The Blind Chick From Christmas Lights to Qigong: Austin Seraphin Hacks Blindness (and Ham Radios)
Dec 4, 2025
58:34
1) Episode Summary
In this episode of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses talk with blind technologist and accessibility consultant Austin Seraphin about tech, echolocation, and mind–body health. Austin shares how early experiences with Christmas lights, radios, and an Apple IIe pulled him into technology and programming, and how that curiosity grew into a career in accessibility, open source, and multi-sensory learning. The conversation moves through the spectrum of blindness, the promise and pitfalls of AI for disabled communities, and why open, community-driven tools matter. Austin then opens up about severe eye pain, burnout, and finding real relief through acupuncture, Qigong, and Daoist practice. He explains why slow, rooted movement and simple breath-focused meditation can help blind and sighted people alike release tension, avoid full-on burnout, and reconnect with their bodies—starting with just 15 minutes a day.
2) Contact Info
Guest — Austin Seraphin
Website: austinseraphin.net
Aftersight / The Blind Chick
Website: aftersight.org
Email: feedback@aftersight.org
Listener line: (720) 712-8856
Producer Credits
Produced by Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
3) Show Credits
Show: The Blind Chick (An Aftersight Original Podcast)
Hosts: Penn Street & Moses Street
Guest: Austin Seraphin – blind technologist, accessibility consultant, ham radio operator, and Qigong practitioner
Produced and edited by: Jonathan Price
Recorded at: Aftersight Studios
4) Chapter Markers
00:00 – Show intro: “Blindness can be an adventure”
00:28 – Meet Austin Seraphin and his tech-meets-mind-body journey
02:45 – Christmas tree lights, partial color vision, and the spectrum of blindness
05:13 – Apple IIe, talking computers, and discovering programming
10:02 – AI, medicine, hallucinations, and what it means for blind users
17:12 – Star Trek gadgets made real: smartphones, OCR, and independence
19:24 – Echolocation training and “seeing” in 3D with sound
24:10 – Eye pain, band keratopathy, and turning to acupuncture for relief
29:00 – Discovering Qigong and Daoism as a complete mind-body system
33:52 – Penn’s accident and the power of combining Eastern and Western medicine
47:49 – Qigong for blind bodies: releasing tension, rooting, and flowing movement
55:06 – Breath-counting meditation: 15 minutes to reset your nervous system
57:31 – Outro, listener invitations, and a reminder to be kind to yourself this week
In this episode of The Blind Chick, Penn and Moses talk with blind technologist and accessibility consultant Austin Seraphin about tech, echolocation, and mind–body health. Austin shares how early experiences with Christmas lights, radios, and an Apple IIe pulled him into technology and programming, and how that curiosity grew into a career in accessibility, open source, and multi-sensory learning. The conversation moves through the spectrum of blindness, the promise and pitfalls of AI for disabled communities, and why open, community-driven tools matter. Austin then opens up about severe eye pain, burnout, and finding real relief through acupuncture, Qigong, and Daoist practice. He explains why slow, rooted movement and simple breath-focused meditation can help blind and sighted people alike release tension, avoid full-on burnout, and reconnect with their bodies—starting with just 15 minutes a day.
2) Contact Info
Guest — Austin Seraphin
Website: austinseraphin.net
Aftersight / The Blind Chick
Website: aftersight.org
Email: feedback@aftersight.org
Listener line: (720) 712-8856
Producer Credits
Produced by Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight
3) Show Credits
Show: The Blind Chick (An Aftersight Original Podcast)
Hosts: Penn Street & Moses Street
Guest: Austin Seraphin – blind technologist, accessibility consultant, ham radio operator, and Qigong practitioner
Produced and edited by: Jonathan Price
Recorded at: Aftersight Studios
4) Chapter Markers
00:00 – Show intro: “Blindness can be an adventure”
00:28 – Meet Austin Seraphin and his tech-meets-mind-body journey
02:45 – Christmas tree lights, partial color vision, and the spectrum of blindness
05:13 – Apple IIe, talking computers, and discovering programming
10:02 – AI, medicine, hallucinations, and what it means for blind users
17:12 – Star Trek gadgets made real: smartphones, OCR, and independence
19:24 – Echolocation training and “seeing” in 3D with sound
24:10 – Eye pain, band keratopathy, and turning to acupuncture for relief
29:00 – Discovering Qigong and Daoism as a complete mind-body system
33:52 – Penn’s accident and the power of combining Eastern and Western medicine
47:49 – Qigong for blind bodies: releasing tension, rooting, and flowing movement
55:06 – Breath-counting meditation: 15 minutes to reset your nervous system
57:31 – Outro, listener invitations, and a reminder to be kind to yourself this week