2352 Turning the Tables on the Torpey's (Dec. 27, 2023)
Show Notes
Capping off the 13th year of Eyes On Success, Sam Jasmine, host of the Disability and Progress podcast, interviews hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey about their show. You’ll learn how Eyes On Success got started, the mission of the show, how it evolved over the years, how guests are selected, and what the show has come to mean for the Torpey's.
2351 Foresight Adventure Guides for the Blind (Dec. 20, 2023)
Show Notes
Foresight provides accessible and affordable outdoor recreation like skiing and snowboarding for individuals with blindness or low vision, promoting fun, safety, and independence. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with board member and guide Bill Murphy, board member and participant Kevin Foster, and blind skier Claire Schultz about the program and their experiences.
2350 Uber - Making Movement Equal for All (Dec. 13, 2023)
Show Notes
Visually impaired people making use of a ride sharing service may have unique concerns such as the accessibility of the service, safety, accommodations for a guide dog, etc. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Briana Gilmore and Chris Yoon from Uber about how Uber addresses these concerns through its commitment to providing equal access to movement.
2349 Beyond Human Eyesight - AI and Visual Assistance (Dec. 6, 2023)
Show Notes
The Be My Eyes app now offers users their choice of whether to work with a sighted volunteer, an AI bot, or specific people in their own group of friends and family. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder and CEO Hans Jørgen Wiberg about the various options as well as recent privacy issues around facial description and recognition.
2348 Raising Awareness One Video at a Time (Nov. 29, 2023)
Show Notes
Lucy Edwards is a blind broadcaster, content creator, and disability activist living in the UK. One of her goals is to change how people see blindness. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lucy about what motivated her to start her social media presence, how it led to a position with the BBC, and why she says she has her dream job.
2347 iOS Access for All for iOS 17 (Nov. 22, 2023)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Shelly Brisbin, author of “iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPhone and iPad”, about this valuable reference guide. Shelly discusses what can be found in the book and highlights features of interest including Point To Speak, customizing Voiceover voices, Personal Voice, and more.
2346 Desmos Tools for Mathematics (Nov. 15, 2023)
Show Notes
Desmos Studios offers a variety of accessible software tools for working with mathematics including scientific and graphing calculators, a matrix calculator, and a new 3-D calculator. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Accessibility Specialist Stephen Clower from Desmos about how they came to make these tools accessible and about how they work.
2345 Tutorials for Using Band-in-a-Box with JAWS (Nov. 8, 2023)
Show Notes
Band-in-a-Box is a program that can be used to create complete professional arrangements of songs in almost any style by just typing in chords. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Gudrun Brunot about the tutorials she and Roy Robinson developed to help users navigate the myriad of features and enable them to effectively use the program with special JAWS scripts.
2344 Encore of 2020 Band-in-a-Box and the Updated JAWS Scripts (Nov. 1, 2023)
Show Notes
Band-in-a-Box from PG Music continues to evolve and introduce new features that are appealing to both professional and amateur musicians alike. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tobin Frank, chief development officer at PG Music, about the program and how the scripts Peter developed make this program accessible with the JAWS screen reader.
2343 Skateboarding with a Pop, Grind, and Flip (Oct. 25, 2023)
Show Notes
Justin Bishop was fully sighted when he started skateboarding at 10 years old. Despite losing all of his useful sight in his 20’s, Justin’s dedication to skateboarding has been unwavering. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Justin about his passion for skateboarding and what accommodations he makes to enable him to excel at this active sport.
2342 Timecrest Fantasy Game for iOS (Oct. 18, 2023)
Show Notes
Jump Into the World of Fantasy with Timecrest. Get a chance to turn back time and save the world as the main character in the Timecrest fantasy game from Sneaky Crab. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Justin Ng, who co-founded Sneaky Crab with Lisa Gu, about how they made the game accessible with Voiceover and received an AppleVis Golden Apple award for Developer of the Year.
2341 Apple Accessibility - Making Tech For Everyone (Oct. 11, 2023)
Show Notes
Apple works to make their products accessible to everyone by supporting vision, hearing, speech, motor, and cognitive disabilities in all of their devices. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dean Hudson, an Accessibility Evangelist at Apple, about the range of accessibility features including the newly announced “Live Speech” feature and Personalized Voices.
