Below is the show summary as well as links to the show notes and audio
2417 Vacation Memories with Gemini and Bing (Apr. 24, 2024)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey return home from their trip to San Diego and use AI to review photos they took while there. See how they used both Google’s Gemini and Microsoft’s Bing image description tools to reminisce about their visits to the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, the San Diego Air and Space Museum, and evening walks along La Jolla beach.
2416 On Vacation with Be My Eyes (Apr. 17, 2024)
Show Notes
Come on a fun filled vacation with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey as they tour sites in San Diego using the Be My Eyes app as their AI tour guide. In this episode they visit the Cannibal Museum, the Museum of Us, and the model railroad museum. See how they use Be My Eyes to enhance the experience with detailed descriptions of the exhibits and answer questions.
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.
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.
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!
2238 Encore of 1133 Living with a Blind Person (Sep. 21, 2022)
Show Notes
Most episodes of Eyes On Success center on the experiences of a blind person, whether dealing with technology, employment, travelling or whatever. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey discuss raising and living with a blind person from everybody else’s perspective, including interviews with Pete’s mother, sister, wife, in-laws and children.
2129 On the Road Again After Covid (Jul. 14 2021)
Show Notes
Video calls with a 3 and 5 year old just don’t cut it. So hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey decided to take their first big road trip after Covid to see the grandkids in person. Hear about their journey from Colorado to Michigan through the cornfields of Nebraska and Iowa, some of the unusual sights they saw along the way, and more.
2114 Traveling Through Southern Africa (Mar. 31, 2021)
Show Notes
Tony Giles, also known as “Tony The Traveller”, joins host Nancy and Peter Torpey once again to talk about his latest book entitled “Seeing a Slice of Southern Africa My Way”. Tony’s stories as a solo traveler who is totally blind and partially deaf are filled with fun and adventure, including white water rafting, bungee jumping and sky diving.
2107 Holman Prize (Feb. 10, 2021)
Show Notes
The Holman Prize was designed to support the growth of adventurous spirits, entrepreneurship and leadership within the blind community. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Caitlin O’Malior, a communications associate at San Francisco’s LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired that sponsors the prize, about this unique award and how it works.
2019 The Sunu Band for Navigation (May 6, 2020)
Show Notes
Even if one is proficient at using a white cane for navigation there are still some obstacles that will go undetected by even the most experienced traveler. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Diego Mendoza, Business Development director at Sunu Inc., about how the Sunu Band, worn around one’s wrist, can provide tactile feedback to help avoid such obstacles.
1948 NEWSREEL Audio Magazine (Nov. 27, 2019)
Show Notes
NEWSREEL is a monthly audio magazine offering three hours of helpful information and inspiration in the voices of its members. Topics include technology, travel tips, books, recipes, personal experiences, sports and more. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with NEWSREEL's editor, Irwin Hott, about the magazine for and by the blind and its history.
1914 Exploring the World Together (Apr. 3, 2019)
Show Notes
Despite being totally blind and severely deaf without his hearing aids, Tony Giles has traveled solo for decades to over 100 countries. Sometimes he is accompanied by his girlfriend Tatiana Nisioti who is also totally blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tony and Tatiana about their experiences and some of the places they’ve been.
1841 Encore of 1335 Meeting and Dating Across Borders (Oct. 10, 2018)
Show Notes
Victor Tsaran grew up in Ukraine and is totally blind. Karo Caran grew up in Poland and is partially sighted. Last week Nancy and Peter Torpey talked to them about their careers working on accessibility at Google. This week we’ll learn how they met in the U.S., became married, and managed to make a life together despite geographical obstacles.
1831 Rocky Mountain Highs and Lows (Aug. 1, 2018)
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!
1826 WeWALK Smart Cane (Jun. 27, 2018)
Show Notes
WeWALK transforms the white cane into an innovative smart cane for visually impaired travelers. In addition to detecting obstacles above chest level, WeWALK seamlessly integrates with smart phones and third-party apps. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with Kursat Ceylan, a visually impaired social entrepreneur, about WeWALK and its development.
1821 College Student and Paralympic Athlete (May 23, 2018)
Show Notes
We talked previously with Staci Mannella about competitive skiing and what it was like to participate in the Paralympics in both Sochi and PyeongChang. Now hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Staci about what it takes to succeed as a visually impaired college student while travelling the world to compete in alpine skiing and how she juggled the two.
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.
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.
1643 Traveling Solo (Oct. 19, 2016)
Show Notes
Imagine traveling the world alone for months at a time if you were totally blind and partially deaf. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tony Giles who has done exactly that. We’ll learn how he prepares for and manages his trips and also talk to him about some of the adventures recounted in his new book, “Seeing the Americas My Way”.
