The Blind Side

Rich De Steno is one of those people who has put into practice the adage that you can do anything if you put your mind to it. As a lawyer by profession, he found there wasn't an accessible version of a game he wanted to play, so he taught himself how to code in the evenings and wrote the game himself. He then produced a range of fun, accessible games. Now retired, he always had a dream of making music and doing an album, so he taught himself how to do that as well. Rich is Jonathan Mosen's guest on this week's episode.

In listener feedback, we learn how you can easily get The Daily Fibre Premium podcast set up on HumanWare's Victor Reader Stream. Jonathan talks about how Daily Fibre Premium subscribers will be able to get access to a live stream of the recording of the Blind Side Special covering Apple's June keynote.

There's more discussion about public transport, and a hint on how to learn UEB.

A listener asks how Aira explorers are keeping their glasses protected from breakage.

Seeking your feedback, Jonathan asks what you'd like to see in the next major versions of Apple software, and for your opinions on whether it's appropriate to blindfold partially sighted people while they receive blindness-related rehabilitation services.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

Marlaina Lieberg has made so many contributions to the blind community that it's hard to know how to describe her. Internet broadcasting icon, advocate, technologist, and the list goes on. One way to summarise her immense contribution is to say that whatever she did, she made a difference.

Sadly, marlaina Lieberg died last week. In a blog post published shortly after her death, Jonathan Mosen announced that this episode of The Blind Side would be dedicated to Marlaina's memory. A number of people in The Blind Side community responded with tributes for inclusion on the podcast. Marlaina, we love you, and this one's for you.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

Following many requests, The Daily Fibre, the technology news show Jonathan Mosen produces for Mushroom FM, is available as a podcast. Producing it is time-consuming, and that's why it's been made a premium podcast, costing just a quarter per episode, $5 USD per month. Jonathan discusses how this podcast came about, what it contains, and why it's taken this form. We then include a full episode from the Premium feed, so you know what to expect if you subscribe, and offer some guidance for signing up with Patreon, the host of the podcast, with a PC or iPhone.

Want to get the very latest technology news summarised and where appropriate explained from a blindness perspective? Visit The Daily Fibre Premium page and sign up today with any major credit card or PayPal.

There are listener comments this week covering topics including accessible gym equipment, public transport, blind people being shoved into wheelchairs at airports, and whether Apple is doing enough to explain new features to blind people.

Jonathan made reference to the profile written about him for the April AFB Access World. Read the Access World profile on Jonathan here.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

Microsoft's Windows 10 April 2018 Update will be coming to a PC near you very soon. It's available now if you'd like to be an early adopter. Visit the Windows download page to get started.

Jonathan Mosen discusses new features in the Windows 10 April 2018 update, demonstrating Timeline, Focus Assist, and some cool new means of directing apps to specific audio devices.

There's comprehensive discussion of many more Windows features.

In listener comments, we get a few tips on Braille reading speed, continue our discussion of public transport issues and more.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

In the previous episode, we led with the breaking news that the Canadian General Standards Board has abandoned plans to adopt a federal standard for service dog animals, following a widespread backlash. Jonathan Mosen speaks with Yvonne Peters and Tom Dekker, who played critical roles in this successful advocacy campaign. Even if you're not directly interested in the issue, the story Tom and Yvonne tell is an example of how effective use of social media for advocacy can make a difference. To review the website set up for coordinating the advocacy around this campaign, visit Hands Off our Harnesses.

This episode also includes a segment from Mushroom FM's popular technology magazine show, The Daily Fibre, which can be heard every week day at 3 AM and again at 3 PM US Eastern time. Many people now use the accessible Windows app called TapinRadio to record The Daily Fibre if they can't hear it live. But there's been a lot of demand for us to include this segment on The Blind Side Podcast. Jonathan demonstrates Alexa Blueprints. Currently available to those with US-based Amazon accounts, it allows anyone to make their own Alexa skills for personal use without knowing how to write a line of code. We demonstrate how easy it is to do.

Our listener feedback section includes comments on whether, or when, a sighted person should give up their seat for a blind person on public transport. We also hear more opinions on people-first language, a listener promotes a discussion about improving Braille reading speed, questions about hearing aids and in particular, using them with Aira.

Speaking of Aira, Jonathan has updated his extensive blog post on the Aira service. You can also watch the TV coverage of Bonnie and Jonathan's Aira experience.

The Aira trial is ramping up for New Zealand, Australia and the UK. Learn more about the Aira expansion trial.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org, or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

We lead with the breaking news that the Canadian General Standards Board has abandoned its proposed service dogs standards, covered extensively in episode 43 of this podcast.

Many listeners emailed or called with feedback about the difference Braille has made to their lives. We include a selection of the comments.

We learn about new legislation promoting the use of Braille in the District of Columbia.

A listener is seeking more information on accessible cryptocurrency solutions.

The debate continues about the use of people-first language.

A listener finds an article about a past guest on the podcast, prompting the question, should sighted people have to give up their seat to a blind person on public transport?

