Reflections

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 th...

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...

From crowded buses and train stations to classrooms, gyms, and healthcare settings, we’re constantly negotiating hygiene in shared spaces. Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores how to approach the tricky conversations of hygiene, addressing environment, expectation, and access. Kindergarten teacher Melinda Morbi shares how hygiene is introduced early in classrooms and how those messages can follow us into adulthood. Cardio and kickboxing instructor Noura Sadek reflects on fitness spaces where sweat is expected, and how fitness culture shapes ideas of cleanliness and confidence. Ada Juristovski, co-founder and CEO of Nala Care, compares health choices like antiperspirants versus deodorants, while registered nurse Leslie De...

What are some of the common touchstones in the blind community?  Do they create a shared sense of culture? Joeita Gupta was curious and decided to invite some of the smartest people she knows to share their input on whether a blind culture exists.

Joined by Andrew Leland, Barbara Pierce, Marcia Yale, and Michelle McQuigge, Joeita will explore the shared traits among the blind community, the stigma surrounding people living with disability, and whether a shared feeling of culture is directly responsible for feeling more blind pride. 

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To put a bow on 2025, Kelly MacDonald gathered stories about the unwrapped gifts that have stayed with us, in memory and impact. ESPN and Sportsnet's Dan Shulman nudges us about the gifts of advice and the giving of time. Artist Lucas Haneman remembers how just one gift lead to a lifetime of blessings. Angela Bonfanti, President and CEO of CNIB, shares how her childhood attempts to run away from home began teaching her some of the best lessons on advocacy. An array of guests remind us how thoughtful moments of kindness can have ever-lasting effects on those who receive them...

Grant Hardy introduces us to the Mayday Club’s Amplify: Sound, Voice, and Radio course that took place this fall, in partnership with Disability Alliance BC. The sixteen-week course provided neurodivergent youth with hands-on experience in the fields of voice acting and radio hosting, including the opportunity to create an original radio series.

Nicole Provost, the Founder of Mayday Club, shares what Mayday Club is: a grassroots initiative to empower neurodivergent youth by providing employment, leadership and travel opportunities. She also tells us about the Amplify Course and its impact on participants.

Students Joey Lim an...

For many artists, legitimacy is imagined as a single moment, when someone finally says, “you’re in.” This episode follows emerging indie pop artist Laura Ulmer as she confronts the music industry gate keeping, able-ism, and internalized self-doubt that kept her hovering on the fringes, despite her ever-growing talent and repertoire. Alongside music publicist Eric Alper, we ask who really gets to decide when an artist is “real,” and what changes when you stop waiting for permission from an industry that rarely expects artists with disabilities to succeed. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians ...

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

Jeffrey Rainey of Braille Literacy Canada will share his severe concern for the future literacy of b...

You can become a celebrity overnight and make money online, at a price, of course. And what’s that price when you’re a minor? Let’s find out the realities of becoming a kid influencer.

When you’re not yet legally an adult, being a star can bring danger. The Ivey Business School at Western University conducted a study on “kidfluencing,” and we learn what they discovered with Lead Research Professor Daniel Clark, covering rights, consent, exploitation, and the gray areas and pitfalls of parenting kid influencers.

Gabby Mendonca shares how freedom of expression can be compr...

Holidays are the perfect time to gather with friends, family, coworkers, and your community. But how do hosts ensure that whether they’re in a grand banquet hall or trying to squeeze a few more chairs around their own dinner table, they’re creating an accessible space for everybody? 

From washrooms to festive attire, holiday lights to food allergies, join Joeita Gupta to find out how you or your organization can host an accessible gathering at any time in the year.

Rosemarie Rosetti provides accessibility consultations through her business Rosetti Enterprises LLC. and has tips for m...

Grant Hardy explores how artists are going beyond the visual, reimagining how we experience art in diverse and multisensory forms.

Violinist Leslie Ting's show, What Brings You In, in partnership with Theatre Passe-Muraille, is centred around the nonvisual experience for the audience, inviting people to participate in unique, auditory ways.

