Blind Abilities presents Part 3 in their series on Aira, Visual Interpreter for the Blind. Pete chats with Amy Bernal, Director of Aira Agent Services, and Patrick Lane, Aira Agent Analyst about a myriad of fascinating topics. Listen as they share their insight into the duties of Aira Agents; their thoughts about user safety, agents sharing opinions about fashion, a detailed description of the Aira glasses, the official price plans, and what’s in store for the future. Join Pete and his guests for this in depth look into the world of Aira, a product that’s taking the blindness community by storm!

You can find out more about Aira on the web at www.Aira.io

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On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

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Molly Wezel-Peterson shares her journey, her story, her coping while sitting down one on one with Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities. From her earliest days, through high school and graduating college Molly tells us what it is like accepting Usher Syndrome and staying positive about her future.

I hope you enjoy this look inside of Molly’s life and what she faces every day with Usher Syndrome. I know I did and I learned a lot about DeafBlind from someone who is a true advocate for those facing the challenges which they cannot control but they can rise above the limited expectations. 

 

Full Transcript

 

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You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

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See Transcript Below.

Molly Wezel-Peterson shares her journey, her story, her coping while sitting down one on one with Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities. From her earliest days, through high school and graduating college Molly tells us what it is like accepting Usher Syndrome and staying positive about her future.

I hope you enjoy this look inside of Molly’s life and what she faces every day with Usher Syndrome. I know I did and I learned a lot about DeafBlind from someone who is a true advocate for those facing the challenges which they cannot control but they can rise above the limited expectations.

See complete transcription below.

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Transcription:

Breaking Down the DeafBlind Label – Molly Takes Us On Her Usher Syndrome Journey

Molly: You know, knowing I’m going to become blind, I would say at this point in my life, I, I do accept it. Um, it was difficult and it took a long time. Of course, I started out crying and it was very upsetting but I’ve since spent a lot of time learning how to cope as a deaf/blind person, and also educating my family. I do need to, to, to prepare. I do need to get ready, I mean I can still see but I want to be completely prepared when I do lose my sight, when I do become legally blind. I am taking advantage of the sight that I have now to be able to learn how to live as a person that won’t have sight potentially in the future. SSB is fantastic as a support for deaf/blind and there is other organizations outside of Minnesota that are very supportive. Deaf, blind, hearing, whatever your disability is, you can do it. You will be afraid, you will want to isolate yourself, but don’t go that route. Take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that are out there to help you achieve what you want to achieve.

Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities. I am Jeff Thompson. I would like to introduce you to Molly Wezel-Peterson. She is someone who happens to be deaf/blind, college graduate, hard worker, an advocate, and who wants to share her story about living with Usher Syndrome. From her past to present to her future, Molly shares her thoughts, her emotions, how she copes, and most of all, she is sharing her story with you all. And if you want to find more podcasts with the blindness perspective, check us out on the web at blindabilities.com, on Twitter at blindabilities, and download the free Blind Abilities app from the app store, that is blind abilities, two words. So without further ado, please welcome Molly Wezel-Peterson.

Molly: Was I born deaf, nobody really knows. I don’t know if I was born hearing or born deaf, it was just never identified but, um, they found out that I was deaf probably when I was around 2, they kinda assumed I was deaf. I was adopted and there was really very, no communication so my parents put me in a special education school, and, I learned sign language with a tutor, and I went to a mainstreamed school so, itís called the Gideon Pond. It was a school for mostly hearing children but as a deaf student, as a deaf person I went there to Gideon Pond and I had a teacher that was there in the Special Ed classroom that taught me and used sign language. And so I learned sign language in school plus my parents learned sign language as well. And really both, my parents have since divorced and they weren’t sure where I should go to school at that point so I, that’s when I ended up going to MSAD in Faribault. I had actually first went to a,

Blind Abilities presents the BA Teen Cast newest member Alec Olson. The BA Teen Cast is a focus on students transitioning from high school to college and to the workplace. From tips and tricks, news and findings, to success stories from those with the life experience of college and being gainfully employed.

Alec gives us a review/demo of the NVDA screen reader from NVAccess.org

In this brief intro to NVDA, which stands for Non Visual Desktop Access, Alec gives you the information to download, install and some tips on navigation using NVDA, the free screen reader.

We also included a message from NV Access talking about how they got started and what reason they created a free screen reader for the visually impaired.

You can find out more about NVDA on the web at www.NVAccess.org and download the NVDA screen reader at www.NVDA-Project.org

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Blind Abilities presents the second installment in their series on Aira, the visual Interpreter for the blind. In Part 1 we met Chancey Fleet, an  Assistive Technology Professional and an Aira User. Today, our guests are: Aira Navigators Nicholas giudice, Michael Hingson and Cheryl spencer. We learn a lot more about Aira here as our guests share numerous experiences and add their unique perspective to the product. You can’t miss this fascinating look into this new and innovative product which is having a profound impact on the blindness community.

Check out Part 1: An In-depth Look at Aira (Episode1) Meet Explorer Chancey Fleet

 

You can find out more about Aira on the web.

 

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Blind Abilities presents the BA Teen Cast newest member Alec Olson. The BA Teen Cast is a focus on students transitioning from high school to college and to the workplace. From tips and tricks, news and findings, to success stories from those with the life experience of college and being gainfully employed.

