0:00

Welcome to Change Makers, a

0:02

podcast from APH. We're

0:05

talking to people from around the world

0:07

who are creating positive change in

0:09

the lives of people who are blind or visually

0:11

impaired. Here's your host.

0:16

Hello, and welcome to Change Makers.

0:18

I'm APH is Public Relations Manager, Sara

0:21

Brown . And today we are looking at

0:23

the ongoing Annual Meeting. We'll

0:25

hear from APH's President Dr.

0:27

Craig Meador about the state of the company. And

0:30

we're going to hear from some very special award

0:32

winners. APH's Annual Meeting

0:35

started on Wednesday, October

0:37

6 and runs through tomorrow, Friday,

0:40

October 15, the meeting covered

0:42

the usual topics and discussions and

0:44

APH president. Dr. Craig Meador

0:46

held his annual State of the Company address

0:50

"In 2021. We received

0:52

$34.431

0:55

million, which was an increase. Um,

0:58

31 of that went to the appropriations

1:00

for the operations at APH and $3 million

1:02

went through our regional partnership with AIDB,

1:05

which also funds our regional specialists

1:08

and the work that we are doing there, which is

1:10

ever-growing part of APH.

1:12

And we're excited about that. So you can

1:14

see from 2017 to 2021,

1:17

we have had a steady growth, almost $10

1:20

million in five years.

1:22

Dr. Meador also said.

1:26

"Production had a record year. This year production

1:28

did a amazing job, not only

1:31

with getting the right inventory in stock,

1:33

but also reducing back orders. Three

1:35

years ago, I hung a goal on them, which at

1:38

that time seemed like it was a moonshot

1:40

and that was get back orders. Now back

1:42

orders are anytime you place an order and

1:44

it's not in stock. It goes on back order . And

1:47

our goal was never to have more than a $100,000 of

1:50

product in back order. So

1:52

this year and a COVID year impacted

1:54

by supply chain , uh, where

1:56

we had to do switch up on

1:59

, uh , bills and material everyday because we can

2:01

no longer get this Velcro or that gray,

2:03

flannel. Production

2:06

this year achieved that goal.

2:08

And in fact, we had two months, one month where

2:10

they have back orders of $2,000,

2:13

which is unheard of. And

2:16

when you got... That was just

2:18

fantastic job by the production team

2:20

, uh, in the planning team to make

2:22

that happen. So excellent job for them.

2:25

So , uh , good year, great

2:27

year, actually, for operations."

2:30

To hear the full state of the company, please

2:32

check the show notes. We have a link to our

2:34

YouTube channel. On

2:39

Wednesday, October 13, the Wings of Freedom, Horizon

2:42

Award, Louis Award and Navigator Award

2:45

were presented to trailblazers in the field.

2:47

We're going to hear some of their acceptance speeches

2:49

and speak to the winners, but

2:51

first let's listen to the acceptance speech

2:54

from Dr. Marje Kaiser . She

2:56

was presented with the Wings of Freedom award.

2:58

The night's highest honor.

3:00

"When I think about the many people at APH

3:02

past and present who have

3:04

taught me and become my friends,

3:06

I realized how much APH

3:09

has enriched my life. You

3:11

are all on my mind right now

3:14

through APH. I grew as an educator

3:17

and I was able to provide accessible

3:19

tools for the students that we served in

3:21

our state. Truly

3:23

I received so much more than I contributed.

3:27

Again, my thanks for being considered

3:29

for this award. It is my

3:31

great honor to receive it."

3:33

The Wings of Freedom award recognizes and honors

3:36

individuals who have demonstrated leadership

3:38

in the areas of education or rehabilitation

3:41

of those who are blind or visually impaired, Dr.

3:44

Kaiser's career has been a great example

3:46

of servant leadership. She has served

3:48

as a superintendent of the South Dakota school

3:50

for the blind and visually impaired for 34

3:53

years. She's been an Ex - Officio Trustee

3:55

for APH served on numerous committees

3:57

and is currently an APH board member.

4:00

Hello, Marje, and welcome to Change Makers.

4:03

Hi, sir . It's so good to be here. Fun

4:05

to talk to you.

4:06

Congratulations on receiving the Wings of Freedom.

4:09

How are you feeling as the latest

4:11

recipient?

4:13

Probably the word that comes to mind is overwhelmed.

4:16

Um, I still can't quite believe it.

4:19

Your career has been about leading and service.

4:22

How does an award like wings of freedom

4:24

make you reflect on your career?

