At Banter Podcast

Rob and Ryan take shelter from the Vancouver August heat in the cool confines of the Guitar Dungeon to talk with no other than Mike May, founder of Sendero Group and pioneer in the field of GPS Assistive Technology. And as if that isn’t enough, we also talk to him about his downhill skiing career and what it’s like to hold the speed skiing record in downhill for a totally blind person (which is, for the record, 65 mph). Show Notes BVI Workforce Innovation Center https://www.workforceforall.com/ Sendero Group http://www.senderogroup.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 

This week we’re very excited to welcome educators Lynn Langille and Linda Mamer into the Guitar Dungeon to discuss their passion project, the Children’s Low Vision Project of British Columbia. We discuss the important work the project does for youth with visual impairments all around the Province and how the events that they bring to communities are planned out. Show Notes Children’s Low Vision Project of BC http://www.clvp-bc.com AMI Covers CLVP https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAT96uT8jRQ Want to Know More About CLVP? Email them at clvpbc@sd23.bc.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 service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnic

It’s the end of the month and time for our monthly free-form news show! This week we welcome Adam Wilton, Manager at the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired to help talk about a host of news stories from the past few weeks in a free form discussion that, as usual, breaks out into several digressions, a few arguments, and leaves everyone feeling very optimistic about the future of assistive technology. It’s a feel-good episode! Show Notes Reprogrammable Braille Could Eliminate Reading Multiple Books to Just a Few Pages https://coolblindtech.com/reprogrammable-braille-could-eliminate-reading-multiple-books-to-just-a-few-pages/ Cool Wearable Technology: Seismic Super Suit Helps Old People Move https://www.i4u.com/2018/07/128995/cool-wearable-technology-seismic-super-suit-helps-old-people-move Bone conduction wireless glasses https://www.eastersealstech.com/2018/07/10/bone-conduction-wireless-glasses/ This clever app lets Alexa read Sign Language https://www.fastcompany.com/90202730/this-

This week it’s time for something completely different. Mark Kingwell, Canadian professor of philosophy and associate chair at the University of Toronto's Department of Philosophy joins us in the Guitar Dungeon for a rousing discussion about AI and technology and its current and potential impact on our society. Get ready to take the red pill and take a deep dive in The Matrix with those one, folks! Show Notes Mark Kingwell Wiki https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Kingwell 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 take a deep dive into all things Braille as we welcome Brian MacDonald, President of the National Braille Press into the Guitar Dungeon and discuss what the organization does to promote Braille and Braille Literacy. And while we’re on the subject of Braille, Ryan breaks down a new Braille Display coming to market called the QBraille. Show Notes QBraille Braille Display http://www.hims-inc.com/product/qbraille-xl/ National Braille Press http://www.nbp.org/ Candice Elzinga Casting Director candice@cecastinginc.com BrailleMe by Innovision http://innovisiontech.co/brailleme/ 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. Visi

This week the Guitar Dungeon is filled with motivational vibes as Rob and Ryan welcome Lowell Taylor for a visit. He fills us in about what it was like to compete on Canada’s Amazing Race as a visually impaired contestant, his current plans to become a Paralympic athlete, his career as a motivational speaker, and duties as Health and Wellness expert on the AMI TV show, “Mind Set Go”. Show Notes Live With Heart https://livewithheart.ca/ Lowell and Julie on Twitter https://twitter.com/julielowellcan Lowell and Julie on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JulieLowellCAN/ Mind Set Go http://www.ami.ca/category/mind-set-go 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 p

This week we’re thrilled to be adding a bit of estrogen to the mix and welcoming Maria Johnson aka Girl Gone Blind into the Guitar Dungeon to help us talk about a few of the Accessibility-related news stories of the last few weeks. Show Notes Google Rebrands TalkBack into Android Accessibility Suite https://9to5google.com/2018/06/20/google-talkback-android-accessibility-suite/ Microsoft Invests 25 million into AI Tech for Disability Solutions https://www.arnnet.com.au/article/640866/microsoft-invests-25m-into-ai-tech-disability-solutions/?_lrsc=11f4a7f1-8798-40bc-8b68-5c6c8400a08e Customer Experiences with AI https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2018/06/15/building-beautiful-customer-experiences-with-ai/#2258bb3a1b72 The Proposed Accessible Canada Act https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2018/06/minister-duncan-introduces-the-proposed-accessible-canada-act.html https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/programs/accessible-people-disabilities/act-plain-language-summ

