Podcasts By Donna Jodhan

Donna J. Jodhan
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Podcasts By Donna Jodhan feature a variety of audio podcasts that focus on the future of children, particularly those with disabilities. As a blind advocate and entrepreneur, Donna shares her insights, life experiences, and advocacy efforts, aiming to inspire and inform her listeners. Her podcasts cover issues such as accessibility, inclusivity, and breaking down barriers in technology and everyday life, encouraging collective efforts to create a better and more equitable future for all children.

  1. Aug 7

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #102: Interview with Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. PMP, Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., Regarding Her Ongoing Attempt To Take The Apex Program's CompTIA Network+ Exam at a Pearson Vue Testing Center As A Blind Woman in Canada

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #102: Interview with Aaron Di Blasi, Sr. PMP, Mind Vault Solutions, Ltd., Regarding Her Ongoing Attempt To Take The Apex Program's CompTIA Network+ Exam at a Pearson Vue Testing Center As A Blind Woman in Canada https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-08-07-2026/ In this candid and unusually raw episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan hands the microphone to her friend, associate and longtime collaborator Aaron Di Blasi for what he calls a "reverse grilling", a date-by-date walk through her two-year attempt to sit the CompTIA Network+ exam as a blind candidate. Beginning with the $7,500 Apex Program scholarship awarded in November 2024, they trace a scholarship that turned out to be 21 typo-riddled Word documents with no learning platform and no human support; a first exam abandoned in October 2025 when the reader said "I don't know what to do here"; the articles Donna published and the scholarship Apex withdrew because of them, telling her "you've made us the enemy"; the CNIB stepping in twice; and a second exam in May 2026 where the diagrams were still undescribed, the reader and recorder were one person, and her printed results had to be read aloud to her by a friend in the parking lot. The second half turns to what Donna did about it, writing directly to the chief executives of CompTIA and Pearson VUE, and learning in reply that a JAWS-compatible version of the exam had existed all along. Aaron is unusually candid about his own part, admitting he gave up before she did and calling it the advocacy lesson of the episode. They close on the ownership changes neither of them knew about at the time, and on Donna's own framing of why any of it was worth doing: "I am not the point. I was never the point." TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology and information, as someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles. She just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I'm Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate, an accessibility consultant, an author, a lifelong barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November 2010, I won the landmark charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just [the sighted ones? 00:01:53]. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom or in a committee room or in a pottery studio, you'll find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies to make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience and lived experience sparks fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose work is every bit remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I will let him tell you more about himself, but for now, I'd like to welcome my friend, my associate, my mentor, Aaron Di Blasi. Welcome again to the Remarkable World Commentary. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Hello Miss Donna. Thank you again for having me. It's always great to be on this podcast with you. I always have so much fun, and I think we're going to have a great deal of fun today. And that's what it's about. Sad as the topic might be, it will be a great deal of fun too, to let everyone know what's happening, because I don't think a lot of people know about this. So I am excited to get it into the eyes and ears of many more people. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Let's get started. Go for it. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Okay, well, let's just let people know first a little bit about me, because this being your podcast, I'm going to assume they know about you. My name is Aaron Di Blasi and I am an engineer by trade, a software engineer of more than 30 years. I got into the accessibility space in 2004 when I began working for the then publisher of Top Tech Tidbits, the weekly newsletter, which is currently the leading weekly not-for-profit newsletter for disability technology information. We spun off other publications. We'll get into that. We don't need to cover that in this podcast. The point being, I've been working with Donna as her friend and mentor for probably 13 years now. We were introduced by Mr. Larry Lewis, who was the former publisher of Top Tech Tidbits, and during that time, Donna has taught me a lot about what real advocacy means. And today is two things. It is a tragedy, and it is also a workshop on real advocacy and what that means, the real painful, costly type of advocacy. And with that, I will set the stage. And Donna, if there's anything that you would like to say to that before we open up, just let me know. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: No, I can't wait for this interview to take place. And I want to thank you for walking the walk with me. So let's walk. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Let's walk, let's tell the story. Hopefully we don't get too entrenched in that, but the story is the important part. So let's start on November 25th, 2024, when you were awarded a full $7,500 USD scholarship to the Apex program, 12 weeks sponsored by Novacoast. This scholarship was facilitated in part by Doctor Kirk Adams. He helped to make it possible. Would you like to talk about how you felt the day that you received that news? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: You know, I still remember that day when I think it was you who told me and I thought, nah, this can't— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: I think it might have been. Yeah. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, why would I, of all people, a Canadian, receive a scholarship from Doctor Kirk Adams? Like, well, through Doctor Kirk Adams. And I thought, sure, I can't be true. And then you said, oh yes, it's very true. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: It was indeed. And Apex being a United States based program and you being in Canada, that's the important part to distinguish. But it was wonderful. It was fantastic. I was very excited for you. And the reason I was excited for Donna is she always had a great interest in cybersecurity. So any program specific to blind people, with the word blind people specifically in the program, I thought would make her very happy. And it did. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Yes it did. Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Yes it did. However, days later, Donna received her first login. And this is the nervous part. I don't know if you want to say anything about this part, Donna. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Well, oh my gosh, the first login, and I quickly realized— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: This is where you find out if it's real. This is where you find out if it's going to happen. And unfortunately, I think listeners know it didn't happen. The screen reader reads nothing. We contact Apex and Apex says it's a glitch. Well, I go and I take a look. Again, I'm a software engineer. And by look, I don't mean that I just looked. I mean that I use tools to probe the code and to see what was going on. And what we figured out was there was no LMS. That stands for Learning Management System. And that's the only real way that you're going to develop or deliver an accessible experience to a learner online, is to customize an LMS, and they did not have an LMS in place at all. It was simply a static HTML page. And for whatever reason, her screen reader could not read it nor access it. So at her request, we reached out to Apex and asked if they could provide it in a, quote, accessible format. And at my recommendation, we asked for Word documents, because I just know it's a fallback. And surprisingly, they provided us with just that. Word documents. 21 of them. 21 typo-riddled and visibly out-of-date Word documents, at least from my view as a visual person. And Donna backed this up with her use of a screen reader to search for certain terms, etc., none of which came up due to the way that the documents were created. And I think anyone listening will understand that portion. So we quickly realized that the $7,500 amounted to about 21 Word documents, which was okay, because we thought, well, there's still the help that Donna's going to get. There's these workshops, there's all of this assistance. So at least we still get that. Right, Donna? Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: That's right. We thought that. But lo and behold— Aaron Di Blasi, PMP: Well, she reaches out to one David Mayne, I believe. Is that correct? David Mayne. And she asks how a blind person should study specifically. And his response — they had no idea what I was talking about. And I was there for that email. And they literally had no idea what she was talking about. When we say that, I mean his response was, there's the Word documents. What else do you need? They're accessible. You can access them, right? And we said, yes, we can access t

