The Pulse

Joeita speaks disability lawyer Sivan Tumarkin of Samfiru Tumarkin LLP about long-term disability claims and how to apply for them. Highlights Guest Bio Sivan Tumarkin is National Co-Managing Partner of Samfiru Tumarkin LLP and heads the firm’s Disability & Personal Injury Law practice group across Canada. He also acts as a mediator for parties seeking to resolve their disputes efficiently and equitably. Prior to co-founding Samfiru Tumarkin LLP, Sivan worked at one of the top insurance defence law firms in Canada. His clientele included insurance companies, municipalities and major retail corporations throughout Ontario. His previous experience working for insurance companies has given him unique insight into the long-term disability claim denial and appeals process, allowing him to secure strong results for his clients Reference Disability Rights Website Frequently Asked Questions about Long-term Disability Claims About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks with Beth Beattie and Carole Dagher about their new book “The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession” which discusses mental health and well-being amongst legal professionals. Highlights More Info: The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession is a groundbreaking book that sets the stage for revolutionizing how mental health is perceived in the legal profession and beyond. It contains a series of candid and courageous memoirs by members of the legal profession living with mental health and addiction issues. The authors are judges, lawyers, and law professors with wide-ranging legal practices in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario including at Bay Street and small boutique firms. Young lawyers and senior members of the profession share their experiences of working while living with various types of challenges – depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, eating disorders, addiction, grief, imposter syndrome, and perfectionism. The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in The Legal Profession addresses the insidious nature of mental health stigma and isolation in the legal community. But it is fundamentally a book about hope. As the authors discuss their sometimes harrowing journeys, they also show routes back to meaningful engagement with colleagues and work. To read these personal accounts is to be moved, inspired, and hopefully galvanized into action at the individual, collegial, and organizational level. This book offers practical solutions to change the culture of legal practice and beyond so as to bust apart stigma and isolation, foster people getting the support they need, and cultivate more diverse workplaces. Book Contributors “Postpartum depression made me feel hopeless. Not Today.” article by Carole Dagher for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Guest Bio: Beth Beattie Called to the Bar in 1994, Beth Beattie has a broad-based health law litigation practice. Since January 2018 Beth has been a Friend of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. Her story of working as a lawyer with bipolar disorder has been featured on television, radio, podcasts, print media and even billboards across the country. Television appearances include The Marilyn Denis Show, CTV News, CTV North News, CP24 and a CTV prime time special, “In Their Own Words”. In 2021, 2022 and 2023 Beth co-chaired with the former Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario, Teresa Donnelly, Mental Health Summits for Legal Professionals. Each year the Summits were watched by nearly 6,000 registrants. Beth is a founding member of Voices for Mental Health which is a group of employees at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General who have lived mental health experience or who have cared for loved ones with lived experience. Voices provides programming within the Ministry of the Attorney General and beyond on topics relating to mental health. In 2022 Beth was awarded the Law Society Medal, the highest honour available to a lawyer in Ontario. The Medal was awarded for outstanding service within the profession in accordance with the highest ideals of the profession. She was also awarded the Ontario Psychiatric Association’s Mental Health Advocate of the Year Award. About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/ About AMI AMI is a not-for-profit media company that...

