1753 Year-End Special: How We Create Eyes On Success (Dec. 27, 2017)
Show Notes
Several listeners have asked about how we create the show. This week hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey explain how we do everything from selecting topics and guests to recording and editing to posting the podcasts and maintaining our web presence including the tools and techniques we use at each step.
1752 Running with a Guide Dog (Dec. 20, 2017)
Show Notes
Guide dogs are trained to help the blind navigate throughout the day in many different environments. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Thomas Panek, president of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, about a new skill for which his organization is training dogs – running with their blind owners. We’ll hear how this is done and how it is working out for Thomas.
1751 Pros and Cons of Having a Guide Dog (Dec. 13, 2017)
Show Notes
Although guide dogs can provide blind individuals with a greater sense of independence, they may not be for everyone. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Thomas Panek, president of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, about how his organization trains guide dogs and matches them with owners. They also talk about the pros and cons of having a guide dog.
1750 Tour of Colorado Talking Book Library (Dec. 6, 2017)
Show Notes
The National Library Service (NLS) distributes free audio and Braille reading material to U.S. citizens with print disabilities through a network of regional libraries. Join hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey and Debbi MacLeod, Director of the Colorado Talking Book Library, to learn how they record and distribute books and other materials.
1749 Talking Book Library Services (Nov. 29, 2017)
Show Notes
The National Library Service (NLS) distributes free audio and Braille reading material to U.S. citizens with print disabilities through a network of regional libraries. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Debbi MacLeod, Director of the Colorado Talking Book Library, about the day-to-day operation of the library and the services that are available.
1748 Hunting With Little Or No Vision (Nov. 22, 2017)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dirk Price, an avid hunter who has continued to hunt even after his vision failed, and John Brod, president of the Physically Challenged Bowhunters of America, a nationwide non-profit which provides hunting opportunities for men, women and youth with all kinds of physical challenges in almost every state.
1747 RightHear App for Orientation in Public Venues (Nov. 15, 2017)
Show Notes
New technologies and smart devices are making it ever easier for blind individuals to easily navigate and know what is around them in public venues. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Idan Meir, one of the founders of RightHear, about how this new company is partnering with commercial venues to make them more accessible to people who are blind.
1746 TravelEyes (Nov. 8, 2017)
Show Notes
If you are blind and like to travel, wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a sighted guide to accompany you on your adventures? TravelEyes offers just such a service by pairing blind travelers with sighted guides. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dan Raymond, communications and media assistant at TravelEyes, about the service and how it works.
1745 Be My Eyes Smart Phone App (Nov. 1, 2017)
Show Notes
Be My Eyes is an app that connects blind and visually impaired people with sighted helpers from around the world via a live video connection using a smart phone. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Hans Jorgen Wiberg, the founder of Be My Eyes, about the inspiration behind this free service and how it works to help in everyday tasks.
1744 Buying a Rental Property (Oct. 25, 2017)
Show Notes
Have you ever wanted to purchase a house either to live in or as an investment? Are you thinking that as a blind person that might be a questionable thing to do? Well think again! Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ana Garza, who has been blind since birth, about her experiences buying a rental property and how she is making it work for her.
1743 Conditions and Technology in Kenya (Oct. 18, 2017)
Show Notes
The services and resources that are available to the blind vary greatly around the world from country to country. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Paul Mugambi, a trainer and advocate for people with vision loss, who grew up in Kenya and is now living in Australia. Learn about how different conditions are in these two countries.
1742 Evolution of Assistive Technologies (Oct. 11, 2017)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey take a historical walk down memory lane and talk about the evolution of assistive technologies for the visually impaired. In particular, they’ll discuss some of the aids and technologies that Peter used as a young boy, as a student, and as a research scientist and what accommodations he made as his vision declined.
1741 Together Again - Leaders Who Made a Difference (part 2 of 2) (Oct. 4, 2017)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey continue the conversation with three leaders in the field of assistive technology: Deane Blazie, Jim Fruchterman, and Ted Henter. They made pioneering contributions to the development of refreshable Braille displays, OCR, and screen readers, respectively. Learn about their visions for the future in this informative round table discussion.
1740 Together Again - Leaders Who Made a Difference (part 1 of 2) (Sep. 27, 2017)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey bring together three leaders in the field of assistive technology: Deane Blazie, Jim Fruchterman, and Ted Henter. They made pioneering contributions to the development of refreshable Braille displays, OCR, and screen readers, respectively. Learn what each of them is up to today in this informative round table discussion.
