At Banter Podcast

This week Rob and Ryan welcome  Riane LaPaire and Leah Brochu from the National Network for Equitable Library Services and Sarah Smith-Eivemark from Penguin Random House Canada to discuss their recent partnership to provide braille editions of two new books from cooking legend Jamie Oliver. They discuss the books, how the partnership came about, the funding that allowed the partnership to happen and the importance of accessible publishing. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/at-banter-podcast-episode-358-5-ingredients-braille-advocates.pdf Show Notes 5 Ingredients Mediterranean: Simple Incredible Food by Jamie Oliver https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/5-ingredients-mediterranean-simple-incredible-food/9780525612902.html Billy and the Giant Adventure https://a.co/d/cjpm5I8 National Network for Equitable Library Service https://nnels.ca/welcome-nnels Rob’s Recipe Recommendation https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chicken-recipes/crispy-paprika-chicken/ AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian

When Kari Brown-John sat down to try to book passage on a new ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver last summer, she was in for a big surprise. As it turns out, their policy was not to allow power wheelchairs on board. What started as a routine trip ended up splashed in the local media, and this week Kari sits down with Rob, Ryan, and Lis to tell her story and talk about the other various stories we are seeing in terms of accessibility issues within transportation. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/at-banter-podcast-episode-357-kari-brown-john.pdf Show Notes B.C. woman shocked Hullo Ferries doesn’t allow motorized wheelchairs https://globalnews.ca/news/10014096/hullo-ferries-motorized-wheelchairs-batteries/ Air Canada CEO apologizes for accessibility barriers https://globalnews.ca/news/10081950/air-canada-accessibility-measures/ Air Canada apologizes, introduces new measures amid growing accessibility concerns https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/air-canada-apologizes-introduces-new

We’re doing it at 300 BPM this week (if you’re a bass player you will get that joke) as we welcome Ciara Moser, a professional bassist who has also been blind since birth and has just released a new album called, “Blind, So What?”. We talk to her about her passion for music and where it all started, her podcast, how advocacy and education is incorporated into her music and brand, and much much more. If you’re a music fan, this is one episode you won’t want to miss! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/11/at-banter-podcast-episode-356-ciara-moser.pdf Show Notes Ciara Moser Online https://www.ciara-moser.com/ Blind, So What Podcast on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/0Z8pm0gKJCbJA6zRUX9jJH Blind, So What Album on Spotify https://open.spotify.com/album/0dwFmVgwpLgz1CwuTDK5JP?si=m_rip_ajQDC_P1w7Dxk9Iw 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 t

It’s that time of year again, when the pumpkins are placed on the doorsteps and witches and ghouls gather for tricks or treats! It’s also that time when the hosts of AT Banter gather together, drinks in hand, to engage in a little Halloween fun and nonsense, and this year is no different! Come join us as we welcome Shawn Marsolais and Keisha Anderson from the Limitless Podcast to help us ring in the “Ghoul Year” and discussion about everything from Halloween candy to watching horror movies as a blind or partially sighted viewer and much much more! And, for a change, no co-hosts were injured in production of this Halloween episode…. Show Notes Canada's chief accessibility officer 'furious' after Air Canada forgets her wheelchair https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/air-canada-lost-wheelchair-cadieux-1.7005429 Limitless Podcast https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/limitless-podcast Blind Beginnings https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/ AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training i

In July of 2023, Scott Rees swam more than 30 kilometres across the Strait of Georgia, from Vancouver to Nanaimo, in just under 11 hours as part of a fundraiser for Canadian Guide Dogs. Join us this week as we sit down with Scott to talk about his vision journey with retinitis pigmentosa, his own experience getting his Guide Dog Caleb, what prompted him to start up this ambitious fundraiser, and what it was like to brave the waters of the Georgia Strait for 11 hours. Grab some Doritos and settle in, you don’t want to miss this one! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/at-banter-podcast-episode-354-scott-rees.pdf Show Notes Blind B.C. man swims Strait of Georgia to help those in need of guide dogs https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/strait-of-georgia-swim-scott-rees-canadian-guide-dogs-for-the-blind-1.6914751 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 an

