See Things Differently with HumanWare

This month, hosts Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge kick things off with a shout-out to loyal listener Svetlana, a longtime podcast fan (and two-time Braille reader of War and Peace!) before diving into a HumanWare bursary winner spotlight. Joining the show is Samuel White, a bursary recipient from Brisbane, Australia, currently studying for a Bachelor of Information Technology at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Samuel talks about his transition from screen magnification to speech and Braille, his hobby project Touch Term — a terminal application built from the ground up for Braille and audio users — and his thoughts on AI-assisted coding (or, as he puts it, "verification coding"). Later in the episode, David catches up from Australia with Quentin Christensen of NV Access for a chat about NVDA, the free and open-source screen reader celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Also in this episode: a Spotlight segment honoring advocacy organizations including the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB), Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia, and Guide Dogs Australia, plus details on HumanWare's special Monarch promotion for NFB members (available now through December 31, 2026) and a look ahead at upcoming events in Montana and North Carolina. As always, get in touch with the show any time — details below.

Guests:

Samuel White — HumanWare bursary recipient, QUT student, and creator of Touch Term

Quentin Christensen — NV Access (makers of NVDA)

Resources mentioned:

Touch Term — Samuel White's Braille- and audio-first terminal application

NV Access — home of the free, open-source NVDA screen reader

HumanWare Monarch NFB member promotion — contact HumanWare or the American Printing House for the Blind (APH) for details on the $12,900 USD promotional pricing (U.S. NFB members only, through December 31, 2026)

BrailleNote Evolve QWERTY waiting list — sign-up link to come; contact HumanWare for the latest availability

National Federation of the Blind (NFB), American Council of the Blind (ACB), Blind Citizens Australia, Vision Australia, and Guide Dogs Australia — advocacy organizations spotlighted this episode

Upcoming appearances:

September 11–13: Montana Association for the Blind convention, Great Falls, MT

September 17: Assistive Technology Project Expo, Raleigh, NC

We'd love to hear from you! EMail us comments, feedback, stories, or anything really, at podcast@humanware.com

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Welcome to July! In this episode of See Things Differently, hosts Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge dive deep into the world of travel, orientation, and independent mobility.

They are joined by Dr. Erin Foley, an Orientation and Mobility (O\&M) specialist from San Francisco State University, to discuss travel strategies, tactile mapping, and the reality of using modern AI tools like Ray-Ban Meta glasses on the go. Later in the episode, Greg Stilson, Vice President of Digital Transformation at the American Printing House for the Blind (APH), joins the show to share his tech journey, history with HumanWare, and the incredible impact of the Monarch tactile graphics display.

Have comments, questions, or ideas for future episodes? The team wants to hear from you!

podcast@humanware.com

Find out more at https://see-things-differently-with-hu.pinecast.co

For this 18th episode of See Things Differently, hosts Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge celebrate the podcast "coming of age". They are joined by Ricky Anger, the Director of Practical Help at Hadley. Ricky shares her personal tech and career journey as a blind professional, shedding light on how Hadley has evolved from a century-old correspondence school into a modern hub for accessible, bite-sized learning. The crew also dives into a lively debate on the future of audio description, shares some hilarious tech repair "trials and triumphs," and drops a quick troubleshooting tip for using VoiceOver with QWERTY-style braille displays.

https://hadleyhelps.org/

Hadley Toll-Free Number (US): (800) 323-4238

As always, comments and suggestions are welcome at podcast@humanware.com !

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In this episode of See Things Differently with HumanWare, hosts Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge welcome back a very familiar face to the studio—former co-host Peter Tucic!

Peter catches up with the team to discuss his new role at the Chicago Lighthouse and shares his personal and professional insights into workplace accessibility and adaptive workflows. Later, the crew dives into a candid "Hot Topic" debate challenging the assumption that blind or visually impaired individuals can only work within the accessibility field.

Find out more at https://see-things-differently-with-hu.pinecast.co
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Read transcript
Welcome to a "Sweet 16" episode of "See Things Differently with HumanWare" ! This month, hosts Rachel Ramos and David Woodbridge are joined by HumanWare Product Specialist Joel Zimba to dive deep into the future of independent mobility and the expansion of the BrailleNote ecosystem.

Segment 1: Glidance and the Evolution of Mobility

Amos Miller, Founder and CEO of Glidance (https://glidance.io) joins the show to discuss Glide, a groundbreaking self-steering mobility aid.

Inspiration: Amos shares how his work on Microsoft Soundscape led to the realization that many users need "micro-navigation" and physical guidance for the "last mile" to a door or around obstacles

The Hardware: Glide is a wheeled device with a handle similar to a guide dog harness[cite: 101, 102]. [cite_start]It features a sophisticated downward-facing depth camera system to detect "lethal obstacles" like drop-offs and platform edges, bringing the user to a dead stop if necessary

Tech Specs: The device includes a cellular modem with its own data plan, ensuring it can access advanced AI and mapping features while maintaining core guidance capabilities offline

Segment 2: The Wearables Debate

The team holds a "Hot Topic" discussion on the wearables they actually use—and the ones they don't.

Ray-Ban Meta: Rachel discusses how the glasses assist her during travel, especially when integrated with services like Aira

Apple Watch Critique: Joel provides a candid list of why the Apple Watch hasn't "won him over," citing its bulkiness and the fact that it still requires two hands for a blind user to operate

AirPods & Mini Guide: David shares his love for AirPods as his primary wearable and highlights the Mini Guide, a handheld sonar device for environmental scanning

Segment 3: Partner Corner – Vispero & JAWS

Matt Ater, Senior VP at Vispero, joins Rachel to announce a major partnership: bringing JAWS to the BrailleNote Evolve.

Fully Integrated: This is the same powerful JAWS used on Windows PCs, now licensed directly to the BrailleNote Evolve

PC Power: Because the Evolve features dedicated Alt, Control, and Insert keys, navigating complex Windows applications and using JAWS scripts is more intuitive than on a traditional Braille display

Complimentary Access: New Evolve customers will receive a six-month complimentary license to get started

The Jim Halliday STEAM Innovation Bursary 2026

HumanWare is proud to announce that the Jim Halliday STEAM Innovation Bursary is now open for 2026! This global program recognizes students aged 13 to 25 who are developing STEAM-related projects that improve accessibility or benefit their communities.

The Goal: We are looking for bold questions and projects that merge disciplines to make accessibility part of everyday innovation.

Recipients will receive cutting-edge technology, including a Brilliant BI 40X , a Mantis Q40 , or a Prodigi for Windows Complete Kit .

How to Apply: Students can apply directly or be nominated by a mentor. Visit the HumanWare News Page for full details

Upcoming Shows & Events

Catch the HumanWare team at these upcoming conferences :

April 15-17: PA-DE AER Conference (Harrisburg, PA)

April 16-18:** CTEBVI Conference (Los Angeles, CA)

April 16-18: Sensor Tech at Zozo (Utrecht, Netherlands)

NFB Utah State Convention (Ogden, UT)

Have a story or feedback? Write to us at podcast@humanware.com

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