The Pulse

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: 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

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: 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

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 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. 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 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: 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 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

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

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: 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 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

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 Links Foundation for the Inclusion and Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Disability News Africa Find Kesah Princely Nfortoh online: LinkedIn, X 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

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

This week Joeita speaks to blind YouTuber Sam Seavey, creator of the Blind Life YouTube channel. Highlights About Sam Seavey Sam was diagnosed at age 11 with Stargardt’s, an early onset form of macular degeneration, and was legally blind by his mid-teens. Over the last 30 years, he has developed an extensive background in research and understanding of assistive devices and techniques of living with low vision. Sam is the founder and creator of The Blind Life YouTube Channel, which, according to a recent article from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, “is currently the largest resource for assistive technology on the internet.” With more than 50,000 subscribers and over 700 informative videos, Sam helps people world-wide living with vision loss, offering tips for managing daily tasks, reviewing assistive devices, and hosting informative interviews with key stakeholders in the visually impaired community. Sam is recognized as an expert when speaking and presenting at national conferences. Featured in USA TODAY, WIRED Magazine, and numerous national and international podcasts on assistive technology, he collaborates with tech giants like Google, SONY and Amazon, has created content for numerous websites and participates on Microsoft’s Window’s Accessibility Advisory Board. Sam currently manages the A-T program at a nonprofit where he provides training on assistive devices ranging from low tech items like simple bump dots and magnifiers, to phone apps and assistive computer software. Whether he’s working one on one with clients or through his YouTube videos, Sam’s goal is to help everyone live their BEST BLIND LIFES! Links: The Blind Life Website, YouTube & Podcast 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

