Below is the show summary as well as links to the show notes and audio
2411 Encore of 1244 Hiking the Appalachian Trail Solo (Mar. 13, 2024)
Show Notes
A long hike can be much more than a walk in the woods. We’ll talk with Karl Ritter, also known as Bats, about long distance hiking including his end-to-end hike on the 2200 mile long Appalachian Trail. Karl has very little vision and did the first 500 miles alone. Learn how he used other senses and tools to compensate as well as what was in his first aid kit.
2403 Echo Heart Rate App for iOS (Jan. 17, 2024)
Show Notes
Using Voiceover to monitor one’s heart rate while running on a noisy treadmill wearing an Apple Watch and noise cancelling AirPods is difficult. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Alex Weiner, developer at PK Fitness, about how he added Siri commands to provide on demand speech feedback in their Echo Heart Rate app, as well as about their Fat Burn app.
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.
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.
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.
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.
2235 Pole Dancing for Fitness (Aug. 31, 2022)
Show Notes
Have you ever considered becoming a pole dancer? Surprisingly, the experience might not be what you would have expected. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lauren Back, a blind pole dancer, who has enjoyed participating in several pole dancing groups and extols the virtues of pole dancing as a means of exercise and socializing with others.
2211 Your Personal Path to Fitness (Mar. 16, 2022)
Show Notes
Is your visual impairment keeping you from exercising and being as active as you would like? If so, this is the book for you. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Judy Dixon and Bonnie O'Day about their new book, “Your Personal Path To Fitness”, and some of the fitness opportunities that are available to people who are blind or low vision.
2208 Extreme Sports – Rock Climbing (Feb. 23, 2022)
Show Notes
John Churcher’s experience is proof that it is never too late to begin something new. Inspired by a friend later in life, he soon became an avid rock climber. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with John about what rock climbing means to him, how he does it as a blind person, and about some of his adventures including scaling the Eiger, a several day endeavor.
2206 Optic Low Vision Swimming Aid (Feb. 9, 2022)
Show Notes
Competitive blind swimmers currently rely on sighted assistants to signal them before making their turn for the next lap. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mirthe Hofstede who, for a student project, developed a system that obviates the need for an assistant while at the same time provides better feedback to the blind swimmer.
2205 Taking Charge of Your Health (Feb. 2, 2022)
Show Notes
As a result of being born prematurely, Jeff Bishop had to deal with a number of medical issues including becoming a diabetic. Hosts Nancy and Peter talk with Jeff about his journey to control his diabetes by making a series of lifestyle changes that included sticking to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and developing the drive to succeed.
2202 Not Just For Fun (Jan. 12, 2022)
Show Notes
Camp Abilities is a week long sports camp for children with visual impairments. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lauren Lieberman, the camp’s founder and director, about the program and the benefits it provides to blind youth who otherwise might have missed out on such opportunities to participate in activities with their peers.
2146 Running with Google Project Guideline (Nov. 10, 2021)
Show Notes
Google’s “Project Guideline” is an early stage research project aimed at enabling those with vision loss to run independently. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Bill Ma, director of IT and operations and Jessy DiNapoli, manager of admissions at Guiding Eyes for the Blind about how their blind CEO, Thomas Panek, has used the app to run on his own.
2141 Not Just A Leap Of Faith (Oct. 6, 2021)
Show Notes
People who are visually impaired are no strangers to participating in sports. On the other hand, it is difficult to imagine jumping over a 10 or 12 foot high bar without seeing the bar. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Bradly Rainwater, a competitive blind pole vaulter, and his coach and grandfather Brad Rainwater about how it can be done.
2123 The Great Outdoors (Jun. 2, 2021)
Show Notes
Lawrence Gunther is host of the podcast “Outdoors with Lawrence Gunther”. The podcast is a mix of interesting facts about our environment and outdoor activities and includes interviews with blind people who enjoy the outdoors. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lawrence, who is blind himself, about the podcast as well as about his own adventures in nature.
