Working in retail or customer service can be challenging, but when you are blind or partially sighted it can also come with its own set of unique challenges to overcome. This week Shawn sits down with Acacia and Jill, both of which have experience working a variety of jobs in retail to share their experiences and talk about everything from initial concerns during the application and hiring process to how customers and co-workers reacted to their vision conditions and even advice for others who may be interested in working with the public.

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!

Humour may be the best medicine, but it can also be an effective tool to break down barriers and help build social bonds. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Ishita and Clement back to the podcast to discuss how each uses humour to defuse awkward situations, put others at ease, and to help strengthen relationships. They discuss everything from when and how humour is appropriate to sharing stories of when it has worked (and even a few cases when it didn’t). 

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 that time of year again, when love is in the air and flower shop employees and chocolatiers feel overwhelmed .. Valentine’s Day! We are helping celebrate again this year by talking all about dating and some of its challenges when you are blind or partially sighted. Shawn is joined by Nika and special guest Mark, both of whom are actively dating, to have an open and honest conversation and to take a deep dive into what it’s like these days to be looking for love. 

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 a very special episode this week as Shawn welcomes JJ Hunt and Christine Malec, creators of the innovative and fascinating podcast, Talk Description to Me which discusses current events, and topical issues through the lens of audio description. They discuss the show’s origins and its unique premise as well as the importance of applying the idea of audio description to more than just shows and movies. It’s a fascinating discussion, and if you have ever wondered how lightning might be described to someone who has never seen it, you definitely won’t want to miss this episode! 

Talk Description to Me On The Web

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!

White Cane Week begins on the first full week of February, and in honor of this we have once again gathered together a group of Blind Beginnings youth to answer your questions in our ever-popular “Ask A Blind Beginnings Youth” series! Shawn is joined by co-hosts Nina, Alethea, and Nolan to answer a series of listener questions. If you’ve ever wondered how hard it is to learn braille or how blind people can identify different types of money, you won’t want to miss this episode!

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 the first month of a new year and for many people who have fitness related goals as part of their new year’s resolutions, that means starting to attend a new gym. This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Nolan and Aly and special guest Gail to talk about their experiences attending new gyms as blind or partially sighted patrons. They discuss some of the ways in which gyms can be welcoming as well as some of the barriers they can sometimes experience and the way they overcome them.

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!

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Ishita, Nolan, and Ali as they share a series of hilarious vision-related embarrassing moments they have all experienced in their past (and for some, not too distant past). It’s an episode full of laughter and fun and a reminder that these types of moments can happen to us all!

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!

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Ishita to discuss their experiences with giving presentations to schools. From what it was like explaining their vision conditions to their peers and the impact it had on them socially, to the importance of education and awareness, they discuss both the pros and cons of a variety of different presentation methods when it comes to changing the general public’s awareness of blindness.

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 a new year and in this inaugural episode of 2023, we have put together a very special episode! Blind Beginnings has been growing its staff over the past few months and this week Shawn sits down with the whole team to introduce each, their roles, and talk about what brought them to the organization before revealing their list of New Year’s resolutions and trying to guess which one belongs to which staff member. If you ever wondered about the people working hard behind the scenes of Blind Beginnings, you won't want to miss this episode!

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!

This week Shawn welcomes Adam Wilton, Jen Jesso, and Daphne Hitchcock, the team behind Braille Bites, a series of videos and resource guides designed to support blind and partially sighted learners. They discuss how the videos are produced, how they come up with the various activities, and the significance and impact of the activities centred around touch for blind and partially sighted children. 

Braille Bites

World Braille Days

PRCVI

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!