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction to Health Equity 00:52 Barriers Faced by People with Disabilities 06:07 The Canada Excellence Research Chair in Health Equity 07:30 Addressing Health Inequities Highlighted by COVID-19 09:39 Tackling Health Equity in the Canadian Healthcare System 11:02 Understanding Sustainable Community Well-being 15:29 Taking a Critical Disability Lens in Healthcare 16:28 The Right to Health and Affirmation of People with Disabilities 22:19 Conclusion and Future Conversations About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks with Dominic Roberts, author of a new book of poetry "Blinded by the Write: Poems from a Twisted Mind" in which he discusses his vision loss journey. Highlights: Links: Blinded by the Write: Poems from a Twisted Mind (Amazon Canada, GoodReads) About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks to Carli Friedman of the University of Washington about disability and intimacy. Highlights: Guest Bio: Carli Friedman is the Director of Research for CQL | The Council on Quality and Leadership. CQL is an international not-for-profit organization that is dedicated to the definition, measurement, and improvement of personal quality of life, through a world of dignity, opportunity, and community for all people with disabilities. Carli’s research at CQL works to promote meaningful community participation and empowerment of people with disabilities by exploring the impact policy, service systems, and providers can have on quality enhancement and quality of life. Carli, who has a Doctorate in Disability Studies, is the author of over 230 journal articles, book chapters, research briefs, and reports, focusing on ableism, community integration of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Medicaid, and social determinants of health. Article: AAIDD Honors CQL’s Carli Friedman, PhD, With The 2022 Research Award About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks to Andrew Leland about his book "The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight" Highlights: Guest Bio: Andrew Leland’s writing has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, McSweeney’s Quarterly, and The San Francisco Chronicle, among other outlets. From 2013-2019, he hosted and produced The Organist, an arts and culture podcast, for KCRW; he has also produced pieces for Radiolab and 99 Percent Invisible. He has been an editor at The Believer since 2003. He lives in western Massachusetts with his wife and son. About The Country of the Blind Named one of the best books of the year by: THE NEW YORKER • THE WASHINGTON POST • THE ATLANTIC • NPR • PUBLISHERS WEEKLY • LITHUB A witty, winning, and revelatory personal narrative of the author’s transition from sightedness to blindness and his quest to learn about blindness as a rich culture all its own “After reading Andrew Leland’s memoir, The Country of the Blind, you will look at the English language differently . . . Leland rigorously explores the disability’s most troubling corners . . . A wonderful cross-disciplinary wander.” —The New York Times Book Review We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but starting in his teenage years, his sight began to degrade from the outside in, such that he now sees the world as if through a narrow tube. Soon—but without knowing exactly when—he will likely have no vision left. Full of apprehension but also dogged curiosity, Leland embarks on a sweeping exploration of the state of being that awaits him: not only the physical experience of blindness but also its language, politics, and customs. He negotiates his changing relationships with his wife and son, and with his own sense of self, as he moves from his mainstream, “typical” life to one with a disability. Part memoir, part historical and cultural investigation, The Country of the Blind represents Leland’s determination not to merely survive this transition but to grow from it—to seek out and revel in that which makes blindness enlightening. Thought-provoking and brimming with warmth and humor, The Country of the Blind is a deeply personal and intellectually exhilarating tour of a way of being that most of us have never paused to consider—and from which we have much to learn. Related Links: NPR Article - As a writer slowly loses his sight, he embraces other kinds of perception Blindness isn't a tragic binary — it's a rich spectrum (Ted Talk, July 2023) Andrew Leland Website: https://www.andrewleland.org/ The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight (Wikipedia) About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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...