4:27

When I think about the last 30 plus

4:29

years in this field , um, I

4:32

know that I met amazing people,

4:34

amazing students, amazing families,

4:38

and the other people that I've worked with

4:40

in this field have become another family

4:42

as well. I've learned from all of

4:44

them. And I think that's one

4:46

of the best ways that this field serves

4:50

each other is that we are

4:52

supportive. We share ideas, we

4:54

collaborate. I've never seen

4:56

it in any

4:58

other contexts , the way I've seen it in

5:01

services to blind

5:03

children and blind adults.

5:06

You've done so much in your field and I'm sure

5:08

you've honored legends in the field.

5:10

What's it like being a part of that esteemed

5:12

group?

5:15

I've really never thought I'd be a legend that's for sure.

5:18

Um, but it really is an amazing

5:20

thing to belong to the same

5:22

group as the people that have

5:24

received this award and other awards

5:27

in the field, because I'm

5:29

in the middle of the United States, I'm in

5:31

South Dakota. I'm not part of the bigger

5:33

schools and I, if anything,

5:35

I hope that serves as a, maybe

5:38

a guide point for others who think,

5:40

oh, what I'm doing is

5:42

too small. Um, I'm just

5:46

not material for leadership.

5:49

Uh , you can do that. Um, you just

5:51

have to decide that you're going to make that effort.

5:55

You're on APH Board of Directors.

5:58

What plans do you have for this next

6:00

phase?

6:02

Well, I'm really excited about being on the APH

6:04

Board, especially right now on

6:07

, when we're looking at making changes to

6:09

the building and then reinventing

6:11

the museum. It couldn't be a better

6:14

time to be on the board as far as I'm concerned.

6:17

Thank you so much Marje for joining me on Change Makers.

6:21

And thank you, Sara, for giving

6:23

me this opportunity.

6:24

And congratulations again on your award. Up

6:29

next, we're talking to the recently retired

6:32

HumanWare CEO Gilles Pepin who is the recipient

6:36

of the Horizon Award, which recognizes

6:38

creating and caring individuals who

6:40

continually pursue new ideas

6:42

that result in the development of innovative

6:44

products designed to improve the quality of life

6:46

for people who are blind and visually impaired

6:50

has worked in technology and assistive

6:52

technology for more than 30 years

6:54

and has spent his lifetime developing

6:57

braille products for the blind consumer. Let's

6:59

listen to his acceptance speech.

7:02

"I have the privilege of working with

7:04

a great team, a fantastic team

7:06

at HumanWare, a group of people

7:09

that are extremely dedicated , uh,

7:11

focused on delivering

7:14

a high quality products.

7:16

And I want to share

7:19

this award with all of them, all

7:21

of my colleagues at HumanWare who have

7:23

contributed to bring these products to

7:25

the market."

7:28

Hello, Gilles, and welcome to Change Makers.

7:32

Thank you, Sarah , for having me. It's a great for

7:34

me to be here.

7:36

Great. First off, congratulations

7:38

on receiving the Horizon Award

7:40

during Annual Meeting and your recent

7:42

retirement. That's huge.

7:44

So congratulations on that. So

7:48

I'd like to ask you, 30 plus

7:50

years ago, you founded the company

7:52

that would become HumanWare. Did you have any

7:54

idea where it would go?

7:58

Well, that's a very good question. Uh, when I started

8:00

, uh, uh, in this field, I was a young

8:03

engineer. It was in 1986. In

8:05

fact, I started working for

8:07

an Institute for the blind. I was a young

8:09

engineer working as a consultant

8:12

and they hired me to

8:14

help them with some new technologies that they

8:16

, uh , have acquired and they wanted to see

8:18

if we could help them , um,

8:21

um , mastered that technology and

8:25

well, it all , it was an eye-opener

8:27

for me, for sure. I could , uh , see

8:29

right from the start , uh, what

8:31

impact , uh, this , uh, these new

8:33

technologies would have on the lives of

8:35

, uh, of , of blind and visually impaired people.

