Freedom Scientific FSCast

By Freedom Scientific

What's Freedom Scientific FSCast about?

The official podcast of Freedom Scientific, leaders in assistive technology for blind people and those with low vision. Hosted by Glen Gordon, FSCast features news, interviews, and product demonstrations relating to Freedom Scientific products such as JAWS and ZoomText. FSCast is a great way to make the most of the products you have as well as learning about what's new and what's around the corner.

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Freedom Scientific FSCast episodes:

04.24.2024
FSCast 244, a visit with Ana González Arean, plus Nicky Gillies and Cathy Miller from the Louisiana DeafBlind project
On FSCast 244, we’ll meet Ana Gonzalez Arean. She’ll talk about growing up in Venezuela and becoming a language professor at two universities, but then needing to move to Spain to start a new life for herself. Then, Cathy Miller...
04.10.2024
FSCast 243, archive of the March 2024 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the March FSOpenLine, people share their favorite things to do with PictureSmart AI, including how to use it with FaceInView to describe what’s in the background. And of course questions on a variety of other topics...
03.27.2024
FSCast 242, a demo of PictureSmart AI, and a visit with Anil Lewis
On FSCast 242, we’ll put the newly released Picture Smart AI through its paces, and you’ll hear the detailed descriptions it can generate for everything from a bar chart to a frame from a YouTube video. Then, a visit with...
02.28.2024
FSCast 241, all about accessible gaming
On FSCast 241, guest host Mohammed Laachir introduces us to the world of accessible gaming. He'll visit with Jesse Anderson, who runs the IllegallySighted YouTube channel, to talk about some of the games that you can play if you're blind...
01.31.2024
FSCast 240, a visit with Doug Geoffray, and a demo of the Bitwarden password manager
On FSCast 240, we're joined by screen reading pioneer Doug Geoffray. We’ll hear about the development of Vocal-Eyes, Window-Eyes, and Doug’s eventual transition to Microsoft, where he helps ensure that their new products are accessible. Then, a deep dive...
12.27.2023
FSCast 239, archive of the November 2023 FSOpenLine
On the archive of FSOpenLine from November 2023, some Freedom Scientific developers and testers offer an inside look at our process for developing and refining new features. We also take your calls on a variety of topics including: the accessibility...
11.29.2023
FSCast 238, archive of the Next Big Thing finale
On FSCast 238, the finals of our November 14 Next Big Thing contest. You'll hear a presentation of the top three ideas, questions from our panel of four judges, some great entertainment, and of course, the person selected as...
10.26.2023
FSCast 237, a visit with Pete Torpey, plus all about Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students
On FSCast 237, a visit with Pete Torpey. You probably know him as the co-host of the Eyes on Success podcast, but prior to that, he had a distinguished career as a research fellow at Xerox. Then, Space Camp for...
09.27.2023
FSCast 236, a visit with Catherine Getchell, plus a focus on APH Career Connect
On FSCast 236, we’re joined by Catherine Getchell, Director of Disability Resources at Carnegie Mellon University. We'll hear about her path to the job at CMU and what motivates her to do this kind of work. Then, to celebrate October...
09.13.2023
FSCast 235, archive of the August 2023 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the August FSOpenLine, news about Sharkvember and our Next Big Thing contest, features you can now try in our 2024 product betas, and of course your calls on a variety of topics. Transcript available at blog.FreedomScientific.com/FSCast.
08.30.2023
FSCast 234, a Demo of JAWS Face In View, and an interview with Billy Henry of the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes
On FSCast 234, guest host Brett Lewis offers up a preview of what’s coming in the public betas of JAWS, Fusion, and ZoomText. He’ll also do a demonstration of the new JAWS Face in View feature, and visit with Billy...
07.26.2023
FSCast 233, Andrew Leland's new book "The Country of the Blind," plus accessible manufacturing at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
