Encouraging Abilities Podcast

At some point in our lives, we will all be touched by dementia or Alzheimer's disease. Unfortunately, in the developmental disability community, these conditions are more likely to show up. We connect with Karen Tyrell, author of Cracking the Dementia Code and consultant to the DDA community.   TRANSCRIPT   Dementia and Alzheimer’s – When Caregiving is Vital   00:05 Welcome once again to DDA's Enc...

Good caregivers are few and far between. It's a tough sector to keep staff for several reasons. So what's the answer for supporting an aging population or people with disabilities? Artificial Intelligence is already starting to play a role. We caught up with Mercer Gary from Drexel University in Pennsylvania about the positives and some ethical concerns when it comes to AI and caregiving.   TRANSC...

In this episode of DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast, we chat with Angela Faminoff, owner of Travel With Ange travel agency based in Victoria, BC. A champion of the disability community, it's her mission to make sure everyone sees the world.   TRANSCRIPT   Making Travel Accessible to the Neurodivergent Community   00:05 Welcome back to another edition of DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. We'v...

A local man is nothing short of a pioneer when it comes to inclusion. Master Michael Sirota has been teaching Taekwondo and Hapkido to the disability community for over 20 years and feels there is nothing they can't accomplish through the practice of martial arts.   TRANSCRIPT Sirota’s Alchymy: A Doorway to Inclusion   00:05 We are back with DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I am your host, DDA...

Adaptive sports are expanding in B.C. In this podcast, we connect with Jade Werger from Sportability BC and what they are doing to improve the lives of people with disabilities.    TRANSCRIPT Connecting on the Ice and Pitch with SportAbility BC   00:06 Hello and welcome to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I am your host, Evan Kelly, communications manager for Developmental Disabilities Associa...

The City of Vancouver is making strides with its Accessibility Strategy. DDA chats with the city's Accessibility Planner, Karen Lai who offers perspectives from her lived experiences.   TRANSCRIPT Changing Attitudes One Street at a Time   00:06 Hello and welcome back to another episode of Developmental Disabilities Association's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I am your host, DDA Communications Man...

Success will come when advocating and fostering change in prevailing attitudes when it comes to disabilities. In this episode of DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast, we chat with well-known disability advocate Spencer van Vloten who prides himself on being a champion for the disability community.   TRANSCRIPT   DDA Chats with Disability Advocate Spencer van Vloten   00:06 So welcome to another DDA...

Roshni Kashyap was born to make food. The young woman with Down syndrome started a chutney business and is poised to launch a cookbook. However, she has many other talents and her whole life to explore them. Including publishing a book of poetry. Available on Amazon is Don't Forget You're Beautiful.   TRANSCRIPT   Roshni is a Self-Advocate with a Mission to Feed!   00:04 Hello and welcome to anoth...

Not even two years old, Kello Inclusive Modeling Agency, based in Edmonton already has some massive brands seeking them out. But what's more important is the clients they represent.  We chat with founder Katie MacMillan.   TRANSCRIPT   Kello Inclusive: Edmonton-based Modeling Agency is Starting to Get Noticed   00:06 It's time again for Developmental Disabilities Association's Encouraging Abilitie...

B.C. is a leader when it comes to accessibility. Just ask The Rick Hansen Foundation's Brad McCannell. However, attitudes still need to shift in order to guarantee inclusion for everyone, and that means making noise so everyone is heard.    TRANSCRIPT   DDA Talks Accessibility with Brad McCannell   00:05 Hello and welcome once again to DDA's encouraging abilities podcast. I am your host, DDA commu...

Inspired by an accident ten years ago that left her brother with a life-changing intellectual disability, a young B.C. artist creates a book about inclusion. DDA chats with Invermere's Veronika Kitzul.   TRANSCRIPT   His Name is Nicholas   00:05 Welcome to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I'm your host, DDA Communications Manager, Evan Kelly. One of DDA's biggest missions is to create a commun...

Ableism is an issue. From inadequate designs to being left out or looked down upon, ableism prevents many from being included in everyday life. The Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner and Disability Alliance BC have joined forces to address the issue and created a new awareness campaign called Rewrite the Rules.   TRANSCRIPT Ableism Prompts a New Awareness Campaign   00:06 Time again for DD...

