It's time to bring BGC favourite Kevin Sherwin back onto the show to discuss this year’s Eurovision Song Contest entries. Kevin is not pulling any punches this year and is betting His Holy Communion money on Latvia to win! And this year could be their year, as Saturn, Venus and Mount Fuji have decided not to take part in the competition. But what about all the other entries, don't they deserve a chance? What about Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands and 95-time contest winner and friend of the podcast Slovakia? And don't the Spice Girls get a say in any of this? Huh?! (Don’t forget to email Kevin’s mammy with your problems and questions! – [email protected].)
Clodagh has emails from Clare McLoughlin, who has information on the April Seen/Unseen event, and Jose is asking a tech question about those pesky graphics on webpages.
So, forget about the Artemis II mission wake up music for a moment, don't worry about that zero-gravity spoon smashing into the spaceship controls. And instead strap yourself in for the only podcast worth listening to while attempting re-entry: Blind Guys Chat. 3 out of 4 astronauts prefer it to fixing space toilets!
Links for this episode:
· ‘Things Gay People Like’ podcast: [https://open.spotify.com/show/02N4vAlIPR6NWTrIM6iTAt](https://open.spotify.com/show/02N4vAlIPR6NWTrIM6iTAt "https://open.spotify.com/show/02N4vAlIPR6NWTrIM6iTAt")
· Email Kevin’s mammy with your agony aunt questions at [email protected]
· Doug Lee scripts for JAWS recommended by Mo: [https://www.dlee.org/](https://www.dlee.org/ "https://www.dlee.org/")
· Clare McLoughlin Seen/Unseen April event details: https://artistclaremclaughlin.org/this-april-25th-seen-unseen-will-be-at-imma/
· Artimis II playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0WO94bzZeuUun777vv6UJu
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
Our guest this week is Liam Geschwindt from Touchpulse. Liam is here to talk to us about Tiera, which is a new AI-powered navigation app designed specifically for blind and low-vision users. Teira offers real-time, highly precise audio guidance to help us move independently through complex environments. Built with input from the visually impaired community, it adapts to each user’s needs and uses features like voice assistance and smart routing to make everyday travel safer and more accessible. And the Blind Guys were delighted to hear that the app can also find a bargain, cos we're too cheap to pay full price for a coffee!
Clodagh is back with emails and starts with an apology to our good friend Nora Nagle. It appears we didn't read out Nora's email when we got it in January. Sorry Nora, but it's not our fault; speak to the email boss aka our token sightie - we just do the yappin'!
So, stop eating those easter eggs - it's not easter yet! Cuddle up on your couch instead, and listen to the number 1 podcast as recently voted by Brazilian sumo wrestlers: Blind Guys Chat - 7 out of 10 sumo wrestlers prefer it to wedgies!
Links for this show:
· Touchpulse: https://www.touchpulse.nl/
· Tiera App: https://www.touchpulse.nl/tiera
· ADA VI User Group event registration page: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/2d-BX76kT0WFGChBjky0zQ
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
Doctor Lucía Pintado Gutiérrez, is our guest this week. Dr Gutiérrez is the author of a new report on audio description (AD) in Ireland – ‘The ADESI Project’. Her research is not just confined to broadcast but rather covers audio description in all aspects of life including sports, film, theatre, museums, and education. Dr Gutiérrez, shares with us the reasons why she decided to do this research, what the media accessible landscape looks like in Ireland, and shares the results of her research with us.
Jan has info on an app from UEFA where you can access AD commentaries for soccer matches and Óran has information on an Audio Description Association event coming up at the end of March.
So, throw away your winter blues and woolly scarf; convince yourself that spring has sprung, and warmer weather is here at last even if it’s lashing rain; and listen to the number 1 podcast as recently voted by climatologists; Blind Guys Chat. 9 out of 10 audio describers prefer it to subtitles!
Links for this episode:
· The ADESI Project:
· European Qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup: All you need to know
· Live Audio Description for Football: Making the UEFA U21 Championships Accessible to All Fans:
· The Audio Description Association (ADA) bulletin (downloadable Word doc):
· ADA VI User Group event registration page:
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
On this show we are speaking to Mohammed's brother Ihab Laachir, who is here to spill the beans about his older brother, apparently known as 'The Hacker' in his family. Who knew?! Ihab is currently studying political science at Amsterdam University and has some great insights into living with a disability while attending university. Is Ihab a future prime minister of The Netherlands? Well, he has our vote for sure.
We have emails from Chloe in the UK about funniest blind bloopers - Mohammed has a funny one about meeting himself in his apartment. Huh? Mei Ling from Singapore is asking about AD. Jacob in Norway wants a raise for the 'token sightie' (AKA Clodagh) for having to put up with the 3 boys. Clodagh thinks she should get danger money!