8:38

And , uh, so that was in 1986

8:41

and I started the , uh, working with

8:43

this Institute and trying to

8:45

do more and more and , uh,

8:47

you know, see all of the opportunities that were

8:50

in this field. And , uh,

8:53

about a year and a half , uh , after that

8:55

, uh, in 1988 , uh,

8:57

the executive director of this Institute came

9:00

to me and said , uh, and invited

9:02

me in his office. Uh , and he said,

9:05

Jill , I want you to start a company in this

9:07

field , uh , to create more technology

9:09

for , uh, the blind and visually

9:11

impaired people. And I said, well,

9:14

yeah, that's a great thing. I was, I was

9:16

not an entrepreneur. I didn't have any idea

9:18

that I would start any company in my

9:20

life. And , uh , he said,

9:22

we're going to support you, but we

9:24

really , uh , have trust

9:26

in you and we want you to do this. And

9:29

, uh , so I started then, and, you know, it

9:31

was , uh , an easy go , uh, on

9:34

October

9:37

26th, 1988. Uh, I founded the company at

9:39

that time. There was, you know, I hired one person

9:42

and , uh , another engineer and we started

9:44

working on different products and

9:47

, uh , that's how it started. Uh, and

9:50

, uh, I think , um, you

9:52

know, when I look back at the last

9:54

33 years, I'm certainly , uh , very

9:57

proud , uh, uh, and , and,

9:59

and , uh, looking at where

10:01

we are and what we have done and what we

10:04

have delivered , uh , so far. Uh

10:06

it's um , it's, it's certainly

10:09

a big thing for me, but to answer

10:11

your question, it's clear to me that I have no

10:13

idea where this would take me, but

10:16

I'm very proud and very happy to have

10:18

spent my career in this field.

10:22

Wow. That's amazing. What

10:24

is it like to see the company you

10:26

founded create products that are in the hands

10:29

of users today? Is it like that , that

10:31

proud parent moment, you know, where you just sit

10:33

back and think, look what I did and look at how it's

10:35

helping?

10:37

Well, that's a, that's a great analogy. Uh,

10:39

I think , uh, when you think of , um

10:42

, giving birth to , to a product

10:44

, uh, I mean , I can

10:46

tell you every time it's painful, it's

10:48

a person it's always longer

10:51

than winter space . It's always more

10:53

difficult than we would have liked. Uh,

10:55

it costs all the ways more than , uh , than

10:58

we plan. Uh, but

11:00

, uh, at the end of the day, you know, we put all of

11:02

our arts, all of our, and that , you know,

11:04

I'm not in a lone in this, obviously

11:07

when we create products , uh , uh, we

11:10

have a whole team and , um, I like

11:12

to be involved with, although I , I, I really, you

11:14

can ask our engineers. They hate me when

11:16

I sit in these meetings and I say, no,

11:19

that's not right. We , we have to do more.

11:21

We have to do better. We have to do

11:23

quicker. We have to do, you know, less

11:26

expensive. Uh, people

11:28

hate me when I say that, because it , it creates

11:30

more work for them. Uh , but

11:32

at the same time, you know, we , um,

11:35

we , we, we really like , uh , the

11:37

feeling of, of

11:39

working hard at passionately

11:42

and creating this product , uh,

11:45

at the end of the day, we're extremely proud.

11:47

They're not, I must say, you know, over the last 33 years,

11:50

we've created over 50 new products,

11:52

five, zero, that's a lot of products for

11:55

a company of our size. And

11:57

, uh , you know, with those , uh,

12:00

50 products, we served

12:03

worldwide over 1 million people.

12:05

So we have, you

12:07

know, over 1 million people that have

12:10

one of our products in their hands and,

12:12

you know, on a daily basis, we hear from

12:15

that and we hear back from them. Uh, and

12:17

it's so motivating. It's so engaging

12:20

for us to, to , um, to

12:23

see that our mission is fulfilled

12:25

through our products and through the help.

12:28

Uh , it's not only products. It's , it's the support,

12:30

it's all of the theme of human wear that

12:32

is really supporting these people.

12:35

And, and we see, you know, w what

12:37

they share with us is mostly

12:40

how it impacted their lives. Uh

12:42

, sometimes very positively, obviously

12:45

sometimes, you know, they , they, they hit

12:47

some difficulties with the product,

12:49

but most of the time it's , um,

12:52

it's, it's wow. You know, I've, I've been

12:54

able to do this. I was not able to do that

12:56

before and now, you know, I

12:58

can pursue my, my, my education.

13:01

I can , uh , work there. I didn't know.

13:03

I w I couldn't do that. So I

13:06

think, you know, over 33 years,

13:09

we have seen the technology evolve so

13:11

much and empower people

13:13

in ways that we never anticipated.

13:16

So, yes, when we think

13:18

of a baby becoming an adult,

13:20

you know, taking of our products becoming

13:22

more and more mature and helping more

13:24

and more people , uh, that's

13:27

uh , that's, these are moments that , uh

13:29

, all of our team , not me , but

13:31

all of our team see as , um

13:34

, as, as their mission in life

13:36

as what they want to do. And , uh , obviously

13:38

for me, that's been my

13:40

motivation all of these years. I've been

13:43

passionate about technology, for sure.

13:45

I mean, engineer , but I've been certainly

13:47

passionate about how this technology

13:49

is being used and what impact it has

13:52

on the lives of people.

13:54

That's remarkable more than 50 products

13:56

in the hands of 1

13:59

million people. Wow. Just

14:02

off the, off the cuff, do

14:04

you remember the very first product you created?

