At Banter Podcast

It’s a momentous occasion in the Guitar Dungeon this week as Ryan flies solo and spreads his wings as he interviews Marc Arneson, Director of Brand Development/ Community Learning at Hadley, one of the longest running and largest educators of Braille and related subjects for blind or partially sighted individuals in North America. Show Notes Hadley https://hadley.edu/ B.C.'s COVID-19 income and disability assistance top-up will soon be cut in half https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/b-c-s-covid-19-income-and-disability-assistance-top-up-will-soon-be-cut-in-half-1.5835293  Buy a Cowbell! https://canasstech.com/products/at-banter-podcast-cowbell Want to join us for our live show on Dec. 17, 2020 at 5:00pm PST? Email us at cowbell@atbanter.com 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 1-844-795-832

Nothing can stop us now! Rob, Ryan and Steve welcome the aptly named Unstoppable Tracy, aka Tracy Schmidt, to the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room where we learn about her background and how she gained such an enthusiastic and positive attitude and how her condition as a quadruple amputee informed it. We manage to talk about a few of her many accomplishments, but only scratch the surface of what this amazing woman has accomplished. Show Notes Unstoppable Tracy https://unstoppabletracy.com/ Listen to (Un)Stop the Story https://unstoppabletracy.com/podcast/ Want to join us for our live show on Dec. 17, 2020 at 5:00pm PST? Email us at cowbell@atbanter.com 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 Assistiv

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

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 https://roysamuelson.com/ Audio Description Discussion Group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/AudioDescriptionDiscussion/ Audio Description Project https://www.acb.org/adp Audio Description Narrators of America https://theadna.org/ Kevin’s Way https://kevinsprocess.com/ UbiSoft Criticized for Ableist Language https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/ubisoft-says-it-will-patch-out-ableist-assassins-creed-valhalla-content-following-criticism/ 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? Chao

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 https://deadline.com/2020/11/the-witches-backlash-disability-community-warner-bros-regrets-offence-1234608930/ Independence Science https://independencescience.com Michael Hingson https://michaelhingson.com Thunder Dog https://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Dog-Story-Triumph-Ground/dp/140020304X 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 Tec

(Rebroadcast) Three guys, a girl and a pumpkin walk into a basement .. Nope, this isn’t the start of a wildly inappropriate joke involving a gourd, it’s our Annual Halloween episode! Yes, the episode no one has been waiting for, Rob, Ryan, and Steve are joined by friend of the show Colleen Connor from BlindInspirationCast as they discuss some spooky Halloween topics as Steve attacks a defenseless pumpkin with power tools. SHOW NOTES BlindInspirationCast http://www.blindinspirationcast.com/ Audio Description Retreats http://www.adtrainingretreats.com/ 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.chaostechnicals

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 https://blogs.microsoft.com/blog/2020/10/21/microsofts-2020-diversity-inclusion-report-a-commitment-to-accelerate-progress-amidst-global-change/ B.C. NDP recommits to disability legislation https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-election-ndp-disability-legislation-1.5771668 Guinness launches first alcohol-free beer https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/guinness-launches-alcohol-free-beer AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and

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 https://www.goodmaps.com GoodMaps Explore for iOS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/goodmaps-explore/id1524698552 Guy on a Jetpack https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/another-mysterious-jetpack-man-spotted-155800233.html 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

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 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 al

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.goodnewsne

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. Show Notes Be My Eyes https://www.bemyeyes.com/ 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.

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 https://www.supersense.app Mediate https://mediate.tech Facebook Announces Project Aria https://about.fb.com/news/2020/09/announcing-project-aria-a-research-project-on-the-future-of-wearable-ar/   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 A

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. Vivzone Bone Conduction Face Mask https://vivzone.com/products/bone-conduction-audio-face-mask Bose Rondo Frames https://www.bose.ca/en_ca/products/frames/bose-frames rondo.html#v=bose_frames_rondo_black_row Aira https://aira.io/ Double Tap TV https://www.ami.ca/category/2918/season Double Tap Online https://doubletap.online/ 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

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! Show Notes Knight of the Braille https://knightsofthebraille.com/ Rollout of COVID App Faces Criticism https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/rollout-of-covid-alert-app-faces-criticism-over-accessibility-1.5049392 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.canasste

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 outlining 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! Show Notes Shelly Brisbin https://www.brisbin.net/   36 Seconds That Changed Everything: How the iPhone Learned to Talk http://www.36seconds.org/ iOS Access for All http://www.iosaccessbook.com/   Typio Accessible Typing Tutor https://canasstech.com/products/typio   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

Its’ 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. Show Notes Ebon Sky Studios https://ebonskystudios.com/ Ebon Sky Studios on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ebonskystudios/ Michael Feir’s Blog http://michaelfeir.blogspot.com/ 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.

This week we talk to Envision’s Chief Engineer Karthik Kannan about their soon-to-ship Smart Glasses and vision aid, the Envision Glasses. We discuss what these AI-powered glasses can do, the development challenges and speculate about what lies ahead for the mainstream Smart Glasses market. Show Notes Envision Glasses https://www.letsenvision.com/glasses Envision App https://www.letsenvision.com/ 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.

This week the show takes on some much needed youthful energy as the boys welcome Emilee and Hannah Schevers to the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room to talk about Tru Faces, a community for individuals with disabilities that they’ve built across several social media platforms. The girls share their upbringing and how it help shaped their positive attitudes as well as their mission behind Tru Faces and what the future holds. Show Notes Tru Faces on the Web On Instagram On YouTube ADA 30th Anniversary   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.

This week the boys welcome Josh Summers and Melina Nathanail from National Captioning Canada into the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room to discuss .. you guessed it, captioning! Captioning has been around for so long that it’s hard not to take it for granted, so we dive into some of the history behind it and look at the process of how much of the captioning of content we see is produced. Show Notes National Captioning Canada https://www.natcapcan.ca   Student Designs Handheld ‘Robotic Guide Dog’ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8556449/Student-designs-handheld-robotic-guide-dog-help-support-people-visual-impairments.html   Transcript of this week's show courtesy of National Captioning Canada   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

It’s crowded to capacity this week in our Anti-Gloom Zoom Room as the boys welcome Shawn Marsolais, Executive Director of Blind Beginnings back to the show to talk about the organization’s new podcasting project– but this time she isn’t alone! Keisha, Clement, and Nika are all co-hosts of the new Limitless Podcast and together they tell us about why they started the podcast, what makes it important and very personal to them, and much more. We even have sheep on this episode, and if you think we’re kidding, dive into the episode and see for yourself! Show Notes  Limitless Blind Beginnings Podcast https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/limitless/   Blind Beginnings https://www.blindbeginnings.ca   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 ser