So, stick the toast on, fling open the windows, and listen to the dawn chorus while tuning in to the best podcast this side of a mushroom omelette: Blind Guys Chat - 18 out of 20 university students prefer it to lectures!
Links for this show:
https://www.instagram.com/laatje12?igsh=NTgzanpubGdsNzV5o https://www.linkedin.com/in/ihab-laachir-9129b522a
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ihab-laachir-9129b522ao https://www.patreon.com/14232348/join?utm_id=38cd0de4-8833-494b-9bf1-eb34dfc4e947\&utm
https://www.patreon.com/14232348/join?utm_id=38cd0de4-8833-494b-9bf1-eb34dfc4e947\&utmo https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVMOvIMjOa3/?igsh=dnliMG9oMml6ano1
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
#:140: Larry's favourite guest of all time
Fresh from setting fire to the Italian Pavilion at COP 30, due to a lack of salty caramel gelato, this week we are devoting the whole show to Professor John Sweeney, leading climatologist at Maynooth University. Prof. John, who is Larry's favourite person, at least when there are sausages about, is here to put a bit of smacht (an Hiberno-English term – see more here) on the whole weather situation going on at the moment. Over the last few weeks in Ireland, Spain, Portugal and even Morocco residents and business owners have been drenched with the unusual amount of rain. Is this a trend? Let's find out from Professor Sweeney.
So, peel off your waterproofs that aren't actually waterproof, make some hot chocolate with just a drop of Baileys, and dry yourself in the cosy warmth of the best podcast this side of a damp piano: Blind Guys Chat - 7 out of 10 climatologists prefer it to the weather.
Links for this episode:
· “Smacht” and nine other lovely Hiberno-English words and phrases: https://stancarey.wordpress.com/2014/05/26/10-words-only-used-in-irish-english/#:~:text=1.,treasure%20in%20the%20vocative%20case.
· NASA explain spring and neap tides very well at this link: https://science.nasa.gov/moon/tides/
· "Room for the river programme" in The Netherlands: https://www.dutchwatersector.com/news/room-for-the-river-programme
· Ireland’s water level data: https://waterlevel.ie
· The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI): https://ccpi.org (The UK, Morocco, and the Netherlands are in the top 10 – congratulations! Ireland is languishing in 33rd place. We’re mortified!)
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
As we celebrate 50 years of Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind we speak to Tom O'Neill, guide dog owner and founder of the Balbriggan branch of Irish Guide Dogs. Tom tells us how he came to own his first guide dog and how having dogs has made his day-to-day living much more independent.
It's not quite ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’, but Jan comes fairly close. Recently he spent a day, yes that's right! One day! ...in the "The City by the Bay". Why only a day? Well... let him explain; we think there could be a movie in this story!
Clodagh is back with a shout-out for new listener, Adrijana, along with emails from Clare McLoughlin, and Blind Gordon, who has been doing some DIY, god help Mrs Blind Gordon, a.k.a. Alaine.
So, fasten your seatbelts, stop hitting that cabin crew call button, recline back and listen to the greatest podcast this side of a snowstorm: Blind Guys Chat! 9 out of 10 de-icers prefer it to the cold!
Links for this show:
· Irish Guide Dogs for the Blind: https://www.guidedogs.ie/ways-to-help/ways-to-donate
· GiveVision headset: https://www.givevision.net/
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
Happy New Year to you all! This week we are devoting the whole show to Mr David Woodbridge, Product Specialist for Humanware Australia. David will take us through all things Humanware, including the new Evolve Windows Braille notetaker. We also chat about guide dogs, and of course our favourite topic: Braille.
So, sit back, slap on the factor 2000, and settle in for a listen to the hottest podcast this side of a chess-playing koala bear; Blind Guys Chat. 8 out of 10 sandy beaches prefer it to salt water.
Links for this show:
· Humanware: https://www.humanware.com/en-international/
· Isee podcast: https://podcast.app/isee-using-various-technologies-from-a-blind-persons-perspective-p5394
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
This week, Jan is floating on cloud 9 as his local football team (that's soccer for those of you in the USA) seems to be doing very well. So well, in fact, that they are top of the 'kitchen' league ...better not to ask what that means!
Our good friend Stuart Lawler gives us his own thoughts on the NewHaptics 'Codex' Braille display, which uses compressed air to raise its braille cells. It does this by hooking itself up to an aquarium-like pump. However, we are not sure if fish need to be present while the display is in operation. Once we find Nemo, we will ask him/her!
