AT Banter Episode 219 – Megan Lawrence Talks Mental Health

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Given the year that 2020 has been, it’s not surprising to think that Mental Wellness is a growing concern among many people, both at home as well as the workplace. This week Rob and Ryan welcome Megan Lawrence, Sr. Accessibility Technical Evangelist at Microsoft to discuss the topic of Mental Health and how COVID has changed the way we discuss it and how companies are participating in the conversation.

Show Notes

Want to join us for our live show on Dec. 17, 2020 at 5:00pm PST?
Email us at cowbell@atbanter.com

AT Banter Episode 218 – Roy Samuelson

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This week the Anti-Zoom Gloom room has a new silky smooth vocal presence as Rob, Ryan, and Steve welcome award-winning Voice-over Artist and Audio Describer Roy Samuelson to talk all about his work as an Audio Describer and advocate.

Show Notes

Roy Samuelson on the Web

Audio Description Discussion Group on Facebook

Audio Description Project

Audio Description Narrators of America

Kevin’s Way

UbiSoft Criticized for Ableist Language

AT Banter Episode 217 – Michael Hingson

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This week Rob and Ryan sit down with best-selling author, motivational speaker, and advocate Michael Hingson to discuss a wide range of topics around Blindness, from his experiences growing up to his early experiences in the Assistive Technology field to the importance of Braille Literacy.

Show Notes

‘The Witches’ Faces Backlash From Disability Community

Independence Science

Michael Hingson

Thunder Dog

AT Banter Episode 216 – Tamara Vrooman

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This week we’re sitting down with a discussion about the importance of inclusivity with President and CEO of the Vancouver International Airport, Tamara Vrooman. Tamara has been a long-time advocate for inclusive hiring practices for years and sits on the board of the Rick Hansen Foundation as well and is an active member of the President’s Group, a network of 25 BC business leaders working for more accessible and inclusive workplaces.

Show Notes

Microsoft’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Report

B.C. NDP recommits to disability legislation

Guinness launches first alcohol-free beer

AT Banter Episode 215 – GoodMaps

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Indoor navigation and fully accessible public spaces has long been a dream, and this week we’re talking to a couple guys that might be looking at making that dream come true. Jose Gaztambide and Mike May from GoodMaps join Rob, Ryan and Steve this week to talk about their app and the state of the art positioning technology used in order to quickly and accurately map spaces and turn that data in an accessible digital format.

Show Notes

GoodMaps

GoodMaps Explore for iOS

Guy on a Jetpack

AT Banter Episode 214 – Digital Accessibility and Kathy Wahlbin

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We have been talking about Digital Accessibility so much over the past few months, we decided it was high time to have a whole show dedicated to it! The boys welcome Kathy Wahlbin from the Paciello Group into the Anti-Zoom Gloom Room to discuss not only its importance but just what the term “accessible” means from a technical standpoint and how digital services are evaluated. Oh, and Ryan goes off on a rant.

Show Notes

RadioShack Sued for ADA Accessibility Violation
https://lawstreetmedia.com/tech/radioshack-sued-for-ada-website-accessibility-violation/

Paciello Group
https://www.paciellogroup.com/

Fly on Your Head (Remix)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UiBjq0ht7U

AT Banter Episode 213 – The Good News Show

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Something a little different this week! We wanted to do something special to celebrate International Podcast Day, so Steve came up with the idea of a News Show that breaks from the usual format of Assistive Technology. These days it’s hard to not get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of bad news that fills our days, so we’re fighting back with a little something we call The Good News Show — nothing but warm fuzzies! So if you’ve got the blues about the state of the world, this is the episode for you!

Show Notes

A paralyzed adventurer designed a mountain bike for people with disabilities to explore the outdoors
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/a-paralyzed-adventurer-designed-a-mountain-bike-for-people-with-disabilities-to-explore-the-outdoors/ar-BB18YX7X

Duck Rescued After Plastic Ring Gets Stuck Around the Neck
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/good-news/duck-rescued-after-a-plastic-ring-gets-stuck-around-the-animals-neck/ar-BB18Ubjw

Biodegradable Carbon Negative Straws and Forks
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/biodegradable-carbon-negative-straws-and-forks-made-from-methane/

Bexarotene Cancer Drug Found to Repair Myelin Nerves in MS Patients
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bexarotene-cancer-drug-found-to-repair-myelin-nerves-in-ms-patients/

Ryan Reynolds Offers Reward for Woman’s Stolen Teddy Bear
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3887/Ryan-Reynolds-Offers-Reward-For-Woman-039-s-Stolen-Teddy-Bear-That-Contains-Sentimental-Message

Two Beluga Whales Set Free After Nearly a Decade in Captivity
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3906/Two-Beluga-Whales-Set-Free-After-Nearly-A-Decade-In-Captivity

Methane Seaweed Supplement for Cows
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/australian-methane-eliminating-seaweed-supplement-for-cows/

Senate Passes Bill to Protect From Drift Gillnets
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3889/Senate-Passes-Bill-To-Protect-Sea-Turtles-Whales-Dolphins-And-More-From-Drift-Gillnets

Bee Populations Growing
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/bee-populations-growing-in-us-states-like-michigan-texas-and-maine/

A Man from Albany Was Saved From Possibly Drowning
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3941/He-Prayed-For-Help-It-Arrived-In-The-Form-Of-Priests-On-A-Floating-Tiki-Bar

Zeroavia Launches World’s First Hydrogen Powered Passenger Plane
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/zeroavia-launches-world-first-hydrogen-powered-passenger-plane/

Elephant Population in Kenya Has More Than Doubled Over the Last Three Decades
https://www.sunnyskyz.com/good-news/3913/The-Elephant-Population-In-Kenya-Has-More-Than-Doubled-Over-The-Last-3-Decades

AT Banter Episode 211 – Supersense AI

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Steve is finally back from who knows where (we have trouble getting a straight answer out of him) just in time to welcome Cagri Zaman from Migrate, makers of Supersense AI, to the show. We talk all about their scanning app for the visually impaired, Supersense, as well as the augmented reality and artificial intelligence technology that power it. Come for the geeky acronyms but stay for the drawing of our last hockey jersey!

Show Notes

SuperSense AI App

Mediate

Facebook Announces Project Aria

AT Banter Episode 210 – Double Tap Talk

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What happens when you fill the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room full of four podcasters with a passion for accessibility and assistive technology? Find out this week as Rob and Ryan welcome Steven Scott from Double Tab TV and his co-host from the Double Tap Canada Podcast, Shaun Preece. The boys discuss a few new bits of technology including the Vivzone Bone Conduction Face Mask and Bose Rondo Frames and even manage to squeeze in some time to discuss Aira and their new polices around free calls to the service.

Show Notes

Vivzone Bone Conduction Face Mask

Bose Rondo Frames

Aira

Double Tap TV

Double Tap Online