Podcast appearances and mentions of steve tyler

When we're constantly fighting for baseline accessibility compliance, it's easy to miss the quiet victories happening around us. In this candid conversation, returning guest Steve Tyler shares refreshingly positive experiences that demonstrate what's possible when companies truly commit to inclusive design.Steve recounts his surprisingly delightful experience switching to EE broadband, discovering Braille labelling physically built into the router and an online contract process that automatically detected his screen reader use. Rather than the typical accessibility nightmare, the system seamlessly adapted to provide an equivalent experience. Similarly, his HP printer delivered unexpected independence through a fully accessible app that allowed him to complete tasks like checking ink levels and even creating personalized greeting cards without assistance.These examples highlight what accessibility advocate Kevin Carey called the "peer normative equivalent" experience – being able to accomplish the same tasks, at the same time, for the same price, with comparable effort as anyone else. This stands in stark contrast to the frustrating reality that 95% of websites remain inaccessible and disability employment rates have shown minimal improvement over 60 years.Looking toward the future, we explore how AI might transform accessibility through conversational interfaces and intelligent agents that could help navigate complex systems. However, this technology also raises important questions about privacy, trust, and the preservation of human connection. As Steve powerfully reminds us, "Put humanity back into tech development" – because the most successful innovations recognize that behind every accessibility need is a human seeking not just functional access, but an equivalent, dignified experience.Support the showFollow axschat on social media.Bluesky:Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/akwyzhttps://twitter.com/axschathttps://twitter.com/AkwyZhttps://twitter.com/neilmillikenhttps://twitter.com/debraruh

In an episode broadcast last summer, the RNIB's CEO, Matt Stringer joined us to discuss financial pressures facing the charity and the consequent need to save millions of pounds. Since then, we have invited RNIB back to talk to us about their subsequent plans, but they declined, citing confidentiality issues. Meanwhile, In Touch has received information about a consultation exercise, said to be causing concern about jobs and future service provision among RNIB staff. We speak to Steve Tyler, who worked at RNIB for over 20 years and who held senior planning and strategy positions to get his reaction. Being registered blind hasn't dimmed Annie Spooner's passion for baking. Indeed, since her sight loss diagnosis, she has set up her own business called Annie's Cake Creations. Reporter Hetal Bapodra visited her to find out more.Presenter: Peter White Producer: Fern Lulham Production Coordinator: Liz PooleWebsite image description: Peter White sits smiling in the centre of the image, wearing a dark green jumper. Above Peter's head is the BBC logo (three individual white squares house each of the three letters). Bottom centre and overlaying the image are the words "In Touch"; and the Radio 4 logo (the word Radio in a bold white font, with the number 4 inside a white circle). The background is a bright mid-blue with two rectangles angled diagonally to the right. Both are behind Peter, one of a darker blue and the other is a lighter blue.'

Unlock the secrets of transforming assistive technology with Steve Tyler, the pioneering Director of Assistive Tech and Transformation at Leonard Cheshire. Join us as Steve shares his compelling journey from the world of clinical psychology to becoming a beacon for disability support and technology integration. With invaluable insights into collaborations with major tech companies, discover how Steve is championing accessibility and inclusive practices that are reshaping the tech landscape for people with disabilities.Dive into the untapped market potential of accessible design and the strategic integration of accessibility within mainstream business. Through captivating examples like synthetic speech technology and Braille labeling for pharmaceuticals, we reveal how inclusive design not only meets diverse user needs but also powers sustainable business propositions. Steve sheds light on the importance of understanding industry decision-making and leveraging the art of storytelling to drive the adoption of inclusive practices.Navigate the pressing challenges within the disability community, where educational and employment opportunities have hit a frustrating plateau. Steve addresses the biases entrenched in these sectors and the inefficiencies plaguing assistive technology development. From the crucial role of Braille in education and employment to the financial entanglements of large charitable organizations, gain a deeper understanding of what it takes to forge a more cohesive and effective approach to disability inclusion and innovation.Support the showFollow axschat on social media.Bluesky:Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/Vimeohttps://vimeo.com/akwyzhttps://twitter.com/axschathttps://twitter.com/AkwyZhttps://twitter.com/neilmillikenhttps://twitter.com/debraruh

Además nueva pregunta para entradas para asistir a Rockville 2025. La guía de estrenos con Black Keys, Spiritbox,Aterciopelados y Elton John. Estreno de los nuevo de Dream Theather.

MUSICOzzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison had a rock hit this year with "Crack Cocaine," so it's no surprise that they've finally spent part of their podcast chatting about the drug.Foo Fighters have canceled their appearance at the Soundside Music Festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Sunday. No reason was given, and they've been replaced by Jack White and Greta Van Fleet.Josh Klinghoffer pleaded “not guilty” to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence on Thursday. The charge stems from a car accident on March 18th in which Klinghoffer struck 47-year-old pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his SUV in Alhambra, California. The ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring musician did not attend the hearing in person, but entered the plea through his lawyer. Klinghoffer is due back in court on October 31st.  Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has covered a David Bowie classic as he prepares to launch a solo tour. It looks like we know which U.S. cities Oasis will be visiting on its big 2025 reunion tour. MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS:Corey Feldman is going through a divorce right now, and his estranged wife Courtney wants $5,000 a month in spousal support. He currently pays her around $2,000, but she believes he can afford more because he brings in SIX FIGURES a month. Netflix is making a documentary series about its upcoming boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul. A new docuseries on Hulu starring Luke Bryan called "It's All Country" will premiere on November 15th. The show will do a deep dive with some of Country music's biggest stars and try to uncover the secret stories of their biggest hits. Angelina Jolie is stepping into the spotlight in a new biopic.  A new trailer for Jesse Eisenberg and "Succession” star Kieran Culkin‘s upcoming movie has been released!  AND FINALLYAEROSMITH Frontman STEVEN TYLER Learns About His African American Ancestry With Daughter LIV TYLER. Who Do You Think You Are? has shared a new video featuring actress Liv Tyler unravelling the mystery of her father and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's maternal family line, and sharing her discoveries with himFollow us @RizzShow @MoonValjeanHere @KingScottRules @LernVsRadio @IamRafeWilliams > Check out King Scott's band @FreeThe2SG and Check out Moon's bands GREEK FIRE @GreekFire GOLDFINGER @GoldfingerMusic THE TEENAGE DIRTBAGS @TheTeenageDbags and Lern's band @LaneNarrows http://www.1057thepoint.com/Rizz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

MUSIC Ozzy Osbourne and Billy Morrison had a rock hit this year with "Crack Cocaine," so it's no surprise that they've finally spent part of their podcast chatting about the drug. Foo Fighters have canceled their appearance at the Soundside Music Festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut on Sunday. No reason was given, and they've been replaced by Jack White and Greta Van Fleet. Josh Klinghoffer pleaded “not guilty” to a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter without gross negligence on Thursday. The charge stems from a car accident on March 18th in which Klinghoffer struck 47-year-old pedestrian Israel Sanchez with his SUV in Alhambra, California. The ex-Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist and current Pearl Jam touring musician did not attend the hearing in person, but entered the plea through his lawyer. Klinghoffer is due back in court on October 31st.   Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan has covered a David Bowie classic as he prepares to launch a solo tour.  It looks like we know which U.S. cities Oasis will be visiting on its big 2025 reunion tour.  MOVING ON INTO MOVIE NEWS: Corey Feldman is going through a divorce right now, and his estranged wife Courtney wants $5,000 a month in spousal support. He currently pays her around $2,000, but she believes he can afford more because he brings in SIX FIGURES a month.  Netflix is making a documentary series about its upcoming boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.  A new docuseries on Hulu starring Luke Bryan called "It's All Country" will premiere on November 15th. The show will do a deep dive with some of Country music's biggest stars and try to uncover the secret stories of their biggest hits.  Angelina Jolie is stepping into the spotlight in a new biopic.   A new trailer for Jesse Eisenberg and "Succession” star Kieran Culkin‘s upcoming movie has been released!   AND FINALLY AEROSMITH Frontman STEVEN TYLER Learns About His African American Ancestry With Daughter LIV TYLER. Who Do You Think You Are? has shared a new video featuring actress Liv Tyler unravelling the mystery of her father and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler's maternal family line, and sharing her discoveries with him Follow us @RizzShow @MoonValjeanHere @KingScottRules @LernVsRadio @IamRafeWilliams > Check out King Scott's band @FreeThe2SG and Check out Moon's bands GREEK FIRE @GreekFire GOLDFINGER @GoldfingerMusic THE TEENAGE DIRTBAGS @TheTeenageDbags and Lern's band @LaneNarrows http://www.1057thepoint.com/Rizz Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Here are the topics covered in this episode, and the time in the file for each. Welcome to 303 0:00 Sometimes, being a screen reader user is a real disadvantage 1:05 Heidi unboxes an iPhone 16 Pro 11:53 Victory for United Blind Leaders 50:20 Steve Tyler discusses the blindness agency leadership crisis 58:28 Given the run-around by a major electricity company 1:48:02 NVDA is making inferior copies of JAWS features 1:56:27 Closing 1:58:55 A reminder that with Living Blindfully closing at the end of September, we are no longer seeking listener contributions, so we can get through those already received.

Bullets and Octane lead singer Gene Louis joins Ralph Sutton and James Mattern and they discuss the power Ralph has over James, the history of Bullets and Octane, the band performing differently in different countries, getting advice from Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Gene Louis starting as a drummer then moving to singing, the origin of the name Bullets and Octane, the band's RCA deal, doing shocking things to get attention, approaching the 20 year anniversary of the album In The Mouth Of The Young, recording a music video with Steve Stevens, Gene Louis almost dying from a peanut butter sandwich, his history of drug abuse and deciding to get sober, harnessing anger on stage, the Sex and Violence band and how it came to be, the bullet tattoo on Gene Louis' throat that looks like a penis and how it lead to a conversation with Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, doing acting work and having to have his tattoos covered, Gene Louis' first concert, first drug and first sexual experience and so much more!(Air Date: May 29th, 2024)Support our sponsors!YoDelta.com - Use promo code: Gas to get 25% off!To advertise your product or service on GaS Digital podcasts please go to TheADSide.com and click on "Advertisers" for more information!The SDR Show merchandise is available at https://podcastmerch.com/collections/the-sdr-showYou can watch The SDR Show LIVE for FREE every Wednesday and Saturday at 9pm ET at GaSDigitalNetwork.com/LIVEOnce you're there you can sign up at GaSDigitalNetwork.com with promo code: SDR14 for a 14-day FREE trial with access to every SDR show ever recorded! On top of that you'll also have the same access to ALL the shows that GaS Digital Network has to offer!Follow the whole show on social media!Bullets and OctaneInstagram: https://instagram.com/BulletsAndOctaneOfficialWebsite: BulletsMusic.comJames L. MatternTwitter: https://twitter.com/jameslmatternInstagram: https://instagram.com/thejamesmatternRalph SuttonTwitter: https://twitter.com/iamralphsuttonInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamralphsutton/The SDR ShowTwitter: https://twitter.com/theSDRshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesdrshow/GaS Digital NetworkTwitter: https://twitter.com/gasdigitalInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/gasdigital/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Además Steve Perry está de regres. Ozzy quiero reunior a Sabbath. Steve Tyler volvió a cantar. Los planes de Slayer. El documental sobre Eddie Van Halen.

In this episode, we feature:Steve Tyler, Director of Assistive Technology and Transformation at Leonard Cheshire Jane, Priest, Poet, and creative artistAlice Christina-Corrigan, actor and theatre makerSapphire Beamish, United ResponseFats Timbo, creator, comedian, author and educator Dr. Hannah Barham-Brown, GP and activist

Suffer suffer, it don't get no rougher; we're talking Steven Rock, Ed Rap, and Steve Tyler today. Note: In this episode, we incorrectly refer to the Barenaked Ladies live album as Rock Spectacular. It is in fact called Rock Spectacle.

Todd asks for stories about meeting a famous person. We hear about encounters with Kat Hepburn, Muhammad Ali, Steve Tyler, Marlon Brando and loads more.

Juan Carlos Pichardo, Ñonguito, Harold Diaz, Oscar Carrasquillo, Katherin Amesty, Begoña Guillen y Anier Barros

Juan Carlos Pichardo, Ñonguito, Harold Diaz, Oscar Carrasquillo, Katherin Amesty, Begoña Guillen y Anier Barros

Fly By Night is the album where Rush takes its final form.  Original drummer John Rutsey left the group shortly after their eponymously named debut album was released.  Health problems related to diabetes made it difficult for Rutsey on tour.  He was replaced on bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee's 21st birthday by the soon-to-be legendary percussionist, Neil Peart.  Together with guitarist Alex Lifeson, the trio would become icons in the prog rock genre. Most of the material for this album was written while the band was on tour opening for Uriah Heep and Manfred Mann.  Rush went into the studios for about 5 days to record the album, which was mixed by January when the group flew to Winnipeg for a concert on January 15th.  Fly By Night would also be the album in which Peart takes over much of the lyrical work with the songs, while Lee and Lifeson compose much of the music.  The lyrical styles are noticeably different between the first and second album, complete with literary themes which reflect Peart's habit as an avid reader.This album is also the one which saw Rush moving in a decidedly prog rock direction.  This could be attributed to Neal "The Professor" Peart's lyrics, but the entire band wanted each song to show a different side to their writing and playing, creating a diversity of styles in the tracks.Friend of the show Sean Mooney stands in for WTR Rush Ambassador, Bruce Fricks to bring us this classic prog rock album.  AnthemThe lead-off track to the album was originally conceived by Lee and Lifeson while Rutsey was still in the band.  The name of the track is from an Ayn Rand novella, as do the lyrics.  Peart's inspiration by Rand would return when the group penned their fourth album, 2112.Beneath, Between and BehindThis is the first song to feature Peart's lyrics.  It was about the discovery of America and the birth of the United States.  The lyrics reference the American dream and growth as well as some darker history like wars and immigration.  "Beneath the noble birth between the proudest words behind the beauty, cracks appear.  Once with heads held high they sand out to the sky why do their shadows bow in fear?"Best I CanOne of two tracks written before Peart joined the band, this song's music and lyrics were both penned by Geddy Lee, and the song saw regular performance during Rush's first North American tour.  The lyrics have a more rock theme than Peart's more literary efforts.  "Don't give me speeches 'cause they're oh so droll.  Leave me alone, let me rock and roll."Fly By NightThe "hit" single from the album leads off side 2, and peaked at number 88 on the Billboard charts.  The lyrics reflect Peart's first trip away from home when he traveled from Canada to England.  "Fly by night, goodbye, my dear.  My ship isn't coming and I just can't pretend." ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Main theme from the motion picture The Stepford WivesThis dystopian sci-fi thriller finds a couple in the town to Stepford, where the women mysteriously transform into submissive domesticated housewives. STAFF PICKS:Song for America by Kansas Wayne leads off the staff picks with the single cut to a 10-minute epic paying tribute to America.  It reflects the beauty that can be seen from a jet, but also the ugliness of industrialization.  The 5/4 time interspersed in the song marks it as a prog rock masterpiece.Jackie Blue by Ozark Mountain DaredevilsRob brings us a cool groove about a woman in pursuit of happiness, but who never stays with anything long enough to find happiness.  The original inspiration was a guy they met in Los Angeles who was strung out on drugs.  Drummer Larry Lee takes lead duties for this song which made it to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.#9 Dream by John Lennon Lynch features a song released before he was born from Lennon's "Walls and Bridges" album, which coincidentally went to number 9 on the charts.  The song literally came from a dream Lennon had, with no inspiration.  The "mystery voice" in the background is Lennon's girlfriend at the time, May Pang.  Several of the lyrics are nonsense words.Adam's Apple by Aerosmith Sean finishes the staff picks with a deep cut from Aerosmith.  The lyrics are inspired by the story of the temptation of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3.  It appears on Aerosmith's album "Toys in the Attic," which Steve Tyler wanted to name "Love at First Bite" at one point, a line from this song. INSTRUMENTAL TRACK:Express by BT Express We finish off this week's podcast with in instrumental hit from the early disco era.

