Reflections

Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores the thoughts and intentions behind the everyday food choices we make, and the consequences behind those choices. She unpacks the rise of ultra-processed foods in Canada and what that means for our health and habits. Registered Dietitian Abbey Sharp breaks down what “ultra-processed” really means and how to navigate ingredient lists without feeling overwhelmed. Manuel Arango from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada offers a policy and public health perspective, shedding light on the systemic factors shaping our food environment. Reflections Senior Show Producer Matt Agnew shares his family's day-to-day around food decisions, a relatable, real life reality check. 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 @AccessibleMedia - Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio - Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc - TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc - Email feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Parenting, whether solo or with a partner, can become a very isolating experience for a multitude of reasons. Beth Deer found herself reminiscing on afternoons spent at her grandparents house, and wondering why her kids aren’t experiencing the same thing. Where did the village go? Did it disappear, or do we just have to create it ourselves? Beth speaks with Anthropologist Dr. Camilla Morelli, who shares insight into how motherhood has changed over the past several decades. She compares how families function in non-industrialized societies to give us background on why this isolation of parenthood is becoming a regular experience for many people. Shayla McCain, Beth’s friend and a super mom who is living with stomach paralysis and several other chronic illnesses, discusses how her best friend and husband have stepped up in the absence of a typical familial support system. Debby Agnew, mom to Reflections Sr. Producer Matt Agnew, tells us why a close, thoughtful relationship with her kids and grandkids is so important to her in an era where the time and the people refuse to slow down. 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 @AccessibleMedia - Instagram @AccessibleMediaInc / @AMI-audio - Facebook at @AccessibleMediaInc - TikTok @AccessibleMediaInc - Email feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Students are being forgotten about in classrooms, schools are sending kids with disabilities home, and school board Trustees are being removed and replaced with representatives from the government. These are ongoing issues in Ontario's publicly funded education system. How are these changes from the current government to cut funds to school boards and special education departments affecting students, teachers, and parents? Joeita Gupta seeks out the answers in this two-part episode. In part 1, Joeita spoke with David Lepofsky, chair of the Toronto District School Board Special Education Committee. We also heard from Nora Green, a representative of Inclusion Action Ontario and a parent to two children with disabilities. This time, Joeita sits with two employees at Ontario school boards to get a better idea of how these changes affect classrooms and class ratios, and hears what needs to change at the government level to positively impact classrooms. Martha Hradowy, President of Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation and education worker, shares how some of her members have reacted to these changes, and gives us insights into how school board budgets work. David Lepofsky urges you to write to premier@ontario.ca and tell them to reinstate school board trustees to maintain local democracy in Ontario’s public education system. For more information, visit aodaalliance.org/education

Students are being forgotten about in classrooms, schools are sending kids with disabilities home, and school board Trustees are being removed and replaced with representatives from the government. These are ongoing issues in Ontario's publicly funded education system. How are these changes from the current government to cut funds to school boards and special education departments affecting students and their families? Joeita Gupta seeks out the answers in this two-part episode. In Part 1, we hear from David Lepofsky, Chair of the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) Special Education Advisory Committee. David explains all of the recent changes and how they affect TDSB. Nora Green is a representative of Inclusion Action Ontario and a parent to two children with disabilities. Nora shares how the removal of school board trustees impacts the parents of kids with disabilities and a shocking revelation of where the special education department is ranked on the Ministry of Education’s priority list. David Lepofsky urges you to write to premier@ontario.ca and tell them to reinstate school board trustees to maintain local democracy in Ontario’s public education system. For more information, visit aodaalliance.org/education

Tipping, it’s something many of us do without thinking. But what’s really behind this cultural norm? Nisreen Abdel-Majid explores the psychological pressures and social expectations that shape how and why we tip. We hear from Brody Robinson, a server at the Singing Chef in London, Ontario, who shares what tipping looks like from the front lines of the service industry. Dr. Cortney Norris brings us the service professional’s perspective, drawing on her review titled “50+ Years of Restaurant Tipping Research,” and what it reveals about power dynamics between customers and workers. Dr. William Michael Lynn, author of The Psychology of Tipping, helps us unpack why we tip, even when service doesn’t meet expectations. From real-life experiences to decades of research, let's take a closer look at what happens when the bill arrives.