Nonvisual, social practice artist Carmen Papalia shares details on his multisensory art projects, such as the Weather Warlock, which transforms the weather into soothing soundscapes; and describes his accessible navigation experience using a marching band.

We also hear from Gagan Saran, a blind In...

Can martial arts traditions help people with disabilities take on the world more confidently? Let's continue to explore this question, while we learn about martial arts mindsets and philosophies.

Chris James is the Lead Instructor of the self defence workshops ran periodically at Balance for Blind Adults in Toronto. He, along with Kathleen Wilson and Mags Storey, share how they approach teaching blind and low vision participants self-defence techniques.

We hear from Clement Chou, who introduces us to Aikido, a martial arts practice that he took on as a blind person, after some experimenting and...

In Part 2 of this series, Grant Hardy digs a bit deeper into what is being done to treat chronic pain, and asks how people living with chronic pain can re-train their brains to lessen the impact of pain on their lives.

Kara Stanley and Simon Paradis, authors of the book The Pain Project, are back to recount the tactics they’ve used to distract Simon’s brain in real-time when he's experiencing pain flare ups.

Dr. Andrea Furlan returns to highlight some of the techniques she is using with her patients who live with chronic pain...

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

AMI-audio Manager Andy Frank spotlights three of these award recipients on this episode.

Kevin Kelly, tells us about the Wayfinding Centre in Dublin, which empowers people and possibility through experience, mobility & transportation.

David Betts was r...

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

Grant Hardy hears from individuals living with chronic pain about their experiences, struggles, and how they are working to move forward.

Couple Kara Stanley and Simon Paradis published their book, “The Pain Project,” that documents their journey of Simon’s chronic pain after a traumatic brain and spinal cord injury. Simon’s band is called “Them Ordinary Things”. We speak about “The Pain Project” as well as the hopes and struggles of this couple’s journey and how Simon uses music to get through his pain.

Ardra Shephard is a long-time friend of AMI and host of the “Tripp...

We know the fears and anxieties that come with navigating the streets on our own, being out late in unfamiliar areas, or moving through public transit systems. Let’s talk honestly about those realities, and figure out safety, strategy, and self-defence. Samira Lavei and Lindsay McCaw run the Unbreakable Women’s Self-Defence series in Toronto; they share practical self-defence tips and emphasize the importance of coming together as a community for safety in numbers. Can martial arts traditions help people with disabilities take on the world more confidently? Johnny Tai, founder of Night Strike Self-Defence in Richmond, BC, shares how he a...

In 2025, video content offers vital access to information, but making videos accessible to blind and low-vision audiences is still a work in progress. Let's figure out where exactly we are in the grand scheme of things. Kelly MacDonald introduces us to Joshua Miele’s project YouDescribe, a free, crowdsourced platform that allows people to add audio description tracks to YouTube videos. We hear from the community bringing this initiative to life, including Ilmi Yoon, Teaching Professor and Director of Computing Programs at Northeastern University; Lana Do, Research Assistant; Dr. Shasta Marie Ihorn, Associate Professor of Psychology at San Francisco State Un...

Food bank visits in the City of Toronto have increased by 340% since 2019, and across Canada food bank visits are rising. Why is this happening? How can we help?

Feature Reporter Joeita Gupta set out to find an answer for us. While it may not be as straightforward as we would like, there are still things we can do to support our fellow Canadians during a time when putting food on our tables is getting increasingly more difficult, and impossible for some.

Rose Butler, Interim Vice President of Research and Advocacy at the Daily Bread Food...

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

Few of us think of ourselves as caregivers, until the day we suddenly need to step up for a loved one. Sooner or later we will all either need a caregiver or become one. Are you ready for it? When that moment comes, families carry the burden long before a healthcare system that’s already stretched thin can catch up. Following our recent "Caregivers: A Very Personal Journey" episode, this special archive cut revisits AMI-audio’s 2016 documentary Alzheimer’s: The Tsunami to Come. It reminds us that while Canada eventually adopted the national dementia strategy caregivers were calling for, the everyd...