Today, Seth and Marc find themselves in an elevator with New England's own Aerosmith for their ultra horny single Love In An Elevator. We discuss the music video, the complications of oral sex in an elevator, and the death wish hidden within.

#metgala #guardiansofthegalaxy #tedlasso Join us for an exciting new episode of 'Nerds in the Gym' as we present 'Let's Go Met (Gala)' in Episode 63. Get ready for a refreshing change, as we break free from a streak of mundane episodes and deliver an absolute gem! We kick off the episode with a rapid-fire round of Met Gala questions, setting the stage for an exhilarating discussion on all things nerdy. Brace yourselves as we delve into the latest Ted Lasso episode, offering insights, predictions, and unraveling the mysteries that lie ahead in the final four episodes. But that's not all! We've got a treat for you as we share a spoiler-free review of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, giving you a glimpse into the highly anticipated film. Additionally, we dive into the current state of the writers' strike, exploring its impact on the industry. Of course, we wouldn't forget about our good friend Nicolas Cage! Prepare for an entertaining segment revisiting his captivating career. We also touch upon the controversies surrounding Aerosmith's Steve Tyler, as well as Aerosmith's final tour, while indulging in some nostalgic Blink-182 chatter. So, grab your popcorn and settle in, because this episode is truly something special. It's the perfect blend of fascinating discussions and captivating stories that will leave you thoroughly entertained. Don't miss out on 'Let's Go Met (Gala)' in Episode 63 of 'Nerds in the Gym'! If you enjoyed please like and subscribe, thanks! MERCH - https://teespring.com/stores/nerdsinthegym Twitch - https://www.twitch.tv/nerds_in_the_gym SOCIAL MEDIA Twitter - https://twitter.com/NerdsintheGym Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nerdsinthegym/ Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/6WdBTqzgx2Atgo3IFHEGzA?si=sXd9gkj-TumA9gHgZseAkg iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nerds-in-the-gym/id1542520287- --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nerdsinthegym/support

With a massive surge in downloads for our exclusive interview with Elegantly Wasted's Recording Engineer Mike Plotnikoff, we round off the discussion in part 2 with one of rock music's finest producers.   Mike opens up about Michael Hutchence's incredible talent in the studio and bears witness to how he was tracking personally and professionally in what sadly was his last 12 months. Feeling Michael's rock star vibe and charisma, whether in the studio or socially, he compared his aura favorably with other singing icons such as Steve Tyler from Aerosmith.   Mike expands the discussion into several famous identities he has recorded with, namely Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp and Carlos Santana, plus provides unique insights into the intangible energy that permeates a great recording experience and its effect on the finished article.   With a news section longer than “War & Peace” but read out faster than Usain Bolt, we at INXS Access All Areas ensure we inform effectively without the waffle!!!   So, do yourself a favour and grab your preferred beverage and enjoy another edition of “your” favourite INXS podcast.   Love and Peace ✌️ Haydn   https://www.inxsaccessallareas.com Check out our fan engagement page to buy a Hot Ticket! Good Luck!

This week Steve Tyler, Director of Assistive Technology at Leonard Cheshire gives us his take on the recent trend for so-called ‘artificial intelligence' tools, Callum asks Stuart Lawler from Sight and Sound all about the Senseplayer from HIMS and of course we'll be tackling your emails. You can listen to the show live in the UK every Tuesday at 1pm on Freeview Channel 730, online at www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk , or on your smart speaker. You'll hear new episodes of the Tech Talk Podcast every Friday so make sure you're subscribed to never miss an episode. We'd love to hear your thoughts on accessible technology, drop us an email at techtalk@rnib.org.uk or tweet us @RNIBRadio with the hashtag #RNIBTechTalk

Buckcherry are a rock and roll good time machine. Pure and simple.Born from the old school mentality where rock is King and sleaze is Queen, Buckcherry have ruled the roost ever since Crazy Bitch came out in 2006.Theirs is a combination of talent, attitude, charisma and confidence that have combined to create the ultimate sonic voice of reason. And that's just on record.Live, Buckcherry are another untamable beast altogether.Following what some have labelled a return to form with last years album Hellbound, Buckcherry have declared war on a musical climate that has become increasingly accessible, announcing a run of dates to prove their point that sees the band land in Australia later this month.HEAVY sat down with guitarist Stevie D to find out just what part of the crosshairs Buckcherry has Australia in."Obviously we're gonna bring the whole gang of hits," he began. "And we're also gonna be showcasing our latest effort Hellbound. It's been received over here and in Europe well and we're excited to bring all those new songs over to you. They're actually a couple of years old for us, but this is the first time we're bringing it to you guys."Buckcherry are no strangers to Australia, having toured here countless times before, but the one thing that stands out most about this country for Stevie isn't something they saw or did, it is more a case of the who rather than the what."We played this stadium, I can't remember where it was, but we played with Aerosmith and Van Halen," he recalled. "I have a memory where I was hanging with Steve (Tyler), and we had toured together before, and right after I was done talking with Steven a guy was standing in the hall with this new sort of contraption which is called a vape. And it was Eddie Van Halen. He was, like, 'hey dude,' and I was, like, oh my gosh, you're Eddie Van Halen! And he says, 'what's going on?' and I got all nervous and said is that one of those vape things? He said 'yeah' you wanna try it? And I went (makes big sighing noise) oh my God, I'm about to hit Eddie Van Halen's vape (laughs). After that we talked some guitars and I was very much a super fan boy. It was very embarrassing, but it was a very fond memory that I got to hang out with Eddie Van Halen for a short period of time."In the full interview, Stevie talks more about what to expect from the shows, touring with Fozzy, Buckcherry's stage show that relies more on music rather than effects, the old school mentaility of the band, his thoughts on Hellbound, bringing back the rock sound, new material and more.

Armageddon is on trial this week. Is it a triumph of a disaster movie, or is it just a disaster? Joel and Ausy say that it set the bar for disaster films, and that the action and special effects are outstanding. But Alex and Gav argue that there isn't enough of the action, and that it's too long and messy. There's a quiz all about Michael Bay, and impression of Steve Tyler, and a whole lot of banter. Do we get the verdict right? Let us know what you think! www.filmsontrial.co.uk/219

This week, on Tech Talk, we talk to Chris Sheldrick, the co-founder of location service 'What 3 Words'. Steve Tyler from Leonard Cheshire joins us to talk about the work that the charity does. Plus, Callum tries out the new sound splitter feature in JAWS. You can listen to the show live in the UK every Tuesday at 1pm on Freeview Channel 730, online at www.rnibconnectradio.org.uk , or on your smart speaker.  You'll hear new episodes of the Tech Talk Podcast every Friday so make sure you're subscribed to never miss an episode  We'd love to hear your thoughts on accessible technology, drop us an email at techtalk@rnib.org.uk or tweet us @RNIBRadio with the hashtag #RNIBTechTalk

Hour 1 - You can find coverage of the tragedy in Texas in anywhere and it will likely be better than coverage than we could provide. We want to be your escape today. Memorial Day weekend is coming up. Steve Tyler is in rehab. 

You can find coverage of the tragedy in Texas in anywhere and it will likely be better than coverage than we could provide. We want to be your escape today. Memorial Day weekend is coming up. Steve Tyler is in rehab. Jamie found an article talking about the difference between people who are late and people who are early. SMH Dil thought a post suggested a listeners car had caught fire and that they were saved by advice they got from the show. Johnny Depp and Jamie have something in common. They are throwers. Game 5 of the Avalanche vs Blues series is tonight and Carson is going! Kate moss took the stand in the Depp vs Heard Trial today. California has a bill that could allow parents to sue social media companies for their kids becoming addicted to social media. Johnny Depp's psychologist is super hot. If you were born between 1985 and 1995 this Heardle is super easy. Kate Moss took the stand in the Depp vs Heard trial today to say Johnny never pushed her down any stairs. 

Anunciado o cartaz completo das Guadalupe Lazy Sessions, nos sábados de junho em Braga; crónica de Rui Pedro Tendinha no Festival de Cannes; Steve Tyler em clínica de desintoxicação.

While I want to play you the show notes of this program, sadly, it is longer than 4,000 characters this platform offers for show notes. But I'll put in some stuff about each set to compensate including links. On toay's program, we're featuring new material we got as part of bandcamp friday as well as starting with some interesting facts about one of our artists we played last week. I hope you'll enjoy the program as much as I am bringing it together for you. I hope you will consider buying from these artists and labels. Set 1: This set starts in the United Kingdom, but we don't stay there program long. Steve Tyler has been listened to, and I present you two other artists as we found out he's also a part of Misericordia and

All good things come to an end. This podcast is no different. The critically acclaimed season 3 of Craig & Co has finally come to an end. This is not just the end of the season but the podcast as a whole, no take backs!To celebrate we've gotten every guest from this season (except for one, RIP Colin Sawyer) and have fully embraced the cluster that is the last ever episode.It's a ride! Whilst this podcast is ending you can still hear Craig & Dobbie regularly at Upside Down Shark (sorry for the cheap plug!).Follow the people in this episode if you want too!?Matt DobbieRyan UptonChris SteadBrooke CieraAimee MargottNeale UChris JollyAndrew Walkerand of course myself Craig Bandicoot Thank you for everyone who has downloaded any episode of Craig & Co in th past it has definitely been a fund old time. Thank you for anyone who has enjoyed our rules, thinking about Steve Tyler (or Liv Tyler for that matter) and everyone else that has been on the podcast.Thank you to Danny Richardson and Debo for allowing this to continue. Truly thankful for everything and will enjoy whatever you make.Listen on these platforms (it's not gonna matter anymore though): Apple Podcasts / Google Podcasts / Stitcher / Spotify013: Endings

The biggest surprise to a man's life is getting old. And it's true: As one ages, the person inside remains the same and what changes is the exterior. In this episode, I have a conversation with Larry Samuel, the author of Age Friendly: Ending Ageism in America, Aging in America: A Cultural History, and Boomers 3.0: Marketing to Baby Boomers in Their Third Act of Life. We discuss insights on aging in America and its cultural history and how today's generation should prevent discrimination just as when it's their turn to get older. Key points covered in this episode:  ✔️ The idea of aging and ageism in America is a 200-year-old story. Larry Samuel shares, "The first native-born white Americans looked at the founding fathers' generation, the colonialists in an age, as the way they felt they were out of touch. They were fuddy-duddy, and they wanted to reinvent America in their own way. So this goes back spanning 12 or 15 generations. So this generational competition is nothing new." ✔️ 92% of diversity and equity inclusion (DEI) people do not consider age as part of their mission.  Human Resources and the DEI folks should lead the way here -- it's up to them to prevent ageism as the gatekeepers to corporate America.    ✔️ When it comes to age, there's still a lot of this "Us versus Them" approach; and ageism is actually the only -ism we tend to even self impose. Melissa Batchelor reminds us that "Self-imposed ageism decreases  life expectancy by about seven years - so how you think about aging and if you think getting old is only going to be associated with decline affects your health and well-being." ✔️ Most Marketers are ignoring older customers or do not know how to communicate with them effectively.  In his book Boomers 3.0., Larry points out how marketers are either underrepresenting or misrepresenting instead of being inclusive towards people of age, whether they be workers, citizens or consumers. ✔️ Ageism in dating apps is crazy town - a LOT of people lie about their age. People say they're  younger than they are -  up to ten years younger than they actually are in order to beat the dating app algorithms. ✔️  Diversity of generational perspectives is a good thing, whether in business or in life. An intergenerational workforce benefits younger persons as older, more influential people bring about a reciprocal relationship to the pure digital natives of today. ✔️  Aging is suffering from an image problem. Larry points out how the whole anti-aging industry is not helping matters at all because they're reinforcing the idea that aging is a negative experience that we should try to delay or avoid. "Let us embrace it because I believe it's a good thing. So I think it would be great to have some kind of ad campaign that aging is a good thing, like with Steve Tyler or Paul McCartney, who can endorse it that way. That's my recommendation of the day." Lawrence R. Samuel is the founder of AmeriCulture, a Miami- and New York City-based consultancy dedicated to thought leadership relating to the past, present, and future of American culture. As a trailblazer in translating cultural insights and emerging trends into business opportunities for Fortune 1000 companies and their agencies, Larry is widely recognized as an expert in the economic, social, and political dynamics of consumer behavior.   Larry is the author of many books, including Age Friendly: Ending Ageism in America, Aging in America: A Cultural History, and Boomers 3.0: Marketing to Baby Boomers in Their Third Act of Life. He also writes the “Psychology Yesterday,” “Boomers 3.0,” and “Future Trends” blogs for psychologytoday.com and is widely quoted in the media. Larry holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Minnesota, an MBA in Marketing from the University of Georgia, and was named a 2017 NextAvenue Influencer in Aging. Find Larry on Twitter @LarrySamuel and LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-samuel-9029a713/      ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you have questions, comments, or need help, please feel free to drop a one-minute audio or video clip and email it to me at melissabphd@gmail.com, and I will get back to you by recording an answer to your question.  About Melissa Batchelor, Ph.D., RN, FNP-BC, FGSA, FAAN: I earned my Bachelor of Science in Nursing ('96) and Master of Science in Nursing ('00) as a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) from the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) School of Nursing (SON). I genuinely enjoy working with the complex medical needs of older adults. I worked full-time for five years as FNP in geriatric primary care across many long-term care settings (skilled nursing homes, assisted living, home, and office visits), then transitioned into academic nursing in 2005, joining the faculty at UNCW SON as a lecturer. I obtained my Ph.D. in Nursing and a post-master's Certificate in Nursing Education from the Medical University of South Carolina College of Nursing ('11). I then joined the faculty at Duke University School of Nursing as an Assistant Professor. My family moved to northern Virginia in 2015 and led to me joining the George Washington University (GW) School of Nursing faculty in 2018 as a (tenured) Associate Professor. I am also the Director of the GW Center for Aging, Health, and Humanities. Please find out more about her work at https://melissabphd.com/.  

