How a Journey Through Vision Loss Prepared Laura Allen to Become Head of Strategy for Accessibility and Disability Inclusion at Google

Full Transcript Show Summary: Laura Allen joins Raqi and Jeff in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about new developments in Google’s accessibility and disability inclusion. Laura Allen is Head of strategy for Accessibility and Disability Inclusion, bringing together the Google network of teams to bring awareness to accessibility and disability inclusion within the entire google corporation. Laura uses a mix of accessibility tools to be...

Transitioning Through Change and Mental Health with Beth Gustin, a Licensed Professional Counselor, and Nationally Certified Mental Health Counselor

Show Summary: Blind Abilities welcomes back to the podcast, Beth Gustin, licensed professional counselor, a nationally certified mental health counselor, to speak about the impact that the prolonged pandemic is having on our mental health. Beth was a guest on the Job Insights podcast show back in October 2018 where she spoke about mental health and job searching with Jeff and Serina. Beth addresses the stress imposed by restricted access to our...

Author Feather Chelle Has So Many Interesting Chapters in Her Life, I just wanted to keep turning the Pages. And Her New Book, Stranded, is a Page Turner as Well!

Show Summary: Feather Chelle has just published her first book, Stranded, in December and soon her second book, a picture book, will be available as well. Feather Chelle, aka Heather, is a young mother of five and home schools her kids and leads a Girl Scout Troop as well. Heather lost her sight by age 3 due to cancer and adopted her late friends daughter while having 4 kids of her own. She is from a large family and kids have been a part...

Our Space Our Place: A Creative Program Helping Students Connect Socially Through Arts, Sports and Community Service and Mentoring

Show Summary: Blind Abilities Teen Correspondent, Simon Bonenfant, chats with Cheryl Cummings and Ruth Kahn, representing an after school and career exploration program in Boston for middle and high school students who are blind or low vision. the Our Space Our Place program takes advantage of a variety of activities to promote social interaction and networking among the students, including the arts, theatre, dance, poetry and many more. The...

Inclusion in Academia for Blind and visually Impaired Students, Inclusion in STEM and the Importance of Braille at Any Age, Meet Dr. Natalina Martiniello

Full Transcript Show Summary: Dr. Natalina Martiniello completed her Doctorate in the study of Aging on Braille Literacy from the University of Montreal in December of 2021 and has a vast and robust knowledge of all things diversity, accessibility and related issues facing the Blind and Visually Impaired. Inclusion in the classrooms, inclusion in the curriculum building in Universities and the importance of learning Braille at any age are some...

Get Out of Your Brain and Do It! 4th Fittest Standing Adaptive Athlete in the World Kym DeKeyrel on CrossFit Training and How Her Life Changing Diet Made Her Who She is Today

Full Transcript Show Summary: Kym DeKeyrel has faced life threatening challenges and has made the necessary changes in her life to take on more and more as she is now all-in on the CrossFit training. Kym is the 4th Fittest Standing Adaptive Athlete in the World. Working out twice a day and balancing her family life and work as a Massage Therapist, Kym strives on being the best she can be.  Listen in as Kym describes how her change in...

What’s the Big Idea, Dr. Cal? A Conversation with Dr. Calvin Roberts, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild

Full Transcript Show Summary: Our guest on this episode of the Blind Abilities podcast is Dr. Calvin W. Roberts, MD, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild, a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing and preventing vision loss. Dr. Roberts  has a unique blend of academic, clinical, business and hands-on product development experience. He is a Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical College, and...

Telling Stories Visually: Meet Legally Blind Filmmaker and YouTube Creator Juan Alcazar

Full Transcript Show Summary: Juan Alcazar is a Film Maker and YouTube Creator and you can find his work on YouTube at JC5Productions. Juan joined Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about his journey with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) and his passion for making films and videos. Storytelling is something Juan took to at a young age and he continues his passion as he embraces his sight loss and the...

Rebranding Your Services to Fit the Changing Times: Meet Apple Certified Coach Donna Jodhan

Show Summary: Today’s guest on Blind Abilities is Donna Jodhan. Donna is a multi-talented individual, an author, entrepreneur and an advocate for the  blind and visually impaired. Now Donna is  rebranding herself as a sight loss coach, aiming at helping people who are experiencing sight loss to “...become more comfortable in their new type of world…”, to become independent and fully functional.    Adding to her long...

Braille Doodle: Creating touchable drawings. and the Perfect Solution for Teaching and Learning Braille While Remote Learning

Full Transcript Show Summary: BlindAbilities presents the team from touch pad pro assistive technology,  who is in the process of developing three new and totally innovative products for the blind and visually impaired. Jeff Thompson chats with Kristin Smedley, Chief Communications Officer, Brian Edwards, chief  operating Officer, and founder and Chief Executive Officer, Daniel Lubiner With long term plans to develop the highly...