HeyJaredHeard & Empowered
The Heard & Empowered podcast is where people who are blind, low vision, or visually impaired find job inspiration, career opportunities, and a path to success.National Industries for the Blind knows that blindness is not a barrier to employment and career success.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 9, 2026
Latest episodes
Creating Art Beyond Sight: Adapting to Vision Loss With Paul Castle (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Paul Castle is the Owner of Paul Castle Studio, where he creates whimsical artwork and children's books shaped by his perspective as a blind artist. An author, illustrator, content creator, and disability advocate, he uses adaptive tools to keep creating after losing more than 90% of his vision to retinitis pigmentosa. Paul also co-creates the Matthew and Paul YouTube channel, which has grown to more than 1.5 million subscribers and 1.2 billion views, expanding his storytelling and advocacy to a
Assistive Tech Breakthroughs for the Blind With Sam Seavey (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Sam Seavey is the Creator and Host of The Blind Life , a YouTube channel helping people with blindness and low vision live more independently through technology. With more than 85,000 subscribers and 1,000 videos, he shares assistive technology reviews, tutorials, and accessibility tips. Sam also serves as the Assistive Technology Program Manager at the Bluegrass Council of the Blind, providing training and support while drawing on more than 30 years of lived and professional experience with vis
Building Independence as a Blind Professional With Everette Bacon (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Everette Bacon is the Chief of Blindness Initiatives at Aira, a visual interpreting service that helps blind and low-vision people access visual information. Drawing on more than 20 years in blindness rehabilitation, accessibility, and assistive technology, Everette leads service delivery and customer care. With a master's degree in Blindness Rehabilitation, he also serves as Second Vice President of the National Federation of the Blind and President of its Utah affiliate, bringing extensive exp
Building a Meaningful Career After Sight Loss With Israel Bolivar (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Israel Bolivar is a full-time sander at Vibrant Works, an organization dedicated to providing employment opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired. He was named the 2025 Peter J. Salmon National Employee of the Year by National Industries for the Blind, recognizing his outstanding work on KC‑135 aircraft floorboards. Israel, who is totally blind and lost both of his hands at age six in Colombia, has overcome significant adversity and serves as an inspiration to others adjusting
Overcoming Sudden Vision Loss and Building a Meaningful Life With Michael Phillips (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Michael Phillips is the Training Supervisor at Austin Lighthouse, an organization that provides employment, training, and support for people who are blind or visually impaired. He recruits and prepares candidates for vocational roles, adapting instruction to different learning styles and helping trainees build confidence and independence. Named Austin Lighthouse's 2026 Employee of the Year, Michael also received NIB's 2026 Milton J. Samuelson Career Achievement Award. After losing his sight at 2
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.