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. 1d ago

    Whose Holiday Is It: Tracing Roots of Thanksgiving Traditions

    Thanksgiving in Canada has a checkered history, so Joeita Gupta set out on a mission to learn more about it.  She spoke with Peter Stevens, a Professor of Liberal Studies at Humber Polytechnic. Peter talks about the religious histories of the widely celebrated holiday, and describes how settlers wrote Indigenous peoples out of the story of Thanksgiving in the early 1800s.   Brian Rice offers insight into the Indigenous history of the holiday. Brian is an Indigenous Land Based Educator at the University of Manitoba and is of Mohawk descent. He shares how the origins of Thanksgiving can be traced back to harvest ceremonies that were shared with settlers when they first came to Canada.  Christine Sismondo is a historian and writer based in Toronto, Ontario. She explains that Canada’s eagerness to set itself apart from the United States was through nation-building holidays like Thanksgiving, especially after the civil war. 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.

  2. 2d ago

    Kid’s TV in Canada: What Were we Watching?

    Canadian Cultural Historian Ed Conroy takes Kelly MacDonald back in time to the late 20th century to ponder about what kids at the time were watching on TV. They go over communication style, disability representation, quality of writing, and how the creators aimed to connect to the audience.  Alyson Court, a very busy teenage actor at the time, runs down the highlights of her career, and lets us in on her days starring on The Big Comfy Couch as Loonette the Clown.  Jordan Christopher Morris, co-writer and producer of the documentary Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe, reminds us how this iconic Canadian children's TV show gathered kids from multiple generations to teach imagination and self-expression.  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.

  3. Oct 1

    Joy is a Tandem Bicycle

    Jennie Bovard has been a lifelong cyclist and now spends part of her time putting butts on tandem bikes as a program coordinator with Blind Sports Nova Scotia. She gets a lot of joy from tandem cycling, and finds out who else feels the same.  Ange Purcell is brand new to tandem biking. She shares what drew her to the sport, why group rides have quickly become a summer highlight, and how tandem cycling compares with riding a standard bike for someone with low vision.  Jamie Penton has volunteered as a tandem pilot since Parasport PEI launched its paracycling program in 2009. He shares what keeps him coming back to the front seat.  And Ron Walsh, a blind outdoorsman and adventurer, returned to cycling after more than 25 years away, taking on an ambitious tandem ride to raise money for his local food bank.  From first rides to decades of volunteering to an epic comeback, Jennie is curious why people ride and why they keep coming back.  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.

  4. Sep 29

    Have a Happy Period: The Menstrual Leave Debate

    Workplaces across North America have been implementing period positive policies in their offices and cultures for several years now. One policy that sparks a strong debate is menstrual leave, and Joeita Gupta learned how organizations handle issues of period equity in their workplaces.  We hear from Sophie Zivku, Impact Manager at DIVA, about how their menstrual leave policy was implemented to destigmatize periods and create a holistic workplace for their employees.  Meaghan Furlano is a qualitative sociologist, and through her research tells us about how menstrual leave policy announcements are snapshots of society’s stigma surrounding menstruation and menopause.  AMI offers its employees unlimited sick time, and HR Business Partner Elysia Yardley shares how this policy eliminates employees having to disclose personal information.  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.

  5. Sep 24

    Behind the Gavel: The World of Auctioneering

    Outside of broadcasting aspirations, Kelly MacDonald considered auctioneering as a career. The fast talking entertainment intrigued him then, but today he set out to explore the world of auctions a bit further.  Lenn Metcalfe, Founder and Former President of Metcalfe Auctions, reminisces with Kelly about his over seven decades working in auctions.  Dennis Kidd of Kidd Family Auctions takes us through the handling of a live auction and breaks down how an auctioneer develops his chant.  The new-world way of running auctions is online. Leana Vannatter, Founder of Dream Auctions, shares how online auctions work, and explains why the process is more accessible for people with disabilities.  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.

  6. Sep 23

    Are We Reading Less?

    Joeita Gupta had always considered herself an avid reader, but lately, Netflix and doom scrolling had taken up a lot of her time. So, she turned to her friends for inspiration to get out of this reading slump.  Paul Daniel, former AMI Producer and avid reader, shares where he gets his book recommendations and how he tracks what he's reading throughout the year.   Jacob Shymanski, host of AMI’s Audiobook Café, weighs in on the debate about whether audiobooks “count” as reading. And he shares how he turned casual reading into an everyday habit.   Plus, Peter Tsatsanis, who runs Peter's book club by the Canadian Council for the Blind, tells Joeita how book club conversations have deepened his understanding and appreciation for books, and explains that his schoolteachers were instrumental in turning him into a real reader.  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.

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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.

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