WHO'S THE DADDY? It's the unknown-parentage episode with Charles & Camilla, Ted Bundy, Liv Tyler, Steve Jobs, Eric Clapton, Jack Nicholson and more…   ‘Ello guv! You ready to Eavesdrop? Get ready for high tales of royal lineage, because this week, Geordie & Michelle look at people who've been lied to about their parentage… But first, Michelle's robe is back in the studio, now in grubby winter fleece, while over at Geordie's place, the guinea pigs are gone but definitely not forgotten and Tameera the modern mystic gets a lovin' shout out for steering us towards this week's first case study: the man who claims to be the secret love child of Charles and Camilla… Who is Simon Durante-Day? Did Camilla really abandon him at 8 months old? Did the Royals file his teeth down and change his eye colour? Why is he putting all these crazy pictures on the internet comparing his family to the Royals? How are Holly and Phil wrapped up in all of this? And will Charles and Camilla ever agree to take DNA tests? Why would you want those two as your parents anyway? And why does Geordie sound like she's from Spitting Image? Could Michelle's theory actually be true??? Listen to find out!  Geordie then moves on to talk about Abdulfattah "John" Jandali and Joanne Simpson and the child they gave up for adoption. Why are we interested in this adoption story? Did Jandali know who his son grew up to be? Why are we talking about the movie Anywhere But Here? Can you guess which tech giant is Geordie talking about? She then moves on to the secrets and lies in Eric Clapton's family… Why did he think his nan was his mum? And what happened to his mummy? Was that the reason he grew up to be a bit of a d*ck? Why does Geordie mention Jamie Foxx? And who is Jack Nicholson's REAL mother?  Michelle then talks about Liv Tyler's origin story, Geordie sings ‘Can We Still Be Friends' and ‘I Saw The Light', the pair discuss the video for Aerosmith's Crazy and Alicia Silverstone is named the most beautiful girl of the 90s. Plus was Ted Bundy the product of incest? What's his origin story? There's all this and more packed into a neat little episode so get on Eavesdroppin'! *Disclaimer: We don't claim to have any factual info about anything ever, soooooorrrrrryyyyyyyy Get in touch with your stories and listen, like, subscribe, share etc…  Or email us at hello@eavesdroppinpodcast.com      Listen here: www.eavesdroppinpodcast.com Or here: https://podfollow.com/1539144364 EAVESDROPPIN' ON SPOTIFY APPLE PODCASTS  GOOGLE PODCASTS  YOUTUBE Or wherever you normally listen…   #charlesandcamilla #tedbundy #conspiracytheory #podcast #comedy #death #lovechild #charles #camillaparkerbowles #secretlovechild #comedypodcast #jacknicholson #whosthedaddy #jamiefoxx #conspiracytheories #storytellingpodcast #eavesdroppin#reallife #truelife #benmendelsohn #funny #podcastersofinstagram #podcasters #podcastlife#funnypodcast #livtyler #stevejobs #ericclapton #adoption #simonduranteday #princecharles #aerosmith #toddrundgren #eavesdroppinpodcast #2birdsyakkin

This week we talk toons, menstrual cycles, cop anthems, Eric Clapton, milk crates, Three and a Half Men, cold brew, covid comeuppance, and cold brew. Steve Tyler recalls becoming a percussionist. Follow us on Twitter at @JortsCenterPod Will is @wapplehouse Josh  is @otherjrobbins Ryan is @ryhanbeard Vic is @Dokktorvikktor Dan  is @motleycruedetat Join our Peloton!  https://www.patreon.com/JortsCenter

Pega el sol y las nuevas melodías me inspiran otras de otro tiempo. David Crosby cumplirá 80 años en agosto y ya tiene nuevo disco “For Free”. Los guitarristas Steve Cropper y Steve Lukather con sus nuevos discos o Billy Gibbons junto a Steven Tyler, uno amigos de Mick Fleetwood que celebran la música de Peter Green en un concierto londinense reciente pero ya histórico. y el cantante compañero de banda de este último en Toto, Joseph Williams que ha grabado el mejor álbum de su carrera. Una de las mejores grabaciones del año, el séptimo disco del quinteto Lake Street Dive. El latido más reciente de Jackson Browne, Van Morrison y de Valerie June. Y un final de voces “crooner” con Luis Miguel, Gino Vannelli y Julie London. DISCO 1 STEVE CROPPER Bush Hog (13) DISCO 2 STEVE LUKATHER The Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys (3) DISCO 3 JOSEPH WILLIAMS Denizen Tenant (3) DISCO 4 LAKE STREET DIVE Same Old News (3) DISCO 5 VALERIE JUNE  Why The Bright Stars Glow (12) DISCO 6 JACKSON BROWNE My Cleveland Heart (ORDENADOR) DISCO 7 DAVID CROSBY & Michael McDonald  River Rise (ORDENADOR) DISCO 8 PAUL WELLER Testify (7) DISCO 9 VAN MORRISON Love Should Come With A Warning (17) DISCO 10 MICK FLEETWOOD & FRIENDS Oh Well Steve Tyler & Billy Gibbons (Cara E Corte 2) DISCO 11 LUIS MIGUEL Quiero - Live (2) DISCO 12 GINO VANNELLI People Gotta Move (8) DISCO 13 JULIE LONDON Face It Girl, It’s Over (19) Escuchar audio

Rebecca Warfield has been breaking norms for years and has the gift of vision in music and in startupland. As an entrepreneur, she has taken her years of management experience managing music stars like Julian Lennon and Steve Tyler to now also guiding startups to stardom and creating her own ventures. Her hacks are not to be missed.

JB:Dan Tyre founding team member of HubSpot Employee #6 joining in 2007 and first sales person. Held various positions in sales, management, recruiting, training and more.  He also created the term SMARKETING to help create alignment between sales and marketing.  Dan mentors so many reps aside from asking others to go mentor others and pay it forward.  Check out his best-selling book,Inbound Organization.  Learn from his experience working at 2 person startups to organizations of 45,000 people. Dan:BOOOOOOOOM!JB:You’ve had such an interesting career working with so many different people and recently training agency partners at scale on how to sell and grow their businesses. How did you get into sales?DT:Desperation.  Sold books door to door to work my way through college. Went to Colgate university in 1976 and didn’t have a lot of money, couldn’t go back sophomore year unless he made $5K. Southwestern Corporation, Nashville, TN. As long as I can make $5 grand, I’m in! Incredible sales experience.  COMMISSION ONLY! Sent to Bellingham, WA.  95% of people quit. I couldn’t quit because I didn’t have enough money to get back home.  I had to consult with bank Presidents to gas station attendants and it was a fantastic introduction to the sales process. We read Tommy Hopkins and learned consultative selling. I was a slow percolator and it took me a while to get it.  I was out in the field 2 weeks and I was scared, would fumble through stuff and didn’t have high confidence. A lady took me in, gave me a cookie as I stumbled through my sales pitch and said SHE WOULD BUY! Took the $25 and ran to McDonald’s to eat my first meal in a week!Door to door selling carrying his Dictionaries in a rolling case. Building rapport, at the time had to “wait for my husband to come home” DAN → that’s exactly what your neighbor said….Ms Joyce said the same thing, but realized she could spend the $$ because it’s her kids education → now his customers were ready to buy showing proof of sales from their neighbors. Last month using that strategy closed 40% of people after everyone knew him and got a deposit from most people! First year Individual Contributor $5,0002nd year 9 guys recruited, got a cut from that , 7 quit, 2 stayed and made $8 grand!Junior year went to Vegas playing pokerGraduated college in 1980  from Colgate University Played bass in heavy metal rock and roll band Being a bass player is a great foundation for being a great business person1982 tired of making $25/week - 14 computer stores in BostonWalked in to Computer Store, Roger Lund gave him a shot and Dan became #1 sales person in 3 monthsRoger left for Startup, wanted to take Dan with him and would pay dan $1,500/year more. Now Dan’s a startup guy!1983 left for Business Land $3Milllion next 9 years grew to $1.4 BILLION 10:00 Dan started as Rep → Sales Manager for 9 months → General Manager → LA ran 6 locations → San Fran training reps → NYC= 35% of corporate revenueBible = ART OF SELLING by Tommy Hopkins“I got addicted to hypergrowth”Back in the 1980’s and everyone had to buy computers. Talk to accountants and they WOULD CRY seeing how easy it made their life!The way you sold computers is you would put a sign out and people would come byMarried 31 YEARS! Dan all energy and enthusiasm, his wife Amy is the smart one and she was a great sellerAfter 9 years at Business Land. Started his own company as CEO scaled to $30 Million as a professional services locationBought training company that went Bankrupt, was AWESOME (learning)! Had to tell employees and their locations and tell people he had no money.  Learned humility at 40 and to always have a contingency plan4th startup, Groove Networks, bought out by Microsoft, his VP of Sales was Brian HalliganGot a call when Brian & Dharmesh wanted to start HubSpot because he had great energy and was the best salesperson they met!Mark Roberge - Sales Acceleration Formula - VP of Sales at HubSpotDidn’t miss our number for the first 27 months at HubSpot and everything I knew about selling and business changed completely after I joined HubSpot!15:00“I am by far the luckiest guy in the world, I’ve had dinner with Bob Marley,  taught Steve Tyler how to fire his manager met Muhammed Ali,  and met with  president’s. Things happen to me and it’s because I have a positive Mindset”“You’re (enter your name here), you can do anything”  It’s my mantra, I say it to 4,000 people in the world! Do you have an identical twin? No? Well then YOU ARE THE ONLY YOU OUT THERE!You can do anything, the key is to figure out what you want to do and WRITE IT DOWNIn 2020 we set goals and work backwardsMindset- you first need to believe you can do it, then you must know WHAT you want to doThis must be written downWrite out what you wantDantyre.comSucceed: How We Reach Our Goals by Heidi Halverson Why Goals?  What Goals?Written down goals are more effective, people are healthierMindset is 99% of SalesMy Prospecting now is usually in front of 100 people down at Stetson University - gotta raise $$ for crew to get a new boat“I’m Dan Tyre, I can do anything”“This Guy is Gonna Pickup and make a donation to your crew program!” They think he’s insane for picking up the phone, let alone believing he is going to get the $$!What kind of donation do you want?  I don’t know, what are you comfortable with? $100! A tremendous and wonderful feeling!“I look at the phone and say this person is going to pick up and I have some level of skills obviously, but this is MINDSET”JB: Was there a point where that mindset came about or did you always have it?DT:What I learned selling books and in my entrepreneurial experience is 99% of success is what we call a Growth Mindset. Never had a problem speaking in front of 10 people, even when I was an average speaker I knew I was going to get there, I was Bruce Springsteen early on, because “Nobody outworks Dan Tyre”All the young people think they can outwork the old man. I don’t drink so I’m full of energyI’ve got the positive mindset while young people are still working on itWhen I was growing up, when you turned 60, you diedNow Warren Buffet is 90, so he’s my new model and I have 18 years left, it’s going to be awesome!Dan Tyre 2.0 = Smart, empathetic, willing to helpMy Mantra = Do The Most Good For the UniverseThere’s nothing that’s better than having gratitude for where we are25:00I’m still at HubSpot because I love working with these young people straight out of collegeThe key is Proper Mindset, define what you want to doI’m not the smartest, wow there are so many smart people I’ve learned from and been supported by!How to engage sales people if they need re-engagement I’m your confidence before you have confidenceEveryone goes through their twists and turns When you eat the big dog, CELEBRATE YOUR SUCCESSES! When the big dog eats you, you can’t wallow, you have to do recovery and understand this is a part of anyone's sales lifeThe Mental Mindset is; I’m at the top of the charts all the time and Nobody is going to outwork meWe’re top 2% because we will outwork everyone At a certain place in my life it wasn’t competitive with anyone else and it was being competitive with myselfGrowth mindset, you’re always improving.  There are things I can always be doing better and learning“I’m like a teenage girl, I just talk on the phone everyday”The great thing  30:005 things  Make sure you:Take Care of the Basics; Eat, Sleep & ExerciseGet a good playlist!You have to have a Vision BoardSSP = Shameless Self PromotionFind 3 people  that will tell you 10 great things about yourself when the big dog eats you!I can be your confidence before you have it. Some people are mental giants that can do things that I can’t do. My best attribute is I’m stubborn, you can’t beat someone that won’t quit35:00JB: As you’ve had a chance to train, mentor, coach thousands of sales people over the years.  What is the biggest hurdle you’ve seen?DT:People don’t understand how important it is.  If you don’t have your mindset ready it’s hard to win. You’re gonna stink for 30,60 sometimes 6 months.  Roleplay can accelerate it. But the only way you get good is PRACTICE.Once slow percolators get it, and they have a good process, the are locked in!The whole foundation of HubSpot & Inbound Revolution is sales has changed, used to be all about sales people and now it’s all about the customerAlways Be Closing is Dead, How To Always Be HelpingIf someone calls you to sell you something, or help you with something. Which one would you like to talk to?40:00The Riches are in the nichesBack in the old days you could be OK as a generalist, now it’s time to be a specialistStart with a nicheDo your researchNow you can figure out what they needWhat’s the 3 things I can help you solve that you’d buy me a breakfast sandwich next time I’m there? If I can help with 3 things, then we’ll do business or I can send them to someone who will help betterJB: You mention empathy, how do people build that?DT: Women are better at empathy than me.  Women are better at life than men!Give $10 to a man, they buy beer and get drunk.  Give $10 to a woman they buy diapers for the whole village. Women are better listenersGuys are taught to BS and push through, women are taught to socialize and are betterEmpathy builds better alignment. You can be encouraging when you know what they’re trying to accomplish. “I don’t care if you buy.  What can I do to help?”Empathy of understanding what it’s like to be in your prospects shoes. 45:00It’s harder to be a young adult now. When I was growing up I did so many dopey things and nobody knew about it.  It’s so hard now because everyone is judging and can see everything you’ve done.“Once you get to be 62 you realize none of this shit matters!”The only thing that matters is your relationships“The secret of life is strong relationships” - Warren BuffettRealize the more you help people, the more gratitude you have for your situationI made the decision I want to help people because that turns me onIt used to be; have fun, make money and learn stuff. NOW what I want to do is doing that for others!JB: More women coming into sales is so helpful and so many that helped meDT: Sales has always paid women similar to men because it would be crazy not to!  There are so many women who are great in sales and HubSpot is working so hard to reflect the demographics of women we sell to.  The folks from HubSpot like Katie Burke and others are doing so much good for the universe. www.DanTyre.com I stole my mantra from my kid, Eli. JB: What should someone do as a first time sales manager?55:00DT:It’s like being a new parent, there are new skills you’ve got to learn. You’re working with human beingsGo back to the beginning; learn about recruiting, interviewing, motivation, management, building trust, forecasting,  product, managing up/down and there is a TON of stuff you’ve got to learn. Sales management is the most difficult position in the company because sales people are weird.  They are numbers driven, highly emotional and all in their brain. In sales I always want HIGH TRUST.  How do I build trust with you? What kind of manager do you want me to be? → GO FIGURE IT OUTOne Minute ManagerYou don’t have trust in any relationship, you don’t have squatGot a problem. Do you have good problem definition? What’s your solution? → Go figure it outNew reps MY POTHOLE LIST - 3 things getting in your way?Secret of life, define what you want to do and then work as hard as you want to do with people to get there. Links:Dan TyreInbound OrganizationDan on HubSpot BlogLinkedInTwitter: @dantyreInstagram: Dtyre1One Minute ManagerAlways Be Closing is Dead, How To Always Be HelpingHow to engage sales people if they need re-engagement SucceedART OF SELLING by Tommy Hopkins

