JJ Hunt:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was important to us when we were coming up with a title for this podcast that both sides be referenced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff Thompson:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Please welcome, from the creators of Talk Description to Me, JJ Hunt and Christine Malec.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine Malec:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neutrality is something we\u2019ve discussed at length, and is neutrality the best goal? And it\u2019s an important goal, but there are times when neutrality is just not appropriate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and I have a little bit more of an understanding of what people with vision loss or people who are blind or low vision actually want to hear, not just what, you know, the sighted describer thinks they want to hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A collaboration of an artist and cultural consultant and an audio describer. Descriptive conversations of current affairs from around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the discussion about Aunt Jemima, that\u2019s an example of where the cultural context had been completely lost on me, as well as the visuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff: <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And now, the creators of Talk Description to Me, JJ Hunt and Christine Malec. We hope you enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcome to Blind Abilities, I\u2019m Jeff Thompson. In the studio today we\u2019ve got the creators of a new podcast that\u2019s actually out right now and you can go get it, it\u2019s called Talk Description to Me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hi, my name\u2019s Christine Malec, I am a Toronto-based, sort of an arts-and-culture consultant within the blind community, and I\u2019ve known JJ for a couple of years, and we\u2019ve been pals and we chat, and we\u2019ve worked on events together, and we would have these conversations where we\u2019d be talking about current events and he\u2019d come up with these descriptions and I\u2019d think \u201cOh my gosh, that gold was just lost because only I got to hear it.\u201d And in COVID times, when we had more time to talk, we both got really interested in talking about current events and what they look like, and so we came up with the idea of Talk Description to Me as a way to take those great conversations we were having and to share them, because as a totally blind person there\u2019s a lot in the news that I\u2019m curious about. So, you read something, or you watch something, and they\u2019ll refer to things that don\u2019t get described the way that they might be described in a movie or a TV show. So, with so much going on in the world, I was full of questions, and JJ is fantastic at being full of answers, and so the idea for our podcast grew out of conversations we were already having. So, our first three episodes are available and I\u2019m really excited about them, they\u2019re, I think they\u2019re really quite- even if I wasn\u2019t involved, I would say \u201cHey, that\u2019s really cool.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:
I\u2019m JJ Hunt, I\u2019m a describer by trade. Usually I describe movies and television and museum pieces and galleries and live events and tours and things, but lately I\u2019ve really been curious about what else can we describe, where can we place this description skill set, where can we apply these techniques all around the world? And, yeah, so as Chris said, we were having these conversations that were just very descriptive about the world we\u2019re currently living in, and we\u2019d done a few little things together through some of her other groups, so through the CNIB, and we got the idea to kind of formalize it a little bit, and be proactive, and start asking other people \u201cWhat are you interested in hearing described, what part of the world that we\u2019re living in right now is falling through the cracks? What would you like to hear described?\u201d and so we\u2019re launching this podcast, and I\u2019m really excited because as a sighted- I presume as a describer to have some idea of what people who are vision impaired are going to want to hear described, but that\u2019s just a guess. I think the smarter way to go about it is to ask, and say, \u201cWhat do you want described?\u201d and then we\u2019re going to try and do it. And that\u2019s one of the things I\u2019ve always enjoyed about my friendship with Chris, is that we can talk about this stuff\u2014she can tell me from her point of view what\u2019s interesting and what\u2019s not, and frankly put me in my place, which she does quite well, let me know \u201cYou might think, but actually, this is the interesting thing. What you\u2019re telling me is great, but, like, what about this side-track, because that\u2019s where my interest lies,\u201d and so I\u2019ve always appreciated that, and I think that comes through sometimes in our conversations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think it\u2019s really cool\u2014I dug in a little bit, and the one on branding you talked about Aunt Jemima, as she\u2019s being retired, and Uncle Ben\u2019s, and when you asked \u201cHow do they look, what do they look like, what\u2019s the objection here?