Hadley Presents: A Conversation with the Experts

Episode: Best of 2025: Tips, Guests and Topics
Date: January 15, 2026
Host: Ricky Enger

Episode Overview

In this "Best of 2025" episode, host Ricky Enger presents highlights from the most popular Hadley Presents episodes of the past year. The show focuses on practical solutions and emotional support for those with vision loss, featuring expert guests sharing their best tips, experiences, and encouragement. Listeners get a broad sampling: from practical daily living hacks (like safe cooking and air travel) to embracing new technologies (including both tried-and-true tools and the latest AI), and candid discussions about navigating emotions and mental health in the vision loss journey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cooking with Confidence and Safety

Guests: Dawn and Dia
Timestamps: 01:13 – 07:28

• Start Slow & Build Confidence
  • “Just give it a try and start slow. That’s a huge part of this. Use your microwave… use your gadgets. If you have a helper, that will give you more confidence.” (Dia, 01:13)
  • “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.” (Don, 02:00)
• Organizing the Workspace
  • Don lines up ingredients in bowls, uses heavy cookware for stability, and cooks “one thing at a time” to avoid losing track of items. (03:00)
• Lighting and Sensory Adaptations
  • “My lights are my life. I adore them. I have at least 10 lights around the counter right now… They help me to see where I'm walking and also, especially when I'm cooking.” (Dia, 04:45)
  • Dia highlights the importance of tactile feedback, measuring by hand, and managing stove heat by keeping things slow and attentive.
• Inventory & Redundancy
  • “Look in the cabinet. You probably have garlic powder. I have like 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.” (Dia, 07:14)

2. Air Travel Made Less Stressful

Guest: James Ashworth, Vice President of Customer Care, Southwest Airlines
Timestamps: 08:06 – 10:32

• Requesting Support
  • “Let them know if you have accessibility needs. The personnel at the airline will be aware… and they can ask you what services you might need getting around the airport.” (James, 08:06)
• Locating Luggage
  • Suggests tactile markers, color striping, or using modern tech like Apple AirTags for bag identification (09:07)
• Building Confidence
  • “I would absolutely encourage your listeners to just try it, give it a try.” (James, 09:33)
  • Recommends traveling with someone at first and building familiarity with specific airports. Confidence grows with experience.

3. Addressing Motivation and Emotional Well-being

Guest: Dr. John Shepherd, Low Vision Rehabilitation Specialist
Timestamps: 11:33 – 15:37

• Recognizing and Addressing Depression
  • Dr. Shepherd outlines the medical and therapeutic options, including counseling and medications.
• Low Vision Rehabilitation as Emotional Support
  • “Low vision rehabilitation services… have been shown to be extremely helpful [for depression].” (Dr. Shepherd, 12:02)
  • Explains his holistic exam process: understanding functional challenges, evaluating vision, and building a tailored rehabilitation plan (12:40–13:30).
• On Resources and Hope
  • “Being aware of the resources and managing the challenges caused by irreversible vision loss certainly goes at the core of why depression… occurs.” (Dr. Shepherd, 15:30)

4. Everyday Tools and Practical Technology

Guest: Sam Seavey, The Blind Life YouTube Channel
Timestamps: 16:31 – 20:43

• Simple, Essential Tools
  • Introduces the monocular:
    “It’s just one half of a pair of binoculars… super versatile… can be used for distance viewing, near viewing… fit in the palm of your hand… low key.” (Sam, 17:05)
• Smartphones and Overcoming Intimidation
  • “I always like to stress… baby steps, you don’t have to learn all of this right now.… These three gestures, that’s 95% of what you’re going to need.” (Sam, 18:42–19:20)
  • The focus should be on foundational skills; even experts don’t use every gesture or feature.
  • “Quite often working with clients, they say, ‘Well, I just want to delete emails.’… But these gestures… open up a whole other world of possibilities.” (Sam, 19:55)

5. AI, Product ID, and Personal Preferences

Guests: Eric Bokledge (Second Sense), Steve Kelly (Hadley), Ricky Enger (Host)
Timestamps: 21:54 – 26:45

• AI Tools for Product Identification
  • Seeing AI for barcodes/QR codes:
    “You can use the product identifier in Seeing AI… If it can’t read it, you can switch to the read function.” (Eric, 21:54)
  • Meta Glasses for object recognition—hands free and contextually helpful (Ricky, 22:27)
  • Realistic acknowledgment of frustrations with code readers and the importance of fallback options. (Steve, 23:42)
• Choosing Tools to Match Your Needs
  • “It’s user dependent. Each person's vision loss is their own… What I recommend to my clients is that they use each of these in different environments…” (Eric, 24:27)
  • Steve highlights the importance of self-acceptance and overcoming reluctance:
    “There’s a certain amount of this that really touched my self esteem… You know, just like that, I’ll just say, oh, you know, I don't see well, can you read that to me?” (Steve, 25:21)
  • Conclusion: Try different options and accept your personal approach. “Relax, take a breath… it’s okay… don't let it steal your self esteem.” (Steve, 26:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Cooking:
  • “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.” – Don (02:00)
  • “My lights are my life. I adore them.” – Dia (04:45)
• On Air Travel:
  • “Anyone who’s nervous or has trepidation, I would encourage you to… maybe travel with somebody [at first]. …You will have more confidence the more you go in and out of a particular airport.” – James Ashworth (09:33)
• On Tech Learning:
  • “These three gestures, that’s 95% of what you're going to need… Baby steps, let’s take it slowly.” – Sam Seavey (19:10)
• On Acceptance:
  • “I was really reluctant sometimes to try… the handheld magnifier or some of the other, even some of the smartphone stuff out in public… it’s okay, you know, just figure out your, your own way.” – Steve Kelly (25:21)
• On Managing Well-being:
  • “Being aware of the resources and managing the challenges caused by irreversible vision loss certainly goes at the core of why depression… occurs.” – Dr. John Shepherd (15:30)

Important Timestamps

• Intro & Episode Overview: 00:00–01:13
• Cooking with Vision Loss (Dawn & Dia): 01:13–07:28
• Traveling with Vision Loss (James Ashworth): 08:06–10:32
• Mental Health after Vision Loss (Dr. John Shepherd): 11:33–15:37
• Useful Tools & Tech (Sam Seavey): 16:31–20:43
• AI/Product Identification (Eric Bokledge & Steve Kelly): 21:54–26:45

Conclusion

This "Best of 2025" episode is a rich, reassuring guide for living well with vision loss—packed with practical tips, empowering stories, and frank discussions about emotional health. The show affirms the importance of patience, experimentation, and leaning on both tried-and-true tools and new technologies. Ultimately, the common thread is finding what works for you, at your own pace.

Listeners are encouraged to reach out with suggestions and feedback, reinforcing Hadley’s commitment to community and evolving needs.

Contact Hadley Presents:
Email: podcast@hadleyhelps.org
Phone: 847-784-2870

Find show notes and full episodes at: Hadley Presents