14:07

Certainly I do. That's a product that was

14:10

called Iris. Uh,

14:12

and , uh, it was in fact, we

14:14

came out , uh, as the second

14:16

, uh , uh, OCR

14:20

reader , uh, for , uh , for the blind,

14:23

so that , uh, a

14:25

text reader that would OCR , uh,

14:27

but that was in 1988, so long ago.

14:30

Uh, but , uh, we, we came out

14:32

, uh, I mean, Kurzwell came up with

14:34

the first , uh , product in that

14:36

category and we came up with the second

14:39

version of it. And then we worked with

14:41

Arkenstone at that time long ago

14:43

, uh, and , uh, which

14:45

in them in . And we did not , uh, a,

14:48

a product that they used , uh , for

14:50

promotion and an Arkenstone

14:52

came out with their product in the us , but we had

14:54

our product also , uh , spread

14:56

all over Europe and also in the U.S. Uh

14:59

, afterwards. So that , that was the first product,

15:01

a great product that we , uh, we

15:03

, we don't carry anymore, but , uh, we,

15:06

we , uh , we at that certainly a product

15:08

that was a stepping stone for us in the market.

15:11

So that , that product was called Iris right

15:15

now. Does Iris live on in

15:17

any current products today? Or

15:19

evolve into anything that we see today?

15:23

That's a good question. No, I think,

15:25

you know, we , we decided, and that was

15:27

kind of a mistake , uh, from

15:29

a lightbar , uh, around

15:31

1996,

15:33

1997. Uh, we , we could see, you know, there was

15:35

a lot of , uh, uh, good screen

15:38

readers on the market. Uh, OCR

15:40

was very cheap. The scanners were cheap

15:43

and , uh , you know, I made the call at

15:45

that point. We , we had to move our,

15:47

our harvest system , uh,

15:49

that was DOS-based at the, at the beginning

15:52

to windows. And , uh , we

15:54

decided not to do it because my call

15:56

was that this market would die

15:58

because , uh , everything else

16:00

was accessible , uh, from

16:03

the start, you know, from , from the manufacturers.

16:06

And I thought at that point that , uh,

16:08

he should not, but it should not continue,

16:11

but , uh , I can tell you that I regretted

16:13

this, this move because , uh,

16:15

these reading systems are still available

16:18

today. Uh , uh, and , uh

16:20

, uh , very , uh , useful for people.

16:23

Did you say DOS system-based?

16:26

Yes. Well

16:30

, they , you remember when we,

16:32

I mean, the first person with computers

16:34

, uh, appeared on the market , uh, at

16:36

the beginning of the eighties. So

16:39

mid eighties, mid eighties, 85,

16:42

86 , uh, the first products

16:44

for the blind and the vision people appeared

16:46

on the market. And , uh, this

16:48

is when this old industry of

16:50

technology for the vision impaired

16:52

started reading . Uh, there were products

16:54

before, but the real big chunk

16:57

of companies started in , in , uh,

16:59

in the eighties , uh,

17:01

and beginning of the nineties. So, so

17:03

that was , um, at that time, at

17:05

that time you have dusk and you had

17:08

apple too . And that was, that

17:10

was what we were working with.

17:13

It's just hearing those names is a blast

17:15

from the past that I wasn't around

17:17

for it. So just hearing DOS and

17:20

it took me back,

17:22

I can imagine, oh my goodness.

17:24

Okay. Back back on track. So

17:27

you receive this horizon award

17:29

and the horizon award honors, those

17:31

who pursue innovative products

17:34

and ideas. What do you say

17:36

to those listening right now who have

17:38

a groundbreaking idea, or, you know,

17:40

maybe a, a company that has

17:42

a groundbreaking idea or a potential groundbreaking

17:44

product.

17:46

Yeah , but first before I go there, I just

17:48

like to , uh , yes, we're receiving, I'm

17:50

receiving personally this, this award , but

17:52

, um, but first I want to

17:54

thank , uh, APH. I mean, we've

17:57

been working , uh , with APH,

17:59

especially during the last five

18:01

years with the new leadership at APH.

18:04

And , uh, I want to thank them.

18:06

They , they have pushed us to the limit of

18:08

innovation. They have , uh, really

18:11

being very creative in ways

18:13

they wanted to , to us to develop

18:15

products. And I think we've

18:18

worked extremely well with APH,

18:20

and I hope, you know, we , we see the impacts

18:23

, uh, the products we've developed with ADHF

18:25

I've had. And , um , we're

18:28

very proud of that and just recognizing

18:31

what we've done that myself,

18:33

but the old team that Humanware I think

18:35

is , uh, is great. And

18:37

I want to thank , uh , Craig neater, for sure.

