Reflections

This past week proposed amendments to the Canada Post Corporation Act surfaced, and free postage for literature for the blind could be removed. Joeita Gupta heard the alarming news and noticed how deeply it was affecting people in her close circles. Joeita is inviting you to listen to this episode of Reflections to find out why these amendments are so concerning, how you can use your voice to supp...

You can become a celebrity overnight and make money online, at a price, of course. And what’s that price when you’re a minor? Let’s find out the realities of becoming a kid influencer. When you’re not yet legally an adult, being a star can bring danger. The Ivey Business School at Western University conducted a study on “kidfluencing,” and we learn what they discovered with Lead Research Professor...

Holidays are the perfect time to gather with friends, family, coworkers, and your community. But how do hosts ensure that whether they’re in a grand banquet hall or trying to squeeze a few more chairs around their own dinner table, they’re creating an accessible space for everybody?  From washrooms to festive attire, holiday lights to food allergies, join Joeita Gupta to find out how you or your o...

Grant Hardy explores how artists are going beyond the visual, reimagining how we experience art in diverse and multisensory forms. Violinist Leslie Ting's show, What Brings You In, in partnership with Theatre Passe-Muraille, is centred around the nonvisual experience for the audience, inviting people to participate in unique, auditory ways. Nonvisual, social practice artist Carmen Papalia shares d...

Can martial arts traditions help people with disabilities take on the world more confidently? Let's continue to explore this question, while we learn about martial arts mindsets and philosophies. Chris James is the Lead Instructor of the self defence workshops ran periodically at Balance for Blind Adults in Toronto. He, along with Kathleen Wilson and Mags Storey, share how they approach teaching b...

In Part 2 of this series, Grant Hardy digs a bit deeper into what is being done to treat chronic pain, and asks how people living with chronic pain can re-train their brains to lessen the impact of pain on their lives. Kara Stanley and Simon Paradis, authors of the book The Pain Project, are back to recount the tactics they’ve used to distract Simon’s brain in real-time when he's experiencing pain...

The Zero Project works alongside the UN community to spotlight and scale innovations that advance the goals of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. On December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, it releases a list of award solutions toward its goal: a world with zero barriers.  The full list is at zeroproject.org AMI-audio Manager Andy Frank spotlights thr...

At Vision Health Canada (VHC), their work is unified under the guiding theme: One Voice. Clear Focus. Collective Action. They aim to collaborate with government, industry, clinicians, researchers, and community partners to establish a unified national approach to vision health. In this roundtable discussion, Kelly MacDonald introduces us to Jim Sanders, Director at VHC; Ian White, Chair of the VHC...

Grant Hardy hears from individuals living with chronic pain about their experiences, struggles, and how they are working to move forward. Couple Kara Stanley and Simon Paradis published their book, “The Pain Project,” that documents their journey of Simon’s chronic pain after a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Simon’s band is called “Them Ordinary Things”. We speak about “The Pain Project”...

We know the fears and anxieties that come with navigating the streets on our own, being out late in unfamiliar areas, or moving through public transit systems. Let’s talk honestly about those realities, and figure out safety, strategy, and self-defence. Samira Lavei and Lindsay McCaw run the Unbreakable Women’s Self-Defence series in Toronto; they share practical self-defence tips and emphasize th...

In 2025, video content offers vital access to information, but making videos accessible to blind and low-vision audiences is still a work in progress. Let's figure out where exactly we are in the grand scheme of things. Kelly MacDonald introduces us to Joshua Miele’s project YouDescribe, a free, crowdsourced platform that allows people to add audio description tracks to YouTube videos. We hear fro...

Food bank visits in the City of Toronto have increased by 340% since 2019, and across Canada food bank visits are rising. Why is this happening? How can we help? Feature Reporter Joeita Gupta set out to find an answer for us. While it may not be as straightforward as we would like, there are still things we can do to support our fellow Canadians during a time when putting food on our tables is get...