We preview the Desiring Autism and Neurodivergence Symposium with Patty Douglas,Associate Professor of Disability Studies & Chair of Student Success and Wellness at Queen's University & Metis Beadworker & Visual Artist Claire Johnston. Highlights: Guest Bio’s Patty Douglas Patty Douglas (she/they) is a former special education teacher in Ontario and British Columbia and an Associate Professor of Disability Studies in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. She is a Senior Research Affiliate at the Re•Vision Centre for Art and Social Justice at the University of Guelph. Her research focuses on rethinking deficit approaches to disability at the intersection of difference in education using critical and creative approaches including disability studies, critical autism studies, mad (m)othering, decolonial studies and arts-based and creative methodologies. Douglas founded and currently leads the Re•Storying Autism in Education project (SSHRC Insight Grant www.restoryingautism.com), a multimedia storytelling project in Canada, the UK and Aotearoa (New Zealand) that collaboratively reimagines autism and practice in education and health in ways that centre historically excluded perspectives and affirm and desire difference. As a white settler academic, Douglas is deeply committed to decolonizing research. She identifies as neurodivergent and invisibly disabled. Her monograph, Unmothering Autism: Ethical Disruptions and Affirming Care is in production with UBC Press. Douglas offers talks, consulting, and professional development for school divisions, educators and practitioners interested in neurodiversity affirming approaches. Re•Storying Autism in Education Re•Storying Autism in Education is a multimedia storytelling project that brings together Autistic people, family members, practitioners, educators and artists to rethink practice in ways that desire the difference of Autism. Claire Johnston Claire Johnston(she/they) is a Métis beadworker based in her Homeland of Winnipeg, MB. Claire's beadwork practice is informed by the strengthening of relationships -- with herself, her kin and the natural world. As an Autistic beadworker, her love of bright colours and attention to detail allow for vibrant and intricate pieces. Claire believes strongly in "cripping" the arts and expanding accessibility for Disabled and low-income Indigenous artists to thrive. Her work has been exhibited at both the Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art in Vancouver, BC and Tangled Arts in Toronto, ON. She is a steering committee member for the Critical Autism Summit that will take place in Manitoba in 2024, where she will host beading circles to facilitate discussions on decolonizing understandings of Autism and neurodiversity. Find more of Claire’s work online: https://www.clairejohnston.net/ 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 speaks to blind filmmaker James Rath about his journey in film production and direction. Part 2 of a 2-part series. Highlights Guest Bio Born legally blind with non-correctable conditions, Ocular Albinism and Nystagmus, James found a love for the camera when he realized, at its core, it's just a hi-tech magnifier. Since the age of 8, James has actively filmed videos for the digital age. Through his YouTube channel, film work, and public speeches, James explores how technology enhances lives, particularly for those with disabilities. His work not only educates but also entertains, empowers, encouraging a deeper understanding and appreciation of the disabled community. Links: James Rath's Website SEE DIFFERENT SEE DIFFERENT is an initiative founded by filmmaker and content creator James Rath, aimed at promoting accessibility and innovation through storytelling and community engagement. Born with blindness, James uses his unique perspective to challenge norms and inspire change. James Rath on YouTube 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 scriptwriter and disabled TV producer Ophira Calof about the Disabled Producers Lab a new program designed to teach production skills to disabled women and trans creators. Part 1 of a 2 part series. Highlights Guest Bio - Ophira Calof (pronouns: they/she) is a multi-award winning Disabled writer and performer who is drawn to character driven stories that combine humour and heart while subverting narrative tropes and works to “crip the script,” centring disability knowledge and experience. Their recent credits include One More Time (CBC), Rubble and Crew (Treehouse TV), PUSH (CBC), Shelved (CTV), Dino Dex (Amazon Prime), Welcome Series (Titan1Studios), and their solo show Literally Titanium, which has been featured in both academic and performance spaces as a case study in accessible production. Ophira is also the creative director for the Accessible Writers’ Lab, a national initiative presented by AMI, RAFFTO and sponsored by the Canada Media Fund and Telefilm, to experiment with what an accessible tv writers’ room might involve. Ophira was the accessibility process lead for AccessCBC, and the curatorial committee lead for the 2022 ReelAbilities Film Festival Toronto. They have taught workshops and provided mentorship internationally on storytelling, writing, music, accessibility and disability narratives, and created the courses Sketch Comedy with Ophira Calof and Crip Storytelling, a series in partnership with Centre of Independent Living Toronto and the Miles Nadal Jewish Community Centre. Additionally, Ophira has created a number of disability arts projects including the series Making Space: Stories of Disabled Youth Past and Present (Myseum Toronto/RAFFTO) and Dis/Play, a public arts project that projected the stories of over 50 Deaf and Disabled creatives onto exterior building walls across the city (MNJCC/RAFFTO/ArtWorxTO: Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022). Ophira graduated from Second City’s Writing and Sketch Conservatory programs and the Buddies in Bad Times Theatre Emerging Creator’s Unit. They were featured in the Second City 2018 Toronto Diversity Fellowship Showcase, are the 2018 recipient of the Tim Sims Encouragement Award and received the 2021 Cahoots Theatre Promising Pen Prize. They were also named a TV writing fellow for the 2022 RespectAbility Lab for Entertainment Professionals with Disabilities and are currently taking part in the 2023 Warner Brothers Discovery Access X Canadian Academy Writers Program. Disability Screen Office: The Disability Screen Office is a national, not-for-profit organization that works with the Canadian screen industry to eliminate accessibility barriers and foster authentic and meaningful disability representation throughout the sector. We are excited to help make the Canadian media industry more inclusive, and look forward to amplifying the voices of people with disabilities across the Canadian media landscape. Disabled Producers Lab: The Disabled Producers Lab is a part-time, online program designed as a space for disabled producers marginalized by gender across Canada including, but not limited to, transgender women, cisgender women, transgender men, non-binary people and many other gender identities. Up to five participants will enter the lab with a completed short film script (up to 10 minutes or 10 to 11 pages) and be paired with an industry mentor to support them in developing a comprehensive production binder for the film featuring a realistic schedule, budget, accessibility plan and pitch package. This lab aims to strengthen the skills and knowledge required to be a successful producer and create systemic change within the production industry by fostering an environment where accessibility is at the forefront of production practices, challenging and reshaping industry norms. 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...