18:40

And around that we've been working with and

18:42

all the team at the APH they've been fantastic

18:44

working with, and we've really

18:46

appreciate the support we've received from

18:48

them. I also want to say that

18:51

, uh, this award , as I said

18:53

, uh , we've, I , you know, I've had,

18:55

since the beginning a great team around me,

18:57

I have people that have been around me

19:00

for, you know, 15,

19:04

20, 30 years , uh, within HumanWare.

19:06

And they've been as passionate as I am about

19:08

, um , about technology and about the impact

19:11

we have on people. So that's really great

19:13

, um, uh, receiving this award and being

19:15

recognized for the innovation we've brought to

19:17

the market. Uh, now to

19:19

answer your question, I, I

19:22

very often get calls or

19:25

meetings with people that have this great

19:27

idea. They all start

19:29

from the same point technology. So

19:31

they, they see it technology and they say,

19:33

oh, wow, I can apply that

19:36

to blind people because they don't see the

19:38

mistake they make is they don't talk

19:41

to the users. They don't sit down,

19:43

they don't hear the voice of customers. And

19:46

they start working on the technology, thinking they

19:48

have the right thing, and they don't want to

19:50

share too much. They don't want to lose their ideas

19:52

to the public. So they , they

19:54

, they don't, and that's a big mistake because,

19:57

you know, the first time I talk with them, it's

20:00

very often too late. They have spent a lot of time,

20:02

a lot of money. And , um

20:04

, I tell them, you know, especially

20:06

there was one case, you know, everybody thinks they

20:09

have found a new technology to

20:11

, um, identify objects

20:13

in front of people when they move around or blind

20:15

people so that they can go around.

20:18

And the first question I ask them is, okay

20:21

, uh, how do you

20:23

convey back this information

20:25

to the user? And they say, well, that's

20:27

not important. We can draw a picture

20:30

of, of everything that is in front

20:32

of them. And I said, yeah, but I mean,

20:34

you know, how are you going to tell them this

20:37

is there ? And I tell them about

20:39

the white cane, about how , uh,

20:41

efficient the white cane is and, or

20:44

a guide dog. And, and

20:46

they started that technology

20:48

in this specific area

20:51

is it's not the impact they would like

20:53

to have. Uh, but the thing is,

20:56

you know , once, you know, we

20:58

kind of discuss what,

21:01

what is good about the technology they are using

21:03

and, you know, the, the

21:06

VR , the reorientation they should , uh, they

21:08

should, they , I tell them how important

21:10

it is. We, we are, we

21:13

need young entrepreneurs,

21:15

engineers , uh, innovators, people

21:17

that have good ideas and are willing

21:20

to commit to have an impact on society. We

21:22

want those people to come in our field

21:24

and help us. There is so much to be

21:26

done. Uh there's no, yes,

21:29

we are competitive. We have competitors,

21:32

but our competitors are people we work

21:34

with. We , we, we, we know

21:37

we're there to help people, and

21:39

there is so much that can be done

21:41

and there was a market for everyone. So

21:43

it's not a question of , uh, you

21:45

know, pushing back people. We want to

21:47

include everyone that has talent and

21:49

who is motivated to help

21:52

us in our journey for sure.

21:55

Okay. And one more question.

21:58

You are the chairman of the board

22:01

for human wear and newly

22:03

retired. So what's

22:06

next for Gilles?

22:09

Well, newly retired,

22:11

probably not yet. It's , uh , it's still

22:14

, uh, no, we just, as of September

22:17

1, I'm very happy to say that , uh , uh,

22:19

I've appointed , um, uh , Bruce

22:22

Miles as our new CEO.

22:24

So I've , uh, trends , uh,

22:27

transmitted all of my responsibilities, operational

22:30

responsibilities to Bruce. Bruce

22:32

has been around for five years, six years now

22:35

with us. And , uh, Bruce

22:37

has this , uh , passion

22:39

about technology as well, and is a

22:42

passionate of helping people. So, so

22:44

I think he's the perfect fit for, for

22:46

human, where , and he's done so much

22:48

for us in the last five years , uh,

22:50

mainly working on, on

22:53

sales and , uh , structuring how,

22:55

you know, our channels and how we work with our

22:57

customers. I think it's been a great

22:59

journey for, for, for Bruce and for HumanWare.

23:02

And I have full confidence. Bruce

23:05

will be doing a great job , uh,

23:07

before for human. Whereas as CEO now

23:10

for myself , uh, I , I,

23:12

I took the chairman position, so I'm going

23:14

to be around for some years. Um,

23:16

and , uh, still , uh, I think

23:19

very much involved in the

23:21

market , uh, coming to conferences,

23:23

talking to our customers, generating

23:25

new ideas , uh, but more

23:28

on the strategy side of things, as

23:30

opposed to the operational side of things.

