Dangerous Vision with Randy Cohen

Before Pauline Dowell became legally blind in her 40s she was an artist who loved to sail. After her diagnosis, she needed time to get used to things, but she wasn't willing to let go of the things she loved.  In the latest Dangerous Vision episode, Pauline talks with Randy Cohen about her love of sailing.  From a casual sail around Boston Harbor to competitive regattas Pauline shares with Randy her decision to stay in the game.  Since she loved sailing so much she decided to make a life choice that she lives with every day.  She lives in Boston Harbor on her sailboat that she shares with her guide dog Dora.  Pauline credits the Carroll Center in Boston and Courage Sailing's Blind sailing instructions for giving her the training and confidence to set sail. Pauline inspires others to sail as well.  In 2019 she was a finalist for the Holman Prize, an international prize created to change perceptions about what blind people are capable of doing. Pauline is creating the first all woman's blind sailing team set to compete in the Newport to Bermuda Regatta. She encourages everyone who may be going through similar challenges to just go out in the world and find what’s out there! Join clubs like Boston Blind Sailing.  Make sure to challenge yourself daily and set up goals even if they are small goals like going outside or seeing a movie in a theater.    Boston Blind Sailing Courageous Sailing The Carroll Center The Hadley School   Books/ Media Discussed Maiden Voyage Tracy Edwards Story Infinite Jest David Foster Wallace Strong Motion  

What does Randy Cohen and Cyrus Habib have in common? Vision loss /blindness is top of mind. Both went to Ivy League schools--Randy went to Harvard and Cyrus to Columbia then Yale Law School.  But it is something called parliamentary debate that they bond over.   Cyrus opens up about his decision to leave politics, the pull of becoming a Jesuit Priest, and the importance of being a mentor.  Cyrus calls out his friendship with Erik Weihenmayer as being a pivotal relationship in his adult life.  Cyrus encourages us all to be a mentor to someone. New York Times: A Politician Takes a Sledgehammer to His Own Ego Reading List No Barriers By Erik Weihenmayer Far From The Tree  By Andrew Soloman Mountains Beyond Mountains By Tracy Kidder House By Tracy Kidder Soul of the New Machine  By Tracy Kidder        

Season 2 of Dangerous Vision is about work.  What we do for work,  why we do our work, and what are the barriers that keep some from working. In Episode 1 of Season 2 host Randy Cohen catches up with Peter Sagal.   To many who listen to him on  NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me he is curious and witty.  To runners, Peter Sagal's column in Runner's World offers insight into the sport and a look into how the activity shaped  Peter's adult life.  Yet running can be dangerous to those who are visually impaired or inaccessible to those living with blindness unless a guide is available. In 2013 and 2014 Peter was a guide with Team With A Vision--the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired's marathon team.  In the first episode of Season 2 host, Randy Cohen chats with Peter about how he got into guiding and why he credits it for changing the way he views running.  The Boston Marathon Virtual Experience happened between September 7-14, in this one-hour LIVESTREAM Event hosted by Peter Sagal learn more about the team past and present.  Listen to Peter Wait Wait Don't Tell Me Run with Peter Runner's World Peter Sagal Column Read Peter Peter Sagal the author Learn About Guiding  

Washington State's Lieutenant Governor, Cyrus Habib, has made a fast ascent in the world of politics, quickly climbing the rungs of political power--becoming lieutenant governor by the age of 35.   His ascent impressed people all the more because of his disability. At the age of 8, he lost his sight: A rare cancer forced the removal of both of his retinas. He attended Columbia University. He won a Rhodes scholarship. He graduated from Yale Law. “From Braille to Yale” was how he described this journey.  Last month Habib, now 38, announced that instead of being on the ballot in November for a second term as lieutenant governor, he would soon leave office to become a Roman Catholic priest. In the final episode of Season 1 of Dangerous Vision Randy and Cyrus talk about this unique career change and  current events that continue to shape our country.   To Learn More about Cyrus Habib  Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib: Why I am giving up elected office and joining the Jesuits Washington Lt. Gov. Cyrus Habib will not seek re-election in order to join the Jesuits A Politician Takes a Sledgehammer to His Own Ego              