  2. Jul 29

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #101: Interview with Voldi Gailans, Chairman of the Braille Chess Association

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #101: Interview with Voldi Gailans, Chairman of the Braille Chess Association https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-07-29-2026/ In this warm and encouraging episode of Remarkable World Commentary, host Donna J. Jodhan, herself a blind advocate and chess lover, sits down with Voldi Gailans, Chairman of the UK's Braille Chess Association, in a conversation that doubles as an invitation. Voldi traces his lifelong relationship with the game: first meeting the pieces as a boy at a Latvian social club, learning the moves on a pegged tactile board at boarding school with no strategy to guide him, and finding formal coaching only late in life, an experience that fuels his mission to spare today's beginners those lost years. Along the way he dismantles the "mystique" that chess is only for clever people, explains how much richer the game becomes once you learn ideas rather than just moves, and reflects on patience, resilience, and learning to lose gracefully as lessons that carry straight over into life. The second half turns personal and forward-looking, as Donna and Voldi trade memories of the BCA's welcoming community, the Theme Break, the tournaments, the friendships, and float the idea of a future Canada-versus-UK match. Threaded throughout is Voldi's conviction that chess is a lifelong gift anyone can pick up, now played over Zoom, phone, email or across the world online, and Donna's own rekindled enthusiasm as a returning player. It closes on a note of genuine friendship and an open invitation for listeners to give the game a go. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna Jodhan: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I am Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate and accessibility consultant, an author, a lifelong barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November 2010, I won the landmark Charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just to sighted ones. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, in June 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom or a committee room or a pottery studio, you'll find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies make their websites and gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience and lived experience sparks fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose world is every bit as remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I'd like to introduce you to the chairman — and I hope I have his title correct — of the Braille Chess Association, based in the UK. I'd like to welcome you to our show. It is a pleasure and a privilege to have you on board. Voldi Gailans: Thank you, Donna. That's very kind, and it's nice to be here. Donna Jodhan: Great. So let's start off with this question. You have written that in your 76th year, you find yourself as chairman of the Braille Chess Association — something that you say you never expected. Please take us back to the moment that you accepted that role. What made you say yes? Voldi Gailans: Well, I was asked whether I would consider becoming chairman by my predecessor, and it did take me by surprise, because I never thought of myself as chairman material. I'm not a leader by nature. I like to sit back and try to help where I can. Having joined the Association in 1977, I look back on it all, and I think of what chess has done for me in all those years, and the huge enjoyment I've had from it, and my debt of gratitude to the Braille Chess Association. And I thought, well, I've been asked to do this job, I must give it a go, because I want it to thrive. I think what we give to people is something enormous. It is, as you said at the beginning, life changing. I think it makes such a big difference to all of us — blind, sighted, whoever. Chess is a good thing for anybody to do, and you've got something very special for life. Donna Jodhan: You know, I have to tell our listeners that I met Voldi and his wife, Clare, the day before I returned to Canada from my European trip in June of this year. It was a sure privilege and a pleasure to have met you both. And you have changed my life even before we met, when you started coaching me. So thank you very much. Voldi Gailans: Well, that was on a very low level, Donna. I'm not a great player. You see, this is one of the beauties of it — I absolutely love the game, and I'm not a top player. I've struggled all my life to get better, and I'll still struggle for the rest of it, but I love it. It's such a wonderful game. And I would like to feel I could share that enthusiasm and get other people to love it and enjoy it as much as I do. Donna Jodhan: And I could hear it in your voice, and you sure have started to make me more enthusiastic about chess. So, Voldi, your very first meeting with chess wasn't over a board at all, but at a Latvian social club that your father used to take the family to. Tell us about that little boy, fascinated by the shapes of the pieces. What did chess mean to you before you even knew the rules? Voldi Gailans: I just loved — I came across this board, and it was a nicely made board. They were standard Staunton figures that a normal chess player would have. And I just liked the shapes; they fascinated me. I used to play with them, like children play with figures and make up games. I did spend some time while I was there, because I got a little bit bored — of course, Dad was chatting to his friends in Latvian, and we were just left to drift around quite a lot of the time, and this was a nice little diversion. Somebody did mention accessible chess to me, but it didn't mean anything to me. I was only 8 or 9, something like that. But yes, that was my first contact with the game. And it wasn't until I went to school — we'll come on to that, won't we. I'm sorry, I'm waffling on and not letting you ask the questions. Donna Jodhan: No, go ahead. Voldi Gailans: Well, all right. My real experience with chess first came at school, when we used to have games nights on a Thursday evening, and one of the games was chess. We had these tactile chess boards, which were just wooden or metal boards with holes drilled in and a peg at the bottom of each piece which fitted into the holes. In those days, on that particular design of chess set, the pins were in the white pieces. But anyway, this teacher taught a group of us the moves of the game, and that was it. I learned the moves and I thought, I can play chess. And we all thought, great, wonderful, we've got a new hobby. And we did, and we played games, but we had no idea what to do. We just knew the moves, so we moved the pieces, but we didn't know what was the right thing to do. We had no idea of strategy or tactics. We managed to find the odd chess book with some games written down in it, and a history of the World Championship up to 1935 or so, and I enjoyed reading that. I'd get the board out and follow these games with no idea really what they were trying to do, these wonderful grandmasters. I had no appreciation, but it was something new, it fascinated me, and I had so much time in the holidays to do all this. I spent hours doing it with no real knowledge, which was such a shame. But over the years, of course, things improved, and I know better now. It all came rather late, but it was the most wonderful thing to start learning and to improve on, and I've had so much pleasure from it. Donna Jodhan: Now, many of our listeners have never held a pegged, tactile set. Paint the picture of those Thursday games evenings at your boarding school, around your 11th birthday — the raised squares, the Braille books in old descriptive notation. What was it like to learn the moves, but not yet the ideas behind them? Tell us about it. Voldi Gailans: Well, it was a very long time ago; I'm not sure that I really remember. As a child, you can do it — you pick up these things and you just do them, don't you? You don't think about how, or isn't it hard, isn't it difficult. It's a fairly simple code, the chess code, really, when you think about it. The game itself is relatively simple. You know the basics, because each piece has certain movements; you learn what those movements are, and then you start moving them on the board. And the strategy and the rest of it comes later on — with instruction, with tuition, with playing games yourself, with experience, talking to other people, sharing things. It's a lifelong learning process. Donna Jodhan: It sounds so easy. Voldi Gailans: Well, essentially that first part is easy — you just learn how each

