Below is the show summary as well as links to the show notes and audio
Experience the vivid landscapes of Arizona as enhanced by detailed descriptions by AI. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey used various AI services like PiccyBot and Be My Eyes to describe their adventures in the Sonoran Desert, the Phoenix Botanical Garden, Sedona's trails, and more. Explore how technology can enhance the visually impaired's experience of nature.
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey's Arizona vacation took an unexpected turn when Pete's All Terrain Hiking Cane needed repair. Fortunately, Sedona Dave, designer of the cane, lived just a few minutes from their hotel. Inviting them into his “Cane Lab”, Dave not only repaired the cane, but also described the various canes offered by Awarewolf Gear.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.