Reflections

Makeup is often seen as a language of self-expression but what happens when that world isn’t built for you? For World Sight Day, the Shine Foundation teamed up with Indigenous-owned Cheekbone Beauty to create Scarlette’s Palette, the first-ever tactile makeup palette designed for blind and low-vision users. Nisreen Abdel-Majid learns how a 14-year-old girl’s dream became a movement for inclusive d...

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year! Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the str...

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year! Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the str...

Grant Hardy speaks with experts and advocates in the facial difference community to answer key questions about facial differences, attitudinal barriers, societal stereotypes, and appropriate media representation. Kate Gies is the author of “It Must Be Beautiful To Be Finished” and shares how growing up trying to fit other people’s standards caused her to experience medical violence. Author and adv...

Have you noticed that there’s a surge of influencers whose audiences are primarily adult children who are estranged from their parents? Joeita Gupta made this observation of her own social media algorithm, and she went exploring. Joeita speaks with an estranged adult child, and experts from this field of study, to figure out if parental estrangement is trendy, or if there’s societal developments t...

Temperatures are rising and affecting our world in horrifying ways, the only world we have at the moment. Kelly MacDonald sits down with experts to bring us up to speed on the current state of dealing with fires and emergencies in Canada. Professor Sébastien Jodoin from the Faculty of Law at McGill University, and the Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Health, and the Environment, gives us a r...

Dating is quite a modern concept, and there's some tug of war on how to make it work. Things could get pretty messy when you're fighting between honesty and authenticity, while trying to get to know a whole other human being. Nisreen Abdel-Majid dives into the messy world of love and relationships with Joshua Simmonds, a counselling psychologist who talks through the complexities of dating in the...

Hockey is one of Canada’s most culturally significant sports, but you’re not alone if you're still trying to figure out how to get into the game. How can we all be included in Hockey? Grant Hardy took this question to his guests, and we hear from AMI-audio friends, Jacob Shymanski, Kelly MacDonald, and Jeff Ryman, about how the game is played and what the sport means to them. Plus, they provide wo...

Canada's Ottawa region has a rich basketball history, and we're about to learn all about it. Kelly MacDonald needed a reason to bring another dose of sports into the show, so he spoke to Leo Doyle, chair of Eastern Ontario Basketball and founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, who leads a basketball tour around Ottawa. We hear from Martin Cleary, Veteran and retired Ottawa Citizen Sports Reporte...

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025. To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities.  Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation...

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025. To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities.  Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation...

Service animals are more than pets, they’re expertly trained companions who empower their handlers with freedom, safety, and independence. And now, let’s factor in the public. How do handlers deal with strangers petting their dogs without permission, asking invasive questions, or ignoring clear boundaries? Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes us inside a day in the life of guide dog handlers to better unders...

Kelly MacDonald noticed his shirt pocket was quietly disappearing, so he went out to get some important answers to his burning questions. He visits one of his go-to clothing spots, George Richards, and talks it out with Store Manager, David Uren. Along the way, he loops in colleagues and friends, figuring out if they care as much as he does about disappearing shirt pockets. With a bit of history (...

What does it really take to access joy, community, and live music when fun isn’t always accessible? Nisreen Abdel-Majid finds out.   Everyone deserves a night out, but for many people with disabilities, concerts and live events come with extra barriers most don’t see. Let’s share the joys and the frustrations of navigating a night out. Brock Richardson, a former AMI contributor and wheelchair user...

The further development of AI has proved to be a watershed moment for accessibility, but how concerned should users be about their privacy and data protection? Grant Hardy invites experts, users, and developers to share their perspectives on whether giving up certain levels of privacy is worth accessible software and tech.  Mike Feir is a tech expert, and regular AI user. He tells us how AI has im...

The Towards Just Care Project evaluates Canada’s homecare system and aims to redefine what care means for recipients of homecare and homecare workers.  Joeita Gupta invites us to join her at a round table with guests involved in advocacy and academia within the homecare sector.  We hear from Mary Jean Jande, the Academic Lead of the Towards Just Care Project, about how the project got started. Meg...

St. Thomas, Ontario is commemorating the 140th anniversary of Jumbo the Elephant's death with a new exhibit detailing his life and legacy. Kelly MacDonald visits with Steve Peters, a local historian who tells us Jumbo’s story, including details of his tragic end. Curator of the JUMBOMANIA exhibit, Madeleine Howard, shares everything they’ve got going on at this fascinating exhibit dedicated to Jum...

Picture this: You’re out and about and you come across a barrier to persons with disabilities in the built environment. I.E. A record shop that doesn’t have a ramp out front. What can you, an average member of the community, do to get that barrier removed? Guest Reporter Jacob Shymanski and Reflections Senior Producer Matt Agnew found insightful answers to that question at Access Fest, A unique ga...

Ozempic was developed with the intent to treat type 2 diabetes, but today, it’s become one of the biggest weight-loss crazes in North America. Nisreen Abdel-Majid digs into what happens when a medication meant to save lives becomes a massive cultural trend, who it affects, and how severely. We hear from Mousa Abdul Samar, Pharmacist and Manager at Deen Pharmacy, who offers a vital perspective on O...

Violence against women is an epidemic, and women with disabilities are at a much higher risk to experience intimate partner violence.  Joeita Gupta brings us along as she learns more about the attitudinal and tangible barriers that women with disabilities face when seeking support in an abusive relationship. We hear from Marianne Ruffin, an expert in the violence against women sector. She shares h...

The  2025 IBSA Goalball American Championship  that took place this July was a qualifying competition that brought together top men’s and women’s national goalball teams from across the Americas. The Paralympic Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil hosted 22 teams over 8 days of goalball competition. We follow the Canadian Men’s Goalball Team through their trip, the prep and grind it took to get to...

What do you know about Lavender? Kelly MacDonald takes a visit to  Sparta Lavender Farm , 3km east of the historic village of Sparta, located in Aylmer, Ontario. We meet the couple behind the farm, Karen Parr and Bert Floyd, who help us explore everything we ever wanted to know about Lavender. Kelly and others on the group tour take a Sound Bath, offered as a relaxation practice by Michele Kujawa,...

The Canada Disability Benefit was announced earlier this summer with much fanfare. Proponents tout it as the first of its kind: a program designed to lift Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. Eligible Canadians can get as much as $2400 annually. But does it live up to the hype? Joeita Gupta takes us through a deep dive into the policy, application process, and real-life effects of the benef...

Makeup isn’t just about beauty. For many people who are blind, low-vision, or living with a disability, it’s also about self-expression, empowerment, and identity. But the beauty industry hasn’t always made space for everyone’s needs. Lead by her own love for makeup, Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores what it means to find beauty for people with disabilities. We meet Maria Santiago, a makeup influencer...

Mark Richardson recently authored The Drive Across Canada: The Remarkable Story of the Trans-Canada Highway, published on June 3, 2025. Kelly MacDonald and Mark Richardson take us on a fascinating journey along the coast-to-coast highway, reflecting on Mark’s countless trips and many stories. Michelle Higgins, who hit a moose in 2012 near Gander, Newfoundland, ended up in a relationship with Steph...