Nation’s Blind Podcast

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Pam Allen, executive director of the Louisiana Center for the Blind, and Jordyn Castor. They provide advice on how blind people can travel with confidence to the National Convention, conferences, vacation, and more. They are also joined by Carlin Thomas who provides audio descriptions for vacations, live performances and events. 

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Chris are joined by President Riccobono. They discuss our stance on recent proposals to restructure or eliminate government agencies and programs that serve the blind community, such as the Department of Education, Social Security Administration, and Institute of Museum and Library Services. They emphasize our commitment to being partisan for blind people and advocating for policies that directly benefit the blind. They also address concerns that our members and followers have about the organized blind movement. 

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by legislative directors Denise Avant, and Liz Wisecarver. They discuss the Blind Americans Return to Work Act, ways that blind people can advocate for ourselves, and highlights from the 2025 Washington Seminar.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Jim Marks, a hunting instructor, and president of the NFB of Montana. They respond to a segment that The Breakfast Club did on a viral news story of a blind man from Indiana who experimented to see if he would be able to acquire a gun license, and to his surprise, he was able to but felt that he shouldn’t have been. Anil and Melissa also discuss a trending video from Audible that sparked a debate on social media about listening speeds.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by Cameron Loehr, a blind Chef and instructor at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. They’re also joined by Elizabeth Rouse, a former student of the Louisiana Center, and Delfina Rodriguez, an instructor at the Colorado Center for the Blind. They discuss how they became successful in cooking and preparing meals for over forty people.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by NFB scholarship winners, Joshua Olukanni, and Trisha Kulkarni. They are also joined by Jenn Han, a registered nurse. They discuss their experiences, and advocacy efforts and share how they achieve the careers they want as blind students.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Lisamaria Martinez and Stacie Leap. They discuss alternative techniques, tips, and advice for blind parents.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Lia Stone, a co-chairperson of our employment committee, Shawn Callaway, an employer liaison, and Janice Forbes, a jobseeker liaison. They discuss what needs to be done to increase employment for the blind, as well as resources that we offer to remove barriers and strengthen opportunities for blind jobseekers.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by Carla McQuillan, executive director of Main Street Montessori. They’re also joined by Sean Seward, our independence market manager, and Grace Pires, board member and president of the NFB of Rhode Island. They discuss whether they describe themselves as blind, low vision, or visually impaired and why it matters.

In today’s episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Melissa Riccobono are joined by colleagues, Danielle McCann, our membership coordinator, and Nikki Jackson, our employment programs coordinator. They discuss how blind people are portrayed in the media and in pop culture, and what should change to ensure that the portrayals are accurate and positive representations.