March 27, 2025

Discovering my independent Structure. w/ Elizabeth of The Pacific Training Centre

54 minutes

In this episode, we’re heading north—way north—to chat with Elizabeth, a mom of two and founder of the Pacific Training Centre for the Blind (PTCB) in Canada. Elizabeth’s story is anything but conventional. In the middle of a divorce, she packed up her kids, towed a trailer across the border, and enrolled at the Louisiana Center for the Blind with one goal: to bring structured discovery and true independence training back to Canada.

She opens up about winning a scholarship from a national organization to attend LCB—something necessary since, unlike in the U.S., government funding for rehab centers is extremely limited in Canada. We talk about what it was like going through intensive blindness skills training with her children in tow, the emotional and physical demands of the program, and why she believed it was all worth it.

Elizabeth breaks down how her own center, Pacific Training Centre, compares to LCB—what’s the same, what’s different, and how it fits into Canada’s broader system of services. She also shares important insights about sleep shades, why structured discovery matters, and the often misunderstood differences between vocational rehabilitation programs and centers that actually prioritize blind people leading blind people. Her center’s training program, appropriately named Blind People In Charge, is a direct reflection of that philosophy.

We also get into the weeds with certification—NOMC vs. AER-recognized O&M instructors—and how the delivery of orientation and mobility training impacts real-world independence. Elizabeth offers advice on when it’s the right time to attend a program like LCB or PTCB, and how to resist falling back into old habits when you return home after training.

Her story and the work she’s doing in British Columbia is making a lasting impact on blind Canadians seeking full, meaningful independence—and her message is loud and clear: advocate for yourself, and never settle for less than full freedom.

Contact Pacific Training Centre for the Blind: