IDD: Get to know me

In this episode of the IDD Get to Know Me podcast, co-host Melanie interviews Dr. Laura St. John (a women’s health researcher) , Camille Williams (a project manager within the Peter Gilgan Centre), Bridgette Lord (a nurse practitioner at Women’s College Hospital), Susan Wang (a Special Olympics athletes), Rachel Skanes (a director of youth and health programs at Special Olympics Nova Scotia), and...

In this episode, co-host Victor interviews Janet McCabe (a researcher), Claire Lemaire (a Special Olympics athlete), Corinne Lemaire (Claire’s mom), and Cheryl Bernard (a Canadian Olympic athlete and Champions Network Athlete). They discuss the importance of sleep for Special Olympics athletes and share tips to help get a good night's sleep. To learn more about this topic, see our other materials...

Dans cet épisode du balado IDD Get to Know Me, Melanie co-présente des entrevues avec le Dr Robert Balogh (chercheur), pour parler de l’importance de l’activité physique pour prévenir et gérer le diabète. Pour en savoir plus sur ce sujet, consultez notre autre documentation ci-dessous : Facile à lire pour les athlètes : https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olymp...

In this episode of the IDD Get to Know Me podcast, co-host Melanie interviews Dr. Meghann Lloyd (a researcher), to talk about the importance of physical activity to prevent and manage diabetes. To learn more about this topic, see our other material below: Easy-Read for athletes: https://www.camh.ca/-/media/professionals-files/hcardd/special-olympics-2025/special-olympics2025-diabetes-easy-read-pdf...

Welcome back to another episode of the Special Olympics Edition of the IDD: Get to know me podcast! In this episode, co-host Victor interviews Sue Hutton (a Mindfulness expert), Peter Charnish (a Special Olympics athlete), Cindy Charnish (Peter’s mom), Mark Tewksbury (a Canadian Olympic swimmer), and Natascha Wesch (a Special Olympics Canada Mental Performance Lead). They discuss the importance of...

In this episode of the IDD Get to Know Me podcast, co-host Melanie interviews Dr. Yona Lunsky (a researcher and clinical psychologist), Dr. Ullanda Niel (a family doctor), Heidi Mallett and Monique Shah (both Special Olympics athletes), and June Shah (a coach and family member). They discuss the importance of regularly checking in with a healthcare professional and ideas for how to prepare for app...

Welcome to a brand new season of IDD Get to Know Me! This season is our Special Olympics edition of the podcast where we will explore a range of health topics with many different guests. In this first episode, co-host Victor interviews Dr. Jonathan Weiss (a researcher and clinical psychologist), Duncan Leblanc (a coach and family member), Kyle Shewfelt (a Canadian Olympic gymnast), and Matthew Fie...

What if disability representation started in the toy box? In this week’s episode, podcast hosts Daniel and Victor sit down with Lockwood Toys founder, Amy Lockwood, whose main mission is to spread inclusivity and cheer to children, one toy at a time. She talks about the motivation behind the company’s founding, the inspiration behind many of the toys (spoiler: a lot of them are inspired by her son...

In this week's episode of the IDD: Get to Know Me podcast, hosts Daniel and Victor chat with Erica Streisslberger, a self-advocate at CAMH and a recreation therapist. Erica shares her journey of achieving independent living and pursuing her dream of becoming a recreational therapist. The hosts and Erica delve into the significance of self-advocacy and how it can positively impact one's daily life....

Join us for the first episode of our third season on IDD Get to Know Me! Podcast hosts Daniel and Victor interview Dr. Meghann Lloyd from Ontario Tech University. They talk about her journey with getting involved in Special Olympics and her exciting research about the benefits of participating in Special Olympics. Meghann Lloyd, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at On...

This week Victor and Daniel talk to Danielle Strnad, the Executive Director and Founder and Senior Arts Facilitator Morgan Joy of DramaWay and DramaWay Productions. DramaWay Productions is a non-profit arts program for all abilities. As Morgan says, “DramaWay is a place that people come together to grow and create regardless of their backgrounds or abilities”. DramaWay and DramaWay Produ...