Grant Hardy continues the exploration on how STEM learning can be made more accessible for persons with disabilities. In this episode, we highlight how individuals with disabilities bring unique perspectives to enhance scientific work and discovery.

Dr. Kyle Keane, Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, uses sonification to make visual elements and scientific data accessible; we find out how.

John Hutchinson, Professor of Evolutionary Biomechanics at The Royal Veterinary College, used his epilepsy diagnosis as a way to adapt his teachings and advocate for others with disabilities in STEM fields; he...

Talking about death isn’t a comfortable topic, but it can be comforting to plan it out ahead of time. Hear us out. Planning ahead not only ensures your wishes are respected, it also opens the door to meaningful discussions about legacy giving and the impact we want to leave behind. Kelly MacDonald spends this half-hour asking his guests to weigh in on this delicate conversation with clarity and care. We hear from Braydin Frizell, Development Manager with the Canadian Council for the Blind; Meghan Maack, Fundraising Executive at the Perley Health Foundation; David DaCamara, Financial Planner at R&D In...

For some of us, chatting about the weather or weekend plans comes easily, and for others it’s a source of stress and self-doubt. Why does something as ordinary as small talk spark such big feelings?

Nisreen Abdel-Majid gets to the bottom of small talk psychology.

Arslan Abakarov is a software developer at AMI who grew up in Russia where small talk is never the norm. Elysia Yardley lets us in on her perspectives on communication and connection, as someone who works in Human Resources at AMI, along with her tips navigating chit-chat at work. Di...

The Alberta Sports & Recreation Association for the Blind supports Albertans who are blind or visually impaired to live physically active lives and participate in competitive sports programs. From Edmonton, Jim Krysko, AMI Content Development Specialist guides us on a delightful walk down memory lane. With the help of past Presidents Laura Layton, Jim Leask, Lorna Snow, and current President Chris Abdalla, we enjoy the history, laughs, and stories of this unique organization. Let’s celebrate five decades of momentum meets commitment, that has built and fostered this incredible force of ASRAB. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, in...

Joeita Gupta was feeling lonely and embarked on a quest to find out how she can make friends and maintain these relationships at this stage of her life. To find some answers, Joeita is hosting a roundtable conversation with members of the Toronto Visionaries chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind (CCB) and an expert in this field. Together with these voices, Joeita will discover new ways to make friends, important lessons in vulnerability, and she’ll gather some opinions on whether making friends outside of the blind and low vision community can be more challenging. 

Joe...

Each year on November 11th, Canada marks Remembrance Day. In this episode of Reflections, join Grant Hardy to learn about why Remembrance Day continues to be a crucial reminder to Canadians and how the next generations are continuing to teach the importance of Remembrance Day. 

Mike Ross reads the poem In Flanders Fields and shares how his grandfather passed the torch of Remembrance to him at a young age. 

Retired Master Corporal Wade Wick served two tours in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11, and he’ll tell us about how important the visual symbolism of wearing a popp...

How do we create opportunities for people with disabilities in STEM? This was a question that Grant Hardy couldn’t get off his mind. So, he’s inviting you to join him in conversation with scientists and program managers to find out how people with disabilities can feel welcome in the STEM fields.

Dr. Kyle Keane is a Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, who is partially sighted. Dr. Keane explains why he decided to pursue STEM, some of the attitudinal and tangible barriers he faced getting in, and how he created a plac...

Have you ever left anything on the subway? At a coffee shop? On a bus? Have you frantically retraced your steps trying to find it? Almost everyone has a story of a lost item, and Joeita Gupta is on the case to find out what happens to these precious belongings.  

Join Joeita for a conversation with Amy Hanser, an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Columbia, about why we’re so attached to physical items and how utilizing lost and found services can actually have a positive effect on our economy and environment by giving lost...

Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes a closer look at our collective obsession with coffee, touching on the memories, moments, and connections a simple cup of joe can bring us. Andrika De Lanerolle was a barista in her formeer life, she shares what she’s learned from working behind the counter, and it's not just the difference between a Latte and Cappuccino. 'Coffee lovers' is an understatement to describe friends David Dennis and Aamer Khan. They describe the journeys they've taken with coffee, including experimental brews and questionable sips. Senior Producer Matt Agnew opens up about how coffee has become an unexpected ally in...