Alec gives us a review/demo of the NVDA screen reader from NVAccess.org

In this brief intro to NVDA, which stands for Non Visual Desktop Access, Alec gives you the information to download, install and some tips on navigation using NVDA, the free screen reader.

We also included a message from NV Access talking about how they got started and what reason they created a free screen reader for the visually impaired.

You can find out more about NVDA on the web at www.NVAccess.org and download the NVDA screen reader at www.NVDA-Project.org

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Blind Abilities presents the second installment in their series on Aira, the visual Interpreter for the blind. In Part 1 we met Chancey Fleet, an  Assistive Technology Professional and an Aira User. Today, our guests are: Aira Navigators Nicholas giudice, Michael Hingson and Cheryl spencer. We learn a lot more about Aira here as our guests share numerous experiences and add their unique perspective to the product. You can’t miss this fascinating look into this new and innovative product which is having a profound impact on the blindness community.

Check out Part 1: An In-depth Look at Aira (Episode1) Meet Explorer Chancey Fleet

You can find out more about Aira on the web.

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

(See full Transcript

State Services for the Blind, (SSB) presented an Opportunities Fair for Blind and Low Vision high school students and parents. The Opportunities Fair allowed students to talk to business leaders and organizations about who they were and what are their expectations. Students went from table to table one on one with directors and admins and learning about the opportunities they offer. Parents met up with other parents and shared experiences and strategies for successful outcomes. The students met others from the metropolitan area and shared their experiences and successes. Panels of parents of Blind children, successfully employed people with vision loss and another panel consisting of transition age students who are working jobs and doing internships spoke to the entire group of participants

Blind Abilities was there talking to the students, counselors transition team from SSB and met with the business associates. Join Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities and take a tour of the Opportunities Fair.

If you are interested in more opportunities and want to find out more about transitioning from high school to college and to the workplace, you can contact Sheila Koenig at  651-539-2361.

You can find out more about the Transition program on the web.

 

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

 

(See Transcript Below)

State Services for the Blind, (SSB) presented an Opportunities Fair for Blind and Low Vision high school students and parents. The Opportunities Fair allowed students to talk to business leaders and organizations about who they were and what are their expectations. Students went from table to table one on one with directors and admins and learning about the opportunities they offer. Parents met up with other parents and shared experiences and strategies for successful outcomes. The students met others from the metropolitan area and shared their experiences and successes. Panels of parents of Blind children,

successfully employed people with vision loss and another panel consisting of transition age students who are working jobs and doing internships spoke to the entire group of participants

Blind Abilities was there talking to the students, counselors transition team from SSB and met with the business associates. Join Jeff Thompson of Blind Abilities and take a tour of the Opportunities Fair.

If you are interested in more opportunities and want to find out more about transitioning from high school to college and to the workplace, you can contact Sheila Koenig at 651-539-2361.

You can find out more about the Transition program on the web.

See Transcription below.

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.

Transcription:

Opportunities Fair: Making Connections for Jobs, Education, Summer Activities, and More

Female Voice: If you’re looking for employment right now get out there, looking for a job is a full-time job.

Male Voice: What I’m seeing is there’s a lot of camaraderie here and there’s just a lot of resources and it’s just nice to make connections with folks who know what they’re doing and and help them realize their dreams.

Female Voice: So, it’s called Capti, and you can get like any PDF’s that you can’t see.

Male Voice: Well I am a senior right now and I wanted to look into jobs, I never really had any work experience. It’s kind of nice to see that I can find the job.

Female Voice: Experience experience experience, volunteer, it shows responsibility, it shows that you can commit to something and follow through. Know within yourself that your dreams are possible, that you can reach them. Don’t let others limited expectations hold you back.

Jeff Thompson: Welcome to Blind Abilities, Iím Jeff Thompson. State Services for the Blind’s transition team held an opportunities fair at a local community center giving transition age students an opportunity to meet with the Job Corps employers and talk with others about the tips and tricks that they’ll need as they transition from high school to college to the work place. The students were also able to collaborate with each other and share ideas, apps, and other tools for success. There are panels of different demographics sharing ideas and success stories that they had. Parents talking about their successes along the journey, talking about what it takes, what they’ve overcome, what experience can you share about being gainfully employed, and what it’s like to be a teenager transitioning that has a part-time job. And mostly the students had an opportunity to talk to the employers, the workforce, and meet and talk and ask questions about what it is, what they need to do to prepare for the workforce.

Nimer Jaber is an Early Adopter of new technology, forging forward, working with developers and improving accessibility for all. I admire that and it was a pleasure

 Talking to Nimer about his devices and what his team at the Lighthouse Center for Vision Loss is doing for Transition age students, their parents and how they keep connected, informed and educate in rural Minnesota. Where distance and proximity makes for creative solutions.

Join Nimer Jaber as he sits down with Blind Abilities and talks about Google devices, the LG Sport Watch and it’s accessibility, ChromeBooks and Amazon devices.

you can follow Nimer on Twitter @nimerjaber

Thank you for listening.

You can follow us on Twitter @BlindAbilities

On the web at www.BlindAbilities.com

Send us an email

Get the Free Blind Abilities App on the App Store.