Wellness Wednesday: Intrusive Thoughts – What do I do with Them? How Do I Make Myself Feel Safer and More in Control?

Podcast Summary: In this 19th  episode of Wellness Wednesday, Beth Gustin, LPC and Robin Ennis, LCSW, CPC, open up a conversation about Intrusive Thoughts. What one can do to help gain control of these thoughts, how to be in the "right now" space, and how recognizing the present moment can sometimes reduce one's anxiety. Check out all the Wellness Wednesday episodes. Show Hosts:...

Beyond Vision Art: Meet Molly Brockman, Art Curator at Beyond Vision Art – Providing Art that Engages the 5 Senses, Taste, Touch, Smell, Hearing, and Vision

Podcast Summary: Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant opened the door to the virtual studio, and picked up the microphone to chat with Molly Brockman, art curator at Beyond Vision Art.  Beyond Vision Art is an organization dedicated to providing art that engages the 5 senses, taste, touch, smell, hearing, and vision.  Molly tells her inspiring story of how her frustration with the inadequacies of her local art museum empowered...

Introducing the Enigma Reader: An Accessible, Affordable Braille Display for All – Welcome back Garrett Carder and Caroline Karbowski from A Cubed Design 

Podcast Summary: From the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant welcomes back Garrett Carder, CEO & Chief Engineer, and Caroline Karbowski, Chief Community Officer of A Cubed Design, a technology company with the goal of making braille displays more accessible and affordable for all! Garret and Caroline give details about their developing product called the Enigma Reader.  From the A Cubed...

A One-Stop Shop for Your Assistive Technology Needs! Meet Jeff Gardner: Founder and Team Leader of Irie-AT

Podcast Summary: While attending the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant sat down with Jeff Gardener, team leader at Irie-at. Founded in 2011, Irie-at offers a wide range of products such as braille displays, braille embossers with tactile graphics, and low-vision aids such as portable magnification systems.  Jeff gives listeners an overview of their braille display offerings, sold in...

Connecting the Dots! Meet Dave Williams, Chair of the Braillists Foundation, and member of the Inclusive Design Team at RNIB – Learn how you can get involved today!

Podcast Summary: While attending the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant sat down with Dave Williams. Dave works on the Inclusive Design Team at RNIB, Royal National Institute for Blind People. Dave also serves as chair of the Braillists Foundation, a United Kingdom based charity with the mission of promoting the advancement of Braille.  Dave speaks with Simon about his journey of his denial...

From Talkback to Bard to Lookout and more! A Chat with Nimer Jaber About What’s New with Google

Podcast Summary: At the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston, Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant sat down with Nimer Jaber, Accessibility Analyst at Google, Inc. Nimer discusses his love for, and advocacy of, the Android operating system. He recounts his own path of blindness and his views about technology. We hear Nimer’s journey from resisting a smartphone, to becoming a tech trainer, to his current work helping the blind...

Wellness Wednesday: Relationship Rifts, Strained Unhealthy Relationships, Relationship estrangement, and Those Red Flags with Beth Gustin and Robin Ennis

Podcast Summary: In this 17th  episode of Wellness Wednesday, Beth Gustin, LPC and Robin Ennis, LCSW, CPC, take us into the Relationship Rifts, the Red Flags, Safe Places and using the "I" statement. Beth and Robin respond to feedback about Integrity and being loss with no support. Check out all the Wellness Wednesday episodes. Show Hosts:             Robin Ennis on the...

The World at Your Fingertips with Tactonom Reader – Meet Klaus-Peter Hars, Founder and CEO of Inventivio

Podcast Summary: Away from the bustling crowds of the exhibit hall at the 2023 NFB Convention, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant met with Klaus-Peter Hars, Founder and CEO of Inventivio. Inventivio’s newest products is the Tactonom Reader, a new device designed to help blind and visually impaired people have greater access to tactile graphics.    From the Inventivio Website: “The Tactonom Reader is a new...

Orbit Into the Future of Tech with Orbit Speak and Optima! A Discussion with Venkatesh Chari and Adi Kushner about new products from Orbit Research and AccessMind

Podcast Summary: From the 2023 NFB Convention Floor, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant talked with Orbit Research CEO Venkatesh Chari and Adi Kushner, CEO of AccessMind. Venkatesh first gives listeners an overview of the products Orbit research has produced in the past such as the Orbit Reader 20 and 40 cell braille displays, talking graphing calculators, iBill Currency Reader, Orbit Writer, etc. While this interview mainly focuses...