Listeners often want to know more about the hosts and producers of Eyes On Success and how the show works. Well, this week they get to hear excerpts from an interview that Aaron Rockford, host of the Aaron’s Opinion podcast, did with Nancy and Peter Torpey. Enter “eos_show” into the search field on our web site to find more shows about us or the show.
What does the future hold for Eyes On Success? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey find out when they talk with Eden Kizer, a totally blind professional tarot card reader, about the magic of tarot cards, how she became a tarot card reader, and how she turned it into a profitable business that she can do from the comfort of her own home.
Blind people are capable of doing almost anything they want these days. But would you expect a blind person to be piloting a plane? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kaiya Armstrong, a blind college student, who learned to fly a plane and then flew herself cross country thanks to a program sponsored by the Foundation for Blind Children.
As many of our listeners know, despite being born blind, co-host of Eyes On Success Peter Torpey enjoyed math and science as a youth and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in Engineering Physics and work as a research scientist at Xerox Corporation. This week Marie Sina of Deutsche Welle talks to Peter about his educational and work experiences in science.
“Hello Darkness, My Old Friend” is the story of a young man who, after losing his eyesight to disease, finds the power to break through the darkness and fulfill his vision for a life of distinguished public service. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with author Sanford Greenberg about his journey and how enduring friendships made a difference in his life.
People with newly diagnosed vision problems may not get directed to low vision optometrists who can help them adapt to their vision changes. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Richard Jamara and Sarah Hinkley, two editors of a training guide for low vision optometrists, who hope to train more of them and increase awareness of their specialty.
“Over Every Hurdle” is the third book in a series whose protagonist suddenly loses her sight and adapts to life as a blind person. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with best-selling author Barbara Hinske and with Julie Rock, Manager, Adult and Transition Services at Foundation for Blind Children about how they interacted to make the series possible.
The Waymap app was designed to assist visually impaired people navigate transportation systems in cities around the world. Requiring no signals, the app is accurate down to 1 meter both indoors and outdoors. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with CEO Tom Pey about the motivation for developing the app, how it works, and their plans to expand its use.
Some people write for fun or because it is a job. Others have a story they want to share. When Aaron Spelker suddenly lost his sight, he found writing to be both therapeutic as well as a good activity for learning important blindness skills. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Aaron about how writing “The Bubonic Reorder” helped him navigate in a new world.
If you enjoy gaming on your iOS or other device and are also visually impaired, it is likely that you have experienced the frustration of finding a game that is accessible. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Aaron Spelker, who runs the Mobile Accessible Games (for the Blind) FaceBook group, about his game reviews that can ease the frustration.
Have you always wanted to play the piano but just never got around to it or couldn’t arrange the logistics? If so, then Mark Miller, who does business as the piano web man, has the answer for you. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mark about how his remote piano lessons work for both sighted and visually impaired students alike.
The New Venture Competition awards winning participants cash prizes to help get their new or growing business to the next level. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with long-time organizer Colleen Wunderlich as well as with the 2021 winners of the competition, Bruno D'Avanzo and Jennifer Rhodes, about their experiences with the competition.
NSITE provides a full range of training resources, connections with potential employers, as well as internship opportunities for people who are visually impaired. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Marianne Haegeli, Program Director, NSITE Learning and Leadership, about the organization and how their services might benefit you.
If you can’t see the image, you can still experience it. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Timothy Rhue II, principal informal education specialist, and Claire Blome, Principal Science Writer and author of some of the descriptions, both of the Space Telescope Science Institute, about how images from the James Webb Telescope are being made accessible to everyone.
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.
What is it like to raise a sighted child when one of the parents is blind? That is the question Ron and Denise Miller asked of hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey back in 2015. We talked with the Miller’s about our experiences raising sighted children and aired a show based on the discussion. Now, seven years later, we follow up with Ron to see how it’s been going.
The National Braille Press (NBP) is well known for its mission of promoting braille literacy and producing a variety of braille books for all ages and interests. Perhaps less well known is their program to advance technologies to produce braille. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian MacDonald, President and CEO of NBP, about these efforts.
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.
Clusiv is the world's first e-learning platform built for and by blind people. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Luke Simianer, CEO and co-founder of Clusiv, about the motivation for starting Clusiv, how it works, and how they are partnering with regional vocational services around the country to train blind people for future employment.
Eric Damery recently announced his retirement as VP of Software Product Management at Vispero / Freedom Scientific. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about his long career in the field of assistive technology and how the marketing and distribution of products for the visually impaired has changed over the years.
During the day, Todd Blenkhorn is an I.T. specialist who works at the Canadian National Institute of the Blind. After work, however, Todd performs in local comedy clubs in Toronto. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Todd about getting into comedy and how he integrates some of his experiences as a blind person into his acts.
Maureen Hayden is completing her PhD in marine biology. With limited vision, she uses a variety of tools to assist her when working in the field, in the lab, as well as to teach. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about how she got interested in the subject, how she does her research and how her results will impact the health of the planet.
Barbara Spohn-Lillo is the owner and founder of Prosthetic Illusions which develops custom prostheses for various body parts including eyes. Both she and her daughter Chelsea Lillo, with whom she works, are anaplastologists and ocularists. Join hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey as they discuss how these prostheses are made and cared for.
Episode #2223 of Eyes On Success featured a variety of pet peeves of a blind person navigating in a world primarily designed for and consisting of sighted people. The show elicited lots of responses from listeners who resonated with what they heard. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey share some of the feedback they received.
