Blind Access Journal

Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow
  • 2.0 (1)
  • TECHNOLOGY

This blog and podcast is about the blind and our quest for the greatest possible access to all the information and technology available in the world around us. A team of advocates, assistive technology instructors and reporters explore accessibility evangelism, demonstrate revolutionary new technologies for the blind, find out about the latest assistive technology happenings and much more.

  1. 05/12/2020

    Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

    In this approximately 13-minute podcast, take a short break from all the pandemic news and listen to us decorate our Christmas tree. We hope all of you are enjoying happy holidays this year! Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels. Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let's get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell). This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    13 min

  2. 30/10/2020

    Voting the Almost Accessible Braille Ballot

    In this approximately 48-minute podcast, Allison Hilliker tries to avail herself of Maricopa County's almost-but-not-quite-accessible Braille ballot. We would like to learn about your voting experiences this year. If you haven't done so already, it is not too late! Please do everything you can to get out to the polls and vote on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3! If you encounter any trouble voting as a blind person on Election Day, please contact the National Federation of the Blind's hotline at 1-877-NFB-1940 ( 1-877-632-1940) from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific standard time. Please check out the Federation's Voting Resources page for more information. Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels. Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let's get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell). This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

    48 min

  3. 23/08/2020

    Cleaning Up Our Act: Setting Up the iRobot Roomba E5 Vacuum

    In this approximately 37-minute podcast, Allison and Darrell Hilliker learn all about their new iRobot Roomba E5 vacuum cleaner. We would like to learn about your cleaning experiences. Do you use a robot vacuum? What techniques or technologies do you use to keep your house clean from a blindness perspective. Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels. Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let's get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    37 min

  4. 02/07/2020

    Lighting the World with the Teckin SP20 Wifi Smart Plug

    In this approximately 10-minute podcast, Darrell Hilliker demonstrates the use of the Teckin SP20 WiFi Smart Plug for managing the status of lights. Download: Lighting the World with the Teckin Wifi Smart Plug We hope the ability to turn lights on and off with our voices will draw attention, and toddler hands, away from cords and switches. This is, of course, our excuse for embracing the laziness that comes with smart home technology. Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels. AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    10 min

  5. 13/04/2020

    Finding Balance: Easter in the Time of the Coronavirus

    In this approximately 24-minute podcast, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker celebrate Easter in the time of the Coronavirus while putting together the Alex Active Monkey Kids Toddler Balance Board. Download: Finding Balance: Easter in the Time of the Coronavirus Please tell us how you and your family are handling social distancing, feeding yourselves and generally getting along, especially from a blind perspective, in the time of the Coronavirus. Please send an audio recording or a written message to darrell (at) blindaccessjournal (dot) com or tell us about it on our social media channels. AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    24 min

  6. 17/09/2019

    Connecting All the Things: Setting Up the Eero Whole Home WiFi System

    In this one-hour podcast, Darrell Hilliker unboxes and demonstrates the setup of a new Eero Whole Home WiFi system from a blind person’s perspective. Download: Eero Setup Demo Although not perfectly accessible in all respects, the Eero WiFi system represents a painless way to easily deploy wireless Internet connectivity throughout your home. If you decide to try one after listening to this podcast, we hope you will purchase it from our Amazon link, where a small commission goes toward supporting our work. eero Home WiFi System (1 eero Pro + 2 eero Beacons) – Advanced Tri-Band Mesh WiFi System to Replace Traditional Routers and WiFi Range Extenders – Coverage: 2 to 4 Bedroom Home AccessiLife Consulting, Blind Access Journal, and the Hilliker family, must frequently rely on sighted assistance in order to get important, inaccessible tasks done. In most cases, we have chosen Aira as our visual interpreter. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, and you feel it in your heart to pass along a small gift to the journal or our family, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    1h 1m

  7. 13/06/2019

    Aira in the Real World: Paper Airplanes

    In this approximately 32-minute eighth episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allison, Allyssa, Arabella and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Connor to construct a paper airplane. While sighted people have enjoyed the privilege of learning from YouTube videos for many years now, we blind people have been largely locked out of this opportunity due to a lack of useful description. Thanks to Aira, we explore the creation of a paper airplane using instructions from an otherwise inaccessible YouTube video titled How To Fold A Paper Airplane That Flies Far. Listen or Pause: Aira in the Real World: Paper AirplanesDownload: Aira in the Real World: Paper Airplanes In addition to the verbal descriptions heard in this podcast, Connor also supplied the following written instructions upon our request. Start with paper laying in landscape (hot dog style)Fold bottom to top and crease in the middle.Open paper back up.Fold top left corner down into the middle and crease.Repeat with bottom left corner.Uncrease from the center fold and crease it on the reverse side while keeping the corners creased.Fold only one flap so that the angle becomes more acute.Fold a 2nd time making it even more acute.Flip over and repeat steps 7 and 8 with the other flap.Throw it and enjoy! We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, let’s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    32 min

  8. 28/01/2019

    Aira in the Real World: The Little Red Sled

    In this approximately 15-minute seventh episode in the Aira in the Real World podcast series, Allyssa and Darrell Hilliker work with Aira agent Jacob to read a print copy of The Little Red Sled. While we always prefer Braille books, some relatives give our children print books, and it is nice to be able to enjoy them together. Listen or Pause: The Little Red SledDownload: The Little Red Sled We invite you to listen to our previous podcast, Exploring the World with Aira: A Candid Discussion with Suman Kanuganti, especially if you are learning about this new service for the first time. If you are ready to become an Aira Explorer, we ask that you use our referral link. Your first month of Aira service will be free of charge, we will receive a discount on our bill and we will thank you for supporting the important work we do here at Blind Access Journal. We love hearing from our listeners! Please feel free to talk with us in the comments. What do you like? How could we make the show better? What topics would you like us to cover on future shows? If you use Twitter, letâ€s get connected! Please follow Allison (@AlliTalk) and Darrell (@darrell).

    15 min
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About

This blog and podcast is about the blind and our quest for the greatest possible access to all the information and technology available in the world around us. A team of advocates, assistive technology instructors and reporters explore accessibility evangelism, demonstrate revolutionary new technologies for the blind, find out about the latest assistive technology happenings and much more.

Information

  • Creator
    Allison Hilliker and Darrell Shandrow
  • Years Active
    2010 - 2020
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2014 Blind Access Journal, Allison Hilliker, Darrell Shandrow
  • Show Website
    Blind Access Journal