Double Tap

Unbox and set up the new Google Home Smart Speaker with Scott Rutkowski, explore its accessibility features, and hear Kristi Ardell’s inspiring mission to bring white canes and Braille tools to blind children in Eswatini, Africa.

In this episode of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece welcome listener Scott Rutkowski from Australia as he performs a full unboxing and first-time setup of the brand-new Google Home Smart Speaker powered by Gemini AI. Scott walks through the packaging, physical design, and accessibility setup process, including the challenges of scanning QR codes and enabling voice features. He also tests out Google Home Premium, Gemini’s conversational mode, and shares tips for blind users on controlling audio and touch gestures.

Later, Kristi Ardell joins the conversation to discuss her upcoming journey to Eswatini to support St. Joseph’s School for the Blind. She shares her inspiring goal to donate white canes, Braille slates, and a refurbished Perkins Brailler to children who currently rely on tree branches and broken pipes as canes. Kristi also reveals details of her inclusive African safari adventure with Seeable Holidays and how the blind travel experience connects communities worldwide.

Support Christy’s mission to deliver white canes and Braille tools to children in Eswatini by contacting her at: going2eswatini@gmail.com.

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover how blind and visually impaired users can harness AI tools like Claude to build accessible solutions, enhance independence, and master screen reader fundamentals—guided by Tony Gebhard’s No Sight Required.

Tony Gebhard joins Steven Scott and Shaun Preece to discuss his new book, No Sight Required: A Blind User’s Guide to AI. Written from a first-hand perspective, the book tackles the lack of consolidated resources for blind users exploring artificial intelligence. Tony explains why screen reader fundamentals are essential before diving into AI projects and shares how tools like Claude and Codex can help create custom solutions, from NVDA training modules to accessible web tools.

The conversation covers:

Why learning core navigation and assistive technology basics is crucial.

How AI can act as a personal assistant, editor, and creative partner.

Balancing accessibility, practicality, and patience when experimenting with LLMs.

Creating solutions that empower blind users to solve problems independently.

Tony also opens up about the writing process, using AI for editing and production, managing community expectations, and the importance of feedback for future editions.

Relevant Links

NVDA: https://www.nvaccess.org

Email Tony for ePub: info@tonygebhard.me

Key Quotes

“Claude is smart—but you are the programme director. The AI is your worker; you give it the assignment.” — Tony Gebhard

“We finally have the tools to build our own solutions. Let’s go fill the gaps ourselves.” — Tony Gebhard

Hashtags

#AccessibleTech #ScreenReaders #AIForGood

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover Quill, a fully accessible, AI-powered text editor designed for blind and low vision users. Learn how Quill simplifies text editing, integrates AI tools, and empowers productivity with free, feature-rich functionality.

In this episode, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece speak with Jeff Bishop about Quill, his new free text editor built with accessibility at its core. Quill bridges the gap between simple editors like Notepad and complex environments such as Visual Studio Code, providing a highly customisable experience that “meets users where they are.”

Jeff shares how Quill supports HTML, Markdown, text expansion, dictation, voice commands, background file conversions, and deep AI integration with providers like OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini. Profiles allow users to hide advanced features for a clean, beginner-friendly interface or unlock powerful developer tools.

Quill is open-source, cross-platform, and community-driven, proving how accessible technology can be transformative when designed by and for blind users.

Relevant Links

Quill For All: https://quillforall.org

Bits: https://bits-acb.org

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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover Speaking Access, a powerful voice-control tool for Windows and NVDA that transforms how blind and low-vision users navigate computers. Learn how voice commands can replace hundreds of shortcuts, make typing easier, and improve accessibility without relying on cloud-based AI.

Steven Scott and Shaun Preece chat with Canadian developer Christopher Mutch about his innovative software, Speaking Access. The app lets users control Windows and NVDA entirely through voice commands, eliminating the need to memorise 350+ keyboard shortcuts. Designed with blind users in mind, it also supports low-vision users by integrating with the Windows magnifier and offering voice-driven menu navigation, dictation, proofreading, and selection commands.

The conversation dives into why local voice processing matters for privacy, how the software bridges the gap for new screen reader users, and the future of accessible computing without the steep learning curve. Christopher also teases a new local Whisper AI dictation tool for fast, accurate transcription.

Relevant Links

Speaking Access: https://www.speakingaccess.com

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple
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RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast
iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart
About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Discover how blind tech enthusiasts are harnessing AI tools, accessible apps, and community-built projects to take control of their digital lives. From AI songwriting to coding accessible software, this episode of Double Tap is packed with tools, tips, and inspiration.

Steven Scott and Shaun Preece dive into a lively conversation about the exciting world of accessible tech powered by AI. Steven unboxes a surprise goodie bag from Perkins, including the Perkins Bloom for smart Braille support. The duo explore how AI tools like Claude and ChatGPT are revolutionising accessibility — from creating apps in bed to managing previously inaccessible systems.

They highlight community-driven projects like Quill (a powerful accessible text editor) and Clipman (a Windows clipboard manager). Plus, they share early impressions of QuickMail, an accessible email client, and the new book No Site Required by Tony Gebhard — a must-read for anyone wanting to navigate AI tools and websites with a screen reader. Guest contributor Robin Christopherson even joins to demo his zombie-inspired audio game Dead Zone and praise Clipman.

Relevant Links

No Sight Required: https://nosightrequired.com

Quill by Jeff Bishop: https://quillforall.org

Clipman by Andre Louis: https://github.com/OnjLouis/Clipman/tree/main

Dead Zone by Robin Christopherson: https://robin1844.github.io/dead-zone

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Subscribe to the Podcast:
Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple
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About Double Tap
Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited.
"Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.