2113 Understanding Your Body (Mar. 24, 2021)
Show Notes
Krishna Washburn is a professional ballet dancer and instructor who runs Dark Room Ballet. She believes that visually impaired people could benefit from having a better understanding of how their bodies and body parts work. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about her instructional methods as well as how her on-line classes work.
2030 Cross Country Skiing (Jul. 22, 2020)
Show Notes
Participating in sports can not only help to keep you healthy but can also be a rewarding social activity. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tim McCorcle, president of the Ski For Light organization, about programs run by the organization in which blind skiers can partner with sighted guides to enjoy the outdoors and make new friends.
2018 Encore of 1839 Accessibility of US National Parks (Apr. 29, 2020)
Show Notes
The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has over 400 sites that are visited by over 300 million people each year. They strive to make these sites as accessible as possible for everyone. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ray Bloomer, Accessibility Specialist for Accessibility Support Programs, about the NPS and how their sites can be enjoyed by all.
1931 Distance Running with Guide Dogs (Jul. 31, 2019)
Show Notes
In episode 1752 hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talked with Thomas Panek, President and CEO of Guiding Eyes for the Blind, about a program they started to train guide dogs to serve as running companions for their handlers. This week we hear about how the program has evolved and Thomas’ experience running the New York City half marathon guided only by guide dogs.
1930 Wild Blind Ice Hockey (Jul. 24, 2019)
Show Notes
Wild Blind Hockey is the companion team to the Minnesota Wild Hockey NHL team and consists of visually impaired skaters of all ages. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lonny Evans, the team’s Director of Operations, about how the team came about, modifications used to make it possible to play with limited or no vision, and what it means to the players.
1917 Tragedy to Triumph Racing (Apr. 24, 2019)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dan Parker who was fully sighted at the age of 41 when he was injured in a drag racing accident that left him totally blind. Despite his injuries Dan continues to build and race cars and motorcycles, went on to participate in acoustic target shooting, and also teaches machine shop to sighted high school students.
1904 Sight Impaired Surfing Champion (Jan. 23, 2019)
Show Notes
Despite being totally blind, Joshua Loya engages in many extreme sports. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Joshua, who is a US Sight Impaired Surfing Champion, about how he got into surfing, the mechanics of surfing as a blind individual, how he works with his sighted coach, and his passion for succeeding in such sports.
1852 But Wait, There Is More (Dec. 26, 2018)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey bring listeners up to date on several topics that were featured in previous episodes of Eyes On Success. Hear what’s new with NASA summer internships, at Benetech, the FlickType keyboard for iOS, the braille Dot Watch, the Cosmo eBrailler and even an update on Erich Manser’s triathlons & marathons.
1839 Accessibility of US National Parks (Sep. 26, 2018)
Show Notes
The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) has over 400 sites that are visited by over 300 million people each year. They strive to make these sites as accessible as possible for everyone. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ray Bloomer, Accessibility Specialist for Accessibility Support Programs, about the NPS and how their sites can be enjoyed by all.
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.
1816 Alpine Skiing in the PyeongChang Paralympics (Apr. 18, 2018)
Show Notes
When you strive to be the best in the world it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Staci Mannella who recently competed in four Alpine Skiing events at the PyeongChang Paralympic Games. Staci talks about how she compensates for her visual limitations, prepared for the competition, and experienced the event.
1815 Oregon Adaptive Sports (Apr. 11, 2018)
Show Notes
There are many opportunities for the disabled to participate in a variety of sports and recreational activities these days. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Nancy Stevens of Oregon Adaptive Sports about how the program got started and what they do. Whether you are interested in skiing, cycling, kayaking, etc., there is something for you!
1812 Running with WayBand (Mar. 21, 2018)
Show Notes
Developing new access technologies sometimes requires intrepid individuals willing to test and work out the kinks in new systems despite occasional failures. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with Simon Wheatcroft, a blind motivational speaker and distance runner, about his experiences testing the WayBand device by running the New York City marathon.