23:32

So yes, I will have more time

23:34

for myself , uh , time that

23:36

I'm, you know, I'm sitting on , uh,

23:38

some boards of directors , uh , different

23:40

fields , uh , and technology mainly,

23:42

but , uh, and , uh, uh,

23:45

I'll, I'll be, you know, very much

23:47

involved with Bruce and the team to

23:49

, uh , to make sure that the

23:51

strategy and the move we do and the contacts

23:54

we have in the field are still a good , uh,

23:56

so, so yes , uh

23:58

, uh, retirement eventually

24:01

, uh, now it's more a transition

24:03

for me and it will give me more time.

24:05

You're right. I do a lot of sports, so I'll, I'll,

24:07

I'll continue to be very active.

24:10

And , uh , I also have a cabin , uh,

24:13

you know, isolated , uh, just

24:15

on the side of the lake. And , uh, I'll,

24:18

I'll have more time to go to the cabin and spend

24:20

the time , uh , working there, you

24:22

know, making things around the cabin. So

24:25

having a lot of fun , uh, and

24:27

enjoying gradually more

24:29

time for myself, for sure.

24:32

Is there anything else you would like to add?

24:34

Anything else you'd like to say?

24:36

Well, you know, I think that this Horizon Award

24:41

is , is a great way to motivate people

24:43

to do even more for this industry.

24:45

And APH has played

24:48

a very central role

24:50

in indication . I, what

24:52

I've seen , uh, especially

24:55

in the last , uh , 5,

24:58

5, 6, 7 years , uh, I've seen APH

25:00

, uh, taking a leadership

25:02

role in terms of education and not

25:05

only in the U S but worldwide. And

25:07

that's extremely important. We driving

25:10

indication for visually impaired

25:12

people , uh, is not

25:14

only when talking about technology, but

25:17

about everything, about education is

25:19

crucial. We want more

25:22

blind people, visually impaired people

25:25

, uh, getting higher education

25:27

and getting a job. And

25:30

, uh, you know, we believe our part

25:32

is technology. Uh, we believe

25:34

APH is a great

25:36

umbrella for , uh , making

25:39

this happen, that more students,

25:41

you know , get better education

25:43

and get a job and , and

25:45

everything that goes with it. Uh, so,

25:48

so that's, that's what we're trying to achieve. And,

25:51

and I think APH is very essential

25:53

in doing so.

25:56

Okay. Thank you so much for joining

25:58

me on Change Makers today.

26:01

It was a pleasure meeting you, Sara, and

26:03

, uh, really enjoyed the talking

26:05

with you.

26:06

And congratulations again on your award.

26:11

Now we're talking to representatives

26:14

from the Lego foundation, they received

26:16

the Louie Award for their LEGO Braille Bricks.

26:19

The Louie Award recognizes the impact

26:21

and creativity of a product idea,

26:24

method, or promotional effort that

26:26

increased the availability or awareness of

26:28

a braille or tactile graphic

26:31

LEGO Braille Bricks promote braille as a tool

26:33

of literacy, but also encourage students

26:35

with, and without sight to

26:37

learn through play. And let's hear the

26:40

LEGO Foundation's Senior Play and Health Specialists,

26:42

Stine Storm's acceptance speech.

26:45

"Our mission is to inspire and create

26:47

the business of tomorrow. And we do this

26:49

by redefining play and re-imagining

26:51

learning. It is our hope that this innovative

26:54

playful concept will encourage

26:56

children who are visually impaired to learn braille

26:59

through play. Our focus is on

27:01

developing a breadth of skills in all children,

27:03

and by purposely making this concept inclusive,

27:06

we hope that children who are visually

27:08

impaired will learn and play

27:10

alongside sighted children, thereby

27:13

fostering skills, such as collaboration,

27:15

communication, and joint problem solving

27:17

. We are so grateful to partners

27:19

in this project for lending their support

27:22

and encouragement. Let's continue

27:24

the valuable work together and ensure

27:27

that we create the builders of tomorrow."

27:30

Now we're talking to LEGO Foundation's Senior

27:32

Play and Health Specialist Stine Storm.

27:35

Hello Stine and welcome to Change Makers.

27:39

Thank you. And thank you so much for inviting

27:41

me.

27:42

What is it like to see the impact of

27:44

LEGO Braille Bricks in the hands of children

27:47

who are visually impaired?

27:51

Well, this project is simply

27:53

so heartwarming.

27:55

So to see these children

27:57

actually have the LEGO Braille Bricks

28:00

in their hands is just so touching.

