Limitless: Blind Beginnings Podcast

Summertime is the time for Camps, and Camp Hornby (which we featured in our last episode) isn’t the only camp that Blind Beginnings ran over the summer. On October 16, 2022, Blind Beginnings is hosting a Fashion Show featuring blind or partially sighted youth models and in preparation, we held a Fashion Camp that was designed to bring the models participating in this special event together to meet, bond, and learn about modelling and fashion. In this episode we reunite Fashion Campers Nika, Acacia, Nolan, and Aly to talk about their experiences at the camp, what their favourite parts were, and what made them choose to become involved in the Limitless Beauty Fashion Show. 

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

It’s another very special episode this week as we celebrate one of the most popular and long standing Blind Beginnings programs, Camp Hornby! For the first time in almost three years Blind Beginnings hosted this overnight camp for youth who are blind and partially sighted and their families, running from July 17 - 21 2022 at the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre. Shawn is joined by podcast producer Rob Mineault to talk about Camp Hornby, from its origins and the many different activities held to the impact that it has on the families that attend, complete with clips that we recorded from this year’s Camp! 

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

Disclosing your disability can be a very complicated topic to navigate, with a variety of pros and cons on when to disclose. This week on the podcast, Shawn and co-hosts Ishita, Clement, and Kolby discuss their own personal experiences in everything from personal relationships to job interviews and how they have developed their own personal guidelines on when and how to disclose. It’s an open and honest conversation that anyone who has ever faced this dilemma won’t want to miss.

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

It’s a very special episode this week as Shawn and co-host Ishita welcome Brad McCannell, Vice President of Access and Inclusion at the Rick Hansen Foundation to talk about the concept of Universal Design and its vital importance in working to build a more accessible society. They discuss definitions, the way that it is currently implemented in the build environment, some of the hurdles faced, what needs to be done in order to remove the many accessibility barriers that people with disabilities currently face, and how it can benefit everyone in the long run.  

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

What’s it like trying to learn another language when you are blind or partially sighted? This week Shawn and co-hosts Randi, Jinnie, and Clement discuss their own experiences learning other languages and talk about some of the common challenges and hurdles within school systems  when it comes to accessing language learning materials and resources as well as the benefits and opportunities that learning other languages can bring. 

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

With the summer holidays in full swing and many people traveling again, the podcast is going international this week! Shawn and co-host Alethea talk with guests Aly and Nicholas, both of whom spent parts of their lives growing up in Mexico and Bermuda, respectively. They discuss some of the key differences between Canada and other countries in terms of services and resources available, mobility, transit and accessibility options, and even some of the cultural differences on how disability is viewed. 

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

It’s an out-of-this-world episode this week as Shawn and co-hosts Jill, Jugaad, and Nolan welcome Dan Oates, coordinator of Space Camp for Interested Visually Impaired Students (SCIVIS) to the show to discuss this long running program which provides youth who are blind or partially sighted all over the world with the opportunity to attend a week long camp at the US Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. They discuss the origins of the program, what kind of activities take place at the camp, and the various sources of funding and scholarships available. 

SCIVIS Website
http://www.scivis.org/

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

In this episode, Shawn and co-host Clement welcome Brandon Cole, descriptive video voice talent and video game accessibility consultant, to talk about the work that he does to make popular media and games more accessible. You won’t want to miss this fascinating inside look of how some developers and studios are working to help make movies and video games a more inclusive experience. 

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

This week Shawn welcomes Melissa Hope and Rhys Lloyd from Descriptive Video Works, one of the leading providers of audio descriptive services, to the show to discuss their roles within the company, what audio description does, how the entire process works, and how they engage with the blind and partially sighted community in order to improve their services.

Descriptive Video Works
https://www.descriptivevideoworks.com/

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!

It’s a VERY exciting episode this week as Shawn and first-time co-host Acacia welcome Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University, Dr. Mona Minkara to the show to discuss her documentary travel series, “Planes, Trains, and Canes”. She describes the origin of the series as a Holman Prize Winning entry and what it was like traveling to and navigating 5 different countries using only public transit as a traveler who is blind. It's a fascinating and exciting discussion of international adventure and  accessibility that you don’t want to miss!

Watch Planes, Trains, and Canes
https://planestrainsandcanes.com/

Mona Minkara Online
https://monaminkara.com/

Blind Beginnings’ mission is to inspire children and youth who are blind or partially sighted and their families through diverse programs, experiences, counseling and peer support, and opportunities to create fulfilling lives. Visit us online at www.blindbeginnings.ca to find out more!