Best of 2025: Tips, Guests and Topics

Hadley

Best of 2025: Tips, Guests and Topics

Presented by Ricky Enger

Ricky Enger: Whether you’re looking for practical tips or motivation and encouragement, our guests give info that can help. In this episode, we share clips from our most popular episodes of 2025. I’m Ricky Enger, and this is Hadley Presents.

If you’re new to this show, or you’ve been listening for a while now, you might be surprised at the range of topics we discuss here. Hadley Presents is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. With this episode, we will revisit some of the conversations we’ve had over the last 12 months. It’s a really great blend of some very practical solutions to things you might be trying to figure out in your daily life with vision loss, and also we touch on things you might be feeling, navigating through some of these complex emotions you might have.

And what better place to begin than with some tips on cooking. Let’s first hear from Don and Dia with some encouragement on how to get started.

Dia: Well, I would say just give it a try and start slow. That's a huge part of this, to start out slow. Use your microwave for some of the things and then use your toaster oven or use your oven, whatever you're more comfortable doing. You can use your crockpots; you can use all of your gadgets. I would say to people that are scared to start just to start slow. And if you have a helper, that will also give you more confidence to point out things and to show you things that would make it easier for you to be confident about cooking.

Ricky Enger: That's great. And Don, what about you?

Don: Well, you start out slow and you say, what can I do? How can I work? And if it doesn't work, is there a way I can make it work? How can I do this differently so that I can do this safely? You just have to think about it. It's not just thinking outside the box, it's also thinking inside the box. What do you have available for you? All the stuff that I have except for the two talking elements, I already had and I have been using since I was 17 years old.

But yeah, you just think about it and don't get frustrated. If you get frustrated with it, just stop and say, okay, let me try something different. Sure, it's a little sloppy, but it still tastes good.

Ricky Enger: Awesome! And now, how about some practical tips for making your kitchen experience less stressful.

Don: My two main pots are an enamel coated, cast iron, 12-inch skillet and a 10-inch five-quart Dutch oven. And what's great about those is first you don't get heat coming up the sides. The top parts where the handles are don't really get that hot because of the way the induction range works. In the beginning I could see the inside because it was white, so that really helped out. But I can also stir with one hand and pour with another hand, and it's not going to spin around. They're heavy, but that's what I use mainly for my cooking, I don't get burned.

But I only cook one thing at a time. Because if I make more than one thing at a time, then when I put something down, I'll go to do something else and I'll have no clue what that item was that I just put down on the table.

And I cook everything like it’s a stir fry. So, everything that I'm going to add to something is already put into a bowl, measured out because I measure everything. I don't use measuring cups. I use weight on everything except for measuring spoons for spices and stuff. But everything else is done by weight. So, I have all that stuff lined up, finger bowls and bigger bowls and it's all in a line. When I start going, I just put all that in there and I don't stop and grab something off the shelf because again, you're trying to do that, and you've got something cooking. So, I don't know, it's just like a robot.

Ricky Enger: I love how everyone has different approaches to this. One tip that Don just gave is to have everything ready to go before you even start. And that way you're not frantically hunting around in your kitchen to try and find something. Dia, what about for you? What would your tips be that have really helped you the most in terms of figuring out how to stay relaxed, have fun, and get what you need to get done in the kitchen?

Dia: As Don said, I also put everything out on the counter as I know what I need. All my spices, all my refrigerated items, and I keep those on the counter and then I add those. So that's one of the things, I line up everything. So, my three items that I absolutely love, love, love are I have a lot of countertop lights that I work with. I have a gooseneck light that is mobile, and I can point that over the pot on top of the stove, so it helps me to judge. If I'm making soup, I know how much liquid or oil that comes to the surface that I have to skim off. My lights are my life. I adore them. I have at least 10 lights around the counter right now, and they're always on during the day. They help me to see where I'm walking and also especially when I'm cooking.

So that's the one thing. The second thing is I use my hand a lot. I feel what's on the counter. I use my hand for measuring, and that's something that my mother did. I never did that when I had vision, and now I'm using that again. And that's really interesting that it's kind of a full circle thing. And then my third thing is I have an electric stove, which I'm not fond of, and I keep the electric burners on low, and then I slowly turn them a little higher and I stand over the item that I'm cooking. I don't walk away and it's pretty boring, but I have to do that. I have to slow down and learn that I can't walk away like I used to. Somebody told me this, which is quite interesting. If you lose your sight or you lose any of your senses, your other senses kick in.