Whether you’re a student, professional, or you just love languages, come along on this multilingual journey. Grant Hardy hears from hobbyists and pros alike as we tackle language learning from an accessibility perspective. Youssef Mohammad is a Professional Conference and Community Arabic-English interpreter. He discusses his bilingual experiences both at a school for the blind and in mainstream education. Carolyn Cresswell is an Instructor at the W. Ross School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario. She shares her experiences teaching English to newcomers to Canada. Ariana Noughira is passionate about language learning; we learn how she’s picked up languages like Japanese and Russian on her own.

We talk a lot about accessibility in public spaces, but some of the hardest conversations don’t happen there. They happen in private, with family and friends. And unfortunately, they happen in the spaces that we are supposed to feel the safest. In this episode, Beth Deer along with her two guests, Disability Inclusion Expert Bean Gill and Registered Clinical Counsellor Dan Spring, unpack what happens when accessibility becomes negotiable with family and friends. Dan and Bean offer their perspectives on how quickly our family and friends’ boundaries can turn into something deeper and make us feel like we don’t belong.

How does our history of segregation and discrimination towards minority communities impact the way social justice movements and disability rights organizations operate? Joeita Gupta speaks with three individuals from the Black disability community to learn more about how conversations about race and disability are interconnected. Dr. Sami Schalk, Professor of Gender & Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, explains Black disability politics and shares how the erasure of Black disabled history impacts conversations around disability rights. Scholar and activist Dr. Syrus Marcus Ware discusses the history of the Black Panther Party and tells us how social justice movements across Canada are organized. Disability rights activist Gift Tshuma examines how race and disability cause attitudinal barriers in the workplace, dissecting how facing these barriers allowed Gift to create their own opportunities.

Kelly MacDonald highlights Tim's Fencing Academy in Toronto, a space and program that started building safety, recreation, and community since the moment it opened its doors. Founder and Coach Tim Svidnytskiy reflects on his journey into Canada from The Ukraine, taking his passion for fencing with him into this new world, and cultivating this space for anyone willing to try it out with him. Hooley McLaughlin, a life-long student and adventurer, shares his story of picking up fencing well into his retirement years, and enjoying the heck out of the activity! Coach Viktor Melnyk, a younger Instructor at the academy, tells us how he learned to embrace a new language, a new life, and a whole lot of new people through the art of fencing.

Every year on March 1st, we observe Disability Day of Mourning to memorialize and honour victims of filicide around the world. Zoe Gross began Disability Day of Mourning back in 2012, and Joeita Gupta invited her to speak about the importance of this day. Zoe shares how systemic ableism, media bias, and attitudinal barriers have skewed the way the stories of these filicide victims are told. Dax created the Disability Day of Mourning Memorial website. We hear their perspective on the impact this research has and why they’re continually driven to do this work. Visit the memorial website here: Disability Day of Mourning – Remembering the Disabled Murdered by Caregivers

In the United States, public broadcasting is anchored by NPR, PBS and other household names, which are currently fighting significant battles to stay alive. Kelly MacDonald reached out to Maine Public, a state-wide broadcaster out of Maine, to learn more about the current media landscape, and public broadcasting's place within it. Recent funding cuts to The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity which historically oversaw federal funding for public media, has led to the official dissolution of this organization. What does this mean for Maine Public, and the picture of public broadcasting? Through the voices of Maine Public's President and CEO, Rick Schneider, and Chief Programming Officer Susan Tran, we hear about community support, funding realities, systematic challenges, and the educational reputation behind public broadcasting. Sprinkled through the show are the voices of Bill Burgess, Melissa LaCasse, and Mark Jablonowski with their testimonials in favour of the fight to keep public broadcasting alive.

Nisreen Abdel-Majid understands that fear doesn’t stop at a border, it travels through headlines, protests, and deeply personal moments. It did for her and her sister, which you'll hear about through this story. As conversations around immigration enforcement and mass deportation intensify in the United States, Nisreen reflects on a moment in downtown Toronto when she and her sister were confronted by protesters asking for the same in Canada. She’s joined by Rabia Khedr, National Director of Disability Without Poverty, who shares her perspective on how fear-driven narratives impact marginalized communities. Ronald Sanchez, who is blind and lives in Chicago, speaks about the anxiety and uncertainty he felt as news of aggressive immigration enforcement unfolded in his city. Julia Métraux, Reporter for Mother Jones, explains the specific realities of people living with disabilities through the political warfares of today's times, what there is to lose if we don't pay attention. And Alia Abdel-Majid, Nisreen’s sister, recounts what it was like walking through that charged moment in Toronto. Nisreen and her guests unravel how fear moves across countries, across communities, and into our everyday lives.