Joeita discusses emergency preparedness for people with disabilities with Kaitlynne Lowe, Policy Researcher at MacEachen Institute for Public Policy at Dalhousie University. From Emergency Supply Kits and Vulnerable Person’s Registries to accessibility barriers in transportation and housing, people with disabilities are often especially vulnerable during a crisis, disaster, or emergency. Highlights: Guest Bio: Kaitlynne Lowe is a Policy Researcher at the MacEachen Institute for Public Policy at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Kaitlynne is a Dalhousie MPA graduate, hopeful life-changer, book lover, theatre-goer, adventurer, and cat mom. Follow Kaitlynne Lowe on X/Twitter: @KatieALowe About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

In the third of three episodes on Accessible Fashion, Joeita speaks to Alexa Jonovavic, founder of Aille Design, a brand featuring clothing with Braille beadwork. Alexa dives into her collaborative process with members of the blind and partially sighted community. Plus, a fascinating exploration of the relationship blind women have with colour. Highlights: Aille Design on AMI-tv’s Fashion Dis Guest Bio: Now known as "The Braille Fashion Designer," Alexa Jovanovic first began creating Braille fashion as a research project in university where she was taught the importance of disrupting fashion industry norms through innovative design thinking and the co-design process. Alexa built strong relationships with local blind and partially sighted individuals and together they discussed everything from shopping, clothing trends, and closet organization, to society’s misconceptions of what it means to “look and feel” blind. About Aille Design - ​https://ailledesign.com/ Our brand name comes from the French verb Aller which means "to go" or "to move forward". We believe inclusivity is the direction the fashion industry needs to move forward in and we're ready to help lead the change! The pronunciation of our name alludes to the personal "I" since our products help to empower and increase independence, as well as the physical "eye" since braille provides a source of vision and understanding. Did you know? The two dots in our logo are the braille character for the letter "i". It represents the importance of braille while helping you remember the pronunciation of Aille. We make clothing and accessories with fully legible braille that are designed alongside the blind and visually impaired community. Use the braille to describe the physical garment, choose one of our value based phrases, or customize the braille to say anything you want! The tactile braille beadwork is the focal point of each design. It generates conversation about accessibility and inclusion and makes for an incredibly unique gift. 5% of all t-shirt sales are donated to organizations for the visually impaired. About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

In the second of three episodes on Accessible Fashion, Joeita speaks to Wendy Wong, founder of June Adaptive on her creative choice and journey. Wendy discusses the practicalities of getting her business off the ground, including obtaining feedback from People with Disabilities. Highlights: About June Adaptive: From people frustrated by inaccessible buttons and zippers to people recovering from medical treatments, people living with mobility challenges or disabilities can find fashion solutions at June Adaptive. We found pieces that helped people in our lives and we hope we can help you too. “The Start of June Adaptive” June was more than just a “cool” aunt to our founder Wendy; she was a sister, friend, and a hard-working medical professional who adored her cocker spaniel. Following an accident later in life, June had lost mobility in her arms and legs. With a fashion background, Wendy wanted to help June maintain her independence and dignity by finding clothing that was beautiful yet functional. To Wendy's surprise, it was nearly impossible to find adaptive pieces that fit into June’s new everyday life. As life went on, Wendy had found that additional family members had developed mobility challenges, sharing related issues in finding accessible fashion. After discovering the adaptive fashion space, Wendy wanted to bring back the joy of fashion to people experiencing similar struggles. June Adaptive was created out of an inspiration to provide an inclusive shopping experience for different levels of ability. Our goal is to create a universally designed experience for more people to shop. We want to make adaptive fashion more accessible because everyone should be able to look good. Links Toronto Star - These adaptive fashion designers are making personal style more accessible - Fashion Magazine - Adaptive Fashion Brands You Should Know About Seneca Journalism -Making Fashion Fit for Everyone About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_ep... 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 Email feedback@ami.ca About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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...

In the first of three episodes on Accessible Fashion, Joeita speaks to Izzy Camilleri, the founder of IZ Adaptive, a clothing brand that provides accessible fashions for people with disabilities. We discuss her foray into inclusive fashion and design at a time when no one was talking about it. She discusses how her desire to create clothes that are functional, as well as beautiful, changed the course of her life while conferring dignity to people with disabilities. Highlights: Guest Bio: Izzy Camilleri is one of Canada’s leading and most celebrated fashion designers, and a pioneer in adaptive clothing. Izzy first ventured into the world of accessible clothing after initially doing custom work for a wheelchair user in 2004. It opened her eyes to the huge necessity for this type of clothing in the world. In 2022, Izzy received 2 awards for her adaptive line. She won the Innovation Award from the Women’s Empowerment Awards and the Fashion Impact Award from the CAFA Awards. In 2006, she received CAFA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Her adaptive line has been featured in the Royal Ontario Museum. For more than 39 years, she has designed custom clothing for an international clientele, crafted gorgeous collections featured in fashion