Joeita speaks to sex educator and host of AMI-tv's "That Sex Show," Rachele Manett, about how parents and caregivers of youths with disabilities can have meaningful conversations about sex, sexuality and gender identity. Highlights Guest Bio (courtesy of Venus Envy) Rachele Manett (they/she) is a queer, disabled sex educator, and host of Accessible Media Inc's That Sex Show. Their work is influenced by their own experience with disability, as well as a background in recreation therapy and a masters degree exploring acquired physical disability and sexuality. While her work explores all sorts of sexuality-related topics, Rachele holds a particular love towards disabled sexuality and accessible sex practices. Watch “That Sex Show” on AMI See Rachelle in “Our Community: Accessing Pleasure” In this episode of Our Community: The Tetra Society's focus is to find solutions to overcome environmental barriers faced by people with disabilities, including sex toys. In this episode, we’ll follow each step of a request being fulfilled. More on the Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital ProFILE Lab The ProFILE Lab is part of the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and is led by Dr. Amy McPherson, Senior Scientist at Holland Bloorview and Associate Professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto. Amy is a Chartered member of the British Psychological Society, Division of Health Psychology. She is also a psychotherapy trainee. The work conducted in the ProFILE Lab addresses timely research questions around the promotion of the health and wellness of children with disabilities and long-term conditions. Weight management, body diversity, sexuality, mental health, and disordered eating are priority areas of investigation. The lab regularly involves family stakeholders in research study teams to ensure research is timely and relevant. 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 blind self-defence instructor and Brazilian Ju-jitsu practitioner Jim Turk about the relationship between martial arts and self-confidence for People with Disabilities. Highlights About Jim Turk & Fight Back Self Defense "My name is Jim Turk. I am a self-defense instructor, and also happen to be completely blind. It is an unfortunate fact that criminals often target people who are perceived, for whatever reason, as "easy targets". The reasons for this perception could range from a person’s age, gender, physical size, or, as in my case, a noticeable disability. Regardless of the reason for this perception of vulnerability, assaults against people in these categories tend to be very similar in nature to one another. For this reason, the self-defense principles and techniques I teach are useful to a wide range of individuals, such as senior citizens, women, children, and those with disabilities. After I began losing my vision, I started becoming more interested in personal safety and self-defense. I have since earned my blue belt in the martial art Brazilian jiu-jitsu, and have received my certification as a coach in the OneTouch self-defense system, which was specifically designed for blind people. The more I learn, the more I wanted to be able to share my knowledge with others, so I have started my own business teaching self-defense, called Fight Back. I am located in Villa Park, IL, and I am available to teach private lessons or group classes." Contact Jim Turk for more info: fightbackllc@gmail.com More About Jim Turk Self-Defense Instructor Jim Turk Receives 2019 Council Excellence 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 Devon Healey, assistant professor of disability studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) at the University of Toronto, about her research into the dramatization and perception of blindness in theatre. Healey is also an award-winning actor, co-founder of Peripheral Theater and the author of “Dramatizing Blindness: Disability Studies as Critical Creative Narrative,” which came out in 2021. Highlights: Guest Bio Devon Healey is an Assistant Professor of Disability Studies at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. All of her work is grounded in her experience as a blind woman guided by a desire to show how blindness specifically and disability more broadly can be understood as offering an alternate form of perception and is thus, a valuable and creative way of experiencing and knowing the world. She is the author of, Dramatizing Blindness: Disability Studies as Critical Creative Narrative (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). Devon is an award-winning actor and the co-founder of, Peripheral Theatre. In 2020 she was awarded a commission by Outside the March (Dora award-winning Toronto theatre company) to both write and perform in, Rainbow on Mars, a sensory reclamation of blindness. Prof. Healey teaches courses in critical disability studies. Follow Devon Healey on X (Twitter) -@devonkhealey 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 Hubert van Niekirk, Executive Director of Every Canadian Counts, about a campaign to create a National Disability Insurance Plan in Canada. Highlights Guest Bio Hubert Van Niekerk, Interim