Change Makers: A Podcast from APH

On this episode of Change Makers, we’re heading to Washington, D.C. to hear the latest news from Capitol Hill, more about APH’s recent testimony before the Labor, Health and Human Services, Appropriations subcommittee, and what you can do to stay involved and make a difference.

On this episode (in order of appearance)

• Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Paul Schroeder, APH Vice President Impact and Outreach
• John Pare, Executive Director for Advocacy and Policy for National Federation of the Blind
• Clark Rachfal, Director of Advocacy and Governmental Affairs for American Council of the Blind 
• Laura Kaloi,  Partner at Stride Policy Solutions, LLC 

Additional Links 

• Paul Schroeder at Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
• Find Your Representative
• Congress Website
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA
• S.4998 - Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act
• H.R.9021 - Websites and Software Applications Accessibility Act
• Advocacy - American Council of the Blind
• H.R.1328 - Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act of 2023
• H.R.4853 - Medical Device Nonvisual Accessibility Act of 2021
• Schakowsky Reintroduces Legislation to Guarantee Home-Use Medical Devices are Accessible to Blind and Low Vision Americans
• S.5121 - Communications, Video, and Technology Accessibility Act of 2022
• S.3238 - Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act
• Scott, Casey, McMorris Rodgers, Daines to Reintroduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill to Help Workers with Disabilities Find Good-Paying Jobs
• OSEP Update
• National Federation of the Blind 2023 Legislative Priorities
• ACB Legislative Imperatives
• ATAP

Emails

• Advocacy - American Council of the Blind
• John Pare email

On this episode of Change Makers, we continue to celebrate women who are making waves in the blind and low vision field.

On this episode (In Order of Apperance)

• Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Rebecca Rosenberg,  Founder & CEO, ReBokeh 
• Julie Hapeman,  Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist 

Additional Links:

• ReBokeh
• ReBokeh app
• ReBokeh Instagram
• ReBokeh Facebook

Reading Material:

• Aspinall, B., & McLennan, D. P. (2019). Think Like a Coder!: Connecting Computational Thinking to Everyday Activities. Independently published.
• Books, K. (2018). First Coding Book For Kids: Coding Games and Worksheets to Teach Little Kids (4-7 Years) How to Code. Independently published.
• Fay, M., & Aspinall, B. (2019). Hallway Connections: Autism and Coding. Independently published.
• Funk, J. (2019). How to Code a Rollercoaster (Illustrated edition). Viking Books for Young Readers.
• Levy, A., & Levy, G. (2018). What Should Danny Do? School Day (First edition). Elon Books.
• Levy, A., & Levy, G. (2020). What Should Darla Do? Featuring the Power to Choose (Second edition). Elon Books.
• McLennan, D. P. (2020a). Kindercoding Unplugged: Screen-Free Activities for Beginners. Redleaf Press.
• McLennan, D. P. (2020b). Everyday Coding. Independently published.
• McMenemy, D., & Aspinall, B. (2020). What Happens When I Learn To Code? Code Breaker Inc.

Other Coding Tools:

• CodeQuest (APH)
• Cubetto
• Genibot (there are braille labels available for the coding cards)
• Swift Playgrounds Tactile Puzzle Worlds
• Ballyland

On this episode of Change Makers, we are celebrating Women’s History Month, by talking to some women who are making history of their own. We’ll hear from two trailblazers, and then hear from LEGO Foundation representatives about their Braille Bricks at Council for Exceptional Children convention that was recently held in Louisville, KY. 

In this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Kaiya Armstrong, Pilot
• Olaya Landa-Vialard, APH ConnectCenter Director, AER President
• Marc Angelier, LEGO Foundation
• Marie Oddoux, LEGO Foundation

Additional Links and Numbers

• Blind pilot flying across the country lands at Bowman Field in Louisville
• APH ConnectCenter
• AER: Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired
•  APH ConnectCenter phone line: 1-800-232-5463
• LEGO Braille Bricks
• Learning Through Play
• LEGO Braille Bricks Kit Request Form
• LEGOs designed for the blind and visually impaired are distributed exclusively from Louisville

On this episode of Change Makers, we are celebrating Black History Month. Hear from Monique Coleman about her childhood, college life, and her journey to become a TVI and President of Vistas Education Partners.