So, my hearing kicks in and my taste kicks in a great deal more than they did before when I had vision. So that's usually what works for me. As I said about the lighting, that’s so, so important. And then one of the most important things that I am finding is to take inventory in your cabinets instead of buying another olive oil container, look in the cabinet, you probably have one or look in the cabinet, you probably have garlic powder. I have four garlic powders right now, and I keep buying them because I didn't know that I had them because I can't see them. So that's kind of another little tip.

Ricky Enger: You know, one of the things we hear a lot from listeners is that they feel like it’s harder to leave the house. There are new logistics to consider, plus it can feel overwhelming because there are lots of unknowns. We were delighted to have James Ashworth who’s Vice President of Customer Care at Southwest Airlines as well as a low vision traveler himself, and James talks through some of those unknowns with air travel. First, let’s hear some tips for when you get to the airport.

James Ashworth: Because every airport operates somewhat independently, but most airline employees, obviously Southwest for sure, and then the airlines that I've known, will help you navigate getting in and out of the airport. But basically what you do is let them know if you have accessibility needs, so the personnel at the airline will be aware of what your accessibility is. Then, they would know when James Ashworth walks up and checks in, they can look at the PNR and know, hey, there's an accessibility need. They can ask you what services you might need or what help you might need getting around the airport.

Ricky Enger: That's great. We talked about getting to the airport and to your plane and such, and presumably you're traveling with some kind of bag, maybe it's a carry-on, or maybe you’ve checked baggage. Do you have any thoughts whether they are technical in nature or not about how people can find their bag once it's time to grab it?

James Ashworth: Yeah, this is where you can get really creative. You can use tactile markers on your particular bag. If you check a bag, depending on your level of vision, you can use a color striping. I've seen that done before. Those are what I'd call non-technical if you will. And then there are some more advanced things that you can do like AirTags. Recently I've talked to individuals, and I have an AirTag inside my bag if I have to check it, but AirTags are easy to help you locate. And there's other pieces of technology that you could stick in your bag that you can use apps on your phone to send an audible alert inside your bag to help you locate it.

James Ashworth: I think anyone who's nervous or has trepidation, I would encourage you to maybe the first time you travel, maybe travel with somebody. If you're like me and there are airports that you frequent, I can assure you that you will have more confidence. The more you go in and out of a particular airport you'll just get familiar with the airport layout. You'll get familiar with the concessions, and when things are different, you'll recognize it, you'll be able to ask. I think that builds confidence, and so I would absolutely encourage your listeners to just try it, give it a try.

Ricky Enger: I agree, James. If this is something you want to do, jump in and do it. Of course, that’s easier said than done, and it’s not always because you’re nervous or hesitant. Sometimes it’s about not feeling motivated, not caring about doing those things, even if it might be something you used to be really enthusiastic about. It turns out those feelings can be really common after a major life change, like vision loss. We had a fantastic conversation with ophthalmologist Dr. John Sheppard about this. You might not even realize you have depression, and if you do, the method of addressing that depression might be a lot different than you think. Let’s take a listen.

Ricky Enger: Are there things that people can do when that depression is definitely related directly to this vision loss that they've got?

Dr. John Shepherd: You bet. So, if you are discussing this with your primary care doctor, they do have different options available to them. Certainly, there are a number of different medications that can medically treat depression. The primary care Dr. may refer you to a counseling professional, a mental health professional who basically can administer different therapies. One example is something called cognitive behavioral therapy, and these can be very helpful to address the depression. I would say though and this is so relevant, if the irreversible vision loss is a big part of the cause of depression, then low vision rehabilitation services have been studied in regard to treating depression and have been shown to be extremely helpful. Now, what are low vision rehabilitation services? To give you an example, I'm a low vision rehabilitation specialist. So, I'm a board-certified ophthalmologist.

You typically go to the eye doctor to manage your eye disease and prescribe glasses. So that's not the work that I do. I actually manage the impairment caused by the vision loss. So, when a patient comes to my office, there is about a two hour initial visit. During that time, we're doing a lot of things. First of all, we're doing an extensive functional history to understand what areas of daily living the individual is having challenges because of the irreversible vision loss. We then look at how they're adjusting and adapting to the vision loss. And that's where I will always administer a depression scale test. So, I can talk directly to the patient in my exam chair; if there is a reason that they need to see someone else, like the primary care doctor to address that, we can have a compassionate discussion about that.