1808 Tennis for the Visually Impaired (Feb. 21, 2018)
Show Notes
Tennis anyone? Having limited vision is no longer an excuse for not getting out on the court and enjoying this sport with others. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Brooke Severance who runs a program through Court 16 which teaches people with visual impairments to play tennis with some minor modifications to the rules and equipment.
1805 Camp Abilities – Camp for Blind Youth (Jan. 31, 2018)
Show Notes
Now in its 23rd year, Camp Abilities has spread to locations not only throughout the U.S. but also around the world. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder and director, Lauren Lieberman, about the benefits of this week long, sports oriented camp for visually impaired youth and how it can be a life changing experience for those who attend.
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.
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.
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.
1617 Blind Marathoner and Celebrity Guide (Apr. 20, 2016)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Erich Manser, a blind accessibility engineer at IBM, and Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” about their experiences running the Boston Marathon together. They talk about how they got together, the special trust required to run as partners, and what happens when things don’t go quite as planned.
1616 Tandem Bicycle Racing (Apr. 13, 2016)
Show Notes
This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Matt King about the thrill and excitement of competitive racing on a tandem bicycle. Matt set a world speed record, participated in three Paralympics, and underwent an intense training regimen. He describes these experiences and what it feels like to be going over 45 MPH around turns banked at more than 45 degrees!
1607 Matching Blind Runners and Sighted Guides (Feb. 10, 2016)
Show Notes
If you enjoy running outdoors but your vision loss makes it unsafe to do so alone, now there’s an easy way you can find somebody to guide you. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Kyle Robidoux from United In Stride which maintains an on-line database of blind or visually impaired runners and volunteer sighted guides all over North America.
1606 Audio Exercise Programs (Feb. 3, 2016)
Show Notes
Keeping fit is important for both mental and physical health. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mel Scott and Lisa Salinger from BlindAlive about their audio exercise programs geared specifically to those who are visually impaired. With described exercise programs ranging from beginner to advance, BlindAlive offers something for everyone.
1534 Ski For Light (Aug. 19, 2015)
Show Notes
Cross country skiing is a fun and active sport that will keep you in shape, and can also be a great way of connecting with other people. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Scott McCall, President of Ski for Light, about tips and tricks used to make skiing a safe and accessible sport for the blind. Learn how you can join in!
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.
1521 Blind Golfing (May 20, 2015)
Show Notes
Hitting a small ball into a slightly larger cup that is hundreds of yards away might seem like an unlikely activity for a blind person. With minor modifications to the rules it becomes an enjoyable sport for many people. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey will talk with Ty Thompson, avid blind golfer and past board member of the US Blind Golf Association.
1515 Blind Cricket (Apr. 8, 2015)
Show Notes
G K Mahantesh is the General Secretary of the Cricket Association for the Blind in India and the Vice President of the World Blind Cricket Council. He is also one of the founders of the Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about how the blind play cricket as well as about the mission of his organization.
1514 Beep Baseball (Apr. 1, 2015)
Show Notes
Beep Baseball is a variant of American baseball that has been adapted to be safe for its blind participants. Hosts Nancy and Pete Torpey speak with Blake Boudreaux and Stephen Guerra of the National Beep Baseball Association about how the game is played, what special equipment is used and the upcoming World Series of Beep Baseball.
1445 Fitness, Massage and the Blind Café (Nov. 5, 2014)
Show Notes
Bill Kociaba owned and operated a fitness center for nearly 20 years. Now he works as a massage therapist and runs exercise classes over the internet on The Blind Café. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Bill about his experiences as a blind businessman, the importance of exercise, as well as about other resources one can find on The Blind Café web site.
1415 Alpine Skiing in the Sochi Paralympics (Apr. 9, 2014)
Show Notes
Staci Mannella, a 17 year old visually impaired alpine skier, and Kim Seevers, her coach and guide, have just returned from the 2014 Sochi Paralympic Games. They speak with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey about their preparation for and participation in this world class event as well as the friendliness of their hosts, meals, and security at the games.
