Podcast Summary: In this Blind Abilities conversation, Cheryl McIntosh shares her journey toward becoming a Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist, or CATIS, and how she empowers others to build independence through technology. Cheryl teaches screen reader users—primarily JAWS and VoiceOver—through personalized virtual training. She explains that success starts with fundamentals like keyboard familiarity, navigating...
Podcast Summary: In this episode of Unscripted, Jeff Thompson and Sree Roy dive into the everyday mix of tech talk and personal takes, all in the natural flow of conversation. Sree kicks things off with a trip to the Apple Store, exploring iPhone crossbody straps and even the Beats lanyard trend. The two reflect on the surprise availability of the iPhone 17—thin as air, in stock, and shipping in just two hours. They weigh the pros and cons of...
The Tech Abilities crew is back with Serina, Seyoon, Sree, Cheryl, and Jeff stirring up plenty of laughs and tech talk. Did anyone score a sweet deal at the Apple Orchard sale Well the iPhone 17 might just be the pick of the crop. The team dishes on the first round of iOS and Mac updates, including that sneaky VoiceOver bug that Apple promises to squash soon. Then the spotlight shifts to wearables. Oakleys new wrap around Meta Glasses come with...
Podcast Summary: The Blind Drive dives into PiccyBot—an AI that can describe not just photos but video. Tim Schwartz shares how it’s changing the way he explores the world, while Jeff Thompson zooms out to ask where this AI wave is taking us. Jeff also puts a new Wixey Bluetooth angle gauge to work in the woodshop, with VoiceOver calling out precise blade angles right from his iPhone. The bigger conversation? How to let helpful tech enhance...
Podcast Summary: unscripted returns with Jeff and Sree in a fast, funny, and useful sprint through tech and daily life. Jeff opens with a hard-won shop lesson—don’t test a nail gun on your finger—then pivots to Apple’s event: Sree’s wow is AirPods for heart monitoring and live translation, while Jeff riffs on Apple’s new cross-body strap for safer phone carry. The duo’s biggest win is access: Sree explains AMC’s PCA program and...
Podcast Summary: Jeff and Tim treat Apple’s big show like a fun night at the movies, and the take is refreshingly simple. iPhone Air gets ultra thin with 256 gigs standard, while the Pro models flex 48 megapixels and clever software. But for confident blind users, the win isn’t megapixels, it’s brains. Center Stage keeps you framed, dual recording grabs you and the scene at once, and on-device smarts promise better OCR and object...
Podcast Summary: Welcome to the very first episode of Blind Abilities: Unscripted — where tech, news, and everyday life with blindness and low vision all come together, in the moment. No script. No filter. Just straight talk. Join the Unscripted Crew — Cheryl McIntosh, Seyoon Choi, Sree Roy, and Jeff Thompson — as they kick things off with an honest, lively conversation about gadgets, success tools, and the everyday realities of living...
Podcast Summary: AI wearables have been an emerging industry for the blind and visually impaired. While there are a number of options, not all are designed using the input of the blind. With direct feedback from blind users, EchoVision Glasses have been shaped by well-respected leaders in America’s blindness organizations such as NFB and ACB, icons such as Stevie Wonder, and a wide variety of potential users spanning our community. ...
Full Transcript Podcast Summary: In this Something to Think About episode, Jeff brings a bit of awareness to the data usage while updating apps. Updating apps can significantly impact your data usage, especially if you’re on a limited plan. Regular updates, sometimes over 500MB per app, can quickly add up. While updates can improve security and features, it’s worth considering whether automatic updates are right for you. Adjusting...
Podcast Summary: Hold onto your canes, because the Tech Abilities crew is back! Jeff and Serina round up Leslie Dickson, Cheryl Macintosh, and Katy Todd for the first New Year episode spanning the rains of Washington to the heights of Colorado. Cheryl’s ditching the guide dog for some hardcore O&M cane skills, while Katy’s testing out a hoverboard for the blind. Meanwhile,...