  3. Jul 27

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #100: Interview with Frank Smith, National Coordinator of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS)

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #100: Interview with Frank Smith, National Coordinator of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students (NEADS) https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-07-27-2026/ In this milestone 100th episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan speaks with Frank Smith, the founding National Coordinator of the National Educational Association of Disabled Students, as he approaches retirement after a 40-year career. Frank traces NEADS from its beginnings, a Carleton journalism student who befriended disabled peers in Glengarry House residence, wrote a federal grant application, and helped convene the founding national conference at Ottawa's Westin Hotel in July 1986, organized entirely by mail and telephone before the internet. He describes what post-secondary study was like for disabled students then: sprawling inaccessible campuses, books on tape that took far longer to get through, ASL interpreters instead of captioning, little recognition of learning disabilities or autism, and mental health supports he calls simply not good. He points to Jennison Asuncion, Anthony Tibbs and many others as proof that students with disabilities, given accessible education, go on to full careers. Turning to the present, Frank argues the need for NEADS has not gone away: a post-secondary funding crisis driven partly by falling international enrolment, Ontario's flip from 80% grants to 20%, growing debt loads, and an accommodation system still anchored in a medical model. He explains what makes NEADS distinct, an organization of students and graduates with disabilities rather than for them, with a disabled board, staff and consultants, and describes its recent employer toolkit and its job coaching work under the federal Workplace Opportunities: Removing Barriers to Equity program. He confirms he turned 65 on July 19 and retires at the end of September, with Katja Newman succeeding him. The conversation closes warmly and off-the-cuff, with Donna raising her Believing Is Achieving camp initiative and a possible collaboration at Camp Massawippi, and Frank recounting how singing lessons taken during a mental health crisis led to six albums. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, and MBA invites you to listen to her bi-weekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology, and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Hello everyone, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I'm Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate and accessibility consultant and author, lifelong barrier buster, who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments, as in November 2010, I won the landmark Charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just to sighted Canadians. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom or in a committee room or in a pottery studio, you'll find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies to make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience and lived experience meets fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose work is every bit as remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I am extremely pleased and privileged to have Frank Smith, the CEO of NEADS, and I will let Frank tell you all about NEADS. But Frank, welcome to our podcast, and here we go. Frank Smith: Thank you so much, Donna. It's really a pleasure and an honor to be part of your podcast. And of course, I've been aware for a long time of your significant contributions to the disability movement. So congratulations to you. Of course. I have been with the National Educational Association of Disabled Students for 40 years now, and it's been quite a career. And we're primarily a youth-serving organization. So these days, I'm sort of the oldest person in every room, whether virtual or in person. Some people would say that I have great wisdom and experience. Other people would say, maybe it's about time you retired or something, which I will be doing shortly. But no, after a 40-year career, but I'm so excited to talk to you about everything that the organization has accomplished to date. And I know that the organization will continue to have a bright future after I move on into retirement. Donna Jodhan: You have devoted essentially your whole career to a single mission. So I'd like to begin at the beginning. What first drew you as a young journalism student at Carleton University into the world of disability advocacy? Frank Smith: Yes. I was a young once upon a time. I was a young journalism student at Carleton University, all bright eyed and bushy tailed. I was a student from 1981 to 1985 when I received my Bachelor of Journalism degree. I lived in residence for the first three years of my honors program, and in residence I was living at Glengarry House. And there were quite a few other students with disabilities, men and women, young men and women, who were living in Glengarry House on campus, in residence when I was there, and I became friends with a number of them. A number of folks with disabilities who were peers and fellow students. Some of them were in the journalism program with me. And over the course of my studies, I started actually writing stories about disability issues. Frank Smith: Or assignments that we had in more than one of our journalism courses. I became really fascinated with the issues affecting disabled students at all levels in terms of access to university studies at Carleton. And after I graduated, I was invited to write a grant application to what was at the time the Secretary of State and the Disabled Persons Participation Program, to establish the first — to hold the first national conference, the first conference of a proposed organization of disabled students across Canada. And that initiative was at the time very much involved students with disabilities who were part of Awareness Carleton, which is the precursor to the current Carleton Disability Awareness Centre, which was a service centre supported by the Carleton University Students' Association. At the time, was more of a club than a service centre. So the majority of the people who were involved in that first grant application to hold a national conference were disabled students. And we held our first national conference at the Westin Hotel in July of 1986. And at the national conference, we were able to bring together students with disabilities from colleges and universities from across Canada for a number of workshops and discussion sessions. And at that conference, we established a constitution for the organization and the first board of directors of the organization. And those were very exciting times for the organization, because it was the foundation of NEADS. And we called it the conference, the foundation. Donna Jodhan: You were part of a small group that founded NEADS back in 1986, and you're still its national coordinator four decades later. What did that founding moment look like, and what convinced you that this organization simply had to exist? Frank Smith: Well, I think when we had that conference — and let me tell you, at the time it was not only costly, but we had a grant to support the costs of the event, which included travel and accommodation of subsidized students to attend. But it was also difficult to organize a conference like that, and particularly one that was founding an organization rather than an organization that had already existed for a period of time and had infrastructure and everything else, lots of staff, as many NGOs did at that time. Right. So we were organizing a conference before the internet. Oh, young people today cannot even imagine what that would look like. Right. So we were literally sending out mailings to schools and using the telephone and using all sorts of primitive methods of networking and communication. And somehow we managed. I think we had about 130 people or something. The majority of them were disabled students from across the country. We managed to organize the thing and get people into Ottawa and arrange their transportation. And we had at that time sign language interpretation. We had various accommodations for the participants. And really, most of us who were involved, including myself, didn't have a lot of experience with conference planning, but we learned along the way. And over the course of the weekend, that first conference, my passion for the organization, which was just starting in its earliest days — my passion for the issues and for the organization just increased over the course of that weekend. Frank Smith: And once we had a board of directors in place, and they seemed to be inte

  4. Jul 7

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #97: Interview with Dr. Danielle Manis, Chief, Department of Family and Community Medicine, North York General Hospital