Wouldn’t it be nice to have an affordable, 2-D, refreshable Braille display? Soon that may not be just a dream. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Greg Stilson and William Freeman from the American Printing House about the new technology behind the combined text and graphics tactile display they are working on as well as formatting standards for such displays.
Mathematics has been called the language of science. But how can a visually impaired person read and write complex mathematical expressions that are often written in a 2-D format? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ron Miller, Blindness Technology Products Specialist at Vispero, about how the JAWS screen reader makes this possible with MathML.
The fields of computers and STEM offer excellent career opportunities for visually impaired people. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Leanne Grillot, outreach director at the American Printing House, about some of APH’s ongoing programs to inspire interest in these fields, make people aware of the opportunities, and help them connect with mentors.
Over the years John Robert Wiltgen developed many complications from childhood diabetes including blindness, amputation of a limb, and kidney failure. Despite these setbacks, he soldiered on to become a world-renowned interior designer. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with John about his experiences and his newly released memoir “The Candy In My Pocket”.
Accessible measurement tools are essential if visually impaired students and professionals are to be full participants in STEM related activities either independently or with their sighted peers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Michael Hingson and Ashley Neybert, from Independence Science, about the tools and services they offer to meet these needs.
People who are blind have many ways of adapting in a world that consists of primarily sighted people. Sometimes though, being blind can be frustrating, especially when simple changes that could be made to make our lives easier are not made. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk about some of Peter’s pet peeves as a blind person.
The award-winning Voice Dream Reader app is used by many Voiceover users and others around the world to read and listen to documents in many formats. Originally developed for iOS, this powerful productivity tool now comes to macOS. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with the developer, Winston Chen, about the app, its features, and its development.
No matter what your age, interests, or career, chances are that the National Braille Press offers something for you. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kesel Wilson, editorial director at the NBP, about books the NBP produces in braille and other formats for children, general interest, professionals, and those looking for technical manuals.
David Bradburn, Vice-President Global Sales at Humanware, has been involved in the access technology field for over 35 years. A lot has changed over that time. Listen in on a conversation between David as a salesman and host Peter Torpey as a user as they reminisce about the evolution of access technology equipment since the early days.
Every week Peter and Nancy Torpey interview interesting guests from around the world for their Eyes On Success weekly podcast. This week, however, the tables are turned as Sonia Usatch-Kuhn, host of the North Carolina Radio Reading Services Community Connections podcast, interviews Peter and Nancy about their own lives and careers and show.
Aliasghar Assadi is a blind teacher of blind and visually impaired students in Iran. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ali about conditions for the blind in Iran including the challenges of acquiring assistive technologies, how legal protections for the disabled are evolving, employment opportunities for the blind, and much more.
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.
As President and CEO of the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, Virginia Jacko is committed to ensuring that the blind and visually impaired have equitable access to education, blindness prevention programs, and vision rehabilitation training. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Virginia about her advocacy work and highlights of her career.
Finding the right therapist to help deal with a mental health issue is crucial to having a successful outcome. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Robert DeYoung, a practicing psychoanalyst who himself is blind, about special concerns faced by making this choice when one is blind and how blindness may affect the interaction between patient and therapist.
Bookshare makes books available to people with reading disabilities in a number of digital formats. Now you can listen to any of the over 1,000,000 titles in their collection on your smart speaker. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Hema Natarajan who heads Bookshare’s product and reading projects about new initiatives at Bookshare.
The Envision Glasses is a digital eyewear solution that helps visually impaired people read text, recognize objects, make video calls and much more. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Envision co-founder and CEO Karthik Kannan about the glasses and how they are designed to empower low vision people to be more independent and help with everyday tasks.
The mission of Hadley is to create personalized learning opportunities that empower adults with vision loss to thrive - at home, at work, and in their communities. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ed Haines, Chief Program Officer at Hadley, about some of the resources available at Hadley including workshops, podcasts, and discussion groups.
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.
Welby Broaddus is an active advocate for employment of the blind and visually impaired. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Welby, who is visually impaired himself, about his new book that serves as a handbook for educating business owners, executives, and HR professionals on the benefits of hiring individuals who are blind and visually impaired.
How does a visually impaired person find rewarding employment? Sometimes it isn’t easy. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ulysses Harmony Garcia about how she overcame obstacles as a blind individual by acquiring experience as a volunteer, participating in a job training program, working as an intern, and finally landing a job.
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.
Bringing new products to market involves time, planning, and feedback from customers. This week, hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Dominic Labbé, Product Development Director for blindness related products at Humanware. He describes how the process works at Humanware and how products such as the Victor Reader are shepherded from concept to the marketplace.
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.
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.
In order for people to take charge of their health and manage certain medical conditions it is often important that medical monitoring devices be accessible to those who need them. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tom Tobin and Jeff Bishop, who are both blind, about the importance of having accessible devices and where we stand today.
Inspire is a lightweight headset that enables people with low vision to make the most use of the vision that they have. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian Murphey, sales manager from IrisVision, about this digital eyewear system and how it can be used in daily life. They also demonstrate various functions of the device.
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.
The MacArthur Fellowship is a $625,000, no-strings-attached award to extraordinarily talented and creative individuals as an investment in their potential. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Josh Miele, blind since childhood and one of the 2021 fellows, about how his work in the field of accessibility led to him receiving this special award.
e-mail: hosts@EyesOnSuccess.net