This edition of Dangerous Vision dives deep into the science of music.  Randy's guest is Byron Walker from Stanford's CCRMA Listening Room. What changes in a musician's brain after hours and years of daily practice? How do skills that make a great violinist transfer to other abilities? Can directed neuroplasticity be used to target skill learning?  Byron's knowledge of gaming as a science as directed his passion for creating videogames that are strictly audio.  Byron calls them audio games though, given there's technically no visual component! Team See Possibilities is accepting applications for the second round of TSP Scholars.  • Up to a $5,000 scholarship • Mentorship through personal interaction with world-class professionals who are vision-impaired • Peer-to-peer connection through a private group with like-minded vision-impaired Scholars  For more information and to apply, click here http://www.teamseepossibilities.com/become-a-scholar.html

Dan Berlin is a successful entrepreneur and endurance athlete who happens to be blind.  After more than 12 years of working in large, multi-national corporations, he co-founded Rodelle, a world-leading vanilla extract company which sold to Archer-Daniels-Midland Company in 2018, and subsequently exited as CEO at age 48.  In addition to serving on several non-profit boards, he is a co-founder and President of Team See Possibilities, a non-profit organization which empowers young people with vision loss to thrive by providing scholarship and mentorship to high achieving college students who are vision impaired.  He also enjoys taking on epic endurance challenges around the world, challenging the perception of what a person with vision loss is capable of achieving.  Dan was the first blind runner to complete the 46-mile rim to rim to rim run across the Grand Canyon and back, and has subsequently run over a dozen marathons, Ironman triathlons, as well as trail-ultramarathons in South America, Africa, Asia, and New Zealand. Dan’s passion is finding and uplifting ability in himself and others.  To learn more about Team See Possibility Scholarships and how to apply click here: http://www.teamseepossibilities.com/become-a-scholar.html Or have questions for Dan email hello@teamseepossibilities.com Applications are live from March 2-April 30th 2020

Innovation comes in all shapes, sizes, and ages.  Meet Matthew Shifrin.  As a 13 year he wanted to do one simple thing--build legos from the directions lego provided. The directions are pictures of each step, pictures that are not accessible.  In this episode of Dangerous Vision host, Randy Cohen asks Matthew how he got the company to do something about this problem. Today Matthew is a college at the New England Conservatory of Music majoring in contemporary Improvision. Matthew is a countertenor and an accomplished accordion player. This is one Dangerous Vision you must listen to. For more information go to mabvi.org.  Book mentioned: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It    By Chris Voss  

As the president and chief executive officer of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Kirk Adams is a longtime champion of people who are blind or visually impaired and is committed to creating a more inclusive, accessible world for the more than 20 million Americans with vision loss. Randy Cohen jumps into the alphabet soup once again to find out how this AFB is different from NFB (National Federation of the Blind) and ACB (American Council of the Blind). Randy and Kirk talk about research, policy, and creating an app to navigate public bathrooms. What is the novel that they both are reading and love? Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi.  For more information visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/    

At the age of 45, San Fransicso architect Chris Downey lost his sight.  It was dramatic and sudden yet it didn't alter Chris's chosen profession.  In fact, Chris thinks he is a better architect because he designs with inclusion in mind.  In this episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy and Chris talk about how an architect without sight designs, he experiences the building in a much different manner, ie feeling parts of the building and hearing other parts. From loss of sight came a new perspective and the discovery of Outsights – lessons learned that form an expanded vision for architectural work, research, service, and talks. Chris's top tech go-to piece continues to be his iPhone as well as Aira.  Chris has designed  The new Lighthouse for the Blind's new building The Salesforce Transit Center Sustainability Pavilion UAE For more information visit The Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired    

Part 2 of Randy's conversation with Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck passes between basketball and blindness.  Wyc's candid conversation shares the human sides of Celtics legends Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen.  However, he shares his most touching story about his son, Campbell.  (this is at 30:20). There is much about Wyc that isn't talked about here but is worth noting.  1. The French Lick Band.   2. Wyc and his wife Emilia own a Tequila brand named Cincoro with other NBA superstars/owners including  Michael Jordan, Jeanie Buss, and Wes Edens.  3. Wyc is chair of the board for Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.    This is the second part of a two-part episode with Wyc.  For more information visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/ 

There are few men in the Boston area who have done as much for the blind community than NBA Celtics owner and philanthropist Wyc Grousbeck.  While he is a high profile owner of an NBA team it is clear from this conversation he is a devoted and loving father. In mid-November, at the PRX Podcast Garage in Boston, Dangerous Vision hosted a LIVE  conversation between host Randy Cohen and Wyc Grousbeck. Executive Director of the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired Sassy Outwater-Wright welcomed the audience mainly from the blind community by saying "there is no right way to do blind. The Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired or MABVI is here to support you where you are in your journey." She went on to say there are many voices in the blind community and this is one of the reasons why she loves the podcast, there is room for discussion and dialogue.  This is the first part of a two-part episode with Wyc.  For more information visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/ 