Caregiving is a subject that touches all of us at one time or another, but we don't often focus in on the realities of it, so let's open up a frank conversation around caregiving, with Kelly MacDonald and his guests. Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), gives us the concerning statistic’s around lack of supports for caregivers, and where to find helpful resources. Susan Palijan and Carla Velastegui, two individuals with their own caregiving journeys, offer us vulnerable perspectives into their experiences and what they've learned along the way. Whether it's children looking after aging parents, ne...

Canada’s first National Women’s Blind Soccer Team headed to Kochi, India for the 2025 IBSA Women's Blind Football World Championships, marking a memorable and surreal moment for the sport on this side of the world, and for everyone who helped build it from the ground up. We hear the sounds and stories captured over 13 days of travel, competition, and team-building. Going from grassroots to inernational competition took this group undeniable strength and sacrifice on and off the field, and we find out how it all came together for Team Canada.

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

Nisreen Abdel-Majid learns how a 14-year-old girl’s dream became a movement for inclusive design. In this roundtable conversation with Shine Foundation CEO Tiffany Houston, Cheekbone Beauty founder Jenn Harper, and Scarlette herself, we ask, what can accessible beauty feel like, and how can we get there one produc...

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year!

Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the street full of characters from Paw Patrol, Star Wars, and Disney Princesses to talk with kids, parents, and homeowners who take part in the Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. 

Plus, Joeita speaks with the fou...

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year!

Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the street full of characters from Paw Patrol, Star Wars, and Disney Princesses to talk with kids, parents, and homeowners who take part in the Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. 

Plus, Joeita speaks with founder of...

Grant Hardy speaks with experts and advocates in the facial difference community to answer key questions about facial differences, attitudinal barriers, societal stereotypes, and appropriate media representation. Kate Gies is the author of “It Must Be Beautiful To Be Finished” and shares how growing up trying to fit other people’s standards caused her to experience medical violence. Author and advocate Chelsey Peat tells us about her journey of self-acceptance, and the importance of sharing her own lived experiences in her advocacy work. Phyllida Swift is the CEO of Face Equality International who provides her perspective on the attitudinal barriers facing...

Have you noticed that there’s a surge of influencers whose audiences are primarily adult children who are estranged from their parents? Joeita Gupta made this observation of her own social media algorithm, and she went exploring. Joeita speaks with an estranged adult child, and experts from this field of study, to figure out if parental estrangement is trendy, or if there’s societal developments that make this a more common occurrence.

Joeita speaks to Andrea, who has been estranged from her mother for many years. Andrea shares the reason she cut off her mother, and the year...

Temperatures are rising and affecting our world in horrifying ways, the only world we have at the moment. Kelly MacDonald sits down with experts to bring us up to speed on the current state of dealing with fires and emergencies in Canada. Professor Sébastien Jodoin from the Faculty of Law at McGill University, and the Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Health, and the Environment, gives us a reality check on the lack of supports when it comes to emergency evacuations for people with disabilities. Ken McMullen, President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, brings us more than j...

Dating is quite a modern concept, and there's some tug of war on how to make it work. Things could get pretty messy when you're fighting between honesty and authenticity, while trying to get to know a whole other human being.

Nisreen Abdel-Majid dives into the messy world of love and relationships with Joshua Simmonds, a counselling psychologist who talks through the complexities of dating in the modern world with disability. And we bravely share the testimonials of 'been there, done that' with dating, sifting through our choices while reflecting through personal experiences.

Disability is defin...

Hockey is one of Canada’s most culturally significant sports, but you’re not alone if you're still trying to figure out how to get into the game.

How can we all be included in Hockey? Grant Hardy took this question to his guests, and we hear from AMI-audio friends, Jacob Shymanski, Kelly MacDonald, and Jeff Ryman, about how the game is played and what the sport means to them. Plus, they provide words of encouragement for anyone looking to learn about hockey.