1739 Running with a Remote Aira Guide (Sep. 20, 2017)
Show Notes
Aira is a service developed to give the blind instant access to information using a smart phone, a video camera, and a remote sighted agent. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Erich Manser, a blind distance runner and triathlete, and Jess Jakeway, a sighted distance runner who served as Erich’s remote guide using Aira at the 2017 Boston Marathon.
1738 Accessible Trails and Blind Birding (Sep. 13, 2017)
Show Notes
Many outdoor trails have been made so that they can now be enjoyed by people of varying abilities. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jerry Berrier, a blind nature enthusiast, and Lucy Gertz of the Mass Audubon Society about what constitutes an accessible trail, how they are developed, and how they can be enjoyed by the blind.
1737 Starting a New Podcast (Sep. 6, 2017)
Show Notes
When Terri and Greg Thrower decided to launch a podcast exploring the challenges of navigating the world as a blind person, they contacted EOS hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey to ask for advice. Their questions went way beyond the mechanics and into many interesting topics. This week’s episode contains our answers.
1736 Tips for Technology and Daily Living (Aug. 30, 2017)
Show Notes
Back by popular demand, this episode is another in the series of useful tips and tricks that you might or might not have known about. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey share ideas and demos from listeners (as well as from themselves) on topics from using smart phones and computers to dealing with everyday life. There’s sure to be a gem in here for everyone.
1735 Digitizing AFB’s Audio Files (Aug. 23, 2017)
Show Notes
Jane Kronheim and Roger Cicchese are audio engineers who specialize in restoring old audio recordings. Recently, they digitized recordings of Helen Keller for the archives of the American Foundation for the Blind. Listen to this and other recordings as hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with them about their work and share some fun stories.
1734 Retinitis Pigmentosa Research (Aug. 16, 2017)
Show Notes
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of rare, genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and loss of cells in the retina—which is the light sensitive tissue that lines the back of the eye. Hosts Nancy and Peter torpey talk with Ruanne Vent-Schmidt, a graduate student with RP whose research is focused on understanding the condition and developing treatments.
1733 ElBraille (Aug. 9, 2017)
Show Notes
ElBraille is a portable mobile computer running Windows 10 together with JAWS. It also contains a docking station, integrated with Freedom Scientific’s Focus 14 Braille display. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Svetlana Vasilyeva and Adi Kushnir of the Elita Group about this device designed for blind and deaf-blind users.
1732 College Bound (Aug. 2, 2017)
Show Notes
Getting ready for and attending college can be a daunting process, even if one is fully sighted. But what if one has a visual impairment? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ellen Trief, a Professor at Hunter College, about her book “College Bound – A Guide for Students with Visual Impairments” which offers practical advice for prospective and current students.
1731 Moving Experiences (Jul. 26, 2017)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey finally completed their move cross country from Rochester, New York to Golden, Colorado. They describe the experience highlighting aspects from the perspective of one who is visually impaired. Join them as they talk about selecting a house, packing and unpacking, making the trip, and even taking time to have a little fun!
1730 Wounded in Action - Active in Life (Jul. 19, 2017)
Show Notes
As a U.S. Army infantryman in World War II, Don Wedewer lost his vision and both legs at the age of 19. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Don’s son, Harry, about how his father overcame institutional and social barriers and went on to have a family and rewarding career in which he worked to improve the lives of other people with vision loss.
1729 Encore of 1242 Downloading and Reading Books on a Smart Phone (Jul. 12, 2017)
Show Notes
As smart phones become more powerful and numerous, people have developed great apps for them. This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey will discuss and demonstrate how you can directly download books onto a smart phone and read them with it. Apps include Read2Go from Bookshare, Overdrive from public libraries, and an app from Learning Ally.
1728 Encore of 1644 Currency Identification (Jul. 5, 2017)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Leonard Olijar, director of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing about current features to make US currency easier for visually impaired people to identify it, as well as their plans to make it easier still. We’ll also discuss their smart phone app and free hardware device that can identify US currency for you.
1727 Braille Labeling and Learning Products (Jun. 28, 2017)
Show Notes
“Wouldn’t it be great if?” was the question that sparked a father to develop a novel way for his autistic son to communicate with others. Eventually LoganTech was formed and went on to develop assistive devices for the blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Glen Dobbs, founder of LoganTech, about his journey and products he developed.