2340 Eurofly Flight Simulator (Oct. 4, 2023)
Show Notes
Have you ever wanted to fly a plane? If so, you might want to try the Eurofly flight simulation program. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lukas Hosnedl about this fully accessible and detailed flight simulation program that enables you to fly your desired aircraft from and to any destination with detailed real time feedback and control.
2339 Accessibility of Amazon Products (Sep. 27, 2023)
Show Notes
Amazon is dedicated to making their devices and services not only user friendly but also accessible to everyone no matter what their individual challenges might be. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Peter Korn, director of accessibility for Amazon’s devices and services business, about how their design philosophy enhances the experience for all.
2338 The Tech Toolbox from Orbit Research (Sep. 20, 2023)
Show Notes
Orbit Research carries a wide variety of products suitable for students, professionals, and home use. These range from talking and graphics calculators to multi-line and graphical braille displays, to low vision magnifiers to braille computers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Venkatesh Chari, President and CEO of Orbit Research, about their many offerings.
2337 Joining the ACB Community (Sep. 13, 2023)
Show Notes
People with visual impairments may experience geographical and/or social isolation. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement for the American Council of the Blind (ACB) about the many virtual community events that they host aimed at bringing people with a wide range of interests from around the world together.
2336 See the World the Way You Want with the ReBokeh App (Sep. 6, 2023)
Show Notes
Rebecca Rosenberg felt that none of the built-in accessibility features in her smart phone were designed to address her particular needs and vision disorder so she got to work. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Rebecca about how she started a company that developed an iOS app that helps her and others interact with and see the “real world”.
2335 The Chatbots Are Coming (Aug. 30, 2023)
Show Notes
Chatbots and Large Language Models have recently become very popular and developers are experimenting with many uses for them. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey demonstrate a few of the more commonly used tools to show what they are capable of and how you might be able to make use of them for aiding the visually impaired, work, school, or just plain fun!
2334 Going Beyond the Words in Documents and Presentations (Aug. 23, 2023)
Show Notes
Creating impactful documents and presentations is important for connecting with sighted individuals in all walks of life. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Judy Dixon about her latest books, "Designing Documents for Appearance" and "The Power of PowerPoint", that give tips on how those who are visually impaired can produce such material.
2333 The Sky Is the Limit – A Skydiving Adventure (Aug. 16, 2023)
Show Notes
Zach Tidwell is a blind military veteran who enjoys a variety of physical activities such as snowboarding, ski biking, mountain biking, rock-climbing, white-water kayaking, jiu-jitsu, rafting, and recently, skydiving. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Zach about skydiving without sight and how it compared to skydiving before he lost his sight.
2332 Cracking the Code of Darkness (Aug. 9, 2023)
Show Notes
Zach Tidwell was a marine who lost all of his sight in an instant during a period of deep depression. Despite all odds, he quickly adapted to blindness and taught himself to code. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Zach about his incredible journey, the Zanagrams app he created, and his plans to develop future accessible apps for iOS devices.
2331 Encore of 1813 Outtakes from Eyes On Success (Aug. 2, 2023)
Show Notes
They say that nothing is ever perfect. Fortunately, though, with a little extra work, most mistakes can be fixed. That even applies to the productions of Eyes On Success. Sit back and enjoy some laughs with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey as they enjoy some Summer fun by sharing some humorous moments that never made it into the show.
2330 Navigating the Transition to Sight Loss (Jul. 26, 2023)
Show Notes
In his new book "The Country of the Blind: A Memoir At the End of Sight", author and audio producer Andrew Leland chronicles his slow progression from sightedness to blindness due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Andrew about the book, his transition through various stages of sight loss, and what he learned along the way.
2329 Defining Your Dream Job (Jul. 19, 2023)
Show Notes
Few companies were concerned with the accessibility of their products when Jyotsna Kaki was looking for a job. Undaunted, she went on to get a position at Google as an Accessibility Analyst despite the fact that that role was not yet defined. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jyotsna about her journey and how her role has changed over the years.
2328 Accessibility of Google Android and G Suite (Jul. 12, 2023)
Show Notes
Google continually introduces new features in their products to make them more accessible for people with disabilities. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jyotsna Kaki, a blind Accessibility Analyst at Google about a number of the latest G Suite and Android OS features, designed to enhance the experience for visually impaired users.
2327 Preparing for Employment with Clusiv (Jul. 5, 2023)
Show Notes
Clusiv offers a screen-reader friendly, on-line training program aimed at providing blind clients with the skills to find meaningful employment. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tamer Zaid, who recently went through the program, about how the program works, the courses he took, and how the skills he learned helped prepare him for the workforce.