magazines from Vogue to InStyle, and dressed celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, Mark Wahlberg, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and David Bowie. Since 2009, Izzy has focused on inclusive fashion through her brand IZ Adaptive, with the mission to make great looking and well-fitting clothes accessible to everyone. To learn more about Izzy, visit www.izzycamilleri.com. See more of Izzy Camilleri on AMI-tv’s Fashion Dis! Each episode of Fashion Dis celebrates the head-to-toe overhaul of a frustrated style seeker discouraged by an industry that lacks adaptive options. The Story of IZ Adaptive IZ Adaptive was launched in 2009 after fashion designer Izzy Camilleri spent a few years creating custom clothing for a client who was a wheelchair user living with paralysis. This experience opened her eyes to the clothing challenges and limitations people face while living with a physical disability. After years of creating these first custom pieces, Izzy realized that if her client had all these obstacles around clothing, there must be many others with the same issues. Izzy decided to hold a focus group meeting where other voices were heard around the challenges, likes and dislikes around everyday clothing while living with a physical disability. With listening and learning, the seeds of creating a line of adaptive clothing were being planted. After doing online research of the market, she saw that there was very little out there designed specifically for this demographic of people. Most of what was available was for the elderly or for people living in long term care facilities. Clothing that was very dated in both design and fabric choice. Seeing this huge void in the market, Izzy saw this as an opportunity to create a line of clothes for people living with a disability, starting with modern wardrobe basics. In June of 2009 IZ Adaptive was born. Izzy Camilleri was hailed a trail blazer pioneering the category of adaptive clothing in the form of fashionable, functional pieces. Her new and innovative work was called revolutionary. The path since that time has been long and hard, but Izzy kept it on life support, knowing the importance of what she was creating and how many lives IZ Adaptive positively affected. At the beginning of the pandemic, Izzy also created the first ‘Seamless Back Pant’ which helps to reduce the risk of life threatening pressure sores. This patented technology is the most important work Izzy has done throughout her long career. These pants have become an important staple in many of IZ Adaptives customer’s wardrobes. Today, Izzy is seen as the Thought Leader in this space. IZ Adaptive has a global reach with its online store. Major media outlets have featured IZ, and museums have...

This week, Joeita speaks to Jacqueline Alnes, author of The Fruit Cure: the Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour - "an unforgettable deep dive into the world of fruitarianism". Highlights: Guest Bio: Jacqueline Alnes has published essays in The New York Times, Guernica, The Boston Globe, Women's Running, Iron Horse Literary Review, and elsewhere, and her interviews with writers can be found in Longreads, The Rumpus, and, more regularly, Electric Literature, where she serves as a contributing writer. A series of her paintings featuring inspiring athletes was featured on NBC during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games and in Runner's World. Currently an Assistant Professor of English at West Chester University, Alnes earned her MFA from Portland State University and her PhD from Oklahoma State University. ​Alnes's first book, The Fruit Cure: The Story of Extreme Wellness Turned Sour details how mysterious neurological symptoms derailed her career as a Division I runner and left her desperate for answers. She found hope in an unlikely place: a thriving, online community of fruit-eaters. In The Fruit Cure, Jacqueline Alnes takes readers on a spellbinding and unforgettable journey through the world of fruitarianism, interweaving her own powerful narrative with the popularity and problematic history of fruit-based, raw food lifestyles. ​About The Fruit Cure “A deeply compelling read … Spellbinding ….” – BookPage “Her journey from desperation to self-acceptance is moving and well rendered. In the crowded medical memoir field, this stands out.” — Publishers Weekly A powerful critique of the failures in our healthcare system and an inquiry into the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams, and diets. Jacqueline Alnes was a Division One runner during her freshman year of college, but her season was cut short by a series of inexplicable neurological symptoms. What started with a cough, escalated to Alnes collapsing on the track and experiencing months of unremembered episodes that stole her ability to walk and speak. Two years after quitting the team to heal, Alnes’s symptoms returned with a severity that left her using a wheelchair for a period of months. She was admitted to an epilepsy center but doctors could not figure out the root cause of her symptoms. Desperate for answers, she turned to an online community centered around a strict, all-fruit diet which its adherents claimed could cure conditions like depression, eating disorders, addiction, anxiety, and vision problems. Alnes wasn’t alone. From all over the world, people in pain, doubted or dismissed by medical authorities, or seeking a miracle diet that would relieve them of white, Western expectations placed on their figures, turned to fruit in hopes of releasing themselves from the perceived failings of their bodies. In The Fruit Cure, Jacqueline Alnes takes readers on a spellbinding and unforgettable journey through the world of fruitarianism, interweaving her own powerful narrative with the popularity and problematic history of fruit-based, raw food lifestyles. For readers plagued by mysterious symptoms, inundated by messages from media about how to attain “the perfect body,” or caught in the grips of a fast-paced culture of capitalism, The Fruit Cure offers a powerful critique of the failures of our healthcare system and an inquiry into the sinister strains of wellness culture that prey on people’s vulnerabilities through schemes, scams, and diets masquerading as hope. About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on...

