The Pulse

Shine Foundation works to make the dreams of youth with severe physical disabilities come true! Tiffany Houston, the CEO of Shine Foundation, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to share some updates on future fundraising initiatives and the upcoming 2026 Dreamer’s Summit. For more information, visit shinefoundation.ca

Dr. Edsel Ing from the University of Alberta is joining Grant Hardy on The Pulse today, along with his patient Glenn Calverley. Dr. Ing and Glenn are on the show to talk about a piece of software that was developed at the University that may partially restore peripheral vision for people affected by stroke and other brain injuries. Glenn shares his vision loss journey, and how the use of these glasses has positively affected his vision and life. This software was developed by Dr. Ing, an ophthalmologist for over 25 years, so that he was able to offer his patients another resource after they’ve had a stroke or brain injury. Listen to this episode of The Pulse to hear about the development of the software, the science behind the “picture-in-picture navigation,” and how these glasses have impacted some of Dr. Ing’s patients already.

Today we’re continuing our coverage of the Abilities Expo. The event took place in Burnaby, BC on June 9th, 2025, and host Grant Hardy attended. Coming up is a compilation of interviews that were recorded right on the conference floor of the Abilities Expo!

Grant Hardy attended the Abilities Expo in Burnaby, BC on June 9th, 2025. Today, we’re sharing a compilation of interviews that were recorded right on the conference floor of the Abilities Expo! First up, we’re going to find out more about the Abilities Expo with the Connectra Program Coordinator, Emily Chambers. Then, Kara Stanley and Simon Paradis collaborated to write the book The Pain Project: A Couple’s Story of Confronting Chronic Pain. They joined Grant at the conference to talk about their presentation called “I’ve Been Better, I’ve Been Worse”, and how they’ve utilized music to navigate talking about traumatic injuries and chronic pain. Accessible Services at the Vancouver Public Library provide access to the library for people with mobility challenges and print disabilities. Jennifer Streckmann, the Coordinator of Accessible Services, joined Grant to share why the Library wanted to be present at the Abilities Expo. Kids Brain Health Network Investigator Dr. Stephanie Glegg joined Grant at the…

Mara Pagliaro is the 2025 Ambassador for MOVE FOR SIGHT, Fighting Blindness Canada’s fundraiser that challenges participants to move their way and raise funds for vision research. On June 22nd, 2025, Mara will be leading a walk in North York for the MOVE FOR SIGHT event. Mara shares her vision loss journey, beginning with her recent diagnosis of Stargardt’s disease, and explains how FBC has been such a crucial support as she copes with her diagnosis. Taking part in the fundraiser? Use the hashtag #MoveForSight to share how you’re moving for vision research.

The CNIB’s Deaf Blind Community Services is marking DeafBlind Awareness Month this June with several campaigns across Canada. Grant Hardy spoke with Sherry Grabowski, the Vice President of DBCS, and Sheena Hill, the Manager of Client Engagement about their mission to “Make a Wave from Coast to Coast” this June.

It’s time for another panel conversation on The Pulse! Grant Hardy invites the hosts of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, and the host of AMI Today and AMI Audiobook Review, Jacob Shymanski, for a conversation about assistive tech. Steven, Shaun, and Jacob share some of their favourite pieces of assistive tech, and a few things that they doubted at first, but have become integral parts of their daily lives. For more of Steven and Shaun’s perspectives on the latest tech news, listen to Double Tap at Noon Eastern on AMI-audio. Listen to Jacob Shymanski on AMI Today at 1pm Eastern and AMI Audiobook Review at 1:30pm Eastern on AMI-audio.

Krista Carr is joining us on the show again to give us an update about the recommendations for Track 2 MAiD policy changes. Back in March, Grant Hardy spoke to Krista, the CEO of Inclusion Canada, after she had appeared before the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Review Committee at the United Nations in Geneva. 2 months later, she is here to explain some of the committees’ recommendations to us.

Jessica Hall is a film maker living in Yukon, and on The Pulse she speaks with Grant Hardy about the making of her film Saturday. Saturday is a heart-warming and uplifting real-life tale of Katherine, a Whitehorse-based woman with an intellectual disability, and her close friendship with her mother Frances. Jessica was inspired by her mother and sisters’ close relationship, and tells Grant how this relationship inspired this film, and how she portrayed her familial dynamic on screen. They also discuss the importance of diversity, disability and local representation in film. You can watch Saturday, with described video available, on the NFB’s streaming platform: nfb.ca

Jessica Slice is a disabled author, speaker, and essayist. She wrote a book called “Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World” that has been shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Prize. In this book, Jessica debunks the myths and stereotypes that people with disabilities are “unfit” to care for their children. Join Jessica and Grant for an interesting conversation about parenting, attitudinal barriers in the healthcare system, and Jessica’s journey as an author.