\u201d you went into the history of- you broke it down. It was just a neat conversation between you two, how you broke it down and brought it out, and let someone who, too, may not have realized the significance of what that symbolic bottle of syrup was all about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, yeah. Well, with something like Aunt Jemima, you know, first of all it can just be a name. If you don\u2019t have an image, if you\u2019re not someone who\u2019s interpreting the world in a visual way, then the image to the logo, the image to the name, it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean anything to you. So then it\u2019s just a name, floating around. When you have an opportunity to sit back, first of all, hear a description of some of those images, both the contemporary ones and the historical ones, and then you get the context for the history, well, it changes everything. And that was one of those moments where I was talking to Chris, and she had said, like, I think she says in the podcast something to the effect of, like, \u201cI guess I intellectually knew that Aunt Jemima was Black, but it hadn\u2019t really occurred to me,\u201d and that was one of those lightbulb moments where I was like \u201cOh, I don\u2019t get it. I have to listen here, because I am being told something about how people who don\u2019t interpret the world visually do interpret the world, what matters to them,\u201d and as a describer that means an awful lot to me, I have to listen, because as a describer I do a lot- spend a lot of time talking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of the ways that I think the podcast works so well is, and this is something I respect so much about JJ\u2019s work, my first experiences with JJ professionally were when he was leading described walks through Toronto, and so it\u2019s kind of like a tourist walk that you might do, except it\u2019s geared towards people with sight loss, so he\u2019s describing things as we go, but JJ can\u2019t just stay on the surface and so we\u2019d be talking about planning these things and there\u2019d be hours of research and I\u2019d think \u201cOk, well, you\u2019re just describing, I\u2019m not really clear what all the research is for,\u201d and then I\u2019d go on the walk, and he would put the building he\u2019d just described into this fabulous historical context, and so there\u2019s such an element of storytelling in a lot of what JJ does naturally, and in the discussion about Aunt Jemima, that\u2019s an example of where the cultural context had been completely lost on me as well as the visuals, and so when we have conversations about things like taking a knee- so in a lot of the protests, and I think this started with the football players, during the national anthem taking a knee, and this phrase was being used all over the place and I just said \u201cI don\u2019t know what that means, what is-\u201d so he would- he described what it looks like in one of the podcasts, but then I had to, we had to hash that out a bit because for me, kneeling evokes, in my head, these things like prayer, or proposing marriage, or submission, how does this all work? And so it\u2019s not just the images that are in front of you that are relevant. I think when you\u2019ve had sight loss, particularly if you\u2019ve been blind since birth, maybe, there\u2019s a whole cultural context in there that you\u2019re going to miss. So, you can have an image described, but it doesn\u2019t mean as much unless you can say \u201cSo when they do this, it evokes this,\u201d or reminds me of that, or it\u2019s referencing this cultural icon that you might not be aware of if you\u2019re visually impaired, and I think that\u2019s where a lot of the depth and the satisfaction comes from in our conversations, is that you take a visual image and you parse it out, and so you describe it but you also put it in a context that makes it easier to understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:
I was also surprised when we were having conversations that were about big and important things like taking a knee, like the protests, it didn\u2019t surprise me there that the context was so important. But what surprised me was when we started to talk about some fun things like Justin Trudeau\u2019s hair, our prime minister here in Canada had been giving these daily briefings-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and every day he\u2019d come out and address the nation, and his hair would get a little longer and a little longer every day, and it became a bit of a national pastime to enjoy beautiful Justin Trudeau\u2019s hair. And so we were talking about how that looked, and I was realizing just how much the visuals of Justin Trudeau\u2019s hair were keying us to moments of his past, because he comes from a political dynasty, we\u2019ve watched him grow up from a kid, so seeing his hair at different lengths was keying us into moments from his youth, and I didn\u2019t realize that until we sat down and talked about it, until we were talking about those visuals, and the context for those visuals, like \u201cOh, yeah, that\u2019s why we all have such a warm affinity for watching his hair grow out, it\u2019s- not only is it humanizing, not only does it make him seem more like us, but we\u2019re remembering, like, little Justin Trudeau, and we\u2019re remembering teenage Justin Trudeau,\u201d and so the act of talking it out, the act of chatting about it with Chris, I learned so much about