Food bank visits in the City of Toronto have increased by 340% since 2019, and across Canada food bank visits are rising. Why is this happening? How can we help?

Feature Reporter Joeita Gupta set out to find an answer for us. While it may not be as straightforward as we would like, there are still things we can do to support our fellow Canadians during a time when putting food on our tables is getting increasingly more difficult, and impossible for some.

Rose Butler, Interim Vice President of Research and Advocacy at the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto shares some of the most recent statistics from the food bank and tells us how the Daily Bread Food Bank ensures its visitors receive balanced, nutritional meal support. 

Dr. Jessica Agnew is the Associate Director of the Global office in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech. Dr. Agnew is also the Managing Editor of the Global Agricultural Productivity Support and explains how supply chains can impact food insecurity in Canada. 

Pauline Cripps is the Community Food Lead at the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph. She has almost a decade of experience working in food banks and teaches us about what a resilient food system is. 

To get involved with or receive assistance from the Daily Bread Food Bank you can visit their website here: www.dailybread.ca

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AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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Grant Hardy continues the exploration on how STEM learning can be made more accessible for persons with disabilities. In this episode, we highlight how individuals with disabilities bring unique perspectives to enhance scientific work and discovery.

Dr. Kyle Keane, Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, uses sonification to make visual elements and scientific data accessible; we find out how.

John Hutchinson, Professor of Evolutionary Biomechanics at The Royal Veterinary College, used his epilepsy diagnosis as a way to adapt his teachings and advocate for others with disabilities in STEM fields; he tells us about his collaborative approach.

Dr. Nick Bond is the Outreach and Public Engagement Fellow working in the Astronomy department at The University of Portsmouth; he highlights ways that a highly visual field, like Astronomy, can be adapted for the blind and low vision community.

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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For some of us, chatting about the weather or weekend plans comes easily, and for others it’s a source of stress and self-doubt. Why does something as ordinary as small talk spark such big feelings?

Nisreen Abdel-Majid gets to the bottom of small talk psychology.

Arslan Abakarov is a software developer at AMI who grew up in Russia where small talk is never the norm. Elysia Yardley lets us in on her perspectives on communication and connection, as someone who works in Human Resources at AMI, along with her tips navigating chit-chat at work. Dillon Lewchuk, Clinical Counsellor, Art Therapist, and Educator helps us get to the core of small talk, by unpacking the deeper emotional layers behind everyday interactions.

From cultural differences to social anxiety, let's figure out the complexities under surface conversations.

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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Joeita Gupta was feeling lonely and embarked on a quest to find out how she can make friends and maintain these relationships at this stage of her life. To find some answers, Joeita is hosting a roundtable conversation with members of the Toronto Visionaries chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind (CCB) and an expert in this field. Together with these voices, Joeita will discover new ways to make friends, important lessons in vulnerability, and she’ll gather some opinions on whether making friends outside of the blind and low vision community can be more challenging. 

Joeita is joined by Victoria Francis, Communications Coordinate for the CCB Toronto Visionaries, and Toronto Visionaries President Reg Sullivan with his wife Cathy. Joeita asks them how this chapter of the CCB addresses isolation and loneliness in the blind and low vision community. 

Plus, Joeita turns to an expert in Dr. Marisa G. Franco. Dr, Franco is a professor, speaker, New York Times bestselling author, and an expert in attachment styles and making friends. Learn about how valuable vulnerability is in new platonic relationships, and about different attachment styles with Joeita and Dr. Franco.

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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Each year on November 11th, Canada marks Remembrance Day. In this episode of Reflections, join Grant Hardy to learn about why Remembrance Day continues to be a crucial reminder to Canadians and how the next generations are continuing to teach the importance of Remembrance Day. 

Mike Ross reads the poem In Flanders Fields and shares how his grandfather passed the torch of Remembrance to him at a young age. 

Retired Master Corporal Wade Wick served two tours in Afghanistan shortly after 9/11, and he’ll tell us about how important the visual symbolism of wearing a poppy is. Plus, he shares why he wanted to serve his country. 

Nujma Bond is the Manager of Communications and National Spokesperson for The Royal Canadian Legion. Nujma explains how the funds raised from The Poppy Campaign support veterans. And she shares how Canadians can support and donate to the Legion’s efforts. 

Em Williams, Supervisor of Media Accessibility at AMI provides some audio description of The Remember Flanders memorial in Ottawa. 

Let’s listen to these stories of sacrifice, remembrance, and honour this Remembrance Day to remind ourselves of the reason we mark this important day in Canadian history.

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

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How do we create opportunities for people with disabilities in STEM? This was a question that Grant Hardy couldn’t get off his mind. So, he’s inviting you to join him in conversation with scientists and program managers to find out how people with disabilities can feel welcome in the STEM fields.

Dr. Kyle Keane is a Senior Lecturer in Assistive Technologies at the University of Bristol, who is partially sighted. Dr. Keane explains why he decided to pursue STEM, some of the attitudinal and tangible barriers he faced getting in, and how he created a place for himself in the field. 

Professor Mona Minkara is a Bioengineering Professor at Northeastern University. We learn more about Professor Minkara’s research, her journey through STEM, and how she’s carving a path for future scientists with disabilities. 

The UBC Geering Up Program runs summer camps and day camps that immerse children in the world of STEM, and they make sure their programs are accessible. Kaylin McLeod, Assistant Manager of the Camps, Clubs and Events Program shares how Geering Up ensures that children with and without disabilities can experience their STEM camps, and how UBC aims to provide children the opportunity to explore the spectrum of STEM.

About AMI

AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services — AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English and AMI-télé in French — and streaming platform AMI+. Our vision is to establish AMI as a leader in the offering of accessible content, providing a voice for Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, representation and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca and AMItele.ca.

Find more great AMI Original Content on AMI+

Connect with Accessible Media Inc. online:

• X /Twitter @AccessibleMedia
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• Email [email protected]

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