All posts by ptorpey

2349 Beyond Human Eyesight – AI and Visual Assistance (Dec. 6, 2023)


2349 Beyond Human Eyesight – AI and Visual Assistance (Dec. 6, 2023)


Show Notes

The Be My Eyes app now offers users their choice of whether to work with a sighted volunteer, an AI bot, or specific people in their own group of friends and family. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder and CEO Hans Jørgen Wiberg about the various options as well as recent privacy issues around facial description and recognition.

2348 Raising Awareness One Video at a Time (Nov. 29, 2023)


2348 Raising Awareness One Video at a Time (Nov. 29, 2023)


Show Notes

Lucy Edwards is a blind broadcaster, content creator, and disability activist living in the UK. One of her goals is to change how people see blindness. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lucy about what motivated her to start her social media presence, how it led to a position with the BBC, and why she says she has her dream job.

2347 iOS Access for All for iOS 17 (Nov. 22, 2023)


2347 iOS Access for All for iOS 17 (Nov. 22, 2023)


Show Notes

Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Shelly Brisbin, author of “iOS Access for All: Your Comprehensive Guide to Accessibility for iPhone and iPad”, about this valuable reference guide. Shelly discusses what can be found in the book and highlights features of interest including Point To Speak, customizing Voiceover voices, Personal Voice, and more.

2346 Desmos Tools for Mathematics (Nov. 15, 2023)


2346 Desmos Tools for Mathematics (Nov. 15, 2023)


Show Notes

Desmos Studios offers a variety of accessible software tools for working with mathematics including scientific and graphing calculators, a matrix calculator, and a new 3-D calculator. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Accessibility Specialist Stephen Clower from Desmos about how they came to make these tools accessible and about how they work.

2345 Tutorials for Using Band-in-a-Box with JAWS (Nov. 8, 2023)


2345 Tutorials for Using Band-in-a-Box with JAWS (Nov. 8, 2023)


Show Notes

Band-in-a-Box is a program that can be used to create complete professional arrangements of songs in almost any style by just typing in chords. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Gudrun Brunot about the tutorials she and Roy Robinson developed to help users navigate the myriad of features and enable them to effectively use the program with special JAWS scripts.

2344 Encore of 2020 Band-in-a-Box and the Updated JAWS Scripts (Nov. 1, 2023)


2344 Encore of 2020 Band-in-a-Box and the Updated JAWS Scripts (Nov. 1, 2023)


Show Notes

Band-in-a-Box from PG Music continues to evolve and introduce new features that are appealing to both professional and amateur musicians alike. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tobin Frank, chief development officer at PG Music, about the program and how the scripts Peter developed make this program accessible with the JAWS screen reader.

2343 Skateboarding with a Pop, Grind, and Flip (Oct. 25, 2023)


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.

2342 Timecrest Fantasy Game for iOS (Oct. 18, 2023)


2342 Timecrest Fantasy Game for iOS (Oct. 18, 2023)


Show Notes

Jump Into the World of Fantasy with Timecrest. Get a chance to turn back time and save the world as the main character in the Timecrest fantasy game from Sneaky Crab. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Justin Ng, who co-founded Sneaky Crab with Lisa Gu, about how they made the game accessible with Voiceover and received an AppleVis Golden Apple award for Developer of the Year.

2341 Apple Accessibility – Making Tech For Everyone (Oct. 11, 2023)


2341 Apple Accessibility – Making Tech For Everyone (Oct. 11, 2023)


Show Notes

Apple works to make their products accessible to everyone by supporting vision, hearing, speech, motor, and cognitive disabilities in all of their devices. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dean Hudson, an Accessibility Evangelist at Apple, about the range of accessibility features including the newly announced “Live Speech” feature and Personalized Voices.

2339 Accessibility of Amazon Products (Sep. 27, 2023)


2339 Accessibility of Amazon Products (Sep. 27, 2023)


Show Notes

Amazon is dedicated to making their devices and services not only user friendly but also accessible to everyone no matter what their individual challenges might be. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Peter Korn, director of accessibility for Amazon’s devices and services business, about how their design philosophy enhances the experience for all.

2338 The Tech Toolbox from Orbit Research (Sep. 20, 2023)


2338 The Tech Toolbox from Orbit Research (Sep. 20, 2023)


Show Notes

Orbit Research carries a wide variety of products suitable for students, professionals, and home use. These range from talking and graphics calculators to multi-line and graphical braille displays, to low vision magnifiers to braille computers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Venkatesh Chari, President and CEO of Orbit Research, about their many offerings.

2337 Joining the ACB Community (Sep. 13, 2023)


2337 Joining the ACB Community (Sep. 13, 2023)


Show Notes

People with visual impairments may experience geographical and/or social isolation. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Cindy Hollis, Manager of Membership Engagement for the American Council of the Blind (ACB) about the many virtual community events that they host aimed at bringing people with a wide range of interests from around the world together.