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #97: Interview with Dr. Danielle Manis, Chief, Department of Family and Community Medicine, North York General Hospital | By Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-07-07-2026/ In this warm and candid episode of Remarkable World Commentary, host Donna J. Jodhan sits down with her own family physician, Dr. Danielle Manis, a North York family doctor of more than two decades who now serves as Chief and Program Medical Director of Family and Community Medicine at North York General Hospital. Dr. Manis traces her path into medicine, a love of learning, problem-solving, and people, and the example of an influential mentor, Dr. Val Rachlis, and explains why she has never left the community where she trained, practices, teaches, and now leads. She unpacks what comprehensive, continuity-based family medicine really means, and how knowing patients and their families over many years lets her deliver more personal care. The conversation then widens to how care itself is organized: health-system integration, Ontario Health Teams and the North York Toronto Health Partners, the drive to attach every patient to a family doctor (including a new Get Well Family Health Team and a central intake pathway), and the team-based model that lets nurses, social workers, and dietitians each practice at the top of their scope. Running throughout is a frank, mutual thread on accessibility, Dr. Manis openly acknowledges that her office's secure messaging portal and intake tools may not yet work for blind patients like Donna, and commits to doing better, before the episode closes on an optimistic note about the future of primary care and the next generation of family doctors. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, and MBA invites you to listen to her bi-weekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology, and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I'm Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate, and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch, and stubborn optimism. I'm a law graduate, an accessibility consultant and author, a lifelong barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November 2010, I won the landmark Charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just to sighted ones. And in July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act with more than two dozen disability groups, to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award, for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom, or in a committee room, or in a pottery studio, you will find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping tech companies make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience, and lived experience sparks fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a quick spotlight on today's guest, a change maker whose work is every bit as remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I am absolutely pleased and honored to have my family physician, Dr. Danielle Manis, as our guest today. Welcome, Dr. Danny. Dr. Danielle Manis: Thank you so much, Donna. What a wonderful introduction that was. Donna Jodhan: Well, let's get going. So, Dr. Danny, welcome to the Remarkable World Commentary. I'd like to begin at the beginning. So tell us: what first drew you to medicine, and how did you find your way to family medicine in particular? Dr. Danielle Manis: This is such a great question, and I've come so far from ever thinking about this, so thank you for making me think about it again. It's been so many years since I chose this path. Part of it was that, as a child, I loved learning. I'm very curious, and I love problem solving, so I was very much drawn to the sciences and the intellectual challenges of solving problems, making a diagnosis, or whatever it may be. But I also really like people. I always default to a positive feeling when I meet new people, and I'm very interested in other people's lives and experiences, and in playing a meaningful role. So that was how medicine was a draw for me. And when I was lucky enough to get into medical school, which was a little bit easier in those days than it is now, I made my way through all of the courses and all of the different experiences and rotations, and I was interested in everything. That was the common thread: I found everything interesting. But if it was too specialized, I found myself getting bored. So, you know, three weeks in cardiac surgery, literally holding on to someone's heart while it's being operated on, sounds really, really cool. But after the second day I thought, okay, this is the same thing over and over again. I like variety. I like not knowing what I'm going to deal with. And then I was really lucky to have some inspirational mentors along the way, and excellent role models, through doing electives and rotations. I already kind of thought I wanted to be a family doctor, because of the meaningful, long-term relationships that family doctors have with their patients. But then I did an elective with Dr. Val Rachlis, who was a leader in our department and a former chief of this department, and a big leader in health care in Canada. And I watched his interactions with his patients, and that was it. I said, yes, this is what I want to be. I want to be that trusted advisor, that expert clinician who really cares about their patients. And that was it. That was it for me. Donna Jodhan: I can tell you that you are a fine example of one of the best doctors that I have ever interacted with. And I'm not telling you this to give you a big head. I mean it. Dr. Danielle Manis: Oh, that's so kind of you, Donna. Donna Jodhan: I really mean it. For some reason, I thought you were from Montreal. Dr. Danielle Manis: No, no, no, not from Montreal. I'm actually quite local. I grew up in North York, so I really haven't strayed too far. I did some undergrad training in London, Ontario, but I did most of my training in Toronto. Donna Jodhan: Okay. So you've built your whole career, your training, your practice, and your teaching, and now your leadership, within the North York General and University of Toronto community. What has it meant to you to put down roots and grow in one community for more than 20 years? Dr. Danielle Manis: This is hard to even put into words, but I'm going to try, because we are a podcast. There's something really special about the community that I work in. I can't really explain the warmth and the collaboration and the open-mindedness and the acceptance. It just creates this culture of wanting to give back and wanting to stay. As a student, I was a medical student at North York General, I was a medical resident at North York General, I joined a practice in North York, and I've never left. And when I look around, so many of my colleagues are the same, some of them quite a bit senior to me. If I've been here for 25-plus years, some of them have been here 40-plus years. What I see with our young graduates from our residency program is that they want to stick around and stay here and give back, because they've had such a wonderful experience in their training that they want to turn around and work with the same group of people, and train the next group coming up. And what it really means, especially in the community-based model that we have, is that it would be very easy to get very isolated and siloed in your office. If you're a doctor in an office and you work with three or four people, and you've never once met any of the specialists at the hospital, or you don't know anybody who picks up the phone at any of these other clinics, it's really easy to be isolated. When you're really embedded, especially in education, or you get involved with Ontario Health Teams or any kind of volunteer opportunities, it just enriches your practice so much. You don't feel so alone. You feel part of a medical community, and it's a really wonderful one. So I feel like I've gotten to know the community for years and years, through all of our trainees, all of our services, all of our committee work, and my involvement. And I just would not want to be anywhere else. Donna Jodhan: You know, that's so refreshing to hear. Some people would say, I can't wait to get out of this environment and move somewhere else. But giving back is very important to me, and I really appreciate you saying this as well. Dr. Danielle Manis: Well, I feel like it's our job, especially as a leader in this department. Retaining our wonderful health care workers is a huge part of our strategy. We have to perpetuate this welcoming community. Practicing medicine and working in health care is very hard; it's very challenging these days. So it's not that we don't have those challenges, it's that we have a very supportive, positive environment in which to do that kind of work. And it's part of the mandate, because we need those people to stick arou

