Legislation Altered To Protect Tennessee Blind Vendors and Penny Forward Financial Education Website

James Brown (National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee - Nashville, TN)

Chris Peterson (Penny Forward - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN)

James Brown, President of the National Federation of the Blind of Tennessee, discusses state legislation that could have taken away business from blind vendors in the state of Tennessee.

Then, Chris Peterson, CEO and Founder of Penny Forward, talks about the online financial resource for the blind and low vision community offering online courses, financial calculators and tools, and one to one financial counseling.

6/29/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below) 

Disability Squeeze for BLV and Effect Of Long COVID On Eye and Neurological System

Dr. Zach Morris (Stony Brook University - Stony Brook, NY)

Dr. Manjot Gill (Northwestern Feinberg School Of Medicine - Chicago, IL)

Dr. Zach Morris, Associate Professor at Stony Brook University School Of Social Welfare, discusses the financial hardships caused by the "disability squeeze" for those who are blind and visually impaired.

Then, Dr. Manjot Gill, Professor Of Ophthalmology and Medical Education at Northwestern Feinberg School Of Medicine explains the effects of long COVID on the eye and what it might mean for the neurological system. 

6/22/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Reserpine Experiment To Treat Retinitis Pigmentosa and Micro Speak Plus Voice Recorder

Dr. Anand Swaroop (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD)

Micro Speak Plus (LSSProducts.com - Buffalo, NY)

Dr. Anand Swaroop, Senior Investigator in the Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration, and Repair Laboratory, National Eye Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland, explains how reserpine, an old drug used for treating high blood pressure, is being repurposed in an effort to retinitis pigmentosa in mice.

Then, Melissa Balbach, President of LSSProducts.com, discusses the Micro Speak Plus, a talking digital voice recorder. 

6/1/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Autonomous Vehicles' Ability To Predict Movements Of Blind Pedestrians And The Reasons Elevated Eye Pressure Can Lead To Glaucoma

Dr. Hernisa Kacorri (University of Maryland - College Park, MD)

Dr. Eshed Ohn-Bar (Boston University - Boston, MA)

Dr. Yi Hua (University of Mississippi - Oxford, MS)

Dr. Hernisa Kacorri, Associate Professor with joint appointment in the College of Information and the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, and Dr. Eshed Ohn-Bar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Boston University, discuss autonomous vehicles' ability to predict movements of blind pedestrians and BlindWays, the first multimodal motion benchmark for those who are blind.

Dr. Yi Hua, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Mississippi, explains how elevated eye pressure, distorted blood vessels, and oxygen deprivation in the eye can lead to glaucoma.

5/25/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below) 

Assistive Technology Use In The Home and AI and Adaptive Optics Ophthalmoscopes

Lily Turkstra (University of California - Santa Barbara)

Dr. Johnny Tam (National Eye Institute - Bethesda, MD)

Lily Turkstra, PhD Student, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Bionic Vision Lab, University of California - Santa Barbara, discusses a study exploring the use assistive technology by those who are blind or have low vision in domestic settings.

Dr. Johnny Tam, Senior Investigator, Clinical and Translational Imaging Section, National Eye Institute, explains how artificial intelligence and adaptive optics have enhanced ophthalmoscopes to deliver clearer images of the retinal pigment epithelium.

 5/11/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

Orbit Research Assistive Technology Products and Study Determining At-Risk Populations For Glaucoma

Venkatesh Chari (Orbit Research - Wilmington, DE)

Dr. Josh Ehrlich (University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center - Ann Arbor, MI)

Venkatesh Chari, Founder and CEO, of Orbit Research discusses various assistive technology products including the Orbit Player, the Orbit Speak, the Orbit Speak Plus, the Orbit Q20 Reader, and the Orbit Q40 Reader.

Then, Dr. Josh Ehrlich, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, at the University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center, explains a study that measured prevalence of glaucoma for specific at-risk groups based on race, gender, age, and geographic location.

 

4/27/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)

iCare Home2 Tonometer and Creating Braille Tactile Labels On Clothing

Dr. Barbara Wirostko (University of Utah - Salt Lake City, UT)

University of Rhode Island (Kingston, RI)

Dr. Barbara Wirostko, Adjunct Professor Of Ophthalmology and Biomedical Engineering, John A. Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Entrepreneur, Drug Developer, and Glaucoma Specialist, discusses the iCare Home2 Tonometer that glaucoma patients can use at home to monitor their eye pressure multiple times per day.

Dr. Izabela Ciesielska-Wrobel, Assistant Professor, Department of Textiles, Fashion Merchandising, and Design, College of Business, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, explains how 3D polyjet printing can be used to create braille tactile labels on clothing.

 4/13/2025 Podcast (Click Image Below)