Executive Director of Every Canadian Counts Educator and specialist teacher, community leader and volunteer. Hubert has a long history of working and volunteering in the disabled community. He has been involved with the Ontario Association for Developmental Education for 18 years serving as a member-at-large, president and past president. Hubert served as the president of the Council for Exceptional Children for London-Middlesex. He is on the L’Arche London board of directors. Before retirement, Hubert was a special education specialist teacher in a mostly self-contained classroom for 17 years. He taught students with a wide-range of intellectual and multiple disabilities. Hubert also engaged in a year-long teacher work exchange to Australia for the year of 2010. About Every Canadian Counts Every Canadian Counts (ECC) is calling on Canadian governments to work together to develop a national funding program to ensure essential disability supports are available to all Canadians living with chronic, long-term disabilities. ECC includes individuals living with disabilities, caregivers, advocates and support organizations. With ongoing effort through Bill C-22 (An Act to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities) and the Accessible Canada Act, now's the perfect time for the "next big thing" to support Canadians with disabilities, similar to what's already been accomplished in Australia through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) - and we can't do it without you. Reference: Article - The Australian Advantage: Speaking with One Voice "For all the plaudits and superlatives that have been laid at the feet of the NDIS in Australia, a truly breathtaking social policy initiative, it is not primarily the disability insurance idea itself nor its subsequent implementation that sets Australia apart. Rather, it was the ability of the disability community and their supporters to speak with one voice to get it done. How was that possible?" 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 previews Season 5 of AMI-tv's "Postcards from..." with the show’s new host, Author & Artist Christa Couture. Christa discusses her travels to various parts of Canada, the challenges of travelling with a prosthetic, and the joy of exploring new places with all 5 senses. Highlights: Guest Bio: Christa Couture is an award-winning performing and recording artist, non-fiction writer and broadcaster. She is also proudly Indigenous, queer, disabled and a mom. Her sixth recording, Safe Harbour, was released March 2020. Her writing has been published in Room, Shameless and Augur magazines and cbc.ca. As a speaker and storyteller, she has addressed audiences for The Walrus Talks, CBC's DNTO, Moses Znaimer's ideaCity and Imaginate in Port Hope, ON. She is a frequent contributor to CBC Radio's Now or Never and The Next Chapter, and hosts Season 5 of AMI-tv’s accessible travel series “Postcards From…” Watch "Postcards From..." on AMIPlus.ca Find Music from Christa Couture on Bandcamp “A remarkable chanteuse, singing superb material,” deems Roots Music of Christa Couture, an award-winning indie artist who has built a reputation for transforming tragedy into musical triumph, with sharp-shooting wit, effortless grace, and heart-on-sleeve intensity. Follow Christa Couture on Facebook Christa Couture's Book - How to Lose Everything: A Memoir Christa Couture has come to know every corner of grief—its shifting blurry edges, its traps, its pulse of love at the centre and the bittersweet truth that sorrow is a powerful and wise emotion. From the amputation of her leg as a cure for bone cancer at a young age to her first child’s single day of life, the heart transplant and subsequent death of her second child, the divorce born of grief and then the thyroidectomy that threatened her career as a professional musician, How to Lose Everything delves into the heart of loss. Couture bears witness to the shift in perspective that comes with loss, and how it can deepen compassion for others, expand understanding, inspire a letting go of little things and plant a deeper feeling for what matters. At the same time, Couture's writing evokes the joy and lightness that both precede and eventually follow grief, as well as the hope and resilience that grow from connections with others. "How to Lose Everything" series on CBC Gem How to Lose Everything is an Indigenous series of animated short films that explore personal stories of loss. The five films’ stories span nations, languages, and perspectives on heartache. More from Christa Couture 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 discusses tips and tricks for blind home cooks with Renee Rentmeester, executive producer of the "Cooking Without Looking" TV show and podcast. She shares safety tips as well as accessible tricks of the trade. Highlights “Cooking Without Looking” Website Cooking Without Looking is the First TV Show which features People who are Blind/Visually Impaired. We provide the stage for people to show what living blind is really like, and to create a bridge of understanding. Join the “Cooking Without Looking” Facebook Group 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 