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)

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)

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)

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.

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!

1533 Technology for Low Vision (Aug. 12, 2015)

Show Notes
Depending upon your level of vision loss, there are many types of hardware and software that will enable you to access print, whether on paper or on a screen. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Jenn Mohr, regional sales representative for upstate NY for C-Tech, which distributes many adaptive items. Learn about the options available to people with low vision.

1532 Opportunities for Blind Pharmacists (Aug. 5, 2015)

Show Notes
Arnold Tucker was a pharmacist in a retail pharmacy when his vision began to fade. Despite using various adaptive aids, it became progressively more difficult to perform his job. After obtaining additional training, he found new doors open in his field. Hosts Nancy and Peter talk with him about his journey and opportunities for blind pharmacists.

1531 Learning Ally (Jul. 29, 2015)

Show Notes
Many blind students and professionals rely on textbooks and other specialized material recorded by Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic – RFB&D). Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Kristen Witucki, community coordinator for students who are visually impaired, about Learning Ally, what services and resources they offer, and whom they serve.

1530 Accessible Games for iOS Devices (Jul. 22, 2015)

Show Notes
No matter what type of games you enjoy playing, you’ll probably find it in the book “Anyone Can Play! Accessible Games for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch”. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Judy Dixon, the book’s editor and co-author, about accessible app versions of word games, board and card games, role playing and adventure games, and much more.

1529 Accessible On-Line Games (Jul. 15, 2015)

Show Notes
A number of on-line board games and card games are hosted by RS Games. They are all accessible using a screen reader and can be enjoyable as well as being a great way to connect with friends or meet new ones. Host Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Michael Forzano, a founder and developer of RS Games about how it works and how you can participate.

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.

1527 HIMS Blaze Multi-Players (Jul. 1, 2015)

Show Notes
The Blaze ET and EZ Multi-Player devices can play audio and text books in many formats, and also be used to directly download books over WiFi, subscribe to and listen to podcasts, and much more. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dave Wilkinson, HIMS’ business development manager, about these features as well as the OCR capability using an internal camera.

1526 Becoming and Being a Blind Judge (Jun. 24, 2015)

Show Notes
Last week Michigan State Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein, blind since birth, talked about employment issues faced by the visually impaired. This week, hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with him about the academic and professional path that led him to his position, including some of the challenges he’s faced and accommodations he’s made to be successful.

1525 Employment Issues for the Visually Impaired (Jun. 17, 2015)

Show Notes
Blind since birth, Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein is passionate about improving employment for the visually impaired. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about challenges faced by blind individuals seeking employment and some new initiatives to employ the blind. Next week he will talk more about his own personal experiences.

1523 Composing and Performing Music (Jun. 3, 2015)

Show Notes
Rachel Flowers is a talented young blind musician. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with her and her mother, Jeanie Flowers, about how Rachel learned to play the myriad of instruments she’s mastered including participating in a marching band. Rachel also talks about how she currently performs, composes, arranges, and shares music with others.

1522 CakeTalking, TypeAbility and Academy of Music for the Blind (May 27, 2015)

Show Notes
This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with David Pinto, a musician and music educator who founded and runs the Academy of Music for the Blind. He also developed the TypeAbility program to teach blind youth how to type and navigate a computer and the CakeTalking scripts to enable access to Sonar, a sophisticated audio production program.

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.

1520 Creating Accessible Graphs and Charts (May 13, 2015)

Show Notes
Richard Ladner is a professor of computer science whose research is directed at enhancing the accessibility of documents and web sites. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about his work to make textbook graphics accessible to the blind. The project is aimed at automating the creation of tactile graphics with the embedded text converted to Braille or speech.

Continue reading 1520 Creating Accessible Graphs and Charts (May 13, 2015) →

1519 Informal Advocacy (May 6, 2015)

Show Notes
If you have special needs, sometimes you need to request adaptations. For years, Kelly Pierce has engaged in informal advocacy resulting in improved accessibility. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with him about his varied experiences with the Chicago transit system, movie theaters, voting system, ATM’s, etc., usually without engaging legal support.

