Inform & Connect: An American Foundation for the Blind Podcast

Ron Brooks is totally blind and a writer, speaker, entrepreneur and evangelist for the transformation of mobility for people with disabilities. In this episode, Ron discusses employment and transportation barriers, as well as his own entrepreneurial journey and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

A graduate of the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University in Indianapolis, Ron has 28 years of planning, management and executive-level experience for both public transit agencies and private providers within the areas of accessible transit and paratransit.

In 2020, Ron founded Accessible Avenue, where he draws upon his life and industry experiences to provide accessibility-focused training and consulting services to agencies and organizations designing, developing and delivering products and services that support the movement of people within indoor and outdoor spaces and on all forms of public and retail ground transportation.

In addition to his work in the transportation and mobility industry, Ron is heavily involved in the blind/low vision and larger disability communities. Since 2019, he has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Ability360, one of the largest independent living centers in the country, and he is a past Board member for the Arizona Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired. He is also an active member of the American Council of the Blind, serving as a long-time member of the ACB’s Transportation Committee.

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Neva has over 20 years of professional experience in the field of vision loss and a lifetime of experience living with low vision. She was diagnosed at an early age with Cone Rod Degeneration, a rare genetic eye condition.

Neva is a vital part of AFB's Aging Initiative team, which involves the research and public policy needs of people experiencing vision loss later in life. She currently oversees the Blind Leaders Development Program.

Prior to joining AFB, Neva was a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor and Employment Assistance Specialist with the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, and a Vocational Evaluator with the Dallas Lighthouse for the Blind. She serves in numerous leadership roles, ranging from international to local in scope, with organizations such as the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired and the National Rehabilitation Association.

In this episode, Neva discusses employment, leadership, and favorite books, among other topics.

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Season 3 of Inform & Connect continues with Paul Schroeder, Vice President, Government and Community Affairs, American Printing House for the Blind.

In his role, Paul serves as a key advisor on matters pertaining to all government activities at APH, including educating U.S. Congress members by raising awareness of the unique learning needs of people who are blind or visually impaired and the products and services they need.

Paul has more than 30 years of experience and leadership in the field of blindness and visual impairment. He spent over 20 years with AFB, as vice president of programs and policy.

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Season 3 of Inform & Connect kicks off with a conversation with Carl Augusto, President Emeritus of AFB.

Carl served as president and CEO of AFB for 25 years—one quarter of the organization’s 100-year history.

Under Carl’s leadership, AFB forged numerous strategic partnerships and alliances within the vision loss community and beyond to address critical issues and expand opportunities for people with vision loss, including broadening the organization's scope to influence corporate America to make its products and services accessible. He was the fifth chief executive of the American Foundation for the Blind since its founding in 1921.

In light of October as National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Melody and Carl discuss his employment journey, from early in his career through his tenure at AFB. They also discuss public perceptions of blindness, along with Carl’s favorite baseball and musical acts, which he also occasionally shares on Facebook.

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In this episode of Inform & Connect, the American Foundation for the Blind’s ongoing series created to foster togetherness and camaraderie within the blindness community, Melody speaks with Ron Brooks.

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Inform & Connect returns featuring a duo who share a drive for taking their love for their heritage and natural curiosity to make powerful and beautiful change in the world: ESAS Founders Amanda Sichon and Seda Bilgner.

After working in the corporate beauty industry for a combination of over 25 years, Amanda and Seda set out to create a sustainable and all-natural farm to beauty manufacturing company. Inspired by their mutual love for science, agrotech (the application of modern technology to agriculture), wellness and innovation, they identified a need to create skincare and cosmetics that deliver superior benefits without compromising the health of the people who use them, the health of the people that make them, or Mother Nature.

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Inform & Connect, the American Foundation for the Blind’s live group conversation and podcast created to foster togetherness and camaraderie within the blindness community through informal storytelling and learning about relevant, interesting topics, returns with an episode featuring siblings Brian and Kerry Kijewski.

Brian and Kerry are both blind – they were both born with Senior-Løken syndrome, a rare syndrome that affects the kidneys and eyes, and they have both had kidney transplants. Both Brian and Kerry have gotten more involved in advocacy and activism over the last several years, and discovered the Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB), where they found support and camaraderie from others, learning the ropes of advocating for themselves and others.

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In this episode of Inform & Connect, Melody speaks with Scott Tennant, CEO and Founder of Senergy Medical Group, a holistic wellness company.

Scott is also a generous philanthropist, seeing philanthropy and giving back as a huge part of his life and work. His generosity and passion to raise awareness of critical issues and drive positive change is evident in his practice. He was the sole funder of the trailer for "A Daring Adventure,” which will eventually become an hour-length documentary film about Helen Keller, her life and times, and why she’s as relevant as ever today.

The conversation will center around Scott’s passion for helping others and what this project means to him as a partner of AFB.

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In this episode of Inform & Connect, Melody speaks with Sherry Pablo who recently graduated from the inaugural cohort of the AFB Blind Leaders Development Program. 

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This episode of Inform & Connect, the American Foundation for the Blind’s podcast, features Marty Schultz, cofounder and president of ObjectiveEd, an education technology company that provides digital curricula for children with disabilities. Full transcript available on our website.