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...

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...

Meet the Monarch! Bringing Braille and Tactile Graphics Under Your Fingertips – A chat with Greg Stilson, Head of Global Innovation at APH

Podcast Summary: From the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant spoke with Greg Stilson, Head of Global Innovation at American Printing House for the Blind (APH). Greg first takes listeners through the new Monarch Tactile Display. This braille display is a partnership between APH, Humanware, and the NFB.  From the APH Website: “Together with our partners at HumanWare and the National...

Display Your Content in Style with Splay! Meet Alex Wesley, Founder and CEO of Arovia

Podcast Summary: During the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant sat down with Alex Wesley, Founder and CEO of Arovia. Alex chats with Simon about his new product, called Splay, a portable projection solution.  From the Arovia Website: “Introducing Splay: The Ultimate 2-in-1 Display and Ultra-Short-Throw Pico Projector. Transform your entertainment experience with Splay, a groundbreaking...

Touch the Whole Picture: Nine Lines of Braille at Your Fingertips with the Canute 360 and Canute Console – Meet Ed Rodgers, Managing Director at Bristol Braille Technologies and Steph Sargent, Director at Vision Through Sound 

Podcast Summary: While attending the 2023 NFB Convention in Houston Texas, Blind Abilities podcast host Simon Bonenfant met with Ed Rogers, Managing Director at Bristol Braille Technologies. Simon also talked with Steph Sargent, a contractor with Bristol Braille and a Director at Vision Through Sound. Hailing from the UK, Bristol Braille is a company that supports blind people in their assistive technology needs. Ed gives listeners an overview...