1518 Global Reach of Benetech and Bookshare (Apr. 29, 2015)

Show Notes
Last week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talked with Jim Fruchterman, the founder and CEO of Benetech about his early work in OCR and starting Bookshare. This week we talk with him about Bookshare’s global reach and how it has helped to influence mainstream publishing. He also describes a number of other initiatives being pursued by Benetech to improve access.

1517 Jim Fruchterman – Social Entrepreneur (Apr. 22, 2015)

Show Notes
Jim Fruchterman is the founder and CEO of Benetech, which operates Bookshare. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about how he became interested in OCR, the founding of Arkenstone, and the inspiration behind Bookshare. Next week we speak more with Jim about the global impact of Bookshare and some of Benetech’s other social initiatives.

1516 J-Say, J-Dictate, and Leasey (Apr. 15, 2015)

Show Notes
J-Say and J-Dictate are designed to make it possible to use the Dragon Naturally speaking speech recognition program with JAWS. Leasey offers novice PC users an intuitive interface and set of tools for performing routine tasks using JAWS. Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian Hartgen, developer of these tools, who will talk about his work and demo these tools.

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.

1513 The National Braille Press (Mar. 25, 2015)

Show Notes
The National Braille Press promotes literacy of blind children through Braille and provides access to information that empowers blind people to actively engage in work, family, and community affairs. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Brian MacDonald, president of NBP, about resources available from NBP as well as about some new initiatives including the B2G.

1512 Preparing for Vision Loss (Mar. 18, 2015)

Show Notes
Many sighted people have a hard time imagining how they would tackle life if they couldn’t see. Losing your vision, however, doesn’t mean the end of the world. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk about how you can prepare for eventual vision loss by preparing your home, using adaptive aids, becoming aware of your other senses, accessible technology and more.

1511 Reading MathML with JAWS (Mar. 11, 2015)

Show Notes
The ability to read mathematical expressions in documents and on the web is crucial for those learning math and for professionals in the sciences. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Rob Gallo, a software developer at Freedom Scientific responsible for implementing support for MathML in the JAWS screen reader. Also hear a demo of JAWS reading MathML.

1510 Chemistry Camp for Blind Youth (Mar. 4, 2015)

Show Notes
Learning about science can be fun and exciting. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Hoby Wedler, a blind graduate student in Chemistry, about a Chemistry Camp for blind teens that he founded and runs annually to share his love of science with youth. We’ll review some of the highlights of each session, including some unexpected things attendees learn

1509 Working With Computer Hardware (Feb. 25, 2015)

Show Notes
Modern screen readers make computer programs and software readily accessible to the blind. But what about working with hardware? Mobeen Iqbal has years of experience repairing both desktop and laptop computers and has even built several computers. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about how he achieves each required task in spite of being totally blind

1508 Blind Parenting of Sighted Children (Feb. 18, 2015)

Show Notes
First time parents have many questions. But what if one of the parents is blind? That is the case with Ron and Denise Miller who are raising 2 year old Russell. They talk with hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey who raised two sighted children with one parent being blind. They discuss a variety of topics including feeding, playing, reading, and driving.

1507 Interpretype Deaf-Blind Communication System (Feb. 11, 2015)

Show Notes
The Interpretype Deaf-Blind Communication System enables deaf-blind Braille users to communicate in a variety of situations including telephone communications, texting, instant messaging, internet, VRS and face-to-face conversations. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with its inventor, Ken Gan, about this portable yet powerful tool.


transcript of show 1507

1506 Working from Home – Part 2 (Feb. 4, 2015)

Show Notes
This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey continue last week’s conversation with Ron Milliman, a blind retired professor of Marketing, about working from home, this time from the employer’s perspective, which is good to know so you can present prepared points in your request to begin or continue working from home. We’ll also hear from several people with experience working at home.

1505 Working from Home – Part 1 (Jan. 28, 2015)

Show Notes
Ron Milliman is a blind retired professor of Marketing who has spent years working in and teaching about various employment situations. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about the pros and cons of working from home from an employee’s perspective. Next week we’ll explore the employer’s perspective and hear from several people who have experience working at home.

Continue reading 1504 Research on Eye Surgery Equipment (Jan. 21, 2015) →

1503 Cochlear Implants for Blind People (Jan. 14, 2015)

Show Notes
Blind people rely on their hearing for navigation, orientation, social cues and much more. For a blind person who has also lost much of their hearing, cochlear implants can restore significant function. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Keith Wiglesworth about being blind, losing his hearing, and how a pair of cochlear implants has expanded his horizons.