In the latest episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy Cohen talks with Marla Runyan,  a former world-class American track and field athlete and marathon runner who is legally blind. At age nine, she was diagnosed with Stargardts disease, a form of juvenile macular degeneration that causes progressive vision loss. Randy and Marla talk about running, determination, and reinvention.  Her running career is impressive.  Today Marla is Para Athlete Manager at the Boston Athletic Association. The B.A.A., established in 1887, is a non-profit organization with a mission of promoting a healthy lifestyle through sports, especially running, known for the Boston Marathon. For more information visit  www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision    

Randy Cohen and Fernando Albertorio have a lot in common. Both are connected to Harvard and MIT, both have an entrepreneurial spirit, and both are living with vision loss. Randy lives with retinitis pigmentosa and Fernando with albinism. Fernando talks about growing up in Puerto Rico with this condition, the valuable lessons he learned from his father, and his mother's indomitable personality. Fernando creates products that enhance people's lives, as the CEO of the Sunu Band. Designed for when you can’t easily use sight or due to a vision impairment, Sunu Band enables you to walk and travel with confidence. Sunu Band is the only smart-band that guides your way around obstacles. It uses sonar or echolocation to detect objects up to 16 feet or 5.5 meters away. For more information visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/

In this episode of Dangerous Vision Randy Cohen talks with Alison Lynch. Alison may not be your typical Millennial but she is the first Millennial Randy has spoken with. She drives her more than avocado toast? Lets start with the law, running, and the bonus of living in New York as a person who is legally blind. Alison has Achromatopsia i--this s a condition characterized by partial or total absence of color vision. For more information on Alison and achromatopsia visit https://www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/

Jason Romero has earned his nickname "Relentless Romero." He is a lawyer, a Fortune 500 business Executive, and a runner. In fact, running has launched his current profession as a motivational speaker. In the 14th episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy and Jason talk about living with retinitis pigments and sight loss, and Jason shares how he has turned certain challenges into wonderful opportunities. His epic run across America is a lesson in perseverance and true grit. For more information on this episode visit www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/ For information on Jason visit www.relentlessromero.com/

In the 13th episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy Cohen talks with Sara Minkara, founder and CEO of Empowerment Through Integration (ETI), a nonprofit committed to developing a more inclusive society. Sara has a long list of accomplishments, including being named a Forbes Magazine "30 Under 30". Sara and Randy talk about education, their mutual love of math, and the camp Sara created in Lebanon-- a summer camp for both blind and sighted children.

One is a professor at a large east-coast university and the other is a professor at a large west-coast university. Harvard meets the University of California Berkeley| HBS meets UC Berkeley| Randy meets Georgina. In episode 12 of Dangerous Vision the Podcast host Randy Cohen chats up Georgina Kleege of the English Department. Their fields of study couldn't be any different (Math vs English) yet being a part of the blindness community quickly forges a fast friendship. Georgina shares her personal rants and resentments towards Helen Keller; "'Blind Rage: Letters to Helen Keller '(2006) transcends the boundaries between fiction and nonfiction to re-imagine the life and legacy of this celebrated disability icon. For more information on Ms. Kleege and Dangerous Vision please visit https://www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/

There are over 700,000 podcasts to choose from on a regular basis. To many in the blindness community, Nancy and Peter Torpey are familiar as the hosts of Eyes on Success. This podcast has been regular listening since 2011. Meanwhile Jenine Stanley, the host of "AIRA-cast" is more of a newbie, but has dreamed of hosting a podcast for years. In this episode of Dangerous Vision, Randy gets valuable podcast advice. Nancy Torpey sums it up by saying "it is a whole lot of work." For more information on Dangerous Vision go to https://www.mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/

In part two of Randy Cohen's conversation with Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind, the focus is on education. The idea of education as the major civil rights issue for many in the blind community. The education of blind students should be a continuum of educational services. Schools should be prepared to give the same educational services for all students, sighted and blind. For more information to go mabvi.org/resources/dangerous-vision/

This week's Dangerous Vision is part one of a two-part conversation with Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. As President Mark leads the nation's oldest and largest blindness consumer organization. Part watchdog and part entrepreneur, Mark shares with Randy Cohen how growing up in Milwaukee Wisconsin shaped his sense of community and social justice. For more information visiotn www.mabvi.org