Blind Abilities

That Blind Tech Show Ep. 10 brings a vast array of topics and information from the Apple Watch experience, to the Talking Amazon TV, Amazon Echo waking you up in song or your favorite station, Turning off the Echo dot microphone, and a bit about using the app or the #FB SelectiveTwweets App in Facebook to post in both in one step. Bryan talks about the Air Pods and setting the volume on his new Apple watch. Allison talks about a new game coming out for the PC called A Hero’s Call from Out Of Sight Games. We sail through this episode covering more gidgets, gadgets and news stuff that you better wear a life jacket, or, knee high boots if you’re going to wade through all this. Check out the links below to some of the topics mentioned in Episode 10 of That Blind Tech show. Amazon Prime Video arrives on Apple TV in over 100 countries Seeing AI Gets money, handwriting, color recognition Amazon Echo can now wake you up to music Apple reportedly buys podcast search engine Apple Pay Cash now avail to send money to friends Apple and indoor mapping now avail at 34 airports and malls Apps We like Get Human App on IOS Twitterrific for the Mac Office 365 for the Mac Audible On IOS Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Blind Abilities presents the TVI Toolbox. Where the collaboration between Teachers, Counselors, Parents, Agencies and the Students themselves help enhance the opportunities for success. Transitioning from high school to college and the workplace is a major step and the beginning of lifetime goals and aspirations. As Wesley Sissen, the featured Transition Student in the Success Stories portion of this podcast, puts it very well, “No one has to do it alone.” From the TVI’s to the Agency counselor’s and program specialist, working together along with parents as well, is creating more opportunities and successes for Transition age students. Sharing experiences through Success Stories, sharing programs that make a positive impact, sharing ideas, findings, upcoming events and the Tools for Success all play a part in making the transition process a natural progression and better understood by all. In this introductory episode we illustrate the collaboration between TVI’s and State Services for the Blind personnel. In the Tools for Success the FreeIOS Seeing AI app is given an overview. This Swiss Army Knife of an app does OCR, Product Identification, Color detection, light detection and even Hand Writing detection. Microsoft’s accessibility team has done wonders with this new app for the iPhone making it a personal favorite for many in the blindness community. On The Horizon is a bulletin space for upcoming events, information and resources submitted by listeners and our staff. You can submit to On the Horizon by emailing jessica Hodges. The Success Stories feature an experience of a Transition Student, whether they are attending college, preparing for college or are now employed, the Success Stories brings a positive and a sharing of the experience of transitioning from high school to college and the work place. Here are the links to the information we bring to this episode. Paths To Literacy Parent Child Institute 2018 The Parent Child Institute(PCI) is open to all Minnesota families with children, birth to 6, who are Blind or Visually Impaired and/or deaf/blind (including children with additional disabilities). Topics will include: advocating for your child, music therapy, pre-braille literacy, Orientation Mobility, sensory needs, and being an active member of the IFSP/IEP process… Seeing AI App for the iPhone Seeing AI is a free app that narrates the world around you. Designed for the blind and low vision community, this ongoing research project harnesses the power of AI to open up the visual world and describe nearby people, text and objects. Optimized for use with VoiceOver, the app enables you to recognize: • Short Text – Speaks text as soon as it appears in front of the camera. • Documents – Provides audio guidance to capture a printed page, and recognizes the text, along with its original formatting. • Products – Scans barcodes, using audio beeps to guide you; hear the name, and package information when available. (works with iPhone 6 and later) • People – Saves people’s faces so you can recognize them, and get an estimate of their age, gender, and emotions. • Scenes (early preview) – Hear an overall description of the scene captured. • Currency – Recognizes currency notes. • Color – Identifies color. • Handwriting – Reads handwritten text. • Light – Generates an audible tone corresponding to the brightness in the surroundings. • Images in other apps – Just tap “Share” and “Recognize with Seeing AI” to ...

