Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes a closer look at our collective obsession with coffee, touching on the memories, moments, and connections a simple cup of joe can bring us. Andrika De Lanerolle was a barista in her formeer life, she shares what she’s learned from working behind the counter, and it's not just the difference between a Latte and Cappuccino. 'Coffee lovers' is an understatement to describe friends David Dennis and Aamer Khan. They describe the journeys they've taken with coffee, including experimental brews and questionable sips. Senior Producer Matt Agnew opens up about how coffee has become an unexpected ally in managing his life, beyond the focus we tend to turn to with our daily dose of caffeine. Coffee has deep roots in human ties, let's come together to understand it's magic.

Caregiving is a subject that touches all of us at one time or another, but we don't often focus in on the realities of it, so let's open up a frank conversation around caregiving, with Kelly MacDonald and his guests. Amy Coupal, CEO of the Ontario Caregiver Organization (OCO), gives us the concerning statistic’s around lack of supports for caregivers, and where to find helpful resources. Susan Palijan and Carla Velastegui, two individuals with their own caregiving journeys, offer us vulnerable perspectives into their experiences and what they've learned along the way. Whether it's children looking after aging parents, neighbours checking in on the elderly in their community, or hired support for people with disabilities, life brings us together through caregiving, and here's a chance to hear the stories of the people taking care of us.

Canada’s first National Women’s Blind Soccer Team headed to Kochi, India for the 2025 IBSA Women's Blind Football World Championships, marking a memorable and surreal moment for the sport on this side of the world, and for everyone who helped build it from the ground up. We hear the sounds and stories captured over 13 days of travel, competition, and team-building. Going from grassroots to international competition took this group undeniable strength and sacrifice on and off the field, and we find out how it all came together for Team Canada.

Makeup is often seen as a language of self-expression but what happens when that world isn’t built for you? For World Sight Day, the Shine Foundation teamed up with Indigenous-owned Cheekbone Beauty to create Scarlette’s Palette, the first-ever tactile makeup palette designed for blind and low-vision users. Nisreen Abdel-Majid learns how a 14-year-old girl’s dream became a movement for inclusive design. In this roundtable conversation with Shine Foundation CEO Tiffany Houston, Cheekbone Beauty founder Jenn Harper, and Scarlette herself, we ask, what can accessible beauty feel like, and how can we get there one product at a time?

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year! Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the street full of characters from Paw Patrol, Star Wars, and Disney Princesses to talk with kids, parents, and homeowners who take part in the Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. Plus, Joeita speaks with the founder of Treat Accessibly Rich Padulo who tells us how the event started, and how much it’s grown! Listen in to the Halloween fun in Toronto that will surely make you want to shout Trick or Treat! For more information about how to treat accessibly visit: www.treataccessibly.com

Joeita Gupta is inviting you to join her and Producer Matt Agnew for a spook-tacular afternoon at the 2025 Toronto Treat Accessibly Halloween Village, where families living with disabilities can safely and accessibly celebrate the spookiest time of the year! Making Halloween Accessible has been Treat Accessibly’s mission since 2017, and it takes a village to make it happen! Joeita takes to the street full of characters from Paw Patrol, Star Wars, and Disney Princesses to talk with kids, parents, and homeowners who take part in the Treat Accessibly Halloween Village. Plus, Joeita speaks with founder of Treat Accessibly Rich Padulo who tells us how the event started, and how much it’s grown! Listen in to the Halloween fun in Toronto that will surely make you want to shout Trick or Treat! For more information about how to treat accessibly visit: www.treataccessibly.com

Grant Hardy speaks with experts and advocates in the facial difference community to answer key questions about facial differences, attitudinal barriers, societal stereotypes, and appropriate media representation. Kate Gies is the author of “It Must Be Beautiful To Be Finished” and shares how growing up trying to fit other people’s standards caused her to experience medical violence. Author and advocate Chelsey Peat tells us about her journey of self-acceptance, and the importance of sharing her own lived experiences in her advocacy work. Phyllida Swift is the CEO of Face Equality International who provides her perspective on the attitudinal barriers facing the facial difference community and how her organization can support those who face these barriers. Comedian David Roche joins Grant to talk about how representation in media, on stage, and online is crucial for everybody, not just the facial difference community. A facial difference can be defined as a congenital (from birth), acquired (after birth), or episodic (comes and goes) condition or syndrome that physically alters a person's face or neck area. But that definition doesn’t truly capture the lived experiences of people with facial differences in a society that values conformity. How can we challenge our perceptions, expectations, and stereotypical ideas of people with facial differences? What can we do better? Listen to these stories full of both negative and positive experiences to learn how society can become more educated and equitable for those with facial differences.

