Maria Johnson from Girl Gone Blind joins me on Life After Blindness for the entire show this week. We discuss Blindness Awareness Month, Accessibility news from Google as well as our experiences with a special bluetooth device called Sleep Phones.

If you would like to support Life After Blindness, please donate here. Thanks!

In October, I went on a big family cruise to the Caribbean. As the show opens, Maria and I commiserate about vacationing on cruises.

On this recent cruise, Carnival provided me with a large print event calendar that was almost 6 feet long. They also had audio description playing on their information TV channel in my cabin. Maria and I go on to discuss other aspects of our cruising experiences that have been fun and accessible.

On episode 33 of the Life After Blindness podcast, I interviewed the Senior Cruise Director for Carnival Cruise Line John Heald about the accessibility of cruising.

Throughout the month, Life After Blindness has been sharing submissions from listeners about things they would want others to know about blindness. Whether you are blind or visually impaired or a person who is sighted who knows someone blind, these stories are meant to inform and educate others about blindness.

This week, we hear from three people with very similar messages. They want people to know that just because you are blind, you are not helpless. However, if you are blind, they suggest that you should not be afraid to ask for help. They say it is also important to communicate with others about your level of vision.

Following the listener comments, I ask Maria for her perspective. She references an article entitled, “5 Things Blind People Shouldn’t Have To Justify To Anyone.”

How do you feel about what Maria the listeners and myself had to say? What else would you want others to know about blindness? Please comment below or send us an email. You can also leave a voicemail by calling 1-201-855-5221.

in the news.

Google has announced a couple of new updates. First, Google has added more specific walking directions for their popular Maps app. This update will provide you with more detailed information about intersections and your proximity to things. The other update from Google is within their Chrome Browser. They have added a feature that will attempt to describe images online.

Since February or so, we have both been using a product by Acoustic Sheep called Sleep Phones. Sleep Phones are headphones that are found inside a comfortable headband and are soft and flexible. They connect to any device that uses bluetooth and come in various colors and fabrics. Maria and I give examples of using Sleep Phones to listen to nature sounds or meditations as well as podcasts, music or anything else that will help you get to sleep.

The Sleep Phones tie into a final story about a recent study. The study states that severe sleep apnea is a risk factor for developing diabetic macular edema, a complication of diabetes that can cause vision loss or blindness.

Also in this episode, we tease an upcoming roundtable podcast we are working on. This special conversation is a deep dive into coping with blindness. Maria, Derek Daniel from Life After Sight Loss and myself will share our experiences with losing vision and talk about ways that we have coped with sight loss.

If you have any questions or comments, please send your emails to: tim@lifeafterblindness.com

The post Listeners Share for Blindness Awareness Month, Google Accessibility News And Sleep Phones Discussion with Maria Johnson appeared first on Life After Blindness.