Reflections

Accessible Media Inc.

Listen in on how we make sense of the world, through conversation and the lens of lived experience, weaving our questions with your stories.

  1. 21 HR AGO

    Is this seat taken? Navigating Priority Seating on Public Transit

    Generally speaking, there's an honour system when it comes to using public transit, but when it comes to priority seating on buses, trains, and planes, it can get grey. Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores this topic. Suzanne Holder is the Customer Experience Manager at MiWay, Mississauga, Ontario's major transport system. She shares how riders with invisible disabilities can identify themselves through the Sunflower program, which extends to Metrolinx-operated transit as well. Sonia Gangopadhyay, Director at the Centre of Expertise for Accessible Transportation with the Canadian Transportation Agency, explains the One Person, One Fare policy, legislated for travelers with disabilities within Canadian borders. Debbie Gillespie, 2026 ACAT Vice-Chair for the Advisory Committee on Accessible Transit, which works with the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), explains how accessible travel is handled in the big city. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    26 min
  2. 1 DAY AGO

    Return to Work: Discussing Office Mandates and Accommodations

    Returning to the office due to new mandates? The adjustment isn’t being taken well by all, and there are some serious accessibility issues to address. Joeita Gupta is answering all our burning questions around which employers are insisting workers come back to the office and why. What role is the Canadian government playing in all of this? And how are people with disabilities being affected?  Opeyemi Akanbi is an Assistant Professor at the School of Professional Communication at Toronto Metropolitan University, who will lend us her expertise to understand why employers want their employees back in the office.  Jennifer Hope is the Director of Development and Capacity Building at the Ontario Disability Employment Network. Jennifer shares the role that employers and employees should take in the accommodation process.  Plus, Mette Aubé is Principal Consultant at Untapped Accessibility in BC. Mette will bring valuable tips and perspectives for employers who want to create work environments with accessibility at the forefront. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  3. 2 DAYS AGO

    Canada's First UNESCO City of Music: Celebrating the Arts of London, Ontario

    London, Ontario was designated as Canada's first UNESCO City of Music in 2021, recognizing its vibrant music scene and commitment to cultural development, and Kelly MacDonald was thrilled to commemorate. Mario Circelli, Founder and Chair of The London Music Hall of Fame, introduces us to this special music community, and helps us explore what the UNESCO title means for London's growth. We hear about fostering collaboration, increasing music opportunities, and supporting local art initiatives with passionate world-class concert pianist Clark Bryan, Darin Addison of the Home County Folk Festival, and Dario Novoa, Founder of Simple Reflections for Artists. Let's celebrate how truly rich in music this Canadian city is. Music Credits: The Forest City by Simple Reflections for Artists; composed by Juan David Gomez and Gianny Correa Arcos, with lyrics by Juan David Gomez, Dario Novoa, Karen Sandoval-Santana, and Louis Rudolph Engel 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  4. 3 DAYS AGO

    Conquering Kilimanjaro: Eleven Blind Hikers Take On Africa’s Highest Mountain

    Last fall, a group of eleven blind hikers traveled to Tanzania to tackle Mount Kilimanjaro. Grant Hardy speaks with climbers Peter Quaiattini, David Brown, and Tammy Adams about the triumphs, challenges, and highlights of their hiking journeys. The trip was made possible by Nana Safaris. It’s a mainstream tour and travel company based in Arusha – Tanzania that incorporates accessibility into its tours. Director Idrisa Abel shares how they facilitated the journey and explains why inclusivity is built right into the heart of the company. Whether checking off a personal goal or advocating for the blind community, each hikers’ story was different. But they all had one thing in common: they worked together as a team. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  5. 16 JAN

    My First Accessible Breakthrough: Embracing the Small Moments

    What’s the first moment when life after vision loss starts to feel possible again? Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores the small, powerful breakthroughs that reshape independence, the moments that may look ordinary from the outside but carry deep emotional weight for the people experiencing them. Through firsthand stories, Ariana Noughira shares what it meant to regain confidence with her guide dog by her side. Becki Zerr reflects on how losing her vision forced her to reimagine parenting, identity, and daily life. And Leanne Baarda, an Independent Living Skills Specialist with Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada, offers insight into how learning everyday skills from cooking to technology can restore confidence, control, and connection. Access isn’t always about sweeping change, it can be about the first moment you realize you can move forward again. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  6. 15 JAN

    The Disability Memoir: Stories That Make a Difference

    The memoir genre is booming, disability memoirs specifically. But what makes these books so entertaining, informative, powerful, or groundbreaking? Is it pressure from publishers? Or is it the translation of a person's lived experience into a digestible, easy-to-read format? Andreae Callanan is a writer and researcher who studies neurodiversity and the disability memoir. Andreae provides her perspective on what disability memoirs can bring to the literary industry.  Dorothy Ellen Palmer is an author of the memoir “Falling for Myself” and she shares why she wrote her memoir, and the compromises and sacrifices she had to make to write the memoir in the most accurate way.  Listen to Joeita Gupta’s conversation with Andreae and Dorothy to find out how authors can balance sharing the joyous moments of their lives while also being critical of the systems that exclude people with disabilities.  Plus, Karen McKay the Communications Manager at the Centre for Equitable Library Access, will provide some of CELA’s top memoir picks from their collection.  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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  7. 9 JAN

    The Smart Home: Benefit or Barrier?

    Grant Hardy is joined by tech experts Shaun Preece, Andy Baryer, and John Biehler to compare and contrast the benefits of the smart home with the perils of planned obsolescence and tech troubleshooting. Let's figure out if the smart home is really worth it. Andy Baryer from Handy Andy Media shares what he’s most excited about in his smart home for 2025, as well as his thoughts on futureproofing. Double Tap Host Sean Preece provides his own thoughts and experiences from an accessibility perspective. AMI Friend and Tech Contributor John Biehler reflects on some of the impact that planned obsolescence had on his household, and his thoughts on mitigating it. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: X /Twitter @AccessibleMediaInstagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audioFacebook at @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaIncEmail feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min
  8. 8 JAN

    Are Older Workers More Costly: Let's Dispell the Myths

    Are older employees in the workforce wrongfully keeping work away from young people who are fresh out of school? Is AI taking over older workers' jobs first? Are aging employees too expensive to keep around? Let's get to the bottom of these questions. Kelly MacDonald speaks with Lisa Taylor, Founder and CEO of Challenge Factory, a Canadian research and advisory firm focused on the future of work, dedicated to career services for older workers. She, along with Project Coordinator Jennifer St.Denis and Research Associate Emily Carew, gives us the decades of research-backed answers to our questions and teaches us what we can learn from older employees in the workforce. Michael French, National Director at Robert Half Canada, gives us the trending patterns, statistics, and market research around the current state of employment in Canada, helping us place our bets on where things are headed this year and into the future. 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 as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca. Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+ Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online: - X /Twitter @AccessibleMedia - Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio - Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc - TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc - Email feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

    28 min

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Listen in on how we make sense of the world, through conversation and the lens of lived experience, weaving our questions with your stories.