Have you noticed that there’s a surge of influencers whose audiences are primarily adult children who are estranged from their parents? Joeita Gupta made this observation of her own social media algorithm, and she went exploring. Joeita speaks with an estranged adult child, and experts from this field of study, to figure out if parental estrangement is trendy, or if there’s societal developments that make this a more common occurrence. Joeita speaks to Andrea, who has been estranged from her mother for many years. Andrea shares the reason she cut off her mother, and the years of abuse that caused their relationship to be so strained. Joshua Coleman, psychologist, author, and Senior Fellow with the Council on Contemporary Families, was no contact with his own daughter for a brief period. He joins Joeita to tell us why there seems to be a rise in familial estrangement, and how parents can go about making amends. Rin Reczek, Professor of Sociology at The Ohio State University, shares research about familial estrangement and how disability, sex, and gender can affect levels of estrangement among parents and their adult children. So, are those influencers just capitalizing on a trendy topic? Or is society really changing to openly talk about finding healthier, more supportive, and happier relationships with your chosen family? Let’s listen to these expert opinions to find out.

Temperatures are rising and affecting our world in horrifying ways, the only world we have at the moment. Kelly MacDonald sits down with experts to bring us up to speed on the current state of dealing with fires and emergencies in Canada. Professor Sébastien Jodoin from the Faculty of Law at McGill University, and the Canada Research Chair in Human Rights, Health, and the Environment, gives us a reality check on the lack of supports when it comes to emergency evacuations for people with disabilities. Ken McMullen, President of the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, brings us more than just the ins and outs of creating a National Fire Strategy for our country. Nobody wants to think about being left behind during an emergency, but the reality is we’re losing lives, so let’s have the conversation. https://cafc.ca/ https://www.disabilityinclusiveclimate.org/enabling-commons

Dating is quite a modern concept, and there's some tug of war on how to make it work. Things could get pretty messy when you're fighting between honesty and authenticity, while trying to get to know a whole other human being. Nisreen Abdel-Majid dives into the messy world of love and relationships with Joshua Simmonds, a counselling psychologist who talks through the complexities of dating in the modern world with disability. And we bravely share the testimonials of 'been there, done that' with dating, sifting through our choices while reflecting through personal experiences. Disability is definitely part of the equation, but what if we're over feeling like we're the problem?

Hockey is one of Canada’s most culturally significant sports, but you’re not alone if you're still trying to figure out how to get into the game. How can we all be included in Hockey? Grant Hardy took this question to his guests, and we hear from AMI-audio friends, Jacob Shymanski, Kelly MacDonald, and Jeff Ryman, about how the game is played and what the sport means to them. Plus, they provide words of encouragement for anyone looking to learn about hockey. Canadian Athlete Aaron Prevost shares his experience playing Goaltender in Blind Hockey , as someone who is totally blind. And Luca Demontis of Canadian Blind Hockey takes us through how hockey is being adapted for blind or partially sighted players, which is work in progress. Whether you’re totally new to the sport, or a more experienced hockey lover, listen in to Grant’s conversations with players and fans to gain a new perspective on Canada’s game.

Canada's Ottawa region has a rich basketball history, and we're about to learn all about it. Kelly MacDonald needed a reason to bring another dose of sports into the show, so he spoke to Leo Doyle, chair of Eastern Ontario Basketball and founder of the Ottawa Basketball Network, who leads a basketball tour around Ottawa. We hear from Martin Cleary, Veteran and retired Ottawa Citizen Sports Reporter. Guled Aden is a community leader trying to give back to the sport that gave him so much joy when he most needed it. And we look ahead to 2026 when the World Wheelchair Basketball Championships are hosted, also in Ottawa, with Wendy Gittens, CEO of Wheelchair Basketball Canada.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025. To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities. Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation efforts exclude people with disabilities, parts of Indigenous communities. And we’ll learn about the colonial way with which we approach truth and reconciliation. In Part 2, we’ll hear from Walter, Kevin, and John to learn about how crucial it is that truth and reconciliation considers all peoples in Canada. Plus, a statement from the Assembly of First Nations that explains what they’ve been doing to advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples with disabilities. Our guests will also weigh in on how they feel organizations have included people with disabilities in their broader truth and reconciliation efforts.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation takes place on September 30th, 2025. To mark this important day, Joeita Gupta created a two-part documentary that explores how reconciliation efforts can be made to include Indigenous peoples with disabilities. Join Joeita on this learning experience, as she speaks to experts, academics, and people with lived experience about the ways that reconciliation efforts exclude people with disabilities, parts of Indigenous communities. And we’ll learn about the colonial way with which we approach truth and reconciliation. In Part 1, we’ll hear from Kevin Morgan, a survivor of the 60’s scoop, about how reconnecting with his culture redefined his perception of disability. John Ward is a Professor at the University of Sydney and the author of the book Indigenous Disability Studies, and he shares his expertise about how Indigenous knowledge about disability should impact truth and reconciliation efforts. Walter Wytak Chan works at Algoma University, and he tells us the four ways that colonialism and the government have perpetuated hardships for people with disability in Indigenous communities. And Neil Belanger is Chief Executive Officer of Indigenous Disability Canada, and he shares his unique perspective on how Canada’s colonial legacy impacts people with disability. Our guests will also weigh in on how they feel organizations have included people with disabilities in their broader truth and reconciliation efforts.

