Kathleen Masciana is my summer college intern. She’s a sweet and smart college gal with an impressive list of credits.
I get a kick that she insists on calling me Miss Nigro. LOL. I keep telling her to call me Debbie.
Kathleen who is blind, aspires to be a radio and podcast talk show host. She posted her first attempt at hosting a talk show on YouTube on ‘BTGS Radio’ on Stationhead.com. ‘BTGS Radio’ stands for Blind Techie Geek Speaks.
So…
I gave Kathleen an important job to fulfill her internship. I told her to go do research and contribute each week live on my ‘Trending Tuesday’ show, a report on the trending technologies that are helping make life easier and more interesting for those with disabilities.
This way I help her get real time experience on the air and she helps me stay informed and educates my listeners.
Kathleen is also a beta tester for Apple, and she tests pre-release software to see if there are bugs or issues before a software debuts.
“So, what I do for Apple, I test pre-release software before it’s out in the public. And I want to make sure all the bugs are out of it. So, the software’s untested. And I have to check everything, like what new features are in it. Like, for example, in iOS 17, there was a feature called Personal Voice. There was a feature called Personal Voice that was released back with iOS 17. And now with iOS 18, there’s a twist. This feature is now integrated with voiceover and spoken content. Really? Yes. Mainly, Personal Voice is designed for people that are at risk of losing their ability to speak.
For example, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He had to use a synthesized voice from a computer program. But if this feature was released in his time, he could have created a voice that sounds like him with 15 minutes of training, and you have to read 150 phrases to complete the process. And it takes about one night for everything to process, all the voice recordings that you make.”
Fascinating!
Kathleen uses a Braille computer, an iPhone, an iPad and other devices with voiceover.
She and I communicate by texts which on her end are read out loud to her through a voice over screen reader.
As for her live debut, she did great, however I did tell her I wanted her to sound a little ‘peppier’ when she talks on the air because good energy attracts other good energy! lol.
Her second report on my show was on the latest ‘apps for the deaf’. Because Kathleen videos our audio interviews on ‘her end’ you can hear her doing my show on her own You Tube station.
Hope you feel the good energy of this collaboration in reading this post.
Here’s the podcast of Kathleen Masciana’s first live segment reporting in on The Debbie Nigro Show. If you’d rather read than listen the transcript of the audio is below.
The Debbie Nigro Show Airs Weekdays 11-12 Noon EST in the NY/CT area on 1490 WGCH Radio. You can ‘Listen Live’ from anywhere in the world on WGCH.com
AUDIO TRANSCRIPT:
0:00:00
And now, back to the Debbie Nigro Show. Hi guys, how you doing today? The show is brought to you by Gunnite Pools of Westchester and beyond, to Greenwich and the Nation, actually. 50-year-old family-run pool design and service company run by Vinnie Groppa, who grew up in the business, learned it all. And man, he’s known as the pool artist to the stars. I gave him that nickname.
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0:00:49
He’s the ultimate backyard designer and so is his company Pool Service 2. Check it out at gunnipoolsofwestchester.com
and don’t forget CBDlivenatural.com. You need to know about CBD and the wellness benefits. Everything is there on the website. Marcy Manfredonia is your best asset for education. She started the company because it helped her through a terrible life-altering challenge physically and she now wants everybody else to feel good. CBDlivenatural.com. Okay, big day right now, big day. We almost need a drumroll, Bobby.
1
0:01:17
We need a drumroll for my next introduction. Can we, uh, do you have one handy? I’m about to introduce you to my new college intern, Kathleen Baciana. Welcome.
2
0:01:28
Thank you so much for having me, Miss Nigro.
1
0:01:33
Oh, she calls me Miss Nigro. Kathleen, you can just call me Debbie.
2
0:01:37
Oh, sorry.
1
0:01:38
No, don’t be sorry. She’s the sweetest, nicest, smartest college girl and she just happens to have a disability that’s not getting in her way, but Kathleen is blind. So she aspires to be a radio and podcast talk show host and her first attempt at hosting a talk show is up on YouTube on BTGS Radio on Stationhead. I’m like, okay, Kathleen, what is BTGS Radio?
1
0:02:06
She said, blind, techie, geek, speaks. And to me, as soon as I saw her first shot, I said, ah, my kind of girl, risk it or regret it, you’ve got to try everything. And Kathleen is also a beta tester for Apple, and she tests pre-release software to see if there are bugs or issues before a software debuts. And today is her debut on my show because I like to teach in real time and she’s going
1
0:02:32
to teach us too. I’ve asked her to contribute each week on Trending Tuesday a report, a lifestyle report on the trending technologies and she’s a geek, that’s what she loves reading about, thinking about, learning about technology that’s trending, that’s enhancing the lives of those with disabilities. So, I am very happy to have you in my world, Kathleen.
2
0:02:55
Thank you so much.
