Yes, even in 2023, people still say to me that blind people should hear better. So what is the truth behind this rumor?
Author: patrickdembinski
A rant about accessibility changes of apps and online-services
The following rant is not only about travel-related providers, but also about other different kinds of apps and online services I deal with in my everyday-life. Actually I was planning to update certain posts accordingly or write some additional update-posts, but as certain online services changed their appearance in a similar way, I decided to just put everything in a single rant for now, so here it goes…
Experimenting with AI voice-clones
I have been toying around with Elevenlabs, an online service that let's you create your own voice clone. The audio file above is the result of my AI voice-clone creation.
Happy new year and another travel recap
Traveling used to be just a hobby, and mostly happening during holidays or the weekends to visit friends and family or spontaneously explore new places and go couchsurfing. Nowadays, however, it is part of my job and has become a daily routine. So what’s the difference between the hobby-traveler and the work-traveler?
Recent Deutsche Bahn accessibility issues and improvements
Ever since the COVID situation calmed down and the lockdown was a thing of the past, I started working in the fields together with our local technical consultants scattered across the country. Therefore, during the last 1.5 years, I have been traveling more than ever before, mostly relying on the services Deutsche Bahn has to … Continue reading Recent Deutsche Bahn accessibility issues and improvements
Meeting the ICC bar team (or “Belgium is the best!”)
Once again, I traveled to Belgium. And once again, on the train-side, it was a mess; but the time we spent together – as usual – made up for it!
Some thoughts about Darmstadt
"Where's the tram?" "it's this way… no, it's there!" Confused? Well so was I… For the sake of my job at Reinecker Vision I moved to Darmstadt, and for a long time I just thought "What a strange place", and partially my point still stands. What I discovered though is that Darmstadt can show itself … Continue reading Some thoughts about Darmstadt
Episode 12 – Independent living recap part 2 (Apps, gadgets, home-sickness)
episode12 - Independent living recap part 2Download In the 2nd part of this recap with Maschenka and Pawel, we exchange interesting apps and gadgets we came across that come in handy in household. Last but not least, we had a quite emotional talk about home-sickness, meeting up in times of COVID19 and methods to remain … Continue reading Episode 12 – Independent living recap part 2 (Apps, gadgets, home-sickness)
Episode 11 – Independent living recap (part 1)
Finally, I managed to work on my podcast again! Join Maschenka, Pawel and me reflecting the passed year in times of COVID19 and how we got on in our new surroundings.
Highway to Halle (or the 4th ICC Weekend in Belgium)
Some synthetic TTS voices pronounce „halle“ similar to the word “hell”, and it certainly was a HELL of a trip. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth it! The current Corona situation once again made it possible for ICC Belgium to organize one of their legendary weekends live and in presence in Dworp (a small place near … Continue reading Highway to Halle (or the 4th ICC Weekend in Belgium)
ICC World Event #3
No plans on Saturday night? Fancy spending the evening in the comfort of your own home and meeting people from anywhere in the world? Then we have that sorted for you! That’s right; the virtual ship “ICC World Bar” set sail again, so stay at home, and come aboard for another virtual world bar, taking … Continue reading ICC World Event #3
Struggling through
Months have passed, and I got more and more familiar with my new surroundings, although I cannot say that it was fairly easy after all. Bloody COVID was just one of the reasons that made me feel miserable from time to time. As I got other bigger worries on my mind I could not always … Continue reading Struggling through
ICC Belgium Word Event #2 – last order…
Hey folks! A bit late, but still in time, I'd like to announce the 2nd edition of the online ICC Belgium World Event! Feel free to join us on Saturday, June 26th at 9PM CET. Besides the bar, we also have an escape room event; however, places are limited here. In any case, feel free … Continue reading ICC Belgium Word Event #2 – last order…
Join the first online world event by ICC Belgium!
Are you looking for a challenge? Do you want to be social? Or do you just want to party? Join our next event.The very first online world event of ICC Belgium has an offer that combines all the lovely things mentioned above, and alll of that in one evening, afternoon or morning, depending on where … Continue reading Join the first online world event by ICC Belgium!
“The most miserable time of the year!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJBrAIVrK-4 There are many reasons why this time of the year can be considered as “the most miserable time of the year”; one of which is the still ongoing lockdown caused by the pandemic. Whether we shall especially blame the 5th of February for all that or not, this silly little tune cheered me up … Continue reading “The most miserable time of the year!”
Mind the gap!
This is not only a well-known announcement in the London underground, but also the name of a new radio series on Freirad, where Pawel Masarczyk talks about different obstacles or "gaps" handicapped individuals need to get clear of Every third Thursday in a month, Pawel talks about different topics with different individuals. In episode #1, … Continue reading Mind the gap!
Episode 9 – a talk about independent living
This episode features the voices of Maschenka and Pawel, good friends of mine who both went abroad due to their work and together we share our experiences about job- and flat-seeking, as well as getting settled in a new place.
“It’s December, the 27th!”
https://youtu.be/VRU2ujV2fDw Happy 27th everyone! A lot has happened during the past few months. To start off, I am back in Hessen. This time even more southern than Marburg, close to Frankfurt, as I got a job as a sales assistant near Darmstadt. I found a flat way quicker than I thought, which gave me enough … Continue reading “It’s December, the 27th!”
Episode 8 – A talk about the online ICC weekend, session 2
This is the 2nd interview session about the ICC online weekend.
Episode 7 – A talk about the online ICC weekend, session 1
Thanks to COVID19, a lot of activities couldn't take place. However, some activities went online instead, and so did this year's ICC weekend organized by ICC Belgium! After the ICC weekend, I recorded two interview sessions with participants and staff members of this weekend to talk about how we experienced ICC Belgium's online approach.
Episode 6 – The FeelSpace App
This is a demonstration of the FeelSpace app on iOS and shall give you an overview of what the belt and the app together are capable of.
The way to my personal independence 