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Archives from previous years

Archive of shows in 2011

List of shows from the current year

ViewPoints 1252 12-26-12 Year-End Retrospective
Show Notes
Join hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey as they celebrate completion of the second year of ViewPoints. Hear how they got started hosting and producing the show and enjoy some “tips” and “clips” from people they’ve interviewed along with notable show highlights from 2012 and a preview of topics to be covered in Eyes On Success (note the new name) in 2013. See the Show Notes for a list of which shows were the source of the excerpts played in this show.

ViewPoints 1251 12-19-12 What’s Happening at the American Council of the Blind
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey talk with Mitch Pomerantz, President of the American Council of the Blind. Learn about the ACB, its mission, its history and some of the advocacy work they do to improve the lives of the visually impaired. Also hear about ACB Radio with programming by and for people with vision loss.

ViewPoints 1250 12-12-12 NVDA, A Free Open-Source Screen Reader
Show Notes
Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey interview Mick Curran, one of the co-lead developers of NVDA, a free open-source screen reader for Windows. Learn how the project grew from a do-it-yourself effort to a powerful tool used daily by thousands of visually impaired people around the world and how you can contribute to its success.

ViewPoints 1249 12-5-12 Transition to College Life
Show Notes
Making the transition to college can be daunting for anybody. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Rebecca, a visually impaired freshman at Carnegie Mellon University, about how she’s taken this next step towards independence. Hear how she’s handled the social, academic and practical aspects of being a college student.

ViewPoints 1248 11-28-12 Displaying Graphs in Audio
Show Notes
Have you ever encountered a set of data and wanted to understand what its graph is like? Dave Engebretson, a blind geologist, demonstrates audio versions of graphs of several geological phenomena. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey also speak with John Taylor from ViewPlus about their Audio Graphing Calculator including some demos.

ViewPoints 1247 11-21-12 Narrating Audio Books
Show Notes
If you’ve listened to audio books from the U. S. National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, the Library of Congress, chances are you’ve heard some done by Yolande Bavan, who has narrated over 500 of them! Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey interview her about what goes into creating an audio book and what the experience of the narrator is like.

ViewPoints 1246 11-14-12 iPhone – Blind Friendly Apps
Show Notes
Last week’s show highlighted the basic accessibility features of the iPhone. In this week’s show, hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey discuss some blind-friendly apps which they’ve found useful. They also demo how one can customize the rotor functions as well as how to use SIRI for more advanced dictation.

ViewPoints 1245 11-7-12 iPhone - Accessibility
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey finally gave up their flip phone in favor of two iPhones. This week they demo and talk about basic accessibility in the iPhone using either VoiceOver with speech input or low vision features. Next week’s show will cover more advanced features as well as some of their favorite apps.

ViewPoints 1244 10-31-12 Extreme Sports for the Blind - Hiking
Show Notes
A long hike can be much more than a walk in the woods. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Karl Ritter, whose trail name is Bats, about long distance hiking including his recent end to end hike on the 2200 mile long Appalachian Trail. Karl has very little vision and did the first 500 miles alone. Learn how he used other senses and tools to compensate.

ViewPoints 1243 10-24-12 Windows 8 and Window-Eyes
Show Notes
Windows 8 is launching in October 2012 and has a very different interface and paradigm from previous versions of Windows. Fortunately, some screen readers will be able to work with Windows 8 from day 1. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with Jeremy Curry of GWMicro about Windows 8 and using it with Window-Eyes.

ViewPoints 1242 10-17-12 Downloading and Reading Books on a Smart Phone
Show Notes
As smart phones become more powerful and numerous, people have developed great apps for them. This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey will discuss and demonstrate how you can directly download books onto a smart phone and read them with it. Apps include Read2Go from Bookshare, Overdrive from public libraries, and an app from Learning Ally.

ViewPoints 1241 10-10-12 How to Use Social Media
Show Notes
Learn how you can use social media with little or no vision. Hosts Nancy & Peter Torpey talk with Jonathan Mosen about how to work effectively with Facebook, Twitter, FourSquare, AudioBoo and HeyTell and which to use for what purpose. This follows last week’s episode about why social media can be a valuable tool for the visually impaired.

ViewPoints 1240 10-3-12 Why Use Social Media
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy & Peter Torpey talk with Victor Tsaran & Jennison Asuncion, enthusiastic advocates for the visually impaired using social media. We’ll talk about the benefits of using Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, HeyTell or others depending on the situation. Next week we’ll talk about how a visually impaired person can use these tools.

