Episodes

Monday Mar 24, 2025
Advocacy for Blind Americans
Monday Mar 24, 2025
Monday Mar 24, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by legislative directors Denise Avant, and Liz Wisecarver. They discuss the Blind Americans Return to Work Act, ways that blind people can advocate for ourselves, and highlights from the 2025 Washington Seminar.

Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Gun Ownership
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
Tuesday Mar 11, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Jim Marks, a hunting instructor, and president of the NFB of Montana. They respond to a segment that The Breakfast Club did on a viral news story of a blind man from Indiana who experimented to see if he would be able to acquire a gun license, and to his surprise, he was able to but felt that he shouldn’t have been. Anil and Melissa also discuss a trending video from Audible that sparked a debate on social media about listening speeds.

Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Cooking Journey
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
Tuesday Feb 25, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by Cameron Loehr, a blind Chef and instructor at the Louisiana Center for the Blind. They’re also joined by Elizabeth Rouse, a former student of the Louisiana Center, and Delfina Rodriguez, an instructor at the Colorado Center for the Blind. They discuss how they became successful in cooking and preparing meals for over forty people.

Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Blind Students Pursue the Careers They Want
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
Thursday Feb 13, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by NFB scholarship winners, Joshua Olukanni, and Trisha Kulkarni. They are also joined by Jenn Han, a registered nurse. They discuss their experiences, and advocacy efforts and share how they achieve the careers they want as blind students.

Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Blind Parents
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
Tuesday Jan 28, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Lisamaria Martinez and Stacie Leap. They discuss alternative techniques, tips, and advice for blind parents.

Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Increasing Employment Opportunities for the Blind
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
Thursday Jan 16, 2025
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Melissa and Anil are joined by Lia Stone, a co-chairperson of our employment committee, Shawn Callaway, an employer liaison, and Janice Forbes, a jobseeker liaison. They discuss what needs to be done to increase employment for the blind, as well as resources that we offer to remove barriers and strengthen opportunities for blind jobseekers.

Friday Dec 27, 2024
Blindness Journey
Friday Dec 27, 2024
Friday Dec 27, 2024
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by Carla McQuillan, executive director of Main Street Montessori. They’re also joined by Sean Seward, our independence market manager, and Grace Pires, board member and president of the NFB of Rhode Island. They discuss whether they describe themselves as blind, low vision, or visually impaired and why it matters.

Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Media Representation and Pop Culture
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
Tuesday Dec 10, 2024
In today’s episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Melissa Riccobono are joined by colleagues, Danielle McCann, our membership coordinator, and Nikki Jackson, our employment programs coordinator. They discuss how blind people are portrayed in the media and in pop culture, and what should change to ensure that the portrayals are accurate and positive representations.

Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Jonathan Mosen Introduces Access On
Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
Tuesday Nov 19, 2024
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil Lewis and Chris Danielsen are joined by Jonathan Mosen, former producer and host of the Bolotin award-winning Living Blindfully podcast and our incoming executive director for Accessibility Excellence. They discuss Access On, our new podcast that focuses on the role that technology plays in living the life we want. Jonathan also provided advice and tips for new podcasters.

Friday Nov 15, 2024
Preserving our Dignity as Blind People
Friday Nov 15, 2024
Friday Nov 15, 2024
In this episode of the Nation’s Blind Podcast, Anil and Melissa are joined by two of our new board members, Jamie Richey and Ben Dallin. They discuss how to protect our dignity as blind people and how to properly respond to individuals who may challenge our dignity. They also reflect and share their thoughts on President Riccobono’s 2024 banquet speech that focuses on dignity.
Important link: 2024 Banquet Speech