1408 Ice Hockey for Blind and Low Vision People (Feb. 19, 2014)
Show Notes
Ice hockey can be a safe and fun sport for people with little or no vision. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Matt Morrow, executive director of Courage Canada Hockey for the Blind. We’ll learn about their programs for youth and adults, what adaptations are made for the visually impaired and Courage Canada’s annual tournament.
1347 Ultra Extreme Sports – Running and Biking (Nov. 20, 2013)
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with “Blind Dave” Heeley, a motivational speaker who raises money for a variety of charities through his participation in ultra endurance sporting events. Learn what it is like to train for and complete multiple consecutive daily marathons and/or 100+ mile bike rides spanning counties, countries or continents.
1342 Being a Blind TV Reporter and Ice Hockey Player (Oct. 16, 2013)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with Gary Steeves, a nearly totally blind social worker and TV reporter for Accessible Media Incorporated. He’ll describe some of the pleasures and challenges of both on-air reporting and one of his pastimes, playing ice hockey. He also has some interesting stories about having his seeing eye poodle on the set.
1329 Horseback Riding (July 17, 2013)
Show Notes
Many horseback riding facilities offer programs for people with various special needs including the visually impaired. Join hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey on a tour of the EquiCenter near Rochester, NY which specializes in therapeutic horseback riding. We’ll learn about the program and its benefits, meet the director and an instructor, and follow a student through parts of her lesson.
1323 Sports and Recreation for the Blind (June 5, 2013)
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Andrew Leibs, author of “The Encyclopedia of Sports and Recreation for People With Visual Impairments”. More or less following the structure of the book, we’ll discuss specific sports that the visually impaired can do, interviews he did with experts in adaptive sports and finally some useful resources for people who want to get involved.
1309 Extreme Adventures of a Deaf-Blind Man (Feb. 27, 2013)
Show Notes
Bill Barkeley is a self-described deaf-blind outdoor adventurer and storyteller. Join hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey as they talk with Bill about climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, running the Boston marathon and leading groups of deaf and/or blind teens through the Amazon. Technology helps, but his successes are mostly due to his can-do attitude.
1244 10-31-12 Extreme Sports for the Blind - Hiking
Show Notes
A long hike can be much more than a walk in the woods. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Karl Ritter, whose trail name is Bats, about long distance hiking including his recent end to end hike on the 2200 mile long Appalachian Trail. Karl has very little vision and did the first 500 miles alone. Learn how he used other senses and tools to compensate.
1221 5-23-12 Canoeing blind through the Florida jungle
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey spoke with Jose Tamayo shortly after he returned from a 65 mile canoe trip through the Florida jungle. The trip turned out to be even more exciting and eventful than anybody could have expected. As the only blind member of the party, Jose’s unique skills were a valuable asset.
1217 4-25-12 Sport Camps for Visually Impaired Children
Show Notes
Camp Abilities is a sport camp for visually impaired children with over a dozen locations in the US and other countries. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with its founder, Dr. Lauren Lieberman about how they use the camp to teach and empower the campers, to teach future physical education teachers and to do research to improve teaching methods.
1203 1-18-12 Extreme Sports for the Blind - Skiing
Show Notes
Staci Mannella is a visually impaired skier whose goal is to participate in the 2014 Paralympics with her guide and coach Kim Seevers. Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey talk with them about how they train, what aids they use and how they ski at speeds up to 55 MPH. They also discuss how to find an adaptive ski program for you.
1150 12-14-11 Extreme Sports for the Blind - Canoeing
Show Notes
Blind people enjoy some activities you may not expect! Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey interview Jose Tamayo, a blind computer scientist who leads annual multi-day canoeing and camping trips through alligator infested waters and uses an assortment of modern technology to report his progress from the jungle.
1106 2-9-11 National Braille Press, audio file formats, etc
Show Notes
Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey give an overview of sources of accessible
reading material and focus on National Braille Press. They also discuss using talking devices to
help you exercise, methods of exercising for the visually impaired (biking, running, hiking, etc)
and explain formats used for audio files (DAISY, MP3, WMA, etc).