1726 Research in Low-Vision Technology (Jun. 21, 2017)
Show Notes
Advances in computer technologies have opened up opportunities for assisting the visually impaired in new and innovative ways. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Shiri Azenkot, Assistant Professor at the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech, about some of her current projects and research in accessibility and human computer interactions.
1725 Low Vision Optometry (Jun. 14, 2017)
Show Notes
There is no question that people with vision problems should be seen by an ophthalmologist to evaluate their condition. Low vision specialists, on the other hand, aim to provide solutions to help in daily living. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dr. George Kornfeld, a low vision optometrist, about aids and services that you might find beneficial.
1724 Encore of 1517 Jim Fruchterman - Social Entrepreneur (Jun. 7, 2017)
Show Notes
Jim Fruchterman is the founder and CEO of Benetech, which operates Bookshare, an accessible online library of e-books in audio, Braille, large font and other formats for people with print disabilities. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about how he became interested in OCR, the founding of Arkenstone, and the inspiration behind Bookshare.
1723 Encore of 1233 An Interview with Ted Henter (May 31, 2017)
Show Notes
If you use the JAWS screen reader, chances are you've heard of Ted Henter who founded Henter-Joyce and later sold the company to Freedom Scientific. This week, Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ted about his contributions to assistive technologies and other projects. If you think you know where the "Joyce" came from in Henter-Joyce, be prepared for a surprise!
1722 Encore of 1225 A Talk with Deane Blazie (May 24, 2017)
Show Notes
In the course of his career, Deane Blazie developed and produced the Braille 'n Speak, the Braille Lite, the Braille Blazer and other innovations in accessibility technology. Join hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey as they speak with him about those, other of his products and some more recent projects he's worked on.
1721 Cisco Academy for the Vision Impaired (May 17, 2017)
Show Notes
The Cisco Academy for the Vision Impaired, or CAVI, is a technology school for the blind and visually impaired that offers remote classes covering many topics from music production to computer systems administration. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian Shaw, one of CAVI’s teachers, about their programs and how they work.
1720 NVDA Conference 2017 (May 10, 2017)
Show Notes
NVDA is a free screen reader for Windows. For the past several years, the annual NVDACon has provided a forum for developers, users, and others to share what’s new, suggestions for future improvements, and much more. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Derek Riemer and Bhavya Shah, co-chairs of this year’s annual international web-based conference.
1719 Accessible Linux (May 3, 2017)
Show Notes
Linux is a free alternative operating system for your computer. However, of the many versions of Linux that exist, only Vinux and Sonar GNU have been accessible to the visually impaired out of the box. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with several contributors to these projects about plans to merge both versions and what to expect in the future.
1718 The Helen Keller Archives (Apr. 26, 2017)
Show Notes
Helen Selsdon is the archivist for the American Foundation for the Blind. She joined the AFB in 2002 to organize and preserve their Helen Keller Archives. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about her work and about this rich source of information on Helen Keller and her advocacy for the disabled, women's rights, and other causes.
1717 Encore of 1308 Progress in Speech Synthesis (Apr. 19, 2017)
Show Notes
Much adaptive technology relies on speech synthesis, which has evolved from humble beginnings to nearly human sounding speech. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with Andrew Breen, director of innovation for text to speech at Nuance Communications, about the history, current technology and future goals of speech synthesis.
1716 When You Have a Story to Tell (Apr. 12, 2017)
Show Notes
Even as a child, Jo Elizabeth Pinto enjoyed writing. Now, what started as a few chapters in high school, has grown into her debut novel, “The Bright Side of Darkness.” Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about the experiences that led her to write this book about a brave young blind girl and her unlikely friend, and also about getting it published.
1715 Audio Book Narrator (Apr. 5, 2017)
Show Notes
You’ve probably heard her voice on a Talking Book from the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped. Martha Harmon Pardee has narrated over 3,000 books for the NLS. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about the process of recording audio books, notable moments in her career, and what else she does as a professional voice artist.
1714 Blind Software Engineer (Mar. 29, 2017)
Show Notes
Computers are very accessible to the visually impaired these days. There are also many attractive employment opportunities for those with computer-related skills, particularly if they know how to program. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tom Shults, a blind engineer, about his career and how he uses these skills in developing new hardware devices.