1502 Product Development at Humanware (Jan. 7, 2015)

Show Notes
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.

1501 Sociology of Disability (Dec. 31, 2014)

Show Notes
Individuals with disabilities including visual impairments have all had experiences interacting with the majority non-disabled society. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Tom Behler, a blind professor of Sociology about his studies of how people with disabilities are treated by society in general and how this has been evolving.

1452 Getting the Most Out of Eyes On Success (Dec. 24, 2014)

Show Notes
With over 200 episodes in the archives, Eyes On Success is a valuable resource for learning about products and services for the visually impaired, as well as hearing motivational stories about visually impaired people who pursue rewarding careers and hobbies. This week you’ll learn how to explore this resource and also hear from some pioneers in the blindness field.

1451 Accessibility at Google (Dec. 17, 2014)

Show Notes
This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Eve Andersson, Manager of Accessibility Engineering at Google, about Google’s efforts to make their products more accessible. She outlines how Google has responded to the concerns of advocacy groups and individual users and has fully integrated awareness of accessibility into Google’s product development process.

1450 Blind Friendly Architecture (Dec. 10, 2014)

Show Notes
Chris Downey had been a practicing architect for 20 years when he suddenly lost all his vision. Undaunted, he has continued his work using his new understanding of how people with vision loss experience spaces. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about what is important in designing blind friendly buildings and how he does his work.

1449 Tablet Comparisons for Blind Users (Dec. 3, 2014)

Show Notes
Tablet devices are gaining in popularity and there are many options. Selecting the right tablet for the needs of a blind person using speech output can be a daunting task. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Robbie Sandberg of Information Pool for Computer Technology aimed at Blind and Partially Sighted People (INCOBS) about their test results to help you choose.

1448 Tablet Comparisons for Low Vision Users (Nov. 26, 2014)

Show Notes
There are many varieties of tablet devices. Selecting the right tablet for the needs of a low vision person using magnification and/or color controls can be difficult. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Robbie Sandberg of Information Pool for Computer Technology aimed at Blind and Partially Sighted People (INCOBS) about their test results to help you choose.

1447 Advocating for Disability Rights (Nov. 19, 2014)

Show Notes
Haben Girma is a deaf-blind attorney who works for Disability Rights Advocates in San Francisco, CA. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about what disability rights advocacy includes and about some of her major cases settled either through negotiation or initiating class action suits. We’ll also learn how she got into this field and does her work.

1446 Improving Interactions With New Technologies (Nov. 12, 2014)

Show Notes
Shaun Kane does research on Human-Computer Interactions (HCI), focusing on how visually impaired people interact with computers, how to facilitate that interaction, and how computers can be used to improve their life experiences. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with him about his work to understand how blind people communicate when navigating and about 3D printers.

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.

1444 KNFB Reader App for iOS devices (Oct. 29, 2014)

Show Notes
Devices for performing optical character recognition (OCR) have become much less expensive and technically advanced. Now you can have the power of a state-of-the-art OCR engine on your iPhone with the new KNFB Reader. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with James Gashel, VP of KNFB’s Business Development, about the app and the history of OCR technology.

1443 Partner of One Losing Vision Early in the Relationship (Oct. 22, 2014)

Show Notes
In episode #1437 we talked with Amy Bower, a blind oceanographer. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her husband, David Fisichella, about how they met and developed their relationship as Amy’s sight deteriorated. We’ll also discuss a book he wrote about their life and work together, “Seven-Tenths: Love, Piracy, and Science at Sea”.

1442 Long-time Partner of One who Loses Vision (Oct. 15, 2014)

Show Notes
What is it like when one’s partner begins to lose their vision? Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Chris Roberts about how she and her husband Dan navigated the challenges of family and career during Dan’s transition to vision loss after decades of marriage. Their story shows the power of a committed partnership, good communication, and drive to succeed.

