Blind Abilities

Latest Episodes:

Tech Abilities: 5 More Perspectives on Apple's Far Out Event Sep 11, 2022

Show notes

The much anticipated Far Out event from the Fruit Company called Apple was back on Wednesday and this group of 5 took it all in and got together in the Blind Abilities Studio to give their perspectives on the event, the new iPhone 14 line up, the 3 new Apple watches and the 2nd Generation Air Pods Pro.

Serina Gilbert, Callie Gray, Seyoon Choi, Jesse Anderson and Jeff Thompson get to the core of the Apple event and dabble around the orchard with opinions, perspectives and some Apple picking.

You can watch the entire Apple Far Out Event on Apple's YouTube Channel.

Thanks for listening and leave us a message, give us some feedback, suggestions or just say Hi at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call at 612-367-6093, we would love to hear from you.

Subscribe to the Blind Abilities Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts and check out all the podcasts on the web at BlindAbilities.com.

Episode Web Site

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Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

STEM Education for the BVI is Going Inclusive - Sara Robberson Lentz, STEM Education Officer at AUI and COO, Head of Partnerships at Tumble media, Shares the Excitement Sep 09, 2022

Show notes

Sara Robberson Lentz, STEM Education Officer at AUI and COO and Head of Partnerships at Tumble media, joined Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio with some exciting news for STEM education, accessibility and representation in STEM fields for the BVI.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $1 Million to a team comprised of Associated Universities Incorporated (AUI), Oregon State University, Independent Science (ISci) and Tumble Media.

The team will study podcasts as a classroom tool to engage blind and visually impaired students, focusing on representation and accessibility in STEM fields.

This initiative is a major step towards promoting inclusion for all children learning science.

Education and content experts from Tumble Media will lead the development of teaching resources based on the research findings, focus groups, and testing within selected classrooms.

Sara gives us an overview of the teams and how this experience is impacting the way Tumble Media is producing their popular children's podcasts. How they describe the educational storytelling to be the most inclusive that they can be.

Full Transcript

Be sure to check out all the Tumble Media podcasts:

For more information about Tumble Media and the STEM initiative go to https://www.sciencepodcastforkids.com and be sure to subscribe to their newsletter for great educational science stuff!

Thank you Marshall Escamilla for all the music used in this production. You can find the sound packs in the Teacher Store from Tumble Media.

Episode Web Site

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Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Ricky Ties is Living His Best Life Training for Competitive Sport. Member of Team USA VI Judo, All-American Wrestler and a Masters in Sports Psychology... Can You Say, Psych? Sep 05, 2022

Show notes

Ricky Ties is a member of the Team USA Visually Impaired Judo Team. Ricky wrestled in high school and was a 2 time participant in the state tournament and was a National Highschool Coaches Association All-American. Ricky went on to college and qualified for Nationals 2 times and Regional Champion in his sophomore year. Ricky began coaching wrestling and started his own wrestling club. if that wasn't enough, during this time Ricky attained his master's degree in Sports Psychology.

Once hearing about the USA Judo Team looking for former BVI wrestlers to represent USA, Ricky soon left his coaching and moved out to the Olympic Training Center in Colorado.

With 1 Silver and3 Bronze medals, it has been quite a journey as he joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio to share his story and give advice to those interested in competitive sports and how adaptive sports are gaining in areas around the country.

Episode Web Site

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iPhone101: Blocking Callers and Senders of Unwanted Calls, Messages and Emails - A Deep Dive! Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

`Blind Abilities adds to the iPhone101 Series with this in depth, comprehensive review of blocking callers and senders of unwanted text messages and emails. Pete Lane takes us through a detailed journey covering the various processes for eliminating and reducing these unwelcome contacts in multiple Apps across iOS. From blocking unknown phone numbers in our Messages and Phone Apps, to blocking and unsubscribing from sales, spam and scam emails, collectively referred to as Robocalls, Pete demonstrates step by step techniques for getting these nagging senders out of our virtual hair. He also provides some valuable background information on this issue including details from www.FCC.gov, the web site of the Federal Communications Commission. This is the agency in the US charged with monitoring, managing and enforcing the laws and regulations governing all such communications across the country.

For a step by step break down and time line,

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Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Uptown got it's hustlers, The bowery got it's bums, Blind Abilities got AJ Croce, he's a killer pianist like no one! Please welcome musician, singer songwriter, AJ Croce. Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

Our guess today on Blind Abilities is AJ Croce. AJ is a singer, songwriter, a killer piano player and guitarist, who has been in the entertainment business for more than 30 years. He has 10 studio albums under his belt, and more than 20 top hits in multiple music charts covering genres such as blues, jazz, country, Americana and more! he is also visually impaired.

Many of you will recognize the name Croce, as his father Jim was a huge international Star in the 1970s. He had a series of enormous hits that captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of listeners around the globe.

In this interview, AJ talks about his blindness and some of the circumstances which caused it in his early childhood.

AJ goes on to detail his life in the music business, which began in his mid-teens. This is a fascinating journey which you must, repeat must listen to!

Full Transcript

You can find all of the information you need on AJ's web site:

www.AJCroceMusic.com

and find him on social media: @AJCroce

we would love to hear from you!

Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Wellness Wednesday 2: General Anxiety Disorder (GAD) with Beth Gustin and Robin Ennis Aug 31, 2022

Show notes

In this 2nd episode of Wellness Wednesday, Beth Gustin, LPC and Robin Ennis, LCSW, CPC, talk about General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), what it may be and some practical coping strategies one can try.