1713 Ultra Sports Challenges (Mar. 22, 2017)
Show Notes
Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to summit Mount Everest, has released a new book called “No Barriers: A Blind Man’s Journey to Kayak the Grand Canyon”. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about his adventures and about “No Barriers”, an organization he co-founded whose mission is to help people with challenges face barriers head on.
1712 Data Visualization Updates from SAS (Mar. 15, 2017)
Show Notes
The SAS Graphics Accelerator makes graphical data accessible to the visually impaired by dynamically producing alternative presentations in the form of verbal description, sonification, and tabular data. Ed Summers, a blind engineer and head of the accessibility team at SAS, demos the tools and discusses their use with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey.
1711 Teaching Blind Children (Mar. 8, 2017)
Show Notes
Carol Puchalski has worked for over 30 years as a developmental psychology consultant at the Anchor Center for Blind Children in Colorado. She recently returned from a trip to Uganda where she volunteered to assist a school for the blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Carol about her experiences helping blind children both in the U.S. and abroad.
1710 Graphiti Refreshable Tactile Graphics Display (Mar. 1, 2017)
Show Notes
Graphiti is a dynamic multi-level tactile touch display designed to give the blind access to graphical and pictorial information at an affordable price. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Venkatesh Chari, President and CTO at Orbit Research, and Ken Perry, project manager at APH, about this revolutionary, page-size display and how it can be used.
1709 Low Vision Products from VFO (Feb. 22, 2017)
Show Notes
A wide variety of low vision aids are available to assist people with limited vision. They range in size, magnification capability, and function. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ivar Illing, Vice President of Product Management at VFO / Optelec, about the various products offered by VFO and how to select the one that’s right for you.
1708 DictationBridge (Feb. 15, 2017)
Show Notes
Microsoft Windows now comes with built in speech recognition. Unfortunately, on its own, it is difficult to use with a screen reader. DictationBridge is a free program that solves this problem using most popular screen readers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Lucy Greco, a member of the team that created the technology, about how it works.
1707 Acting Blind (Feb. 8, 2017)
Show Notes
Pursuing a career in the performing arts as a professional actor comes with a number of challenges whether one is blind or not. Even for the blind, however, these barriers are not insurmountable. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with George Ashiotis about his career and experiences as a blind actor and how he manages to live his dream.
1706 Theater Breaking Through Barriers (Feb. 1, 2017)
Show Notes
Theater Breaking Through Barriers is an Off-Broadway theater and one of several professional theaters in the country dedicated to advancing actors and writers with disabilities and changing the image of people with disabilities from dependence to independence. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Nicholas Viselli, artistic director of TBTB, about their work.
1705 Guide to Accessibility of iOS Devices (Jan 25, 2017)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Shelly Brisbin, author of the book “iOS Access for All: The Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch”. The book is an excellent reference guide to accessibility features in iOS devices and also gives step by step instructions for using these features with many popular apps.
1704 Employment Opportunities at NASA (Jan. 18, 2017)
Show Notes
The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration is a leader in technology and dedicated to disability hiring and inclusion. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kenneth Silberman and Dr. Evelina Felicite-Mauric from the education department of NASA about internships, fellowships and other employment opportunities for students and professionals.
1703 Blind Driver Challenge (Jan. 11, 2017)
Show Notes
Attitudes about what the blind can and cannot do have been challenged by the work of the National Federation of the Blind’s Jernigan Institute and their efforts to create a car that the blind can drive independently. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mark Riccobono, President of the NFB, about this project and what it is like to drive a car without seeing.
1702 Guide Dogs - The Training (Jan. 4, 2017)
Show Notes
Did you ever wonder what is involved in training a guide dog or what the experience is like for the recipient of a dog? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey walk through the process when they talk with Maria Nuzzi, a Guide Dog Mobility Instructor at Guide Dog Foundation and America’s Vet Dogs and Andrew Rubenstein, director of Marketing for the Foundation.
1701 Guide Dogs - An Overview (Dec. 28, 2016)
Show Notes
What is involved in getting and working with a guide dog? Is a guide dog right for you? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey address these and other questions with Carolyn Giambalvo, a Consumer Services Associate at Guide Dog Foundation and America’s Vet Dogs, her guide dog Alice, and Andrew Rubenstein, the Director of Marketing.
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