AT Banter Podcast

This week it’s not only the biggest episode we’ve ever done, but one of the most important. We’re packing the Anti-Gloom Zoom Room full this week as Rob, Ryan, Lis, and Steve welcome the members of the Triple Vision Podcast – Peter Field, Charlie Ayotte, Hanna Leavitt, and David Best – to talk about their show which aims to rebuild the narrative of the experience of Blind Canadians in history thro...

This week Ryan, Rob, and Lis have a moment (actually more like a few) with Jennie Bovard, host of the podcast Low Vision Moments. They discuss the concept of the podcast and its origins, and how comedy and humor can be used to create teachable moments about blindness and low vision before diving in and sharing some of their own funny moments in typical circular firing squad fashion. It’s an episod...

International Day of Persons With Disabilities is December 3, and to help celebrate, Rob and Ryan welcome Marcia Yale, President of the Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians, to the show. They discuss the organization, its origins, and the challenges that a grass roots advocacy organization faces, as well as the special conference it has planned on December 3 for International Day of Persons Wi...

This week we cap off our multi-part series on Ableism as Rob, Ryan, and Lis welcome back Shawn Marsolais, founder of Blind Beginnings and host of the Limitless Podcast and disability advocate Amy Amantea to sit down at a round table discussion. In this last part of the series we discuss the hierarchy of disability and how it manifests from both within and outside of the disability community and gi...

It’s Halloween once again and while we may not have Steve grievously injuring himself with a power tool while showing us a shortcut on how to carve a pumpkin, but we have the very next best thing – Lis, Rob, and Ryan welcome long time friend of the show, Alexis Hillyard creator of the YouTube channel Stump Kitchen to this year’s annual Halloween show! We discuss the channel and what it’s been like...

Rob, Ryan, and Steve get up in the wee hours of the morn to welcome Charlie Harding, Distribution Manger of Bristol Braille to the show to talk about their multi-line braille display the Canute 360 as well as their forthcoming first of its kind gaming console, the Canute Dock! Show Transcript Show Notes Bristol Braille https://bristolbraille.org/ The Canute Dock https://bristolbraille.org/braille-...

The show is back to full strength this week as the AT Banter team welcomes Luca DeMontis and Graham Foxcroft from Canadian Blind Hockey to the show! They discuss Blind Hockey, its adaptations and how the organizations promotes and impacts blind and partially sighted players all over the world. Rob also learns all about Hockey Etiquette. Don’t get caught offside and miss this one! Show Transcript S...

This week Ryan and Rob welcome Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty to the show to talk about the status of Bill C-22, an Act that promises to reduce poverty and to support the financial security of persons with disabilities by establishing the Canada disability benefit. They discuss the Act and its potential impact as well as the state of disability advocacy at the moment...

The AT Banter gang re-convene with a full roster this week as they welcome LaMondre Pough, CEO of Billion Strong, a non profit organization whose mission is to unite, elevate and empower the global community of people with disabilities in order to develop a positive disability identity. They discuss everything from the organization’s origins to the challenges faced to unify disability communities...

The gang is back at full strength this week as they welcome Alexa and Jake, founders of a fashion company known as Aille Design. Aille Design distinguishes itself from other fashion design companies by not only producing clothing that incorporates beaded braille onto clothing, but also empowers and celebrates inclusivity, while helping to reduce disability stigmas and educating about the importanc...

This week Rob, Steve and Lis lament the absence of Ryan (but mostly the cowbell) before welcoming fellow podcaster Alexis Folk, a BC teen and disability advocate that lives with Cerebral Palsy. They discuss her advocacy work and the importance of youth getting involved as well as her podcast, “Meeting Mighty People” before discussing horses and frogs in salad. No, really. Show Transcript   Show No...

This week Rob, Ryan and Steve sit down and talk with Shawn Marsolais, Director of Programs and Community Engagement at Blind Beginnings and host of the Limitless Podcast about their upcoming Limitless Beauty Fashion Show that is set to feature models that are blind or partially sighted.    Show Transcript Show Notes Blind Beginnings www.blindbeginnings.ca Limitless Beauty Fashion Show https://www....

