Change Makers: A Podcast from APH – Details, episodes & analysis

On this episode of Change Makers, learn about how far braille displays have come, and where they're going.

On this Episode (In Order of Appearance)

• Mike Hudson, APH Dot Experience Curatorial and Content Lead
• Willow Free, APH Global Innovations Product Manager 

Additional Links

• Meet Monarch

On this Change Makers episode, learn how braille books are made. Hear about the process that goes into every book that is made from start to finish. After that, learn what’s new with the Reach and Match products.

On this Podcast (In Order of Appearance)

• Michael Haynes, Manager, Accessible Tests and Textbooks Department
• Jane Thompson, Director, Accessible Tests and Textbook Department
• Sally Hart, Accessible Textbook Tactile Graphics Editor
• Jonathan Carson, Braille and Accessible Media Editor III
• Mandy Lau, Founder & Director, Reach & Match®

Additional Links

• Email Mandy Lau
• Email Change Makers

On this episode of Change Makers, enjoy hearing roving interviews from the 2024 Abacus Bee. Held in Louisville, Ky. students from across the country came to demonstrate their math skills on the abacus. After that, hear from APH's Erin Sigmund about the next Connect the Dots, powered by PNC Foundation event.

On this Podcast (In order of appearance)

• Narrator
• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Sarah Vanderpool, parent
• Mary Herod, parent
• Melisa Matthews, APH Digital Content Manager ConnectCenter
• Jennifer Brooks, APH Outreach Regional Specialist - Northcentral Region
• John Tracey, Simons Foundation Program Director, Science, Society and Culture
• Ryan Jenkins, Abacus Bee participant
• Lison, parent
• Tiffany Stevens, TVI
• Louis, Abacus Bee participant
• Joe Strechay, Producer and Consultant
• McKenzie Gibson, Abacus Bee participant
• Maggie, Abacus Bee participant
• Leanne Grillot, APH Senior Director of Outreach Services
• Erin Sigmund, APH Community Relations and Policy Advisor

Additional Links

• Abacus Bee 2024 Finals
• About the Abacus Bee
• Simons Foundation
• Connect the Dots 2024

After more than a month of working from home, some APH staff has returned to work in the APH building. In today's episode we briefly explain the steps APH has taken to ensure essential staff are safe, and we dig into how customer service is still working hard to ensure you get the products you need. We know a lot of summer camps have had to cancel plans, so we're also sharing about learning opportunities for the summer. If you hang on until the end of the episode, we'll even have a special message for our 2020 Seniors.


Guests:

Arthur Vaughn - Chief Quality and Safety Officer
Jim Kreiner - Director of Customer Service
Leanne Grillot - Director of National Outreach Services
Mike Hudson - Director of the Museum at the American Printing House for the Blind

Links:

https://www.aph.org/virtual-excel-summer-camp/

Conferences are a huge part of the blindness and visual impairment field. They're about more than just attending sessions, they’re also were we learn about new products, and where we partner with other companies to continue to push the boundaries of our field.

To talk about how we can stay connected, and make the most out of virtual conferences, APH President, Craig Meador, leads a roundtable discussion with three change makers who have, or are planning to host virtual events.

Guests: 

Dr. Kirk Adams, President and CEO of AFB, a private non profit that uses research and evidence to effect system change that creates a world of no limits for people who are blind.

Dr. Amy Parker, an assistant professor and coordinator at Portland State University where she is engaged in community development and nurturing.

Sergio Oliva, the Associate Vice President of national and youth programs at the Braille Institute. He oversees Cane Quest and the Braille Challenge. 

As unemployment skyrockets, how can you be job ready? Joe Strechay joins Change Makers to talk about how you can use your time at home to work on your personal brand, and be ready to land your next job.

Also a guest on episode 4, Claire Stanley from ACB shares how they're staying connected with members, offering virtual hang-outs, and even planning a virtual ACB summer conference.

