• The Pulse | The AODA Alliance’s 30th Anniversary with David Lepofsky – November 21st, 2024
    Nov 21 2024

    Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, David Lepofsky, joins host Grant Hardy to talk about the history of the AODA Alliance, and let’s us know what’s going on at their 30th Anniversary celebrations on November 25th in Toronto.

    The AODA Alliance has invited members from all major political parties to attend their event in Queen’s Park in Toronto, Ontario. Members of the disability community can visit www.aodaalliance.org to sign up for a 3 minute time slot to present a speech on accessibility barriers they’ve faced, and their lived experience with disability. The event will be held on November 25th between 2 and 4 p.m. eastern, and people can attend the event virtually or in person at Queen’s Park.

    Highlights:

    • Show Intro (00:00)
    • David’s role in the AODA Alliance (00:58)
    • History of the AODA and the AODA Alliance (2:45)
    • The AODA Alliance’s 30th Anniversary Celebration (16:13)
    • David’s hope for the future of accessibility (23:35)

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    29 mins
  • "No Piece of Cake" with Holland Bloorview Hospital
    Nov 13 2024

    Grant Hardy hosts The Pulse, and speaks with Dilshad Kassam-Lallani, and Wesley Magee-Saxton from Holland Bloorview Kid’s Rehabilitation Hospital about the “Turning 18 isn’t so sweet: the critical gaps in health care for young adults with disabilities” report, part of their bigger advocacy campaign called “No Piece of Cake.”

    The report highlights the systemic change that is needed to support patients with disabilities through their transition from pediatric healthcare to the adult health care system.

    Dilshad Kassam-Lallani is a nurse practitioner in the Spina Bifida/Spinal Cord Injury Clinic at Holland Bloorview and sat on the advisory panel for the report. She speaks to Grant about the experiences with patients that helped her advise the reporters for this campaign, and what kind of impact this kind of report can have on the disability community.

    Then, Wesley Magee-Saxton joins Grant for a conversation about their lived experience aging out of the pediatric healthcare system. Wesley is 24 years old and has Cerebral Palsy. They were a patient of Holland Bloorview from 18 months old to 18 years old and describes their 18th birthday as “falling off a cliff.”

    You can read the full report at www.nopieceofcake.ca

    Highlights:

    • Show Intro (00:00)
    • Introducing Dilshad Kassam-Lallani (1:30)
    • Key findings from the report (3:39)
    • Demographics and location’s impact on healthcare accessibility (6:30)
    • Dilshad’s biggest takeaway from the report (8:01)
    • Biggest risks that patients face coming out of pediatric care (10:48)
    • What can we do to create change? (12:39)
    • Introducing Wesley Magee-Saxton (15:47)
    • What was the transition to adult health care like? (17:04)
    • Ways to support patients coming out of pediatric care (18:01)
    • The most shocking aspect of aging out of pediatric care (19:49)
    • What can be changed in the adult health care system? (20:43)
    • Young adults deserve better during this transitional period (22:41)
    • Wesley’s work at Holland Bloorview (25:46)
    • Wesley’s dreams in Hollywood! (26:41)

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    29 mins
  • Making Music Accessible to Performers with Disabilities with Arthur Gwynne of RAMPD
    Aug 31 2024

    Joeita interviews Arthur Gwynne, operations manager at RAMPD, the Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities, about creating disability-inclusive spaces in the performing arts.

    Highlights

    • Disability Inclusion in the Performing Arts - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Introducing Arthur Gwynne – Head of Operations at RAMPD (01:11)
    • About RAMPD - Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities (01:38)
    • The Origins of RAMPD (03:11)
    • The RAMPD Community (07:48)
    • Disability Advocacy in the Music Industry (12:25)
    • Pushing the Boundaries of Art Itself (20:13)
    • Closing Remarks (26:08)

    RAMPD –

    Award-winning platform equipping the Music Industry with Disability inclusive solutions, programs, and a directory of peer-vetted music professionals and creators with disabilities, neurodivergence and chronic and mental health conditions.

    Find RAMPD online - Facebook, Instagram

    Arthur Gwynne Bio - from LinkedIn

    Arthur heads operations for the award-winning platform RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities) where he’s collaborated with the likes of Netflix and the Recording Academy to build inclusive programming. Arthur also manages the career of globally touring recording artist, charting songwriter and cultural activist Lachi—the go-to voice on Disability Culture in the music industry through her work on the GRAMMYs Board and as CEO of RAMPD. Throughout the course of this mission-work, Arthur stepped away from a career in executive recruitment, and opened up publicly about his own neurodiversity. Today Arthur runs a robust diverse team, booking national tours, negotiating major contracts, working everything from creative projects and music releases to development programs from cradle-to-grave.

