Limitless: Blind Beginnings Podcast

The first year at University or any post-secondary institution can be a big adjustment for anyone, but for those students who also have to juggle moving away from home for the first time as well, it can be a major challenge. This week Shawn and co-host Jill welcome back Nina and Acacia, both of whom have moved away from home for the first time in order to attend University. From accessibility challenges to University cafeteria food, they discuss what the transition has been like as students who are blind or partially sighted.

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!

Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants – often known as education assistants or EAs – support students by providing help to teachers and counsellors and help with teaching and other various tasks. But what’s it like for students, such as ones that are blind or partially sighted, to have an EA by their sides during the course of a regular school day? This week we answer that very question as Shawn welcomes Acacia, Jill, and Nolan to discuss their various experiences with EAs.

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 Chantal Oakes and Ryan Fleury from The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) to discuss their organization and the importance of getting involved with advocacy organizations like theirs. They talk about what brought each of them to become involved with AEBC, some examples of the change they are fighting to bring about, and how important participation is to fulfill their mandate to ensure that everyone can equally participate in all aspects of society.

The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians

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 once again by Ishita, Clement, and Jinnie to continue their conversation about “common knowledge” facts that they may have only learned recently. You won’t want to miss this epic (and sometimes hilarious) conclusion to this great conversation! 

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!

Incidental learning is defined as unintentional or unplanned learning that results from other activities. People can learn certain facts just through exposure or observation, even though it’s never taught. For those growing up blind or with partial sight, however, some facts that are seen as “common knowledge” may only be learned later in life. This week Shawn is joined by Ishita, Clement, and Jinnie to discuss some of this “common knowledge” and things that they may have only learned recently that “blew their minds”. From the color of pesto sauce to sunbeams, the list of topics was so big we had to break this one into two parts!

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!

In January of 2023, MrBeast, a popular and influential YouTuber, posted a video called “1,000 Blind People See For the First Time”. The video features highlights of him paying for cataract surgeries for a number of people and the impact the surgery had on their lives. While no one can argue the act was generous and provided information about cataract surgery, the video did garner some controversy in the Blindness community because of the way it portrayed blindness and the notion of “curing blindness”. This week Shawn is joined by Clement, Ishita, Nika, and Nina for a roundtable discussion about the video and subsequent controversy as well as their own thoughts and feelings about it. 

MrBeast YouTube Video

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!

Having a guide dog can be an incredibly important part of daily life for many people, offering both companionship and independence wrapped up in one fuzzy package.  But what happens when you are unfairly denied service because of your canine companion? This week Shawn welcomes back guide dog users Jinnie, Jill, and Nika to unpack the laws around Guide Dog access and share some personal experiences around being denied service and how they resolved or navigated these situations that happen more often than you may think.

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!

As anyone who has spent any time listening to the podcast is well aware, blindness is a gradient, and every person has their own acuity and level of vision. In this episode Shawn sits down with co-hosts Jinnie, Ishita, and Randi to compare and contrast their own lived experiences, from total blindness to low vision. From terminology and labels, to social situations and adaptations, they discuss how their experiences can vary wildly while also being very similar. It’s a frank and open discussion about vision that you don’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!

Self advocacy is important, but finding the right moment to educate friends, family, and even strangers can be a challenge in day to day life. This week Shawn welcomes Keisha and Ishita to the podcast to discuss these “teachable moments” and what kind of factors go into the decision to educate others while avoiding awkward or challenging social situations. 

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!

The sky is definitely NOT the limit this week as Shawn welcomes back co-host Keisha who has brought with her a very special guest! Sarah Kane is a physics major at the College of Arts and Sciences at Penn State and is headed to get her PhD in astrophysics at the University of Cambridge next fall as a Marshall Scholar - and she also just happens to have been born legally blind. She discusses what inspired her love of science, the attitudinal barriers she had to overcome to enter the astronomy field, some of the adaptations she uses on a regular basis including the process of sonification, the importance of STEM accessibility, advice to those interested in entering the science field, and much much more! 

Intro to Sonification

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!