  5. Jul 2

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #99: Ask Advocate Donna

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #99: Ask Advocate Donna https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-07-02-2026/ In this instructive episode of Remarkable World Commentary, the second July installment, and an edition of her recurring "Ask Advocate Donna" segment, host Donna J. Jodhan turns listener questions and stories into a hands-on lesson in everyday advocacy. She opens with a favorite quotation about speaking and listening so others love to do both, then runs a word game contrasting paired terms: passion (being animated and taking action) versus compassion (understanding, sympathy, and empathy, a quieter, silent agreement), and care (proactive) versus concern (reactive). She then works through three listener-submitted scenarios, asking in each what advocacy looks like, who gets involved, why it's necessary, how, and when: a waiter who refuses to serve Mike because he has a dog; a boy, David, in a wheelchair who is passed over for snacks at a birthday party while his sister notices and questions the servers; and Bonnie, a vision-impaired long-term-care resident with a mental disability whose caregiver refuses to serve her meal and walks away from her daughter's question. Donna's throughline is that advocacy starts with the person affected, or someone standing in for them, like a daughter picking up the mantle, that silence is not an answer, and that you get involved when something directly affects you. She invites listeners to keep sending questions and stories, and signs off until August. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, and MBA invites you to listen to her bi-weekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology, and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Greetings, everybody. And I am Donna J. Jodhan, your host for the Remarkable World Commentary podcast. This is my second episode for July, and it is all about Ask Advocate Donna. I continue to receive a lot of requests from people asking me different questions and submitting stories to me, and I want to thank everybody for this. So what is Ask Advocate Donna all about? It is all about really trying to have you get into the mindset of advocacy, and giving you examples as to what or how you should react based on a certain situation. The situation is submitted to me by listeners, or sometimes I choose one of my advocacy stories out of my huge memory bank. Okay, so let me start with my favorite quotation: speak in such a way that others love to listen to you; listen in such a way that others love to speak to you. Donna Jodhan: Okay, we're going to kick things off with a word game. I like this word game, and I developed this word game to really get people to start thinking about advocacy and using words to help people do so. So here we go: passion or compassion. When we find ourselves delving into any sort of advocacy adventure, there are two things that really raise their head, and they represent what we might want to think about: passion or compassion. When we show passion, it means that we are really animated about something and that we really want to take action. This is what passion is all about. Passion — taking action, understanding, and helping others. It is a passion for us to galvanize ourselves into action. Compassion is when it is more of a docile type of way of looking at things. Compassion is when we have an understanding, when we have sympathy, when we have empathy. So the difference between passion and compassion: I think passion is when you take action; compassion is silent agreement or silent understanding. Passion versus compassion. Donna Jodhan: Okay. Care or concern is the next pair of words that I'm going to talk about. Care is when, again, you really care about what's going on, and it may galvanize you into taking action. This is what caring is all about. Concern may be a lesser degree of caring. You're concerned about something, but are you really going to do something about it? Care may be more proactive; concern may be reactive. But that's just my opinion. I'd like to hear from you. Please write to me at Donna Jodhan, donnajodhan@gmail.com. Okay, so let's delve into our stories now. They were submitted to me by listeners, and I want to hear from you after we talk about these stories. Donna Jodhan: First story is that of a waiter who refused to serve a customer with a dog. Mike had gone to his neighborhood restaurant for the very first time. It was a new restaurant. He entered the restaurant and was seated in a very small booth. He tucked his dog under the seat and waited for a few minutes. Finally, a waiter came by, and on seeing Mike's dog, he told Mike that he would not be serving him. What would you advise Mike to do? Just say, 'Okay, thank you very much,' get up and leave? Would Mike become angry, upset, and seek action from not just the waiter, but the manager? There are two very specific alternatives here. Either Mike would get up and leave, upset, disappointed, and sad, and nothing would be done — he would just get up and leave, take what the waiter had said to him — or would he push forward and seek audience with the manager? What would you do? What would you advise Mike to do? Donna Jodhan: Okay. Advocacy is when Mike would decide to seek the attention of the manager and explain what has just happened. This is what advocacy is all about, and who gets involved in advocacy. Mike starts the ball rolling with getting involved with advocacy by approaching the manager, and by having a reasonable chat with the manager. And why is it necessary? Because his rights have been infringed upon. He's been told he's not going to be served because he has a dog. That's why it is necessary. And how does Mike get involved in advocacy? Mike approaches the manager, first of all, and it depends on what the reaction is from the manager. He would then choose to draw others into it, other like-minded friends and family members. And when to get involved in advocacy? Well, when something directly affects you, that's when you get involved in advocacy. Donna Jodhan: All right, let's go to story two. So what do we have here? A boy in a wheelchair was not given any snacks when he attended a birthday party. Very sad, but very true. David had gone to a kid's party, a birthday party with his friends. Everyone was being served with snacks, except for David. And when David's sister noticed what was happening, she asked, why was her brother not being served with snacks? She asked two or three people, two or three servers, why was this taking place? And no one would answer. What would you advise David and his sister to do? Again, you could take the easy way out: David and his sister would simply leave the party and go home. Or you can choose to stand up — David's sister to stand up for her brother David, to stand up for his own self, right? Again, it is no shrinking into the vines and just leaving, or standing up and making a point of what is going on. Donna Jodhan: David is not being served snacks, and his sister notices and draws the attention of two or three of the servers. But nobody says anything. So she's wondering, or she might want to wonder: is it because David is in a wheelchair? I would say it is, because why is it everyone else is being served except David? What is advocacy here? Advocacy is all about David and his sister. Under these circumstances, David not being served. And he wants to know why. Okay, this is what advocacy is all about, and who gets involved. Well, David and his sister start the ball rolling, and they could then extend it to those around them and to their parents. Okay. Why is it necessary? Because something very wrong is taking place. David is not being served any snacks. He's the only one who is not being served any snacks. And why is this? We want to find out. How do you get involved in advocacy? Again, it's by enlisting the help of those around you and your parents, in this case. Okay, so this is how one gets involved in advocacy. It all starts with the person who is experiencing a problem, or what's going on. When do you do it? When it directly affects you. This directly affects David and his sister, who notices. The advice that I would give is that David and his sister should start speaking up, or at least ask the question, why is David not being served any snacks? Silence from the service is not an answer. So we gotta dig deeper here. Donna Jodhan: Let's go to the third story, and here we go. Okay. A caregiver refuses to serve a person who is vision impaired. Yes, indeed. Caregivers do have their whims and fancies, don't they? Bonnie was a patient in a long-term care home. Not only was she vision impaired, but she had a mental disability. And on this day, Bonnie's daughter noticed that the caregiver had refused to serve her mom. When the daughter asked the caregiver for an explanation, the caregiver simply turned and walked away. She did not respond to the question. So what's going on here? Bonnie's a patient. Bonnie is entitled to be served like every other patient. The daughter notices that Bonnie is not being served. She asks the question. The caregiver turns and walks away, just like that. Okay, so what's going on? What would you advise the daughter to do? Your mum is not being served. You ask the question, why is mum not being served her meal? And the caregiver has the unmitigated nerve to simply turn and walk

  6. Jul 1

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #98: How Accessible is Learning Online?