it, it\u2019s been fantastic for the funny things as well as the deep and heavy things too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s a great example, because some press is made out of his looks, he\u2019s a good-looking guy, he\u2019s pretty young, and in Canada he is the son of a former prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, and so, yeah, very much an iconic people, family, images for Canadians, and that was definitely an aspect that I hadn\u2019t considered. I actually read about Trudeau\u2019s hair in the New York Times, of all places, it was quite surprising to me, I was like \u201cOh, that\u2019s funny,\u201d and I hadn\u2019t really heard about the sort of public pastime of watching him, so I asked JJ \u201cWell, what is this about,\u201d so hearing that whole background of the cultural context of Canadians knowing what Justin looked like through his life and what his dad looked like, that was completely new to me, and yeah, those are the kinds of fun discoveries and explorations that come out, just, all JJ and I have to do is start talking and these things come out that are interesting for both of us and for other people as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m listening to this and I\u2019m thinking \u201cI want to go listen to this podcast,\u201d and I\u2019m realizing this is the podcast, and it\u2019s like, this is good, you guys are talking, just-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We could do this all day! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Talk Description to Me, I like the title of it, how did you come up with the title?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Uh-oh! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We were just, we went on and on, like how can we- so what was important to us when we were coming up with a title for this podcast that both sides be referenced, that it wasn\u2019t just a podcast about description, and it\u2019s not just a podcast about how you see the world when you\u2019re blind or vision-impaired, it was the conversation. So we needed a title that bridged that, and had all of it, and Talk Description to Me, I mean, we\u2019re both a little bit irreverent, and we both like to- our conversations can get a little bit blue sometimes, which they don\u2019t on the podcast, but we- so we thought, let\u2019s give that a shot! The only problem we had with it was, you know, of course one of the reasons we\u2019re doing this podcast now is because of the heavy state of things in the world, there are some very serious issues that are being thrown about on social media and in the world at large and we wanted to be talking about those things, and so we had to get over ourselves a little bit and say \u201cIt\u2019s going to be okay, we can use this as our title, this is a reflection of who we are, the kind of conversations we\u2019re going to be having, even if we\u2019re talking about heavy things, even if we\u2019re talking about important societal things, there\u2019s still, in our conversation, a bit of a playfulness,\u201d and it works for us as friends and I hope it works for the audience as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s something that I\u2019ve thought about, that we both have discussed, is that episode one, it just, like, boom, you\u2019re in the middle of heavy duty, very- the most difficult kind of material, and we\u2019ve talked and thought about how to make a balance, because this isn\u2019t a fluffy, bubblegum kind of podcast, you know, there\u2019s lots of room for fluff in there, but as JJ said, these are serious times, there\u2019s a lot of very important, difficult things going on the world, so we do want to have a balance, between the very important, impactful serious stuff, and more less impactful stuff, so the title, yeah, that\u2019s a good way to put it, it\u2019s kind of a reflection that we…part of it I think alludes to the rapport that we have, and I know a couple of people who\u2019ve listened to the podcast have remarked upon the conversational nature of it, and it sounds like you\u2019re just eavesdropping on a conversation between friends, which kind of essentially is what\u2019s going on. So the title is, yeah, a little bit alluding to the lighthearted side, but the podcast definitely does have some pretty heavy content as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, I think you both have a great ability for conversation, I feel like I\u2019m the one eavesdropping right now. It\u2019s good\u2014when I went through the titles at first, I was like \u201cWow, this is heavy, this is stuff a lot of people might say \u2018don\u2019t touch that,\u2019\u201d you know, but- you\u2019re digging into it, but you\u2019re doing it in more of an explorative way\u2014is explorative a word? In a way that actually, as someone who\u2019s visually impaired, sometimes I want a little bit more description than what people just saw, and \u201cHere we are at the national park, blah blah blah,\u201d and they just say something and it\u2019s like, huh. You\u2019re left on your own, you kind of drift off a little bit, but listening to how you guys, as I said it before, you give a little piece of the history of it, you dig deep into it, and the conversation, it seems to me like it really works and it\u2019s current events and it\u2019s right now, but it\u2019s not the heavy side where you\u2019re going to- someone\u2019s going to, like, either object