Canadian Athlete Aaron Prevost shares his experience playing Goaltender in Blind Hockey , as so...

Canada's Ottawa region has a rich basketball history, and we're about to learn all about it. Kelly MacDonald needed a reason to bring another dose of sports into the show, so he spoke to Leo Doyle, chair of Eastern Ontario Basketball and founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, who leads a basketball tour around Ottawa. We hear from Martin Cleary, Veteran and retired Ottawa Citizen Sports Reporter. Guled Aden is a community leader trying to give back to the sport that gave him so much joy when he most needed it. And we look ahead to 2026 when the World Wheelchair...

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025.

To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities. 

Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation efforts exclude people with disabilities, parts of Indigenous communities. And we’ll learn about the colonial way with which we approach truth and reconciliation. 

In Part 2, we’ll hear from Walter Wytek Chan, Kevin Morgan, and Jo...

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025.

To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities. 

Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation efforts exclude people with disabilities, parts of Indigenous communities. And we’ll learn about the colonial way with which we approach truth and reconciliation. 

In Part 1, we’ll hear from Kevin Morgan, a survivor of the 60...

Service animals are more than pets, they’re expertly trained companions who empower their handlers with freedom, safety, and independence. And now, let’s factor in the public.

How do handlers deal with strangers petting their dogs without permission, asking invasive questions, or ignoring clear boundaries?

Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes us inside a day in the life of guide dog handlers to better understand what it truly means to rely on a guide dog, and why respect and understanding from the public makes all the difference.

Runa Patel and Jeff Berwick, both experienced guide dog h...

Kelly MacDonald noticed his shirt pocket was quietly disappearing, so he went out to get some important answers to his burning questions.

He visits one of his go-to clothing spots, George Richards, and talks it out with Store Manager, David Uren. Along the way, he loops in colleagues and friends, figuring out if they care as much as he does about disappearing shirt pockets.

With a bit of history (and a lot of speculation) does Kelly get satisfying answers to his questions around what's at play in men's fashion? Let's listen and find out.

What does it really take to access joy, community, and live music when fun isn’t always accessible? Nisreen Abdel-Majid finds out.

Everyone deserves a night out, but for many people with disabilities, concerts and live events come with extra barriers most don’t see. Let’s share the joys and the frustrations of navigating a night out.

Brock Richardson, a former AMI contributor and wheelchair user, shares his perspective on accessibility at concerts and events. Amy Amantea, a passionate concert and theatre-goer who is blind, takes us through the realities of ticketing, seating...

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

Mike Feir is a tech expert, and regular AI user. He tells us how AI has impacted his day to day, and the level of privacy he’s willing to give up to continue using the life-changing software. Dr. Jutta Treviranus is Director of the Inclusive Res...

The Towards Just Care Project evaluates Canada’s homecare system and aims to redefine what care means for recipients of homecare and homecare workers. 

Joeita Gupta invites us to join her at a round table with guests involved in advocacy and academia within the homecare sector. 

We hear from Mary Jean Jande, the Academic Lead of the Towards Just Care Project, about how the project got started. Megan Linton, the co-lead of the Towards Just Care Project, explains some of the intricacies of the current homecare system. Jill-Anne Santiago is the Program Coordinator at the Migr...

St. Thomas, Ontario is commemorating the 140th anniversary of Jumbo the Elephant's death with a new exhibit detailing his life and legacy. Kelly MacDonald visits with Steve Peters, a local historian who tells us Jumbo’s story, including details of his tragic end. Curator of the JUMBOMANIA exhibit, Madeleine Howard, shares everything they’ve got going on at this fascinating exhibit dedicated to Jumbo. From the elephant’s celebrity during the 19th century to Jumbo sodas, and beyond, let’s find out why this circus elephant left his mark.