I will do a test to evaluate the quantity and quality of the patient's remaining vision. So, it helps me to know what they have to work with. And then we work with the wealth of resources that are available to the patient. So this can be adaptive equipment, magnifying tools, telescopic lenses to electronic magnifiers, head borne video eyewear, working with computers and smartphones, addressing the challenges and seeing what types of adjustments can help people to move forward and do the best that they can with the vision that they have. So, in my office, I'll develop a rehabilitation plan, and I have occupational therapists that work alongside me that can implement the plan. And they do that in the patient's home, and they do it in the office where they're working with adaptive equipment with the patients in the areas of daily living in which they're struggling.

They can suggest modifications that can be made in the environment in their home to help them to live as safely as they can. We also will discuss other services available in the community and online resources such as Hadley, wonderful online resources. And that way you can become familiarized with all the things that can equip you to deal with these challenges as best as you can. Those types of services can make a dent on depression. So, you may need medical treatment, you may need counseling, but being aware of the resources and managing the challenges caused by irreversible vision loss certainly goes at the core of why depression with irreversible vision loss occurs. And so, it's a wonderful treatment, if you will.

Ricky Enger: I really like how Dr. Sheppard frames this. You know, addressing some of those practical challenges that are keeping you from doing what you want to do can be such a relief, and can leave you feeling a lot more hopeful about doing the things you used to really enjoy. A big part of that is about finding the right tools that are going to work for you, so that’s something that comes up a lot on Hadley Presents. We like to introduce people to new tools, and we like to explore some things that have been around for a while but that people just may not know about. Sam Seavey from the Blind Life YouTube channel always has such great info on this kind of thing, whether it’s a high-tech gadget or something simpler. So, we asked him to share some of his favorite tools with us.

Sam Seavey:  At the nonprofit where I work, is usually people losing vision later in life due to some reason. And so, they're brand new to this, they have no idea about it. They don't know how to navigate those waters, and a lot of them, they don't necessarily want to dive fully into this world, and they don't have these grand goals of, I'm going to be a tech wizard and know everything. They just want some solutions for everyday life.

Ricky Enger: That's exactly right.

Sam Seavey: And so, I love to focus on those types of things. And one thing I, especially for people with low vision, one thing I recommend quite often is the old school tried and true monocular. It's one of the first tools that you're introduced to when you start to lose vision and can be very helpful for a wide variety of things. And a monocular, if anybody's curious, is just one half of a pair of binoculars. You take one of them like a telescope and shrink it down to something handheld, something portable, and you've got a monocular. But they're super versatile. They can be used for distance viewing. They could be used for near viewing. I know a lot of people that will use them to see their computer screens to read with, to watch television. It's just a wide variety of things that they could be useful for.

And oftentimes you can even get them on a lanyard, wear them around your neck. They're very low key. They just fit in the palm of your hands. So, if you're concerned about being out in public using some type of big, bulky attention drawing device, you don't have to worry about that with a monocular.

Ricky Enger: We do have a tendency to talk a lot about smartphones a lot on this show, but we know they can be intimidating. Let’s hear Sam’s take on that.

Do you have some thoughts for things that have been made a little bit easier for you when it comes to technology that might actually be motivators for people?

Sam Seavey: I run into this all the time. I'm sure you guys do as well, especially working with, like I said, people that maybe aren't tech savvy. They're new to all of this and we're trying to stress to them how helpful this would be if we just dedicate some time to it, it's going to be incredibly helpful for you. But I always like to point out that it can be overwhelming, especially when you're like, okay, we're jumping on the computer and we're going to learn this, or we're learning the smartphone. And then you start to say, oh, it can do this, and it can do that. Here's where it can help you, and it can be overwhelming for this new user. So, I always like to stress, okay, baby steps. You don't have to learn all of this right now. I do this a lot whenever I'm teaching mobile screen readers.

One of the things I work on a lot with clients is learning a mobile screen reader like Voiceover, Talkback, and I say it can do a lot of things. There's a lot of gestures, two finger, three finger, four finger zigzag swiping, double tapping, triple tapping, all of this stuff. But you don't need to know 99% of that. I've been using it for years. I'm an expert on all these things and I don't even use 99% of that stuff. Let's focus on the foundational skills, the fundamentals here, these three gestures, that's 95% of what you're going to need, these three gestures. So, let's just take baby steps. Let's take it slowly and just focus on this right now, and then we can build on the other stuff later. But I think that helps a lot of people. It helps to calm the anxiety and put it a little bit into perspective.

Quite often I work with clients and they say, “Well, I just want to be able to delete emails.” I’m like, okay, yeah, I get that, but I'm going to teach you these gestures first because then you'll be able to delete those emails, but you'll also be able to go on Facebook. You'll also be able to check your voicemail. It opens up a whole other world of possibilities as soon as we just learn these couple of little gestures.