On FSCast 233 we’ll meet Andrew Leland. His brand new book, “The Country of the Blind,” is a thoughtful exploration of the world of blindness as he discovers his place in it. Then Ian Stenseng from The Lighthouse for the...
06.28.2023
FSCast 232, a demo of the new Message Center, and a visit with JAWS developer Brett Lewis
On FSCast 232, we’ll give a tour of the just-released Message Center. It’s a great way to keep up with product news and announcements, but to read them when it’s convenient. Then we’ll meet longtime JAWS developer Brett Lewis. In...
06.22.2023
FSCast 231, archive of the May 2023 FSOpenLine
On the Archive of the May FSOpenLine, an overview of features new to the June product updates, resources for learning Slack, and your calls on a variety of topics including: JAWS getting stuck thinking menus are active, and Adobe...
05.31.2023
FSCast 230, Major Scotty Smiley discusses his life, and Dr. Michele McDonnall with results of the AT In The Workplace study
On FSCast 230, we’ll get to know retired Army Major Scotty Smiley. He was blinded by a suicide bomber when fighting in Iraq; but came back, taught at West Point, and became the military’s first totally blind active-duty officer. Then,...
04.26.2023
FSCast 229,An Interview with Mandy Van Cleave, an overview of Text Viewer, and how to write compelling bug reports
On FSCast 229, when Mandy Van Cleave started her job as an assistive technology trainer, little did she know that she would soon need that technology for herself. We hear from Mandy about her personal and professional experience, as well...
03.29.2023
FSCast 228, An Interview with Donovan Tildesley, and an overview of using Visual Studio Code
On FSCast 228 I’m joined by retired Paralympic swimmer Donovan Tildesley. We’ll hear about his odyssey of being removed from a Virgin cruise because the crew panicked when they saw a solo blind passenger, and how his social media presence...
03.14.2023
FSCast 227, archive of the February 2023 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the February FSOpenLine, we take your calls on a variety of topics including: Slack conversations unexpectedly scrolling to previous content, Notepad starting up slowly on Windows 11, Fusion sometimes scrolling the screen away from the mouse...
02.22.2023
FSCast 226, Software developer Andre Polykanine, plus Sasha Hordiiko & Igor Kushnir from the Ukrainian Association of the Blind
On FSCast 226, we’ll get to know longtime JAWS beta tester, self-proclaimed language nerd, and software developer Andre Polykanine. Then Andre will serve as translator for a visit with Sasha Hordiiko and Igor Kushnir of the Ukrainian Association of the Blind. We’ll...
01.25.2023
FSCast 225, Bill McCann of Dancing Dots, & Campbell Rutherford, a former Student Of The Month
On FSCast 225, we celebrate Braille Literacy Month with two guests for whom braille plays a pivotal role. Bill McCann, founder of Dancing Dots, has been helping blind musicians with all aspects of music creation for the past 32 years. ...
12.14.2022
FSCast 224, archive of the November 2022 FSOpenLine
On FSCast 224, it's the archive of the November 2022 FSOpenLine. We discuss improved support for the Outlook Scheduling assistant in JAWS 2023, and take your questions on a variety of topics including: searching for commands in JAWS and Office...
11.30.2022
FSCast 223, Kim Charlson & Thomas Reid discuss the 2022 Audio Description Awards
On FSCast 223, it’s the Second Annual Audio Description Awards put on by the American Council of the Blind. We’ll hear about some of the winners and talk about all things audio description with Kim Charlson, co-chair of the ACB...
10.26.2022
FSCast 222, A demo of how to customize notifications using regular expressions, and Leona Godin discusses her book There Plant Eyes
On FSCast 222, we’ll demonstrate how creating rules to manage notifications just got more powerful, thanks to the use of regular expressions. It may sound a bit intimidating, but we’ll take it step by step, and you’ll see just how...
09.28.2022
FSCast 221, Christine Ha talks about her career as a blind chef, and Judy Dixon discusses her book "Formatting Documents For Appearance"
On FSCast 221, we’ll get to know chef and entrepreneur Christine Ha. Since winning “Master Chef” Season 3 back in 2012, she’s published a cookbook, opened multiple restaurants, hosted a cooking show on AMI Canada, and more. Then Judy...
09.14.2022
FSCast 220, Archive of the August 2022 FSOpenLine