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #98: How Accessible is Learning Online? https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-07-01-2026/ In this candid episode of Remarkable World Commentary, host Donna J. Jodhan returns to a long-standing pet peeve Aow accessible is online learning? And argues that while online learning has made real progress, there is still a lot more to do. She points beyond exams to registration forms, learning materials, and learning management systems that remain inaccessible to people who are blind or visually impaired or who have cognitive challenges. On online exams specifically, she highlights diagrams and images that go undescribed, screen readers that aren't compatible with the testing software, and readers, scribes, or proctors sent in cold without understanding what they're reading. She also flags the shortage of trainers and instructors who can teach blind and low-vision users how to combine a screen reader or ZoomText with online forms. In the second half, Donna shares a listener's account of the lasting stress of a home invasion and introduces her "mental stretch" technique, which uses the senses of smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing to help people relax, recharge, and become more in tune with their stress. She invites listeners to write in with feedback or to learn the technique, and closes by wishing everyone a great rest of the day and week. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, and MBA invites you to listen to her bi-weekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology, and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Greetings, everybody. And I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your host for the Remarkable World Commentary for July 2026. So what do I have on my mind for my first episode, my first podcast for July? This is a pet peeve of mine, and I'm telling you, it just continues to go on and on and on. And it's all about how accessible is online learning. Again, how accessible is online learning? I want to hear your feedback. I would love for you to write to me and let me know what your thoughts are. Write to me at donnajodhan@gmail.com. That's donnajodhan@gmail.com. I have been a lifelong learner. I've gone from the times when we used to submit our exams in, by typing it out on a good old typewriter, to recording it with a tape recorder. And now we have online learning. I have to admit that there have been a lot of progress with regard to online learning, but there is still a lot more to do. It's not just the exams that I am referring to today. How about registration forms, learning materials, and contents? A lot of the learning management systems are still not very accessible to those of us who are blind and visually impaired, and to those of us with cognitive challenges. Now let's look at access to online exams. The thing about that is that when it comes to diagrams, and when it comes to understanding what the diagram is trying to represent or what the image is trying to represent, there needs to be a lot more work done in this area. For if you go in there to many of these exams — and I'm not going to name some of these exams, because I really don't want to get into a fight with any company. Donna Jodhan: If the screen reader that you're using is not compatible to the software that is being used by those administering the exams, then you're in big trouble. If you have a reader or a scribe or a proctor that you're lucky enough to get when you go to write your online exams, let it be known that these readers need to be comfortable, and they need to understand what they're reading. It is totally unfair to expect a reader to go in cold and be able to read something to someone else. That's my thought. Now, when we come to access to trainers and instructors, that's another problem. Access to trainers and instructors are still lagging behind. We don't have access to trainers and instructors who are able to train us and instruct us as to how to put together the combination of a screen reader or ZoomText, or any sort of zoom software — put it together with the online forms. There's still a lot of work to be done when it comes to this. All right. That is my rant for today. So let's go to a story for today. What is one of the most stressful events takes place in our lives, if we are unlucky enough to have it happen to us? This comes from one of my listeners, and they tell me: a home invasion. When a home invasion takes place, one's life changes. It changes for the worst. Donna Jodhan: A home invasion changes one's life. So many things happen. Your house is entered into by someone you don't know, for the most part. Even if you know the person, the person comes in uninvited and they come into your home, intending to do you harm and to take possession of your possessions. A home invasion is not something that anyone would want to happen in their lives. But there you have it. It's one of the most stressful things that can happen to you. This particular listener reached out to me after a home invasion of a year ago, and thanks to my mental stretch, I have been able to help them deal with it, to relax that little bit more, to recharge and regurgitate. You're never, ever going to get over a home invasion, but please leave my mental stretch to help you out. What is my mental stretch? It really helps you to use every part of your body to become more in tune with your stress. And you utilize the senses of smell, touch, sight, taste, and hearing to help you out. You want to know more about my mental stretch? Then please call me. Or better yet, email me at donnajodhan@gmail.com. Take advantage of my mental stretch. I will show you how, after years of using it with others. Okay. Right, this is it for me for this first podcast, the Remarkable World Commentary for July. I wish everyone a great rest of the day and a great rest of the week, and I will see you next time. Take care now. Podcast Commentator: Donna wants to hear from you and invites you to write to her at donnajodhan@gmail.com. Until next time.

  7. Jun 25

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #96: Interview with Gail Sinclair, Retired Lawyer, Department of Justice, Government of Canada