to something. You\u2019re being very objective, and I really like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thank you, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, I\u2019m glad to hear you say that, because- and JJ will have stuff to say about this as well, actually JJ more so, because neutrality is something we\u2019ve discussed at length, and is neutrality the best goal? And it\u2019s an important goal, but there are times when neutrality is just not appropriate. And so we both understand the privilege that we live within our own ways, and we approach these topics with a great deal of respect and care, and so our goal is the objectivity that you referenced, so thank you, I\u2019m glad to know that we\u2019ve sort of achieved that, but when you\u2019re talking about George Floyd, and describing the videos and the images, how can you be neutral about that? And so that neutrality and objectivity is something we\u2019ve discussed, and JJ, you have to deal with that more, because you\u2019re actually doing the describing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:
Yeah, it\u2019s really tricky, because, you know, I come from a describing background where I\u2019m describing TV, I\u2019m describing movies, I\u2019m describing pieces of art, and you have to be neutral and objective about that so that the people who are listening can make up their own minds about this piece of art means or what that gesture meant in a movie or television show, that\u2019s a key part of audio description. And I want to bring some of that to my descriptions in, you know, when we\u2019re talking about what is the look of a police officer these days? It\u2019s not fully for me to tell you to be scared of the militarization of the police. I\u2019m comfortable saying that police officers have a militarized look, that\u2019s an assessment that I\u2019m comfortable with, but I\u2019m going to try and tell you that in a way that allows you to decide if that\u2019s appropriate or not, or if it\u2019s over the line or not. But then when you get to something like the George Floyd video, as Chris says, like, I can\u2019t in good conscience describe that in a way that is emotionally neutral. That feels wrong, it just feels inappropriate, so in moments like that, or, you know, describing the branding of some of these sports teams that have absolutely, positively, objectively offensive caricatures as their mascots, I can\u2019t possibly describe that and try to be neutral and be like \u201cHey, I don\u2019t know where you lie on the political spectrum,\u201d but for me, no, that\u2019s one of those times where I\u2019m going to draw the line and I\u2019m going to say \u201cHere\u2019s how I feel about that,\u201d and I\u2019m going to tell you how I feel with the tone of my voice, with the vocabulary that I choose, and then Chris and I are going to talk about it, and we\u2019re going to, you know, share some uncomfortable laughs about some of these outrageous images, and so we have to, in order for our conversations to be vibrant we have to have some sort of opinion. We have to be engaged enough, we can\u2019t be totally neutral, which is a shift for me that I\u2019m still kind of feeling my way around as a describer, you know? That\u2019s a new one for me, it\u2019s a new place for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of you\u2014Christine, you\u2019re an author, songwriter, creator of arts, and creating this podcast or working with this podcast and the topics of it, it\u2019s right up your alley, and JJ, being a storyteller and a describer yourself, you know, some people might think \u201cOh, you guys just started a podcast,\u201d but actually, you both kind of started this a long time ago, about your interest in current affairs, topics, what to write about, what to talk about, but JJ, usually as a describer you get a script, and you have to insert bits and pieces, so I believe the city tours let you embellish a little bit, so you\u2019ve been building to this podcast where you get to inject your thoughts as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Absolutely, and it is something when I\u2019ve been, it\u2019s been four or five years that I\u2019ve been doing these tours, and I\u2019ve been collecting all of my material, and you\u2019re right, building is the right word for it, like the first few tours I did, again, it was one of those cases where I thought I knew, right, I came out there, I wrote some scripts about some parts of Toronto that I thought people who were vision impaired would love to hear, and, you know, folks were gracious enough to come along even though I didn\u2019t really know what I was doing and led these tours and I got some very positive feedback, and some of the feedback I got was I just had to really listen to responses. So a favorite example of that\u2014I think Chris, you might have been on this tour\u2014we were downtown walking, downtown Toronto, walking along King Street, and there are streetcars on King Street, and this was at a time in Toronto when we had just been replacing our old streetcars with these brand new ones. And so I wrote fantastic, what I thought were great descriptions of the vintage streetcars, the new, kind of futuristic-looking streetcars, really nice descriptions. So we get to the spot where the streetcar goes by, I\u2019m smart, I know to wait for my audio cue, so the streetcar goes rolling by with its very distinctive sound, and the doors open with the distinctive pings, and when they go by I\u2019m like \u201cOkay, great, I\u2019m going to launch into my description of the streetcars,\u201d and I start telling people what they look like, and there\u2019s a wire that\u2019s running overhead with a wheel that\u2019s collecting power from there, and I keep going with my descriptions, and I think someone kind of coughed, and said \u201cExcuse me, a wire overhead?