On the Archive of the August 2022 FSOpenLine, Ryan Jones, Glen Gordon, and Rachel Buchanan take your calls on a variety of topics including: Math in Braille with JAWS, switching Braille tables on the fly, Quick Keys in Word, efficiently...
08.31.2022
FSCast 219, Ryan Jones previews our 2023 software public betas, and we meet Svetlana, Freedom Scientific’s July Student Of The Month
On FSCast 219, we’ll spend some time with Ryan Jones, Freedom Scientific’s new Vice President of Software Product Management. He’ll share a bit of his background, talk about what’s coming in the JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion 2023 product betas, and...
07.27.2022
FSCast 218, Eric Damery shares stories about his 28 year career advocating for our software
On FSCast 218, Eric Damery joins Glen Gordon for what will probably be the last time. After over 28 years tirelessly advocating for JAWS and other software, and always being around to help users who are having problems, he’s decided...
07.13.2022
FSCast 217, archive of the June 2022 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the June 2022 FSOpenLine, we take your calls on a variety of topics including: using JAWS with the Dvorak keyboard layout, a request for better support of WhatsApp on Windows, using JAWS with the touch screen...
06.29.2022
FSCast 216, A Demo of the JAWS Notification History Manager, and a visit with Richard Oehm
On FSCast 216, we have an answer to the age-old question, “What do you do about applications that tell us too much?” It’s the new JAWS Notification History Manager to the rescue. With it, you can gain precise control over...
05.25.2022
FSCast 215, Joe Stephen, long time JAWS developer, and Toby Willis, Senior Product Manager for Inclusive Travel at Expedia
On FSCast 215 we’ll get to know long-time developer Joe Stephen. In addition to his work on JAWS, he does manual labor on his family farm in rural Tasmania and manages to find the time to add accessibility support to...
04.27.2022
FSCast 214, Adrian Amandi discusses the upcoming National Coding Symposium, and a visit with Gary O'Donoghue, Chief North America Political Correspondent for BBC News
On FSCast 214, Adrian Amandi will be here to talk about the Second Annual National Coding Symposium. It’s aimed at blind students of all ages to get them interested in careers in software development. The conference is free, online, and...
03.30.2022
FSCast 213, Dr. Robert Englebretson discusses his ongoing research about how Braille is taught
On FSCast 213, Dr. Robert Englebretson, Associate Professor of Linguistics at Rice University, discusses the Braille code for the International Phonetic Alphabet, why reading Braille is different than reading print, and his ongoing research about how Braille is taught. ...
03.10.2022
FSCast 212, archive of the February 2022 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the February 2022 FSOpenLine, we take your calls on a variety of topics including: new VocalizerExpressive voices in the latest software updates, keystrokes for identifying the site to which a link points, finding out where a...
02.23.2022
FSCast 211, Chancey Fleet talks training workshops offered by the New York Public Library, and an intro to working at the Windows Command Prompt
On FSCast 211, Chancey Fleet discusses training workshops offered by the New York Public Library, many of which are online and available to everyone. She’s also quite the expert on 3D printing and will share some resources for doing that...
01.26.2022
FSCast 210, Marine Biologist Maureen Hayden, plus Independence Science making experiments accessible
On FSCast 210, a focus on accessible science. Maureen Hayden will share her experiences being low vision and doing her Ph.D. in marine biology. Then Dr. Greg Williams and Ashley Neybert from Independence Science demonstrate the Talking LabQuest and Logger...
12.23.2021
FSCast 209, Ryan Jones' Christmas light show, and international blindness advocate Pedro Zurita
On FSCast 209, Ryan Jones is here to talk about the process of running is annual Christmas light show involving thousands of lights choreographed to music. He does everything from putting lights on the roof to sequencing the light display...
12.13.2021
FSCast 208, archive of December 2021 FSOpenLine
On the archive of the December FSOpenLine, we take your calls on a variety of topics including: ideas to improve Text Analyzer, JAWS failing to announce word count when reading the Word Status Bar, shortcut keys for JAWS speech history,...