Prepare to have your funny bone tickled this week (or if you’re Lis, your hand stabbed) as we welcome Steven Verdile, founder and Editor-in-Chief of the disability satire site, The Squeaky Wheel. We learn about how the site came to be and some of the challenges surrounding a satire site that centers on disability, as well as using humor to shine a spotlight on ableism and invoke social change. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/10/at-banter-podcast-episode-353-steven-verdile-and-the-squeaky-wheel-.pdf Show Notes The Squeaky Wheel https://thesqueakywheel.org/ 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 o

It’s something a little different this week as Ryan, Rob, and Lis welcome back Shawn Marsolais, founder of Blind Beginnings and host of the Limitless Podcast back once again for a freeform, roundtable discussion about advocacy. We discuss everything from advocacy burnout to whether or not it’s fair that the community has to feel like they need to advocate and educate all the time. So what are you waiting for?  Grab a hand and come join us down at the duck pond for an open and honest conversation about what it means to be an advocate. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/at-banter-podcast-episode-352-the-great-advocacy-discussion-.pdf Show Notes Blind Beginnings www.blindbeginnings.ca Limitless Podcast https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/limitless-podcast 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 

Better late than never! We didn’t get around to our Anniversary show in May due to scheduling conflicts, so we’re doing it in September (mainly because we never squander an opportunity to drink, celebrate ourselves, and be silly) to celebrate our 8 1/3 year Anniversary. The gang gathers together along with very special guest Shawn Marsolais of Blind Beginnings and the Limitless Podcast for some annual silliness that includes a mock awards ceremony, AT Banter trivia, a few clips of AT Banter history, and a few other surprises. Happy Banter-versary! Show Notes Blind Beginnings www.blindbeginnings.ca Limitless Podcast https://www.blindbeginnings.ca/limitless-podcast Failed Experience Regina tourism rebrand https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/experience-regina-ends-1.6809256 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-

This week Rob and Ryan welcome Daniel Lubiner and Matthew Bullis from The TouchPad Pro Foundation to talk about their innovative braille teaching tool, The Braille Doodle. They discuss The Braille Doodle’s origin, how it works, and the importance of Braille literacy world-wide. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/at-banter-podcast-episode-350-the-braille-doodle-and-touchpad-pro-foundation-.pdf Show Notes TouchPad Pro Foundation https://www.touchpadprofoundation.org/ Pre-Order A Braille Doodle https://www.touchpadprofoundation.org/preorder-now/ 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.

This week Rob and Ryan sit down with Ross Linnett, CEO of Recite Me, makers of a cloud-based assistive toolbar and online accessibility checker. They discuss Recite Me’s origins in advocacy, what differentiates it from other players in the toolbar and overlay space, and touch on some of the controversy surrounding the industry and what changes need to be made. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/09/at-banter-podcast-episode-349-ross-linnett-and-reciteme.pdf Show Notes ReciteMe https://reciteme.com/ Transform Your Digital Accessibility and Usability https://reciteme.com/news/transform-your-digital-accessibility/ 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, w

This week the show returns to its Assistive Technology roots and gives Rob and Ryan a chance to geek out once again with fellow AT specialists Cory Ballard and Luke Scriven, hosts of the YouTube channel Vision Forward's Tech Connect. They discuss the organization the work for and the services it provides, how the YouTube channel got its start and its main purpose, the challenges of AT training and some of the new and exciting trends they are seeing in the current generation of Assistive Technology. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/at-banter-podcast-episode-348-vision-forward.pdf Show Notes Vision Forward https://vision-forward.org/ Vision Forward's Tech Connect YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@VisionForwardTechConnect 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

Back to our regular programming this week as Rob, Ryan, Lis, and Steve welcome singer/songwriter, author, motivational speaker, and reality show star Mario Bonds to the show to discuss everything from his journey through vision loss at age 9, through to his love of assistive technology, music, and how he almost got beat up on the set of the reality show, The Glee Project. It’s an open and earnest conversation that you don’t want to miss – plus it’ll cleanse your palette of all of that MALK from last week’s "episode" …. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/at-banter-podcast-episode-347-mario-bonds.pdf Show Notes Mario’s Website http://mabspeaks.com/ Mario’s YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2G4p2D4xiEKioyWUHwxTrw Mario’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mariobonds/  “Chocolate” Official Video https://youtu.be/UgYolkvjWrs AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of kno

