The Disability Diaries With Steven Vine

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Steve talks with Mark Stockbrocks, who is a triplegic  (meaning he only has the use of his right hand and arm). Mark discusses his accessibility program which means that Mark will slap your business with a sticker if you don't meet the accessibility standards for a person in a wheelchair.  

Mark had a lifechanging incident when he was in his 30's; just as he was about to embark on a new career in firefighting. He was attending a CFL football game and suddenly fell down and lost consciousness. He was intubated and on life support in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Mark ended up having 2 life saving brain surgeries, and at some point heard a nurse say that he was a paraplegic. Mark does his best to recollect the events of his hospital experience. 

Mark has made it his mission to discuss and promote wheelchair accessibility. He talks with people in government to share his accessibility concerns and to try and promote awareness and change. He approaches businesses who should improve their wheelchair access, by pointing out the problems and offering the solutions. He has created stickers which he will give to buildings/offices who have great accessibility; but watch out: he will be back if you need improvements and he will definitely follow up.

Follow Mark on social media, including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube @markstockbrocks (@strokerecoveryeverywhere) accessstickers.blogspot.com

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Steve converses with Grant as he expertly articulates his world of blindness. From his journey at birth until his life now as a champion podcast host on the AMI Network; Grant talks about his life growing up with vision impairment, his high school experiences, and then as a student at the University of British Columbia. After university he joins the AMI Network (Accessible Media Inc.) as the eloquent host of The Pulse; which is a very specialized podcast for the visually impaired community and information driven for the listener. The Pulse - Podcast - Apple Podcasts  AMI Channel Guide | Accessible Media Inc.  (1) Grant Hardy | Facebook

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Steve has a great conversation with Tristan, who is the Director of Business Development for BC Diabetes in Vancouver. As Tristan explains, he is a 'business guy' and not a medical professional. Tristan's father, Dr. Tom Elliott is the Founder and Medical Director at BC Diabetes. Tom eventually recruited his son to work with the organization. This was just about the time of the Covid pandemic, which changed everything as we know, regarding in person and virtual appointments in medicine. Tristan also talks about the evolution of Diabetes devices and monitors, Insulin pumps, and new medications. He explains the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes: symptoms, conditions and treatments. You can visit BC Diabetes with a referral from a health care professional.

BCDiabetes - British Columbia Diabetes Care, Research, and Education

LifestyleRx - Diabetes Reversal Program

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Steve and Chris together have a great discussion with Paul Gauthier in regards to him as the founder of the CSIL program (Choice in Supports for Independent Living) They also discuss his involvement with his other significant initiatives that make Paul such a prominent and influential individual in the disabled community. He was born with Cerebral Palsy. As a young person, he grew up in foster care. When he turned 19, he decided that he didn’t want to live in a care facility, but he wanted to live independently. Luckily for many people today (including Steve), that Paul decided to put his positive energy into this, which is now the CSIL program. He is currently the Executive Director of the IFRC (Individualized Funding Resource Centre). Under this umbrella are many other programs to help the disabled community with independence, resources, wellbeing, and support. Paul and Steve talk about these other programs, and we learn a lot about Paul including: his previous Paralympic accolades, his numerous awards, and the great work that he continues to pursue. As you listen, you will recognize the passion that Paul has brought to these extraordinary endeavors. If you are interested in learning more about the CSIL program in British Columbia, contact the IFRC at ifrcsociety.org or 604-777-7576 / 1-844-604-7576

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Steve has a conversation with the delightful Amy Amantea, an actor/performer, writer, arts administrator, disability strategist and advocate. She is also legally blind, as well as neurodivergent, and she experiences chronic pain from Gastropareses - nerve damage in the stomach. Her Type 1 diabetes rendered her into a coma and when she emerged from that experience, she was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy, which caused her to become legally blind. None the less, she navigates through her life with positivity, passion and purpose. Amy gets a lot of joy from creating her own work, her current project is entitled: Through my Lens, where she takes her own pictures by finding the 'light' - without actually seeing the images of her own photos. She creates personal stories through her performance art. You can find Amy here: Accessing Art With Amy - Podcast - Apple Podcasts, https://throughmylens.ca and Vancouver Co-op Radio – CFRO 100.5 FM

