Is Braille truly essential for literacy—or are there other valid paths to becoming literate as a blind person? Ken Scott joins the show with a contrarian view that challenges long-held beliefs around Braille, literacy, and employment.

In this episode of Double Tap Extra, Steven Scott welcomes Ken Scott—no relation—for a deep and thought-provoking conversation about Braille literacy and its place in the modern world. Rather than accepting the popular phrase “Braille is literacy,” Ken challenges the assumption by asking: Is Braille the only form of literacy for blind people?

Drawing from perspectives in adult literacy studies and his own lived experience, Ken argues that screen reader proficiency—when paired with thoughtful instruction—can provide a path to literacy just as valid as Braille. Together, they explore the differences in literacy needs between blind children and adults, whether Braille offers a career advantage, and the cognitive similarities between reading and listening.

The episode doesn’t shy away from controversy. From the lack of current Braille usage data to the cost barriers of Braille displays in employment settings, Ken makes the case that Braille, while valuable, may not be the universal solution some believe it to be.

They also touch on the debate between reading versus listening, the role of screen readers in developing writing skills, and how modern assistive tech is shifting the accessibility landscape. It’s a bold, nuanced discussion aimed at opening minds—not closing conversations.

JAWS and ZoomText finally get a UK subscription model—but is the pricing what blind users hoped for? Plus, meet Chantal, a blind entrepreneur helping others learn screen readers and Braille through her new business, See It Through My Fingers.

In this Double Tap Extra episode, Steven Scott breaks down the major change to JAWS and ZoomText licensing in the UK: the arrival of subscription pricing. Stuart Lawlor from Sight & Sound Technology joins the conversation to unpack what the new model means for blind users. Stuart explains the details of the annual, two-year, and three-year plans, including the headline-grabbing price of £420 for a one-year JAWS Home license—and a limited-time 30% discount on two-year plans. He also addresses comparisons to US pricing, what users get for their money, the lack of a monthly payment option, and what happens if users stick with their current license.

Later, Steven welcomes Chantal, the founder of See It Through My Fingers. Blind since birth and living with cerebral palsy, Chantal shares her inspiring story of how she overcame educational barriers to build a business teaching screen readers like JAWS and NVDA, remote Braille learning, and visual impairment awareness. She also provides transcription and tactile diagram services and supports trainee teachers through the University of Birmingham.

Want to access your home computer and files from anywhere without the hassle of port forwarding or risky VPN setups? This episode of Double Tap Extra dives deep into Tailscale, a powerful tool that makes remote networking simple, secure, and accessible—even for the non-techies.

In this lively and tech-nerdy “dollop” of Double Tap Extra, Steven Scott, Shaun Preece, Tim Dixon, and Callum Stoneman explore Tailscale—a mesh VPN that simplifies remote network access. Shaun explains how he uses it to access a hard drive in his shed from anywhere in the UK, while Tim breaks down how Tailscale works, including features like exit nodes and Magic DNS.

Callum shares his experience connecting via Tailscale to use NVDA Remote securely, avoiding the complexities of port forwarding. They also discuss home networking headaches, static IPs, Raspberry Pi ad-blocking via Pi-hole, smart light automation, and travel routers like the Beryl AX.

Humour and relatable tech mishaps weave through the conversation, from scammer stories to Shaun’s adventures with broken keyboards. For blind users and accessibility advocates, the gang highlight the ease-of-use and accessibility of Tailscale's interface—plus ethical questions around ad blocking and network security.

0:00 – Welcome to another Double Tap “Dollop”

4:30 – Sean introduces Tailscale use case

8:55 – Tim explains Tailscale VPN and mesh setup

13:30 – NVDA Remote + Tailscale walkthrough

18:45 – Port forwarding woes and why Tailscale wins

25:20 – Exit nodes and filtering kids’ traffic

29:00 – Accessibility, Magic DNS, and static IP myths

35:55 – Chrome Remote Desktop and RIM vs. Tailscale

42:20 – Scams, scam shows, and CD swindles

50:00 – Solving the ad blocking dilemma with Pi-hole

1:00:45 – Raspberry Pi accessibility tips

1:06:00 – Travel routers and smart Wi-Fi on the move

1:15:20 – Smart lights, motion sensors, and mesh Wi-Fi

1:24:50 – Callum’s big house move (and cupboard beans)

1:33:00 – Red lights in the bathroom and light guilt

1:37:55 – Outro: Broken keyboards, smart homes, and future plans

Get a front-row pass to the UK's top assistive tech expo with Double Tap at Sight Village! From Meta Ray-Bans to vibrating shoes, discover the latest in accessible technology and the challenges facing blind users today.

In this on-location episode, Steven, Shaun, Tim Dixon, and guest Martin Ralfe explore the atmosphere, innovations, and issues at Sight Village Birmingham. The crew recounts their chaotic journey getting to the venue, reflect on travel anxiety as blind travelers, and share honest first impressions of the event’s accessibility improvements.