Way back when, in The Blind Side Podcast 13, Jonathan spoke with Pam MacNeill from Disability Responsiveness New Zealand. She was just establishing her business then. Now, Pam's back to talk about some great resources she's produced, including a guide to making meetings inclusive, and an empowerment tool for everyone involved in the disability sector. She talks about why she always uses businesses run by other disabled people when she can, and how Mosen Consulting has helped her business grow.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org, or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

Jonathan has a couple of new gadgets. A new Samsung wireless charger that allows the iPhone X to be upright which helps with Face ID, and a Bluetooth transmitter dongle that he hopes will help him and Bonnie to use Aira at the same time. He describes both cool new toys.

To subscribe to the Accessible Phones Discussion list mentioned in this episode, send an email to [email protected].

We're thrilled to be Libsyn's Rockin' Libsyn Podcast this week. Read Libsyn's piece about The Blind Side Podcast.

Mosen Consulting and this podcast are no longer on Facebook for ethical reasons. You can read Jonathan Mosen's blog post on why he has deleted Facebook.

If you would also like to join the exodus, choose this link for an accessible way to delete your Facebook account.

En-Vision America has been at the forefront of barcode scanning technology for the blind for a couple of decades, and the technology keeps improving. Even in this day of smartphone apps, their dedicated i.d. mate Galaxy provides quick, effortless access to barcodes, including to the many blind people who don't own a smartphone.

They're also in a product category that could literally be a matter of life and death. Their ScriptTalk solution provides accessible medication labels, with an app about to be released for iOS.

David Raistrick of En-Vision America joins Jonathan to discuss and demonstrate the company's barcode and ScriptTalk solutions.

Listener comments include feedback about person-first language, a user who took the plunge and swapped his iPhone for a Samsung Galaxy, and a blind adult seeks encouragement as she learns Braille. Jonathan talks about what Braille has meant to him and the huge part it plays in his work and personal life.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org, or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

Microsoft has delivered some innovative new products to blind people in recent times. We've talked about Seeing AI and Soundscape on the podcast before. Now, Microsoft researchers are considering how virtual reality, a technology many of us think of as inherently visual, might be put to use in a blindness context. The Canetroller just might be a technology that in future could allow you to rehearse travelling in unfamiliar environments from the comfort of your own home or with an orientation and mobility instructor. To tell us about Cantroller, Jonathan Mosen speaks with Merrie Morris, Ed Cutrell and Mike Sinclair from Microsoft Research.

There are listener comments on Aira, CSUN and Apple, disability emoji and more. Jonathan makes mention of his review of Aira. You can read the Aira review here.

In news this week, Jonathan discusses an opinion piece in the Kokomo Tribune by Lise Pace, advocating for the use of "person-first" language. He states his view that "person-first" language does much more harm than good. Read Lise Pace's article, and Jonathan's blog post, to get two perspectives on the issue. Then, be sure to get in touch to let us know where you stand.

We learn of a settlement in a long-running dispute over underpayment of the blind pension in Missouri.

Sighted people often report vivid hallucinations during LSD trips. But what do blind people experience? A new article published in Consciousness and Cognition examines this fascinating question.

We welcome your feedback. Send email to TheBlindSide at Mosen dot org, or call the feedback line in the United States on (719) 270-5114.

You can also join our online community to discuss the podcast with other listeners. Send a blank email to [email protected]

We're pleased to unveil our new listener line for The Blind Side Podcast. Want to have your say? Call us any time and leave a message, on (719) 270-5114

We begin with information, hot off the press at time of publication, about all that Apple has announced today at its education-focused event in Chicago.

Jonathan Mosen recaps some highlights of his time at the CSUN Assistive Technology Conference, including a look at how to keep those hard-won Apple Watch goals going when you're losing a day crossing the international dateline.

Many mainstream tech companies were at CSUN, presenting to and consulting with the community. Jonathan asks why Apple would pass up such a golden opportunity to explain its products and get user help to make them better.

Jonathan and Bonnie talk extensively about their first-hand experience of Aira, the visual interpreter service for the blind, which they consider life-changing.

Aira has a recommendation program, where the person doing the recommending, and the person who signs up, gets a free month. If you decide to give Aira a try, please sign up using Jonathan's link.

In news this week, we learn about Apple's proposals for disability-related emoji. We learn of a blind New Hampshire woman whose vote didn't count because her signature was inconsistent. Finally, it warms the heart to hear when a guide dog discrimination complaint ends in a prosecution.

Based in the UK, Rica is an organisation conducting research with a focus on the needs of disabled people and seniors. They've produced a report thanks to the sponsorship of the Thomas Pocklington Trust on the inaccessibility of gym equipment to blind people. If you've splashed out on that membership and turned up ready to sweat, only to be thwarted by gym equipment with touch screen interfaces that offer no accessible output, you'll know that this is a big problem. Jonathan Mosen speaks with Chris Lofthouse from Rica, and former Paralympian Mike Brace, who is a trustee of the Thomas Pocklington Trust, about the report and its findings.

Read about the report and download it for free.

Andrew Kranichfeld became blind as an adult and hasn't had a lot of luck with mainstream dating sites. He'd like to set up a website and app geared for disabled people who want to date, as well as the non-disabled who are comfortable dating disabled people. Andrew talks to Jonathan about his project, Love is Blind.

Don't forget, you're welcome to join our email-based community to discuss any of the stories we cover. Send a blank email to [email protected]