28:02

And it almost makes me cry every

28:05

time. Um, but seeing

28:07

them actually engage and having

28:09

fun whilst learning is

28:11

simply just so important

28:13

for us. Um, we believe

28:16

that that LEGO Foundation and learning through play

28:18

, um, so this, you know, can

28:20

benefit how children learn

28:22

and how they develop their skills.

28:25

So to , to actually see it in action

28:27

just makes it so much more , um,

28:30

important and impactful.

28:33

Okay. And how does

28:35

the Louis Award reflect the LEGO Foundation's

28:38

mission?

28:40

Well, the LEGO foundation

28:42

has a mission to inspire and create

28:44

the builders of tomorrow. So

28:46

we do this by what we call

28:48

redefining play and re-imagining

28:51

learning. So for me, LEGO

28:54

Braille Bricks is just such an innovative

28:56

and tangible example

28:58

of exactly that learning

29:01

creative, innovative tool.

29:04

What is it like to see LEGO Braille Bricks go

29:07

from the idea to

29:09

an award winning product?

29:12

Well , we're actually quite humble about this

29:14

because LEGO Braille Bricks is

29:16

not really our idea. Um , and

29:18

it couldn't have been developed without the

29:20

help of the blind community. Um,

29:23

so it's really a true example.

29:26

Co-creation and we really

29:28

sincerely hope that this co-creation

29:30

will continue with the help of teachers,

29:33

whom we encourage to continue

29:35

to develop this , uh , teaching concept

29:38

and methodology.

29:41

Okay. Stina , is there anything else you would

29:43

like to add to this conversation?

29:45

Well, seeing it since a World Site Day today, I'd

29:49

like to also announce that this week we

29:51

, uh , launched our massive open

29:53

online course, which

29:55

is all about learning through play

29:58

with LEGO Braille Bricks. Um,

30:00

so please do , uh , look

30:02

up the course , uh , online

30:05

and , uh, we hope to see many of you on

30:07

the course.

30:09

Okay. Stina , thank you so very

30:11

much for joining me today on Change Makers.

30:15

You're welcome.

30:18

The Navigator Award was distributed

30:20

to AFB and Dr. Penny

30:23

Rosenblum. The Navigator Award

30:25

recognizes the collaborative efforts

30:27

in partnerships necessary to remove

30:29

the barriers and provide pathways, ensuring

30:31

that individuals have full access

30:34

to education and life.

30:36

The 2020 and 2021

30:38

Access and Engagement Studies under the direction

30:41

of Dr. Penny Rosenblum and many

30:43

collaborators across the field conducted

30:45

two large research studies that highlighted

30:47

both need and disparity of services

30:50

and access to education. During

30:52

the COVID-19 pandemic, let's

30:55

listen to AFB's and Dr.

30:57

Rosenblum's acceptance speeches.

31:01

"Hello. I am Dr. Kirk

31:03

Adams, president and CEO

31:05

of the American foundation for the blind AFB

31:08

at AFB. We value learning collaboration,

31:12

impact and excellence. We

31:14

convene leaders across our field

31:16

and among business leaders, public

31:19

officials, and other decision-makers

31:22

to champion impactful policies

31:24

and practices using research

31:26

and data to support meaningful

31:29

systemic change for people who are blind

31:31

or visually impaired. Our research

31:33

efforts are sure to continue. And I

31:35

look forward to our future collaborations

31:38

with the American printing house for the blind, again,

31:41

our heartfelt gratitude. And

31:44

with that, I will now pass the mic to

31:46

Dr. L. Penny Rosenblum, who

31:48

took the initiative of spearheading

31:50

these important research projects and mobilizing

31:53

the fields, Dr. Rosenblum

31:55

.

31:57

"Thank you, Kurk. Today, I'm

31:59

accepting the Navigator award for

32:01

all those who have authored the two reports.

32:04

Dr. Tina Herzberg, Dr.

32:06

Tiffany Wild, Dr. Justin Kaiser

32:09

, Dr. Danene Fast , Dr. Paola

32:11

Chanes-Mora , Dr. Kathryn Botsford

32:13

, Dr. Carlie Rhoads , Dr.

32:16

Rhett McBride , Ms. Michelle Hicks , Ms.

32:19

Jasmyn DeGrant , Ms. Leanne Cook

32:20

, Ms. Stephanie Welch-Greiner. You'll note

32:25

that the authors are combination of academics

32:28

and practicing professionals. I

32:30

think this speaks to the importance of all

32:32

of us mentoring the next generation,

32:35

Michelle, Jasmine , Leanne , and Stephanie

32:37

gave up their time to the Access and Engagement

32:40

Studies because they believed in the topic,

32:42

but also because they believed in

32:45

wanting to build their research skills.