Service animals are more than pets, they’re expertly trained companions who empower their handlers with freedom, safety, and independence. And now, let’s factor in the public. How do handlers deal with strangers petting their dogs without permission, asking invasive questions, or ignoring clear boundaries? Nisreen Abdel-Majid takes us inside a day in the life of guide dog handlers to better understand what it truly means to rely on a guide dog, and why respect and understanding from the public makes all the difference. Runa Patel and Jeff Berwick, both experienced guide dog handlers, share powerful stories from their experiences. Landra Berwick, a professional guide dog instructor with decades of varying expertise offers insight into the thoughtful, rigorous training that goes into preparing these human-animal relationships for success. Let’s explore the realities of this working relationship, and figure out how the public fits in.

Kelly MacDonald noticed his shirt pocket was quietly disappearing, so he went out to get some important answers to his burning questions. He visits one of his go-to clothing spots, George Richards, and talks it out with Store Manager, David Uren. Along the way, he loops in colleagues and friends, figuring out if they care as much as he does about disappearing shirt pockets. With a bit of history (and a lot of speculation) does Kelly get satisfying answers to his questions around what's at play in men's fashion? Let's listen and find out.

What does it really take to access joy, community, and live music when fun isn’t always accessible? Nisreen Abdel-Majid finds out. Everyone deserves a night out, but for many people with disabilities, concerts and live events come with extra barriers most don’t see. Let’s share the joys and the frustrations of navigating a night out. Brock Richardson, a former AMI contributor and wheelchair user, shares his perspective on accessibility at concerts and events. Amy Amantea, a passionate concert and theatre-goer who is blind, takes us through the realities of ticketing, seating, and enjoying a show in spaces not always built with everyone in mind. And Jenny C, a fellow DJ and drummer, reflects on what accessibility looks like from a performer’s perspective in GTA nightlife. We also dig into the accessibility offerings (and shortcomings) of some of Toronto’s best-known venues, including Danforth Music Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, and Massey Hall.

The further development of AI has proved to be a watershed moment for accessibility, but how concerned should users be about their privacy and data protection? Grant Hardy invites experts, users, and developers to share their perspectives on whether giving up certain levels of privacy is worth accessible software and tech. Mike Feir is a tech expert, and regular AI user. He tells us how AI has impacted his day to day, and the level of privacy he’s willing to give up to continue using the life-changing software. Dr. Jutta Treviranus is Director of the Inclusive Research Centre at OCAD University, and she joins us to explain how our data is used by AI, and some solutions for protecting yourself online. Winston Chen is the Developer of the app VDScan, and he introduces us to the concept of offline AI models. Through these conversations, Grant explores his own perspectives on internet privacy, and helps us challenge the notion that privacy should be given up in exchange for these services.

The Towards Just Care Project evaluates Canada’s homecare system and aims to redefine what care means for recipients of homecare and homecare workers. Joeita Gupta invites us to join her at a round table with guests involved in advocacy and academia within the homecare sector. We hear from Mary Jean Jande, the Academic Lead of the Towards Just Care Project, about how the project got started. Megan Linton, the co-lead of the Towards Just Care Project, explains some of the intricacies of the current homecare system. Jill-Anne Santiago is the Program Coordinator at the Migrants Resource Centre and provides her perspective of how the current challenges in the homecare sector affect undocumented homecare workers. Brad Evoy is Executive Director of the Disability Justice Network of Ontario, urges people with disabilities to get involved in creating a better homecare sector. And he reminds us that many homecare workers will eventually be recipients of homecare themselves. If you want to get involved or look at the toolkit created by the Towards Just Care Project, visit their website at towardsjustcare.com.

St. Thomas, Ontario is commemorating the 140th anniversary of Jumbo the Elephant's death with a new exhibit detailing his life and legacy. Kelly MacDonald visits with Steve Peters, a local historian who tells us Jumbo’s story, including details of his tragic end. Curator of the JUMBOMANIA exhibit, Madeleine Howard, shares everything they’ve got going on at this fascinating exhibit dedicated to Jumbo. From the elephant’s celebrity during the 19th century to Jumbo sodas, and beyond, let’s find out why this circus elephant left his mark.