This week in the Guitar Dungeon, Chris Venter, aka The Blind Scooter Guy takes a break from his globetrotting to chat with us about how he got his moniker, how life as an adventurer has changed since losing his vision, and how he didn’t let visual impairment deter him from doing the things he was passionate about. How do you eat an elephant? Listen in and find out! Show Notes Blind Scooter Guy Website https://blindscooterguy.wordpress.com/ How I Became The Blind Scooter Guy: My soul searching safari by scooter from the Southern Tip of Africa to the Shamrock fields of Ireland https://www.amazon.com/How-Became-Blind-Scooter-Guy/dp/0620774967 Chris Venter Ted TalkX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8a9UVmmChug 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 S

If you’ve been paying attention to the news around Accessibility for the past few years, you’ve surely heard of the Marrakesh Treaty. But what exactly is the Treaty and what does it all mean? You might even be asking yourself (as we did), where the heck IS Marrakesh? This week Brad Turner from Benetech returns to the show to break down all the details of the Treaty and what exactly it means for accessible books for the global visually impaired community while the Guitar Dungeon’s Google Home answers some of our Geography questions. Show Notes Benetech https://benetech.org/ BookShare https://www.bookshare.org/cms/ Microsoft Accessible Controller Now Available for Pre-Order https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/xbox-adaptive-controller/8nsdbhz1n3d8   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

This week we serve up a double shot of accessibility! First we talk with Kirsten Sutton, Managing Director of SAP Labs Canada and member of Presidents Group, an organization that advocates for the employment of people with disabilities in the Lower Mainland. And if that isn’t enough for one show, we then talk with Len Baker, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships and Innovation, who fills us in on the details of CNIB’s new partnerships with Aira, BlindSquare, and Key2Access. Show Notes Presidents Group http://www.accessibleemployers.ca/ CNIB Unleashes The Power of Technology to mark Global Accessibility http://cnib.ca/en/news/Pages/CNIB-unleashes-the-power-of-technology-to-mark-Global-Accessibility-Awareness-Day.aspx Aira https://aira.io/ BlindSquare http://www.blindsquare.com/ Key2Access https://www.key2access.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. V

It’s the end of the month and time for our monthly free-form news show! This week we welcome Clement Chou to help talk about a host of news stories from the past few weeks in a free form discussion that, as usual, breaks out into several digressions, a few arguments, and even a celestial musical interlude. Show Notes Blog Article about ‘Disability Simulation’ https://blog.prototypr.io/why-i-wont-try-on-disability-to-build-empathy-in-the-design-process-and-you-should-think-twice-7086ed6202aa Getty Images to Produce Disability Related Stock Images https://www.oath.com/2018/05/17/oath-national-disability-leadership-alliance-and-getty-images-l/ GalaPro - The New Technology About to Revolutionize Broadway http://www.playbill.com/article/the-new-technology-about-to-revolutionize-broadway Apple Pushes to teach coding to students who are deaf and blind https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/talkingtech/2018/05/17/apple-pushes-teach-coding-students-who-deaf-and-blind/619269002/ New App for Android called Smart

This week we welcome fellow podcaster, motivational speaker, and YouTuber Colleen Connor into the Guitar Dungeon where she tells us about her visual impairment and experiences of being a content creator and advocate for audio description. We also find the time to discuss Microsoft’s new adaptive controller and an announcement from CNIB regarding some new partnerships. Show Notes Microsoft’s New Adaptive Controller https://news.microsoft.com/stories/xbox-adaptive-controller/ CNIB Announces New Partnerships https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/cnib-unleashes-the-power-of-technology-to-mark-global-accessibility-awareness-day-682897411.html Blind Inspiration Cast http://www.blindinspirationcast.com/ Blind Inspiration Cast You Tube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHMrCSX3thkIsb3oDD_aJw/videos Audio Description Training Retreats http://www.adtrainingretreats.com/  AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibilit

It’s a totally Google-rific show this week as we welcome no less than 5 Google employees spanning over two interviews, talking about many different accessibility projects! On the heels of Google I/O we talk with members of the Google Accessibility Team Kyndra LaCoco, Patrick Clary, and Victor Tsaran about the conference and the announcements that were made. Then if that wasn’t enough, we chat with Rodrigo Alarcon and Nienke Vonsee about the newly announced Accessibility lessons added to the Google Primer app just in time for Global Accessibility Awareness Day. That’s a lot of Google for your money, folks! Show Notes Google Accessibility google.com/accessibility Email Google Accessibility disability-support@google.com BrailleBack Beta Signups If you'd like to sign up for BrailleBack beta, you'll need to sign up to be a member of the eyes-free community and then sign up to become a beta tester Google Accessibility Blog google.com/accessibility/blog Trusted Tester Program google.com/accessibility/init