ViewPoints 1239 9-26-12 Portable Braille Displays – part 2
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey continue their discussion of portable Braille displays. Hear what exhibitors were displaying at the July 2012 International AER conference. This week features products from Freedom Scientific and Aroga, following last week’s show about products from HIMS and APH.

ViewPoints 1238 9-19-12 Portable Braille Displays – part 1
Show Notes
Are you looking for a portable Braille display? Hear what exhibitors were displaying at the July 2012 International AER conference. This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey talk with vendors from HIMS and APH about their exciting new products. Next week will feature products from Freedom Scientific and Aroga.

ViewPoints 1237 9-15-12 Becoming an Audio Engineer
Show Notes
Blind since infancy and self-taught, Chris Belle worked hard to acquire the skills needed to run a successful audio production business. Host Peter and Nancy Torpey follow Chris’s journey in a fun interview that illustrates the power of a “can do” attitude. Also hear about powerful music editing programs that can be used with a screen reader.

ViewPoints 1236 9-5-12 Products from the AER Conference
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with vendors about products shown at the 2012 international conference of the Association for Education & Rehabilitation of the Blind & Visually Impaired. Hear what’s new in CCTV’s from HIMS and APH, specialty corrective lenses from Chadwick Optical and accessible laboratory equipment from Independence Science.

ViewPoints 1235 8-29-12 The DAISY Consortium
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Lynn Leith of the DAISY Consortium. Lynn spent many years with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind and was involved with DAISY since the inception of this extremely accessible format. We’ll learn how DAISY was started and where it might be going in the future.

ViewPoints 1234 8-22-12 Braille Embossers
Show Notes
The use of Braille embossers and refreshable Braille displays has opened up employment and other opportunities for the blind. But it wasn’t always this way. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Tony and Kate Schenk of Enabling Technologies about the development of these devices and the products currently offered by their company.

ViewPoints 1233 8-15-12 An Interview with Ted Henter
Show Notes
If you use the JAWS screen reader, chances are you've heard of Ted Henter who founded Henter-Joyce and later sold the company to Freedom Scientific. This week, Nancy and Peter Torpey talk with Ted about his contributions to assistive technologies and what he is up to now. If you think you know where the "Joyce" came from in Henter-Joyce, be prepared for a surprise!

ViewPoints 1232 8-8-12 Subscribing to and Listening to Podcasts
Show Notes
Are you too busy to listen to your favorite radio show when it airs? This week, hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey show you how to subscribe to podcasts of your favorite shows and listen to them when it’s convenient. Learn how to use the Juice podcatcher for your PC, the Bookport Plus, or the iPhone for downloading and listening to podcasts.

ViewPoints 1231 8-1-12 Amateur Radio for the Visually Impaired
Show Notes
Amateur Radio, also known as ham radio, is a popular pastime for people with visual impairments. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey speak with Tim Magee (call sign WB2KAO) who has been a totally blind ham radio operator for nearly 50 years about what is involved and how it has changed over that time.

ViewPoints 1230 7-25-12 What's New from Bookshare
Show Notes
Bookshare has been providing accessible reading material to print impaired people around the world for over 10 years now. Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with two representatives from Bookshare about their current services and several exciting new initiatives that will expand these.

ViewPoints 1229 7-18-12 Martial Arts for the Blind
Show Notes
Martial arts may not seem to be very well suited to a blind individual. This week hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Joshua Loya who, despite being totally blind, is an instructor in and holds black belts in several of the martial arts. Learn how Joshua came to succeed in this physically demanding and philosophically rewarding activity.

ViewPoints 1228 7-11-12 Android Smart Phone Demos - Part 2
Show Notes
This week’s show features demonstrations of the major functions of the newest version of Android smart phone by “Access Ana”, who maintains a blog about Android accessibility. It is a follow-on to last week’s show in which hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey discussed the capabilities and accessibility of the phone with Ana.

ViewPoints 1227 7-4-12 Android Smart Phone Accessibility - Part 1
Show Notes
The newest version of Android smart phone is more accessible than ever. Hosts Nancy & Peter Torpey talk with “Access Ana”, who maintains a blog about Android accessibility, about her new phone and its capabilities. Next week’s show will feature more details and demonstrations of some of its functions as performed by a blind user.

