The Pulse

The Pulse is continuing to cover the important impact made by a historic $30 million dollar donation from The Slaight Family Foundation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and healthcare in Canada. On this episode, host Grant Hardy is speaking with Sandra Hawken, President and CEO of the Holland Bloorview Foundation. Grant and Sandra have an interesting conversation about the development of Brain Computer Interface programs at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, and what the funds from the donation will do to further improve the programming. 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

On Tuesday December 3rd, both Giving Tuesday and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, The Slaight Family Foundation announced a historic $30 million dollar donation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and health care. Empowered Kids Ontario is one of those organizations. Jennifer Churchill, EKO’s CEO, joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the significant impact this donation will have on the organization! 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

Tiffany Houston is CEO of Shine Foundation, a Canadian organization that works to fulfill the dreams of youth with disabilities. Host Grant Hardy speaks with Tiffany about some of the Shine Dreams they are currently fulfilling, their response to the Canada Post Strike, and how the organization got started. You can find more information on Shine Foundation at www.shinefoundation.ca and more information on their holiday fundraising campaign at www.shineholiday.ca 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

Today on The Pulse, we’re featuring the Makers Making Change Holiday Hackathon! Last month in Burnaby, B.C., host Grant Hardy attended this event, hosted by Makers Making Change, a program offered through the Neil Squire Society in British Columbia. The event offered an opportunity for volunteers to adapt 250 toys to donate to kids with disabilities across Canada. In this episode, Grant speaks with members of the Makers Making Change team, volunteers, students, and people who will benefit from the adapted toys too! Grant’s first guest is Reed Schrad, the Web Product Owner at Makers Making Change to give Grant some more information about the event. Then, Grant speaks with Charlie Kiers, a volunteer at the Holiday Hackathon, who shows us how an adaptation is made to a popular Fisher Price toy. Ethan Ho, a high school student and volunteer, stopped by to give Grant some more insight into what kind of work is needed to adapt the toys and what kinds of difference these toys will make. At the event was Marie Brown, an occupational therapist with SET BC who told Grant about the importance of equitable access to inclusive play. Plus, Evie and Carey Lotz are a mother and daughter pair that were at the Holiday Hackathon. Evie has benefited from one of the toys through the Makers program and Carie spoke to Grant about how important these toys are to kids with disabilities. 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

On The Pulse, host Grant Hardy highlights important issues in the disability community. On today’s episode he speaks with Stephanie Pilon, Manager of Campaigns and Advocacy at the CNIB. Stephanie joins the show to share information on the CNIB’s Get on Board! Campaign, including what an accessible bus stop includes, the biggest barriers to public transit, and what you can do to help the CNIB achieve their goal of Safe and Accessible Journeys! For more information on the Get on Board! Campaign, or to participate in the Secret Rider Survey, visit www.cnib.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

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 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. 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

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...

Tina Opaleke is a mother, advocate, artist, and co-founder of Prosthetics for Foreign Donations. She reflects on her journey as the Black parent of an amputee. This is the February 16, 2023 episode. 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

Legally blind Canadian actor Bruce Horak talks about playing Hemmer, the Starship Enterprise's blind engineer on the new series Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Bruce discusses the character and how disability inclusion on the screen translates to social inclusion for People with Disabilities. This is the May 28, 2022 episodeFind 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

Psychiatrist Arlene MacDougall has tips and tricks to combat reopening anxiety. She says it's important to undertake self-care practices and keep lines of communication open with friends and family. This is the June 27, 2021 episode. 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

Jeannette Campell, CEO of the Ontario Disability Employment Network previews the Rethinking Disability Conference taking place March 24th. She says "pandemic or not, there's always a case to hire People with Disabilities", This is the March 21, 2021 episode. 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

Julian Uccello joins us to talk about his soccer career and the multiple sclerosis diagnosis that brought it to an end. He describes the significance of MS Awareness Month and reflects on what he has lost and gained on his journey. This is the March 14, 2021 episode. 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

Judy Rebick talks about a new documentary on her life, Judy vs Capitalism. We discuss Judy’s feminism, her involvement in the pro-choice movement, and the mental health concerns she dealt with while serving as president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. This is the December 6, 2020 episode.

Philip Pauli of RespectAbility, an American non-partisan disability rights group, discusses the ways in which People with Disabilities mobilized ahead of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. We look back at the campaign, including data analysis by RespectAbility which looked at key issues confronting the Disability community. Pauli describes how People with Disabilities can get involved with the incoming Biden Administration. This is the November 28, 2020 episode.