Matthew Shaw is the Head of Accessibility Practice at the Rick Hansen Foundation. To kick off National AccessAbility Week, Matthew moderated The Power of Championing Disability Inclusion. Today on the Pulse, Matthew shares the highlights from the panel, the importance of National AccessAbility Week, and some of the other events the Rick Hansen Foundation is holding this week!

During National AccessAbility Week at the end of May, organizations from across Canada host a variety of activities to raise awareness and celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities.

Earlier in May, Grant Hardy spoke with Dr. Martin Spiro, the President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists. Dr. Spiro tells Grant about some of the events and campaigns that the CAO is running this year to mark Vision Health Month. Plus, they talk about the importance of eye exams and eye health.

Joe Devon, the co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to share information about the Global Accessibility Awareness Day Foundation! Joe speaks about the foundation’s work and expands on an exciting announcement from the foundation!

The accessibility app Access Now is celebrating their 10th anniversary with “AccessFest,” a free and immersive experience right in the downtown Toronto core! Host Grant Hardy learns more about they event with Maayan Ziv, the founder and CEO of AccessNow.

Approximately 20% of children in Canada will experience a mental illness, and supporting the caregivers, guardians, and parents of these children is crucial. To recognize Mental Health Week, the Ontario Caregiver Organization and Parents’ Lifeline have partnered to host a free webinar that will offer parents some resources, tips, and strategies for supporting their child with a mental illness. Catherin Shea from Parents’ Lifeline, and Amy Coupal, the CEO of Ontario Caregiver Organization, are joining Grant Hardy on The Pulse to share the details of this webinar and talk about the mental health crisis that Canadian youth are facing.

A new report by Community Living Ontario details the disturbing treatment of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. The report, titled “Crisis in the Classroom,” provides an analysis of the Ontario School Inclusion Survey. The report’s author Shawn Pegg breaks down some of the findings with host Grant Hardy.

The State of Mobile App Accessibility (SOMAA) report shares the findings from a study that analyzed the accessibility of 50 popular apps across five key industries – Food and Delivery, Payments, Streaming Media, Fitness, and Shopping. The report was conducted by ArcTouch, Fable, with advising from Joe Devon. Joe and Ben Ogilvie, the Head of Accessibility at ArcTouch, join Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the report.

Heather Feather is an Award-Winning Children’s Artist and Accessibility Advocate, and this month she released a new single “Happy for You” and announced a new album coming this summer called “Together.” Heather is a presenting member of the Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities and creates music for children that explores themes of disability and inclusivity. Heather is an artist living with multiple sclerosis, and she joins the show today to talk more about her music.

On today’s episode of The Pulse, host Grant Hardy dives into a couple of discussions. First, he chats with Arne Andres, the director of community engagement at Click&Push Accessibility. The organization has been making strides in accessible navigation for people who use mobility devices. Later in the show, Grant chats with Dugald Maudsley from Elections Canada about the upcoming federal election on April 28, 2025. Dugald describes some of the resources and tools available for Canadians to cast their vote ahead of the polls as well as on election day.

On April 8, all parties were called for a debate on accessibility issues in Canada ahead of the next federal election. Host Grant Hardy reviews some of the big takeaways with David Lepofsky, the chair of the AODA Alliance. Plus, we're featuring an older conversation with David Lepofsky about the importance of all candidate debates, and how minority governments can still impose change.

The Federal Court of Appeal, in Air Canada versus Timothy Rose et al., upheld a decision ordering Air Canada to accommodate persons with disabilities who use mobility devices. The Court’s precedent-setting decision was released last month and marks a significant turning point in a fight for airline accessibility that began over eight years ago. ARCH Disability Law Centre, along with Legal Aid Ontario’s Clinic Resource Office, represented Tim to defend the Canadian Transportation Agency’s decision that it would not cause Air Canada undue hardship to substitute an aircraft. Host Grant Hard reflects on the decision with Tim Rose himself, as well as Ilinca Stefan, a Staff Lawyer at the ARCH Disability Law Centre. You can contact ARCH Disability Law Centre through the following methods: Tel: 416-482-8255 or 1-866-482-2724 TTY: 416-482-1254 or 1-866-482-2728 Email: intake@arch.clcj.ca

The development of the Trico Communities Accessible Arts Centre in Calgary is finally becoming a reality! The National accessArts Centre has been seeking approvals for the past five years to revitalize the old Scouts Hall building where their Visual Arts programs and administrative offices are situated. Host Grant Hardy learns more about the facility from Jung-Suk Ryu, the president and CEO of the National accessArts Centre.

