Eyes On Success with hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey

2140 Encore of 1916 The Voice Behind Siri (Sep. 29, 2021) Show Notes Meet Susan Bennett whose voice was used to create the original female English language Siri voice. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Susan about her experiences as a voice artist, actress, and musician, what it was like to create the voice … Continue reading 2140 Encore of 1916 The Voice Behind Siri (Sep. 29, 2021) &#8...

2139 Using Reaper with OSARA (Sep. 22, 2021) Show Notes Reaper is a powerful multi-track audio production program used by many people with visual impairments. The program is made accessible using a screen reader on both PC’s and Mac’s by the open source OSARA extension for Reaper. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Scott … Continue reading 2139 Using Reaper with OSARA (Sep. 22, 2021) &#8...

2138 Maxima Computer Algebra System (Sep. 15, 2021) Show Notes Maxima is a computer algebra system (CAS) that enables the user to work with complex mathematical expressions. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Robert Dodier, one of the developers of Maxima, about the capabilities of this free, open source program and also demonstrate how … Continue reading 2138 Maxima Computer Algebra Sys...

2137 Sharing Experiences with Cochlear Implants (Sep. 8, 2021) Show Notes Blind individuals rely heavily on their ability to hear in order to compensate for their lack of sight. But what happens when a blind person loses their hearing? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey join a conversation between Jim Snowbarger and Greg Green, both of … Continue reading 2137 Sharing Experiences with Cochlear Impl...

2136 Combining Computer Science with Social Sciences (Sep. 1, 2021) Show Notes Bhavya Shah grew up in India where blind students were often dissuaded from certain studies and careers and where many textbooks could not be obtained in an accessible format. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Bhavya about how he overcame these challenges … Continue reading 2136 Combining Computer Science wit...

2135 Getting Around as an Entrepreneur (Aug. 25, 2021) Show Notes Fernando Albertorio is a blind chemist turned entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is also a co-founder of the Sunu Band, a device worn on the wrist to provide tactile navigation cues to the blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Fernando about his journey, … Continue reading 2135 Getting Around as an Entrepreneur (Aug....

2134 Navigating Indoors with the Clew App (Aug. 18, 2021) Show Notes Most navigation apps rely on GPS and work well outdoors. Unfortunately, such apps are not suitable for indoor use. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Paul Ruvolo about the Clew app he developed which overcomes this limitation by making use of Apple’s … Continue reading 2134 Navigating Indoors with the Clew App (Aug. 18,...

2133 Encore of 1844 Sounds of the Stars (Aug. 11, 2021) Show Notes Last week we talked about creating tactile representations of the universe. This week hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Greg Salvesen, a post-doctoral fellow at UCSB, and Matt Russo, a professor of astronomy at Seneca College about using sonification to transform … Continue reading 2133 Encore of 1844 Sounds of the Stars...

2132 Making Astronomy Accessible (Aug. 4, 2021) Show Notes Astronomy is generally thought to be a very visually oriented field, but with some thought, it can be made accessible to those who are blind. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Noreen Grice, founder and president of You Can Do Astronomy, about how she makes … Continue reading 2132 Making Astronomy Accessible (Aug. 4, 2021) &#8594...

2131 MuseScore Music Scoring Software (Jul. 28, 2021) Show Notes MuseScore is a program for creating and sharing musical scores. Despite being open source and free, MuseScore includes many of the features found in commercial programs. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Marc Sabatella, one of the developers, about his work to make MuseScore … Continue reading 2131 MuseScore Music Scoring...

2130 Creating Solutions to Solve Problems (Jul. 21, 2021) Show Notes Doug Lee has been blind his entire life. In addition to writing JAWS scripts for Level Access, a firm that develops access solutions for other companies, Doug also freely shares many scripts and tools he has developed to improve access to commonly used programs. … Continue reading 2130 Creating Solutions to Solve Problems (...

2129 On the Road Again After Covid (Jul. 14 2021) Show Notes Video calls with a 3 and 5 year old just don’t cut it. So hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey decided to take their first big road trip after Covid to see the grandkids in person. Hear about their journey from Colorado to Michigan … Continue reading 2129 On the Road Again After Covid (Jul. 14 2021) →

2128 Tools for Blind Scientists (Jul. 7, 2021) Show Notes The more tools one has in one’s toolbox the better one will be prepared to take on new tasks and address new problems. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mona Minkara, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University about the extensive set of tools … Continue reading 2128 Tools for Blind Scientists (Jul. 7, 2021)...