This episode features the conclusion to our special archive cut of AMI's documentary Alzheimer's: The Tsunami to Come as it originally aired in 2016. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI...

Few of us think of ourselves as caregivers, until the day we suddenly need to step up for a loved one. Sooner or later we will all either need a caregiver or become one. Are you ready for it? When that moment comes, families carry the burden long before a healthcare system that’s already stretched thin can catch up. Following our recent "Caregivers: A Very Personal Journey" episode, this special a...

Grant Hardy continues the exploration on how STEM learning can be made more accessible for persons with disabilities. In this episode, we highlight how individuals with disabilities bring unique perspectives to enhance scientific work and discovery. Dr. Kyle Keane, Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, uses sonification to make visual elements and scientific data...

Talking about death isn’t a comfortable topic, but it can be comforting to plan it out ahead of time. Hear us out. Planning ahead not only ensures your wishes are respected, it also opens the door to meaningful discussions about legacy giving and the impact we want to leave behind. Kelly MacDonald spends this half-hour asking his guests to weigh in on this delicate conversation with clarity and ca...

For some of us, chatting about the weather or weekend plans comes easily, and for others it’s a source of stress and self-doubt. Why does something as ordinary as small talk spark such big feelings? Nisreen Abdel-Majid gets to the bottom of small talk psychology. Arslan Abakarov is a software developer at AMI who grew up in Russia where small talk is never the norm. Elysia Yardley lets us in on he...

The Alberta Sports & Recreation Association for the Blind supports Albertans who are blind or visually impaired to live physically active lives and participate in competitive sports programs. From Edmonton, Jim Krysko, AMI Content Development Specialist guides us on a delightful walk down memory lane. With the help of past Presidents Laura Layton, Jim Leask, Lorna Snow, and current President Chris...

Joeita Gupta was feeling lonely and embarked on a quest to find out how she can make friends and maintain these relationships at this stage of her life. To find some answers, Joeita is hosting a roundtable conversation with members of the Toronto Visionaries chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind (CCB) and an expert in this field. Together with these voices, Joeita will discover new ways to...

Each year on November 11th, Canada marks Remembrance Day. In this episode of Reflections, join Grant Hardy to learn about why Remembrance Day continues to be a crucial reminder to Canadians and how the next generations are continuing to teach the importance of Remembrance Day.  Mike Ross reads the poem In Flanders Fields and shares how his grandfather passed the torch of Remembrance to him at a yo...

How do we create opportunities for people with disabilities in STEM? This was a question that Grant Hardy couldn’t get off his mind. So, he’s inviting you to join him in conversation with scientists and program managers to find out how people with disabilities can feel welcome in the STEM fields. Dr. Kyle Keane is a Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, who is par...

Have you ever left anything on the subway? At a coffee shop? On a bus? Have you frantically retraced your steps trying to find it? Almost everyone has a story of a lost item, and Joeita Gupta is on the case to find out what happens to these precious belongings.   Join Joeita for a conversation with Amy Hanser, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Columbia, about why we’re so at...

Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes a closer look at our collective obsession with coffee, touching on the memories, moments, and connections a simple cup of joe can bring us. Andrika De Lanerolle was a barista in her formeer life, she shares what she’s learned from working behind the counter, and it's not just the difference between a Latte and Cappuccino. 'Coffee lovers' is an understatement to describe f...

Caregiving is a subject that touches all of us at one time or another, but we don't often focus in on the realities of it, so let's open up a frank conversation around caregiving, with Kelly MacDonald and his guests. Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), gives us the concerning statistic’s around lack of supports for caregivers, and where to find helpful resources. Susan Pal...

Canada’s first National Women’s Blind Soccer Team headed to Kochi, India for the 2025 IBSA Women's Blind Football World Championships, marking a memorable and surreal moment for the sport on this side of the world, and for everyone who helped build it from the ground up. We hear the sounds and stories captured over 13 days of travel, competition, and team-building. Going from grassroots to inernat...