Hose Grant Hardy interview Rabia Khedr, the National Director of Disability without Poverty. When Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in, he slimmed down the cabinet and removed roles that were specific to people with disabilities and women and gender rights. Rabia and Grant discuss the importance of these roles in the cabinet.

CEO of Inclusion Alberta, Trish Bowen, joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse for a wide-ranging discussion about Inclusion Alberta’s services, cuts to their funding by the Alberta government, and the importance of family-based services for individuals in the disability community. Visit Inclusion Alberta’s website here: www.inclusionalberta.org

Dr. Jutta Treviranus is the Director of OCAD U’s Inclusive Design Research Centre and an expert in AI and ethics on AI’s societal impact. Dr. Treviranus recently gave a keynote speech at the Zero Project Conference at the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria. She also met with the European Commission regarding Canada-EU harmonization regarding AI. In this interview with Grant Hardy, Dr. Treviranus speaks about how AI is implemented in an ethical way at OCAD University to protect the artists. Plus they talk about the US and U.K. refusing to sign the global pact that will ensure AI remains inclusive, ethical, and safe. They also speak about how AI can impact accessibility, and it’s threat to an inclusive society. Listen to this full episode of The Pulse to hear this insightful conversation, and learn more about Dr. Jutta Treviranus’ work, visit the Inclusive Design Research Centre’s website here: https://legacy.idrc.ocadu.ca/

On today’s special episode of The Pulse, we’re featuring a panel of AMI-audio hosts to talk about Orientation and Mobility Training. Host Grant Hardy invited Kelly MacDonald from Kelly and Company, and Alex Smyth from Para Sport Nation to talk about their experiences with O&M Training, where they feel they excelled in the training, practical uses of the skills they learned, and how the training could be improved. They also talked about stigmas, popular opinions on O&M, and navigating inaccessible spaces.

Inclusion Canada appeared before the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities review Committee at the United Nations in Geneva. Krista Carr, the CEO of Inclusion Canada, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to explain the slow implementation of the CRPD in Canada, the effect of Track 2 MAiD, and her experience appearing in front of the committee in Geneva.

Nicole Provost founded the May Day Club to create a community for neurodivergent youth to join together. Through choir practices, talent shows, music production, and more, the youth in this club gain experience working with a team, find friends, and combat loneliness. Nicole joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the concept of the club, her experience with music, and the pride she has for the club’s success.

Deborah Simon is the Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Community Support Association. She joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the importance of people living independently as long as they can, home care’s effect on the workload in hospitals, and the importance of community in people’s lives. Learn more about the Ontario Community Support Association here: Ontario Community Support Association

Ben Fulton is a lawyer and active restorative justice advocate. In this episode of The Pulse, Ben explains what restorative justice is, cases where it is best implemented, and tells us a few stories of how participants of restorative justice methods have benefited from the concepts. Grant Hardy hosts The Pulse with new episodes twice a week!

The 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge was launched at this year’s Sundance Film Festival by Nic Novicki, an actor, comedian, producer and disability advocate. Nic spoke with the host of The Pulse Grant Hardy about the impact the Film Challenge has had in it’s 12 years of existence, the importance of disability representation in film, and what he’s had to do to create roles for himself in the industry!

Shoko Kitano, the Executive Director of the Come to Work program at the CNIB joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse. They spoke about the development of the program, making large corporations more accessible, and the types of jobs that are available in the database. Learn more about the Come to Work program here: https://cometowork.ca/

Easter Seals Southern California released the “Reimagining Hollywood” report. The report covered topics like disability representation in film and TV, plus representation in the cast and crews of these projects. Nancy Weintraub is the Chief Advancement Officer of Easter Seals Southern California, and she joins host Grant Hardy on The Pulse to explain the report.

