in those gaps, so you get the script and you hit the marks. Roy Samuelson: Yeah. I want to be part of the story. I don't want to be the story. Jeff Thompson: So Roy, when you're doing voiceover and work like that, did you see yourself doing audio description some day? Roy Samuelson: Maybe five or 10 years ago, I was unaware it existed. There are so many great opportunities for voiceover. There's narration for instructional videos. There's what they call voice of God where at a special event someone announces someone who's next on the stage. There's commercials, promos, all sorts of experiences, and I've done my best to enjoy those, but when I found out about descriptive narration, I've never felt so laser focused. Everything about it just rang so true to me in my experience and what I was excited about. Jeff Thompson: So what is it that you found in your voice that made you a talent? I mean, I don't know if that sounds bad or something like, but someone must have recognized something that you got the voice for doing what you're doing. Roy Samuelson: I can't speak to how I get chosen, but I will say that prior to doing descriptive narration, I spent about 10 years almost every week going to a script writing group as an actor. In this group, it was a really special group of maybe about two dozen writers, and they would bring in 25 pages of their script, and these are all produced writers, so the quality was really high. As an actor, I would go in and we'd been given a script ice cold, and I'd read 25 pages of it, and afterward the feedback would be given to the writer and not the actor. Roy Samuelson: My experience with that was the first few times I was like, oh, I need to do the best I can. I need to be an actor, and then I realized that the story was what people were focused on, so what I tried to do was when I was doing my acting, I was still acting, but I was trying to bring the story into it because I saw that that's what the writers were focused on, and I think that the combination of ... how many hundreds of times of doing scripts through the years every week, there definitely was a skill of cold reading, there was the attention to the story, the writing ... I'm sorry, I keep talking about the story, I get so excited about, story, story, story, but with all these things, I think it kind of paved the way for a nice foundation so that when the opportunity came to do descriptive narration, there's definitely a lot of nuance. There's still a lot of things that I needed to learn, but I really took to it pretty quickly. Jeff Thompson: Well, that's great because the blindness community really appreciates all the audio description that they are employing today in today's movies. It's getting to the point like when there's not one, it's like hey, hey. Roy Samuelson: Oh, that's great to hear. I saw on some website, I posted on Twitter the link, I can't recall the exact address, but I think there's 2200 titles available right now for audio description, and that's just unique descriptions. That's not overlaps. I thought wow, that's great, let's keep that number going up. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah. I hope it does keep going up, especially with all these rules about the ADA and making things accessible, and it just shows that a Hollywood production that puts out a movie and takes the extra measure to put in the audio description, it just is more inclusive. It just makes people feel like hey, we matter, and I really appreciate what you're doing to bring that to light. Roy Samuelson: Ah, thanks for saying so. It's been great to be a part of that. The studios and the networks and even the streaming services are aware that yeah, this is audience. It's in everybody's ... it's such a win-win-win situation that I can't stand it. Everybody wins. Jeff Thompson: So Roy, if a movie's coming out, how soon do you get notified about working on the movie for the audio description piece, and when you're done with it, how soon does the movie get released after that? Roy Samuelson: Ah, great questions. My experience is pretty limited, so they give me sometimes a week's notice, sometimes a day or two's notice for a film that's coming out. It's usually about maybe three to five days. We set aside a day for it. It usually takes about maybe ... I can do a movie in about four hours. Sometimes it takes the full day depending on how they need to do it, and then once I'm done with it, it's pretty close to release date. The audio description is one of the last things to get done in post-production sound. Everything else is pretty much locked as far as the picture's locked and the sound is pretty much locked. Everything is kind of good to go to the theater, and then audio description is a special track that kind of lives above and beyond the whole movie. For my work to match up with what they do, as far as the dominoes falling, I think audio description has to be one of the last. And I guess the second part of your question, a movie can come out sometimes within a week of the work I do- Jeff Thompson: Oh, really? Roy Samuelson: And sometimes a few weeks to a month. Jeff Thompson: So you're one of the last guys on that assembly line. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, and they do take it seriously. The quality control, at least the company I work for, and I'm sure all the other companies, they really do take it seriously. They want to make sure all the characters are consistent and that there's not mistakes in the story. They genuinely care about what they're doing. Jeff Thompson: Oh, that's great, and who would have thought that 10 years of cold reading scripts and something of passion that you love to do, obviously you did it for 10 years, would lend into doing something like this? Roy Samuelson: Isn't it funny? I think about other people that have talked about the things that they've I'm going to say invested in for the joy of doing it. I had no intention of oh, I'm going to spend the next 10 years working on this so that I could be an audio descriptive narrator. It did happen in parallel in some ways, but for the most part, it's great to see how that seems pretty common with a lot of different businesses. I really like looking at that. Jeff Thompson: Well, it's really nice when you have a passion for doing something and then all of a sudden, it just leads into something else that someone wants you to do, and you find yourself doing it, and who would have thought? Roy Samuelson: Yeah, yeah. I think, if I could jump on that a little bit, Jeff, there's an openness, almost like a growth mindset that I think comes along. I do my best to keep a growth mindset as opposed to a fixed mindset. I think if I had the fixed mindset, I'd think oh no, I need to make sure I stay focused on just one thing, and when some opportunity like audio description would come up, I'd think oh no, that's outside of my wheelhouse. I've never done that before. I don't know enough about it. I haven't heard about that, so it could almost be dismissed, and here's this great opportunity that can come up, and I use this example. I'm kind of digging my own pit here and my point. I think what my point is that having an almost curious eye and looking at things maybe not necessarily from the most familiar way, seeing things a little differently can open up a whole bunch of new opportunities. Jeff Thompson: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Well, that's great. So I'm curious. Since your tool is the microphone and your voice, do you have your own microphone, your own recording, or a preference? Roy Samuelson: Oh yeah. I've got a whole studio set up in my house. It's called a Whisper Room, just basically a four foot by six foot building, and it's moved along with me a few times. Inside there, there's one side where I can sit down and I do audiobooks on that, because those are usually long form, and then the other side is a stand-up thing, so I've got the mic almost coming from the ceiling, and I read along either auditions on an iPad or if I need to call in for a project that I'm recording remotely, I can do an ISDN connection or even a file, FTP upload. It kind of gives me the freedom to stand and kind of play around with moving my arms around and kind of get into the story a little bit more. Jeff Thompson: Oh, I suppose, especially with the audiobook, yeah. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, mm-hmm (affirmative). Jeff Thompson: So what's your go-to microphone? Roy Samuelson: You know, at the studio where I work, they have a Neumann, and it's one of those condenser microphones. I think it's the 102. I'm trying to think. I'm pretty sure it's the ... anyway, it's a nice Neumann. Jeff Thompson: Typical thousand dollar-plus Neumann. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, and then for my home studio, I really like the Bluebird by Blue. It's just got a nice, for my purposes for auditioning, it's got a nice kind of warm open sound, and yeah, I still get a lot of sibilance though, so I have to kind of process that out a little bit. Jeff Thompson: Now when you say sibilance, can you tell our listeners what that is? Roy Samuelson: Sure. Sometimes S's can come across really hard. It's almost like the microphone is picking up a little too much on the letter S. It just makes it- Jeff Thompson: Kind of like that whistle sound. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, and the microphone just loves it, and it's like a magnet. It just sucks it right up, and so it makes it a lot louder and the experience on mic is a little too much, so that's one example of sibilance. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. Well, that's great. Yeah, the Whisper Room. I've got to remember to use that. I've got to tell my wife about making myself a Whisper Room. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, it's a brand from, if it's not Kentucky, I think it's Tennessee. They specialize in that for a lot of musicians and such, but there's other kinds of quiet rooms and all sorts of, especially in Los Angeles, a lot of voiceover actors like to have custom-made ones. Jeff Thompson: Oh yeah, I follow the Booth Junkie, and he's always building his little booth and going inside it and coming out. So the Whisper Room, you can actually break that down and move it with you. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, and there was one time, Jeff, I did it myself, and I probably need to remember to have a friend come along. That's definitely not a one-person job. Jeff Thompson: So Roy, with all the work that the studios are doing to make audio description available to them, what suggestions would you have for our listeners that appreciate the audio description that they're receiving? Roy Samuelson: Yeah, so a lot of the studios and the networks, they've got so many things on their plate. They're advertising, they're trying to put things together. It's easier for them to not gloss over, but kind of, I guess the best thing to say is if you're watching movies and TV shows and you appreciate the audio description, let the studios know and let the networks know and let the streaming services know that this is something that's really valuable, and that you want more of, and I think that kind of message will help everybody out. It gives more content to viewers who appreciate audio description. Roy Samuelson: In Los Angeles, we get a lot of traffic, and audio description is great for commuters who want to catch up on their TV shows or enjoy a movie when they're trying to fight traffic on the 405. It is kind of like an audiobook that's fully produced, so by trying to get commuters into the audio description game, that can only help audience members who also appreciate it for audio description. It's kind of a win-win for everybody, but I really think letting the studios and the networks and streaming services know how much this service is appreciated and liked, that helps everybody. Jeff Thompson: Oh, for sure, for sure. It's available to us. We use Comcast, and we have that on our phones, and it has audio description so my wife can use her phone to watch a TV show, but she has audio description so she considers it watching TV, and it's like a book like you said. Roy Samuelson: Yeah. Oh, very good, and that's the Comcast cable? Jeff Thompson: Yeah, Xfinity, Prime Video. There's [crosstalk 00:18:43]. Roy Samuelson: Oh, excuse me for the product placement there. Jeff Thompson: No, it's great. I like people to know that because it's available and it's working, and just turn it on, but everybody's a different individual here, and some people like a lot of description, some people like a little, but it's getting better, and as you said, there's what, over 2000 available titles out there with audio description. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, and that's just based on that one website I found, and who knows. There's probably some other options there too. Good to know. Jeff Thompson: You mentioned earlier when we were talking, I think this was before we started recording, your mother went to a show, a movie that just came out, and was trying to use the audio description in the theater. Roy Samuelson: Oh yeah, and it turned out great. The manager gave her and her guests a movie credit for it, but the opportunity for her was to try out the headset for audio description at the movie, and it just so happened that that morning there was an electrical glitch in the theater, so all the power went out and turned back on, and that audio description somehow got reset, and it was important for her to step out and let a manager know, but she was enjoying the movie and she didn't want to stop and interrupt her experience, but as theaters get more and more accessible, particularly with audio description, the more they understand how the ropes work, so to speak. Jeff Thompson: Yeah. It's kind of interesting that she wanted to hear her son. Not too many people get- Roy Samuelson: [inaudible] there. Jeff Thompson: Yeah, not too many people get that opportunity, but that's great. Roy Samuelson: So hopefully the next time she goes to the theater, she'll be able to hear it. Jeff Thompson: Well, that happens with technology, especially when you have like theaters that the workers are going to college or doing other things and stuff like that, and they have this device, and when they work, they work great. It's getting more and more available to people. I love that the entertainment industry is making audio description more available to people and I really want to thank you for what you're doing, creating the voice that people are listening to without interrupting the show. Roy Samuelson: Well, that's the goal, and I always strive for that. Thanks for saying so. Jeff Thompson: Sometimes being in the background is just as important as being in the limelight. Roy Samuelson: Yeah, it's definitely ... I feel like part of the team. Jeff Thompson: Well, great. I want to thank you for what you're doing and for taking the time and coming on the Blind Abilities and sharing this with our listeners. Roy Samuelson: Jeff, it's a real pleasure talking with you. Thanks for having me on. Jeff Thompson: You bet. Jeff Thompson: It was really nice to learn from Roy Samuelson what he does, how he does it, and his interest in it, and he's really motivated. Like he said, contact the studios that are putting out audio description. If you like it, let them know. Let's give them feedback, and you can follow Roy on Twitter  @RoySamuelson. That's R-O-Y-S-A-M-U-E-L-S-O-N on Twitter. Jeff Thompson: So as always, thank you for listening. We hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye. Jeff Thompson: Jeff removes his headphones, turns off his mixer, pushes his boom microphone up towards the ceiling. He sits back in his studio chair, looking satisfied. He reaches towards the red switch and flicks it down. The On the Air sign outside Studio Three fades to black. [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 at Blind Abilities. Download our app from the App Store, Blind Abilities. That's two words. Or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.

Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) The Business Enterprise Program (BEP) is a great way for interested Blind/Visually Impaired clients of their State Agency/Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) to own their own business and be their own boss. Michael Colbrunn is a business owner in the BEP and joined Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities in the studio to talk about the BEP and about his work at his campus location and his work on the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind in Minnesota. Join Michael and Jeff in this brief interview packed with useful information. You can find out more about the BEP and more from Michael Colbrunn on a previous podcast: The Business Enterprise program: Business Ownership Opportunities and a Promising Career If you are interested in knowing more about the Business Enterprise Program, and live in Minnesota, email John Hulet If outside Minnesota, contact your State Servicesand ask about the Business Enterprise Program and how you can learn more about the opportunities available to you. 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 Appon the App Store.  

The Business Enterprise program: Business Ownership Opportunities and a Promising Career The Business Enterprise Program (BEP) was established for Blind/Visually Impaired individuals to create opportunities and careers through food vending services and food and merchandise sales on Federal and state properties. The BEP program is nationwide and if you or anybody you know is interested in owning their own business, wants to work and begin a promising career, share this podcast and let them know about the Business Enterprise program. Jeff Thompson talks with John hulet, the Director of the BEP in Minnesota, Scott Eggen, a 30 plus year veteran in the BEP and Michael Colbrunn a new comer to the program and he is enjoying the choices and challenges that he has accepted by owning his own business. If you are interested in knowing more about the BEP, email John Hulet Contact your State Services if outside of Minnesota and ask about the Business Enterprise Program and how you can learn more. 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.

Netflix is ahead of the major networks in providing descriptive audio for people who are blind or visually impaired. I've watched 2 shows now and share my experiences in this episode.

With all the new branding and changes in the AudioBoom Headquarters over the last 6 months the AudioBoom Team has just reached out to the Blind/Visually Impaired community to develop a Beta Testing Team. This will allow the AudioBoom Team to ensure that all end-users of the AudioBoom app have a  positive experience with usability, accessibility and functionality.. This could be a new beginning for AudioBoom and the Blindness community after all the changes that led to the decision of some to leave the AudioBoom platform. 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.

April is Psychic/Medium Month! The Month of Psychics and Mediums continue with the RETURN of Deborah Simpson. She has brought great enlightenment to the show and had a prediction for the year 2011, what was it? Who is Deborah? She is: • Published Author • Poetry Editor / Ghostwriter • Poet / Lyricist • Psychic Advisor • Host of the D's Roundtable Radio Show • Motivational / Inspirational Speaker • Creator of educational series - The Poetry Addies (copyright - 2008) • Founder and Administrator of The Authors Society • Former Director of Poetry Development of TRIAD Publishing Group • Sponsor of International Poetry Contests • In association with Amazon.com and Indiebound • Contributor of Literary Works to the Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Philadelphia, PA and Project Freedom, Inc. • 20+ years legal writing experience Join us to welcome her back!

April is Psychic/Medium Month! The Month of Psychics and Mediums continue with the RETURN of Deborah Simpson. She has brought great enlightenment to the show and had a prediction for the year 2011, what was it? Who is Deborah? She is: • Published Author • Poetry Editor / Ghostwriter • Poet / Lyricist • Psychic Advisor • Host of the D's Roundtable Radio Show • Motivational / Inspirational Speaker • Creator of educational series - The Poetry Addies (copyright - 2008) • Founder and Administrator of The Authors Society • Former Director of Poetry Development of TRIAD Publishing Group • Sponsor of International Poetry Contests • In association with Amazon.com and Indiebound • Contributor of Literary Works to the Associated Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired, Philadelphia, PA and Project Freedom, Inc. • 20+ years legal writing experience Join us to welcome her back!