We continue our annual Christmas story tradition with O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi, read by Andy Lehrer. "The Gift of the Magi" is a short story by O. Henry first published in the New York Sunday World on December 10, 1905. Highlights: About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_episodes 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 Email feedback@ami.ca About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks with Ashley Nemeth about her journey as a blind parent raising three children. Guest Bio: Ashley Nemeth is vocal advocate breaking down barriers for people with disabilities. Ashley identifies as a deafblind woman sharing her story, educating and changing opinions on the importance of accessibility for all. Highlights: More about Ashley: How Blogging Turned Ashley Nemeth into an Entrepreneur About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks with Rod Michalko about his book "Letters with Smokie" discussing blindness and what it can reveal about the relationship between humans and animals. About “Letters with Smokie” From University of Manitoba Press: Leave it to a dog to put the “human” back in “humanities” In September 2020, Rod Michalko wrote to friend and colleague Dan Goodley, congratulating him on the release of his latest book, Disability and Other Human Questions. Joking that his late guide dog, Smokie, had taken offense to the suggestion that disability was purely a human question, Michalko shared a few thoughts on behalf of his dog. When Goodley wrote back—to Smokie—so began an epistolic exchange that would continue for the next seven months. As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world and the realities of lockdown-imposed isolation set in, the Smokie letters provided the friends a space in which to come together in a lively exploration of human-animal relationships and to interrogate disability as disruption, disturbance, and art. Just as he did in life, Smokie guides. In these pages, he offers wisdom about the world, love, friendship, and even The Beatles. His canine observations of human experience provide an avenue into some of the ways blindness might be reconceptualized and “befriended.” Uninhibited by the trappings of traditional academic inquiry, Michalko and Goodley are unleashed, free to wander, to wonder, and to provoke within the bonds of trust and respect. Funny and thoughtful, the result is a refreshing exploration and re-evaluation of learned cultural misunderstandings of disability. Highlights: Guest Bio: Rod Michalko is a retired professor from the University of Toronto where he taught disability studies. His current writing, both fiction and non-fiction, stems from his experience of blindness. “Letters with Smokie” was co-written by Dan Goodley, Professor of Disability Studies and Education at the University of Sheffield. His Previous books include Disability and Other Human Questions (Emerald, 2020) and Disability Studies (second edition, Sage, 2016). Links Learn more about “Letters with Smokie” on AMI Audiobook Review "Letters with Smokie" Website About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_ep... 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 Email feedback@ami.ca About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit...