Hy Cohen teaches assistive technology , is a husband and a father who places a lot of focus on the family. Hy is an advocate for change and has worked to create a law. Layla’s Law, that gives service animals rights and protections. Accepting challenges is just part of Hy’s life style. Hy is an Aira Explorer and uses the Aira technology to read books to his daughter, locate her at the park and have instant access to information. Join Jeff Thompson in this 20 minute interview and hear about teaching, education, parenting, and changing the law because he could. You can follow Hy on Twitter @HyCohen Check out Aira on the web and how Aira Smart Glasses can impact your daily explorations. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store

Aira Presents, Explorer Stories, a look into the extraordinary and often ordinary stories of Aira Explorers and how they use this technology in their daily lives. In this episode of Explorer Stories, Aira presents Stephanie Hurd. We hope you enjoy. For some in the blind community horseback riding, surfing, rock climbing or zip lining might be the ultimate experiences to stoke their adventurer fire. For others, just shopping or taking a walk through the neighborhood are what really matter most. And then there are those who do it all because they’ve found that Aira brings with it the freedom to explore, experience and engage in virtually anything they might want to do. Meet Stephanie Hurd. Stephanie first heard about Aira through a friend, and as fate would have it had the opportunity to try it for herself at the Future In Sight offices where she creates and manages programs for the visually impaired community in New Hampshire. Stephanie has found that this new service is making trips for work more enjoyable by enabling her to freely and confidently explore hotels. The information she gets from her agent gives her independence not previously possible. At the end of the day, whether Stephanie is at work teaching a technology class for other visually impaired people, traveling for an event or conference, shopping or just hanging out with her family Aira is becoming a part of every day. And when she sums it up, it is easy to see why. “It’s pretty simple.” Stephanie says, “I found a greater level of freedom and independence for sure with the Aira Glasses.” Stay tuned for more Explorer Stories, presented by Aira. You can find out more about Aira, on the web and subscribe today! Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Join the Blind Abilities Team for a Lil Sumpin’ Sumpin’ for the Holidays. Nick, Jessica, Pete and Jeff along with friends serve of some holiday wishes and gift ideas for all to consider. We thought sharing our stocking stuffing incarnations would help spread the joy of giving during the festive month of December. We hope you enjoy and to all, a wonderful Holiday Season and to all, a Happy new Year! The Blind Abilities Team. With the ever changing sales and promotions we thought it best to suggest checking your favorite stores and outlets for the suggested gift ideas. amazon.com offers a wide variety of goods and remember to check the reviews as they may help in your decision making process. Remember to be aware of deals that seem to good to be real. PayPal and other forms of transaction offer some safeguards in your purchased agreements. Shop wisely and safely. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

The Amazon Prime Video App is now on Apple TV. Just go into your Apple TV and click on the Apps icon and search for Prime Video. Do not type in Amazon. Go figure, eh? You will need an Apple TV 3rd Generation or newer, and you will need an Amazon prime account and then just sign in and the shows are at your finger-tips. For Audio Description you will have to pause the show you are watching and then swipe down to media controls and then swipe to Audio and in the audio section you will find Language and then swipe down to English US and swipe down again to the next English US and single finger double tap and Audio description is on. I put the new Prime Video App in the top row of my apps right next to Netflix. It may be cold here in Minnesota but having this new addition to my Apple TV warmed things up a bit especially with Audio Description working as well as it does. Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Allison, Jeff and Bryan bring you another That Blind Tech Show talking about some of the tech news with a blindness perspective. This episode has gadgets, deals, suggestions and a lot of Allison’s cool tools. Learn about the Sonos 1, the GE Laundry box that talks, Content blockers, chargers and we almost cover everything there is to cover but that would put a lot of news people out of business. So, we kept it to about 50 minutes. Be sure to check the links below to learn more about what the heck we were talking about.