2326 The Key to Being a Piano Technician (Jun. 28, 2023)
Show Notes
Tuning and repairing pianos is a profession that can be enjoyable and rewarding even if one is blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dewald van Deventer, a blind piano technician living in South Africa, about his musical background and training, as well as the ins and outs of his daily work traveling between several neighboring towns.
2325 Innovative Impact LLC (Jun. 21, 2023)
Show Notes
Kirk Adams is the managing director of Innovative Impact LLC, a venture he started whose mission is to consult with companies to accelerate inclusion for people who are blind in their workforce. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kirk about his background and how he now matches blind job seekers with companies eager to hire.
2324 Woodworking By Touch (Jun. 14, 2023)
Show Notes
Dave Carlson was introduced to woodworking as a youth, watching and helping his dad in the shop. However, it wasn’t until losing his sight to RP in his 40’s and was inspired to make a toybox for his grandson that he took on this hobby in earnest. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dave about his experiences as a blind woodworker and how it all works.
2323 Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer (Jun. 7, 2023)
Show Notes
Be My Eyes is an app that connects blind individuals and their cameras to sighted volunteers for real-time assistance. Now the power of AI comes to the app with the addition of their “virtual volunteer” option. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder and CEO Hans Jørgen Wiberg about the power of this new feature and how it can be used.
2322 Blazing the Trails with Awarewolf Gear (May 31, 2023)
Show Notes
Sedona Dave is blind and was tired of people not noticing him when walking around town and crashing into him. He also wanted a better and safer way of hiking the trails around him. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dave about how he solved his problems by starting Awarewolf Gear a journey that was frustrating at times, but rewarding in the end.
2321 Awarewolf Gear All Terrain Cane (May 24, 2023)
Show Notes
The All Terrain Cane (ATC) is a sturdy folding cane designed for blind hikers. Made of lightweight titanium and having an adjustable length, the ATC is suitable for a variety of terrains. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Sedona Dave, founder of Awarewolf Gear, about how he came up with the idea, and the benefits of using it for hiking and other outdoor activities.
2320 Firefox Accessibility Enhancements (May 17, 2023)
Show Notes
Accessibility has always been an important factor in the development of the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jamie Teh, technical lead for accessibility at the Mozilla Foundation, about recent improvements to both the accessibility and responsiveness of Firefox for those using screen readers as well as how that work is done.
2319 NVDA – A Community Driven Project (May 10, 2023)
Show Notes
The NVDA screen reader was first released in 2006 and continues to be used by people around the world. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder Michael Curran about the ongoing development efforts of NVDA, including the active community involvement and feedback-driven approach that continue to shape the future of this free and open-source software.
2318 BrailleDoodle Tactile Tablet (May 3, 2023)
Show Notes
The BrailleDoodle is an inexpensive refreshable 2-sided tablet for learning Braille and creating tactile images. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with inventor Daniel Lubiner, CEO and founder of TouchPad Pro Foundation which makes the device, about the inspiration for the device, its features, and the role it can play in education and daily life.
2317 Trailblazing for Inclusivity (Apr. 26, 2023)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Greg Daniels, who has been blind since youth, about his journey of overcoming challenges and achieving success as a computer programmer for over 35 years. Before “inclusion” was popular, Greg's story exemplifies the power of determination, resilience, and the importance of the support of family, teachers, and employers.
2316 Musical Scores with the Accessible MuseScore 4 (Apr. 19, 2023)
Show Notes
MuseScore is a sophisticated and feature rich program for creating and listening to musical scores. The release of version 4 brings many improvements to accessibility for people using screen readers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Marc Sabatella, an educator and one of the developers of MuseScore, about this free, open source application.
2315 The Beat Goes On – The Life of a Blind Music Producer (Apr. 12, 2023)
Show Notes
Scott Chesworth is a blind music producer who also offers mixing and mastering services for his clients. He can often be found tutoring and training others. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Scott about his journey into music, his passion for working with others and his commitment to making music accessible for people with disabilities.
2314 Memoirs of a Guide Dog (Apr. 5, 2023)
Show Notes
Mark Carlson is familiar with blindness as it runs in his family. He has come to view his lack of sight as second nature and approaches life with a positive outlook and sense of humor. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mark about his life and the books he has written about his guide dogs as well as his other passion, military strategy.