Dr Ann Leahy, a PhD graduate of Maynooth University Sociology Department, recently published her new book Disability & Ageing: Towards a Critical Perspective. This book challenges assumptions about impairment in later life and the residual nature of the ‘fourth age’. It proposes that the experience of ‘disability’ in older age reaches beyond the bodily context and can involve not only a challenge to a sense of value and meaning in life, but also ongoing efforts in response. Highlights: Guest Bio: Ann Leahy joined the ERC Consolidator funded project, DANCING (Protecting the Right to Culture of Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Cultural Diversity through European Union Law: Exploring New Paths), in September 2020. Her main focus is qualitative research on cultural participation by people with disabilities. She has an MA in Social Justice and Public Policy (first class honours) and a PhD in Sociology. Her PhD was an interdisciplinary qualitative study that examined the intersection between disability and ageing, engaging with literature across both areas. Her academic awards include a John and Pat Hume Scholarship (2013) from Maynooth University and an Irish Research Council Employment-based PhD Scholarship (2014). In 2019 she was awarded a Government of Ireland, Irish Research Council Postdoctoral Fellowship to disseminate the findings of her PhD thesis. Ann also has a background in law. Early in her career, she qualified as a Solicitor and worked for some years in commercial law with McCann FitzGerald, solicitors. She subsequently changed direction, working for nearly two decades in the NGO voluntary sector. She was Assistant CEO of Age & Opportunity for over a decade with responsibility for policy and public affairs, as well as for the organisation’s work on arts and culture. In addition to disability and ageing, her areas of research include equality, poverty and healthcare, and she has completed a body of research and policy analysis on these issues for Social Justice Ireland. She has also extensive experience of public-policy processes across a variety of areas and has served on several policy and advocacy committees. Reference: Follow Ann Leahy on X / Twitter: @ALeahyResearch About Ann’s Book “Disability Identity in Older Age: Exploring Social Processes That Influence Disability Identification With Aging” from Disability Studies Quarterly About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Joeita speaks about "Affective Ablenationalism" with Anastasia Todd from the University of Kentucky. SUMMARY An in-depth conversation about disability and ablenationalism, exploring how disabled individuals are often coded as able-bodied in the imagined community of the nation. Using the story of Trevor Maroshek, a former Navy SEAL, and his service dog, Chopper as a case study, we examine the concept of service dogs as a technology of rehabilitation, allowing disabled individuals to fit into the able-bodied norm and the white American nuclear family, the veneration of Chopper as a national hero and the role of military dogs in securing the nation state. Looking at the real-world implications such as confusion about the rights of people with service dogs and the discrimination they face. Guest Bio: Anastasia Todd is an Assistant Professor of Gender and Women's Studies at the University of Kentucky. Broadly, her research investigates the intersections of disability and girlhood from a feminist disability studies perspective. Her forthcoming book, Cripping Girlhood (winner of the 2022 Tobin Siebers Prize for Disability Studies in the Humanities), is interested in what happens and what it means when certain disabled girl subjects gain cultural recognition and visibility as “American girls, too,” to use the words of Melissa Shang, who in 2014 created a viral Change.org petition imploring American Girl to create a disabled doll of the year. The book explores the promise and peril of this newfound cultural visibility for select disabled girls. In examining representations and self-representations of disabled girls and girlhoods across the mediascape at the beginning of the twenty-first century, spanning HBO documentaries to TikTok, Cripping Girlhood uncovers the variegated ways the figure of the disabled girl is imbued with meaning and mobilized as a spectacular representational symbol. Cripping Girlhood also explores how disabled girls, more than symbolic figures to be used in others’ narratives, circulate their own capacious re-envisioning of what it means to be a disabled girl. The book uncovers the cultural and political work that disabled girls’ self-representational practices perform, from cultivating disability community through generating intimacy online, to affirming the value of care labor and interdependence across the species barrier. Highlights: Links: Pre-order Cripping Girlhood (University of Michigan Press, 2024) Her new research project, in collaboration with Heather Switzer (WGS, Arizona State University) explores the intersection of invisible disability and young womanhood through creating and analyzing an archive of invisible disability narratives. As a cripistemological intervention, the project seeks to expand disability studies by taking seriously bodyminds that experience ableism yet have an uneasy and tenuous relationship with disability as it has been conventionally defined—that is, as physical, unchanging, and visible. Anastasia Todd. 2023. “Cripping Visibility: Re-presenting Disabled Girls and Girlhoods.” NEOS. 15(1). Anastasia Todd. 2023. “Affective Ablenationalisms and Interspecies Entanglements.” Disability Studies Quarterly. 42(3). About The Pulse: On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_episodes Learn more at AMI.ca Connect on Twitter @AccessibleMedia On Instagram @accessiblemediainc On Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc On TikTok @accessiblemediainc Email feedback@ami.ca About The...

