Limitless: Blind Beginnings Podcast

It’s the first episode of 2024, and this week Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Danielle Main, President and Program Coordinator of Leash of Hope, an organization which trains rescue dogs to be service dogs to enable people with disabilities to enjoy more independent living. They discuss some of the benefits and challenges when it comes to using rescue dogs to be trained and what the training process is like. 

Show Notes

Leash of Hope
https://www.leashofhope.com/
Get your tickets for the Leash of Hope Annual Fundraiser!
https://www.leashofhope.com/event-details-registration/7th-annual-showcase-1

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.

Imposter Syndrome is the condition of being anxious or nervous and feeling like a “fraud” or a “phony” within a given community or job title. This week Shawn welcomes Acacia, Ishita, and Nina to talk about it in the context of being partially sighted and having this feeling of being stuck between the blind and sighted communities and not always feeling a part of either. From using mobility canes to asking for accommodations, they discuss their internal struggles with feeling like imposters as well as the reactions from others that can sometimes reinforce these feelings. It’s an open and frank discussion that you 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.

Looking for work when you are blind or partially sighted can feel daunting, overwhelming, and even a bit scary, especially the part where you have to interview for the job. This week Shawn welcomes co-host Keisha back to the show to discuss looking for work, specifically how to prepare for the job interview, things to consider and plan during your search, and so much more! 

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.

The Limitless Podcast goes international this week as Shawn welcomes Jugaad and Jinnie to the show for a fascinating discussion about life in India as a person who is blind or partially sighted. They discuss the cultural differences in how blindness is viewed as well as how day to day life as a blind or partially sighted person can differ from daily life in Canada. 

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 is both Halloween and the last week of Blindness Awareness Month, so this week we’ve decided to do a bit of a monstrous mash-up of the two (kind of like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup)! It’s a full house on this episode as Shawn welcomes Jinnie, Acacia, Ishita, Jugaad, and Clement back for each to share what they would do if they each were “sighted for a day”. It’s a fascinating conversation that you won’t want to miss, and some of their answers may surprise you! Happy Halloween!

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 our continuing series of podcasts centered about learning about blindness for Blindness Awareness Month, this week Shawn welcomes Keisha back to the podcast to simulate certain scenarios that illustrate the best way to interact with someone who is blind or partially sighted. 

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!

October 15th was White Cane Day. and this year to mark the occasion, we wanted to talk about white canes from a slightly different perspective. Join us as Shawn welcomes Acacia, Dougie, and Ishita to the show for a fascinating discussion about using a white cane later in life or choosing to use one even though you may have just enough vision to manage without one. Using their own lived experiences as examples, they discuss the advantages of this choice and how perceived attitudes can sometimes influence when that choice is made.

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!

When vision loss is discussed, most people think about all the negatives but rarely consider that there can be some positives as well. It is a transformative experience, which brings with it both positives and negatives. This week Shawn welcomes back Ishita and Jill to the podcast to shift perspectives and talk about some of the many positives that their blindness has brought into their lives as well as discussing dealing with the pressure that society puts on the disability community that they need to be “fixed”. 

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!

As we enter into the first week of Blindness Awareness Month, we are breaking some stereotypes! People in the disability community are often placed in two categories – hero or helpless. They can be seen as a source of inspiration, or as someone who is going to require support.  This week Shawn welcomes Ishita, Clement, Alexis, and Ella to the podcast to talk about reasons behind these stereotypes, their own experiences encountering these attitudes, how they feel about it, and what they want people in the able bodied community to know about blindness or partial sight. 

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!

Over the summer Blind Beginnings held a five day camp for youth that allowed them to practice and learn independent living skills (such as cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc.) with a group of their peers. Dubbed the “Limitless Life Skills Camp”, it was a great success and many of the participants were able to develop and learn skills that they will carry with them into adulthood. This week Shawn welcomes co-host Keisha, who also helped facilitate the Camp, and two of the Camp’s participants, Ella and Tom, to talk about their respective experiences and the importance of independent living skills.

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!