Mohammed has at last received his Ally Solos smart glasses. What does he think? Well, tune in to find out whether you should spend your hard-earned cash or not. In addition to being a world-renowned lawyer and mathematician, Mohammed is now passing himself off as an orientation & mobility trainer, and has some views on how one should use a long cane. Do you agree? Let us know at [email protected].
Clodagh has an email about screen readers from a listener in Poland. What's your preference, JAWS, NVDA or Narrator? Let us know.
So, forget about cleaning out the poo from the aquarium. Slap on a pot of coffee and tune into the most radical podcast this side of a moaning Liverpool football player: Blind Guys Chat. 11 out of 13 guppies prefer it to pushing braille cells.
Links for this show:
· https://www.newhaptics.com/codex
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
This week we are talking to Adela Buliman from Vially here in Ireland. Adela is the Chief Accessibility Officer and what she doesn't know about the European Accessibility Act, isn't worth knowing about! So, roll up your sleeves, Mohammed, and get ready to rumble! Disclaimer: this chat is more of a girlie pillow fight than a "pistols at dawn" kinda thing, but we enjoyed it! Jan was home alone at Sight Village, London recently, and he has all the juicy tech news to share, including a new Braille note-taker from HumanWare.
The biggest news this episode is that the guys have been working hard on a new email jingle for Clodagh – what do you think? Is it down with the kids? Send us your reviews to [email protected]. Clodagh has an email from Nina in Canada, who wants to know about independent travel. Mohammed can answer this one as he is an expert solo traveller.
So, pull out that list of all your inaccessible gadgets and settle in for the number 1 podcast this side of a 365-day-old Christmas tree: Blind Guys Chat. 16 out of 20 European Commission lawyers prefer it to laying down the law!
Links mentioned in this show:
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat
It's celebration time here in the BGC office as Óran has news! It seems he is now calling himself a scriptwriter because his very first script has just been produced. It is for the super-fun, excellent and wonderful children's animation TV series: ‘Maddie + Triggs’. You may remember we had the star of the show, Bonnie O'Meara on the podcast, together with Turnip + Duck founders: Colm Tobin and Aidan O'Donovan. Óran’s episode is #46 and is called 'Dogs with Jobs' which is about Lolo the guide dog. There are links to that interview, along with links to Óran’s episode at the bottom of the show notes. Disclaimer: any resemblance to Larry the guide dog is not fictional!
If you are not in the UK or Ireland, Maddie + Triggs is available in these countries and broadcasters: YLE (Finland); SVT (Sweden); NRK (Norway); RTS (Switzerland); ABC (Australia); CRTVG (Spain); DR (Denmark); JY Ent (China); TFO (French-speaking Canada); Knowledge Network (English-speaking Canada); VME (US Hispanic); Côte Ouest (Sub-Saharan Africa); France TV; Minika (Turkey).
Óran has a question about the European Accessibility Act (EAA), and while he does trust our designated BGC lawyer and senior council, Mr Mohammed Laachair, he would appreciate comments from the wider community: [email protected].
Clodagh has a reminder that there’s a ‘Seen - Unseen goes Racing’ day out at The Races in a non-visual way, in collaboration with HRI at Fairyhouse Racecourse on Saturday November 29th. Participation is free of charge. Email Claire on [email protected] or send a voice note or text to 086 3091653.
We also have a listener asking us to recommend TV content with good AD, see list below.
• On Netflix: Arcane, Stranger Things, and The Diplomat.
• On Apple TV: Slow Horses series 5.
• On other streamers: Game of Thrones.
And please email us on [email protected] to let us know what shows you’ve been enjoying. We’re always looking for recommendations!
So, shake off the damp November weather, tell winter to hold its horses, and settle in for the number 1 podcast as voted by readers of pre-school magazine 'Sleepy Times': Blind Guys Chat. 8 out of 10 dogs with jobs prefer it to having a job!
Links mentioned in this show:
• Dogs with Jobs news article: https://www.rte.ie/kids/2025/1106/1542541-larry-the-guide-dog-maddie-and-triggs-rte/
• BGC Episode 63 - Maddie and Triggs’: The Unbeatable Team: https://tinyurl.com/BGC063
• Link to Óran’s episode of ‘Maddie + Triggs’ on RTÉ: https://tinyurl.com/MaddieTriggsEp46DogsWithJobs
• Link to Óran’s episode of ‘Maddie + Triggs’ on BBC:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002ls4q/maddie-triggs-series-1-46-dogs-with-jobs
• Link to Óran’s episode of ‘Maddie + Triggs’ on DailyMotion (muted by default):
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9tlxfy
• Seen, Unseen: Contact Claire on [email protected] or send a voice note or text to 086 3091653.
• Dutch mountain song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpCUbmAsxwQ
And don’t forget to email us on [email protected]!
Support Blind Guys Chat by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/blind-guys-chat