Aira Presents, Explorer Stories, a look into the extraordinary and often ordinary stories of Aira Explorers and how they use this technology in their daily lives. In this episode of Explorer Stories, Aira presents Hy Cohen. We hope you enjoy. For any working parent, balancing the demands of the job with the needs to be actively involved in a home with small children can be challenging. One father of two who is a does not let blindness stand in the way of creating and sharing special moments with his first grader daughter, making memories that will last a lifetime. Meet Hy Cohen, an Aira Explorer since July 2017 who is discovering richer visual experiences by tapping into today’s fastest growing assistive community for the blind and visually impaired. Work at a local non-profit serving California’s San Joaquin County is full busy days that can include teaching several adaptive technologies classes, helping clients develop adaptive skills, or doing assessments for the Department of Rehabilitation and Veteran’s Administration. So after a busy day at the office one could think Hy probably relaxes with a quiet evening at home. Right? With a daughter in first grade, Hy is finding ways to make daddy daughter moments memorable for them both. As most parents will readily acknowledge, most seven year old kids are—-to say the least—active. And is Hy’s daughter any different?As every parent knows, life with an active seven year old is not always just a walk in the park. There are those nights when a first grader’s homework becomes the shared experience. And it is no different at the Cohen house where Hy is an active participant on homework night. Having the sighted assistance his Aira Agent provides helps Hy engage and participate more fully in homework sessions, but doesn’t stop there. He also uses the service to enrich their shared reading sessions, creating special moments for both dad and daughter. Stay tuned for more Explorer Stories, presented by Aira. You can find out more about Aira, on the web and subscribe today! Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Dr. Mona Minkara and her team at the University of Minnesota recently created a STEM curriculum to be utilized by a blind camp in Lebanon. Dr. Mona Minkara is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Chemistry. Her goal is to one day obtain a faculty position that would give her the opportunity to teach and do research. She is also passionate about bringing STEM, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, to those who would not have the opportunities otherwise. Her team including John Hamill and Connor Venteicher, built a STEM curriculum for a camp in Lebanon ran by a non-profit called empowerment through Integration. Dr. Mona Minkara lost most of her sight at age 7 and now has less than 2 percent of vision in only one eye. Through her educational journey she has been very appreciative of those who helped her along the way and is committed to helping others. Join us as she talks about her passion and the STEP program and how we can make changes in the low expectations that stand in our way. You can find out more about Dr. Mona Minkara on the web at www.MonaMinkara.com You can also find out about all her techniques and devices that she employed along her educational and science journey. www.MonaMinkara.com/scientist-tools/ Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

In this Cast we are talking to Poonam Vaidya from India. She spent last summer at Enchanted Hills Camp and… The #RebuildEHC series is where we are bringing awareness to the #RebuildEHC to gain support for rebuilding Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat. The largest fire in California history did not spare EHC and the spirit has not been broken. Rebuilding EHC for future generations is the goal this year and next year and that is what is going to make this time so memorable. You can support the #RebuildEHC by going to www.Lighthouse-SF.org/enchanted-hills/rebuilding/ In this Cast we are talking to Poonam Vaidya from India. She spent last summer at Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat as a counselor and shares her story about her Blindness, ambitions and the differences she has noticed between our two cultures, India and United States. Poonam has returned to India and has hopes to someday see changes come to her culture and I am sure she will be there on the front lines fighting for the independence and education for her Blind community. You can contact Poonam by email Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

