Judy’s League and the Battle to Save Section 504
White Canes Connect
In this episode of White Canes Connect, host David Goldstein speaks with Kaleigh Brendle, founder and president of Judy’s League and a recent graduate of Villanova University preparing to begin law school. Kaleigh is a passionate disability rights advocate dedicated to protecting the civil rights of disabled Americans through education, outreach, and grassroots organizing. Kaleigh joins the show to discuss Judy’s League, a cross-disability advocacy organization she founded in response to legal challenges threatening Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973—one of the...
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Raise Your Rackets: Sound of Tennis Comes to Philly!
White Canes Connect
For over a decade, blind and visually impaired people throughout New York City have had the opportunity to play the game of tennis. Launched in 2015 and presented by Court 16, Sound of Tennis offers once-per-week sessions, enabling blind and visually impaired people to learn, practice, and play full games of tennis through sound. Now, in 2026, Sound of Tennis partnered with a Court 16 location in Philadelphia, offering the same opportunity for Philadelphia residents as well! Join Simon Bonenfant, on this inaugural episode of his new series entitled Simon’s Studio, as he takes you...
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$10,000, National Convention, and a Path to Leadership
White Canes Connect
In this episode of White Canes Connect, David Goldstein sits down with Noor Krraisat, a national scholarship finalist and President of the Pennsylvania Association of Blind Students. Noor shares her journey as a blind college student, future law school applicant, and emerging leader within the National Federation of the Blind. Noor walks us through the entire National Federation of the Blind scholarship experience—from applying and getting the call, to traveling independently to National Convention and navigating a packed, high-stakes week as a finalist. With the scholarship now valued at...
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Respect, Belief, and Action: David DeNotaris
White Canes Connect
In episode 148 of White Canes Connect, we share the powerful General Sessions remarks of David DeNotaris from the 2025 National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania State Convention in Harrisburg. Speaking from a lifetime of experience, David reflects on growing up with Braille, discovering the Federation, and the profound influence of Dr. Kenneth Jernigan on his understanding of blindness and self-respect. Through humor and deeply personal stories, he explores what it truly means to believe that it is respectable to be blind—and how that belief unlocks confidence in using Braille,...
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Believe and Build: President Riccobono’s Message to Pennsylvania
White Canes Connect
White Canes Connect episode 147 features a powerful address from National Federation of the Blind President Mark Riccobono, delivered to the NFB of Pennsylvania State Convention in Harrisburg. Reflecting on the eve of the organization’s 85th anniversary, President Riccobono shares his personal journey of discovering the Federation in 1996 and how the community transformed his understanding of blindness, leadership, and collective action. He highlights landmark achievements driven by blind-led advocacy—from advancing Braille literacy and accessible technology to expanding opportunity...
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Anil Lewis Keynote Address at PA State Convention
White Canes Connect
In this episode of White Canes Connect, we share the 2025 NFB of Pennsylvania State Convention banquet keynote delivered by National Federation of the Blind Executive Director of Blindness Initiatives, Anil Lewis. With humor, honesty, and warmth, Anil traces his journey from sudden blindness and early misconceptions about rehabilitation to discovering the Federation’s philosophy of high expectations, love, and accountability. He reflects on Dr. Marc Maurer’s mentorship, his leadership in Georgia, work on accessible voting and ending subminimum wages under Section 14(c), and the...
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InnoSearch.ai: Redefining Accessible Online Shopping
White Canes Connect
In Episode 145 of White Canes Connect, Lisa Bryant and David Goldstein welcome Patrick Long and Bryan Vuong, co-founders of InnoSearch.ai, a groundbreaking platform making online shopping accessible for blind and low-vision users. They built InnoSearch to serve as an accessibility layer—streamlined, screen-reader friendly, and simple to use. Beyond shopping, InnoSearch now offers flight booking and is expanding into food and grocery delivery. Users can shop online or by calling 1-855-746-7478 (1-855-SHOP-GPT), making the service accessible even without internet. The founders also...
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A Statewide Beacon: How LAMP Levels the Playing Field
White Canes Connect
In episode 144 of White Canes Connect, Lisa Bryant and David Goldstein welcome an incredible team from the Library of Accessible Media for Pennsylvanians (LAMP) in Pittsburgh. Joining us are Mark Lee, Library Administrator; Mary Beth Parks, Patron Services Manager; Laura Hughes, Youth Services Librarian; and Jeff Wright, Manager of Technology and Materials Fulfillment. The LAMP team shares how their mission to make reading and media accessible has grown stronger, culminating in their recognition as the Library of Congress Network Library of the Year—an honor they’ve now received three...
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Envision Ally Solos Smartglasses Unveiled
White Canes Connect
In episode 143 of White Canes Connect, hosts Lisa Bryant and David Goldstein welcome back Karthik Kannan, co-founder and CTO of Envision, for an exciting update on accessible technology. Karthik last joined the podcast four years ago to discuss Envision Glasses, then partnered with Google. Today, he returns to introduce the brand-new Ally Solos, a next-generation wearable that pushes accessibility to new heights. Karthik explains how Ally Solos builds upon the original concept of AI-powered glasses by combining sleek design, advanced performance, and affordability. Unlike many mainstream...
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Reflections from the NFB National Convention in New Orleans
White Canes Connect
In episode 142 of White Canes Connect, Lisa Bryant takes the lead to interview co-host David Goldstein and NFB of PA President Lynn Heitz about our experiences at the 2025 NFB National Convention in New Orleans. We share highlights from Pennsylvania’s strong showing — 56 attendees, 10 first-timers, four national scholarship finalists, and a Jernigan Leadership graduate. Lynn and David reflect on the energy of the general sessions, memorable speeches, and some lively debates during resolutions. We also talk about the bustling — and slightly oddly laid-out — exhibit hall, where...
info_outlineIn this episode of White Canes Connect, we talk with Yvonne Hughes who has been visually impaired for nearly 40 years, but just attended her first National Federation of the Blind of Pennsylvania State Convention. Yvonne, who is from Philadelphia, also talks about her community activism for people with all disabilities.
Show notes at https://www.whitecanesconnect.com/014