2127 Missy Mouse Books (Jun. 30, 2021) Show Notes How can a parent describe blindness to children who might not have experienced it? What makes some people different and how might they deal with those differences? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lois Strachan, author of the “Missy Mouse” series featuring a young blind … Continue reading 2127 Missy Mouse Books (Jun. 30, 2021) →

2126 Encore of 1351 Regaining Vision After Decades of Blindness (Jun. 23, 2021) Show Notes Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Mike May, the subject of “Crashing Through”, a bestselling book about his experiences regaining partial vision through a stem cell transfer and corneal transplant. Having lost his vision initially at age 3, his … Continue reading 2126 Encore of 1351 Regaining Vis...

2125 GoodMaps Indoor Navigation Aid (Jun. 16, 2021) Show Notes GPS technologies and apps are a great asset in helping the blind navigate and become more mobile. Unfortunately, GPS is only effective in navigating outdoors. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Mike May about the new GoodMaps app and how it has overcome technical … Continue reading 2125 GoodMaps Indoor Navigation Aid (Jun. 16...

2124 White Cane and Guide Dog Mobility Differences (Jun. 9, 2021) Show Notes Is a guide dog for you or would you prefer to navigate using a white cane? What are the trade-offs? If I decide to get a dog, what is the process? Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Jake Koch, Community Outreach … Continue reading 2124 White Cane and Guide Dog Mobility Differences (Jun. 9, 2021) →

2123 The Great Outdoors (Jun. 2, 2021) Show Notes Lawrence Gunther is host of the podcast “Outdoors with Lawrence Gunther”. The podcast is a mix of interesting facts about our environment and outdoor activities and includes interviews with blind people who enjoy the outdoors. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lawrence, who is blind … Continue reading 2123 The Great Outdoors (Jun. 2, 202...

2122 Life and Career of Larry Skutchan (May 26, 2021) Show Notes Larry Skutchan has been a key contributor and driver behind many of the access technologies that are familiar names to us these days. This includes the Studio Recorder audio editing program, the Bookport Reader, the Mantis braille display, and much more. Hosts Nancy … Continue reading 2122 Life and Career of Larry Skutchan (May...

2121 Louie Voice Control (May 19, 2021) Show Notes Imagine being able to fully control popular smartphone apps and functionality with just voice commands! That is what the Louie Voice Control system enables. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Pramit Bhargava whose own vision loss inspired the concept and led to its development. Hear … Continue reading 2121 Louie Voice Control (May 19, 20...

2120 APH ConnectCenter (May 12, 2021) Show Notes The American Printing House (APH) ConnectCenter manages resources aimed at helping people of all ages and includes VisionAware, FamilyConnect, CareerConnect, ConnectCalendar, and an Information and Referral Line. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with director Olaya Landa-Vialard and digital content specialist Kathryn Botsford about these services.

2119 Accessible Cloud Technologies (May 5, 2021) Show Notes Pneuma Solutions offers a suite of accessible cloud services geared to the needs of the visually impaired. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with co-founders Mike Calvo (CEO) and Matt Campbell (CTO) about Sero as well as how Scribe for Meetings and Scribe for Education transform … Continue reading 2119 Accessible Cloud Technologies...

2118 From Technologist to Accessibility Evangelist (Apr. 28, 2021) Show Notes Dean Hudson’s vision began deteriorating as a child but he never let that stop him. Developing an interest in computers as a youth, Dean went on to have a long and rewarding career in technology. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Dean, who … Continue reading 2118 From Technologist to Accessibility Evangelist (...

2117 Designing a Profession (Apr. 21, 2021) Show Notes “Who Wants to Hire a Blind Interior Designer?” was the subject of an introductory email we received from John Robert Wiltgen’s publicist. So we decided to find out! Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with John about his very successful career, how he worked around his … Continue reading 2117 Designing a Profession (Apr. 21, 2021) →

2116 Super Lidar App (Apr. 14, 2021) Show Notes Developers are beginning to make use of LiDAR technology in some smart phones to assist those with impaired vision. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Shane Lowe from Supersense about their new Super Lidar app and how it makes use of LiDAR to analyze the … Continue reading 2116 Super Lidar App (Apr. 14, 2021) →