\u201d I said \u201cYeah, yeah, so the streetcar, it\u2019s an electric vehicle and there\u2019s a wire overhead, that\u2019s where the power comes through, and there are some crossing wires as well that support that, but anyway, back to my beautiful description of the streetcar!\u201d Someone else said \u201cWait a minute, wait a minute\u2014there\u2019s a grid of wires over our head right now?\u201d And I said \u201cYeah, yeah, most downtown streets that have these streetcars on them have grids of wires.\u201d And people were fascinated by this! So, like, I have lived in Toronto my whole life, and I had no idea-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I remember that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-there\u2019s a grid over my head, and I\u2019m thinking \u201cOkay, I could be offended, because I\u2019ve got these beautiful descriptions of streetcars that no one wants to hear, or I could be smart, and listen to what everyone else wants to hear about.\u201d So then I babbled on for five minutes about, like, wires overhead, and so that\u2019s the kind of thing that I\u2019ve been trying to collect on, that\u2019s the kind of knowledge I\u2019ve been trying to build on so that now when we have the opportunity to have these kinds of conversations hopefully I\u2019m a little- my tuning\u2019s a little bit better and I have a little bit more of an understanding of what people with vision loss or people who are blind or low vision actually want to hear, not just what, you know, the sighted describer thinks they want to hear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And I think that actually the next tour you did was sort of un-glamorously promoted as the infrastructure tour, and so it was a walking tour but there were things like you described postboxes with paintings on them-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and the sidewalk furniture, and things that as visually impaired people moving around the city we\u2019re completely oblivious to-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, yeah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-so I do remember that, that was really interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had a great time, I remember we stopped in front of a church on that second tour, and I gave like a little snapshot description of this church, and the stained glass windows, and the stone that it was made of, and I said \u201cBut that\u2019s not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about the sidewalk.\u201d And then we started talking about the sidewalk and how it was covered with these old pieces of gum that had blackened over time, and there were, like, markings from four or five different public works departments, blue spray-painted lines and yellow spray-painted lines, and I had found an article that broke down what different lines and markings meant from what department, and so we ignored this beautiful church, and instead we stared at the ground and we talked about the gum and we talked about these hydro-markings, and to me that\u2019s as interesting, I love that stuff, and so I was quite pleased when I learned that other people were going to be interested in that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a hit, it was a hit. Our ambition is to- well, my ambition is to, which I\u2019m trying to get JJ to- I think JJ\u2019s excited about it too, is a people-watching tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, yeah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So all we have to do is go sit in an urban park, and JJ\u2019s just going to, like, talk. But the problem is that people can hear you, you know, so we\u2019re working out the headset model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Totally, you need the headsets, and like, as a person who\u2019s talking, as long as you\u2019ve got like an earbud in, you can say whatever you want, people are going to, \u201cOh, he\u2019s in his own private world,\u201d but yeah, I think if we all are in- if we do some kind of live broadcast where everyone\u2019s hanging out in different parts of the park with their own headset on, and I just describe \u201cOkay, there\u2019s a family of four walking by, oh, the little kids really sulking,\u201d like, you know? I\u2019m with you, Chris, I think that\u2019s fascinating, that\u2019s the kind of stuff that people don\u2019t get an opportunity to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, one of the tours you did just happened to be on Mother\u2019s Day, and at one point we were in an alley or something and you said \u201cOh, there\u2019s a gentleman walking by with a big bouquet of flowers.\u201d And the guy was very gracious, he didn\u2019t get offended, but it was like \u201cOh yeah, it\u2019s Mother\u2019s Day, there\u2019s probably a lot of people walking around with flowers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s right, that\u2019s right. Were you there for the Christmas walk, in the Distillery District, when Santa came by?
