1540 Today’s e-Pub and Accessible Books – Part 2 (Sep. 30, 2015)


1540 Today’s e-Pub and Accessible Books – Part 2 (Sep. 30, 2015)


Show Notes

Last week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talked with George Kerscher about the first e-books and how standards initially developed for the print disabled were adopted into mainstream publishing. This week we continue that conversation and hear why having uniform standards led to concerns about copyright and distribution and how people worked to resolve these issues.

1539 George Kerscher and the Development of e-Books – Part 1 (Sep. 23, 2015)


1539 George Kerscher and the Development of e-Books – Part 1 (Sep. 23, 2015)


Show Notes

George Kerscher created the first accessible digital books and went on to develop standards that are now the foundation of electronic publishing. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about how these standards were assimilated into mainstream publishing. Next week we’ll hear about some of the quandaries that arose as a result.

1538 NFB Performing Arts Division (Sep. 16, 2015)


1538 NFB Performing Arts Division (Sep. 16, 2015)


Show Notes

The Performing Arts Division of the National Federation of the Blind offers many resources and opportunities for people interested in music, dance, and other aspects of performing. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jordy Stringer and Julie McGinnity about how members can connect and share experiences to improve skills, find employment, or just have fun!

1537 3-D Printer Project at Benetech (Sep. 9 2015)


1537 3-D Printer Project at Benetech (Sep. 9 2015)


Show Notes

3-D printers are capable of making tactile representations of figures, diagrams and other pictorials that occur in textbooks and other educational materials. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Anh Bui and Lisa Wadors Verne of Benetech about their work to develop the infrastructure to support the use of this technology and how it might work in practice.

1536 Stem Cell Therapy for Retinal Disease (Sep. 2 2015)


1536 Stem Cell Therapy for Retinal Disease (Sep. 2 2015)


Show Notes

Pam Retzloff was legally blind since birth due to a congenital retinal disease. Starting in her 20’s her vision progressively worsened until she was left with a tiny dim visual field. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Pam about a stem cell treatment she had in late 2014 including what the process and recovery have been like and how her vision is evolving.