    Arthur speaks on panels and podcasts—at places like the Kennedy Center and the Music Managers Forum—on how embracing one’s neurodivergence is an asset in the music industry. He has also made it his mission to break down the silos and barriers holding back the disability community, laying seeds for a national conversation on Disability Culture and what Inclusion and Universal Accessible Design means at a practical and industrial level. Beyond all of this, Arthur is Lachi’s stylist, and designs her iconic Glam Canes.

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    30 mins
  • Accessible Tech & Artificial Intelligence
    Aug 24 2024

    Joeita interviews Darryl Adams, Director of Accessibility at Intel, about his journey with accessible technology and his predictions about AI as a vehicle for disability inclusion.

    Highlights:

    • Disability, Access & Technology - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Darryl Adams, Director of Accessibility at Intel (01:13)
    • Computer Architecture, Hardware & Accessibility (01:29)
    • Darryl’s Journey with Intel and Access Tech (02:37)
    • Embracing Technology in a Different Way (04:27)
    • Challenges Pursuing Accessibility (06:17)
    • Artificial Intelligence, Accessibility & Intel (09:11)
    • Generative AI (12:28)
    • Privacy Concerns Surrounding AI (13:36)
    • Intel’s New Indoor Wayfinding Initiative (15:23)
    • Wayfinding Tech Demo at Paris Olympics (17:30)
    • Keeping Wayfinding Maps Up to Date (18:45)
    • Darryl’s Vision for the Future of Access Tech (21:17)
    • Closing Remarks (22:54)

    It All Started in the Cafeteria

    Darryl Adams’ mission to make a more accessible PC started with an epiphany in the Intel cafeteria in 2007. Adams was meeting his colleague, to discuss a new passion project: a device that would scan printed text and read it out loud for people with severe dyslexia, like his colleague, or visual impairment, like Adams.

    Fast forward to today, Darryl Adams is the Director of the Intel Accessibility Office.

    Darryl Adams Opinion piece: “Intel’s Commitment to Building an Inclusive and Accessible World"

    Accessibility at Intel

    Follow Darryl Adams online: LinkedIn, X / Twitter

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    24 mins
  • PCOS: What is it and What to do About it?
    Aug 17 2024

    This week, Joeita interviews Kendall Soucie, director of the HEAL Lab at the University of Windsor, about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

    Highlights

    • Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Diagnosis (PCOS) - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Introducing Kendall Soucie – Director of the HEAL Lab (01:05)
    • What is PCOS? (3:00)
    • What Causes PCOS? (5:21)
    • Stigma Around Women’s Reproductive Health (06:25)
    • PCOS Impacts Beyond Fertility (09:58)
    • Long Term Use of Birth Control Pills (14:55)
    • Alternative Treatments & Lifestyle Changes (16:48)
    • Body Image, Femininity & PCOS (19:50)
    • Disclosure & Supporting Someone with PCOS (24:25)
    • Closing Remarks (30:40)

    Guest Bio

    Dr. Kendall Soucie is an assistant professor of psychology in the applied social psychology department at the University of Windsor. She's also the director of the HEAL Lab, which is the health experience and longevity lab.

    Reference:

    Health Experiences and Longevity Lab

    The Health Experiences and Longevity (HEAL) Lab is directed by Dr. Kendall Soucie in the Department of Psychology at the University of Windsor.

    Her research interests lie at the intersection of Clinical Psychology and Health Psychology. She is interested in understanding the psychosocial and institutional determinants of chronic health conditions (e.g., diagnosis experiences, misdiagnoses/errors, illness disclosures, social support, and illness stigma) within women's health. Her focus is on PCOS, the most common, yet misdiagnosed endocrine syndrome in individuals assigned female at birth, but she is also interested in IBD, HS, POTS, and endometriosis, and their impact on quality of life. Dr. Soucie also explores how chronic health conditions impact a person's identity/life story, body image, and relationships with others, across the lifespan. She focuses on aspects of strength, resilience, and healing, and building community in her work, with her most recent set of studies exploring "thriving with PCOS across the lifespan". Her second area of interest lies in understanding how youth contribute to their communities during the transition to adulthood--with foci on youth generativity, prosocial engagement, and environmental justice. Dr. Soucie integrates quantitative (SEM, HLM) and qualitative (life narrative/autobiography, interviews, arts-based methods) approaches to better understand these domains of study.

