{"id":6624,"date":"2021-04-08T08:17:35","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T13:17:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6624"},"modified":"2021-04-08T08:17:39","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T13:17:39","slug":"ibug-the-iblind-users-group-for-beginners-and-proficient-assistive-tech-users-join-ibugtoday-its-abuzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6624","title":{"rendered":"iBUG \u2013 the iBlind Users Group for Beginners and Proficient Assistive Tech Users. Join iBUGToday \u2013 it\u2019s Abuzz!"},"content":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8844\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6624-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Show Summary:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode of&nbsp;&nbsp;Blind Abilities we feature the iBlind Users Group, aka&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibugtoday.com\/\">iBUGToday<\/a>, a nonprofit organization located in Houston, Texas, but which operates a variety of virtual training and social activities for individuals around the country using the Zoom platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The mission of&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibugtoday.com\/\">iBUG<\/a>, is to promote the individual independence, social integration and educational development of the blind and visually impaired community through accessible technology training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Our guests in the Blind Abilities studio are Michael McCulloch, President and Founder, and Sandhya Rao, Vice President.&nbsp;Michael and Sandhya describe the numerous group training sessions offered, all of which are free, and taught or facilitated by members themselves who volunteer for these opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All of the sessions are in Q&amp;A format and are low key and relaxed. The first 25 minutes of each session is dedicated to new members so they can pose their questions freely.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From iPhones, Macs and Androids, there is a session for everyone at any level, from beginner to the proficient user.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibugtoday.com\/\">iBUG<\/a>&nbsp;also has a program called the Jump Start Mentoring program where new users are matched up one on one with an experienced member for a 12-week training program, which has paid dividends for the new users in the group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the training classes and calls,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibugtoday.com\/\">iBUG<\/a>&nbsp;also conducts fun social activities, such as Trekkee Talk where members watch and discuss episodes of Star Trek each month. There is also the VILA Book Club and the iBUG night at the Virtual Movies, held every Friday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Again, all sessions are totally free of charge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from listing the myriad of training and social activities, Michael and Sandhya share their reasons for having gotten involved with iBUG ten years ago, revealing the genuine passion and true commitment they share towards enhancing the lives of blind individuals across the country. They think of iBUG as a family and sincerely enjoy everyone who joins them for each and every session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can find a full schedule, a simple &nbsp;membership registration &nbsp;and more at&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ibugtoday.com\/\">www.iBUGToday.org.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ibugtoday\/\">iBUG on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And on Twitter,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ibugtoday\">@iBUGToday<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can email the iBUG team at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:iBUGToday@Gmail.com\">iBUGToday@Gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contact Your State Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you reside in Minnesota, and you would like to know more about Transition Services from State Services contact Transition Coordinator Sheila Koenig by&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:Sheila.Koenig@state.mn.us\">email<\/a>&nbsp;or contact her via phone at 651-539-2361.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Contact:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>You can follow us on Twitter&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/blindabilities\">@BlindAbilities<\/a><br>On the web at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/\">www.BlindAbilities.com<\/a><br>Send us an&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:info@BlindAbilities.com\">email<\/a><br>Get the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/app\/blind-abilities\/id1085849859?l=es&amp;mt=8\">Free Blind Abilities App&nbsp;on the App Store<\/a>and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.blindabilities.android.blind&amp;hl=en_US\">Google Play Store<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Check out the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/607027582712671\/\">Blind Abilities Community<\/a>on Facebook, the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BlindAbilities\/\">Blind Abilities Page<\/a>, and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/groups\/jobinsightsgroup\">Career Resources for the Blind and Visually Impaired<\/a>&nbsp;group<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<!--powerpress_player--><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_8846\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-6624-3\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3?_=3\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3\">https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><p>https:\/\/traffic.libsyn.com\/secure\/blindabilities\/iBug.mp3 Show Summary: In this episode of&nbsp;&nbsp;Blind Abilities we feature the iBlind Users Group, aka&nbsp;iBUGToday, a nonprofit organization located in Houston, Texas, but which operates a variety of virtual training and social activities for individuals around the country using the Zoom platform.&nbsp; The mission of&nbsp;iBUG, is to promote the individual independence, social integration and educational [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[17,467,512,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6624","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bapresents","category-technology","category-tvitoolbox","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Blind-Abilities-Logo.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6rcRg-1IQ","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":6661,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6661","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":0},"title":"Modesty, Integrity, a Dedicated Work Ethic and Above All, a Strong Love of Family     &#8211; Meet Sandhya Rao: Attorney in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas and VP of iBugToday","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Jeff Thompson and Pete Lane are joined in the Blind Abilities studio by Sandhya Rao. They recently met Sandhya a few weeks ago along with Michael McCulloch as they discussed the amazing organization called, I Blind User's Group, (iBug). You can listen to the\u00a0iBugToday episode on Blind Abilities\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":9362,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9362","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":1},"title":"From Gestures to Jobs: Learning Assistive Tech That Actually Matters","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 5, 2026","format":"audio","excerpt":"Learning assistive technology isn\u2019t just about memorizing shortcuts\u2014it\u2019s about building skills that open doors to school, work, and everyday life. In this episode, Cheryl McIntosh and Sree Roy share how mastering screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and VoiceOver can turn frustration into confidence. They break down why fundamentals matter, how\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blindabilities.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/IMG_0035.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9204,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9204","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":2},"title":"The Blind Drive: Beyond Compliance: Why Accessibility Must Be Usable to Be Real &#8211; Compliance Is for Lawyers\u2014Usability Is for Humans","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"October 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this episode of The Blind Drive, Jeff Thompson and Tim Schwartz dig into the heart of something far bigger than a news headline\u2014it\u2019s about access, equity, and the right to fully participate in life. A recent class action lawsuit filed against DraftKings for failing to make its\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Technology&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Technology","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=467"},"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":9241,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=9241","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":3},"title":"BITS Has the Solutions: Empowering Blind Tech Users Through Community, Training, and Opportunity","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"November 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Podcast Summary: In this Blind Abilities episode, Jeff Thompson talks with Jeff Bishop, president of BITS\u2014Blind Information Technology Specialists\u2014an all-volunteer organization empowering blind and low-vision individuals through accessible technology, community, and hands-on learning. Bishop outlines BITS\u2019 rapid growth, affordable memberships, and expanding reach across platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook, email lists,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":6665,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=6665","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":4},"title":"Vispero \u2013 Empowering Independence: Vispero Vice President Matt Ater Talks User Experience and How the Vispero Team is Listening to You","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"April 23, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Show Summary: Matt Ater, Vice President at Vispero, joined Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio to talk about Vispero and what he and his team is doing to enhance the user experience and opportunities to learn about the products we have all come to know, such as the ever\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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":7166,"url":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?p=7166","url_meta":{"origin":6624,"position":5},"title":"Taking on Blindness, Stepping Back and Stepping Up \u2013 Meet Sree Roy: Assistive Volunteer Extraordinaire","author":"Blind Abilities Team","date":"February 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Full Transcript Podcast Summary: Sree Roy is an Engineer by education, training and profession. Immigrating to the US in 1976 at the age of seven. Sree\u2019s vision loss began in his late 30\u2019s, well after he had completed college and entered into a high-tech career as an engineer specializing in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;BlindAbilities Presents&quot;","block_context":{"text":"BlindAbilities Presents","link":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/?cat=17"},"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\/posts\/6624","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"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=6624"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6629,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6624\/revisions\/6629"}],"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=6624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blindabilities.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}