11.24.2021
FSCast 207, What's new in Windows 11, Cassandra McNabb McKinney interview
On FSCast 207, improvements to Tandem security require JAWS and Fusion to be up to date, and Richard Kuzma tells us how he’s using a combination of Tandem and Voice Assistant to support a fellow blind user. Though Windows...
10.27.2021
FSCast 206, Accessible McDonald's order kiosks
On FSCast 206, McDonald’s has partnered with Freedom Scientific and TPGI to develop their accessible self-order kiosks. Over 500 have rolled out throughout the U.S., with more coming before the end of 2021. Ryan Jones will give us a...
09.29.2021
FSCast 205, More with Eric Damery about new product features, and a visit with stenographer Daniele Casarola
On FSCast 205, Eric Damery is back with more about what’s coming in JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion 2022, and how you can try those features early. Then we’ll meet Daniele Casarola. He spent over two years teaching himself stenography and...
09.15.2021
FSCast 204 - Archive of FSOpenLine, August 2021
On the archive of August FSOpenLine, public betas of JAWS, ZoomText and Fusion have been released, home annual licenses are now available in Canada, and severe memory leaks on many computers running Dell Waves Audio. Plus, we take your calls...
08.31.2021
FSCast 203, Eric Damery with news about new 2022 product features, and a visit with Cory Jackson
On FSCast 203, Eric Damery is here to talk about some of the new features coming in JAWS, ZoomText, and Fusion 2022, and how you can try them out early as part of our public betas. Then we’ll get...
07.28.2021
FSCast 202, Financial Educator Chris Peterson, Plus Emoji Accessibility with Garreth Tigwell and Benjamin Gorman
On FSCast 202 we’ll get to know financial educator Chris Peterson and learn about some of the advantages of opening an ABLE account. Then, to celebrate World Emoji Day, I’ll be joined by Garreth Tigwell and Benjamin Gorman, two...
06.23.2021
FSCast 201, Judy Dixon discusses her new book about audio description, and a visit with blind math professor Betsey Doane
On FSCast 201, Judy Dixon is here to discuss her new book “Audio Description: What It Is, Where to Find It, and How to Use It.” Then we’ll meet blind math professor Betsey Doane. She spent over 30 years teaching...
06.10.2021
FSCast 200, archive of the May 2021 FSOpenLine
On FSCast 200, it’s the archive of FSOpenLine from May of 2021. We had a great group of callers on a variety of topics including: the best way to fast forward YouTube videos, how to give someone remote control of...
05.26.2021
FSCast 199, Glen Gordon's speech at National Coding Symposium, and Spanish Localizer Rocio Casati
On FSCast 199, a recording of Glen Gordon’s presentation at the National Coding Symposium, a recent virtual event put on to encourage high school students to think about careers involving programming. Then, a visit with Rocio Casati, the person...
04.28.2021
FSCast 198, how GLAS Education developed an accessible astronomy curriculum, and a visit with GPS pioneer Mike May
On FSCast 198, what it takes to make astronomy accessible to people who are blind or low vision. We’ll meet Kate Meredith, President of GLAS Education, and two students involved with the project, to hear how it all came together. ...
03.25.2021
FSCast 197, Manuel Cortez, creator of TWBlue, and Michael Hudson, Director of accessibility Services at MSU
On FSCast 197, a spotlight on a great Twitter app for Windows called TWBlue. We’ll meet its author, Manuel Cortez, and hear the program in action. Then a visit with Michael Hudson, longtime JAWS beta tester and the Director of...
03.11.2021
FSCast 196 - FSOpenLine, February 2021
On the archive of the February FSOpenLine, highlights of the February software updates, improved compatibility of JAWS with AVG/Avast antivirus, and your calls on a variety of topics including: Using the Canvas and Blackboard learning platforms, JAWS sluggishness in audio...
02.24.2021
FSCast 195, Civil rights activist Ever Lee Hairston, and O&M instructor Lil Deverell
On FSCast 195 we’ll meet civil rights activist Ever Lee Hairston. From fighting discrimination and demonstrating with Dr. Martin Luther King, to her journey with vision loss and becoming a leader in the NFB, she has lots of life experience...