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Steve talks with Michelle Hewitt from Kelowna, current Board Chair of Disability without Poverty, a non profit organization. A former public school principal, Michelle was diagnosed with aggressive multiple sclerosis in her early 40s, and is a full time power wheelchair user. Fatigue limits the amount of time she spends out of bed each day to less than 8 hours. “We have a large chunk of disabled people who already live in poverty, and a large chunk of disabled people who are very close to living in poverty,” Michelle says. “This shouldn’t be happening in Canada.”  She says it’s important that the Canada Disability Benefit is designed by people who live with disabilities and know how it could improve their lives. The benefit is “the first step” to improving the financial situation for Canadians with disabilities. In addition to being the chair of the board of DWP, Michelle volunteers on local and provincial disability committees. She is a PhD candidate at UBC-O, where her research focuses on younger disabled adults who have no other option than to live in long-term care institutions. As if she doesn't have enough on her resume, she also co-hosts a podcast, Disability with Possibility.

Disability Without Poverty Disability with Possibility - Podcast - Apple Podcasts

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In this episode, Steve talks with Evan Schwerbrock (all the way from North Carolina) who developed Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy, and became legally blind in 2014. As health & fitness was very important to Evan, he continued working out feverishly, learning to adapt to his new needs. Despite visual impairment, Evan moved on to earn his Master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Applied Exercise Physiology. During this time, he also focused on disability studies and their application to health and fitness. Evan is also a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. He actively competes in Strongman, with a recent accomplishment of first place in the 2019 Illinois Strongest Blind Man competition in the 242 lb. weight class. He currently runs Cane & Able Fitness, where they provide accessible fitness information for the visually-impaired community across the world through online training, seminars, and consulting services. www.caneandablefitness.com  

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In this episode, Steve has a very candid conversation with Dayna Wilson who has autism. Dayna grew up in the 90’s a bit isolated in Whitehorse, Yukon. She was treated differently, because as she describes it – she was a bit weird. She was officially diagnosed with Autism when she was in her 30’s, which she describes as cathartic. She also has autistic children, which are a blessing to her and she loves being a mom to her 3 kids. In spite of her invisible struggles, and a very devastating family tragedy; she also thrives and strives in her professional career. She was recently promoted as the Executive Assistant for a Member of Parliament. She loves her work, and loves to make a difference. 

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Steve interviews Ean Price from Kelowna, British Columbia.  Ean is the Peer Support Manager at Technology for Living, a non profit group from Vancouver that works with people who have severe physical disabilities and helps them to live as well and as independently as possible. TFL provides people who experience physical barriers with peer support, innovative technologies, respiratory therapy services and equipment that addresses unmet needs and increases independence, inclusion and wellbeing. Ean himself has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, (a genetic condition) has a power wheelchair, uses a ventilator and a feeding tube. He doesn't really see himself as a disabled person, until he runs into obstacles. He has very supportive family and friends; lives his life taking risks, and would prefer to be defined by his accomplishments. If that's not enough of a resume, Ean is also the founder & CEO of ICAN Resource Group Inc. ICAN focuses on 3 areas: website design, accessible travel, and assistive technology. You will be blown away by Ean's positivity, as he strives and thrives to change lives with technology. This is truly a feel good episode !   

technologyforliving.org        icanresource.ca

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In this episode, Steven and Chris talk with Penn and Moses Street from Colorado. Penn became blind as a young child from a rattlesnake bite, developing Stevens-Johnson Syndrome. Her family of 12 moved to Colorado from Arkansas because Penn could get better care from the children’s hospital in that area. Penn had a tomboy spirit, and refused to accept that she couldn’t do something as a visually impaired youngster.  Fast forward many years later, and she met the love of her life – Moses Street, a professional photographer. Today, they live life to the fullest by travelling, spending time in the great outdoors, and working for Aftersight;  a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing audio access to print information and empowering services for the blind and low vision community. They also host a podcast together, called 'The Blind Chick', doing great on the Aftersight network among other podcasts focusing on low or non vision hosts and guests. We had a lot of laughs on this episode, not even sure how we got off topic (many times), but we hope that you will enjoy listening to this lively episode.  Go to Aftersight.org to find all of their podcast offerings.