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, of course, that was fabulous!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh my god, I couldn\u2019t believe this, Jeff, so we\u2019re like downtown, we\u2019re in this really picturesque area-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whoa, whoa, whoa. So there is a Santa.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:
Oh yeah-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, there sure is-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and he came to visit just us, just us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He\u2019s in the southeast corner of Toronto. There is a Santa, that\u2019s where he is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we\u2019re doing this, you know, this Christmas tour, this walking tour, in an area of Toronto that is very Victorian, the architecture is beautiful and Victorian, and so they do a Christmas market down there. And so we\u2019d been doing our tour, going from place to place, looking at the different vendors who are selling Christmas-y treats, and we\u2019re putting those Christmas-y treats into some cultural, historical perspective and whatnot, and suddenly this guy walks by, and I couldn\u2019t believe it, it was as if I\u2019d planted him. He was a big jolly fella, and he had a, you know, a huge white beard, and he had on like a black and red checked suit, like a lumberjack Santa. And I just- my mouth dropped, I\u2019m like \u201cSir, would you mind- may I please-\u201d and he very graciously stood there and let me describe him, and then I can\u2019t remember, one of the participants was like \u201cOh, come on, the white beard? Come on, can I touch it?\u201d And so someone came forward, the guy was so lovely, and he let people, like, touch his beard, so that they could, like- \u201cCome on, is that really a guy? You\u2019re not just saying this, because it sounds Christmas-y?\u201d and like, I swear to god, Santa just showed up for our tour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I want to invent a smart cane with JJ in it, so every time I tap something-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-like, usually you just tap something, it\u2019s shrapnel on the sidewalk, but now, if you tap it, it\u2019ll go \u201cThis is a postbox, it\u2019s covered in paintings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, god, a smart cane with JJ in it, that\u2019s priceless-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, there you go-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-so great-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make some good residuals off of that, I think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There you go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[laughing] Oh my gosh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, Talk Description to Me, I think this is perfect for both of you, it\u2019s a great fit. From what I\u2019ve listened to so far I\u2019m just riveted, you know, I\u2019m just diving into it, and it seems like an innocent dive in, in a sense, for me, because typically if I get an article it\u2019s going to be one side, or what paper did this come from, so I like, like what we talked about, the neutralness of it and the honesty that\u2019s in it as well, so- and it\u2019s current, you know, you\u2019re not diving back, like the Victorian tours are interesting but this stuff is right now. Perfect timing, perfect timing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, it\u2019s- I mean, how of the moment it is I think going to be essential to the listenability, because people have questions about the world as it\u2019s unfolding, and it\u2019s unfolding in all kinds of crazy ways right now, and so giving people an opportunity to dive into these descriptions and then take them and apply them to the things they\u2019re reading and seeing and hearing about online and in their world. Hopefully it\u2019s not just a podcast that is fun in the moment, but hopefully it is also something with some information that can be carried forward with people\u2019s- you know, throughout their day, and give them an opportunity to understand some of the other things that they\u2019re hearing about with some context, and with those descriptions fully intact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we definitely want to hear from people about what they\u2019re curious about-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-so one of the things that motivates the podcast is my curiosity, which I\u2019m always wondering about something, and so we definitely want to know what other people are feeling gaps around, and what other people want to hear about, so we encourage anyone who\u2019s listening to this or to our podcast to get in touch and just say \u201cHey, have you thought about doing some description of\u201d whatever topic, or, and it doesn\u2019t have to be super, you know, impact- like we talked about seasonal things, like cherry blossoms or tall ships or the color of the leaves in the fall or something, so it\u2019s current, but it doesn\u2019t have to be terrible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
No, that\u2019s right, we even had someone who somewhat recently- it was a part of a different conversation, had asked about jazz hands, someone had referenced jazz hands-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh, yeah!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-and I thought \u201cOh yeah, we should make sure we get that on the show at some point,\u201d like gestures, what are all these gestures that people make and reference, you know, the bunny ears, the jazz hands, what if we do a bit about that. We\u2019re open to all kinds of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Like dragon boat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It just sounds like it\u2019s a dragon, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s a good one, I like that. Oh, yeah, we could definitely do some- I mean, boats and ships and trains, I was thinking newspaper or magazine covers, there\u2019s been some great graphic design in magazine covers, and, yeah, people are throwing some interesting ideas at us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And what makes Vikings so different than any other group, you know? It\u2019s really interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah! Yeah, yeah, yeah-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the axes. It\u2019s the axes. Just kidding, I don\u2019t know anything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m from Minnesota, we have the Minnesota Vikings, and I was thinking, as other football teams are changing their names and stuff \u201cVikings!