Meet Actor Robert Tarango, the First DeafBlind Actor in a Lead Role, and Doug Roland, Writer and Director of the Academy Award Nominated Short Film, Feeling Through”

Full Transcript Show Summary: It was a typical day for Robert Tarango, working in the kitchen of the Helen Keller National Center. That is until his boss summoned him to another building on the center’s campus. Not given any further information, Robert imagined a host of mostly ominous reasons for the sudden meeting.   The last thing he considered was that he would be auditioning for the lead in the short...

Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute is Listening to the Future of Navigation – Meet Engineer, Brandon Biggs

Full Transcript Show Summary: Today Jeff and Raqi are joined in the studio by Brandon Biggs, inclusive designer and Engineer with The Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute (SKI), the foremost organization for vision research in the U. s. Brandon is involved in three major projects at SKI, including the development of the Cam IO app, which allows blind and visually impaired individuals to digitally annotate and navigate objects, such as...

It’s not just the voice that matters; it’s how you tell the story – Meet Voice Artist, Tanja Milojevic

Full Transcript Provided Show Summary: Tanja Milojevic had a passion for audio since her childhood and has followed her dream of becoming a voice artist and now creates, participates and collaborates with many other creatives in the field of voice artistry. From voice overs, audio description, and her favorite pastime, Audio Dramas. Tanja joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about how Tanja arrived at being a Voice Artist...

Unified English Braille (UEB) Practice Sentences – Comprehensive, Ready to Use and Fun. A New Book from Roberta Becker

Full Transcript Show Summary: introducing a new braille book for Teachers of the Blind/Visually Impaired, TBVI), parents and others who wish to instruct Blind students in learning Unified English Braille, (UEB). The book was written by one of our guests, Roberta Becker. She joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio along with her colleague, Lori Scharff. Roberta and Lori chat about a variety of topics, ranging from the...

Easterseal Disability Film Challenge Creatives Talk about the Experience, Challenge and Disability in Films

Full Transcript Show Summary: Bree Klauser, Spencer Frankeberger, Juan Alcazar and Jeff Thompson got together in the Blind Abilities Studio to talk about the Easterseal Disability Film Challenge that they participated in and want you to check out their films and “like” them as the Awareness campaign is ending soon.  A Dog-umentary & Scene of Possibilities” PREMIERED ON MARCH 27, 2021 Sponsored by Access Acting...

Intel AI-Powered Backpack Helps Visually Impaired Navigate World: Meet Jagadish Mahendran, AI Developer, and Hema Chamraj, Director, Technology Advocacy at Intel

Full Transcript Show Summary: In the Blind Abilities Studio, we welcome Jagadish K. Mahendran, Artificial Intelligence Developer and Engineer,and Hema Chamraj, director, Technology Advocacy and AI4Good at Intel Raqi joins Jeff in the studio to learn and find out more about this great initiative that may one day enhance the  navigating experience while Blind. From the Intel Press Release: Intel just announced a research...

Programs and Opportunities are Growing for Students: A Chat with Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig – Make that a Chill and Chat!

Full Transcript Show Summary: our guest on Blind Abilities today is Sheila  Koenig, Transition Services Coordinator for State Services for the Blind of Minnesota (SSB). Sheila talks about a variety of opportunities available to Transition Age students. Learn about the programs such as the Summer Transition Program (STP), Chill and Chat, Peer Educators, Blind and Socially Savvy and the Learning Ally College Success Program. There is...

Transitioning from High School to College: A Panel of College Students Take on the Questions from High School Students from a Blindness and Low Vision Perspective

Full Transcript Show Summary: Transitioning from High School to College is a major step towards self-determination and independence. Career choices are made and Colleges and Universities are explored to best fit one’s needs. A group of high school students ask a panel of college students questions to help them understand the challenges and gain from the experience the college students share. When leaving the high school and the security of...

Going Hard Core on Tenacity, Advocacy, Perseverance and Empathy – Meet Alaska Center for the Blind Transition Coordinator for Youth, Multi-Talented Musician, Tony Gebhard

Full Transcript Show Summary: Blind Abilities welcomes Tony Gebhard back into the studio. he first appeared on Blind Abilities in the summer of 2019, when Geoff and Pete chatted with him at the NFB National Convention in Orlando, Florida. You can find that interview here, A Morning with Tony Gebhard… The focus then was on his musical journey, This time back in the studio, the focus of this interview, is Toni‘s life, his recent...

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...