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.
Microsoft’s 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Report
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.
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.
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
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!
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
Another big show this week as Rob, Ryan, and Steve welcome Alexander Hauerslev Jensen and Will Butler from the ever popular app Be My Eyes, which connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers and companies from all over the world through a live video call.
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!
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.
Get those 20 sided die ready to roll (and if you understand that reference, you get a +3 to your nerd cred), this week Rob and Ryan and getting geeky with guest Jim O’Donnell, creator of the website Knights of the Braille. Knights of the Braille is a community of role players who also include players who are blind or partially sighted who have also taken it on themselves to help provide accessible materials for a variety of game systems. Jim discusses his history with role playing, what materials are currently available, and what the process of conversion is like. Don’t roll a 1 and miss this!
It’s a big show this week as Rob, Ryan, and Steve welcome Shelly Brisbin to the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room. Shelly is an author, podcaster, producer, and blogger who has been writing about accessibility and Assistive Technology since the early 2000s and her book, iOS Access for All is one of the most comprehensive resources around for iOS accessibility features. We chat with her from everything from the early days of Apple accessibility right through to where accessibility stands during these days of COVID. You don’t want to miss this one!
36 Seconds That Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk
It’s a veritable geek fest this week in the Anti-Zoom Gloom Room as Rob and Ryan are joined by special guest host Mike Feir as they welcome Thaddeus from Ebon Sky Studios, an indie game developer that is actively working on creating audio games for the blind.