What's Freedom Scientific FSCast about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Freedom Scientific FSCast episodes:

FSCast 244, a visit with Ana González Arean, plus Nicky Gillies and Cathy Miller from the Louisiana DeafBlind project

FSCast 243, archive of the March 2024 FSOpenLine

FSCast 242, a demo of PictureSmart AI, and a visit with Anil Lewis

FSCast 241, all about accessible gaming

FSCast 240, a visit with Doug Geoffray, and a demo of the Bitwarden password manager

FSCast 239, archive of the November 2023 FSOpenLine

FSCast 238, archive of the Next Big Thing finale

FSCast 237, a visit with Pete Torpey, plus all about Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students

FSCast 236, a visit with Catherine Getchell, plus a focus on APH Career Connect

FSCast 235, archive of the August 2023 FSOpenLine

FSCast 234, a Demo of JAWS Face In View, and an interview with Billy Henry of the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes

FSCast 233, Andrew Leland's new book "The Country of the Blind," plus accessible manufacturing at The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.

FSCast 232, a demo of the new Message Center, and a visit with JAWS developer Brett Lewis

FSCast 231, archive of the May 2023 FSOpenLine

FSCast 230, Major Scotty Smiley discusses his life, and Dr. Michele McDonnall with results of the AT In The Workplace study

FSCast 229,An Interview with Mandy Van Cleave, an overview of Text Viewer, and how to write compelling bug reports

FSCast 228, An Interview with Donovan Tildesley, and an overview of using Visual Studio Code

FSCast 227, archive of the February 2023 FSOpenLine

FSCast 226, Software developer Andre Polykanine, plus Sasha Hordiiko & Igor Kushnir from the Ukrainian Association of the Blind

FSCast 225, Bill McCann of Dancing Dots, & Campbell Rutherford, a former Student Of The Month

FSCast 224, archive of the November 2022 FSOpenLine

FSCast 223, Kim Charlson & Thomas Reid discuss the 2022 Audio Description Awards

FSCast 222, A demo of how to customize notifications using regular expressions, and Leona Godin discusses her book There Plant Eyes

FSCast 221, Christine Ha talks about her career as a blind chef, and Judy Dixon discusses her book "Formatting Documents For Appearance"

FSCast 220, Archive of the August 2022 FSOpenLine

FSCast 219, Ryan Jones previews our 2023 software public betas, and we meet Svetlana, Freedom Scientific’s July Student Of The Month

FSCast 218, Eric Damery shares stories about his 28 year career advocating for our software

FSCast 217, archive of the June 2022 FSOpenLine

FSCast 216, A Demo of the JAWS Notification History Manager, and a visit with Richard Oehm

FSCast 215, Joe Stephen, long time JAWS developer, and Toby Willis, Senior Product Manager for Inclusive Travel at Expedia

FSCast 214, Adrian Amandi discusses the upcoming National Coding Symposium, and a visit with Gary O'Donoghue, Chief North America Political Correspondent for BBC News

FSCast 213, Dr. Robert Englebretson discusses his ongoing research about how Braille is taught

FSCast 212, archive of the February 2022 FSOpenLine

FSCast 211, Chancey Fleet talks training workshops offered by the New York Public Library, and an intro to working at the Windows Command Prompt

FSCast 210, Marine Biologist Maureen Hayden, plus Independence Science making experiments accessible

FSCast 209, Ryan Jones' Christmas light show, and international blindness advocate Pedro Zurita

FSCast 208, archive of December 2021 FSOpenLine

FSCast 207, What's new in Windows 11, Cassandra McNabb McKinney interview

FSCast 206, Accessible McDonald's order kiosks

FSCast 205, More with Eric Damery about new product features, and a visit with stenographer Daniele Casarola

FSCast 204 - Archive of FSOpenLine, August 2021

FSCast 203, Eric Damery with news about new 2022 product features, and a visit with Cory Jackson

FSCast 202, Financial Educator Chris Peterson, Plus Emoji Accessibility with Garreth Tigwell and Benjamin Gorman

FSCast 201, Judy Dixon discusses her new book about audio description, and a visit with blind math professor Betsey Doane

FSCast 200, archive of the May 2021 FSOpenLine

FSCast 199, Glen Gordon's speech at National Coding Symposium, and Spanish Localizer Rocio Casati

FSCast 198, how GLAS Education developed an accessible astronomy curriculum, and a visit with GPS pioneer Mike May

FSCast 197, Manuel Cortez, creator of TWBlue, and Michael Hudson, Director of accessibility Services at MSU

FSCast 196 - FSOpenLine, February 2021

FSCast 195, Civil rights activist Ever Lee Hairston, and O&M instructor Lil Deverell

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