Blind Artist Richard Harlow on Tactile Painting, Accessible Cities and Running for Nanaimo Council

Richard Harlow lost most of his sight to LHON while studying at Emily Carr University. Today he is a blind artist and accessibility advocate, and he's standing for Nanaimo City Council on Vancouver Island. He tells Steven Scott how he rebuilt his art, his career and his confidence, and why disabled people belong in local government. Leber's Hereditary Optic Neuropathy took Richard's central vision over six months when he was 20. A doctor told him he would never finish art school. He went on to finish a degree at Vancouver Island University, and he now paints large, high-contrast, tactile canvases that have been shown across Canada. Richard also racked up a string of firsts. He became the first blind cashier at Gap in Canada, working on an iPad till with VoiceOver, and the first blind technical support worker at Shopify. In six years on Nanaimo's accessibility committee he pushed for accessible city documents, talking crosswalks, accessible beaches and an easier LEAP recreation pass, which went from about 200 users to 3,300. His platform covers safer streets, a mental health crisis response team, valuing wetlands and tree canopy as infrastructure, and bus service for the Snuneymuxw First Nation. He talks about campaigning blind with help from the AI agent Muse, dealing with abuse from strangers, and mentoring families whose blind children have been pulled out of PE. Chapters 0:00 – Introducing Richard Harlow 1:36 – LHON, art school and a new way to paint 7:18 – Firsts at Gap and Shopify 10:40 – Bus stop announcements and why kindness isn't a system 13:26 – Accessible documents and the right to run for office 17:44 – Helping others up: campus access and the social model 24:01 – The LEAP pass and accessibility as a lens for housing, parks and streets 35:28 – Richard's platform for Nanaimo 40:19 – Campaigning blind, AI tools and handling the haters 47:12 – Election day, charity runs and mentoring others Relevant Links Richard Harlow for Nanaimo City Council: https://richardharlow.ca/ CNIB Foundation: https://www.cnib.ca/ Meta Muse: https://about.fb.com/news/2026/09/introducing-muse-personal-ai-agent/ ---- Follow on: YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtube X (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/x Instagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagram TikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktok Threads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threads Facebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebook LinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin Subscribe to the Podcast: Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/apple Spotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotify RSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcast iHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart About Double Tap Hosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited. "Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.