1441 Victor Reader Stream (Oct. 8, 2014)

Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Matthew Janusauskas, Product Manager at HumanWare for the Victor Reader family of accessible media players, about some of the new and exciting features in the new firmware update for the Victor Reader Stream that are enabled by the built-in wifi. We’ll also talk about the Victor Reader Stratus desktop version.

Click the link below for complete instructions on how to subscribe to the Eyes On Success podcast on your VR Stream or other device:

Subscribing to podcast using a variety of devices and programs

1440 Raising a Blind Child (Oct. 1, 2014)

Show Notes
Rebecca, a blind youth, has appeared on several prior episodes of Eyes On Success. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with her parents, Steve and Marjorie, about their experiences raising her, navigating the school system and the rest of the world, and teaching her to be an independent young adult. We also share some useful resources for parents of blind children.

1439 AFB Career Connect (Sep. 24, 2014)

Show Notes
Unemployment among the visually impaired is very high. Career Connect is an employment information resource developed for people with vision loss. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Joe Strechay, program manager of Career Connect, about their services and tools for seeking employment, providing mentors, and many other topics related to a successful job search.

1438 Developing DAISY Standards and Players (Sep. 17, 2014)

Show Notes
After going blind over the course of his career as an entrepreneur, consultant, and software developer, Gerry Chevalier was a key contributor to the development of the DAISY standard and of the NLS and Victor Reader digital reading devices. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with him about his commitment to accessibility and his work in that field.

1437 Working As a Research Oceanographer (Sep. 10, 2014)

Show Notes
Amy Bower gradually lost most of her vision as she pursued a Ph.D. in Oceanography and continued her career as a research scientist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with her about her experience leading research cruises, working with colleagues, and being attacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

1436 Fleksy Typing App for iOS and Android (Sep. 3, 2014)

Show Notes
Inputting text accurately on a touch screen keyboard can be challenging, especially if one is blind. Using predictive algorithms and auto-correction the Fleksy app makes typing easier and more reliable. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ioannis Verdalis, co-founder and COO of Fleksy, about the history of the app, the technology behind it, and upcoming improvements.

1435 Macular Degeneration & Low Vision Support Groups (Aug. 27, 2014)

Show Notes
Macular Degeneration often occurs later in life. Dan Roberts shares his thoughts on navigating this life-changing transition which he experienced first-hand. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey also talk with him about resources and support groups that he maintains, as well as his book “The First Year: Age-Related Macular Degeneration: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed”.

1434 Using VoiceOver on the Mac (Aug. 20, 2014)

Show Notes
Both new and experienced people using VoiceOver on Mac computers will find something of interest in Janet Ingber’s new book “Learn to Use the Mac with VoiceOver: A Step-by-Step Guide for Blind Users”, available in many formats. We’ll speak with Janet about the book, many features of VoiceOver, and her career as a blind music therapist.

1433 Services and Conditions for the Blind in Malaysia (Aug. 13, 2014)

Show Notes
One of the joys of hosting Eyes On Success is meeting people from all over the world and learning about similarities and differences in how things are done. This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Moses Choo, Executive Director of the National Council for the Blind of Malaysia about services they provide and conditions for the blind there.

1432 STEM Education for Blind Youth (Aug. 6, 2014)

Show Notes
Especially with computers being so accessible, science can be a great career for people with visual impairments. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Rayshun Dorsey, who founded and heads the WizKidz Science and Technology Centers, about their programs to expose visually impaired youth to the wonder of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

1431 Tips for Finding a Job (Jul. 30, 2014)

Show Notes
The unemployment rate for people with vision loss is much greater than that in the general population. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Jennison Asuncion about strategies, tools, and techniques he has used to successfully search for and obtain employment throughout his professional career, even in today’s challenging environment.

1429 Considerations for Blind People Losing their Hearing (Jul. 16, 2014)

Show Notes
Adaptive equipment is available to help people with vision or hearing loss. However, there are special considerations for people with both since they cannot rely on their sight to compensate for loss of hearing or vice versa. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Jonathan Mosen about special issues he has faced as a life-long blind person who is losing his hearing.

Since our hosting service has decided not to offer the ability to host podcasts any more, we need to make a change.

Please be patient with us as we move to another system for providing podcasts to listeners of Eyes On success.

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Thanks for your patience as we move through this transition.

The Hosts: Peter and Nancy Torpey

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