This week we’re taking a deep dive into 3D Printing and its impact on assistive technology as Rob, Ryan, and Lis welcome Chad Leaman, Director of Innovation at the Neil Squire Society. They discuss how 3D printing works, how common 3D printing has become, how the price point has come down on the printers, and how the ability to produce custom parts has impacted home grown assistive technology solu...

Rob and Ryan welcome Monique Nelson, Director of Community Engagement from the organization PossAbilities this week to talk about the organization and all about its many programs and services that serve the developmental disability community. Show Transcript Show Notes Possabilities https://www.posabilities.ca/ Inclusion Art Show https://inclusionartshow.com/ Good For All Podcast https://www.posab...

It’s a big show this week as Lis shares some dietary news that shocks Rob and Ryan before welcoming Elham Youssefian, Inclusive Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Advisor at the International Disability Alliance to talk about this global organization and the work they do ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities all over the world. Show Transcript Show Notes International...

Rob and Ryan hold down the fort this week and welcome James Thurston and Yulia Sarviro from G3ICT, the Global Initiative for Inclusive Information and Communication Technologies to discuss their global initiative, Smart Cities for All. They discuss what makes a Smart City, how accessibility is crucial when it comes to infrastructure and how cities around the world are embracing universal design an...

Lis makes her triumphant return to the show (again) as we welcome Bradley Blair, an Orientation and Mobility instructor from her city of Charlotte, NC who also happens to be blind. We discuss the challenges that he faced in training, the advantages of having built in knowledge and perspective when it comes to providing services to clients, and some of the challenges faced in the build environment...

The show is alive … with the sound of music this week as Rob and Ryan welcome Precious Perez, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, advocate and published children’s author to the show. We discuss her love of music, what it was like attending Berklee College of Music as a blind student, her advocacy work and how music and representation can help normalize disability and education mainstream au...

It’s a skeleton crew this week as Rob and Ryan hold down the fort and welcome Melanie Taddeo, founder of Connect 4 Life, an Ontario non-profit that provides a wide variety of educational, programs and services for people with disabilities. The discuss the organization’s origins, the need to fill the service gaps left by larger organizations, and dive into discussing some of Connect 4 Life’s many p...

Rob, Ryan, Steve, and Lis welcome Luke Anderson, Executive Director and Founder of the StopGap Foundation, an Ontario-based non-profit that provides access solutions to businesses in the form of lightweight portable ramps. They discuss everything from Luke’s personal experience with disability and the origins of the StopGap Foundation to the challenges of dealing with local by-laws and policies an...

It’s a episode full of troopers this week as the gang pushes through tech challenges, power supply issues and viruses to welcomes Marc Workman, CEO of the World Blind Union, an internationally recognized organization representing the 285 million blind and partially sighted persons in 190 member countries.  We discuss WBU’s origins, its mandate, and some of the unique challenges of bringing major n...

It’s an exciting episode this week as Rob, Ryan, Lis, and Steve welcome siblings Brian and Kerry Kijewski, hosts of the radio show Outlook on Radio Western. They discuss the origins of their hour long weekly show that focuses on advocacy, what it’s like doing a show on live radio, and what drives their passion for broadcasting and advocacy. Show Transcript: https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/202...

We’re getting sweet this week as Rob, Ryan, Lis and Steve welcome advocate, author, and singer-songwriter Sammy SweetSpirit to the show. We discuss her book, “Look At It This Way: The Blind Leading the Sighted” and why she felt it so important to write it as well as her love of music and her album, “Something For Everyone”. We dare you to listen to this show and not smile! Show Transcript: https:/...

Rob, Ryan, and Lis welcome Chad Bouton, producer and creator of the new podcast Hindsight is 20/200 to the show this week to discuss the show and its origins, mandate, and how it’s evolved after three months. Show Transcript: https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/at-banter-podcast-episode-290-chad-bouton.pdf Show Notes Hindsight is 20/200 https://anchor.fm/chad-bouton AT Banter is brought t...

Rob, Ryan, Steve, and Lis are all together once again this week as they welcome Stephanae McCoy and Sylvia Stinson-Perez from the website Bold Blind Beauty where they discuss the origins of the site and how it’s grown into an advocacy platform and community. Show Transcript: https://atbanter.files.wordpress.com/2022/06/at-banter-podcast-episode-289-bold-blind-beauty.pdf Show Notes Bold Blind Beaut...