\u201d and I thought \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You know, that\u2019s a great idea. As different sports- like, as different sports enter- you know, go live again, talking about breaking down some of those logos, breaking down some of those designs, that\u2019s a great idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it\u2019s so interesting, that- is anyone challenging the Viking name, and if not, why not? Okay, topic for a different podcast, but still-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s true! Well, I mean, the Edmonton Eskimos, they\u2019re looking at their name, and, oh! So I like to think- so, Washington, after we did our podcast and we talked about the Washington Redskins, which is not even a term that I relish throwing out there even in reference to the team itself, but they drop the name after our podcast, I don\u2019t think it probably had anything to do with us- <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:
[laughing] Not yet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So humble!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:
Give us a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But then they- I love that they just announced their team name for a little while, like until they come up with a good proper name, now they\u2019re known as the Washington Football Team. And I\u2019m like \u201cOh, really? I hope you didn\u2019t pay the marketing team too much to come up with that, that\u2019s a, oof.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, they really, it\u2019s something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, it gets the point across, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So yeah, there\u2019s been actually, some radio stations have been going out there like, someone said \u201cHow about the Senators?\u201d Well, that was a baseball team, that was-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, the legislators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You\u2019ve still got the hockey team-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, there\u2019s a hockey team, called the Senators, Ottawa Senators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think Seattle just came up with the Krakens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yep, the Krakens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kraken!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oooooh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What does that mean-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s like an old-timey fish and chip shop, you know-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s a sea monster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Oh!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isn\u2019t a kraken a sea monster?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is, it is. It\u2019s a giant octopus, or a giant squid or something. But the font that they\u2019ve chosen-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And this is how these podcasts get started, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Exactly!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s exactly right!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
See, I want to know what a kraken is, I was like \u201cKraken?\u201d I had to just draw from what I was thinking, I was just thinking \u201cIs this a wrap, representing, name, is this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, that\u2019s right, because you could google it, even, and read a, you know, it\u2019s a sea monster, lalalala, here are 59 images, and you\u2019d still be no better off because it\u2019s just going to throw- even Google is just going to throw pictures at you, so, yeah, that\u2019s exactly where the podcast comes from, is those gaps, where I go \u201cOkay, I just googled that, but that didn\u2019t really help, so JJ, what\u2019s a kraken look like?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From dragon boats to krakens-<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Episode four, the kraken!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s right, that\u2019s right! I like it, I like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ, Christine, this has been great talking to you, the new podcast, Talk Description to Me, go check it out, it\u2019s on all the platforms, I believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is, it should be by now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, you can just click on it, subscribe to it, and dig in because it\u2019s a good listen. Thank you both for coming onto Blind Abilities, and sharing this with the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
JJ:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, thank you so much for having us, it\u2019s been fantastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yeah, thank you, it\u2019s always great to chat with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such a great time talking to these great conversationalists, JJ Hunt and Christine Malec. Be sure to go out and check out the podcast, subscribe to it, Talk Description to Me. Big shoutout to Chee Chau for his beautiful music, thank you Chee Chau. And from all of us here at Blind Abilities, through these challenging times, to you, your family, and friends, stay well, stay informed, and stay strong. I want to thank you for listening, hope you enjoyed, and until next time, bye-bye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Music] [Transition noise] -When we share<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-What we see<\/p>\n\n\n\n