32:48

These ladies are our future

32:50

leaders, and I'm very proud to know all

32:52

four of them. Thank you

32:55

to those at the American Printing House for the Blind

32:57

who recognized our team's work and

32:59

have awarded us the Navigator Award

33:01

in recognition of the contribution,

33:03

the Access and Engagement studies make to the

33:06

field. I believe the work, our

33:08

team did will have the education

33:10

of our students with visual impairments, including

33:12

those with additional disabilities and

33:14

deaf blindness, both in the short term

33:16

and the longterm ."

33:19

Now we're talking to Dr. Rosenblum , hello,

33:21

and welcome to Change Makers.

33:24

Thank you for the invitation to join you today.

33:27

First off, congratulations again, on

33:29

being the recipient of the Navigator Award,

33:35

The Navigator Award, honors collaboration

33:38

and partnerships, you and your research

33:40

team recently completed

33:42

two huge studies regarding access

33:45

to education during COVID-19.

33:47

How does it feel seeing your work and

33:49

the work of other researchers honored?

33:52

You know, it's a wonderful feeling to

33:54

have the work that our group

33:57

did together recognized.

33:59

And I think it's really important

34:01

for everybody to understand the , um,

34:05

AFB took a lead role in

34:07

, um, allocating my time

34:09

at the time to lead

34:12

the studies. There was a large

34:14

group of individuals from across the country

34:17

who collaborated, and

34:19

I want people to really understand

34:21

that though I'm representing

34:24

, um , the face of the

34:26

person receiving the Navigator Award.

34:29

It truly was a team and collaborative

34:31

effort to get these two large

34:33

scale studies completed during

34:35

the COVID-19 pandemic.

34:40

Okay. And can you talk about

34:42

the importance of partnerships and collaboration

34:45

in this field and why it's so important?

34:48

You know, I have been in the field of visual

34:51

impairment as, as a professional for

34:53

35 years. And then after

34:55

that, my time as a child and an adult

34:57

with a visual impairment, I've seen a lot

35:00

of different nuances within

35:02

our field, but I really

35:04

feel like , um, in many

35:06

ways the pandemic

35:08

has really increased

35:10

collaboration across our field. And

35:12

I think about wonderful things

35:14

that APH is doing such as , um,

35:17

the Excel Academy that

35:19

and TSBVI with their coffee

35:22

hour. Um, we are a

35:24

group of collaborators in our field.

35:26

There's no reason any of us should invent the wheel.

35:28

And the data that we have gathered

35:31

through the Access and Engagement Studies

35:33

, um, is not just valuable

35:35

to help people understand what

35:37

is occurring in education for our students,

35:39

with visual impairments during the pandemic, but

35:42

also many of the systemic issues

35:45

that we were able to identify

35:47

and verify. I mean, things that we all know

35:50

that when technology is not accessible to our

35:52

students, how can they participate

35:54

in education? Um , we have data

35:56

that really helps highlight some

35:58

of the specific challenges experienced by our

36:01

students, their families, and the professionals

36:03

who serve them.

36:05

And is there anything else you would like

36:08

to add?

36:10

You know, I think it's really , um,

36:12

a pivotal time in education of our

36:14

students with visual impairments. And

36:16

I hope as a field that we will

36:18

continue to work together

36:21

to really address the needs

36:23

of our students. We all for so

36:26

long have been talking about the high

36:28

unemployment or underemployment rate

36:31

of adults with visual impairments and

36:34

the many people acquire their visual

36:36

impairments as adults. There are also

36:38

many people who require their visual

36:40

impairment in childhood. There absolutely

36:43

is a very strong connection

36:45

between education and

36:47

in life success, including employment

36:49

and success in post-secondary education.

36:52

So I hope we're able to take what we've

36:54

learned through the access and engagement studies

36:57

and, and use that data going

36:59

forward to affect change

37:01

both with policymakers , with

37:04

educators , um , and also

37:06

within the school systems and

37:09

for families. And I really

37:11

would like to thank everybody who

37:13

was involved with the studies, whether

37:16

as a participant or

37:18

researcher , um , to

37:21

really recognize that this was very

37:23

much a team effort. And I truly believe

37:25

in the power of collaboration and working together.

37:30

All right, Dr. Penny Rosenblum. Thank you

37:32

so much for joining me today on Change Makers

37:35

and congratulations again on your Navigator

37:37

Award.

37:39

Thank you so much for having me.

37:42

And thank you so much for listening to this episode

37:45

of Change Makers. We'll put any links

37:47

in websites mentioned in this podcast and

37:49

the show notes. As always be sure

37:51

to look for ways you can be a c hange m

37:53

aker this week.