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #96: Interview with Gail Sinclair, Retired Lawyer, Department of Justice, Government of Canada https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-06-25-2026/ In this illuminating episode of Remarkable World Commentary, host Donna Jodhan sits down with Gail Sinclair, a lawyer who recently retired after more than three decades with the Department of Justice, and who years earlier was lead counsel for the Government of Canada on the opposite side of Donna's landmark accessibility case. Gail traces her path into law (a large, rule-bound family; a degree in both civil and common law, in both French and English) and her career representing the public interest on constitutional questions, from the same-sex marriage reference to electoral and democratic rights. The heart of the conversation is Jodhan v. Canada, the case that forced the federal government to make its websites accessible, told from her vantage as opposing counsel: Justice Kelen's Federal Court ruling, the 15-month suspended declaration, the appeal written by Justice Nadon, and the harder constitutional question the case ultimately turned on (whether a trial judge may keep supervisory jurisdiction over a Charter remedy once it is under appeal, a point on which Canada prevailed, echoing Doucet-Boudreau). They also revisit Donna's later ArriveCAN human-rights complaint, the role of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, memorable courtroom moments and expert witnesses (Cynthia Waddell and Jutta Treviranus), and the line Gail draws from Donna's case to the Accessible Canada Act. She closes with advice for anyone weighing whether to stand up for their rights: be brave, get educated, and prevail. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, and MBA, invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna Jodhan: Hello everybody, and welcome to another episode of Remarkable World Commentary. I am Donna J. Jodhan, a lifelong disability advocate, and one who sees the world mainly through sound, touch, and stubborn optimism. I am a law graduate, an accessibility consultant, an author, and a lifelong barrier buster who also happens to be blind. You may know me from a few headline moments. In November 2010, I won the landmark Charter case that forced the Canadian government to make its websites accessible to every Canadian, not just [sighted?] ones. In July of 2019, I co-led the Accessible Canada Act, with more than two dozen disability groups, to turn equal access into federal law. And most recently, on June the 3rd, 2022, I was greatly humbled by Her Late Majesty's Platinum Jubilee Award for tireless commitment to removing barriers. When I'm not in a courtroom, a committee room, or a pottery studio, you will find me coaching kids with vision loss, producing audio mysteries, or helping to teach companies to make their gadgets talk back in plain language. Everything I do circles one goal: to turn accessibility from an afterthought into everyday practice. I invite you to think of this show as our shared workbench, where policy meets lived experience, and lived experiences sparks fresh ideas. Now, before we jump into today's conversation, let me shine a spotlight on today's guest — a change maker whose work is every bit as remarkable as the world that we are trying to build. I am pleased, and I am privileged, and I am honored to welcome Gail Sinclair to our podcast. Welcome, Gail. Gail Sinclair: Thank you, Donna. Donna Jodhan: So we are going to discuss your remarkable journey. And we're going to start. Gail, welcome to our World Commentary. Before we get to the case that first brought us together, I want our listeners to know you. You retired this past December after more than three decades with the Department of Justice. What first drew you to the law? Gail Sinclair: Good question, Donna. I grew up in a large, boisterous family where there were a lot of rules. My dad was a hero, but he'd drop bombs on Germany in World War Two, so there tended to be very firmly enforced rules. And as a middle child, as a girl, I wasn't always convinced that the rules were applied fairly or evenly. And so I wanted to go to law school to learn about rules and how they should be applied. Donna Jodhan: My goodness, I can understand that, because I too wanted to be a lawyer when I was growing up. But Dad thought that the courtroom was only for [men?], and so I did not belong there. But this being said, let's go to our next question. You earned a law degree in both civil law and common law, and you worked in both English and French. You even began in French language and literature. How did this bilingual, two-legal-traditions foundation shape the lawyer that you became? Gail Sinclair: I think learning the traditions of Canada's two legal systems and our two official languages taught me that there are more than one way to solve a problem, and they're all viable and worth exploring. And we have a fascinating country made up of different traditions, and it behooves us to know them and to apply them. Donna Jodhan: Well, that is quite a feat in both languages. Oh my goodness, I didn't know this about you until now. Gail Sinclair: Well, I remember doing my civil law degree at Université de Montréal, which came after my common law degree. They said to me, 'Well, you can write your exams in English.' And I thought, how silly is that? You study exclusively in the French language. In French, [it] is not a mortgage in English; it's a different legal system. So to say to us that, for exams, you could write in English — I thought that was a misapprehension. The journey that you take, you are completely immersed in one world from another, and then you get to have this continual conversation with yourself, and with some professors who are interested in comparative law: 'Oh, that's so interesting that civil law does it this way, and common law does it this way.' Donna Jodhan: Oh my goodness. Now, you spent a career representing the public interest on some of the hardest constitutional questions that this country has faced. What did that work mean to you? Gail Sinclair: It was a tremendous honor. It was fascinating. It schooled me in what I refer to as the quintessential Canadian compromise. Canada is an extraordinary country, and still an extraordinary possibility. But we have so many people within, and we have our two legal traditions, our official languages, and then we have our Indigenous languages. We have people from all around the world. And to blend that in terms of the public interest was a tremendous honor. I think in a different life, I might have wanted to run as a member of Parliament. A lot of my work was about section three, the right to vote, and to be involved in these fundamental democracy issues in the first 30 years of the Charter was just fascinating — probing work about representation and democracy. And as we all know, democracy is more at risk in the Western world than it has been in many a year. And so it was just a fascinating journey, and an honor to represent the Attorney General of Canada — which is to represent, for the courts, that balance between individual rights and what section one demands of us, which is effectively bringing to bear the interest other than the individual who is challenging the law or a policy. Donna Jodhan: I think it's so very interesting for me personally to hear you talk about this, because you don't really have the opportunity to ask too many lawyers these questions. So I do want to thank you for this, and I think it's great. Gail Sinclair: I'll just add one of the cases that I was involved in, from literally the Friday afternoon when it came in the door — I was acting as a manager at the time — was the litigation challenging the opposite-sex nature of marriage. And so I was involved in that case probably, I'm guessing, seven years, until the Ontario Court of Appeal — the second appellate court, third appellate court — rendered a decision saying opposite-sex marriage is unconstitutional. It's judge-made law, and so we change it now. And a same-sex marriage was conducted on the lawn of Osgoode Hall that afternoon. The government went through a fascinating process of deciding how to respond to this. The B.C. Court of Appeal had rendered its judgment but suspended the declaration, and I think Quebec had done so, or shortly thereafter. The Ontario Court of Appeal spoke, and the government decided that they wanted to accept these judgments of three of Canada's appellate courts. They were concerned about whether they could enact legislation to change the definition of marriage and get it through the Parliament of Canada. And so they took a reference to the Supreme Court of Canada. And that journey was an absolutely fascinating journey. I, with my colleague Michael Moore, have written an article about the history of the reference — a good publication paying tribute to Peter Hogg, because he was our ultimate lead counsel. And it was just a fascinating journey. I saw some of my colleagues who I worked with, who were visible minorities, who had immigrated to Canada and were in same-sex relationships. And it was only when Canada opened up marriage to same-sex couples that their parents accepted them in their love relationships. And that was very moving to