Accessibility affects many people, and even one day, perhaps yourself. In this Encouraging Abilities Podcast, we connected with Dr. Jaimie Borisoff who runs a development program at BCIT with an eye on designing better wheelchairs and other adaptive equipment that helps people stay included.   TRANSCRIPT   A Chat with Dr. Jaimie Borisoff: On the Forefront of Wheelchair Design   00:04 Welcome to an...

Accessibility should not be an afterthought. Buildings and spaces should not be designed for people with no disabilities only. Because, as Karin Pasqua of Meaningful Access Consultants says, we are all going to be affected at some point in our lives by accessibility issues. With that in mind, we need to look at design as universal before shovels hit the dirt.   TRANSCRIPT   Transforming the World...

The Developmental Disabilities Association's Executive Director Alanna Hendren talks about the association's 70th anniversary, where the organization has been, and where it's headed in the 21st century. A staunch advocate for people with developmental disabilities, Alanna Hendren has been involved in this sector for over 40 years.   TRANSCRIPT 70 Years of Doing the Impossible   00:05 Hello again,...

Dr. Laverne Jacobs is making Canada proud. Not only has she published one of the first books on disability law in Canada, but has recently been elected to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities. And...she has another book in the works!   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:05   Thank you again for joining us on the Developmental Disabilities Association's encouraging abiliti...

Rights are usually a foregone conclusion in Canada, however, when it comes to people with disabilities, their rights are sometimes overlooked, or, at best, not really taken into consideration. Accessibility matters, inclusion matters, but making sure these things are enforced and protected takes an entire population to shift its collective outlook. That shift starts with people like Deborah Stiens...

Esther Thane is an expert in music therapy whose team helps families with children who have autism communicate and reach behavioral objectives while exploring the universal language of music.   TRANSCRIPT Evan Kelly  0:04   So welcome back to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I'm your host, Evan Kelly. I'm the Communications Manager here at Developmental Disabilities Association. This is where...

DDA operates nine child development centres in Vancouver and Richmond. As the province shifts towards a $10-a-day childcare system, we reached out to childcare advocate Sharon Gregson about where we are now and where we need to be when it comes to reaching that goal.   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:04   Welcome to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. I'm your host Evan Kelly. This is where we connect...

Heather McCain is the creator of www.canbc.org, a disability advocate website born out of need that offers workshops and support for those in the disability community and the disability Queer community. As Pride Month comes to an end for another year, it's good to raise awareness that people in LGBTQ community who identify as disabled have other concerns they often need to deal with.   TRANSCRIPT:...

DDA talks with Jeanne Hansen who's sister, Tracey McKinley, who suffered mental health issues, died in the heat dome of 2021. Despite new government policy, what can we do to better protect people who can't protect themselves?   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:05   So welcome back to DDA's Encouraging Abilities podcast. This is where we connect with advocates in the disability community, help tell their...

Finding a job is a dauting experience for anyone. Now, imagine having a developmental disability. There are many barriers that can prevent you from finding work and gaining independence. Fortunately, there are people like Delia Meinhardt who helps run DDA's social enterprise operation, Jobs West.   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:05   So welcome to Developmental Disabilities Association's Encouraging Ab...

Christie Faye Collins is Autistic. Like many in the disability community, finding a partner isn't always easy. So, she is creating NOMI. A new dating app specifically for the disability and neurodiverse community. www.nomiconnect.net is still in the testing phase and Christie and her team hope to have it up and running in 2023.   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:06   Welcome again to the Developmental Di...

Nathan Shipley was born with Cerebral Palsy. Today he is a public speaker and does not see himself as disabled. DDA reached out to him during National AccessAbility Week to talk about his life and what it means to build accessible communities.   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:05   Welcome to the Developmental Disabilities Association's Encouraging Abilities podcast. Here we are on national accessibilit...

May 29th to June 4th is National Accessibility Week in Canada. We sat down with Keegan Newberry, DDA's Assistant Director of Assistive Technology, to discuss what's happening in the community and business world to help facilitate accessibility for people with developmental disabilities.   TRANSCRIPT: Evan Kelly  0:05   So welcome to Developmental Disabilities Association's Encouraging Abilities po...