The Canada Disability Benefit is new monthly benefit that received royal assent on June 22, 2023 whose goal was to reduce poverty and support the financial security of working-age persons with disabilities. However, with the recent announcement that this Benefit will only provide a supplementary benefit of up to $200 a month, it has received pushback from the disability community. Rob and Ryan welcome Janet Rodriguez from Disability Without Poverty to discuss why the $200 monthly federal benefit falls short of the $27,000 annual income needed to live above the poverty line before diving into a discussion about the need for self-advocacy, cross-disability solidarity, and systemic change to address ableism and improve support systems.

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Disability Without Poverty

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week we dive into the topic of accessible travel as Rob, Ryan, Lis and Steve welcome Robin East, Vice Chair of Independent Living Canada and Co-Chair of the Transportation Committee at Council of Canadians with Disabilities to the show. We discuss a recent incident involving a deaf woman with a service dog being removed from a Porter Airlines flight and highlight systemic issues in airline treatment of service animals, emphasizing the need for better training and enforcement and brainstorm possible solutions including increased public awareness, media attention, and potential class-action lawsuits.

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Council of Canadians With Disabilities

Independent Living Canada

Porter breaks its own rules by kicking deaf woman and her service dog off a flight

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week Rob, Ryan and Steve welcome friend of the show and founder of Blind Beginnings, Shawn Marsolais, back to announce a very momentous milestone for the organization – after 10 years of being in a shared office space, Blind Beginnings is moving to their own larger space in Vancouver in January 2025. The organization aims to raise $25,000 through a Giving Tuesday and Year End campaign to set up this new home, which includes five offices, three larger rooms, and a playroom. Shawn talks about the move and what it will mean for Blind Beginnings going forward and the positive impact it will have on programming for families with blind or partially sighted children or teens.

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Blind Beginnings

Donate to Blind Beginnings

Take a Tour of the New Blind Beginnings Space

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week Rob, Ryan and Lis welcome Nicole Bergstrom, Hilton's Senior Director of Accessibility to the show to discuss Hilton’s partnership with Be My Eyes. Nicole explains the integration of Be My Eyes' support with Hilton employees, emphasizing the importance of choice and training for Hilton Customer Care representatives. The conversation highlights Hilton's efforts to enhance travel experiences for guests with disabilities and their commitment for providing an accessible experience for their guests.

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Hilton Partnership With Be My Eyes

Accessible Travel: Be My Eyes Partners with Hilton

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week Rob and Ryan discuss the challenges and misconceptions surrounding invisible disabilities with Jess Stainbrook, Executive Director of the Invisible Disabilities Association. They explore the organization's efforts to raise awareness and advocate for people with invisible disabilities, including legislative initiatives to implement disability ID symbols on government IDs and training for law enforcement. Jess shares his personal experiences with dyslexia while emphasizing the need for societal understanding and acceptance. The conversation highlights the importance of education, representation, and community support for individuals with invisible disabilities. It’s a long overdue conversation around invisible disabilities that you won’t want to miss, especially if you are a fan of 70s era sitcoms!

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Invisible Disabilities Association

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week Rob and Ryan welcome Scott Martin, a podcaster and soon-to-be author, who shares his journey becoming a quad amputee to coaching soccer, adopting children, and much more. Scott discusses his upcoming book, set for release on June 9, 2026, coinciding with the 2026 World Cup, his podcast entitled ‘Life Is A Road Trip’, and the importance of advocacy and the need for societal change. The conversation highlights the challenges and triumphs of adapting to life with a disability, the impact of storytelling, and the potential for grassroots advocacy to drive systemic change.

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Life’s A Road Trip on Apple Podcasts

Life’s A Road Trip on Spotify

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

It’s that time of year again—spooky season is upon us! Join Rob, Ryan, Steve, and Lis for our annual Halloween episode, where things get delightfully weird. In this special edition, we summon the “Ghosts of Assistive Technology Past,” play a round of Mad Scientist to create ridiculous ‘FrankenAT’ inventions, and roast each other with some hilariously bad costume ideas.

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week Rob, Lis and Ryan welcome Evan Starnes from Blind Level Tech, a podcast focused on assistive technology. Evan shares the origins and evolution of Blind Level Tech, emphasizing its goal to educate older listeners about technology before chatting about current AT trends, including AI's role in accessibility, real-time video description and AI-generated content. They also discuss the potential and challenges of wearable technology, particularly Apple's Vision Pro, and the importance of integrating accessibility features in new devices.

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Blind Level Tech

AfterSight

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

What do a mini-moon asteroid with a terrible name, romance at an Aldi and pickle-making in a hospital all have in common? No, they aren’t all various types of conspiracy theories, they are just three of many Good News story we are featuring on this week’s very special Good News episode of the show! Join Rob, Steve, Ryan, Lis, and special guests Casey and Cassandra from the Rare With Flair podcast as they dive into a variety of stories that are designed to make you feel warm, fuzzy, and optimistic! Oh yeah, and it’s our 400th episode too!

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Rare With Flair Podcast

Good News Network

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.

This week, Rob and Ryan are joined by Lainie Ishbia, a TEDx speaker and disability lifestyle advocate. Lainie shares her experiences living with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, her advocacy work, and her website, Trend-Able, which empowers people with disabilities to find stylish and functional clothing. During the conversation, Lainie highlights the significance of adaptive fashion and the urgent need for increased visibility and acceptance of invisible disabilities. She delves into the complexities of navigating societal perceptions and emphasizes the importance of fostering open dialogue to challenge ableism before also discussing the changing landscape of disability representation and the power of personal stories in driving greater understanding and empathy.

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Trend-Able

EmBrace It

AT Banter is brought to you by Canadian Assistive Technology, providing sales and training in Assistive Technology and Accessibility with over 30 years of knowledge and experience. Visit them online at www.canasstech.com or call toll-free 1-844-795-8324 or visit their Assistive Technology Showroom at 106 – 828 West 8th Avenue, Vancouver.

Need repairs on your device? Chaos Technical Services offers service and support on almost any piece of Assistive Technology, while also providing parts and batteries. Visit them online at www.chaostechnicalservices.com or call 778-847-6840.