Can you believe it’s been two years and over 100 episodes? We take a break from our regular format and invite friend of the show and owner of Chaos Technical Services Rick Chant into the Guitar Dungeon where we reminisce and engage in some free form conversations. We talk about everything from the state of AI Assistants to the idea of disability as loss and everything in between, including Gibraltar monkeys. Yes, you read that right – you’ll just have to listen to see how that happens. So, break out the tequila shots and join us for this Birthday episode! Show Notes Sneaky Weasel Beer https://www.balderdashbeer.com Ford’s New Smart Window https://interestingengineering.com/this-car-window-from-ford-allows-blind-passengers-to-feel-the-outside-view 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 r

It’s that time of the month again! Yup, time to compile a bunch of AT-related news stories and babble somewhat coherently about them. Helping out us out this month is local Grind-Blinder and TedTalker Harjinder Saran who also gives us some background on what it was like doing a TedTalk and climbing Vancouver’s most treacherous hiking trail before lending her voice to the news. Show Notes Pinterest Accessibility Update https://mashable.com/2018/04/25/pinterest-accessibility-update.amp?__twitter_impression=true Windows 10 Update This Week https://blogs-windows-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2018/04/27/make-the-most-of-your-time-with-the-new-windows-10-update/amp/ More Talk About Robot Dogs https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/amp/ncna869266?__twitter_impression=true Tech Firms Increasing Accessibility for Disabled Users https://venturebeat.com/2018/03/16/how-tech-firms-are-increasing-accessibility-for-disabled-users/ Microsoft Experimenting with Caption Crawler https://www.micr

This week we’re thrilled to be talking with Jarnail Chudge and Amos Miller, two team members from Microsoft’s new Soundscape App for the visually impaired. They join us in the Guitar Dungeon to discuss the app’s origins, how it works, and the impact it has had on mobility experiences so far. Show Notes Soundscape https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/product/soundscape/ Soundscape on the App Store https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/microsoft-soundscape/id1240320677?ls=1&mt=8 ELIA Font http://www.theeliaidea.com/eliahome 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 778-8

Sharpen your skates and get your gear on -- it's time to hit the ice! This week we're talking to Mark Bentz from Canadian Blind Hockey about the organization and their efforts to grow the sport on both sides of the border into an official Paralympic Event. Sports! Show Notes Canadian Blind Hockey http://blindicehockey.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.

The Guitar Dungeon is awash with excitement this week as we welcome in Daniel Kish, President of World Access for the Blind and well-known teacher of echo location. We talk to Daniel about what echo location is and what it means for the people who use it as well as its potential impact on the visually impaired community. You don’t want to miss this one (not that you’d want to miss ANY episodes, of course…) Show Notes World Access for the Blind http://waftb.net/ Visioneers.org http://visioneers.org/ Daniel Kish Keynote Speech at ZeroCon18 https://business.facebook.com/zeroproject.org/videos/1823082754398043/ Excerpt from the textbook, ‘Echolocation and Flash Sonar’ https://visioneers.org/media/flashsonar-textbook/ 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 Technic

We are all over the map, literally, this week as welcome Aimee Cayer from the non-profit organization ‘Autism on the Seas’ into the Guitar Dungeon. She gives an overview of the invaluable services the organization provide vacationing families with Special Needs family members and its origins before leaving the boys to talk about a host of off-topic bits, including hockey, Las Vegas, and a crazy story involving seagulls. Show Notes Study Reveals Blind People Imagine the Future Differently Than Sighted People https://coolblindtech.com/study-reveals-blind-people-imagine-the-future-differently-than-sighted-people/ Autism on the Seas https://autismontheseas.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 pie

It’s the last show of the month and it’s time for us to round up March with a show dedicated to some of the most recent AT-related news of the past few weeks. We talk about everything from Steve’s misadventures getting to CSUN to Apple’s new proposed Disability Inclusive Emojis and everything in between! Show Notes Uber Self Driving Car Death Should Have Been Able to Be Avoided http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5535969/Uber-self-driving-car-death-avoided.html Americans Less Likely to Trust Facebook https://www.reuters.com/article/us-facebook-cambridge-analytica-apology/americans-less-likely-to-trust-facebook-than-rivals-on-personal-data-idUSKBN1H10AF HIMS Announces New Polaris Mini https://blindbargains.com/bargains.php?m=18641 Gradutate Student Creating Smartphone App for Deaf Blind https://coolblindtech.com/graduate-student-creating-smartphone-app-for-deaf-blind-users/ Apple Proposes Adding Disability-Inclusive Emojis to the Unicode Consortium https://themighty.com/2018/03/apple-proposes-n