1
0:02:57
You’re very welcome. So, I listened to your first talk show, and you’re going to get a little peppier, okay? I want you to be a little peppier when you talk on the radio and do podcasts, because energy attracts other energy. Do you feel my energy?
2
0:03:14
Yes.
1
0:03:15
Okay. Oh, you just said that with energy. You see, you already got it. Okay, Kathleen. Now, tell us a little bit more what you can share about what you do with Apple as a beta tester.
1
0:03:27
I know you have signed NDAs and you can’t say much, but say a little bit about what you do for them.
3
0:03:30
Okay.
2
0:03:31
So, what I do for Apple, I test pre-release software before it’s out in the public. And I want to make sure all the bugs are out of it. So the software’s untested. And I have to check everything, like what new features are in it. Like, for example, in iOS 17, there was a feature called
2
0:03:57
Personal Voice.
1
0:03:58
Personal Voice?
8
0:04:00
Yes.
2
0:04:00
There was a feature called Personal Voice that was released back with iOS 17.
1
0:04:04
Okay.
2
0:04:05
And now with iOS 18, there’s a twist. This feature is now integrated with voiceover and spoken content. Really? Yes. Mainly, Personal Voice is designed for people that are at risk of losing their ability to speak. For example, Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
1
0:04:30
Correct.
2
0:04:30
But now he had to use a synthesized voice from a computer program. But if this feature was released in his time, he could have created a voice that sounds like him with 15 minutes of training, and you have to read 150 phrases to complete the process.
1
0:04:53
Fascinating.
2
0:04:54
And it takes about one night for everything to process, all the voice recordings that
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0:05:01
you make.
1
0:05:02
Wow, that is really interesting. It’s amazing how technology is able now to do things to help people who are challenged in various ways to be able to function at a higher level. May I ask you a question as a person who cannot see? What is your computer? Is it in Braille? How do you do what you do?
2
0:05:25
I use a Braille computer and I use an iPhone, iPad and other devices with voiceover.
1
0:05:34
Yes, you and I text and I know you can’t see my text but how do you um… oh, they’re read out loud to you, is that what you’re saying?
2
0:05:42
It’s read out loud through the voice over screen reader. Awesome
1
0:05:46
awesome. You know I have a story that you can go research um… for me and it happens to be somebody who is a friend of my son-in-law who invented for the hearing impaired market, those who are deaf, a way for people to have phone conversations, okay, by some third-party app that’s included that somehow is able to get that message across and help communicate. I don’t know how they do it, but I want you to do a story on it, so I’m going to give
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0:06:18
you that as a task, okay? Okay. Yeah, it’s great. So this is very exciting having you in my life. I feel like I want to do more with my platform to help people who can do a little less or have a harder time of doing things because of some challenge that they had to live around.
1
0:06:38
So I welcome you. Tell everybody what the college thing is you’re doing. You’re my intern, so what college are you aligned with?
2
0:06:48
I go to Manhattan University.
1
0:06:50
Good girl. And your resume was very impressive. Thank you so much. Yes, very impressive. I really said, I threw my hands up and said, I don’t know how this girl does everything. Just amazing.
1
0:07:02
What do you love learning the most? Like, what are you hoping to do with, I know you want to be a talk show host or a podcast host. Are you studying the courses that will get you there?
1
0:07:14
Like, what is your major?
2
0:07:16
My major is communications and media. Well, then you’re… I’m also a minor in philosophy as well.
1
0:07:22
Oh, minor in philosophy. You’ll get a kick out of this. I remember it from when I was in college, Kathleen. I took a philosophy class, and I must not have done all my reading properly in my homework when the test was given.
1
0:07:34
And I think it was something about Plato. Who said, who said, I think therefore I am? Do you know who, what philosopher said that? Was it Socrates? Was it Plato? Was it Descartes? Who was? Anyway, because I didn’t know the answer, I wrote, I thought therefore I put. I didn’t do very well in that test Kathleen. I’m kidding, I’m making a joke. Oh, you have to get to know that I have a terrific sense of humor. Do you? I do. Okay, it’s important. I think people pay more
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0:08:08
attention to information that’s important when they are, you know, have some sort of humor around it. Like there was a commercial on TV last night, I got a kick out of it, it was about technology as a matter of fact. It was a woman on a bad date and I should remember the car company but Bobby probably will help me because he’s a car guy. Nissan. All right. So she’s on a bad date, like you could tell it was a first date.
5
0:08:31
I loved the script for what he had to say. Make him appear as a bad dude.
1
0:08:35
Yeah, he was a bad dude. He said, what did he say?
5
0:08:40
He wouldn’t stop talking about himself.
1
0:08:41
Yeah, he talked about himself.
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0:08:42
And then he said he forgot.
1
0:08:43
Oh, no, he told her, he goes, I didn’t expect you to be this short. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
6
0:08:45
That was a good story.
