The Pulse

Are schools, school boards, and education ministries adequately supporting students with disabilities? What are the barriers stopping students from maximizing their potential?

Anne Kresta from Education Solutions Manitoba shares her report on accessibility in Manitoba's education system. She says the route to inclusive employment begins with inclusive education.

This is the March 1, 2018 episode.

Bullies have been around for a long time, but smartphones and social media have made it possible for them to torment their victims whenever they want - at work, at school, or at home.

Crystal Dittrick is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Calgary and a registered provisional psychologist for Rocky View Schools in Alberta. She discusses her research into the impact of cyberbullying on mental health. She also explains how to support victims of bullying.

This is the February 28, 2018 episode.

Money can determine how we live, where we live, and when we retire. But our personal finances are often inextricably tied to larger corporate and government forces. The federal budget, to be announced today, is one of these larger forces.

Shannon Boschy is a Certified Financial Planner with Investors Group. He explains how the federal budget affects each of us on a personal level.

This is the February 27, 2018 episode.

The Toronto Raptors have the best record in the Eastern conference, but does that mean they're the favourites to win the East come playoff time?

Elias El Zein is a co-host of 3 in the Key, a podcast-turned-radio show now broadcasting on TSN 1200AM in Ottawa. He dives deep into the state of the Raptors, the chatter around the rest of the league, and which players to look out for.

This is the February 26, 2018 episode.

Information is vital for accessibility. Without good information, many daily tasks turn into guessing games. Which shirt is this? What spice is this? What's that in the fridge? But technological advances are now helping us meet these everyday challenges.

Darwin Belt and Armand Fisher the founders of WayAround, an app for blind and low vision users which gathers the information we need to complete daily tasks. They share their personal stories with vision loss and explain how they embedded near-field communication in their app.

This is the February 23, 2018 episode.

We kick off our first AMI-tv presenters' panel, which will feature presenters from our five bureaus. Each of them will tell us about their latest projects on the AMI-tv channel, and its flagship program AMI This Week.

Today, Toronto presenter Anthony McLachlan discusses his upcoming trip to cover the Paralympics in PyeongChang. Laura Bain from Halifax describes her journey to become a wine sommelier. And Shelby Travers from Ottawa explores disability and identity by comparing a guide dog to a white cane.

This is the February 22, 2018 episode.

Smart speakers such as Amazon Echo, the Google Home Mini, and the Apple HomePod are flying off the shelves. While their primary selling point so far has been convenience, they also have the potential to revolutionize the way we access information.

Web accessibility consultant Denis Boudreau tells us about a talk he'll be delivering in Ottawa and Montreal as part of A11y Tour 2018. He explains how technologies based on artificial intelligence are breaking down barriers for people with disabilities, and he discusses his work advocating for social inclusion on the web.

This is the February 21, 2018 episode.

Web Accessibility Consultant Denis Boudreau tells us about his talk at the upcoming A11y Tour in Ottawa and Montreal. He explains how artificial intelligence-based technologies are breaking down barriers for people with disabilities and discusses his career advocating for social inclusion on the web.

This is the February 21, 2018 episode.

Over the years, many researchers have tried to improve the lives of people with Alzheimer’s. Their results were rarely promising. Now, a new study aims to slow the onset of the disease.

Dr. Douglas Scharre is a professor of clinical neurology and psychiatry at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. He tells us about his research, published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, about how electronic brain stimulation could preserve cognitive and behavioral functions for people living with Alzheimer’s.

This the February 20, 2018 episode.

Every two years, sports, national pride, heartbreak, and heroics contribute to the captivating celebration that is the Olympics. Capturing and broadcasting these moments for a global audience is an enormous task.

Ed Blomeley is a sport communications and game day operations instructor at Algonquin College. He tells us what it was like to cover the Lillehammer winter games and the Beijing summer games. He also walks us through the intricacies of broadcast strategy, commentary, operations, and set construction.

This is the February 16, 2018 episode.

AMI-audio joined the podcasting party last year, and now AMI-tv and AMI-télé are launching an app for iOS and tvOS. It’s available for Apple devices.

Our accessibility officer Chris O’Brien and our director of digital strategy Virginia Vuleta tell us about the work that went into developing the app, and describe the variety of accessible goodies available. We also hear from AMI-tv presenter Grant Hardy, who helped test the app while it was in development.

This is the February 15, 2018 episode.