The Blind Life Podcast
Blind-Led Innovation in Action: How NFB and InnoSearch Are Changing the Game!
Episode 45 — July 26, 2025
Host: Sam Seavey
Guests: Patrick Long (Co-founder & CEO, InnoSearch AI), Mark Riccobono (President, National Federation of the Blind)
Episode Overview
This episode marks an exciting development in the blind and visually impaired community: a new partnership between InnoSearch AI and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Host Sam Seavey invites InnoSearch’s Patrick Long and the NFB’s Mark Riccobono to discuss their organizations, the challenges facing accessible technology, and how this new collaboration aims to offer truly usable, blind-led digital solutions. The conversation is rich with insights on co-creation, community feedback, innovation, and the shared mission of empowering blind and low vision individuals.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Introduction to the Guests and Their Organizations
[01:03-04:08]
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Patrick Long (InnoSearch AI):
- InnoSearch’s mission is to make the digital world not just compliant, but genuinely usable and simple for blind and low vision users.
- Current digital environments are often cluttered and technically inaccessible, despite surface-level compliance.
- “That’s the innovation that InnoSearch has created. We’ve shared it with this channel so many times, and today we’re so happy to be here alongside Mark to share more about what we’re working on.” [01:58, Patrick]
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Mark Riccobono (NFB):
- NFB is the leading civil rights membership organization led by and for blind people across the U.S. and globally.
- The focus is on bringing blind-centered perspectives to issues and driving societal inclusion, advocacy, and international collaboration.
- “It’s our role really to bring blind centered perspectives to, well, any and all discussions that are happening in this nation related to full participation of the blind into society.” [03:10, Mark]
Announcing the Partnership: Purpose and Vision
[04:08-10:47]
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Nature of the Collaboration:
- The partnership aims to combine NFB’s decades of advocacy, legal, and practical expertise with InnoSearch’s technology to concretely solve user pain points.
- Focus areas include simplifying complicated online workflows (like checkouts), and ensuring that usability—not just compliance—is the priority.
- Integration of a donation feature in InnoSearch: users can round up purchases to directly support NFB’s mission.
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Quotes & Perspectives:
- Patrick: “We’re taking what the NFB has learned over the decades...and trying to translate that knowledge into practical, actionable, and productized digital experiences.” [05:12, Patrick]
- Mark: “The National Federation of the Blind does not use the term partnership lightly...It really has to mean something, that there’s a win-win opportunity for blind people.” [06:38, Mark]
- Mark on innovation’s impact: “InnoSearch is bringing an innovative approach toward access to information, which we know is one of the biggest problems that blind people face.” [08:14, Mark]
- Mark’s humor: “I actually think that we should not tell too many people who aren’t blind about InnoSearch, because it can be our little secret.” [09:04, Mark]
InnoSearch’s Community-Led Model & New Innovations
[10:47-14:50]
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Listening to the Community:
- Sam commends InnoSearch for its openness to feedback. Past suggestions have resulted in swift improvements.
- Patrick emphasizes regular user testing sessions and direct calls, leading to feature development based on real user needs.
- “A lot of the features you see today on InnoSearch...were built through countless emails and user testing sessions.” [13:01, Patrick]
- Their team includes blind and low vision staff building the tech they want to use.
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Upcoming Features:
- Voice-Activated Shopping: Users can call in (1-855-SHOP-GPT) and use a voice-powered AI shopping assistant for hands-free access (browsing, checkout, etc.).
- Grocery & Restaurant Delivery: Soon, users can order groceries or meals from local stores for delivery in under an hour in all 50 states.
- Pipeline Features: Prescription refills, delivery status checks, recurring orders—all based on community requests, currently being prototyped.
Reducing Clutter, Increasing Usability
[14:50-15:53]
- Sam expresses excitement for the grocery delivery innovation, noting current options are often cluttered and distracting with ads and upsells.
- The frictionless experience promised by InnoSearch stands as a critical solution for the community.
How to Access InnoSearch & NFB Member Benefits
[15:53-17:49]
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Access Points:
- NFB members have access to special InnoSearch credit via their online NFB member profile.
- NFB will promote special InnoSearch offerings in local chapters/affiliates and develop further training opportunities.
- InnoSearch: Accessible immediately at InnoSearch.ai, with options to support NFB via purchase rounding and direct donations.
- Users can toggle recurring or one-time donations at checkout and find more about NFB’s mission directly via the platform.
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Clear Guidance:
- “So if you thought you were a member but haven’t paid your dues this year and that’s why you don’t find the offer, that’s why…” [15:59, Mark]
- Patrick on supporting NFB: “We’ve created a toggle button for you to either round up all your purchases or just make a one time donation.” [17:13, Patrick]
Final Thoughts: Community, Independence, and Shared Mission
[17:49-21:36]
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Patrick’s Closing Remarks:
- Emphasizes building usable digital experiences from the ground up, not relying on overlays or widgets.
- “...because the end goal is to help the blind and low vision have independence, power and choice in their daily lives.” [18:45, Patrick]
- Notes the essential nature of digital access in modern life and InnoSearch’s ongoing commitment to improvement.
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Mark’s Closing Remarks:
- NFB’s role is to build a blind-centered community and improve society by leveraging partnerships like this.
- InnoSearch’s willingness to listen and implement community feedback sets them apart.
- “If you think it’s horrible, do something else. But if you think it’s got promise and should be better, I would say tell us, tell InnoSearch how it should be better.” [20:52, Mark]
- Highlights importance of co-creation and honest feedback: “It is far too rare that people who are developing technologies...just turn their head when we give them suggestions...InnoSearch has proven a real commitment to listening and implementing what the blind community wants.” [21:17, Mark]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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“A lot of websites and apps are not built with accessibility in mind...that’s incredibly frustrating and challenging for blind and low vision users.”
— Patrick Long, [01:41] -
“Our role really is to bring blind centered perspectives to, well, any and all discussions...related to full participation of the blind into society.”
— Mark Riccobono, [03:10] -
“We’re taking what the NFB has learned over the decades in the courtroom, classrooms, and in their communities and trying to translate that knowledge into practical, actionable, and productized digital experiences.”
— Patrick Long, [05:12] -
“We really put the organized blind movement at the center of being, you know, the Consumer Reports for blind related technology, where we buy and evaluate really all of the speech and braille related devices out there so that we can give our honest, open opinion about do they work, do they not work?”
— Mark Riccobono, [07:22] -
“It’s far too rare that people who are developing technologies which claim to be to the benefit of blind people just turn their head when we give them suggestions...InnoSearch has proven a real commitment to listening and implementing what the blind community wants.”
— Mark Riccobono, [21:17]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Guest Introductions & Organizational Missions: [01:03–04:08]
- Partnership Announcement & Goals: [04:08–10:47]
- Community-Led Product Improvements: [10:47–14:50]
- Upcoming Feature Announcements: [12:44–14:50]
- Member Benefits & How to Access InnoSearch: [15:53–17:49]
- Closing Thoughts on Community and Partnership: [17:49–21:36]
Overall Tone
Collaborative, passionate, and visionary with an unwavering focus on actionable change, the power of community, and technology driven by and for blind and low vision people.
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