1641 Delivering Independence with White Canes (Oct. 5, 2016)
Show Notes
A simple white cane can be a remarkable gift in some parts of the world. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Beverly Crook about her travels around the world delivering canes to blind people in underserved rural areas, often giving them their first taste of independence. Learn about how the Global Cane Outreach program has grown and some of its successes.
1620 The Vision-quest Experience (May 11, 2016)
Show Notes
Maribel Steel is an Australian writer and motivational speaker who is also blind. She designed the Vision-quest program which pairs blind and sighted people in a day of shared exploration to experience sites in their community. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about Vision-quest and her role as an international peer advisor for AFB’s VisionAware.
1601 F123’s Impact on Accessibility (Dec. 30, 2015)
Show Notes
After experiencing the impact of access technology on his own ability to succeed, Fernando Botelho has developed free tools to improve accessibility to web sites for all. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with him about his experiences growing up in South America, traveling the world, and the F123 project he founded to improve access to information around the world.
1541 Living and Working Abroad (Oct. 7, 2015)
Show Notes
Elizabeth Schuster Sammons has lived in 6 different countries, either working or studying in each, including a 2 year stint as one of the first blind Peace Corps volunteers. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey speak with her about her experiences and her advice for other visually impaired people interested in living abroad.
1528 Sailing Expeditions for the Blind (Jul. 8, 2015)
Show Notes
Imago Maris Foundation hosts sailing expeditions each year, with half the participants being visually impaired and the other half sighted. Each participant does everything from working the ropes to kitchen duty. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Julia Krawczuk, a volunteer with Imago Maris and Robert Zarzecki, a blind sailor. Both participated in a 2014 voyage.
1336 Conditions for the Blind in Southern Asia (Sep. 4, 2013)
Show Notes
Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey continue their conversation from last week with Karo Caran and Victor Tsaran. We’ll learn about their travels throughout SouthEast Asia and India where they trained blind people and their instructors and also about the conditions for the blind that they found there. We’ll also learn about their healthy cooking app for iOS or Android called Plantiful.
1319 Extreme Travel (May 8, 2013)
Show Notes
Traveling to other countries can be a challenge even if one is sighted. This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Tony Giles who, despite being blind and deaf, travels on his own around the world, including trips to some distant and/or remote locations. He talks about some of the places he’s been, challenges he’s had to overcome, and adventures he’s had.
1303 Bringing Canes and Independence to Rural People Around the World (Jan. 16, 2013)
Show Notes
Beverly Crook travels the world delivering white canes to blind people in underserved rural areas, often giving them their first taste of independence. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with her about differences between services available in developed and developing countries and about how you can contribute to this effort.
1223 6-6-12 Multi-sensory Exhibits at Science Museums
Show Notes
Many exhibits in science museums are intrinsically experienced with senses other than vision. Join hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey as they visit the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, learn about the services they provide and experience some of the exhibits. They also get to participate in a research experiment being conducted there.
1140 10-5-11 Accessibility of Art Museums
Show Notes
Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey invite you to join them for a virtual tour of the
Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY. You can experience bits of their described audio tour and
touch tour and meet some of the people responsible for creating them. Also, get advice for finding
accessible museums in your area or travel plans. Finally, they describe a really cool web site at which
you can get a thorough audio tour of New York City (with photos, too).
1133 8-17-11 Living with a Blind Person
Show Notes
Most ViewPoints shows center on the experiences of a blind person, whether dealing with
technology, travelling or whatever. This week, hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey
discuss raising and living with a blind person from everybody else’s perspective, including
interviews with Pete’s mother, sister, wife, in-laws and children.
1124 6-15-11 Sightseeing without Seeing the Sights
Show Notes
This week's show is about sightseeing without seeing the sights including examples from a
recent trip by hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey. It includes many audio clips and
tells how they were made. We give pointers about information available at most Visitor Centers
and suggestions of what accommodations you might expect to get.
1119 5/11/11 Traveling
Show Notes
This week's show is about a recent trip hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey took. It
includes stories and advice about every phase of the trip from booking the reservations to
getting through the airport, exploring the hotel, getting reduced admission to the zoo and
museums, hiking on various terrain and lots of audio clips.
1105 2-2-11 Getting around airports, changes to copyright laws, etc
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey will discuss getting around airports
and airplanes, obtaining free entry to National & State Parks, changes to copyright laws that
have improved accessibility for the visually impaired and give a brief history of speech
synthesizers with some fun audio clips as examples.