The Pulse

We discuss ""Passion Connected,"" a new AMI-tv documentary that follows the journey of athletes at the 2018 Winter Paralympic Games in PyeongChang, South Korea. We speak to one of the documentary’s subjects, Tyrone Henry, who won silver for Team Canada in para ice hockey. And, producer Ted Cooper takes us behind the scenes of the making of the film.

This is the April 23, 2018 episode.

National Volunteer Week is this week in Canada. Canadians across the country are giving back in so many ways that are benefiting others. And, one of those things is literacy.

Bailey Levine is the board co-chair and recording secretary of the fundraising committee for the Montreal Children’s Library. She discusses their programs and initiatives and explores the significance of literacy programming for children and their parents.

This is the April 20, 2018.

Scientists and medical professionals have been working on mitigating the effects of vision loss, or slowing down the progression. Some are actually seeking to reverse it.

Dr. Pete Coffey is a professor at University College London. He tells us how an experimental stem cell treatment could restore vision for people with age-related macular degeneration.

This is the April 19, 2018 episode.

Accessible video games seem to be a hot topic on our show. We’ve spoken about game design and retrofitting existing games to make them accessible for blind and low vision gamers. But now a major game developer is taking note of the passion and appetite for gaming within the disability community.

We speak to Karen Stevens, the accessibility lead for EA Sports. She discusses the gaming giant's new Accessibility Portal, a hub for resources and special features connected with their accessible game collection.  

This is the April 18, 2018 episode.

Post-secondary education is valuable. And like anything that has value, it tends to come with a cost and can result in high debt. So what resources are out there that don’t have fine print attached?

Today we talk about scholarships with Frank Smith, the National Coordinator for the National Educational Association of Disabled Students. He discusses NEADS’ initiatives and tells us about the 2018 AMI Robert Pearson Memorial Scholarship for Canadian students with disabilities. We also hear from PhD candidate Sean Heaslip, winner of AMI’s 2016 scholarship. He shares his personal journey with school as he works toward launching his career.

This is the April 17, 2018 episode.

Hockey is a sport that builds communities and brings them together. Unfortunately barriers exist when it comes to getting players from diverse communities involved in the game. Why is that?

Producer Jason Brennan tells us about APTN’s program, Hit the Ice which follows Indigenous hockey players from across Canada as they attend a hockey training camp.

This is the April 16, 2018 episode.

Dave Brown is on vacation this week, but that doesn't mean we're not still doing the show. Andrika De Lanerolle will run through the news and then take us back to some of our favourite episodes on accessibility. Visit AMI.ca/OnThePulse to follow along.

"This Sunday night, fans from around the world will take in wrestling’s biggest night at WrestleMania XXXIV! While it may not be a sport for everyone, it certainly has a dedicated following. So beyond the headlocks and body slams, what is it that makes wrestling so appealing?

Zach McGibbon is the host of Wrestling with Ideas on CKDJ 107.9FM in Ottawa. He describes the cultural touchstone that WrestleMania represents both inside the wrestling world and the bigger pop culture landscape.

This is the April 6, 2018 episode.

"

Today, The Pulse production team reflects on a few story ideas out of their very crowded closet.

They tackle accessibility at music festivals and the future of autonomous vehicles. They also discuss how reducing plastic straws is a win-win for both environmentalists and the disability community.

This is the April 5, 2018 episode.

The modern disability rights movement has been fighting for inclusion and accessibility for more than fifty years. A new movie traces the history of the movement in the United States, Britain, and Australia.

Filmmaker Sarah Barton tells us about her documentary “Defiant Lives,” which tells the stories of advocates who fought for their rights and for the rights of others.

This is the April 4, 2018 episode.