While inclusion is something that is incredibly important most of the time, when done without consulting the person who is being included, it can go wrong and backfire. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Ishita, Jinnie, and Clement to discuss this, compare experiences, and talk about how inclusion can be handled in a way that doesn’t result in awkward situations or, ironically, enhanced feelings of exclusion. 

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’s Blindness Awareness Month and Shawn and co-host Keisha are kicking off the month by welcoming former Seeing Eye Guide Dog trainer Sarah to the show for a fascinating deep dive into what the process of what training is like. From puppy-hood to handing off the dog to its new handler and owner, we talk about what makes a successful guide dog candidate, some of the challenges of training, and much much more! If you're a dog lover or curious to learn more about the scope of work and care that goes into training each individual dog, this is one episode 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!

You might be surprised at how often those who are blind or partially sighted get approached by people in public and are told that they are brave, just for going about the normal activities of their day. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Nika and Keisha to the show to discuss this common occurrence and to have an open and honest conversation about how it makes them feel, how it can play into common misconceptions about what it’s like to be blind or partially sighted, and some of the things that they do that does take bravery.  

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!

September 10, 2022 was the 5th Anniversary of “Do The Grind Blind” when nine youth who are blind or partially sighted, each with a sighted guide, challenged themselves to reach the top of Grouse Mountain via the infamous hiking trail known as the Grouse Grind. To celebrate this special anniversary, Shawn Marsolais, our founder and Director of Programs and Community Engagement gathered together a group of the original hikers and sighted guides (along with a few new faces) and climbed it once again. For this very special episode Shawn welcomes Randi, John, Russell and Sean (aka Terrence) along with podcast producer and Blind Beginnings Communications Coordinator Rob Mineault to revisit and discuss the original Do The Grind Blind as well as the recent reunion hike. 

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!

Asking for help from family members, friends, or even strangers can be something that many people who are blind or partially sighted can struggle with on occasion. This week on the podcast Shawn is joined by co-hosts Keisha, Jinnie, and Nika for a very open and honest conversation about the act of asking for help and how it can impact everything from perceived social expectations of people who are blind or partially sighted to self esteem and even confidence. It’s a fascinating 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!

It’s back to school this week for many students, and to mark the occasion Shawn and co-hosts Nolan, Ishita and Jugaad discuss what it's like to join clubs and extracurricular activities when you are blind or partially sighted. From Chess Club to Student Council, they discuss some of the barriers and adaptations that they experienced and the importance of extracurricular activities to be inclusive to all students. 

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!

Sending a child who is blind or partially sighted to school for the first time can be a stressful and daunting experience for parents, full of uncertainty and anxiety. This week Shawn is joined by Shawna and Maria, both parents of children who are blind to discuss some of the ways to prepare for this important transition into the school system as well as how to work with educational professionals to try to ensure the best possible experience for both students and parents.

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!

Summertime is the time for Camps, and Camp Hornby (which we featured in our last episode) isn’t the only camp that Blind Beginnings ran over the summer. On October 16, 2022, Blind Beginnings is hosting a Fashion Show featuring blind or partially sighted youth models and in preparation, we held a Fashion Camp that was designed to bring the models participating in this special event together to meet, bond, and learn about modelling and fashion. In this episode we reunite Fashion Campers Nika, Acacia, Nolan, and Aly to talk about their experiences at the camp, what their favourite parts were, and what made them choose to become involved in the Limitless Beauty Fashion Show. 

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’s another very special episode this week as we celebrate one of the most popular and long standing Blind Beginnings programs, Camp Hornby! For the first time in almost three years Blind Beginnings hosted this overnight camp for youth who are blind and partially sighted and their families, running from July 17 - 21 2022 at the Tribune Bay Outdoor Education Centre. Shawn is joined by podcast producer Rob Mineault to talk about Camp Hornby, from its origins and the many different activities held to the impact that it has on the families that attend, complete with clips that we recorded from this year’s Camp! 

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!

Disclosing your disability can be a very complicated topic to navigate, with a variety of pros and cons on when to disclose. This week on the podcast, Shawn and co-hosts Ishita, Clement, and Kolby discuss their own personal experiences in everything from personal relationships to job interviews and how they have developed their own personal guidelines on when and how to disclose. It’s an open and honest conversation that anyone who has ever faced this dilemma 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!