Heidi is a Special Olympics athlete and a leader. She has been a key member of many leadership committees including People First of Canada, PEI People, Special Olympics Canada’s Athlete Leadership Council, the Global Athlete Leadership Council, as well as the Athlete Representative for the Special Olympics PEI Board of Directors. Heidi joins us to discuss her various leadership roles and how she b...

On this episode, we speak with Lawyer and Disability Rights Advocate, Kerri Joffe. Kerri is a lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre. ARCH Disability Law Centre is a specialty legal clinic that practices exclusively in disability rights law. Respecting Rights is an initiative at ARCH, where self-advocates participate in programs to learn more about law and how to get involved with accessible rights...

This week we have a special guest, Dr. Alan Santinele Martino. Alan is an instructor in community rehabilitation and disability studies at the University of Calgary. He researched the romantic and sexual lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Ontario for his PhD at McMaster University. We have Dr. Martino on this episode to discuss his research and the experiences of p...

Welcome back for another season of IDD: Get to know me! In the first episode of our second season, podcast hosts Daniel and Victor interview Dr. Yona Lunsky, the director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre. Together they talk about why inclusion is so important and different ways they are making the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, and research at CAMH more inclusive of people...

Parents and caregivers play an essential role in the lives of their children with IDD, helping to ensure their overall health and wellbeing, and supporting their social and emotional needs.  The complex role of caring for a family member with IDD can be both a challenging and rewarding experience for caregivers and their families. In this episode, we delve into the parent’s perspective of caring f...

On this week’s episode of IDD: Get to Know Me we speak to Courtney Weaver and Alex Echakowitz about the just-released Mental Health Literacy Guide for Autism, created by the Autism Mental Health Literacy Project (AM-HeLP). The guide is designed to “increase awareness and share knowledge around issues related to Autistic mental health. This guide is meant to be read by everyone, but most importantl...

Siblings of people with disabilities often encounter unique challenges throughout their lifespan but their concerns are not always heard or acknowledged. In this week’s episode of IDD: Get to Know Me, Helen Ries, the founder of The Sibling Collaborative, joins us to share her journey as a sibling to someone with IDD and what drove her to develop The Sibling Collaborative . The Sibling Collaborativ...

Sibling relationships are some of the most important in our lives-doubly so when autism or IDD are involved.  In this episode, Victor and Daniel chat with Victoria Cusumano and Nicole Bobbette on what it is like growing up with a differently abled sibling and how it can be different from typical sibling relationships. Victoria and Nicole reveal what their siblings have taught them, and how they ha...

Advocacy and Inclusion in the classroom is crucial to people with IDD’s success in the education system. In this episode of IDD: Get to Know Me, Victor and Daniel explore why this is so important and the barriers that exist in creating inclusive classrooms. Victor takes us back to his high school experiences, when teachers really made a difference—and how they did that. Daniel reflects on his expe...

In our third episode of "IDD - Get to Know Me", we interview People First of Canada President and current frontline worker Kory Earle. He discusses what it's like to support people with IDD during the COVID-19 pandemic and what drove him to join this line of work during the pandemic. Kory Earle works as a screener at a Long Term Care home in Ontario. In this episode Kory shares what being a frontl...

In this inaugural episode of "IDD - Get to know me", you'll meet our self-advocate hosts: peer support worker, social worker, writer, and motivational speaker Daniel Share-Strom and actor and Azrieli advisor Victor Pereira.  You'll find answers to biting questions such as 'What's the work experience like for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities and autism?', and most importantly,...

In Episode 2 of “IDD – Get to know me”, Daniel and Victor interview Sue Hutton, a developmental disability social worker and mindfulness guru, on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Key takeaways from their discussion: people’s mental health is suffering, the government could be doing more, and this thing can’t be over soon enough. Tune i...