Joeita speaks to Paralympic Cross-Country Skiier and gold medalist Natalie Wilkie. This is the third of a three part series profiling the 2023 inductees to the Canada Disability Hall of Fame. Synopsis This episode of The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta and guest, King Clancy Award winner and Paralympic cross-country skier, Natalie Wilkie discuss parasport and determination, highlighting the achievements of Paralympic athletes. The perception of people with disabilities as objects of pity has been shattered by the competitiveness and sportsmanship displayed in Paralympic games. Despite facing a life-altering accident, Wilkie returned to skiing just two weeks later and went on to win gold, silver, and bronze medals at the 2018 Paralympic Games. The interview explores Wilkie's journey, including her introduction to the parasport and the challenges and strategies involved in cross-country skiing. Additionally, Wilkie shares her passion for painting, photography, and training horses. Episode Highlights: About Natalie Wilkie burst onto the international scene at the PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic Winter Games. At age 17, she was the youngest member of the Canadian team. In South Korea, Wilkie prevailed over her more experienced rivals to take a much-celebrated gold in the women’s middle distance standing. She followed that up with bronze in the sprint and silver in the mixed relay. As a result, she received the Canadian Paralympic Sport Award for Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete. Wilkie lost four fingers on her left hand in an accident during woodwork class at school in 2016. Team Canada Profile Link About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on Twitter: @JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit https://www.ami.ca/ThePulse/recent_episodes 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 Email feedback@ami.ca About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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...

Synopsis This episode of The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta is joined by Canada Disability Hall of Fame Inductee, Michelle Stilwell. Together they discuss the intersection of sports, politics, and disability. The role of sports in social inclusion for people with disabilities is highlighted. Michelle also discusses her transition to wheelchair racing and her involvement in politics as a member of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia. She emphasizes the importance of representation and policy influence for people with disabilities. The interview concludes with a discussion on the need for increased employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Link: https://paralympic.ca/team-canada/michelle-stilwell Episode Highlights: Introducing Canada Disability Hall of Fame Inductee, Michelle Stilwell (1:57) Significance of Being Inducted to the Canada Disability Hall of Fame (2:56) Getting Started in Wheelchair Basketball (4:00) Representing Canada Internationally (6:40) Medals in Other Sports (9:19) Training for Wheelchair Racing (10:46) Financial Barriers to Parasport (12:10) Career Highlights (13:07) How Can Sport Prepare you for Politics? (17:02) Proudest Accomplishments in the Legislature (18:10) Another Run for Office? (21:12) Feelings on Evolution of Disability Rights and Inclusion in Canada (21:50) Hopes for Disability Inclusion in the Future (24:40) Advice for Others Facing Significant Injuries (25:56) About Michelle Stilwell Michelle Stilwell is the only Canadian woman to win gold medals in two sports at the Paralympic Games. She and the Canadian team won gold in women’s wheelchair basketball at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney. Stilwell also won gold in women’s wheelchair racing at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games. From 2006 to 2016, she was the fastest wheelchair racer in the world in the T52-class; she currently holds world records in the women’s 100 m and 200 m. She also served as a BC MLA for Parksville-Qualicum from 2013 to 2020. Reference: https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/michelle-stilwell About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Synopsis On this episode of The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta sits down with renowned wheelchair basketball player and inductee to the Canada Disability Hall of Fame, Chantal Benoit. Together, they discuss the Paralympic Games and the impact of parasport in challenging misperceptions about people with disabilities. It highlights the achievements of para-athletes and their advocacy for disability rights.. Benoit shares her experiences in the sport and the evolution of support for parasport in Canada. She emphasizes the importance of creating a strong foundation at the grassroots level and the need for continued growth and opportunities. The episode concludes with a reflection on the transformative power of sports in breaking down barriers and changing