“This is the first time in history we’ve had authentic representation,” says “All the Light We Cannot See” lead actress Aria Mia Loberti, standing with her guide dog at The Golden Globes. “It was my honour to represent my community and my culture; it’s never been done before.”

We kick off this week’s episode of Outlook sharing this clip, mid way through Braille Literacy Month (2024) teasing about an interview we recently prerecorded which follows this week’s Outlook On Radio Western, the last live in studio with us both until next month. It’s another Mixed Bag show, our second MBM (on Martin Luther King Jr. Day) on this Monday, the third Monday of January.

We preview some of the topics we'll touch on with “The Country of the Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight” author Andrew Leland, including some of what he’s written about learning braille later in life. We then go on to tie this topic, this month where braille is featured, in and along with Andrew’s inclusion of the discussion on the sort of economical and familial situation people with disabilities will be born into, economical marginalization and the struggles of the unhoused population which often incapsulates elements of disability in the mix.

And so around here locally, it’s the first cold weather alert of the season and we’re recognizing the privileges we have and this platform we have on Radio Western. We’re talking about advocacy for increases to social assistance in London, Ontario and across the country, along with the winter weather Canada often deals with this time of year, finishing off the show with talk of upcoming travel for us both.