2336 See the World the Way You Want with the ReBokeh App (Sep. 6, 2023)


2336 See the World the Way You Want with the ReBokeh App (Sep. 6, 2023)


Show Notes

Rebecca Rosenberg felt that none of the built-in accessibility features in her smart phone were designed to address her particular needs and vision disorder so she got to work. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Rebecca about how she started a company that developed an iOS app that helps her and others interact with and see the “real world”.

2334 Going Beyond the Words in Documents and Presentations (Aug. 23, 2023)


2334 Going Beyond the Words in Documents and Presentations (Aug. 23, 2023)


Show Notes

Creating impactful documents and presentations is important for connecting with sighted individuals in all walks of life. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Judy Dixon about her latest books, “Designing Documents for Appearance” and “The Power of PowerPoint”, that give tips on how those who are visually impaired can produce such material.

2333 The Sky Is the Limit – A Skydiving Adventure (Aug. 16, 2023)


2333 The Sky Is the Limit – A Skydiving Adventure (Aug. 16, 2023)


Show Notes

Zach Tidwell is a blind military veteran who enjoys a variety of physical activities such as snowboarding, ski biking, mountain biking, rock-climbing, white-water kayaking, jiu-jitsu, rafting, and recently, skydiving. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Zach about skydiving without sight and how it compared to skydiving before he lost his sight.

2332 Cracking the Code of Darkness (Aug. 9, 2023)


2332 Cracking the Code of Darkness (Aug. 9, 2023)


Show Notes

Zach Tidwell was a marine who lost all of his sight in an instant during a period of deep depression. Despite all odds, he quickly adapted to blindness and taught himself to code. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Zach about his incredible journey, the Zanagrams app he created, and his plans to develop future accessible apps for iOS devices.

2331 Encore of 1813 Outtakes from Eyes On Success (Aug. 2, 2023)


2331 Encore of 1813 Outtakes from Eyes On Success (Aug. 2, 2023)


Show Notes

They say that nothing is ever perfect. Fortunately, though, with a little extra work, most mistakes can be fixed. That even applies to the productions of Eyes On Success. Sit back and enjoy some laughs with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey as they enjoy some Summer fun by sharing some humorous moments that never made it into the show.

2330 Navigating the Transition to Sight Loss (Jul. 26, 2023)


2330 Navigating the Transition to Sight Loss (Jul. 26, 2023)


Show Notes

In his new book “The Country of the Blind: A Memoir At the End of Sight”, author and audio producer Andrew Leland chronicles his slow progression from sightedness to blindness due to Retinitis Pigmentosa. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Andrew about the book, his transition through various stages of sight loss, and what he learned along the way.

2328 Accessibility of Google Android and G Suite (Jul. 12, 2023)


2328 Accessibility of Google Android and G Suite (Jul. 12, 2023)


Show Notes

Google continually introduces new features in their products to make them more accessible for people with disabilities. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jyotsna Kaki, a blind Accessibility Analyst at Google about a number of the latest G Suite and Android OS features, designed to enhance the experience for visually impaired users.

2327 Preparing for Employment with Clusiv (Jul. 5, 2023)


2327 Preparing for Employment with Clusiv (Jul. 5, 2023)


Show Notes

Clusiv offers a screen-reader friendly, on-line training program aimed at providing blind clients with the skills to find meaningful employment. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tamer Zaid, who recently went through the program, about how the program works, the courses he took, and how the skills he learned helped prepare him for the workforce.

2326 The Key to Being a Piano Technician (Jun. 28, 2023)


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.

2324 Woodworking By Touch (Jun. 14, 2023)


2324 Woodworking By Touch (Jun. 14, 2023)


Show Notes

Dave Carlson was introduced to woodworking as a youth, watching and helping his dad in the shop. However, it wasn’t until losing his sight to RP in his 40’s and was inspired to make a toybox for his grandson that he took on this hobby in earnest. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dave about his experiences as a blind woodworker and how it all works.

2323 Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer (Jun. 7, 2023)


2323 Be My Eyes Virtual Volunteer (Jun. 7, 2023)


Show Notes

Be My Eyes is an app that connects blind individuals and their cameras to sighted volunteers for real-time assistance. Now the power of AI comes to the app with the addition of their “virtual volunteer” option. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with founder and CEO Hans Jørgen Wiberg about the power of this new feature and how it can be used.

2322 Blazing the Trails with Awarewolf Gear (May 31, 2023)


2322 Blazing the Trails with Awarewolf Gear (May 31, 2023)


Show Notes

Sedona Dave is blind and was tired of people not noticing him when walking around town and crashing into him. He also wanted a better and safer way of hiking the trails around him. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dave about how he solved his problems by starting Awarewolf Gear a journey that was frustrating at times, but rewarding in the end.

2321 Awarewolf Gear All Terrain Cane (May 24, 2023)


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.

2320 Firefox Accessibility Enhancements (May 17, 2023)


2320 Firefox Accessibility Enhancements (May 17, 2023)


Show Notes

Accessibility has always been an important factor in the development of the Mozilla Firefox web browser. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jamie Teh, technical lead for accessibility at the Mozilla Foundation, about recent improvements to both the accessibility and responsiveness of Firefox for those using screen readers as well and how that work is done.