This podcast was released at October 31, 2020 at 10:49 AM Eastern Time Zone, as the Moon is perfectly Full. (For show notes and podcast audio, scroll down, down, down…) Our guest today is Steve Tyler. The video of today's podcast- https://youtu.be/va8A4Z5Votw Topics Include: Featured Music - Steve Tyler - The Second Law - From The Enduring and the Ephemeral - https://stevetyler.bandcamp.com/album/the-enduring-and-the-ephemeral How did Steve Tyler discover the Hurdy Gurdy? What was it like participating in the Mideaval Historic Music World? How does one get better at playing the Hurdy Gurdy? Are the Early Music Workshop Kits good? Is Steve Tyler self-taught on the Hurdy Gurdy? How's a Chris Eaton Hurdy Gurdy? What is the Chris Eaton Double Keyboard? Should we start practicing the trompette from the beginning? How does muscle memory effect the ability to use the trompette? Who are Steve Tyler's top three Hurdy Gurdy influences? Featured Music Pandero – L'Ham de Foc -- Is there another Steve Tyler in an alternate universe playing in a rock band? What are the Daughter's of Elven? What was the process of recording the Enduring and the Ephemeral? Featured Music – Tethys – From the Enduring and the Ephemeral https://stevetyler.bandcamp.com/album/the-enduring-and-the-ephemeral

Carlos Amezcua and Lisa Remillard discuss the new "Challenger: The Final Flight" documentary on Netflix, plus Carlos interviews actor/ entrepreneur David Fernandez Jr. about the new "Selena: The Series", plus actress Samantha Autry tells Lisa Remillard why she got back into acting after taking a break. And musical guest Bryant Del Toro is soulful in Miami, actor Steve Tyler hosts a Pajama Jam for the Alcott Center in Los Angeles and Florence St. George is the pottery queen! So much to discover.... listen here! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/beondtv/support

It's catch up time. This Invisible Folk Club radio show went out live to four community stations across England. Jon Bickley was curator/presenter, Steve Yarwood producer. Our main feature is an exclusive live session from Americana/alt-country trio My Girl The River. Amongst the new releases is an ambitious and occasionally experimental album from Joshua Burnside plus folk/horror hurdy gurdy from Steve Tyler (no not that one!) Joshua Burnside - Under The Concrete Joshua Burnside - Will You Go or Must I? Joshua Burnside - And You Evade Him/Born in the Blood My Girl The River - Cardinal in the Snow My Girl The River - I Try My Girl The River - Hot Chicken My Girl The River - Slow Mover Ruby Kate - Fox Cub Boatkeeper - Breach Boo Hewerdine - Wanderlust Steve Tyler - Utopia Regained Steve Tyler - Tierceron Chris Rogers & the Invisibles - Glorytown Dave Artus - A Second Heart https://invisiblefolkclub.com/ has a listening guide to our show

With their third studio album Aerosmith really came into their own.  Toys in the Attic would be their most commercially successful studio album in the United States, and would spawn two enduring rock anthems.  Aerosmith came out of Boston in 1970 with Steve Tyler on lead vocals and harmonica, Tom Hamilton on bass, Joe Perry on guitar, Brad Whitford also on guitar, and Joey Kramer on drums. Toys in the Attic was immediately successful and made Aerosmith into international stars.  Their first top 40 hit, "Sweet Emotion," came off this album, and its success encouraged listeners to check out the previous Aerosmith albums, bringing them back onto the charts.  Flamboyant front man Steve Tyler was often compared with Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, but the resemblance did not carry over to the music.  Aerosmith would tact closer to Led Zeppelin than to the Stones, and would carry high energy vocals and a more funky rock sound.If you're ready for some hard rocking mid-70's jams, then “WALK THIS WAY!” Toys in the AtticThis driving title track refers to someone who is completely crazy - similar to phrases like bats in the belfry, or an elevator that doesn't stop on all floors.  "Leaving the things that are real behind, leaving the things that you love from mind."Walk This WayThis iconic song about a teenage boy losing his virginity to a promiscuous cheerleader got its name from a scene in the Mel Brooks comedy "Young Frankenstein."  This track was where Aerosmith really exploded onto the scene.  The lyrics are almost a rap with their speed, and it would become a true rap song with Run D.M.C.'s cover.Big Ten Inch RecordA throwback boogie written in 1952 by Bull Moose Jackson, the double entendre actually refers to vinyl records which were originally 10-inch, 78 rpm.  Aerosmith kept the cover faithful to the original big band feel.  Steven Tyler's harmonica work is prominent in this track.Sweet EmotionAnother epic track, the lead "talking guitars" announce something different.  The song expresses Tyler's frustration with the band and tensions with the band member's wives and girlfriends.  This is one of the songs that Van Halen covered in their early days.   ENTERTAINMENT TRACK:Theme from the television series “Kung Fu”David Carradine was Kwai Chang Caine, a refugee from China in the American west in the television show, which ended in this month. STAFF PICKS:“Don't Call Us, We'll Call You” by SugarloafWayne's staff pick was inspired by the experience of the band with CBS records.  No one would call them back.  After they became famous, they turned the tables on the record companies who now wanted to talk to them.  You'll hear riffs from The Beatles and Stevie Wonder embedded in the song.“Amie” by Pure Prairie LeagueBruce features a breakup song originally released on their second album in 1972.  It did not do well when first released, but gained popularity as an album cut on college radio stations, and was re-released as a single in 1975.  On the original album the song is preceded by a short song entitled "Falling In and Out of Love," which is reprised at the end of "Amie."  You occasionally hear these together on the radio.“Philadelphia Freedom” by Elton JohnRob's staff pick was a single without an album when it came out.  Elton John was friends with Billie Jean King, who was part of the Philadelphia Freedoms professional tennis team at the time.  This song was written as a tribute to her and the team.  "'Cause I live and breathe this Philadelphia freedom."  “No-No Song” by Ringo StarrBrian brings us a lighthearted song from the former Beatle drummer, giving us a whimsical anti-drug message.  "No, no, no, no, I don't smoke it no more...I'm tired of waking up on the floor!"LAUGH TRACK:“Dynomite” by Tony Camillo's BazukaWe finish off this week with a track inspired by "Good Times" and J.J. Walker's catch phrase.

Aerosmith superfan Kate Thompson joins David this week to discuss her top ten Aerosmith songs. They also discuss why The Black Crowes aren't on the Mt. Rushmore of American music, getting kissed by Steve Tyler, and Gilmour vs. Waters.

In this episode we talk with Steve Tyler of Ford Police vehicles, then have a little trivia fun and review a Honda Civic

In this episode we talk with Steve Tyler of Ford Police vehicles, then have a little trivia fun and review a Honda Civic.

In this episode we talk with Steve Tyler of Ford Police vehicles, then have a little trivia fun and review a Honda Civic

In this episode we talk with Steve Tyler of Ford Police vehicles, then have a little trivia fun and review a Honda Civic

Craig gets together with the magic man Ted Flanders to talk the state of the world! Who better to join us then Steve Tyler! Shame he was busy so we asked for the help of one Matthew "Dobbie" Dobbie instead.We just wanted to record a little something for everyone during these times. Thanks for sticking with us!Follow Craig & Co. on TwitterTheme by Neale UptonThe Rules & LeaderboardSubscribe to Craig & Co. on YouTubeHey A New Episode! | Craig & Co. #73

Britney Breidenstein joins host Stephanie Gottesman to talk about the courage, vulnerability, and creative perspective needed to pivot away from a stagnant career. She shares about her unique approach to expanding outside her comfort zone, the self-work she did to figure out her new direction, and the tools she’s been discovering to help her along the way. Many of us reach points in our life where we need to make a change. Either our careers have stagnated, our priorities have shifted, or we’ve lost a sense of purpose in what we’re doing. Often, when we reach that point, we end up feeling stuck because we simply don’t know what to try next. Our guest this episode, Britney Breidenstein, has reached a pivot point in her career.      Breidenstein is no stranger to accomplishment – she’s spent most of her career leading and launching programs to build up the Fort Wayne community, with her last years devoted to workforce inclusion initiatives, business development, and corporate training for Easterseals ARC, where she developed new programs, created more than 100 jobs, and placed scores of people with disabilities on life-changing career paths of their own. After a decade of accomplishments, though, Breidenstein reached a point in her career where accomplishments weren’t enough, and even though her next steps were not quite clear, she knew she needed to take the time to pivot, explore new challenges, and figure out where she wanted her career to go. She’s here today to share some of her journey – the work she did with Easterseals ARC, the creative strategy she’s used to get more connected to the Fort Wayne community, her take on building community and creating safe spaces, and the courageous leap of faith she’s taken to make space for her next chapter. So she started asking people to coffee – she stopped counting at 39. In the course of her journey, she got to know Fort Wayne in a new way. She joined the boards for Own Your Success, the women’s entrepreneurial community that we featured in our second episode last season, and Bring It, Push It, Own It, an organization whose mission centers around empowering teen girls. In the course of our conversation, she talks about a few tools that have helped her on her journey – a book called Pivot Point: How to Build a Winning Career Game Plan for Mid-Career Women by Julie Kratz, Dare to Lead by Brené Brown and the Dare to Lead Workshops taught by Sabrina Moon’s Problem Solving Institute. Her story is both simple and relatable, while also showing courage and creativity.    Today, Breidenstein is working as the Principal Growth Strategist for UpLinked, a company dedicated to helping businesses simplify yet enhance their Linkedin presence through education, coaching, and management services. She still doesn’t know exactly where her career is going to take her, but has fully embraced the white space of this transitional time. This month, Andie Hines-Lagemann invited us to collaborate on recording an Own Your Success Working Breakfast. If you’re not familiar with Own Your Success or Andie’s work, check out our second episode last season, called Women are Supporting Each Other as Entrepreneurs. The topic for this working breakfast was collaboration vs competition, and while we were there, we invited the women who attended to offer some appreciation to women in their lives that have empowered them. This episode’s shout outs are from that recording.Both Own Your Success and Women Are: Fort Wayne are soon going to be launching membership programs, and the recording will be available to our members. Stay tuned for details!     Our featured song this episode is by Mad Scatter Music, founded by Trinell to produce music that challenges the boundaries of jazz concepts, and the idea of genre-static music.  Trinell is an improvisational vocalist, who explores the vocal "scatting" technique, made famous by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald. She incorporates "Indie", Alternative, Soul, & Classic Rock into a crowd pleasing jazz fusion experience relative to multiple generations of listeners. This episode’s song, “Bayou,” is actually about Trinell’s relationship with God, and how society tends to discredit an individual’s spirituality if they don’t appear to be a “traditional Christian.” She has always had a fascination with Louisiana culture, although I she’s never been, so she opted to write the lyrics as a play on words. She hopes listeners will find their own emotional connection to the song.Assuming life has resumed its normal flow, Mad Scatter Music will be performing at the Big Apple Jazz Club Series at Wunderkammer on June 14th. In the meantime, you can find her music on Spotify and Facebook.  Women Are: Fort Wayne is a production of Monstrous Regiment Media and distributed by WBOI in Fort Wayne. Our show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and Silverbirch Entertainment. This episode was written and produced by Stephanie Gottesman and Traci Henning-Kolberg, and edited by Adam Blackburn. Our episodes are recorded at Silverbirch Studio, with an extra thank you to sound engineer Steve Tyler and assistant engineer, Harrison Tyler.  We appreciate you subscribing, rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also visit us at womenare.us, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can check out other content from WBOI on Facebook. Until next time...thanks for listening!

