Blind Abilities presents the next installment in their series iPhone 101 with an in depth demonstration of setting up a new iPhone. Pete Lane walks us through a description of the packaging, the box and its contents, an introduction to the orientation of the phone, turning on voiceover, arranging various language and location preferences, connecting to a WiFi network and many more phases involved in turning on and setting up a new iPhone. Stay...
Blind Abilities presents the next installment in its series on Aira. Pete Lane continues his interview with Amy Bernal, Director of Aira Agents, and Patrick Lane, Aira Agent analyst. Hear their thoughts on Aira agent training, their views on customer service and the continuing evolution of the agent position. Aira has grown from eight contract agents at the time of the interview, to twenty-three, and they continue to hire. If you are a sighted...
Peggy Chong has been in many places and many states and it has been a while since she has been in Minnesota so it was nice to meet up with her and talk about her work and passions. Peggy is known as, “The Blind history Lady," as her work over the years has brought about her books and articles about people in history who were blind and nearly lost until Peggy dug up the articles and stories from relatives and schools to breathe some life into...
Jamie Principato is a Physics Major at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is working on a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program for transition age B/VI students. Jamie talks about how she got interested in the sciences as a young child during conversations with her father. Her desire to become a Physics Major did not happen until she found the beauty in Mathematics and the determination to seek the field she...
Blind Abilities presents this in depth interview with David New. David is many things, not the least of which is his activism in the Miami Beach area of South Florida around blindness initiatives. David is President of two organizations: Access Now and Power Access which are having a substantial impact in the areas of blindness advocacy. Join Jeff and Pete as they explore David's many talents, and discuss the hugely successful South Beach Jazz...
Chris Danielsen, Director of Public Relations for the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) explains the recent Supreme Court decision that strengthens the Individuals with disabilities Education Act. No longer can educators simply reinforce low expectations by not challenging students with disabilities, a meaningful education steps up the definition of appropriate public education which is the key language for the IDEA. Join Chris Danielsen...
While attending the Minnesota ACB convention, Jeff Thompson of the Blind Abilities Team talked to Aliza Olenick from Orcam. A new camera device that attaches to glasses and reads print, does object recognition, facial recognition and much more. Aliza demos the orca in action and gives us a great feel for such an innovative product. You can contact Orcam on the web at www.orcam.com You can get a hold of Aliza Olenick on email Thank you for...
Blind Abilities presents Part 3 in their series on Aira, Visual Interpreter for the Blind. Pete chats with Amy Bernal, Director of Aira Agent Services, and Patrick Lane, Aira Agent Analyst about a myriad of fascinating topics. Listen as they share their insight into the duties of Aira Agents; their thoughts about user safety, agents sharing opinions about fashion, a detailed description of the Aira glasses, the official price plans, and what’s...
See Transcript Below. Molly Wezel-Peterson shares her journey, her story, her coping while sitting down one on one with Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities. From her earliest days, through high school and graduating college Molly tells us what it is like accepting Usher Syndrome and staying positive about her future. I hope you enjoy this look inside of Molly’s life and what she faces every day with Usher Syndrome. I know I did and I learned a...
Blind Abilities presents the second installment in their series on Aira, the visual Interpreter for the blind. In Part 1 we met Chancey Fleet, an Assistive Technology Professional and an Aira User. Today, our guests are: Aira Navigators Nicholas giudice, Michael Hingson and Cheryl spencer. We learn a lot more about Aira here as our guests share numerous experiences and add their unique perspective to the product. You can’t miss this...