WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 13, 2020)—The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) today announced the launch of a new podcast, Inform & Connect.
The podcast initially began as a series of weekly community Zoom calls intended to foster togetherness and camaraderie within the blindness community through informal storytelling and learning about relevant, interesting topics. Each week featured a new special guest that either is blind or low vision, or has ties to the blindness community. These calls were audio recorded and repurposed into the inaugural season of the Inform & Connect podcast series.
Topics range from audio description in film to fashion to poetry to modeling, and much more. Special guests have included Roy Samuelson, prolific audio description narrator; the “Blind Poet” Dave Steele; Bold Blind Beauty Founder Steph McCoy; and Thomas Reid, Reid My Mind Audio Producer, to name just a few.
AFB Major Gifts Specialist Melody Goodspeed serves as interviewer and emcee.
“What started out as a small, community-building exercise to help us all cope with the pandemic-induced quarantine has blossomed into a regularly-scheduled fun and engaging experience that lifts our moods and opens our minds,” Goodspeed said. “Now that Inform & Connect has made the leap from weekly Zoom call to podcast, I couldn’t be more excited for what the future holds.”
Each episode will include an accessible transcript and will be posted to AFB.org as they become available. The pilot episode, with Roy Samuelson, is now available, with more to shortly follow. The Inform & Connect podcast can be found in most podcast directories, including iTunes, Google, Anchor, and Spotify.
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About the American Foundation for the Blind
Founded in 1921, the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that creates a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired. AFB mobilizes leaders, advances understanding, and champions impactful policies and practices using research and data. AFB is proud to steward the Helen Keller Archive, maintain and expand the digital collection, and honor the more than 40 years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB. Visit: www.afb.org