Ever wonder what happens at the AT Banter Podcast before the guest arrives or the show gets started? Ever wonder what topical and hard hitting subjects they may bring up and debate while they patiently wait for their guest to arrive? If this has been keeping you up at night, then this episode is what you’ve been waiting for, dear listener. Dubbed our “pre-podcast show” or the “podcast before the podcast”, the following 40 minutes of content was never intended to see the light of day, but Ryan is making us post this.  Enjoy this special bonus episode that serves as a little behind the scenes look of the podcast, a loving tribute to Seinfeld’s “show about nothing”, and an infomercial about MALK, all wrapped up in one. Show Notes MALK https://malkorganics.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. N

This week Ryan, Rob, and Lis are visited by YouTube content creator and podcaster Carrie Morales of Carrie On Accessibility! We discuss her channel and its content, how she developed such an interest in technology and accessibility at an early age, her creation process, what upcoming assistive technology devices she’s excited about, and much much more! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/at-banter-podcast-episode-346-carrie-morales-carrie-on-accessibility.pdf Show Notes Carrie On Accessibility https://carrieonaccessibility.com/ Carrie’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCraSGW8s4NMaFKrJ5YbjB4w 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, w

It’s that time again dear listeners! With all the news coming out these days of the bad variety, we thought it was high time to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming and host another one of our famous (or infamous) Good News Shows! Not a whit of bad news in this episode, we cover everything from emancipated lab monkeys to sawfish mating scars and a whole bunch of other great news that you won’t want to miss. Helping us out this week is friend of the show Riane Lapaire! So turn off that cable news channel and come cozy up with us for an hour! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/08/at-banter-podcast-episode-345-the-good-news-show.pdf Show Notes Our Good News Stories: https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/woman-who-lost-eye-as-baby-wears-glitter-eyeballs-to-own-her-difference/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/boy-stops-at-random-house-to-leave-a-pep-talk-on-doorbell-cam/ https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/13-foot-sawfish-spotted-farther-north-than-any-in-decades-hints-at-recovery-of-

Set the table and get your Pepto Bismo ready, this week the gang in headed into the kitchen – The Blind Kitchen to be exact! Rob, Ryan and Steve sit down with Debra Erickson, executive chef and founder of The Blind Kitchen, an organization that brings adaptive tools, helpful strategies, and specialized knowledge to blind and vision-impaired people who want to cook safely, confidently, and independently. They talk about Debra’s own vision loss, what prompted her to make a career shift into the culinary arts, tips on how to make a kitchen accessible, and much more! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/at-banter-podcast-episode-344-debra-erickson-and-the-blind-kitchen.pdf Show Notes The Blind Kitchen https://theblindkitchen.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 rep

This week we go back to our Assistive Technology roots as Mike Calvo and Matt Campbell from Pneuma Solutions (formerly Serotek) stop by to give us an update on their new cloud based assistive technology products, and discuss everything from pricing to the importance of developing accessible software from the ground up. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/at-banter-podcast-episode-343-mike-calvo-matt-campbell.pdf Show Notes Pneuma Solutions https://pneumasolutions.com/ AccessKit https://accesskit.dev/ 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 778-847-6

The gang is back together again just in time to welcome Michiel Janssen, founder of Ayes to the show to talk about their AI-driven app called OKO, a navigation solution for the blind and visually impaired that uses AI and a smartphone's back camera to recognize pedestrian signals and provides audio and haptic feedback to the user. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/podcast-episode-342-michiel-janssen-oko.pdf Show Notes Ayes Online https://www.ayes.ai/ 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.

Rob, Steve and Ryan sit down this week with Peter Field from the Triple Vision Podcast to get an update on their podcast which was created to recount the past, present, and future of blindness in Canada from a lived experience perspective. Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/at-banter-podcast-episode-341-triple-vision-returns.pdf Show Notes Triple Vision Podcast https://triplevision.team/ 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.

It’s a huge show this week as Rob, Ryan, Steve and Lis are honored to welcome Associate Professor at Stony Brook University, two-time author, politician, disability advocate, and official honorary Canadian, Brooke Ellison to talk about her journey through disability, her new book, “Look Both Ways”, and so much more. It’s not often that a guest can leave Lis speechless with her accomplishments, so this is a show you most certainly don’t want to miss! Show Transcript https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2023/06/at-banter-podcast-episode-340-brooke-ellison.pdf Show Notes Brooke Ellison Online https://www.brookeellison.com/ Miracles Happen on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Miracles-Happen-Mother-Daughter-Journey/dp/0786867701 Look Both Ways on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Look-Both-Ways-Brooke-Ellison/dp/1951568184   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