The Wood Working for the Blind #WW4B Series is about Blind wood workers honing their craft or just getting interested in the art of wood working. We are also bringing awareness to the #RebuildEHC to gain support for rebuilding Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat. The largest fire in California history did not spare EHC and the spirit has not been broken. Rebuilding EHC for future generations is the goal this year and next year and that is what is going to make this time so memorable. You can support the #RebuildEHC by going to www.Lighthouse-SF.org/enchanted-hills/rebuilding/ In this WW4B podcast we talk to Brett Holly, former Apple employee, woodworker, and family guy. Brett left Apple after 21 years and was already building his 40 x 40 work shop when he lost his sight. Brett found the Lighthouse of San Fransisco’s wood working work shops and has been coming back ever since. I met Brent when I was assisting master craftsman George Wurtzel at the Annual Wood Working for the Blind event at Enchanted Hills Camp and Retreat. Brett and I worked on setting up jigs on various machines as he wanted to learn about making consistent cuts. After a few days of work we took a break outside the Tactile Arts Barn, of which survived the fire, and conducted this interview. Join us as Brett tells his story and gives us a glimpse of how he sees the future and how he takes on the challenges of blindness. You can find out more about WW4B on the web at www.WW4B.org Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

HIMS NorthEast sales representative Jeff Bazer gives us a overview of the Braille Sense Polaris, the Blaze EZ Reader and a comparative look at the Braille Sense U2 and the new Polaris. We talked to Jeff Bazer back in April and it is always a good time when we meet up. Jeff is usually flying around the states from show to show so we really appreciate Jeff for taking the time to share with us and give us an overview of some of HIMS great products. You can contact Jeff Bazer by email You can find out more about HIMS products on the web at www.Hims.inc.com Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

One Veteran’s wish for All Blinded Veterans. Independence Aira Presents, Explorer Stories, a look into the extraordinary and often ordinary stories of Aira Explorers and how they use this technology in their daily lives. Before losing his sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa fourteen years ago, Chuck Miller retired after a 28-year Army career. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys daily walks with his guide dog Troy, frequent hikes in the northeastern Florida woods and is the first veteran with blindness to be VA-certified as a sailor. He was an invited ambassador for the 2017 VA Summer Sports Clinic to mentor other veterans and as if that is not enough, he participates in the annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Suffice it to say he is a guy on the go. You can read his full story on the web. Stay tuned for more Explorer Stories, presented by Aira. You can find out more about Aira, on the web and subscribe today! Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

A Success Story: The Transitioning Journey of Alycia Howard Transitioning from High School to College is a journey says Alycia Howard. She has graduated from high school and attended an Adjustment To Blindness training center, The Minnesota State Academy 18+ prep program and is now attending Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Being ready for college and knowing what you want in a college is a great start in the transition process. Ashlyn Cahill joins us to explain what State Services is for transition age students and when they begin working with them. Alycia talks about each step along her journey and some of the events that made a big impact on her along the way. Join us as we travel through her journey and feel her confidence as she shares her transition experience. You can find out more about State Services for the Blind on the web. Or call the main office at 651-539-2300. Outside of Minnesota? Check out the State Agency Directory on the American Foundation for the Blind web site at www.AFB.org You can find out more about Vision Loss Resource on the web at visionlossresources.org Check out the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind on the web at msab.msa.state.mn.us Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

World Champion Lex Gillette: No Need for Sight When You Have a Vision ™ AT&T and Aira Present: Lex Gillette – World Record holder, 4 time World Champion, 4 time medalists, Ted XTalk Speaker, Mentor , and much more. Lex Gillette is an American track and field athlete who has proved to the world that there are absolutely no excuses. Retina detachments in both eyes have left him with the challenge of living life with no sight. Fortunately for Lex, once he lost his sight, he gained a vision. CONGRATULATIONS to Lex Gillette for winning gold in the long jump at the 2017 Para Athletics World Championships. This marks the third consecutive world champion title in the event for Gillette and it is a phenomenal way to start the four-year journey that leads to Tokyo 2020. Join the Blind Abilities team, Pete Lane and Jeff Thompson, as they talk to Lex Gillette and discover what drives him to achieve such a high level of success. You can find out more about Lex Gillette on his web site www.LexGillette.com You can find his TEDx Talk on the web. You can find out more about AT&T #ExperienceMore on the web at ExperienceMore.ATT.com Learn more about Aira, Instant Access to Information and subscribe on-line today! Thank you for listening! You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com Send us an email Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.