2313 Innovations from the DAISY Consortium (Mar. 29, 2023)
Show Notes
The DAISY Consortium is an international organization that aims to improve access to information for people with print disabilities around the world. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with George Kerscher and Richard Orme about their impact on e-pub standards and their latest work to reach more people in underdeveloped countries.
2312 Braille Ignition Kits from NBP (Mar. 22, 2023)
Show Notes
The National Braille Press produces a variety of braille books and manuals for all ages and interests. Now they have released a set of resource kits developed specifically for teachers of the visually impaired. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kesel Wilson, editorial director at the NBP, about what is in these resource kits and how they can be used effectively.
2311 Victor Reader Stream 3 (Mar. 15, 2023)
Show Notes
The popular Victor Reader Stream from Humanware has recently been updated with an improved design and new features. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mathieu Paquette, Product Manager of Victor Reader products, and Peter Tucic, Director of Strategic Partnerships, about this accessible palm-sized multimedia device and why you might enjoy using it.
2310 The Blind Kitchen (Mar. 8, 2023)
Show Notes
Debra Erickson is the executive chef and founder of The Blind Kitchen where adaptive tools, helpful strategies, and specialized knowledge are provided to blind and vision-impaired people who want to cook safely, confidently, and independently. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Debra who shares tips and tools that make working in the kitchen safer and easier.
2309 Eschenbach's Haus Call Tele-low-vision Program (Mar. 1, 2023)
Show Notes
Although assistive devices can’t improve your vision, they can help you use the vision you do have to perform tasks more easily. Now you can work with a specialist remotely to find the device that’s right for you. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Timothy Gels, director of marketing for Eschenbach Optik of America about their tele-low-vision service.
2308 An Inside Look at Audio Book Narration (Feb. 22, 2023)
Show Notes
Listening to audio books has become a very popular way of reading. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Hillary Huber, a voice actress who has narrated over 700 audio books for both blind and sighted listeners, about how audio books are made, the challenges faced by narrators, and what makes her job fun and rewarding. There’s more to it than you’d expect.
2307 The Path to Employment with NSITE (Feb. 15, 2023)
Show Notes
NSITE is an organization that trains, prepares, and helps blind clients obtain employment. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Matthew Kehl, a blind job seeker who completed a program through NSITE and obtained a Sourcing Specialist certificate. He shares his experiences with the training and support from NSITE in helping him secure employment.
2306 Encore of 1831 Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows (Feb. 8, 2023)
Show Notes
Join hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey as they explore their new home state of Colorado in celebration of their 35th anniversary. Follow them as they prepare for their journey, walk trails along raging rivers, hike along narrow ledges hanging on steep canyon walls, and more. You might even learn the true story of Mike the headless chicken!
2305 Orbis Flying Eye Hospital (Feb. 1, 2023)
Show Notes
Vision impairment affects many people around the world. Unfortunately, it is difficult to reach and treat people who live in remote areas. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Maria Montero, an ophthalmologist and assistant director of clinical services of the Orbis Flying Eye Hospital about how their model addresses the problem.
2304 Equipping Beep Baseball Worldwide (Jan. 25, 2023)
Show Notes
Learn how beep baseballs are made as well as about the surprising connection between beep baseball and the phone company when hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with John Cruz, lead volunteer for the group that assembles beep baseball equipment, and J Kelly, chapter president of the Colorado Legacy West Pioneers. We’ll also talk about how the game is played.
2303 The View from Inside at Vispero (Jan. 18, 2023)
Show Notes
Ryan Jones has recently stepped up to take on the role of Vice President of Software Products at Vispero following the retirement of Eric Damery who held that position for many years. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ryan about how his long career with Vispero has prepared him for this role and his outlook for the future of accessibility.
2302 JAWS Evolves to Meet Changing Needs (Jan. 11, 2023)
Show Notes
In this second of a two-part series, we talk about how the JAWS screen reader has had to adapt to advances in computer technology as well as to the evolving requirements of users. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with long time colleagues and friends Ted Henter, Eric Damery, and Glen Gordon as they reminisce about their contributions to accessibility.
2301 Early Days of JAWS (Jan. 4, 2023)
Show Notes
In this first of a two-part series, we trace the history of the JAWS screen reader and how it has evolved to adapt to advances in technology over the years. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ted Henter, founder of Henter Joyce, Eric Damery, retired vice president of blindness products, and Glen Gordon, lead software developer now at Freedom Scientific.
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