Double Tap Extra

• Meet the Blind Entrepreneur Teaching Screen Readers & Braille

  Meet Chantal, a blind entrepreneur helping others learn screen readers and Braille through her new business, See It Through My Fingers. In this Double Tap Extra episode, Steven welcomes Chantal, the founder of See It Through My Fingers.  Blind since birth and living with cerebral palsy, Chantal shares her inspiring story of how she overcame educational barriers to build a business teaching screen readers like JAWS and NVDA, remote Braille learning, and visual impairment awareness.  She also provides transcription and tactile diagram services and supports trainee teachers through the University of Birmingham. See It Through My Fingers: https://seeitthroughmyfingers.co.uk Phone Chantal: 07547 526 799 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Blind Literacy Beyond Braille: A Bold Conversation

  Is Braille truly essential for literacy—or are there other valid paths to becoming literate as a blind person? Ken Scott joins the show with a contrarian view that challenges long-held beliefs around Braille, literacy, and employment. In this episode of Double Tap Extra, Steven Scott welcomes Ken Scott—no relation—for a deep and thought-provoking conversation about Braille literacy and its place in the modern world. Rather than accepting the popular phrase “Braille is literacy,” Ken challenges the assumption by asking: Is Braille the only form of literacy for blind people? Drawing from perspectives in adult literacy studies and his own lived experience, Ken argues that screen reader proficiency—when paired with thoughtful instruction—can provide a path to literacy just as valid as Braille. Together, they explore the differences in literacy needs between blind children and adults, whether Braille offers a career advantage, and the cognitive similarities between reading and listening. The episode doesn’t shy away from controversy. From the lack of current Braille usage data to the cost barriers of Braille displays in employment settings, Ken makes the case that Braille, while valuable, may not be the universal solution some believe it to be. They also touch on the debate between reading versus listening, the role of screen readers in developing writing skills, and how modern assistive tech is shifting the accessibility landscape. It’s a bold, nuanced discussion aimed at opening minds—not closing conversations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• JAWS UK Subscription Pricing Revealed & Meet the Blind Entrepreneur Teaching Screen Readers & Braille

  JAWS and ZoomText finally get a UK subscription model—but is the pricing what blind users hoped for? Plus, meet Chantal, a blind entrepreneur helping others learn screen readers and Braille through her new business, See It Through My Fingers. In this Double Tap Extra episode, Steven Scott breaks down the major change to JAWS and ZoomText licensing in the UK: the arrival of subscription pricing. Stuart Lawlor from Sight & Sound Technology joins the conversation to unpack what the new model means for blind users. Stuart explains the details of the annual, two-year, and three-year plans, including the headline-grabbing price of £420 for a one-year JAWS Home license—and a limited-time 30% discount on two-year plans. He also addresses comparisons to US pricing, what users get for their money, the lack of a monthly payment option, and what happens if users stick with their current license. Later, Steven welcomes Chantal, the founder of See It Through My Fingers. Blind since birth and living with cerebral palsy, Chantal shares her inspiring story of how she overcame educational barriers to build a business teaching screen readers like JAWS and NVDA, remote Braille learning, and visual impairment awareness. She also provides transcription and tactile diagram services and supports trainee teachers through the University of Birmingham.

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• Tailscale, VPNs, and Pi Holes: The Geekiest Dollop Yet!

  Want to access your home computer and files from anywhere without the hassle of port forwarding or risky VPN setups? This episode of Double Tap Extra dives deep into Tailscale, a powerful tool that makes remote networking simple, secure, and accessible—even for the non-techies. In this lively and tech-nerdy “dollop” of Double Tap Extra, Steven Scott, Shaun Preece, Tim Dixon, and Callum Stoneman explore Tailscale—a mesh VPN that simplifies remote network access. Shaun explains how he uses it to access a hard drive in his shed from anywhere in the UK, while Tim breaks down how Tailscale works, including features like exit nodes and Magic DNS. Callum shares his experience connecting via Tailscale to use NVDA Remote securely, avoiding the complexities of port forwarding. They also discuss home networking headaches, static IPs, Raspberry Pi ad-blocking via Pi-hole, smart light automation, and travel routers like the Beryl AX. Humour and relatable tech mishaps weave through the conversation, from scammer stories to Shaun’s adventures with broken keyboards. For blind users and accessibility advocates, the gang highlight the ease-of-use and accessibility of Tailscale's interface—plus ethical questions around ad blocking and network security. 0:00 – Welcome to another Double Tap “Dollop” 4:30 – Sean introduces Tailscale use case 8:55 – Tim explains Tailscale VPN and mesh setup 13:30 – NVDA Remote + Tailscale walkthrough 18:45 – Port forwarding woes and why Tailscale wins 25:20 – Exit nodes and filtering kids’ traffic 29:00 – Accessibility, Magic DNS, and static IP myths 35:55 – Chrome Remote Desktop and RIM vs. Tailscale 42:20 – Scams, scam shows, and CD swindles 50:00 – Solving the ad blocking dilemma with Pi-hole 1:00:45 – Raspberry Pi accessibility tips 1:06:00 – Travel routers and smart Wi-Fi on the move 1:15:20 – Smart lights, motion sensors, and mesh Wi-Fi 1:24:50 – Callum’s big house move (and cupboard beans) 1:33:00 – Red lights in the bathroom and light guilt 1:37:55 – Outro: Broken keyboards, smart homes, and future plans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Inside Sight Village 2025: Accessibility Tech, Travel Fails, and Meta Ray-Bans

  Get a front-row pass to the UK's top assistive tech expo with Double Tap at Sight Village! From Meta Ray-Bans to vibrating shoes, discover the latest in accessible technology and the challenges facing blind users today. In this on-location episode, Steven, Shaun, Tim Dixon, and guest Martin Ralfe explore the atmosphere, innovations, and issues at Sight Village Birmingham. The crew recounts their chaotic journey getting to the venue, reflect on travel anxiety as blind travelers, and share honest first impressions of the event’s accessibility improvements. The conversation dives deep into tech highlights, including the buzz around Meta Ray-Bans (even though they weren’t officially on display), vibrating haptic shoes, and the Luna night-vision glasses. Martin offers valuable insight into AI’s role in assistive tech, its limitations, and why prompt engineering matters. The hosts also call out missed sales opportunities and accessibility oversights from vendors, pushing for a better customer experience at future events. Blind Ambition UK: https://www.blindambition.co.uk Be My Eyes: https://www.bemyeyes.com Meta Ray-Bans: https://www.ray-ban.com/meta Seatfrog App: https://www.seatfrog.com Episode Summary:Relevant Links Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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