Double Tap

Content Warning: This episode contains references to alcoholism and suicide, and also contains what some may consider to be strong language.

Today is a little different on Double Tap, as we ditch the theme music, put Mr. F into his bed with hot cocoa, and Steven, Shaun and special guest Matthew Alcock sit down for a good old-fashioned heart-to-heart.

It all starts with a tweet. A tweet that was meant to show support for the blind community, but backfired massively. Matthew, who considers himself to be low vision, argues that those who are also low vision and are content creators or gaming enthusiasts, and do not use tools or features that totally blind people to do these types of activities, should not call themselves blind to the wider public. He believes it damages the blind community as those who do not understand vision impairment may assume that if a gamer who identifies as blind can play a game, that in fact is not accessible or playable by someone with no sight, it can confuse and create issues in furthering the understanding outside of our community.

In this hour-long special, we delve into these topics, which open up some interesting and fascinating personal stories from Matthew and the guys.

As always here at Double Tap, we pride ourselves on allowing everyone the freedom to talk and discuss their views. However, we also rightly take those views to task, so expect an interesting and engaging discussion which I'm sure you won't want to switch off.

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

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About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun discuss Apple's latest advertising campaign, aimed at promoting the benefits of their new "Personal Voice" accessibility feature, allowing people with ALS (or MND as it is known in the UK) to digitally store their voice and use the "Live Speech" feature to enable that voice to read aloud whatever you want it to say.

This is all highlighted in a new film that Apple has launched ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities; read more here: https://doubletaponair.com/new-apple-film-promotes-personal-voice-feature/

Listener Lena also gets in touch to share the information on how to register for this year's Sight Tech Global conference taking place on the 6th and 7th of December. More details are here: https://sighttechglobal.com

There's also an in-depth conversation with voice actor Fern Lulham. Fern is blind and most recently is the audio describer on the hit Netflix series "All The Light We Cannot See." In our extended interview, Steven and Fern discuss the role people who are blind can play in the process of creating audio description, and we delve into her thoughts on how people who are blind are portrayed in television generally.

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

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Follow on:

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Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple

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iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart

About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun share their issues with Apple iPhones and Watches, citing the silence of both devices from time to time as well as the silence from Apple itself on the issues we face. But how do we get that to change, and does the upcoming International Day of Persons With Disabilities allow for that conversation to happen?

Also, there is a frank and honest email from Gordon in Scotland, sharing his experience of living with blindness, and a reminder to share your gift ideas in the Double Tap Gift Guide.

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

---

Follow on:

YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/x

Instagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagram

TikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktok

Threads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threads

Facebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebook

LinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin

Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify

RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast

iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart

About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the show, Steven and Shaun return together again following their recent trip to London, England, to meet up with the other members of the Double Tap and AMI family.

As you'd expect, there are a few stories from the road to share, including computers almost bursting into flames, alarms being set off and a significant lack of coffee availability.

In amongst all of this, we do get back to the tech, and it is a retro radio that causes controversy this week. Was Steven right about the radio he bought? Negative Julian weighs in. And how exactly does the famed table coaster work? Jenine has questions. And is it normal to be told you "don't sound blind" when you work on the radio? Stan has concerns.

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

---

Follow on:

YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/x

Instagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagram

TikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktok

Threads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threads

Facebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebook

LinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin

Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify

RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast

iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart

About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the second part of this interview, Steven Scott is joined by Robert Kingett to talk about his latest work, called Social Audio Description. They discussed Robert’s key part in developing more audio description for streaming services, in particular Netflix, in the early days, and how his hard work paid off when the streaming giant announced it would add audio description to all of its original content moving forward.

Steven and Robert go on to discuss the controversial role of artificial intelligence (AI) in audio descriptions. While Robert voices skepticism about AI's role, Steven expressed excitement over emerging AI capabilities, particularly GPT-4's ability to provide detailed alt text for images, a development that could revolutionize media consumption. You can learn more about Robert's work at blindjournalist.wordpress.com and socialaudiodescription.com, a pioneering collective hiring blind audio description writers.

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

---

Follow on:

YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/x

Instagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagram

TikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktok

Threads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threads

Facebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebook

LinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin

Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify

RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast

iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart

About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today on the show, Steven welcomes special guest Robert Kingett, an author, accessibility consultant and journalist who is blind. The conversation delves into Robert's background and his journey as a journalist who is blind, providing a unique perspective on advocacy and how it has evolved for him over time. A significant part of the discussion revolves around the importance of learning Braille and the challenges of learning it later in life. Robert shares his personal experience of sudden vision loss and how it impacted his life, highlighting the importance of technology in bridging the gap between people who are disabled and non-disabled.

Robert also opens up about his turbulent childhood, growing up with a single mother struggling with drug addiction. He talks about the importance of control and stability in his life, and how technology and creative pursuits provided that for him. The conversation then shifts to Robert's educational journey, where he shares his decision to attend a school for the blind. Steven and Robert discuss the importance of providing children with the tools they need to succeed, regardless of their visual abilities. To learn more about Robert, visit his website: https://blindjournalist.wordpress.com/

Get in touch with the Double Tappers and join the conversation:

Email: [email protected]

Call: 1-877-803-4567 (Canada and USA) / 0204 571 3354 (UK)

X (formerly Twitter): @BlindGuyTech / @ShaunShed

Mastodon: @DoubleTap

Find Double Tap online: YouTube, Double Tap Website

---

Follow on:

YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube

X (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/x

Instagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagram

TikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktok

Threads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threads

Facebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebook

LinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin

Subscribe to the Podcast:

Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple

Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify

RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast

iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart

About Double Tap

Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.

"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.