Mary J. Montes, Executive Board Member of the Greater Fort Wayne Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, joins host Stephanie Gottesman to share her story as a Dreamer and DACA recipient, her passion for community outreach, and the work the GFW Hispanic Chamber of Commerce does to strengthen networks and create opportunities for the Fort Wayne Hispanic and Latino communities. Immigration issues have been in the news a lot over the last few years, and the debate has often centered on Dreamers, a term that has been used to describe young undocumented or unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, who have lived and gone to school here, and who in many cases identify as American. The term Dreamer originally took its name from a bill in Congress, but it has a double meaning about the young immigrants who have big hopes and dreams for a better future. The bill, called the DREAM Act (short for Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act), would have granted legal status to certain undocumented and unauthorized immigrants who were brought to the United States as children and went to school here. Although several versions of the bill have been introduced in Congress since 2001, it’s never passed. While the media tends to paint dramatic and often exaggerated pictures of who DREAMers are, few news stories give an actual window into the lives of the real people who have lived this experience, and with somewhere between 690,000 and 800,000 DREAMers in America, that’s a lot of underrepresented stories. In addition to her role on the board of the GFW Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Montes is an also on boards for Parkview Health, Whitington Homes & Family Services, and the Salvation Army. She has an Associates Degree in criminal justice, and is currently finishing up a BA in organizational leadership.  Montes also happens to be a Dreamer. Her parents brought her to America just after 9/11 from Peru. She shares her memories of arriving in America, moving to Fort Wayne, and the gratitude she has for the opportunities she has found here compared to the place she was born. She also shares the unique set of hardships and challenges that unauthorized immigrants face, and the relief that DACA gave her and her family. She shares some of her academic and professional journey, and some of the ways she has worked to help other immigrants through their own struggles. Montes shares a bit of background and history about the GFW Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, and some of the ways people can get involved in their efforts to connect Hispanic and Latino business owners to each other and to the rest of the Fort Wayne business community. For information on the GFW Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, visit their website at www.fwhispanicchamber.org. They are also on Facebook. This episode’s song, Mano a Mano, is by KelsiCote. Singer-songwriters, Kelsi Lee & Cote Godoy bridge distinct cultural roots forming a fresh sound uniquely their own. Their musical explorations daringly fuse styles and rhythms of North and South America with lyrical interplay in modern Greek, American English and Chilean Spanish. High energy live performances invite listeners on a dynamic and unforgettable adventure of music and story-telling. For the upturned ear, and searching heart, reflections on Life - alive with purpose. KelsiCote Amig@s full band format includes phenomenal international musicians from both North and South America. Kelsi and Cote also produce an early childhood educational enrichment program that promotes inclusion through music, cultural immersion, and bilingual learning. You can find their music at www.kelsicote.com, or on Spotify, Facebook, and CDBaby, and you can find their educational program at www.musicalconexion.com.  Women Are: Fort Wayne is a production of Monstrous Regiment Media and distributed by WBOI in Fort Wayne. Our show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and Silverbirch Entertainment. This episode was written and produced by Stephanie Gottesman and Traci Henning-Kolberg, and edited by Adam Blackburn. Our episodes are recorded at Silverbirch Studio, with an extra thank you to sound engineer Steve Tyler and assistant engineer, Harrison Tyler.  We appreciate you subscribing, rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also visit us at womenare.us, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can check out other content from WBOI on Facebook. Until next time...thanks for listening!

Crystal Vann Wallstrom, Managing Director of Innovation of Electric Works, joins host Stephanie Gottesman for a conversation about innovation districts, the history of the General Electrics campus, and her ambitious vision for Electric Works. Most of us living here in Fort Wayne have heard of the ambitious Electric Works project, which seeks to revitalize the abandoned campus. The project’s website describes their vision as, “a well-conceptualized, mixed-use district of innovation, culture and community that is seamlessly integrated with other downtown development projects currently underway.” Some people see Electric Works as a real estate deal, some see it as a beacon of innovation and forward thinking, some see it as a looming spectre of gentrification. One thing’s for sure, though – it has the potential to dramatically transform our city in numerous ways. Crystal Vann Wallstrom is a fellow Fort Wayne transplant and the Managing Director of Innovation for Electric Works. In this episode, Vann Wallstrom shares with us some of the wisdom and inspiration she took away from her previous life in San Francisco, why she passionately believes that bringing an innovation center to Fort Wayne will drive economic development and build culture in new ways, and some of the ways that being part of this project have affected her personally. She shares quite a bit about the history of the General Electrics campus, what role it played in Fort Wayne’s history, and how revitalizing it will provide jobs, affordable housing, and a hub for innovation. In the course of the conversation, Vann Wallstrom and Gottesman discuss a talk by world-leading economic geographer Michael Storper, recorded by the London School of Economics and Political Science. It goes deep into the reasons that an open innovation district like Electric Works creates more innovative culture than closed models of innovation centers, and how that led to the rise of San Francisco over Los Angeles in the last half century. She then describes the vision for the Electric Works, and describes both what will be part of the West Campus Phase 1, and also how she sees it building culture. For a look at the Electric Works vision and the inside of the existing buildings, check out this page on their website. For more information on Electric Works, visit www.fortwayneelectricworks.com. They are also on Facebook , Twitter, and Instagram. After the interview, we were happy to share an announcement for Jodi Leamon, the Sustainability Coordinator for the Allen County Department of Environmental Management. She was the guest from our tenth episode last season. She and Lesley Sears have started a podcast called  “A Material Girl Goes Green.” Lesley is the founder of the first truly sustainable candle company, Farm Finds Candles, based here in Fort Wayne. The podcast follows Lesley’s journey as she steps into an eco friendly and low waste lifestyle. Jodi is co-hosting the show as Lesley’s sustainability expert, answering all the eco-related questions that come up along the way. The show discusses daily eco challenges, reviews environmentally friendly products, and looks at all the ways you can begin your own eco friendly journey. It launched earlier this month, and we’ve been loving it! You can find A Material Girl Goes Green on most podcasting apps. Check it out! This week, we’re featuring a song by APQ, Alicia Pyle’s quartet, which has a weekly jazz series at the Clyde Club Room on Wednesdays from 8-10. The quartet, and Alicia’s small business PyleStyle Events, has a dedication to keeping it local and fostering local talent. Each week, they feature a different “local” musician, and encourage people to book from our growing pool of local talent. The song is called “Serendipity.” You can aslo find them on all social media platforms.  Women Are: Fort Wayne is a production of Monstrous Regiment Media and distributed by WBOI in Fort Wayne. Our show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and Silverbirch Entertainment. This episode was written and produced by Stephanie Gottesman and Traci Henning-Kolberg. Our episodes are recorded at Silverbirch Studio, with an extra thank you to sound engineer Steve Tyler and assistant engineer, Harrison Tyler.  We appreciate you subscribing, rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also visit us at womenare.us, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can check out other content from WBOI on Facebook. Until next time...thanks for listening!

Denita Washington, Adams Township Trustee and Executive Director of Fort Wayne Girlz Rock, joins host Stephanie Gottesman for a conversation about her work empowering young women to find their purpose. For young women, and especially those from hard backgrounds, it can be hard to find a sense of purpose and empowerment. Too many girls slip through the cracks and struggle to find their way. Studies show, though, that one caring adult can make all the difference. Denita Washington is one woman who has shown up as a caring adult in the lives of more than 2000 young women here in Fort Wayne. Denita Washington hosted several of the girls in her program for an interview session with Stephanie Gottesman. From left to right: Deja Eley (17), Trinity Pilot (15), and Jaya Swopshire (15). In this episode of Women Are: Fort Wayne, Washington talks deeply about the history of her organization, the personal experiences that led her to creating safe spaces for young women, and the inspiring programs she’s developed over the years. Her stories are thoughtful, moving, and relatable. She shares her own history of suffering through bullying, and some of the powerful stories of girls who have overcome extreme adversity to find their place in the world. She offers advice to mothers (and mentors) about how to find the healing they need themselves to offer safe spaces for their children, and sends messages of hope and empathy to young people and their families. Several of the girls also joined host Stephanie Gottesman for an interview session, giving them an opportunity to share their own perspective on the program and gain experience interviewing. Toward the end of the episode, Washington shares information on a fundraiser the group is having on March 5, 2020. For more information on Fort Wayne Girlz Rock, visit fortwaynegirlzrock.com. They are also on Facebook (Fort Wayne Girls Rock) and Instagram (@fwgirlzrock). After the interview, we were happy to share an announcement for Nicki Meier, our second guest from Season 1. She is now selling her pottery around town at events, and also on her Etsy shop, NiTeMe. Check it out! Today’s song, I’m Free by Pamela featuring Cherelle, is a powerful collaboration between two Fort Wayne women. Pamela got inspired to write this song at a point in her life when she was surrounded by people who gave off negative vibes and it was destroying her inner peace. She says, “It was time to set myself free from the burdens and negativity surrounding me and focus on the importance of self preservation.” Cherelle says that her heart drove her to write her verse. “I was wanting to help and heal everyone in need but at the end of day there was no one I could reach out to and I was only left drained. It was a lot of weight on my shoulders trying to carry everyone's burden while I came out with nothing and so I made the decision to look out for myself first and free myself.” You can find them on Tidal, Spotify, and Itunes. You can also find Pamela on Facebook, and Charelle Nightbreed on Facebook and Instagram.    Women Are: Fort Wayne is a production of Monstrous Regiment Media and distributed by WBOI in Fort Wayne. Our show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and Silverbirch Entertainment. This episode was written and produced by Stephanie Gottesman and Traci Henning-Kolberg. Our episodes are recorded at Silverbirch Studio, with an extra thank you to sound engineer Steve Tyler and assistant engineer, Harrison Tyler.    We appreciate you subscribing, rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also visit us at womenare.us, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can check out other content from WBOI on Facebook. Until next time...thanks for listening!

Megan Butler, the Program and Events Manager for Riverfront Fort Wayne, joins host Stephanie Gottesman to discuss the development of Promenade Park and the Hello, New Park event last August. It was hard to leave the house last summer without seeing signs for the Hello, New Park event. The three-day celebration welcomed Allen County residents to Promenade Park, and the new riverfront attraction has quickly become a favorite gathering place. Megan Butler played a central role in introducing the community to their new park – she likes to say that the event was her baby. And rightfully so. Butler spent more than a year planning the event, and two years before that researching ideas for a weekend that was not just groundbreaking for our region, but completely unique and inspired by events from across the globe. In the first episode of Season 2 of Women Are: Fort Wayne, Butler talks a bit about how our culture has seen a decrease in social capital, a concept discussed in the book Bowling Alone by Robert D. Putnam. shares how she chose to study politics because she wanted to make the most positive impact possible on her community. She has faced many challenges on her path to success, including a hard childhood and a devastating divorce that left her struggling to feed herself and her two boys. Her best advice to women struggling through their own divorces is to find something that is completely their own. For Butler, she focused on learning skills that nobody could ever take away from her – skills she’s now used to make a huge impact on the city she lives, works, and plays in. Butler shares a deep look into what it took to create the Hello, New Park event, some of the incredible inspirations she drew from, and some of the challenges she faced. She shares stories of how the community came together to pull off an ambitious weekend with three days of programming. Approximately 35,000 people attended, and the community response was staggeringly positive. She described the weekend as the community’s first date with their new park, and wanted to touch people’s hearts and set the precedent for the next 10-20 years of the riverfront. Toward the end of the episode, Butler shares some of what’s coming up for Phases 2 and 3 of the Riverfront Development project, and what her role is now that the park is open. She also shared some of the programs that are coming up at Promenade Park now that its open. For more information about events along the Riverfront, visit http://riverfrontfw.org/. They are also on Facebook (Riverfront Fort Wayne) and Instagram (@riverfrontfortwayne). After the interview, we were excited to share an announcement for Alexandra Hall, our first guest from Season 1. A children’s book she illustrated – The Zookeeper by Jessie Strock – is now available for purchase on Amazon. Check it out! Our featured song this episode is Moon Dance by Elle/The Remnant. This all-female group has been making music together for more than 8 years. They started out as 3 friends and grew to 6 women as their songwriting capabilities evolved. All of their songs are original lyrics and music, and they have a deep love for unique storytelling. They believe that music should nourish, inspire and share stories worth telling. You can find them on Spotify, and can find upcoming shows on their Facebook. Women Are: Fort Wayne is a production of Monstrous Regiment Media and distributed by WBOI in Fort Wayne. Our show is sponsored by the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne and Silverbirch Entertainment. This episode was written and produced by Stephanie Gottesman and Traci Henning-Kolberg, and edited by Adam Blackburn. Our episodes are recorded at Silverbirch Studio, with an extra thank you to sound engineer Steve Tyler and assistant engineer, Harrison Tyler.  We appreciate you subscribing, rating and reviewing the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. You can also visit us at womenare.us, or follow us on Facebook and Instagram. New episodes are released every two weeks. You can check out other content from WBOI on Facebook. Until next time...thanks for listening!

Good morning and welcome to the ride! Happy Birthday to our Fearless Leader!!! Fool #2 is here with The Year You Were Born. Megastar Tyler Perry talks to us about his new film on Netflix A Fall From Grace. Pimpin' is here wearing his red velvet cake coat for Steve's birthday to give his Playoff picks. Happy Birthday shout outs to Miss Carla's daughter Tosha and our forever FLOTUS Michelle Obama. Junior has a special birthday poem just for Steve. Today in Closing Remarks, Steve speaks about God's mercy and favor, plus more. Have a great weekend!!! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

“By understanding our identity and Who Christ is, it gives us the strength and the platform and the foundation to move into the life that He has for us.”

Read more about the pilot here: https://www.leonardcheshire.org/about-us/press-and-media/press-releases/lego-foundation-are-pilot-braille-bricksWatch a video about the bricks, featuring Steve Tyler, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW6xeiG8kIMIf you'd like to speak to us and tell us your story, email us at disabilitydownload@leonardcheshire.org   

“Our affections turn our heart towards God, or away from Him.”