In anticipation of the upcoming Ontario Provincial Election, twelve agencies from across Ontario organized a political debate on February 19th, 2025. The debate allowed representatives from each major political part to address major issues that affect the disability community. David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA Alliance and one of the organizers of the debate joined host Grant Hardy and his special guest co-host Jacob Shymanski on The Pulse after the debate. David provided an update on what the party’s platforms are on major disability issues like ODSP, housing, and social services budget cuts. Plus, at the end of the episode David, Grant, and Jacob discuss accessible voting.

Join Grant Hardy on The Pulse this week for an important conversation about human trafficking, with Alicia Boothe and Natasha Hercules from Peel Children's Aid Society. Learn about what human trafficking is, how to spot it, and how to assist suspected victims. Plus, Natasha and Alicia provide advice for parents and caregivers to keep their kids safe on the internet. If you, or someone you know, is a victim of human trafficking and requires support, please call the Canadian Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-833-900-1010

The Rick Hansen Foundation has opened the nominations for the Difference Maker of the Year Awards! Organized by the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program, these awards celebrate youth from ages five to eighteen who are making a positive change in their schools and communities for people with physical disabilities. Host of The Pulse, Grant Hardy, is speaking with Talina Papazian, last year’s awardee, and Teri Thorson, the manager of Rick Hansen Foundation School Program on today’s episode. Find out how to nominate a local difference maker, the positive impact these awards have on school-aged youth, and the impact that nominated projects have had on their community!

Grant Hardy speaks with accessibility consultant Zachary Weeks about the importance of advocacy work and Zachary's campaign Zac Sacs. Born from his mother's desire to make sure Zachary could go outside like his classmates, she created a Zac Sac out of an old sleeping bag that could fit over his power wheelchair. Zachary tells Grant how these covers have developed, and about the Zac Sac program.

Lori Fry is the Director of Public Relations and Fund Development at the 100 Mile House Chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind. She joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about their upcoming programming to celebrate the Lions Club and their over 100 years of advocacy for the blind and low vision community.

Grant Hardy hosts The Pulse and speaks with Michell Jorgenson, the founder of ABLE United, on today’s episode.

Host Grant Hardy is following up with chair of the AODA Alliance David Lepofsky! Grant and David spoke a couple of months ago ahead of the AODA Alliance’s 30th Anniversary celebrations at Queen’s Park in Toronto. David provides an update on how the event went and talks about the missed AODA January 2025 deadline.

Host Grant Hardy spoke with lead actors of the popular CTV crime-drama “Sight Unseen,” Dolly Lewis and Agam Darshi. Together they preview the show’s upcoming second season and discuss authentic and respectful disability representation in film and television. AMI Communications Specialist Greg David joins the conversation.

Alex Howard is a host of The Dark Room podcast and is a self-described cinephile. He is all about the implementation of Audio Description for all movies and is an advocate for the blind and low vision community in the film and TV industry.

Host Grant Hardy is speaking with Vicky Levack, advocate for The Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia, about how women with disabilities are more likely to experience homelessness caused by fleeing violent and abusive living situations that women without disabilities. Vicky shares some of her own experiences of taking part in a government program that helped her to leave an inadequate living environment.

The Pulse is continuing to cover the important impact made by a historic $30 million dollar donation from The Slaight Family Foundation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and healthcare in Canada.

On Tuesday December 3rd, both Giving Tuesday and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, The Slaight Family Foundation announced a historic $30 million dollar donation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and health care. Empowered Kids Ontario is one of those organizations. Jennifer Churchill, EKO’s CEO, joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the significant impact this donation will have on the organization!

Tiffany Houston is CEO of Shine Foundation, a Canadian organization that works to fulfill the dreams of youth with disabilities. Host Grant Hardy speaks with Tiffany about some of the Shine Dreams they are currently fulfilling, their response to the Canada Post Strike, and how the organization got started.

Today on The Pulse, we’re featuring the Makers Making Change Holiday Hackathon! Last month in Burnaby, B.C., host Grant Hardy attended this event, hosted by Makers Making Change, a program offered through the Neil Squire Society in British Columbia. The event offered an opportunity for volunteers to adapt 250 toys to donate to kids with disabilities across Canada.

On The Pulse, host Grant Hardy highlights important issues in the disability community. On today’s episode he speaks with Stephanie Pilon, Manager of Campaigns and Advocacy at the CNIB.

Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, David Lepofsky, joins host Grant Hardy to talk about the history of the AODA Alliance, and let’s us know what’s going on at their 30th Anniversary celebrations on November 25th in Toronto.