    Monash University PCOS Guideline -

    This International evidence-based guideline for the assessment and management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is designed to provide clear information to assist shared decision-making and support optimal patient care and better health outcomes for the one in eight women affected by this condition.

    It is the culmination of the engagement of over 3,000 health professionals and the work of 100+ multidisciplinary clinical and lived experience experts from six continents and 71 countries internationally.

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    32 mins
  • Star Wars in Ojibway
    Aug 10 2024

    We discuss the new Ojibwe-dubbed version of Star Wars: A New Hope with Maeengan Linklater, Operations Director of the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council, and Michael Kohn, Director of Distribution Operations for Lucasfilm.

    The interview discusses why projects like these are so important to the revitalization of Indigenous languages.

    Highlights:

    • The Preservation of Indigenous Languages - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Star Wars: A New Hope in Ojibwe – Trailer (01:24)
    • Introducing Maeengan Linklater - Director of Operations of the Dakota Ojibwe Tribal Council (03:27)
    • Origins of Star Wars Ojibwe Project (03:43)
    • Process of Translating Star Wars into Ojibwe (08:25)
    • Revitalization of Indigenous Languages (15:16)
    • Introducing Michael Kohn - Director of Distribution Operations for Lucasfilm (18:11)
    • Working on the Navajo Version of Star Wars (18:29)
    • Differences Between Making the Navajo & Ojibwe Versions (19:47)
    • Casting Ojibwe Star Wars (20:37)
    • Impact of Navajo Version of Star Wars (22:02)
    • Why Star Wars? (23:11)
    • Parallels Between Indigenous Culture and Star Wars (24:24)
    • Other Opportunities (25:14)
    • Closing Remarks (26:40)

    Reference:

    APTN Announcement

    CBC Article - "This is going to be huge,' Manitoba actress says as premiere of Ojibwe-dubbed Star Wars film nears"

    Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    28 mins
  • Disability, War & the Peace Process in Cameroon
    Aug 3 2024

    This week, Joeita speaks to Cameroon-based disability rights activist, journalist, and lecturer Kesah Princely Nfortoh about the impact of the country's civil war on People with Disabilities in Cameroon and the importance of involving People with Disabilities in the peace process.

    Highlights

    • Disability, War & the Peace Process - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Introducing Kesah Princely Nfortoh (01:10)
    • The Anglophone Conflict in Cameroon (01:41)
    • Impact of Conflict on Persons with Disabilities (03:57)
    • Kidnapping of Blind University Student (05:59)
    • Disability News Africa (08:30)
    • Importance of Access to Technology (14:53)
    • Supporting the Peace Process & Disability Inclusion (18:29)
    • Involving People with Disabilities in the Peace Process (19:53)
    • Closing Remarks (22:42)
    • Show Close (23:38)

    Links

    Foundation for the Inclusion and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities

    Disability News Africa

    Find Kesah Princely Nfortoh online: LinkedIn, X

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    1 min
  • Disability, Camping & the Outdoors - Gimping founder Ely Tee
    Jul 27 2024

    This week, Joeita speaks to Ely Tee, founder of "Gimping", a Facebook group about camping and outdoor activities for People with Disabilities.

    Highlights

    • Making the Outdoors Accessible - Opening Remarks (00:00)
    • Introducing Ely T & “Gimping” (01:04)
    • Starting the “Gimping” Facebook Group for Adaptive Camping & Outdoorsing for People with Disabilities (02:32)
    • Accessible Camping Tips & Tricks (03:16)
    • Ely the Adventurer (05:11)
    • The Call of the Wild (06:34)
    • Accessible Campsites & Provincial Parks (09:14)
    • Accessibility Improvements (10:59)
    • Financial Barriers to Accessing the Outdoors (11:37)
    • Planning for an Outdoors Excursion (13:07)
    • Camping with Others (16:20)
    • Unforeseen Situations & Camping Emergencies (17:51)
    • Essential Items for Backcountry Exploration (20:29)
    • Getting Started (22:50)
    • Show Close (24:48)

    "Gimping" Facebook Group

    Find us on Twitter: @AMIaudio #PulseAMI

    To contact the Pulse: feedback@ami.ca

    Check out our website: https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse

    About AMI

    AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Operating three broadcast services, AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French, AMI’s vision is to establish and support a voice for Canadians with disabilities, representing their interests, concerns and values through inclusion, representation, accessible media, reflection, representation and portrayal.

    Learn more at AMI.ca

    Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia

    On Instagram @accessiblemediainc

    On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc

    On TikTok @accessiblemediainc

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    27 mins