Show Summary: (Full Transcript Below) October 11 is White Cane Day in Minnesota and the Blindness community came out strong to support the awareness of the White Cane. Speakers shared the history of White Cane day and others talked about the freedom and independence the white cane brings to them. The Minnesota State Academy for the Blind shared their voices and sang aloud in the Capital’s Rotundra. With the support of the local Lions Clubs,...
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On White Cane Day, Blind Abilities is proud to bring you part 2 of Dr. Amy Kavanagh: Accepting the Cane and Guide Dog Possibilities. Amy has adjusted to her limited vision since she was born and when it came time for the White cane, she thought it was for other people to understand or recognize that she doesn’t see very well. Never thinking she needed a cane for her own good and never thought about using a...
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Let’s board that Blind Abilities airlines jet and head back to the enchanted Hills Camp in Napa Valley, ca., where Jeff caught up with another student of the Woodworking for the Blind (WW4B) workshop. In this interview, we meet Trevor Astrope, a Computer Analyst who works for Morgan Stanley, as the Global Lead for their Private Cloud. Yes, he’s a computer Geek! but Trevor is so much more! He shares...
Show Summary: (Transcript Below) Dr. Amy Kavanagh was fed up with the grabbing, pushing, polling from the cited community when she adventured out into the public sphere. All to knowing that the adventure itself was challenging in it’s own right, the unsolicited touching nearly kept her from stepping out of the house. Taking to her Twitter feed, Amy talked about the incidences and created the hashtag #JustAskDontGrab. People started to...
In collaboration with Jack Chen, Blind Abilities presents ExcelAbility. A collection of podcasts from Jack Chen’s ExcelAbility Team. ExcelAbility, empowering excellence and success for people with disabilities. Podcast summary In this episode we speak with CEO Jim Gibbons. Jim has served in an executive role at several prominent organizations including Good Will and National Industries for the Blind. Jim was the first student who...
Show Summary (Full Text Transcript Below) John Kay reveals his journey from escaping the Iron Curtain, getting on with limited vision, his passion for music and his love and commitment for wildlife and especially elephants. Ironically, I first learned about John Kay being legally blind from Dan Gausman, a librarian at State Services for the Blind of Minnesota. A client requested to have the Communications Center record an audio copy of...
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Fly along with Blind Abilities as we transport you “audibly” to the Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa California, and the WW4B woodworking workshop hosted by the San Francisco Lighthouse for the Blind. There, way up on Veeder Mountain, Jeff Thompson caught up with one of his woodworking students, Bob Geyer. bob is blind and had a passion for woodworking before he lost his vision. Jeff and Bob chat about...
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Blind Abilities presents another guest from the Sagebrush Convention for the Business Enterprise Program (BEP), held in Las Vegas a few months ago. Jeff Thompson caught up with Ardis Bazyn who has written several books on topics including a 3-part series called Building Blocks for Success, addressing how to create and manage a business, Church or organization, with inclusion and accessibility in mind, as...
A Blind Abilities Sports Double-Header: Featuring Blind Golf and a Former Major League Pitcher Jeff Thompson chats with two blind individuals in the sporting world. first he talks to Phil Hubbard, a member and Official of the US Blind golf Association about the organization, its members, rules and how he got involved. A great story and something we might all consider engaging in! Next, Jeff chats with Bill Denehy, a former Major League...
Meet John Greedy Guide Dog Trainer in the UK and His Canine Friend, CC As Jeff Thompson continues to enjoy some R&R in the United Kingdom, he can’t stay away from his Shure MV88 and a great guest to interview! This time Jeff caught up with John Greedy. John is a guide dog trainer working with Guide dogs for the Blind, UK, where he has trained and helped placed guides with their blind and visually impaired partners for 21 years. Jeff met...