Blind Abilities

Latest Episodes:

The Universe Just Became More Accessible - Meet Timothy Spuck and the IDATA Project and their New AfterGlow Access Software for the BVI Jun 18, 2021

Show notes

Timothy Spuck from Associated Universities Inc.(AUI),, joins Jeff Thompson in the Blind Abilities studio, and talks about his involvement with the IDATA Project. The chief component of the project is theirå new and improved software, AfterGlow Access, that aids individuals without sight by converting astronomical images into soundscapes which can be heard by blind and visually impaired (BVI)folks.

Full Transcript

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

Taking Charge of your Goals, Destination and Education: Meet Hannah Harriman and Her Journey of Transitioning from High School to College to the Workplace Jun 17, 2021

Show notes

In the Blind Abilities Studio, Hannah Harriman sits down with Jeff Thompson to talk about her academic and employment journey. From her early days and her Individual Education Plan (IEP) In Grade School to her Individual Plan for Employment (IPE) as she attended the Summer Transition Program, MN State Academy for the Blind and went off to college to her two current jobs, Hannah is excited about her future.

Full Transcript

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

Voice over Karaoke on the Apple Music App? Kind of, Sort of, in a Way. Demonstration of the Lyrics Feature with VoiceOver. Jun 11, 2021

Show notes

Open up your native Music App on your iPhone, iPad, iPod, iMac, MacBook or even on Apple TV, and play a song. Open the mini-player to show the now playing screen and tap on the Lyrics button down near the bottom. With VoiceOver on, you will hear the lyrics just before the singing starts.

You can employ Air Play and play the song on your speakers or Apple TV system while VoiceOver remains in your device for clarity, as I see it, or should I say, as I hear it? 

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

iPhone101: Lists, Lists and More Lists - Flicking and Swiping Be Gone,; A Couple of More Efficient Ways to Manage Your Way Out of a Long List Jun 09, 2021

Show notes

Blind Abilities adds to the iPhone101 Catalogue with this short, but informative demonstration of how to navigate your way out of a long list. Have you ever found yourself way, way down in your mail Inbox, processing your email, but when finished, you can't get back to the top without having to flick through those endless emails, one at a time? How about the same scenario in your Messages app, or even worse, Facebook Dropbox or YouTube? read more

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

Learning Ally's College Success Program: Giving You the Tools and Support You Need to Thrive During College and Beyond. Meet coordinator Abigail Shaw, Mentor Rachel Grider and Mentee Gabi Mendonca Jun 01, 2021

Show notes

Learning Ally's College Success Program coordinator, Abigail Shaw, gives us a history of Learning Ally and dives deep into the College Success Program.

Mentor, Rachel Grider, and Mentee, Gabi Mendonca, explain how the College Success Program works from their experience as a Mentor and a college student perspective.

You can get all the details on the web at College Success Program

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

There Is Still so Much More to Do. Thomas Reid: The Conversation. Host of the Reid My Mind Radio Podcast. May 27, 2021

Show notes

Full Transcript Show Summary:

Thomas Reid lost his sight back in 2004 and found podcasts as a way back into learning and getting his message out to the world. Coming from the IT sector, Thomas found technology and screen readers as a way back to the workplace and never looked back. He now host the Reid My Mind Podcast, is a Voice Artist and an advocate and voice for the Blind and African Americans.

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

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" May 25, 2021

Show notes

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 film, Feeling Through.Nor did he ever think he would receive the part and become the first DeafBlind actor in an Oscar nominated film. But that is exactly what happened.

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

Tech Abilities: Deep Into the Weeds with Post Pandemic and VR, Sonification and spatial Recognition, LG Gram Laptop, Air Tag symphony and the BA Studio Goes Mask Free! May 19, 2021

Show notes

Serina, Raqi and Jeff are all doble jabbed and on their way for full vaccination. And the crew went deep into some topics, deep into the weeds as they say. Marlon joins Jeff to bring Audio Drama to life on the Blind Abilities show. Here is a chronological list of the topics we dug into and we hope you enjoy!

We 3 got our 2 shots each, but separately.

Send us an email at info@BlindAbilities.com or give us a call and leave us some feedback at 612-367-6093 we would love to hear from you!

Accessible Astronomy: A More Inclusive Experience Thanks to Visualization Scientist Kimberly Arcand and the Talk Description to Me Team, Christine Malec and JJ Hunt May 11, 2021

Show notes

Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Scientist Emerging Technology Lead for NASA's Chandra Observatory at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard and Smithsonian, has been working with Christine Malec and JJ Hunt, from the Talk Description to Me Podcasts, describing imagery created from data gathered by a variety of telescopes.

Kimberly's work in visualization has connected her up with Christine and JJ to describe the imagery in a way that brings the scientific and abstract languages together to help bring about a more inclusive experience from the data conceptualized for imagery.

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

Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute is Listening to the Future of Navigation – Meet Engineer, Brandon Biggs May 09, 2021

Show notes

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 appliances, iNavigate, an indoor way-finding app, and Audiom, an audio variation of Maps.

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

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