This week in our season finale, Jodi Leamon joins us for a conversation about the work she does helping Fort Wayne learn to reduce, reuse, recycle, and compost their waste.   Jodi is the Sustainability Coordinator for the Allen County Department of Environmental Management and founder of the local chapter of Food Rescue US. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a Master’s in Biology. In the episode, she talks about her work and why it’s important on both local and global scales. The conversation gets into the science of trash, and why adopting better practices is vital. She defines big words like circular economy, sustainability, and even goes into what zero waste actually means, then finishes off by sharing with us her Top 10 Ways to Move Toward Zero Waste.    We talk about two documentaries: Anthony Bourdain’s Wasted, which talks about the epidemic of food waste in society today, and Plastic China, a Chinese documentary about a family that processes plastic recycling in extreme poverty. Much of the trash they process comes from America. We also talked about a blog called Minimum Viable Planet.   For more about the Allen County Department of Environmental waste, visit their website, and make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram for tips on improving your own practices.   To learn more about Food Rescue US, visit their website and check out their Facebook.    And here’s Jodi’s column for Input Fort Wayne.   This week, Rosalind & The Way are back with a new song, “Blood On My Hands.” You can find their music on iTunes and Spotify, as well as Facebook and Instagram.   We are thrilled to announce this week that we’re going to be partnering with Input Fort Wayne. If you’re not familiar with them, check them out for awesome stories about exciting things happening in Northeastern Indiana, and make sure to follow them on Facebook and Instagram.    We’d like to send a VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project!   We’ll be back in a few weeks!

Six-Pack of Aerosmith, Volume One On this Six-Pack episode, an eager Lee McCormack of the Tramps Like Us Podcast and BJ Kramp of the Rock And/Or Roll podcast join Eric Miller of Pods & Sods to honk on some bobo. We're talking Aerosmith. We're talking the rock and roll purity of twelve bar blues, the brilliance of Joe Perry's riff mastery, how does Joey Kramer stack up to Bon Jovi's Tico Torres, does Steve Tyler tie scarves around things at home, and which is the rock and roll mustard - French's or Grey Poupon?  Serious and seriously fun conversation as we share two songs each by the Bad Boys of Boston - Aerosmith. So sit back and let the music of Aerosmith do the talkin'

This week, Stephanie Henry shared her journey from a food insecure childhood to helping write and shape policy to help diversify our local food systems. Stephanie is a food systems activist, the Director of Cultivation Lab, the chairwoman of Slow Food Wayne, a member of Hoosier Young Farmers, the Indiana Farmers Union, and the Food Council of Northeast Indiana. She’s on the programming committee for the Local Food Forum, a grant reviewer for USDA SARE, and was named one of Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s Forty Under 40 for 2019. She shares how, as a young adult, she had a dream of starting a farm-to-table restaurant, but when she was writing her business plan discovered how little farming in Northeastern Indiana was actually producing food she could use. Most of our region is devoted to monocropping, a practice that is bad for the environment and worse for creating a sustainable local food system. She started taking an interest in policy, and her journey led her all the way to Washington DC on an internship working on the Farm Bill. She was able to advocate for language that directly benefits Indiana farmers, and has now returned to Fort Wayne to help shape our state’s Food Charter and diversify our food systems. For more information on the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and the Farm Bill, visit their website. To learn more about Slow Food Wayne, check out their Facebook.  Our musician this week is Sunny Taylor. The song is a gem hidden at the end of her 2008 Lock the Door and Leave album as a hidden bonus track. It’s called “Gypsy,” and was inspired by a pair of boots she bought, and written about not fitting in as a young person. You can find her music on iTunes and Spotify, as well as Facebook. VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project! See you next week!

This week, Anne Marie Labenberg joined us for an important conversation about social equity and implicit bias. She is the co-founder of RAISE consulting, a lifespan health advocacy consulting firm focused on underserved and underrepresented populations. Their primary areas of focus are women’s health, maternal mortality, infant mortality, and the effects of the opioid crisis on all populations. She is also an ambassador for The United State of Women, a national organization for any woman who sees that we need a different America for all women to survive and thrive — and wants to work collectively to achieve it. .   The first part of our conversation goes into the concept of equity, as opposed to equality, which is a big concept that spans a lot of areas of social justice. We referenced this image, so I’m sharing it here. I don’t know who to credit it to – it’s been going around social media for awhile. Please let us know if you know who the source is!       From there, she tells us about her work with RAISE consulting, why she views trauma as the true “gateway drug,” the white papers she’s written to influence change, and the curriculum she’s developed to teach people about implicit bias (the idea that we all have unconscious biases that influence our actions in moments of split-second decision making). She finishes the interview by sharing the story of her galvanizing moment – the childhood experience that put her on the path toward social justice work.   During the interview, she references a few useful resources:   This ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) quiz is a quick resource for determining the impact of childhood traumas on adulthood. Harvard’s Project Implicit will help you take a look at your own implicit biases and start to become conscious of the unconscious influences on your decision making. This Media Bias Chart shows the alignment of various media sources, and which ones are the most unbiased and true to the facts.   Visit the website to learn more about RAISE consulting, or you can visit them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   If you’re interested in learning more about the United State of Women, head over to their website, or visit them on Facebook and Instagram.   Our musician this week is Trinell’s Mad Scatter Music. Her music challenges the boundaries of jazz concepts, and the idea of genre-static music. The song is called “Wrong Turn,” and features Alicia Pyle on the piano. You can find her music on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon, as well as Facebook and Instagram.   VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project!   See you next week!

This week, Olivia Lehman shares what led her to create CreativeMornings/Fort Wayne. Her story explores how she found her ideal job working for Water for Good, her journey to becoming a yoga teacher at Pranayoga, and how her experience attending CreativeMornings Indianapolis inspired her to start a chapter here in Fort Wayne.   We start by sharing some of our mutual experiences studying yoga both on and off the mat, and explore some of the inspiration we draw from its ancient philosophy. She talks about the unique approach CreativeMornings has toward building community, and how the local chapter reflects the values and format of the global community.   She then goes deep into her story of discovering CreativeMornings in Indianapolis, getting inspired to leave a very traditional 9-5 job to hold a much more creative position with Water for Good, moving to Fort Wayne to be with a man she was dating, and then having the relationship fall apart just as she was becoming a yoga teacher. The heartbreak was a huge catalyst for her, and as she started to rebuild her life, she decided to bring her beloved CreativeMornings experience to Fort Wayne. It has rapidly taken off, and now has 100+ attendees to their monthly morning events.   To find out more about CreativeMornings/Fort Wayne, you can visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Their next event is this coming Friday, 8/9/19, at the Botanical Conservatory. Here’s a link to the event invite.   Click here to learn more about Water for Good.   If you’re interested in practicing yoga with Olivia, you can find her at Pranayoga. Here’s their schedulehttp://pranayogaschool.com/yoga/classes/schedule/!   Our musician this week is Jess Flame Thrower, who is working on a new album. You may have seen her perform around town – she gigs weekly, and has been seen opening for Bernie Sanders (twice!). She also played at the first Middle Waves Music Festival. The song she’s sharing is called “Sylvia Plath.” It’s based on an argument she had with an ex, and seperately, a conversation she had with a friend. The recording is from her Fancy Session by ZeroSevenFilms, and will be featured on the album she’s working on. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for info about upcoming shows.   VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project!   See you next week!

This week, Michelle Chambers shares insights from her decades of public service and why she has chosen to run for City Council At Large.    In our interview, Michelle tells how she moved to Los Angeles as a child, but always knew she’d eventually move back to Fort Wayne. After working for many years with at risk populations in some of the roughest parts of LA, she wanted to bring her knowledge and experience back to her hometown.   She didn’t know it when she started out, but she isn’t the first in her family to fight for equal rights here in Summit City. She talks a bit about her family history, and how she’s following in her grandfather’s footsteps. She is hopeful that, by running for city council, she will be able to represent parts of the community that are currently under-represented by our City Council.   Her biggest advice to people about this upcoming election is to make sure you’re registered to vote by visiting indianavoters.in.gov, and to have the Indiana Voters app downloaded on your phone so you can help friends get registered. She also recommends voting early so that you have time on election day to help somebody get to the polls that might otherwise stay home.   To follow her campaign and learn more about the issues she stands for, visit michellechambers.info. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   Our musician this week is Chelsea Erickson, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist currently working on her second album. The song is called "These Words." Chelsea wrote it after thinking about how words can be hurtful. She plays an acoustic variety of country, pop, classic rock, and originals at gigs. You can find her music on iTunes, CdBaby, and Spotify, or you can check her out on Facebook. She also has a show on Saturday, August 3 at Teds Market from 8-11pm.    VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project!   See you next week!

In this week’s episode, Ruth Fearnow, LMHC and founder of The Happiness Project, talks about her work healing trauma with emotional mindfulness and EMDR. She shares some of the history of therapy and how her style of emotional mindfulness goes beyond more well-known mindfulness practices.   I was inspired to have Ruth on our show after reading a blog post she wrote called Emotional Mindfulness: A New Way to Heal. Her approach to mindfulness takes the practice a step beyond much of the literature on the subject today, going into the importance of sitting with your emotions and learning from them. She talks about the incredible power of EMDR to rapidly heal psychological trauma, and explains what exactly EMDR is.   We go deep in this episode. Over the course of our interview, I share some of my own mental health journey. I feel like it’s really important to normalize the struggles that so many of us face. If you are struggling with your mental health, we at Women Are: Fort Wayne support you. If you are in mental health crisis, one resource is Parkview Behavioral Health HelpLine. Call (260) 373-7500 or (800) 284-8439.   To find a therapist that specializes in EMDR, visit Psychology Today, or visit Lutheran Social Services of Indiana.   To follow Ruth and The Happiness Project, visit www.calmtohappy.com or find her on Facebook.   Our musician this week is absolutely incredible – Alicia Pyle of APQ-Harmonic, a 12 piece rock orchestra that was born from the four-piece jazz-fusion group, the APQ. The track is called “Luke’s Theme” off their 2014 album, “Ground Level.” The piece was commissioned for the opening of a conference with an emphasis on anti human-trafficking, and their band donates 20% of the album’s proceeds to Destiny Rescue, an organization that rescues women & children from the sex-trafficking trade. They prioritize performing & investing in local community, and regularly feature other local musicians in their concerts, events, and on their bandstand. You can find them weekly at the Clyde Club Room on Wednesday’s from 8-10, and find more performance dates on their website and all social media platforms.    VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project!   See you next week!

This week, Vyju Kadambi of Southwest Montessori Academy shares her insights around raising and educating children with confidence, empathy, compassion, and respect. We discuss mindfulness and positive discipline as they apply to Montessori education, how she came to teach Montessori, where she sees her school heading, and some of the ways Montessori education can lead to more productive workplaces. We start out by chatting a bit about an article from Forbes Magazine (Montessori Schools Offer Big Lessons For 'Managers'), which talks about some of the ways the Montessori applys outside the classroom. Vyju talks about what makes the Montessori approach unique and incredibly effective for giving children confidence, about the magic of allowing children to follow their intrinsic motivation to guide their studies, and the value of collaboration over cooperation. She also walks us through what a day in the life of a Montessori student at her school looks like. We talk about several books on Positive Discipline, and she shares information about Positive Discipline classes her school offers to parents of young children. Check out Southwest Montessori Academy on Facebook and Instagram, or visit their website at www.southwestmontessoriacademy.org. To find information on Montessori schools in your city, check out American Montessori Society, Association Montessori Internationale, and Montessori Foundation. Our song today is My Sunshine by Cobalt Folk singer Grace Minnick. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify. Her music is delightful and absolutely charming! VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg and Adam Blackburn for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project! See you next week!

This week, Nicki Meier shares her journey as a genderqueer feminist, and the work she does with the Center for Nonviolence supporting people affected by violence in today’s culture and helping create a system that raises the voices of marginalized people. In our interview, Nicki takes a deep dive into intersectional feminism, allyship, and some of the problems our culture has around social justice. She talks about the work she does through the Center for Nonviolence supporting LGBTQ+ teens, and explains the unique ways the organization uses flattened hierarchy and consensus-based decision making to create a more equitable power structure. She also talks about her work bringing GLSEN, an organization championing LGBTQ issues in K-12 education, to Indiana. As her gift to our listeners, she also provides some resources for becoming better educated on feminism and marginalization. Check out The Center for Nonviolence on Facebook, give them a call at (260) 456-4112, or visit their website at www.centerfornv.org.Vist the GLSEN website to sign up for news and updates from the Fort Wayne chapter. Our song today is Revolution by the incredibly talented Lizzy Tremaine. You can find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify. Make sure to check her out, she’s a favorite! VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project! See you next week!

This week, Andie Hines shares her insights and wisdom into entrepreneurship and the importance of women having supportive community around starting and running businesses. In our interview, she shares her journey into starting her business and launching Own Your Success, a community for women entrepreneurs. She offers valuable insights into a number of books that have helped her grow as a business owner (book list below), talks about the idea of work/life blending (as opposed to balance), and goes deep into the work we have to do here in Northeast Indiana to help women business owners to thrive. She also gives all of us a peek into the women’s workspace she’s creating, and the pre-accelerator program she’s working on to help get women access to venture capital. Check out Own Your Success on Facebook, or drop her an email at oysfortwayne@gmail.com. You can also find her on Facebook and Instagram. Our song today is Dragonheart by elle/THE REMNANT. You can find them on Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify. Give them a listen, their unique sound is entirely enchanting! VERY special thanks to our sponsors, Steve Tyler and Radiance of Silverbirch Studios for giving us a space to record and helping us sound amazing. Thank you also to Rosalind & the Way for our gorgeous intro music, to Traci Henning-Kolberg for editing out our mistakes and making us sound fantastic. And to YOU for listening and supporting our project! See you next week!