Kate Mann, Associate Professor Cornell University's Sage School of Philosophy & author of "Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia," which draws on personal experience & rigorous research to expose how size discrimination harms everyone, and how to combat it. Highlights Guest Bio - Kate Manne is an associate professor of philosophy at Cornell University, where she’s been teaching since 2013. Before that, she was a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows. Manne did her graduate work in philosophy at MIT and is the author of two previous books, Down Girl and Entitled. “Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia” By Kate Manne from Penguin Random House “An elegant, fierce, and profound argument for fighting fat oppression in ourselves, our communities, and our culture.”—Roxane Gay, author of Hunger For as long as she can remember, Kate Manne has wanted to be smaller. She can tell you what she weighed on any significant occasion: her wedding day, the day she became a professor, the day her daughter was born. She’s been bullied and belittled for her size, leading to extreme dieting. As a feminist philosopher, she wanted to believe that she was exempt from the cultural gaslighting that compels so many of us to ignore our hunger. But she was not. Blending intimate stories with the trenchant analysis that has become her signature, Manne shows why fatphobia has become a vital social justice issue. Over the last several decades, implicit bias has waned in every category, from race to sexual orientation, except one: body size. Manne examines how anti-fatness operates—how it leads us to make devastating assumptions about a person’s attractiveness, fortitude, and intellect, and how it intersects with other systems of oppression. Fatphobia is responsible for wage gaps, medical neglect, and poor educational outcomes; it is a straitjacket, restricting our freedom, our movement, our potential. In this urgent call to action, Manne proposes a new politics of “body reflexivity”—a radical reevaluation of who our bodies exist in the world for: ourselves and no one else. When it comes to fatphobia, the solution is not to love our bodies more. Instead, we must dismantle the forces that control and constrain us, and remake the world to accommodate people of every size. Articles: In 'Unshrinking,' a writer discusses coming out as fat and pushing back against bias - NPR Interview Fighting Fatphobia and Embracing ‘Unshrinking’: The Ms. Q&A With Kate Manne - MS Magazine Reference: Belly of the Beast The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness by Da'Shaun L. Harrison To live in a body both fat and Black is to exist at the margins of a society that creates the conditions for anti-fatness as anti-Blackness. Hyper-policed by state and society, passed over for housing and jobs, and derided and misdiagnosed by medical professionals, fat Black people in the United States are subject to sociopolitically sanctioned discrimination, abuse, condescension, and trauma. Da’Shaun Harrison—a fat, Black, disabled, and nonbinary trans writer—offers an incisive, fresh, and precise exploration of anti-fatness as anti-Blackness, foregrounding the state-sanctioned murders of fat Black men and trans and nonbinary masculine people in historical analysis. Policing, disenfranchisement, and invisibilizing of fat Black men and trans and nonbinary masculine people are pervasive, insidious ways that anti-fat anti-Blackness shows up in everyday life. Fat people can be legally fired in forty-nine states for being fat; they’re more likely to be houseless. Fat people die at higher rates from misdiagnosis or nontreatment; fat women are more likely to be sexually assaulted. And at the intersections of fatness, Blackness, disability, and gender, these abuses are exacerbated. Taking on desirability politics, the limitations of gender, the connection between anti-fatness and carcerality, and the incongruity of “health” and “healthiness” for the Black fat,...

Joeita speaks to Danielle Kaftarian, Executive Director of the Period Purse, about menstrual equity and what needs to change to ensure that all people who menstruate have access to period products. Highlights Guest Bio - Danielle Kaftarian (she/her) - Executive Director, the Period Purse Danielle is TPP’s Executive Director with ample experience! She studied Accounting and Business Administration and worked in the finance industry for over 10 years, along with other jobs. After having two children, she felt a strong desire to contribute to the community and support others. It was not until TPP was founded, that she discovered her true passion. From early TPP days, Danielle was involved in various roles, supporting its mission to achieve menstrual equity for everyone in Canada. She’s proud to serve as the Executive Director with an incredible team, working tirelessly towards period equity. About the Period Purse - theperiodpurse.com The Period Purse creates menstrual equity by ensuring sustainable access to period products for all, and by ending the stigma associated with periods through education and advocacy. 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