Hadley Presents: A Conversation with the Experts

For many, losing vision can make everyday kitchen tasks more challenging and even scary. Debra Erickson, founder of The Blind Kitchen, was no different. Then, she decidedly faced her fears and learned some tips. Listen in to hear how Debra grew to love cooking now more than when she was fully sighted.

It's quite common to feel like you're all alone when facing vision loss. And feeling lonely can make the vision loss journey all the rougher. That's why Hadley created a community forum to share stories, insights and bits of inspiration to remind us that we aren't alone on this journey. This week, Ricky Enger and Marc Arneson spend time reintroducing us to Insights & Sound Bites, a community-generated show where others facing vision loss share what has helped them cope and adjust. Find out why fans tell us they listen to this show over and over again when feeling down.

With the Aira app, people with vision loss connect to live, vetted, expertly trained assistants. Using the camera on your smartphone, they walk you through whatever task you're struggling to see your way through.

Join us as Judy Davis shares her personal experience of facing a hurricane and its aftermath with vision loss. She shares how she managed to stay safe, informed, and connected throughout the ordeal. Listen to our previous podcast: Disaster Preparedness with Vision Loss

The Foundation Fighting Blindness funds research to find treatments and cures for eye diseases. They also host local chapter events where you can meet others going through similar challenges. Join us for a conversation with Ben Shaberman, Vice President of Science Communications.

From navigating airports to making the most of airline assistance services, we talk about ways to make air travel with vision loss a little easier. We're joined by James Ashworth, vice president of customer care at Southwest Airlines, who is also living with macular degeneration.

Medical appointments can be stressful for anyone. When you add in vision loss, these appointments can feel overwhelming. From navigating buildings and rooms to filling out forms and signing your name, there can be lots of stumbling blocks. Listen in as we share tips and advice to help make managing medical appointments a bit easier.

As part of Glaucoma Awareness Month, we are revisiting our 2021 conversation with Dr. Jullia Rosdahl, a glaucoma specialist from the Duke Eye Center. Listen in as we ask Dr. Rosdahl common questions we hear about glaucoma, its risk factors, and treatment options.

Reading the newspaper is a daily ritual for many, but vision loss can make it challenging or even impossible. Did you know there's a free service that converts newspaper and magazine content into audio you can listen to on your phone or computer? It's called NFB-NEWSLINE. Join Ricky Enger and Steve Kelley to learn how you can access this yourself.

Vision loss can add additional stress to any relationship, especially close ones like marriage. This week we chat with psychologist Ann Wagner and her husband Eric Ringham on how they navigate some of the specific challenges vision loss has presented to them.

Eyeglasses aren't just for improving vision anymore. Smart glasses use built-in cameras to scan what's in front of you and speakers to describe what's there. Join us this week as we explore the most popular options on the market today, Meta and Envision. Listen in as the Hadley team shares their personal experience with using these glasses in daily life.

The holiday season can bring added stress when adjusting to vision loss. Navigating get-togethers and interacting with family and friends may be a bit trickier this year. We have some tips for you to consider as you plan.

Join us as we chat with Ron Peterson, a retired scientist and engineer who is also a member of the Hadley community. Ron found a way back to doing what he loves, nature walks and volunteering after losing his sight to glaucoma.

Vision loss can be emotionally overwhelming. In this episode, we chat with a clinical psychologist who is legally blind herself, Dr. Ann Wagner. She shares how learning from and connecting with our emotions can bring about healing and transformation.

Recently retired, David Tatel served for decades on the US Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also happens to be visually impaired. In this episode, he and Ricky talk about his recently written memoir, a book about his life as a judge, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and how all of these roles intersect with his experience with vision loss.

This week we talk smartphone tools and when you might want to use the different options. Jennifer Shimon from the Wisconsin Office for the Blind and Visually Impaired joins Ricky.

Sometimes, navigating life with vision loss goes a bit sideways. Things don't always turn out exactly as we've planned, and it can help to just laugh at these strange situations. We've shared several episodes of listeners' stories, what we're calling vision loss bloopers. Today, Ricky Enger and Doug Walker share some more of these bloopers along with a few of their own.

Prevent Blindness' patient advocacy program empowers people facing vision impairment. Patients learn how to promote change with their physicians, their families, drug companies, and even policy makers.

Ever thought about getting a guide dog? Listen in as we chat with members Jeff Flodin and Ed McDaniel about their experiences with guide dogs and some common misperceptions.

The National Library Service has a free talking book program for anyone in the US with vision loss. Tonia Bickford, an advisor from Michigan's talking books program, joins us to discuss how to get the most out of this free service.