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

On this episode of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Clark Rachfal is joined by Matt Ater to answer the question everyone is asking: “Who is Vispero?” Matt explains that ACB members most certainly know Vispero through their products and services offered by: Enhanced Vision, Freedom Scientific, Optelec, and the Paciello Group. Clark and Matt conclude the conversation by teasing some, but not all, of the special announcements and promotions that Vispero will have at the ACB 58th annual convention in Rochester, NY. To learn more about Vispero, visit: www.vispero.com. To register for the ACB annual convention, visit: www.acbconvention.org. And, please share your ideas for future podcasts with us at: advocacy@acb.org. Transcript of the Advocacy Update Podcast: Automated: 00:02 You are listening to the ACB Advocacy Update. Clark Rachfal: 00:12 Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast. My name is Clark Rachfal. I'm the Director of Advocacy in Governmental Affairs for the American Council of the Blind, and today it's just me. Clair is out in San Rafael, California at Guide Dogs for the Blind, training with her new potential guide dog. If you'd like to learn more about what it's like going to a guide dog school and training with a dog, you can check out the Facebook Live video that Claire just did and that is on the American Council of the Blind Facebook page. Today we are joined by a friend of ACB who works in the accessible technology space, and that is Matt Ater, with Vispero. Say hello, Matt. Matt Ater: 01:14 Well, good afternoon, Clark. How are you doing today? Clark Rachfal: 01:17 Doing well. And yourself? Matt Ater: 01:19 I am doing wonderful. It's a beautiful day outside. Of course when people listen to us, you never know what the weather's going to be like, but life is good. Clark Rachfal: 01:28 That's great. I know a lot of our listeners are excited for the role that Vispero's going to play at the ACB Annual Convention in Rochester, and we'll certainly get to those activities here in a bit but, Matt, why don't you share with the listeners a little bit about yourself and your background? Matt Ater: 01:49 Sure. So I've been in the, I'll start with kind of the assistive technology field, prior to accessibility, but assistive technology field since I guess 25 years now. I've graduated from the University of Alabama with broadcasting degree and came back up to the DC area and decided that I wanted to go into more of the training and consulting field and spent a few years training federal employees around the country on how to use screen readers at jobs, teaching them how to use braille displays. I think government agencies, video magnifiers, large-print software, things of that nature. Matt Ater: 02:36 I did that for a couple of years, then went to go work for a nonprofit in Washington DC running the assistive technology department where we did a lot of training of end users, again, across the United States, so that was five years of my career. I did that. And then in early 2000s I did a little bit of a stint in working with the product lines and then eventually jumped into running government contracts for... I did about six years of running a project for the Social Security Administration, running their assistive technology support services. Which included installing equipment, training the users, configuring the software, deploying the software, providing a help desk, full-level support for any of the employees within that agency. Matt Ater: 03:41 And I jumped out of assistive technology for a few years to just kind of learn IT services and then landed into accessibility for four years. I joined Vispero, at that time Freedom Scientific, and I'll give a little background on who Vispero is in a few. But I joined Freedom Scientific in 2014 to start a consulting division for Freedom Scientific. They found that they had a lot of customers who were in corporate environments needing support and training and configuration and customization and scripting and all of these kinds of things so basically we started a group to support those larger customers to make sure that software was working right when people went to work. Matt Ater: 04:34 Eventually, after a year, I started getting more into the accessibility side of it and a started with two employees and grew to about 25 employees and then later we acquired another company which added another 40 employees and then another year bought another company that had another 10 employees and got to a point where I said, "Well, it's time to change again." So I'm still with Vispero but I moved back, not running the consulting practice now and more helping large enterprises look at the total package when it comes to all of our product lines and brands within the Vispero family of brands. So that's kind of the last 25 years wrapped up into a few minutes. Clark Rachfal: 05:29 That's fascinating, Matt. Do you have a history as an assistive technology user, especially at your time at the University of Alabama and throughout your career? Matt Ater: 05:40 Boy, it's a flashback when you think about going to college, pre-Windows. I was born with a condition called hydrocephalus, water on the brain, and when I was six years old the water pressure cut off blood supply to the optic nerves so I've lost most of my vision in my left eye and my right eye is about 26/100 tunnel vision. So I am a screen reader user today. It's funny, I've always told people my vision didn't get worse as time went on, technology just got better to the point that I became lazy and wanted to listen instead of see the screen. Matt Ater: 06:24 I can use large print but it takes a lot of time to read it and it's tiring on the eyes and so I use screen readers and braille at this point. I carry a handheld magnifier in my bag and I carry a braille display with me everywhere I go to type into my phone. And I have large-print software on the computer as well as a screen reader but from the day-to-day I would rather listen to the computer than I would try to see it with my eyes. Clark Rachfal: 06:56 Yeah. I think a lot of people that have low vision or deteriorating vision probably have a similar story. So for me, personally, I have Leber's congenital amaurosis and I started out with large print and magnifiers, then moved to CCTVs. My introduction to accessibility software was ZoomText and then ZoomText Level 2 with speech and now JAWS. So I'm very familiar with those products in the Freedom Scientific portfolio. But that's only one aspect of the work that Vispero is doing now. I think a lot of our listeners are probably familiar with Freedom Scientific but is there anything new going on with Freedom Scientific, whether that's JAWS, Fusion, ZoomText or anything else? Matt Ater: 07:48 Yeah. I definitely can dive into that. I think it would be great for me to kind of break down what Vispero is because a couple of years ago we were sold and then acquired and merged with Optelec and then eventually some other companies and I'll go through all of them. So I think everybody's probably been confused with all the name changes. Clark Rachfal: 08:13 Sure. Matt Ater: 08:17 Think of Vispero as more of a holding company. It's somewhere that deals with our dealer channels and things of that nature. But most customers we have have relationships with our actual companies and brands. And you just said that most people are familiar with Freedom Scientific because of JAWS and ZoomText and Focus Braille Displays and RUBY handheld magnifiers and lots of other stuff with Fusion and so on. And I think with every person, they have their preference in terms of what brand they feel comfortable with. Matt Ater: 08:56 So in this family of companies we have the four brands of Freedom Scientific, which we just ran through the majority of those products. Then Optelec, which is primarily video magnification. They do have a standalone scan-and-read system and they have traditional handheld magnifiers, as they call them, professional products that are mostly sold through the doctor channels. And then primarily you're talking about things like the ClearView. I'll talk about the ClearView GO in a little bit. Compact handheld magnifiers, the Compact 6 and so on. Matt Ater: 09:42 And then the other hardware company that's part of this family is called Enhanced Vision. They're based in Huntington Beach, California. They're, again, worldwide and the product lines are things like Merlin, Jordy. They, of course, have the Pebble handheld and some other things like that. When you look at all of the products, they're very similar in nature but have a different maybe look and feel. And probably like going to try on different shirts, and you find a shirt that fits you. This technology is very personal to people. Matt Ater: 10:27 As we know with braille cells and we know with large-print devices, and even with screen readers with voices, I'm perfectly fine using Eloquence, like you are, but the next person wants to use Vocalizer because it's more soothing to them listening to it. And so if you look at those three brands, and I'll get to the fourth in a minute, what you're talking about is three companies who make very similar hardware. The buttons are slightly different in each product. The features are primarily the same. But the buttons are different, the color may be slightly different. The shape and size of the screen may be slightly different. Matt Ater: 11:09 And we'll continue to keep those brands because they're very unique to the markets they fit. The distribution channel that is across Vispero family of companies is unmatched in this space. A dealer in Texas covers certain products and the guy in Minneapolis covers different products and there may be a different dealer, but they may hit different customer bases. And that's why they can still be multiple brands within a family of products is because they have different customers. And when you think about the number of people who are buying direct from us, it's small in numbers compared to the numbers of people who are buying from the local channels. Matt Ater: 12:00 The fourth company is called the Paciello Group and this is the one I mentioned that a couple of years ago we acquired and it was really to boost the accessibility services that Freedom Scientific was doing and then later we also acquired a company called Interactive Accessibility and so the three companies consulting practices are all merged into one called the Paciello Group and we can shorten that and just call it TPG. Let's just keep it simple because it's easier, right? Matt Ater: 12:38 The neat thing about this is that it's very complementary to selling software. Because we have customers all around the world who are challenged with accessibility issues and sometimes people say, "Well, it's because JAWS doesn't do something right." And there's always a chance that that can happen. But at the same time, it's a lot to do with whether or not people code things correctly. So this is why it's very complementary to the software side is because we get to, now, when people have concerns or issues and whether it's a website you're trying to buy shoes on or a kiosk you're trying to access and work with, obviously you may be using JAWS on that or ZoomText or some other product. But now we have the consultants who actually can work with those companies to solve their problems. Clark Rachfal: 13:36 So, Matt, what makes TPG, or the Paciello Group, different from other accessibility consultants for websites, whether that's web accessibility standards or 508 compliance within the government? There's a lot of companies that say that they can do accessibility but it seems like very few actually can. So how does the Paciello Group go about it? Matt Ater: 14:04 So, there's a couple of things. It's a mix of products and people. I think we have some of the smartest people in the field. The folks that are working at TPG have been in this quite a long time, they've helped write a lot of the standards. They understand stuff. Additionally, we have a very strong what we call a user experience background. A lot of people refer to it as UX. I've always said that we're so focused on compliance rather than usability and at some point don't we need to be focused on whether or not people can perform tasks rather than compliance? Matt Ater: 14:43 Compliance is checking a box. But can actually people use your product? That's different. And I think that's what TPG gets right is that we're not just about compliance, we're also making sure that people can use what they built. It's interesting, TPG, companies worldwide, folks in several countries, the majority of the work is in the US and some in Europe and some in Canada. But the kinds of people we bring in, it's about the people and that's really what it comes down to is people make up consulting. And really good consultants, it's amazing, not amazing because I know these folks, but it's great to hear from customers about how great the services have been. Matt Ater: 15:43 There's a company we've been working with recently who people come to us a lot of times because we own JAWS and ZoomText and so they assume that we can fix it because of that rather than helping them fix the code. And what I love the most is watching the large number of employers working with us not for necessarily just working in external websites where people can buy goods, but they're concerned about whether or not their applications can work so that a person who's blind or low vision or any other disability could actually work at that company. Matt Ater: 16:27 And I think that's the most powerful thing that we can bring to the table is that if an employer needs something to work on the job, what better company than the one who makes the screen reader, and the large-print software, to be able to tap into that resources. And even though Freedom Scientific and TPG are separate companies, we still have reach back into them to solve problems. And this other company, they had 50 low vision and blind employees who were being impacted by inaccessible applications so we're in there installing JAWS and ZoomText and things like that and training the users. But we recognized we needed accessibility help and we brought that in from TPG to solve the problems. And that's when it's powerful. Clark Rachfal: 17:13 Yeah. That's great that employers are able to invest in their employees and make sure that they not only have the productivity tools that they need to be successful but that they optimize the work setting for those tools so that their employees can be highly productive and succeed at their work. One of the other companies that you mentioned, I'd like you to talk a little bit more about, and that's Optelec. Can you talk a little bit about the product offerings within that portfolio? Matt Ater: 17:48 Yes. So the three main products right now, one's called ClearView. That's a desktop magnifier, obviously. You mentioned you've used them before. They called then CCTVs back when you and I were younger, right? Clark Rachfal: 18:03 Mm-hmm (affirmative). Matt Ater: 18:05 Back in the day when they were wood-paneled and things like that. Yeah. Today the ClearView C with speech, it's pretty cool because it does both the magnification but if your eyes get tired during the day or you just need a little help, you can touch the screen in the bottom corner and it actually becomes an OCR product, Optical Character Recognition. So it can take a picture of something and read it back to you. Clark Rachfal: 18:36 Oh, wow. Matt Ater: 18:36 It can do it in large print, change the color, change the font, whatever you need to do to make it easier to read it. And of course that's the kind of Cadillac, it's the highest end, it's the biggest unit, it's big screen, that kind of stuff. And you'll see it in VAs today, you'll it in libraries, different places like that, and of course end users as well. Matt Ater: 19:03 The ClearView GO is a brand-new product which we'll have at the ACB Convention this summer. It's a foldable CCTV or video magnifier that you can carry with you. I'm not sure the weight. I guess I should probably know all the stats, but just go to the table and ask them. It folds up and so it's great for schools. It has a distance camera so a student could sit at a desk and go to read the chalkboard or the blackboard or the whiteboard or the smart board or whatever board they're using today. I said I would want to use it. I'm not even in school any more. I don't plan to go back to school. But just the fact that it's a transportable product; it's pretty cool that I can actually carry it around. Matt Ater: 19:59 There is a ClearView speech device that does OCR, and it's kind of like a small... I'm trying to think of what would be a good example of the shape or size. It's not much bigger than a shoebox on its end. And of course it can take a picture of something and read it to you. Traditional kind of OCR with different voices and such. Matt Ater: 20:26 And then the Compact 6 is a touch screen, six inch, handheld camera that you can carry around and be able to read print, that also does OCR. So, once again, I think it's not uncommon for people with low vision is their eyes get tired during the day to want to have something read it to you. So you can just touch the screen, hit a button, and then it just reads the document to you, whatever it sees in its camera. Clark Rachfal: 20:58 That's great. Thanks, Matt. I know that these are products that a lot of ACB members, whether they already have or are losing their vision due to diabetes and diabetic retinopathy or, for our older members, if they're losing their vision due to macular degeneration or some other either age-related or degenerative condition, these low-vision devices provide a lot of services. One of the main benefits of them is that with the video capabilities and the OCR capabilities, even as your vision deteriorates, this is equipment that will remain useful over time. Ever since 2013, ACB's been working to introduce legislation that would provide for Medicare and Medicaid coverage for low-vision devices such as these. Matt Ater: 21:55 I think it's amazing to me that we're the last country in the world that won't pay for things out of insurance or some other form. This type of technology for blind and low vision. They do it with other disabilities but just not blind and low vision. Clark Rachfal: 22:11 Yeah. And it was only recently that white canes became classified as durable medical equipment. So hopefully we can make progress here on this issue so that low-vision devices and remove the eyeglass exclusion that's in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services so that these devices as well as eyeglasses and contacts can be classified as durable medical equipment. Clark Rachfal: 22:41 So you highlighted for us a lot of companies, brands, and products that are under the umbrella of Vispero. And I know that here in two weeks or so you'll be involved with the M-Enabling Summit, which our listeners are familiar with because we had a guest, not from Aerosmith but from Leonard Cheshire, Steve Tyler, come on and talk about... ICT and the M-Enabling Summit. What role will Vispero be playing at M-Enabling? Matt Ater: 23:19 We're going to have people attending the show this year and kind of exploring the different sessions. We have different relationships throughout the industry because of obviously our product lines and our accessibility, so we'll obviously be there as well to visit with our customers, talk about some of the accessibility things they're going through today. Obviously show some of the new tech that we have coming out, as well. I think that it's been nice to have a conference that's in the DC area. I think it's good to bring government into things, which is one of the things that happens here at this conference, as well. Clark Rachfal: 24:12 I agree. It's great to have a conference here in front of companies and policy makers and it sounds like it'll be a great turnout for the M-Enabling Summit. But I'm glad that you're saving all of the big guns for the ACB Annual Convention, which is in Rochester, New York, this summer, July 5th through 12th. And also thanks to Vispero for being a diamond-level sponsor of the ACB convention. And you guys are hosting an event and will be giving a presentation at the convention. Can you talk a little bit about the session that your colleague will be hosting, I believe, the morning of July 7th? Matt Ater: 24:56 Yeah. I actually think show's the 6th. It's on Saturday. Whatever day Saturday is. I'm off on my days. So that would be the 6th, I think. Clark Rachfal: 25:09 Yeah, you're correct. Matt Ater: 25:10 Yeah, Douglas Gerry's going to do a presentation on our software and, by the way, the first 50 people who attend it... Let's see what it says here. They'll have a 50% discount on our home software licenses and for those people who don't know about the home software licenses, this was a big deal that we did this year. We put in some new technology that allowed us to sell licenses online and basically if you're going to use it for home use, you can get JAWS I think it's for $90 and ZoomText for $80. And it lasts for one year. So it's a subscription-based license, it's not a perpetual license. But at the same time it's less than what you would pay for an SMA if you were paying for an SMA every two years. Matt Ater: 26:04 So this is to make sure that more people at home get access to JAWS and ZoomText and so, once again, when Douglas does his presentation, the first 50 people who come will get a coupon for it that will allow them to get 50% off, and they have to use it before the end of September. I'm not sure the exact date but it'll be on the document. So just make sure that if you get one of those, don't let it expire because it's worth a savings of $45 or $40. Matt Ater: 26:39 So what is Douglas going to show? So I would say that one of the neat features is a new feature came out with JAWS that's part of JAWS and Fusion called Picture Smart. And this allows you to take any picture that's in your photo library on your computer or on the web or in a document and actually have JAWS figure out what it is and describe it to you. Very similar to what you may get on Facebook or you may get on your iPhone, or you may use another products like Seeing AI to determine what a picture is. Matt Ater: 27:14 Well, now it's built into your Windows PC with JAWS. So if you need to figure out what a picture is, you can just do a application's key, which is Shift+F10 as well as another key for it, when you're highlighted on the picture in the folder on your computer, and then, say, recognize with Picture Smart. I think there's also a keystroke for it. But if anybody can remember all the keystrokes, it's not going to be me. Clark Rachfal: 27:43 Yeah. And I hope Doug doesn't steal all your thunder because then you will be presenting in front of the general session at the ACB Convention as well. Matt Ater: 27:53 Yeah, exactly. I'm excited about that. I think it's Tuesday morning that I get to come and talk and so I'm very excited about it. I'll obviously talk about new things that are happening with the company, probably, again, go a little bit over who Vispero is. Half the people don't even know how do you spell it, how do you pronounce it? There's probably lots of ways to do that. But just so everybody knows, it's www.vispero.com. In fact, if you want to know more about what we're doing, one of the things we also did is we released a video recently and it's on the Vispero homepage and it has audio description as well as captioning and you can sit down and watch a good video on some of our user stories. So it's pretty cool. Clark Rachfal: 28:45 Matt, thank you so much for joining us today. I know that you and Vispero will be very popular at the ACB Convention, especially in the Exhibit Hall. I'm sure you'll get a lot of people coming up to you asking you about products, they'll want demonstrations, hands-on testing and all that good stuff, so thank you so much for your time. Matt Ater: 29:07 Yeah. And if I can, I'll just give you two more specials at the show just so people know. There'll be 20% off of the home licenses at the booth, so if you don't get those 50% off licenses, you can get the 20% off. And then we're going to have 20% off all hardware. So if you need a new braille display, a new video magnifier or a handheld, any of the technology we build that's hardware of any of our brands, then you can get those as well at a 20% discount. So definitely come by and see us. Clark Rachfal: 29:42 That's fabulous. Thank you for doing that for the ACB members and those in attendance at the Annual Convention. Everyone just remember that the early registration for the ACB Convention runs through June 23rd and you can register at acbconvention.org. That's www.acbconvention.org. So, again, Matt, thank you so much for joining us on the Advocacy Update Podcast. We look forward to seeing you in Rochester. Matt Ater: 30:14 Take care.