Ricky Enger: Thank you, Sam. You’re so right about that. Now, because we’re talking technology, we pretty much have to talk about AI. It’s a topic that comes up again and again, and people want to know about it, but not just the hype. Is it actually a useful thing, particularly when it comes to vision loss. Eric Boklage from Second Sense in Chicago along with Steve Kelley from Hadley joined us earlier this year and we had a great conversation where we drilled down and showed specific scenarios and specific AI tools that might work best in those scenarios. Here’s just a sample of that conversation.: So, here's something I struggle with, and this is probably one that I will ask family members more often than anything else. What is this mystery box in the pantry or the mystery bottle in the fridge. Is there a good way that the two of you have for doing this using maybe one of these tech tools?

Eric Boklage: I do and it's actually a two-part answer. So, a lot of those products have either barcodes or QR codes on them that you can use the product identifier in Seeing AI. And it will read that, and if it can't read it, it'll tell you that it can't read it. At that point you can just switch channels and use the read function, and it will read whatever is on that particular container or box.

Ricky Enger: That's right. And Seeing AI wins again because this is what I do when I feel like I have a little more than 10 seconds because sometimes it is a challenge to find that barcode or to read the text on that round can. And this again goes back to efficiency. Do you opt to do this with AI or optical character recognition or what have you? Or do I involve a human? Now the one thing that I do is Meta glasses and this is something they're surprisingly good at for a tool that was not built for this purpose. It will use a combination of looking, maybe it glimpses a part of the logo, and it glimpses a bit of the text, and it will put that together to make a pretty good guess of what this product is that you're holding. So that would be just saying, Hey Meta what's in front of me or what product am I holding? And the fact that it's hands-free makes that a really nice option as well.

Steve Kelley: You know, over the years I've used a number of different code readers and like you Ricky, I think I found them challenging in the sense that you have to spin it around a couple of times. You've got to be able to at least have a general idea where the code is and they've gotten much faster, again, the usefulness of that has been particularly good with that. And like Eric was saying, just with the read function you catch a couple words and boom, you know, it's a can of soup and it's tomato soup.

Ricky Enger: How do people think in general about which tool to choose? Are there, are there criteria that you can mention that might help in that decision making process?

Eric Boklage: So, I, I think one of the key things is that it's user dependent. Each person's vision loss is their own and, and how they need support and assistance is different from the next person. And, and that's not just a function of do they still have residual vision or not, but all sorts of varieties in that. Right? So, what I recommend to my clients is that they use each of these in different environments so that they can see how well they work for them and then use that experience of their own to help define which tool they're going to use in what scenario. Because sometimes people find one interface easier to work than the other one or they may find that their day-to-day usage needs require something different from the other one. I have them explore each of these when they can and make a decision from there.

Steve Kelley: Yeah, I was just going to say, Eric, I think you're so right that it’s a person dependent because there are a lot of tools out there and we're all different. So, these tools are going to work differently for different people and the thing to do is to figure out which one works best for you. And the last thing I would add is as I was looking over the list and thinking back through how I've done things in the past, I just realized that, as somebody who had pretty decent vision for quite a while, there's a certain amount of this that really touched my self-esteem. I was really reluctant sometimes to try some of this stuff, the handheld magnifier or some of the smartphone stuff out in public around people at a cash register or whatever. And I just realized today, just like that I'll say, “Oh, I don't see well. Can you read that to me? Can you prompt me or give me some guidance or something like that?” And that’s so dramatically different than what it was 15 or 20 years ago. Again, what you were both saying, it's like, relax, take a breath, we all do these things in different ways and it's okay. Just figure out your own way and don't let it steal your self-esteem. That's the other important thing.

Ricky Enger: I love it when that happens. We start out talking about something very practical, how to choose the right tech tool, and we do get great info on that. But also, we get to dive into some of those things you might be feeling about having to use a tool, having to do things differently than you’re used to. And those are the conversations we’ll continue to have on this show, and if there’s a topic we haven’t explored yet and you really wish we would, let us know that. We have contact info at the end of this episode, and of course we’ll have links to the full episodes from the clips we’ve shared today. You can find all that in our show notes, if you want to check out the episodes. And of course, each of those episodes has their own show notes so it’s a lot to dive into but I hope you have fun with it. Thanks again to our fantastic guests, and as always, thank you all so much for listening.

Got something to say. Share your thoughts about this episode of Hadley Presents or make suggestions for future episodes. We'd love to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected]. That's P-O-D-C-A-S-T at HadleyHelps.org or leave us a message at 847-784-2870. Thanks for listening.