-Through each other’s eyes\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
[Multiple voices overlapping, in unison, to form a single sentence]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
…We can then begin to bridge the gap between the limited expectations, and the realities of Blind Abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeff:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at www.blindabilities.com, on Twitter @BlindAbilities. Download our app from the app store Blind Abilities, that’s two words, or send us an email at info@blindabilities.com. Thanks for listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by email<\/a> or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out the Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, and the Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a> group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Full Transcript JJ Hunt: What was important to us when we were coming up with a title for this podcast that both sides be referenced. Jeff Thompson: Please welcome, from the creators of Talk Description to Me, JJ Hunt and Christine Malec. Christine Malec: Neutrality is something we\u2019ve discussed at length, and is neutrality the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6191","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P6rcRg-1BR","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5503,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5503","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":0},"title":"Rachel Carver – Outlook Business Solutions: The Capabilities Of the Visually Impaired in the Workforce.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Rachel Carver:When I started here, it was nice to be looked at for my abilities instead of, \"Oh look at her. She has a cane in her hand.\" Jeff Thompson:Please welcome Outlook Business Solutions, Senior Specialist, Public Relations, Rachel Carver. Rachel Carver:It is neat for me to be\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9247,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=9247","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":1},"title":"College 101: Student-Powered Advice to Help You Thrive in College","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"November 30, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: Thinking about college but not sure what it\u2019s really like as a blind or low vision student? In this College 101 conversation, transition coordinator Shane DeSantis teams up with Kira and Mohamed, two blind\/low vision\u00a0college students, to break it all down from a student point of view. They\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6544,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=6544","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":2},"title":"What\u2019s the Big Idea, Dr. Cal? A Conversation with Dr. Calvin Roberts, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 18, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcription: Calvin: What we\u2019re trying to do here at Lighthouse Guild is develop this game-changing technology that can have this major impact on so many lives of people who are visually impaired.\u00a0 Pete: Meet Dr. Calvin Roberts, of the Lighthouse Guild in New York City, bringing a new approach\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5939,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=5939","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":3},"title":"Voices in the Entertainment World from a Blindness Perspective: Join Joe Strechay, Satauna Howery, Stephen Letnes, Bree Klauser and Roy Samuelson for a Roundtable Rouser","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"June 8, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff: You may have heard them before on Blind Abilities. Speaker 2: The moment has come Joe: They brought me on early in the show and told me about their commitment to bring on actors who are blind or low vision. And that was exciting to me. Speaker\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2180,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=2180","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":4},"title":"Minnesota Podcast Challenge 2016! Enter and Win!","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 5, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"2016 Minnesota Podcast Challenge! Want your voice to be heard? Have a story to tell? The BlindAbilities Minnesota Podcast Challenge is the perfect contest for you! On a future episode, BlindAbilities will feature the winners of the Minnesota Podcast Challenge. First prize is an Olympus DM-7 Digital Recorder, and additional\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6728,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?page_id=6728","url_meta":{"origin":6191,"position":5},"title":"There is Still So Much More To Do. Thomas Reid: The Conversation. Host of the Reid My Mind Radio Podcast.","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"May 27, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Jeff: I'm Jeff Thompson, and you're listening to Blind Abilities. Today on the show, we got Thomas Reid from Reid My Mind Radio. He\u2019s got a great perspective on the state of affairs in America with disability and marginalized communities. I think you're gonna really like this one,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"BlindAbilities Logo A black square with white initials, B A.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6191"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6191\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6192,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6191\/revisions\/6192"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Contact:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities<\/a>
On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a>
Send us an email<\/a>
Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store<\/a>and Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n