On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Monique Coleman, TVI and President of Vistas Education Partners

Additional Links 

• Vistas Education Partners
• National Homework Hotline 

National Homework Hotline for Blind and Low Vision Students
The National Homework Hotline (NHH) is a free after-school service for blind and low vision students in grades 3-12 and college. 

NHH areas of support include, but are not limited to:  

• Screen readers (Voice Over, JAWS, NVDA)
• Nemeth and literary braille
• Cranmer abacus
• Refreshable braille displays
• Braille notetakers
• Core subject tutoring 
• Talking scientific calculators 

To learn more about the NHH, check out this informative APH webinar featuring NHH founders and volunteers, Catching Up With the National Homework Hotline.

 Questions? Email [email protected] 

On this episode of Change Makers, we are celebrating Black History Month. Hear from Anil Lewis about his childhood, challenges, victories and how he became Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind. After that, we’ll hear what’s new with LEGO Braille Bricks.

On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Anil Lewis, Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives for the National Federation of the Blind
• Rachel Bishop, APH Braille Product Manager

Additional Links 

• Being Black Helped Me Be Blind and Being Blind Helped Me Understand that #BlackLivesMatter
• LEGO® Braille Bricks – American Printing House
• Council for Exceptional Children Convention & Expo

We're celebrating Braille Literacy Month and taking a look back at how braille came to be. We will also hear more from Anne Durham and Greg Stilson as they continue their discussion about the Monarch.  After that, we will hear from someone who got the chance to try out the Monarch.

On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Micheal Hudson, APH Museum Director
• Anne Durham,  APH Vice President/Chief Officer, Innovation and Strategy
• Greg Stilson, APH Head of Global Technology Innovation
• Karen Anderson, National Federation of the Blind Education Programs Coordinator

Additional Links

• The Dynamic Tactile Device: A New Solution to an Old Problem
• FreeList/Dynamic Tactile Display
• FreeList/eBRF
• The Next Stop on the Holy Braille Highway: 2022 and Beyond
• APH Partners with DAISY Consortium on New Digital Braille Standard
• 2022 Abacus Bee

Email Links

• [email protected]

 Additional Braille Product Links

• APH Light-Touch Perkins Brailler®
• Classroom Calendar Kit, English Edition
• Classroom Calendar Kit, Spanish Edition
• Janus Interline Braille Slate with Saddle-Shaped Stylus
• MiniBook Slate with Styluses
• Pocket Braille Slate (Pins Up), Clear Plastic with Large Handle Stylus

 BANA Code books, Also Available in Braille 

• Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2016 - Print 
• Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2010, Print Edition
• Braille Code for Chemical Notation, 1997: Print 
• Music Braille Code, 2015, Print 

On this episode of Change Makers, we’re celebrating Braille Literacy Month by examining its importance and its future. The future of braille is high-tech and because of that tech, it’s creating partnerships, new braille formats, new outlines, and plans for APH’s Holy Braille Highway. We’ll also talk about which APH products help facilitate the learning of braille. After that, we’re going to talk about the first ever APH Abacus Bee.
On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Mark Riccobono, President, National Federation of the Blind
• Anne Durham,  Vice President/Chief Officer, Innovation and Strategy
• Greg Stilson, Head of Global Technology Innovation
• Paul Ferrara, Communications Accessibility Editor
• Sarah Bradley, Product Manager, Braille Literacy
• Leanne Grillot, Senior Director Outreach Services
• Emir, Abacus Bee participant
• Louis, Abacus Bee Participant
• Luke, Abacus Bee participant

