Welcome back to another episode of AccessWorld, a podcast on digital inclusion and accessibility. In this episode, Tony and Aaron recap their visit to the annual convention of the American Council of the blind (ACB). They share their take-aways from hitting up the exhibit floor and access-tech sessions. Tony wishes he brought his dog shoes for his guide dog Nougat as they were sweltering under a heat dome in Missouri and dancing over the St. Louis streets that week. But, more reason to stay inside the super chilled convention hotel and get caught up on some of the latest new tech and gadgets. From the high-tech yet retro throwback devices from Blazie Technologies, to the latest cutting-edge AI integrations rolling out from Vispero, Aaron and Tony share their favorites for 2026. Additional shout-outs go to Tactile Engineering's Cadence braille displays and HapWare for their innovative designs in wearable smart wristbands.

Feel free to give your own shout outs on the coolest gadgets you've come across this year at the consumer conferences if you were able to attend NFB or ACB. And if not, still give a shout out on what your own favorite tech is these days. There is definitely a lot of new tech riding the AI wave the past couple of years, and more to come we're sure as we move closer to the holiday shopping season and the CES conference coming in January.

Aaron Preece is editor-in-chief of AccessWorld Magazine, a quarterly e-pub from the American Foundation for the Blind, and Tony Stephens leads communications for AFB. Together, they enjoy geeking out each month on the latest happenings encompassing digital inclusion and accessibility. You can check out AccessWorld Magazine at www.afb.org/aw. And be sure to like and subscribe to this podcast, and you can even support the work of AFB by visiting us online at www.afb.org.

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