For this installment of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Claire Stanley and Clark Rachfal are joined by Steve Tyler to discuss the 2019 M-Enabling Summit. Steve is the Director of Assistive Technology for Leonard Cheshire and is an active participant in the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ICT). The M-Enabling Summit is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for users of all abilities. With its theme of “Accessibility: Transforming Users’ Experience”, the 2019 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. To learn more about the 2019 Summit, visit: www.m-enabling.com, or e-mail: advocacy@acb.org.

For this installment of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Claire Stanley and Clark Rachfal are joined by Steve Tyler to discuss the 2019 M-Enabling Summit. Steve is the Director of Assistive Technology for Leonard Cheshire and is an active participant in the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ICT). The M-Enabling Summit is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for users of all abilities. With its theme of “Accessibility: Transforming Users’ Experience”, the 2019 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. To learn more about the 2019 Summit, visit: www.m-enabling.com, or e-mail: advocacy@acb.org.

For this installment of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Claire Stanley and Clark Rachfal are joined by Steve Tyler to discuss the 2019 M-Enabling Summit. Steve is the Director of Assistive Technology for Leonard Cheshire and is an active participant in the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ICT). The M-Enabling Summit is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for users of all abilities. With its theme of “Accessibility: Transforming Users’ Experience”, the 2019 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. To learn more about the 2019 Summit, visit: www.m-enabling.com, or e-mail: advocacy@acb.org.

For this installment of the ACB Advocacy Update Podcast, Claire Stanley and Clark Rachfal are joined by Steve Tyler to discuss the 2019 M-Enabling Summit. Steve is the Director of Assistive Technology for Leonard Cheshire and is an active participant in the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies (G3ICT). The M-Enabling Summit is dedicated to promoting accessible and assistive technology for users of all abilities. With its theme of “Accessibility: Transforming Users’ Experience”, the 2019 M-Enabling Summit will provide a platform for empowering technologies and focus on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for users of all abilities. To learn more about the 2019 Summit, visit: www.m-enabling.com, or e-mail: advocacy@acb.org.

Friend of the show and special guest Tyler Kohler joins us to talk about youtube, and some of the ideas behind a new form of democracy. 

“That yieldedness [to God] is where true prosperity and true life happens.”

PLAYING TRACKS BYBob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Marley & Krazie Bone, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bob Marley,Steve Tyler & Joe Perry, Bob Marley & Lauryn Hill and more.#reggae,#roots reggae, #ska, #dancehall, #chillout

The Wizard of Oz. Noy. There’s no man behind the curtain. He’s the real deal. A working musician since the age of 13, a session musician no less, he took his native Israel by a rock/pop/jazz storm, a recognized part of their hit talk show house band by his early 20s. He’s been killing it worldwide since. No drinks, no drugs, fastidious practice, make the man, and the musician. With 10 albums of his own, Oz has played with just about everybody. Including his heroes. Getting to play rhythm guitar on Walk This Way with Steve Tyler and Joe Perry, one highlight. I saw him kill Get Out Of My Life Woman with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top two weeks ago, https://bit.ly/2CHkDu3 We talked his yellow brick road, and how he’s found his way home, doing what he loves, and loving it. Jazz may be one of his things, but he loves pop, rock and the blues and has mastered and is in demand cross-genre. Playing an Elton John tune with Sting another highlight, and with Cyndi Lauper for the Dalai Lama- does that story have a punchline. There’s also been Chris Botti, Harry Belafonte, Clay Aiken, Toni Braxton, Phoebe Snow, Nile Rogers,The Allman Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Eric Johnson, Don Was, Nelly Furtado, Jennifer Hudson, Don Henley, Michael Buble, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Sting, Steve Perry, Allison Krauss, and Foreigner, for Chrissakes! Almost all of our guests are friends; I was a bit trepidatious having barely met Oz recently. What a great pleasure to find him warm, easy, affable, generous, thoughtful, helpful, humble, and fun. The only drag was not having an amp so we could sample his gifts. We can here: http://www.oznoy.com/discography/ Loving his band Ozone Squeeze. I was schooled, edu-tained, and happy. What’s better than that? Well, besides that… Oz Noy on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson Wed, 1/23/19, 7 pm PT/ 10 pm ET Special thanks to Emme Geissal​ Live on The Facebook Full show replay here https://bit.ly/2Hv80rX All BROADcasts, as podcasts, also available on iTunes apple.co/2dj8ld3 Soundcloud http://bit.ly/2hktWoS Stitcher bit.ly/2h3R1fl tunein bit.ly/2gGeItj This week's BROADcast is brought to you by Rick Smolke​ of Quik Impressions​, the best printers, printing, the best people people-ing. quikimpressions.com And, Nicole Venables​ of Ruby Begonia Hair Studio Beauty and Products​ for tresses like the stars she coifs, and regular peoples, like me. I love my hair, and I loves Nicole. http://www.rubybegoniahairstudio.com/

Now You Know Podcast is back with another episode with special guests Steven Tyler. Not the 70 year old lead singer of Aerosmith but the rap group comprised of Charlie Fettah and BBS, Beats By Steve. They talk about how their collaboration came to be and what it's was like coming together to build this body of work. The crew brings you Steven Tyler's first single “Never End” and as always, talks that shit. Steve Tyler the project drops October 26th.

“I want to speak hope over you today because even though something you did not have growing up [a father] does not stop you from experiencing the fullness of what Christ wants to give you now.”

In this Episode, Luke & Checks discuss the eighth episode of The X-Files, "Ice". The duo cover Steve Tyler, "The Thing (Alot)", Paranoia and discuss Emerald cockroach wasp. If you have any thoughts about "Ice" or any other episodes of this series, please drop us a message! Email: mostunwantedpodcast@gmail.com Facebook: fb.me/mostunwantedpodcast Twitter: Twitter.com/mostunwantedpod Instagram: instagram.com/mostunwantedpodcast The theme song is "Mulder and Scully" by Katie Pham and the Moonbathers recorded at Blancmange lounge 2016. You can find more from Katie Pham and the Moonbathers on facebook (facebook.com/katiephammusic) and Bandcamp (blancmangelounge.bandcamp.com) All episodes are recorded, produced and edited by Daniel Checkley and Luke Costin.

“...being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ...” Philippians 1:6

We all have a call and a purpose, and a time in which to live it out. God has placed His glory on us, for His glory.

Peter White talks to Simon Rockman, founder of Fuss Free Phones, and to Steve Tyler of RNIB. The company has partnered with RNIB to offer a mobile phone answering service to help blind and partially-sighted customers make and receive calls. BBC Washington Correspondent Gary O'Donoghue talks about his experience of working on the US Election and explains the impact of a change of government's names and faces will have on the way he does his job.

The Stuph File Program Featuring Steve Tyler, owner of The Gin Tub; David Ganon, founder of ElitaHair Products; & Peter Franklin, The Gabby Cabby Download Steve Tyler is the owner of The Gin Tub, a new Brighton, England cocktail bar offering something truly old-fashioned on its menu: the chance to talk to real people instead of staring down at your cell phone. They have installed something called a Faraday shield, built into its ceiling. It effectively blocks a cell signal. David Ganon is the founder of the hair care product company, ElitaHair. We also have a special offer waiting for Stuph File Program listeners. When you purchase any ElitaHair products, use the promo code "STUPH10." That will entitled you to a 10% discount on your purchase! Peter Franklin, the Gabby Cabby, is in New York to share a slice of the Big Apple from his yellow mobile conveyance lounge. He’s also the author of the book The Gabby Cabby: Life on the Street from New York’s Radio-Active Cabdriver. This week's opening slate is presented by Tim Parent, Senior Producer for Global's The Morning Show.

In this episode we talk all about Ford Trucks with Ford's Steve Tyler and Ford's Doug Scott, play some Ford Truck Trivia and review the Lexus LX570

ntre los rumores de visitas estelares a nuestro país, giras que nos dejarían con los bolsillos tiesos pero que no podriamos eludir de ningún modo, llega este martes de enero. Nuevo capítulo de CDS que se abrirá con el segundo sencillo que nos trae Steve Tyler (muy rojiblanco y eso nos gusta), la peculiar unión entre Iggy Pop y Josh Homme o el no hay billetes de Glenn Hansard. Además, territorio blues para un buen montón de minutos. Elvin Bishop o Linsey Alexander entre los veteranos y Joakin Tinderholt, Altered Five Blues Band o D.A. Foster entre las jóvenes promesas. Bruce Springsteen en directo, gratis y heroico como de costumbre. Todo esto y mucho más en la hoguera de nuestros diales.

ntre los rumores de visitas estelares a nuestro país, giras que nos dejarían con los bolsillos tiesos pero que no podriamos eludir de ningún modo, llega este martes de enero. Nuevo capítulo de CDS que se abrirá con el segundo sencillo que nos trae Steve Tyler (muy rojiblanco y eso nos gusta), la peculiar unión entre Iggy Pop y Josh Homme o el no hay billetes de Glenn Hansard. Además, territorio blues para un buen montón de minutos. Elvin Bishop o Linsey Alexander entre los veteranos y Joakin Tinderholt, Altered Five Blues Band o D.A. Foster entre las jóvenes promesas. Bruce Springsteen en directo, gratis y heroico como de costumbre. Todo esto y mucho más en la hoguera de nuestros diales.

Wayne and Natalie discuss the VMAs, Miley Cyrus and promoting yourself in the entertainment business.  Publicist, Deborah Mellman of the Mindful Media Group (www.mindfulmediagroup.com) talks shop about when the right time is to form your "Team" to successfully push your career forward.  Her client and successful actor, Steve Tyler (Me, Myself & Irene, The Three Stooges, Desperate Housewives) touches on re-inventing your image by having that extra set of eyes to push your career in a positive forward direction.