Get ready for our Apple Event 2025 live preview and post-show coverage! Join Steven Scott, Shaun Preece, and special guests Michael Feir, Shelly Brisbin, and Michael Babcock as we dive into rumours, live streaming details, and how to tune in for every moment of Apple’s biggest announcements.

In this special edition of Double Tap Extra, Steven and Shaun reveal their plans for comprehensive coverage of Apple’s September 9th event. From a live pre-show broadcast to a detailed post-event breakdown, the team shares how listeners can join via the new 24/7 Double Tap Live channel.  

Learn how to listen on the web, your smart speaker, or YouTube, and hear about guest appearances from accessibility and tech experts. The hosts also discuss their excitement for Apple’s upcoming iPhone and Watch rumours, and tease future live coverage of Meta, Google, and Amazon events.  

Like what you hear? Subscribe on YouTube and your favourite podcast app for all the Apple Event coverage, live discussions, and accessible tech insights. Try the live stream at https://doubletaponair.com/live or ask your smart speaker to “Open Double Tap Live”!  

Keyword List  

Apple event 2025, iPhone 17 rumours, Apple Watch 2025, Double Tap Live, accessible tech podcast, live Apple coverage, AMI Audio, Apple event preview, Apple event post show, Michael Feir, Shelly Brisbin, Michael Babcock  

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This episode of Double Tap Extra dives deep into listener experiences with guide dogs, mobility tools, and the mental health challenges linked to blindness. From thoughtful advice on matching the right guide dog to navigating life with retinitis pigmentosa, rural cane tips, and coping with social isolation, Steven and Shaun bring real voices and insights together in a powerful discussion.

In this Extra edition, Steven and Shaun dedicate time to longer listener emails that don’t always make it onto the main show. Nikki from Texas shares heartfelt advice about guide dog selection, reminding Steven to ensure his hand tremor is considered in the matching process. Gregory reflects on his personal journey with retinitis pigmentosa, his decision not to pursue a guide dog due to safety concerns, and his thoughts on new mobility tech like Glidance and Echo Vision.

Craig from Scotland opens up about losing his sight rapidly, the impact on his mental health, and how his guide dog helped him adjust before retirement. He highlights the importance of mind management strategies and supportive friends. Trevor from Ontario offers an incredibly detailed comparison of cane tips for different terrains—including the Rover Freewheel, ceramic tips, Pathfinder 360, and snow disc—providing real-world advice for rural and urban travelers alike.

The discussion weaves through themes of guilt, independence, resilience, and identity, with Steven and Shaun reflecting on how blind people adapt to changing needs, the underestimated role of mental health, and the importance of finding practical tools that fit each person’s lifestyle.

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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 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.

See It Through My Fingers: https://seeitthroughmyfingers.co.uk

Phone Chantal: 07547 526 799

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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