societal perspectives. Link to Chantal Benoit: https://www.wheelchairbasketball.ca/players/chantal-benoit/ Episode Highlights: Chantal’s Upcoming Induction into Canada’s Disability Hall of Fame. (3:10) Differences Between Coaching Able-Bodied & Wheelchair Basketball? (6:42) Training for an International Competition (8:25) How has the Support for Parasport Evolved Over the Last 30 Years? (10:12) Getting Started in Wheelchair Basketball (12:23) Chantal’s Career Highlight (15:06) Advice for Young People Interested in Parasports (17:28) Chantal’s Legacy and Impact Beyond the Sporting World? (19:02) The Michael Jordan of Women’s Basketball? (22:45) About Chantal Benoit Chantal Benoit is an icon of women’s wheelchair basketball. A member of Team Canada for 27 years, she has won three Paralympic gold medals and four world championship titles. Often called the “Michael Jordan” of her sport, she is considered the greatest woman to have ever played the game. A role model for many athletes, she inspires her teammates, opponents, and the next generation of female players to excel. Off the court, she is a tireless advocate for inclusive sport. Reference: https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-16515 About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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 Email feedback@ami.ca

Synopsis: On this episode of The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta and her guest, Max Brault, Vice President of People in Change Accessibility Consulting at BDO Canada, discuss the organization's initiatives to promote accessibility and workplace inclusion, disability and workplace inclusion, focusing on the need for employers to examine their structures, practices, policies, and processes to root out ableism. The episode highlights the high unemployment and underemployment rates faced by people with disabilities in Canada, with the employment rate for adults with disabilities lagging behind the general population. BDO’s initiatives include developing an auditing tool to assess organizations' disability inclusion efforts and conducting research on the federal government's procurement process to ensure accessibility. Here, Max emphasizes the importance of engaging the disability community and addressing fears and misconceptions surrounding hiring individuals with disabilities. Episode Highlights: Introduction (0:00) Mission & Mandate of BDO Canada (2:57) Workplace inclusion and addressing unemployment and underemployment faced by people with disabilities. (4:02) The fear people with disabilities have in terms of dealing with the employment process. (6:44) Which nonprofit organizations has BDO chosen to work with and how were they chosen? (7:53) BDO’s partnership with the Institute for Research and Development on Inclusion in Society to develop an accessibility audit. (9:45) A description of the auditing process. (12:10) What aspects of an employer’s processes or practices or structures will be taken into account for this auditing tool. (13:37) Will this auditing tool be versatile enough to be used for both small- and large-scale employers? 16:21 What is BDO’s plan for developing this audit engagement tool? (17:36) When will this audit tool be ready? (18:06) Max’s project in collaboration with the CNIB about the federal procurement process. (18:20) Where does the CNIB come into this research? (20:32) When looking at the federal procurement process, what are some of the considerations from an accessibility point of view that need to be considered? (22:47) What precisely will the research look at? (24:17) What is a KPI? (25:38) When will this research be complete? (25:57) What do you think the most immediate impact of the research on procurement is likely to be? (26:26) Conclusion (27:06) About Max Brault: Max accepted a leadership role with BDO Canada, guiding consulting projects focused on accessibility issues. Previously, Max guided the federal government toward historic legislation for persons with disabilities, the Accessible Canada Act. Unafraid to challenge convention to make positive change for the disability community, as a vice president with BDO Consulting (Strategy & Operations), Max aims to identify accessibility issues for corporations, governments, and non-governmental agencies, and to provide strategic solutions to address them. Reference: https://www.bdo.ca/our-people/max-brault About The Pulse On The Pulse, host Joeita Gupta brings us closer to issues impacting the disability community across Canada. Joeita Gupta has nurtured a life-long dream to work in radio! She's blind, moved to Toronto in 2004 and got her start in radio at CKLN, 88.1 FM in Toronto. A former co-host of AMI-audio's Live from Studio 5, Joeita also works full-time at a nonprofit in Toronto, specializing in housing/tenant rights. Find Joeita on X / Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeitaGupta The Pulse airs weekly on AMI-audio. For more information, visit 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...