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Picture this: You’re out and about and you come across a barrier to persons with disabilities in the built environment. I.E. A record shop that doesn’t have a ramp out front. What can you, an average member of the community, do to get that barrier removed? Guest Reporter Jacob Shymanski and Reflections Senior Producer Matt Agnew found insightful answers to that question at Access Fest, A unique gathering of disability advocates that took place in spring 2025.
The event featured an all-star lineup of leading voices in disability rights advocacy, and we learn about their new play...

Ozempic was developed with the intent to treat type 2 diabetes, but today, it’s become one of the biggest weight-loss crazes in North America. Nisreen Abdel-Majid digs into what happens when a medication meant to save lives becomes a massive cultural trend, who it affects, and how severely. We hear from Mousa Abdul Samar, Pharmacist and Manager at Deen Pharmacy, who offers a vital perspective on Ozempic’s intended use and the risks of misuse. Bill Shakleton, a retired AMI colleague living with type 2 diabetes, shares his personal journey with the drug and how the weight-loss buzz affects him direc...

Violence against women is an epidemic, and women with disabilities are at a much higher risk to experience intimate partner violence. 

Joeita Gupta brings us along as she learns more about the attitudinal and tangible barriers that women with disabilities face when seeking support in an abusive relationship.

We hear from Marianne Ruffin, an expert in the violence against women sector. She shares her experience with intimate partner violence, and the shortcomings in accessibility training in social services. Malvika D'Costa is a PHD candidate at Western University, and she tells us why women with disabilities a...

The 2025 IBSA Goalball American Championship that took place this July was a qualifying competition that brought together top men’s and women’s national goalball teams from across the Americas. The Paralympic Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil hosted 22 teams over 8 days of goalball competition. We follow the Canadian Men’s Goalball Team through their trip, the prep and grind it took to get to this moment, and how they maneuvered together under the pressure of high performance with a new team, new coaches, and high steaks leading up to the LA 2028 Paralympics.

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What do you know about Lavender? Kelly MacDonald takes a visit to Sparta Lavender Farm, 3km east of the historic village of Sparta, located in Aylmer, Ontario. We meet the couple behind the farm, Karen Parr and Bert Floyd, who help us explore everything we ever wanted to know about Lavender. Kelly and others on the group tour take a Sound Bath, offered as a relaxation practice by Michele Kujawa, Soundbath Artist and Holistic Massage and Reiki Practitioner. Nature connects us in such incredible ways, so let's tap into some of its magic through Lavender.

About AMI<...

The Canada Disability Benefit was announced earlier this summer with much fanfare. Proponents tout it as the first of its kind: a program designed to lift Canadians with disabilities out of poverty. Eligible Canadians can get as much as $2400 annually.

But does it live up to the hype?

Joeita Gupta takes us through a deep dive into the policy, application process, and real-life effects of the benefit. We hear from members of the disability community to gauge what the application process is like. We meet Keila Alex Echakowitz, who believed that the Canada Disability Benefit...

Makeup isn’t just about beauty. For many people who are blind, low-vision, or living with a disability, it’s also about self-expression, empowerment, and identity. But the beauty industry hasn’t always made space for everyone’s needs. Lead by her own love for makeup, Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores what it means to find beauty for people with disabilities. We meet Maria Santiago, a makeup influencer and content creator pushing for more inclusive conversations and honest reviews in the beauty world. We also head to Toronto’s Eaton Centre to see how accessible big-name stores like MAC and Sephora really are...

Mark Richardson recently authored The Drive Across Canada: The Remarkable Story
of the Trans-Canada Highway, published on June 3, 2025. Kelly MacDonald and Mark Richardson take us on a fascinating journey along the coast-to-coast highway, reflecting on Mark’s countless trips and many stories. Michelle Higgins, who hit a moose in 2012 near Gander, Newfoundland, ended up in a relationship with Stephen Bromley of Conch, Newfoundland, after he experienced the same situation years later. We meet Kari Gunson of Peterborough, who helps to build tunnels for reptiles beneath the highway, and Terry Hoddinott, a blind tandem cyclist who utilized the Trans-Canada Hi...

Reflections launches September 2, 2025 on AMI-audio and podcast platforms.  New episodes every Tuesday to Friday.

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+ Duration: 00:00:30