Nation’s Blind Podcast

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...

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 for...

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.

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Chris Danielsen are joined by Jonathan Mosen, former producer and host of the Bolotin award-winning Living Blindfully podcast and our incoming executive director for Accessibility Excellence. They discuss Access On, our new podcast that focuses on the role that technology plays in living the life we want. Jonathan also provided advice a...

In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by two of our new board members, Jamie Richey and Ben Dallin. They discuss how to protect our dignity as blind people and how to properly respond to individuals who may challenge our dignity. They also reflect and share their thoughts on President Riccobono’s 2024 banquet speech that focuses on dignity. Important link: 2024...

This episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast focuses on the right of blind Americans to cast a secret, independent ballot, and what we can do when that right is compromised. The conversation covers the Help America Vote Act (HAVA), ways blind voters can prepare for Election Day, different accessible voting options, blind people as poll workers and election officials, and more. The episode also highl...

  In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Melissa Riccobono, Anil Lewis, and Danielle McCann (NFB Membership Building Coordinator) discuss the upcoming National Federation of the Blind  National Convention. They talk about the virtual convention experience, which allows individuals who are unable to attend in person to participate in hours of convention content from home. They mention that...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Chris Danielsen are joined by Sanho Steele-Louchart, an attorney and the legal program coordinator for the National Federation of the Blind. They discuss strategies we employ to address issues faced by blind individuals in ways that make systemic change. They also describe some current cases and explain how the program can help with sel...

In this special episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis is joined by members of the Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility (CENA) team to discuss the work they do in promoting accessibility. They discuss topics such as artificial intelligence, including its potential benefits and risks, as well as various technologies and devices that promote accessibility, such as the Cadence T...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Marinela “Mari” Ortiz, an assistive technology instructor and writer. Mari shares her journey of pursuing her master's degree in assistive technology, including the challenges she faced at one university and her subsequent success at another. The discussion addresses topics including the importance of mentors and support...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Anil, Melissa, and Chris Danielsen discuss the upcoming Washington Seminar of the National Federation of the Blind. They talk about their memories of past seminars and the importance of advocacy, as well as the issues that will be addressed during the seminar, including Social Security reform, accessible medical equipment, and website and software acc...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by Gary Wunder, editor of the Braille Monitor, and Aaron Cannon, a blind accessibility specialist for Ancestry.com. They discuss the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various aspects of life, with feedback from listeners incorporated into the conversation. The discussion touches on AI tools such as Be My AI and ChatGPT...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Melissa Riccobono and Anil Lewis discuss various shopping strategies that blind people use, both in stores and virtually, and some of the pros and cons of each method. Shopping methods discussed include using apps like Instacart, Shipt, and more, as well as acquiring assistance from Aira and Be My Eyes. Join the discussion by sharing your own strategi...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Chris Danielsen introduce the 2023/2024 Braille Readers Are Leaders contest, which is a project of the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, a longtime partner of the National Federation of the Blind. Lisamaria Martinez, the project manager for the program, joins them to provide more details. They encourage listeners to si...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, Melissa Riccobono and Chris Danielsen discuss Veterans Day and the role of veterans in the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). They are joined by Dr. Vernon Humphrey, the president of the National Association of Blind Veterans (NABV), a division of the National Federation of the Blind; and José Centeno, a blind veteran, marathon runner, and member...

In this episode of the Nation's Blind Podcast, hosts Melissa Riccobono and Anil Lewis discuss Blind Equality Achievement Month with two chapter and affiliate leaders, Cindy Scott-Huisman of Little Rock, Arkansas and Stacie Gallegos of Houston, Texas. They talk about the importance of educating the public about blindness and blind people and share the various activities and events they have been in...

The Center of Excellence in Nonvisual Accessibility (CENA) is a concentrated center of expertise, best practices, and resources that enables businesses, government, and educational institutions to provide accessible information and services more effectively to the blind community. In this episode, originally recorded around Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Anil Lewis reviews CENA’s work in educ...

In this episode, Melissa and Chris Danielsen preview the virtual convention experience, a free, dedicated online space for people who are unable to attend the national convention but want to get a flavor of what’s happening. They detail the components of this experience, from exclusive content for virtual attendees to the live convention meetings and sessions that will be streamed online.   Import...

If you haven’t already submitted a policy proposal for consideration at the national convention in the form of a resolution, or are just curious about the process, then this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast will tell you everything you need to know. President Riccobono talks with new Resolutions Committee Chair, Donald Porterfield, who also serves as president of the National Federation of th...

The wealthy and influential YouTube celebrity MrBeast recently caused a stir in our community by posting a video in which he “cured” the blindness of a thousand people by funding cataract removal. In this episode, Anil Lewis and Chris Danielsen discuss why well-intentioned public efforts like this can be problematic. They also talk about what it means to be “okay with blindness” and about the impo...