The conversation dives deep into tech highlights, including the buzz around Meta Ray-Bans (even though they weren’t officially on display), vibrating haptic shoes, and the Luna night-vision glasses. Martin offers valuable insight into AI’s role in assistive tech, its limitations, and why prompt engineering matters. The hosts also call out missed sales opportunities and accessibility oversights from vendors, pushing for a better customer experience at future events.

Blind Ambition UK: https://www.blindambition.co.uk

Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com

Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.ray-ban.com/meta

Seatfrog App: https://www.seatfrog.com

Episode Summary:Relevant Links

What does it really feel like to apply for a guide dog for the first time—or even the second time? In this candid episode of Double Tap, Steven Scott, Shaun, and Garth Humphreys dive into the emotional journey of vision loss, guide dog decisions, and the often-overlooked mental health toll of blindness.

From funny mishaps with canes to life-altering moments on bicycles, this heartfelt conversation explores grief, pride, stigma, identity, and the ongoing process of self-acceptance in the blind community. Whether you’re thinking about getting a guide dog or just want to understand what it’s like to live between sighted and blind worlds, this episode doesn’t hold back.

[Chapters]

00:00 – Cream or manure? Why we’re still saying “Dollop”

02:15 – Steven applies for a guide dog: the emotional impact

03:45 – Garth on why the dog feels like an “invisibility cloak”

06:46 – Bike crashes, pride, and realizing “I’m actually blind”

11:10 – When your brain fills in the blanks: hallucinations and memory

13:38 – Denial and delays in accepting vision loss

17:00 – Feeling “not blind enough” and the weird middle space

20:44 – The freedom of sunglasses and letting go of eye contact

23:26 – Parental guilt and the “B-word”

26:21 – Naked honesty: letting go of the mask

27:07 – Cane vs. dog: what really changes?

29:50 – Why some see a guide dog as “blindness, level 2”

32:20 – A man gives directions to a dog

35:01 – Blindness grief: it hits you when you least expect it

42:47 – Uber and guide dog refusals: what’s changing?

46:59 – Is it worth the fight—or should we just have a nice night?

50:14 – The waiting list reality & Steven’s next steps

👉 Like, comment, and subscribe if this conversation resonated with you—or share it with someone on their own journey with vision loss.

guide dog application, blindness grief, cane vs guide dog, emotional impact of vision loss, partially sighted identity, guide dog UK, guide dog waiting list, vision loss mental health, blind mobility stories, Uber guide dog refusal, blindness stigma, Audio Pizza, Double Tap podcast

Sky says it supports accessibility—but is it really doing enough? In this episode, Steven, Shaun, and Elliot expose major issues with Sky’s handling of audio description, especially for blind users relying on Sky Glass and Sky Stream.

Steven Scott, Shaun Preece, and guest Elliot dive deep into Sky’s accessibility failures, particularly the lack of audio description (AD) on on-demand content. While Sky’s live TV still includes AD, the hosts argue that Sky Glass and Stream have regressed in accessibility by removing recording capabilities and failing to carry over AD to on-demand titles. They criticize Sky’s token efforts and misleading claims about inclusivity, especially when other platforms like BBC iPlayer and ITVX are doing far more.

The team share personal experiences, including frustrating conversations with Sky’s accessibility team, and discuss how outdated workflows and technical excuses can't justify the exclusion of blind users. They also explore how the blind community might take collective action and why it's vital that AD is prioritized as much as subtitles and signed content.

Keyword

Join the Double Tap team for a freewheeling, biscuit-fueled conversation covering everything from AirPods that detect sleep to Apple Intelligence and accessibility updates in iOS 18 and macOS 15.

The group critiques Apple’s slow rollout of Siri improvements and explores new features like clipboard history limits, local audio capture, and AirPods triggering video. They also debate the pros and cons of headphones from Apple and Sony, ponder touchscreen Macs, and discuss the deeper implications of transparency mode for people with autism.

Expect laughs, accessibility insights, and the occasional questionable episode title.

Steven, Shaun, and Marc Aflalo share the chaotic and comical process of covering Inclusive Africa remotely—from last-minute calls with Mastercard Foundation to organizing a cameraman in Nairobi. The team dives into the importance of being one of the few assistive tech shows to feature the event and reflects on key moments, including their surprise interview with Meta’s Maxine Williams.

They also discuss audience feedback, the growing interest in Android accessibility, the reliability of Apple’s inclusive design, and what’s expected (or not) at WWDC 2025. Lighthearted debates about podcast naming, media presence, and AI rumors round out a candid, laughter-filled episode.

In this exclusive pre-WWDC chat, Steven, Shaun, and guests Michael Babcock and Callum Stoneman break down their hopes, frustrations, and predictions ahead of Apple’s 2025 developer conference — with a strong focus on accessibility, AI, and the future of VoiceOver.

Discussions turn candid and humorous as the group explores frustrations with dynamic UI changes in iOS 19, broken promises in screen recognition, and ongoing challenges in balancing privacy with performance. The team also reflects on the growing need for mainstream tech companies to support blind-first platforms like Be My Eyes and InnoSearch, and the very real consequences of inaccessibility in major releases like Sonos.

Relevant Links