Following our last episode on Social Anxiety, Beth and Robin define and explain the difference between Social and General Anxiety and offer some strategies for coping with General Anxiety Disorder.

Full Transcript

Show Hosts:

Robin Ennis on the web at www.robinennislcsw.com

Beth Gustin, LPC, NCC, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, CAGCS, PLGS

Www.transitioningthroughchange.com

You can message Beth and Robin by calling 612-367-6093 or by email. Let them know if they can use your message on the show. They are looking forward to hearing from you.

Web Site

we would love to hear from you!

Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Aira Explorer App Goes Live on the BlindShell Classic 2 Accessible Cell Phone. Jenine Stanley, Director of Customer Communications at Aira Brings Us the Breaking News! Aug 29, 2022

Show notes

Jenine Stanley joins Pete and Jeff in the Blind Abilities Studio to break the news that the Aira Explorer App is now on the BlindShell Classic 2 accessible Cell Phone.

Listen in as Jenine demonstrates the BlindShell navigation, the voice and of course Aira Explorer being right in the menu. With all tactile buttons, the BlindShell Classic 2 is becoming the tactile button accessible cell phone we thought we would always have and now Aira is available in the BlindShell Classic 2 app library.

To learn more about the specials offered by Aira and BlindShell, checkout the Aira Announcement here.

and join the Aira WhatsApp Group to contribute and learn about the Aira Explorer experiences.

You can also check out the BlindShell Classic 2 group on Groups.io.

episode web site

we would love to hear from you!

Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093

Mac101 Demo: App Store Navigation on the Mac Using Command Plus 1 Through 8 Aug 27, 2022

Show notes

Thanks to Greg for sending me a message when he heard the App Store demo I did on the Tech Abilities showwhere I navigated the cumbersome App Store table. With this tip of using Command plus 1 through 8, one can jump from section to section. So thanks Greg!

If you have any feedback or suggestions, give us a call at 612-554-2530, we would love to hear from you. You can email us at info@BlindAbilities.com and find us on Twitter @BlindAbilities.

You can find all of our iPhone101/QuickByte Demos and much more on the web at BlindAbilities.com and be sure to subscribe to Blind Abilities, that's 2 words, Blind Abilities, wherever you listen to podcasts.

Thanks for listening!

Tech Abilities: Sonic Graphs, Mac App Store, Kim Kardashian Beats, NASA's iPad Journey and are you a Buncher, Folder or Wrapper? And, More Tech Tidbits for you all! Aug 22, 2022

Show notes

In this Tech Abilities episode Serina, Callie and Jeff welcome Seyoon Choi to the show. He is working on his major and undergrad simultaneously While playing Blind Hockey and working at the local fruit store. From Kardashian Beats Fit Pros, to NVDA at Texas State, Demos on the Audio Graphs in the iPhone and the Mac App Store navigation. That's just for beginners! We also dive into Fully Autonomous Vehicles, an autonomous Vehicle Assistant Being developed, Spotify acquires Book Stream company and a big summer opportunity to get on-board. Did you know that NASA is sending up an iPad to test Alexa? Sorry Seri, I'm working on that. Plus much more news and tidbits from around the 3rd rock from the sun, and all from our Blindness perspectives. Links to some of the topics covered in this Tech Abilities episode: Beats Fit Pro gets a Kim Kardashian makeover — and sells out fast

The 3 new colors are: Moon (light), Dune (medium) and Earth

Latest Spotify deals offer three-month free trial, or three months for $9.99 Spotify Paid $120 Million to Acquire an Audiobook Platform Find A Way

an audio streaming platform that allows users to create and distribute their own audiobooks

NVDA to help the blind read screens hits US

NASA is sending an iPad around the moon to help test Alexa in space How AI Is Being Used To Help Blind Students 'Visualize' Graphs And Charts VEMI Lab researchers earn federal prize, invite to White House for software that makes self-driving cars more accessible

The Blind Grind is Live! Serena Olsen and Lisamaria Martinez, AKA Two Sassy Blind Bloggers, Tell All! Confidence Coaching, Starts with Quiche, Secret Ice Cream Adventures and Murderous Cats Aug 20, 2022

Show notes

The Sassy Bloggers, @BlindBroad and @BayAreaBlindMom, joined Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities Studio for an awesome half hour of laughs, divulgence, awareness and what they do living the life they want.

Lisamaria Martinez is a Confidence Coach with a focus on women in the workplace, moms and even those with cats. She has worked in the non-profits surrounding the Blindness World and decided to set out on her coaching career. As a mother of three, Lisamaria finds time to share her experiences and join her long time friend Serena Olsen for a good time on The Blind Grind, a Facebook Live show every Wednesday.

Serena Olsen shares her passions and culinary skills on her blog, It Starts with Quiche, with recipes and learn about her Sweep the Fridge Quiche and her murderous cats. Yes, the Quiche and Cats are separate stories, promise.

You can find Serena Olsen on Twitter @Blind_Broad

Her It Starts with Quiche on Facebook.

Follow Serena on Instagram.

Her Clubhouse profile and email sign-up..

You can find Lisamaria Martinez on Twitter @BayAreaBlindMom

Her Blog at Bay Area Blind Mom

You can check out the 2 Sassy Blind Bloggers on Facebook Live at The Blind Grind every Wednesday.

Web Site

we would love to hear from you!

Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093