LINKS
APH Typer: aph.org/sharpen-your-typing-skills-with-typer/
ACB Chat Options: acb.org/ACB-community-conference-calls
Career Blog: https://aphcareerconnect.org/blog/careerconnect-blog/19-tips-for-employment-preparation-during-covid-19/?fbclid=IwAR2G-zY2ylb-vH7BnWS-OG439Dfkz8AR2mT83HkteiOcJdPB0GTMndc5Ge4

ACB Contact Info
[email protected]
202-467-5081

As days of being confined to your home turn into weeks, the need for information and resources only grows. In this episode of Change Makers we look at two separate call lines where people who are blind or visually impaired can get up to date news, or resources. We also look at a survey aimed at using this time of isolation to learn about gaps left in accessibility.

Links / Notes:

ConnectCenter Resources
Information and Referral Hotline: 1-800-232-5463

For parents and families: familyconnect.org
For adults with vision loss: visionaware.org
For young adults with visual impairment: aphcareerconnect.org

NFB Newsline Info
nfb.org/programs-services/nfb-newsline

Flatten Inaccessiblity Survey
flatteninaccessibility.com

We're all having to change how we work and learn - for better or worse. How are organizations in the blindness field responding? Are there lessons we can all take away from this unusual time?

In this episode of Change Makers we sit down for a roundtable discussion with leaders in the field. APH CEO Craig Meador moderates a discussion with:

Rob Hair
Superintendent of the Maryland School for the Blind, a statewide resource center that provides outreach and educational services for students who are blind or visually impaired.

Amy Campbell
Education Consultant for visual impairment with the North Carolina Depart of Public Instruction. She helps oversee, and provides guidance on services for students across the state with visual impairments.

Bryan Bashin
CEO of LightHouse for the Blind in San Francisco, where they provide comprehensive blindness services for people of all ages, serving all of Northern California.

Do you have questions for APH? Do you know a change maker who would be a great guest on our podcast? Send us a message at [email protected].

For the first episode of Change Makers we're talking about the topic that's on everyone's mind: the COVID-19. Learning from home is challenging for teachers, parents, and students. This is even more true if the student has a disability and usually gets specialized learning.

In this episode we talk to APH President, Craig Meador, about how the field can and should respond to the crisis, to the APH Director of Customer Service at APH about the services we are still offering, and to Charlotte Cushman, with Paths to Literacy, about great online resources for students learning from home.

Do you know a change maker in the field of blindness or visual impairment? We want talk with them. Send us any suggestions, or questions to [email protected].

RESOURCES FROM PODCAST

APH Customer Service Team
Phone: 1-800-223-1839
Email: [email protected]

ConnectCenter Resources
Information and Referral Hotline: 1-800-232-5463

For parents and families: familyconnect.org
For adults with vision loss: visionaware.org
For young adults with visual impairment: aphcareerconnect.org

Online Learning Opportunities
www.aph.org/athomewithaph-resources/
https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/resources/virtual-learning-academy

FULL PODCAST TRANSCRIPT HERE:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/swi1ao8ux9z13zn/E1%20Transcript.docx?dl=0

On this episode of Change Makers, we’re checking in on the Dot Experience. We’ll get an update on the latest in the process, learn about the prototyping groups, and the important feedback they’re providing, and hear the thought process that goes into making everything in the museum touchable. After that, learn about the influencer campaign and learn about the most recent Connect the Dots, powered by PNC foundation event.

Participants

• Sara Brown, APH Public Relations Manager
• Jo Haas, APH Vice President of Advancement and the Dot Experience  Museum Fundraising
• Paul Schroeder, APH Vice President Impact and Outreach
• Jackson King, Solid Light Project Manager
• Marje Kaiser, Ed.D., APH Board member
• Erin Sigmund, APH Community Relations and Policy Advisor

Additional Links

• The Dot Experience
• Solid Light
• Legacies of Influence: Honoring the Impactful Individuals in Our Lives
• Connect the Dots, powered by PNC Foundation
• Email Change Makers