Additional Links

• National Federation of the Blind Homepage
• Celebrate World Braille Day
• Braille is Beautiful - YouTube
• The Dynamic Tactile Device: A New Solution to an Old Problem
• FreeList/Dynamic Tactile Display
• FreeList/eBRF
• The Next Stop on the Holy Braille Highway: 2022 and Beyond
• APH Partners with DAISY Consortium on New Digital Braille Standard
• 2022 Abacus Bee

Email Links

• [email protected]

 Additional Braille Product Links

• APH Light-Touch Perkins Brailler®
• Classroom Calendar Kit, English Edition
• Classroom Calendar Kit, Spanish Edition
• Janus Interline Braille Slate with Saddle-Shaped Stylus
• MiniBook Slate with Styluses
• Pocket Braille Slate (Pins Up), Clear Plastic with Large Handle Stylus

 BANA Code books, Also Available in Braille 

• Braille Formats: Principles of Print-to-Braille Transcription, 2016 - Print 
• Guidelines and Standards for Tactile Graphics, 2010, Print Edition
• Braille Code for Chemical Notation, 1997: Print 
• Music Braille Code, 2015, Print 

On this episode of Change Makers, we’re looking back over everything that’s happened this past year, and what we’re looking forward to in 2023.  APH’s President, Dr. Craig Meador, Vice-President/Chief Officer Innovation and Strategy, Anne Durham, and Vice President, Impact and Outreach, Paul Schroeder, all discuss the exciting developments with products, construction and action in Washington, D.C.

In this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Jeff Fox, Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Dr. Craig Meador, APH President
• Anne Durham, APH Vice-President/Chief Officer Innovation and Strategy
• Paul Schroeder, APH Vice President, Impact and Outreach

On this episode, we are getting ready for the holidays and spending time with loved ones. But what do you do when its clear, your loved one is having vision issues? We'll talk about some simple tweaks that can make the holidays accessible to keep those traditions alive. We’ll also discuss how to handle those difficult conversations and what resources are available.

On this podcast

• Jeff Fox, Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Melisa Matthews, Digital Content Manager for Family Connect
• Katie Frederick, Digital Content Manager for VisionAware
• Alan Lovell, Information and Referral Services Coordinator

Additional Links

• Emotional Adjustment to Vision Loss: It's A Family Matter - VisionAware
• Reactions to Vision Loss - VisionAware
• What Family Members Need to Know about Vision Loss and Its Impact - VisionAware
• The Getting Started Guide is available in English and Spanish, as an accessible PDF on VisionAware.org, and a hardcopy print booklet we will mail upon request. 
• APH also sells Aging and vision Loss: a Handbook for Families, that has useful information.
• I&R Hotline: 1-800-232-5463

On this episode of Change Makers, we’re talking about all things books. From coloring books, Braille Tales, the Talking Book Studio, APH Press, to the process of brailling textbooks.  We’ll also talk to PlayAbility Toys and hear their history, partnership with APH, and some of their bestselling toys.

In This Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Jack Fox, Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Karen Poppe, APH Tactile Literacy Product Manager
• Christine Genovely, APH’s Prison Braille Coordinator and Braille Tales Administrator
• Maggie Davis, APH Studio Director
• Heather Spence, APH Press Director
• Michael Haynes, APH Accessible Tests and Textbooks Manager
•  Joyce Lopez Product Developer for PlayAbliity Toys/Nurture Smart Products

Additional Links

• Color-by-Texture Marking Mats
•  APH's Tactical Graphic Image Library 
• Lots of Dots Coloring Series
• Quick-Draw Paper
• TactileDoodle
•  [email protected]
• Braille Tales
• APH Press
• NIMAC
• APH Louis
• PlayAbility Toys
• NurtureSmart
• Rib-It-Ball: Jacob’s, 18 Inch
• Paint by Number Safari™ – Backyard Creatures