ViewPoints 1226 6-27-12 Mid-Year Special
Show Notes
This week the tables are turned. Lynn Leith of the DAISY Consortium interviews hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey. Topics will include Peter and Nancy’s careers, hobbies, family life and some adventures they’ve had living with a visual impairment. They will also discuss ViewPoints’ web presence.

ViewPoints 1225 6-20-12 A talk with Deane Blazie
Show Notes
In the course of his career, Deane Blazie developed and produced the Braille ‘n Speak, the Braille Lite, the Braille Blazer and other innovations in accessibility technology. Join hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey as they speak with him about those, other of his products and some exciting new projects he’s working on.

ViewPoints 1224 6-13-12 Studio Recorder and Audacity
Show Notes
Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey compare and demonstrate two powerful tools for audio editing. Studio Recorder was developed at the American Printing House for the Blind for their own use and is very accessible. Audacity is a free open-source program that contains additional capabilities but is not quite as user-friendly with a screen reader.

ViewPoints 1223 6-6-12 Multi-sensory Exhibits at Science Museums
Show Notes
Many exhibits in science museums are intrinsically experienced with senses other than vision. Join hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey as they visit the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto, learn about the services they provide and experience some of the exhibits. They also get to participate in a research experiment being conducted there.

ViewPoints 1222 5-30-12 Orca, Gnome and Accessibility in Linux
Show Notes
This week’s show focuses on the Orca screen reader, the Gnome desktop and how accessibility works in Linux. Join hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey as they talk with Joanmarie Diggs and Alejandro Pineiro, two of the lead developers about what’s under the hood, how it got there and how you can help improve it.

ViewPoints 1221 5-23-12 Canoeing blind through the Florida jungle
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey spoke with Jose Tamayo shortly after he returned from a 65 mile canoe trip through the Florida jungle. The trip turned out to be even more exciting and eventful than anybody could have expected. As the only blind member of the party, Jose’s unique skills were a valuable asset.

ViewPoints 1220 5-16-12 Touch Memo Digital Audio Labeler
Show Notes
The Touch Memo digital audio labeling system consists of a pen-sized recorder and 3 styles of reusable labels. Hosts Nancy and Pete Torpey interview user Tina Hansen about it and differences from the PenFriend, including demonstrations of its main functions. We’ll also discuss using Skype to ask a friend what something is.

ViewPoints 1219 5-9-12 Teaching Science to Visually Impaired Youth
Show Notes
Laboratory experiments are an important part of science education. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Marilyn Winograd and Lillian Rankel about techniques and tools they’ve developed to enable visually impaired students to participate fully. They also discuss efforts to spread this around the world, including a book of experiments to do at home.

ViewPoints 1218 5-2-12 Birding by Ear
Show Notes
It’s more interesting to listen to birds if you know something about them and more exciting if you can identify them by their songs. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Dave Engebretson, a blind amateur ornithologist about the joys of birding and how a blind person can get started. We’ll play and analyze some bird songs from on-line resources.

ViewPoints 1217 4-25-12 Sport Camps for Visually Impaired Children
Show Notes
Camp Abilities is a sport camp for visually impaired children with over a dozen locations in the US and other countries. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with its founder, Dr. Lauren Lieberman about how they use the camp to teach and empower the campers, to teach future physical education teachers and to do research to improve teaching methods.

ViewPoints 1216 4-18-12 Hot Spot Clicker Utility
Show Notes
HotSpotClicker is a free set of JAWS scripts you can use with any application for increased accessibility. You can define locations on the screen where mouse clicks need to be performed, or where there is information you want spoken, and associate that location with a hot key. Hosts Pete and Nancy Torpey speak with Jim Snowbarger who created HSC.

ViewPoints 1215 4-11-12 Audio Description at Live Theater
Show Notes
If you can’t see the action on the stage, audio description fills in the gaps and helps you know what’s going on. This week hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey visit their regional theater company and talk to the people who make it happen. Learn what’s involved in creating an audio described performance and experience one with them.

ViewPoints 1214 4-4-12 Knitting for the Visually Impaired
Show Notes
Although some people think knitting is hard without good vision, there are many others who continue to enjoy doing it. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Ana and Crystal who maintain a blog for low vision or blind knitters. They talk about the myriad of resources available and give some practical advice.