1
0:08:46
I didn’t expect you to be this short. And by the way, I forgot my credit card. I guess you’re paying sugar mama. So while she’s talking to him, Kathleen, she takes out her car, Bob, and you see her car actually back up like automatically in front of the glass windows of the restaurant. And she excused herself for a second, got in the car and took off from the date.
1
0:09:08
But I’m like, did that car just back up and drive by itself? Unbelievable, right? Anyway, technology fascinates me. When did you know you were a geek, by the way, that you love technology so much?
3
0:09:20
Kathleen, when did you know you were a geek?
1
0:09:22
I started getting into technology when I was… Wait, I’m losing you. I can’t hear you clearly. You have to come back closer to wherever we were doing this. Oh, sorry. That’s okay.
2
0:09:32
I started getting into technology in 2015 when I was 14.
1
0:09:37
14? How long have you not had sight? I’ve been blind…
3
0:09:42
You’re cutting out again. I don’t know what source you’re using to talk to me.
1
0:09:46
I know you were using the phone so you could also record it for yourself for your own podcast, which I encourage you to do, but can you try again to get closer to them to the phone?
3
0:10:03
Did we lose her Bobby
5
0:10:05
Possibly although the connection says it’s still there connection says it’s still there. I don’t know what happened to our girl here
1
0:10:10
All right now. She’s gone. All right. We’re gonna call back Kathleen Mashiana Who’s yeah, this is her debut? She’s learning on on the fly My new intern a college intern and she aspires to be a radio and podcast talk show host. Don’t worry Kathleen, believe me, I’ve cut out in a few interviews myself. It’s okay. How much more time do we have to the segment Bob? Three minutes? All right, if
1
0:10:37
she can call back that’s great and if not then we’ll just wait. Is that her? Let’s see, could be. We’re gonna give her a lot of leeway today. It’s her first time live on the radio and we’ll bring her back on here.
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0:10:50
Hold on.
1
0:10:51
If you’re just tuning in, this is Kathleen Masciana. She’s my new college intern. She just happens to be blind. She’s super capable and really smart, and she’s teaching us on a weekly segment. I gave her a job. I said, you’re going to be my reporter.
1
0:11:05
She wants to be a talk show host. Let’s do it in real time. And you’re going to call in every week and give us an update on a trending story that is something that has to do with technologies making the lives of those with disabilities easier. So Kathleen, are you back?
2
0:11:18
Yeah, let me get my camera back on.
3
0:11:21
Hold on.
1
0:11:22
She’s videotaping this while she’s talking to me on the phone. So she could put it up on her YouTube channel about her learning to be a talk show host and podcast host. And it’s called, her thing is called BTGS Radio on Stationhead. It stands for Blind Techie Geek Speaks.
1
0:11:41
All right, are we good, Kathleen?
2
0:11:43
Okay, let me film it now.
3
0:11:45
Hold on.
1
0:11:46
Okay, this is one first rule of live radio. You can’t say hold on, because people are like listening, waiting for you to finish. And I know that this is the first time you’re doing this, so there’s no judgment here. Just let me know when you’re ready. Okay?
3
0:12:04
Sure.
1
0:12:06
Sometime today, Kathleen. Where’s your mother? Let’s talk to her until you figure this out. I love that her mother got on the phone yesterday and introduced herself.
Ann Marie. I’m giving a shout out to Ann Marie. How you doing, Ann Marie? Nice to have met you. And like I said to her, I’m always happy to extend a hand to somebody’s kid.
2
0:12:24
Oh, hold on. It’s on now. Just hold on. I turned it off, okay, but now I’m turning it back on. Ready? It’s on now. I am ready, babe. Are you ready?
1
0:12:31
It’s on now. Ready? No, we’re already on, Kathleen. Are you ready? Yep. Ready. Okay. So, Kathleen.
2
0:12:39
Yes?
1
0:12:40
You’re terrific. Your first day on the radio was spectacular. I encourage you to keep researching and finding the stories to bring to me on Trending Tuesdays when you’ll have your segment that’s going to be sought after and people are going to be interested in hearing more from you on all the technologies that are out there that are helping those with disabilities kind of operate better and feel happier and do more. It’s great, enriching their lives.
1
0:13:08
Kathleen Masciano, my new intern, you have a great day. Thank you so much for having me on the show. It was awesome.
2
0:13:16
Okay, that’s good energy. Very good, girlfriend. See you next week.
1
0:13:20
I’ll see you next week, Miss Nigro. Okay. Okay, Miss Nigro. At least she didn’t call me ma’am. That’s why I love her. The people who call me ma’am, I go, you’re not getting as big a tip as you would have because you said miss. My goodness. All right, back in… My goodness. All right, back in… Oh, Bobby’s got a story coming up that you don’t want to miss about the nude car show. What the heck?
Transcribed with Cockatoo