  8. Jun 2

    Remarkable World Commentary Episode #95: Ask Advocate Donna

    🎙️ Remarkable World Commentary Episode #95: Ask Advocate Donna | Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA https://donnajodhan.com/rwc-06-02-2026/ In this instructive episode of Remarkable World Commentary, Donna J. Jodhan presents her recurring "Ask Advocate Donna" segment, opening with two reflective word-game pairings she invites listeners to ponder: defensive versus offensive, and sympathy versus empathy. She resists treating either as an either-or choice, arguing that a seasoned advocate must learn when each posture or response is appropriate rather than committing to one. She frames the whole episode with her guiding ethos, borrowed in spirit from a "let's make it better than possible" sentiment, that advocacy means refusing to settle for merely acceptable outcomes. The heart of the episode is three listener-submitted scenarios, each dissected through the same four-part lens of what advocacy is, who gets involved, why it is necessary, and how to begin. A woman using a wheelchair, Lucy, is turned away from a concert hall officials claim cannot accommodate her; a boy, Hamid, is denied entry to his condo pool because a lifeguard fears being unable to communicate with him in English; and a blind woman is told a call-center job was "just filled," then bluntly informed she could not be hired because of her vision impairment, which Donna labels outright discrimination. For each, she models how the affected person and their allies can challenge the gatekeepers, question officials, and enlist support from advocacy organizations. She closes by inviting listener feedback at donnajodhan@gmail.com. TRANSCRIPT Podcast Commentator: Greetings, Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP and MBA invites you to listen to her biweekly podcast, Remarkable World Commentary. Here, Donna shares some of her innermost thoughts, insights, perspectives, and more with her listeners. Donna focuses on topics that directly affect the future of kids, especially kids with disabilities. Donna is a blind advocate, author, sight loss coach, dinner mystery producer, writer, entrepreneur, law graduate, and podcast commentator. She has decades of lived experiences, knowledge, skills, and expertise in access, technology and information. As someone who has been internationally recognized for her work and roles, she just wants to make things better than possible. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Greetings, everybody. And I'm Donna J. Jordan, your host for the Remarkable World Commentary, my second podcast for June. My goodness, we are up to June. So this podcast is titled Ask Advocate Donna. It's for the month of June. And what do we have in our bag of tricks for this month for you? I want to start off with this. My favorite quote is this. Speak in such a way that others would want to listen to you and listen in such a way that others would want to speak to you. I truly believe in this quotation. I also have something new to add for you. And it is this. Let's make it better than possible. Let's not just sit there and say it's possible. We got to make it better than possible. And I got this term from former prime minister, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who started his term in office in 2015 with that quote. Let's make it better than possible. So let me start with my favorite word game for your consideration and for your pondering. And it is this defensive or offensive. So many times in an advocate's career or in an advocate's journey, they're faced with these two terms, they are on opposite sides of the spectrum. Okay. Defensive or offensive? Which is it going to be? For me, it is a mixture of both. Learning when to be defensive, learning when to be offensive. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: I don't think one can go either way or, you know, be always being defensive or always being offensive. Now there are some advocates who thrive on being offensive, other advocates who feel that it is necessary to be defensive. For me, I think it's a mixture of both knowing when to be defensive, knowing when to be offensive. Okay. Here's another pair of terms for your Consideration, sympathy or empathy. Most people really appreciate when empathy is shown, but in many cases, sympathy is often necessary. Both terms are close in proximity to each other. I believe in both. I believe in showing sympathy as a long time advocate, and I also believe that empathy is necessary as well. Sympathy versus empathy. Which is it going to be? And I think you have to choose the circumstance where you believe that either one is applicable. All right. I'd love to hear your thoughts. So write to me at Donna jordan@gmail.com. That's GODHAN at g mail.com. Let me know what your thoughts are. I would be really interested to know. Okay. All right. Each month I provide you with stories that I have gathered over the years, or people or listeners and readers send it to me and I share these with you. Here's the title to the first story. There was a lady in a wheelchair who was denied entry to a concert. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Lucy had gotten had gotten sorry, dressed up for this concert. She really wanted to go. And when she and her friends got to the hall to hand in their tickets for this anticipated concert, Lucy was told that she could not enter the concert area. When she asked why was she being denied entry to the concert, she was told it was because she was in a wheelchair. Just imagine when her friends started to ask questions. The group was told by officials that the hall could not accommodate anyone in a wheelchair. Just imagine. What would you advise Lucy and her friends to do? I know what I would, but I want to know what you would. Okay, so Lucy is being denied entry to a hall. Concert hall? Because she's in a wheelchair. When her friends ask why, they are told That because the concert hall is not accessible for a person in a wheelchair in these modern days, this is not acceptable in these modern days. This is horrible in these modern days. This is a sad, sad statement for anyone to make. Okay, so what are the points here? The major points. What is advocacy? Advocacy is when something is not right and something needs to be done. And in this case, Lucy being denied entry to the concert hall because it is not set up for a person in a wheelchair and who gets involved in advocacy, Lucy to start with, and then her friends, which is what they did, they started to question the persons at the desk. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: The customer reps. The customer agents. Okay. And why is it necessary? Because something is not right to tell a person that you cannot enter a concert hall because it is not set up for a wheelchair or a person in a wheelchair is not right. And how does one get involved in advocacy in this case? Simply look at what Lucy and her friends did. Her friends started to ask questions and challenged, you know, the concert folks, the concert hall officials. That is what advocacy is. That's how you get involved in advocacy. And when do you do that again? When something is not kosher All right. Okay. Let me go to the second story of the month shared with me by another listener. All right. A boy was denied entry to a swimming pool because he did not speak English. This is Canada, remember? And we have always thrived on the reputation that Canada is an open country to any and everyone entering it or living in it. And Hamid was looking forward to swimming in the pool in his condo complex. And when he got to the swimming pool on this very hot summer's day, he was told by the lifeguard that he could not go swimming. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: Now, Hamid's elder brother, Ali, had told the lifeguard that Hamid could not speak English. What would you advise Hamid and Ali to do? You have a younger brother? Hamid doesn't speak English. His older brother Ali telling the lifeguard just that. And now there is trouble brewing ahead. Okay. What Ali did, I think is the right thing. Ali then took his brother back to their condo and told the parents what was going on. Okay. At first the parents said, well, maybe the lifeguard is correct in that, you know, Hamid doesn't speak English and there might be a barrier or a communications problem if Hamid were to get into difficulty while swimming. But his brother Ali was there who spoke perfect English. So this is a very tough call. Is a lifeguard correct? In saying that, Hamid would be denied entry because he didn't speak English? Because they were afraid for their own I wouldn't say their own jobs, but they were afraid that if Hamid got into trouble, they wouldn't know how to communicate with him. And they'd have to depend on Ali to help Hamid. What do you think? Okay. So who gets involved in advocacy if this is pushed? Ali and his parents, because Hamid probably knows what is going on, but cannot advocate on his own for himself because he doesn't speak English. Donna J. Jodhan, LLB, ACSP, MBA: And why is it necessary? Well, it is necessary if you want to push the case that Hamid is entitled to go swimming, despite the fact that he cannot speak English. So it's going to be a very interesting discussion between Hamid and Ali and their family, their parents and the lifeguard and his supervisors. Because on the one hand, Hamid should be entitled to go swimming. But on the other hand, because he doesn't speak English, as you know, how is the lifeguard or how can the lifeguard communicate with him if something is wrong or they need to tell him something? He would need, he would have second hand a second hand opinion from the lifeguard because they'd have to go through Ali. So it's all a second hand relay to honey from the guards. And is this correct? We don't know. Only fruitful discussion will determine how to get around this. Right. How do you get involved in this type of advocacy? It's really the parents who have to start it with Ali's account. And then they go step by step from there. Really. And when do you get involved in ad

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About

Podcasts By Donna Jodhan feature a variety of audio podcasts that focus on the future of children, particularly those with disabilities. As a blind advocate and entrepreneur, Donna shares her insights, life experiences, and advocacy efforts, aiming to inspire and inform her listeners. Her podcasts cover issues such as accessibility, inclusivity, and breaking down barriers in technology and everyday life, encouraging collective efforts to create a better and more equitable future for all children.

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  • Creator
    Donna J. Jodhan
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    296
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024
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    Podcasts By Donna Jodhan