ViewPoints 1213 3-28-12 An Accessible Home Entertainment System
Show Notes
Can’t work the remote for your TV? Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey talk with Jose Tamayo about a system he made and uses independently to watch television, movies and home videos and also to listen to music and podcasts. We’ll do demos of using the system with either the Apple remote that comes with the Apple TV or the Apple remote app on the iPhone.

ViewPoints 1212 3-21-12 Highlights from CSUN 2012 part 2
Show Notes
ViewPoints 1211 and 1212 feature highlights from the 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (often called CSUN) held 2/27 to 3/3/12 in San Diego. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with several attendees about what’s exciting in access technology including new or upcoming products and research for future ones.

ViewPoints 1211 3-14-12 Highlights from CSUN 2012 part 1
Show Notes
ViewPoints 1211 and 1212 (to be posted 3-21-12) feature highlights from the 27th Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference (often called CSUN) held 2/27 to 3/3/12 in San Diego. Hosts Peter and Nancy Torpey speak with several attendees about what’s exciting in access technology including new or upcoming products and research for future ones.

ViewPoints 1210 3-7-12 Mac Accessibility
Show Notes
Apple computers have accessibility built in to the operating system. Zoom is a magnifier and VoiceOver is a screen reader. Each is as powerful as commercial products for Windows. Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey speak with Mike Arrigo about features of both and demonstrate VoiceOver working with the desktop and the web.

ViewPoints 1209 2-29-12 Training and Raising Guide dogs
Show Notes
Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey speak with Pam Boy, who is raising her 6th guide dog puppy. We’ll discuss what’s involved in making a guide dog, from breeding to final graduation with each dog’s “forever person”. Almost from birth, guide dogs need to learn very important skills and behaviors. We’ll also meet Pam’s current puppy, Casey.

ViewPoints 1208 2-22-12 Serotek’s Products and Services
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey talk with Lisa Salinger and Jamie Pauls of Serotek about some of their products and services. These include the System Access screen reader, System Access Mobile Network (SAMNet), iBlink Radio, SeroTalk podcasts, Accessible Event, DocuScan Plus and others.

ViewPoints 1207 2-15-12 The Blind Post web-site
Show Notes
The Blind Post is a great way to find or sell items specifically useful to the visually impaired. Both the web-site and newsletter contain classified ads, announcements, articles and tips from the Food Lady. Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey interview Lori Motis who maintains the Blind Post and get tips about accessible web hosting and bulk e-mail tools.

ViewPoints 1206 2-8-12 American Printing House for the Blind Product Development
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy Goodman Torpey and Peter Torpey speak with Larry Skutchan, a software engineer in the research department at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) about some current and upcoming products including the Braille Plus 18 and upgrades to the BookPort Plus. They also discuss one of Larry’s favorite hobbies, bowling for the blind.

ViewPoints 1205 2-1-12 Navigating cities and beyond
Show Notes
Hosts Nancy and Peter Torpey speak with Claudia Folska whose research involves how the visually impaired navigate in man-made environments. Applications of her research include ways to make it safer to do so. In addition, she founded EyeCycle, an organization that arranges for group tandem rides with blind stokers.

ViewPoints 1204 1-25-12 Enabling the Blind to Use Touch Screens
Show Notes
This week hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey talk about some ongoing research aimed at enabling the visually impaired to successfully use touch screens that haven’t been adapted for the blind. They speak with Shaun Kane about several studies he’s done, including one with which he participated in the international Imagine Cup.

ViewPoints 1203 1-18-12 Extreme Sports for the Blind - Skiing
Show Notes
Staci Mannella is a visually impaired skier whose goal is to participate in the 2014 Paralympics with her guide and coach Kim Seevers. Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey talk with them about how they train, what aids they use and how they ski at speeds up to 55 MPH. They also discuss how to find an adaptive ski program for you.

ViewPoints 1202 1-11-12 Employment and Training at ABVI
Show Notes
This week’s show complements show #1148 about services at Rochester, NY’s Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ABVI). Hosts Peter Torpey and Nancy Goodman Torpey tour employment and training venues including orientation and mobility, manufacturing, food services and call centers. They also attended the recent ABVI technology expo.

ViewPoints 1201 1-4-12 Optical Character Recognition with OpenBook
Show Notes
Optical Character Recognition (OCR) can be used to read documents and prepare them for editing. Hosts Peter Torpey & Nancy Goodman Torpey talk with Dusty Vorhees of Freedom Scientific about features of OpenBook. They’ll show how it interfaces with the Pearl camera to process printed documents and how it works on its own with electronic files.

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