AT Banter Episode 106 – The Marrakesh Treaty

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If you’ve been paying attention to the news around Accessibility for the past few years, you’ve surely heard of the Marrakesh Treaty. But what exactly is the Treaty and what does it all mean? You might even be asking yourself (as we did), where the heck IS Marrakesh? This week Brad Turner from Benetech returns to the show to break down all the details of the Treaty and what exactly it means for accessible books for the global visually impaired community while the Guitar Dungeon’s Google Home answers some of our Geography questions.

Show Notes

Benetech

BookShare

Microsoft Accessible Controller Now Available for Pre-Order

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

AT Banter Episode 105 – President’s Group and CNIB

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This week we serve up a double shot of accessibility! First we talk with Kirsten Sutton, Managing Director of SAP Labs Canada and member of President’s Group, an organization that advocates for the employment of people with disabilities in the Lower Mainland. And if that isn’t enough for one show, we then talk with Len Baker, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation, who fills us in on the details of CNIB’s new partnerships with Aira, BlindSquare, and Key2Access.

Show Notes

President’s Group

CNIB Unleashes The Power of Technology to mark Global Accessibility

 

Aira

BlindSquare

Key2Access

 

AT Banter Episode 104 – Evil Alexa

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It’s the end of the month and time for our monthly free-form news show! This week we welcome Clement Chou to help talk about a host of news stories from the past few weeks in a free form discussion that, as usual, breaks out into several digressions, a few arguments, and even a celestial musical interlude.

Show Notes

Blog Article about ‘Disability Simulation’

Getty Images to Produce Disability Related Stock Images

GalaPro – The New Technology About to Revolutionize Broadway

Apple Pushes to teach coding to students who are deaf and blind

New App for Android called Smart Braille

Astronomy for the Visually Impaired

Amazon Echo Records Couple’s Conversation

Visually Impaired, in the Lower Mainland and Interested in Martial Arts Training?
Contact Johnny Tai at johnnytiger@shaw.ca

Night Strike Self Defense on Facebook

AT Banter Episode 103 – Colleen Connor

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This week we welcome fellow podcaster, motivational speaker, and YouTuber Colleen Connor into the Guitar Dungeon where she tells us about her visual impairment and experiences of being a content creator and advocate for audio description. We also find the time to discuss Microsoft’s new adaptive controller and an announcement from CNIB regarding some new partnerships.

Show Notes

Microsoft’s New Adaptive Controller

CNIB Announces New Partnerships

Blind Inspiration Cast

Blind Inspiration Cast You Tube Channel

Audio Description Training Retreats

AT Banter Episode 102 – Google-palooza

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It’s a totally Google-rific show this week as we welcome no less than 5 Google employees spanning over two interviews, talking about many different accessibility projects! On the heels of Google I/O we talk with members of the Google Accessibility Team Kyndra LaCoco, Patrick Clary, and Victor Tsaran about the conference and the announcements that were made. Then if that wasn’t enough, we chat with Rodrigo Alarcon and Nienke Vonsee about the newly announced Accessibility lessons added to the Google Primer app. That’s a lot of Google for your money, folks!

Show Notes

Google Accessibility

Email Google Accessibility

BrailleBack Beta Signups
If you’d like to sign up for BrailleBack beta, you’ll need to sign up to be a member of the eyes-free community and then sign up to become a beta tester

Google Accessibility Blog

Trusted Tester Program

Google Primer on the Web

Get Google Primer in the App Store

 

AT Banter Podcast Episode 101 – The Anniversary Show II

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Can you believe it’s been two years and over 100 episodes? We take a break from our regular format and invite friend of the show and owner of Chaos Technical Services Rick Chant into the Guitar Dungeon where we reminisce and engage in some free form conversations. We talk about everything from the state of AI Assistants to the idea of disability as loss and everything in between, including Gibraltar monkeys. Yes, you read that right – you’ll just have to listen to see how that happens. So, break out the tequila shots and join us for this Birthday episode!

Show Notes

Sneaky Weasel Beer

Ford’s New Smart Window

AT Banter Episode 100 – Goodbye Double Digits

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It’s that time of the month again! Yup, time to compile a bunch of AT-related news stories and babble somewhat coherently about them. Helping out us out this month is local Grind-Blinder and TedTalker Harjinder Saran who also gives us some background on what it was like doing a TedTalk and climbing Vancouver’s most treacherous hiking trail before lending her voice to the news.

Show Notes

Pinterest Accessibility Update
Windows 10 Update This Week
More Talk About Robot Dogs
Tech Firms Increasing Accessibility for Disabled Users
Microsoft Experimenting with Caption Crawler
Blind Beginnings
Harjinder Saran TedTalk

AT Banter Episode 99 – Microsoft Soundscape

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This week we’re thrilled to be talking with Jarnail Chudge and Amos Miller, two team members from Microsoft’s new Soundscape App for the visually impaired. They join us in the Guitar Dungeon to discuss the app’s origins, how it works, and the impact it has had on mobility experiences so far.

Show Notes

Soundscape
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/product/soundscape/

Soundscape on the App Store
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-soundscape/id1240320677?ls=1&mt=8

ELIA Font
http://www.theeliaidea.com/eliahome

AT Banter Episode 98 – Mark Bentz and Canadian Blind Hockey

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Sharpen your skates and get your gear on — it’s time to hit the ice! This week we’re talking to Mark Bentz from Canadian Blind Hockey about the organization and their efforts to grow the sport on both sides of the border into an official Paralympic Event.

Show Notes
Canadian Blind Hockey

AT Banter Episode 97 – Daniel Kish

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The Guitar Dungeon is awash with excitement this week as we welcome in Daniel Kish, President of World Access for the Blind and well-known teacher of echo location. We talk to Daniel about what echo location is and what it means for the people who use it as well as its potential impact on the visually impaired community. You don’t want to miss this one (not that you’d want to miss ANY episodes, of course…)
Show Notes
World Access for the Blind
Visioneers.org
Daniel Kish Keynote Speech at ZeroCon18
Excerpt from the textbook, ‘Echolocation and Flash Sonar’