PODCAST
Accessibility Ally Podcast
Image Description: Accessibility Ally, Sea Change CoLab. The background is purple, and the letter y in accessibility and ally is shared, and curls down into a colourful spiral. This is also a Spotify button where you can click play to hear the trailer, and a plus button to save the podcast.
Being an accessibility ally demands a mindset shift in our workplaces and communities. We need to assume that anyone coming into our workplaces could be someone with a disability, and to adopt a proactive mindset toward accessibility.
Welcome to Accessibility Ally. It’s a podcast featuring guests with a range of disabilities and social identities. They share provocative ideas and challenge allies to disrupt ableism. And I’m your host, Corrie Melanson.
Corrie Melanson, learning designer at Sea Change CoLab, with headphones and a mic, smiling at the camera and holding a mug of tea.
Corrie, Jennifer Richardson of Prescott, Eric Daponte of 2 Crows Brewing, and Andrew Bryant of Prescott, all sit around a round table. Each person has headphones on and microphones in front of them. The wall behind them is brick, with neon purple lights on each side.
On the very first episode of Accessibility Ally, your host Corrie Melanson sits down with guest, Paul Tingley. Paul is a Business ACCESS-Ability Officer with the Government of Nova Scotia, responsible for coordinating programs, and services, and collaborating on policies that support recreation in Nova Scotia. Corrie and Paul have an amazing discussion on the six standards that approach the legislature that aims to make Nova Scotia fully accessible by 2030, and what that may mean for people living in the province. The two also dive into the presence of disability awareness and allyship in Nova Scotia, and the intersectionality among the EDIA equity-seeking groups.
This episode we sit down with Ursula Mogensen who is a queer, non-binary human with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They share their experiences with a late diagnosis of ADHD, the supports at work that help them thrive, and the challenges and benefits of being Neurodivergent.
In this episode we sit down with Eric Dupont, who is the Operations Manager at 2 Crows Brewing in Halifax. 2 Crows partners with Prescott Group to hire adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in their warehouse. Jenn and Andrew are clients at Prescott, and both work in the 2 Crows warehouse. They share the highlights of working at 2 Crows and their wish that more people with IDDs could be hired in the community.
Intersectionality is often left out of the conversation when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. In this discussion, we make intersectionality the focus, as we sit down with Liza Arnason. Liza is the Founder and Chair of the Board of Directors of the ASE (pronounced ah-SHAY) Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities. Liza centres Disability Justice and the unique experiences of Black Canadians with disabilities. Corrie and Liza get into the interconnected nature of various identities and underscore the significance of inclusivity and intersectional approaches to social justice. They also highlight the necessity for white individuals to leverage their privilege and power to amplify marginalized voices and foster more diverse and inclusive leadership within disability-led organizations.
Some of our guests include:
Liza Arnason- Liza is the founder and chair of the Board of Directors of the Ase (pronounced ah-SHAY) Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities. Liza centres Disability Justice and the unique experiences of Black Canadians with disabilities.
Paul Tingley– Paul is currently a Business ACCESS-Ability Program Officer with the Nova Scotia government, a program that supports businesses to create accessible spaces, technology, and communications. Paul is also a five-time Paralympian and two-time world champion!
Dawn Stegen and Terri Lynn Almeda– Dawn is the Executive Director of the Accessibility Directorate. Terri Lynn Almeda is the Director of Programs and Services at the Directorate. They share how the government of Nova Scotia is implementing the 2017 Accessibility Act, and what it means for Nova Scotia to be accessible by 2030.
Eric Daponte, Jennifer Richardson, and Andrew Bryant– Eric is the Operations Manager at 2 Crows Brewing in Halifax. 2 Crows partners with Prescott Group to hire adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in their warehouse. Jenn and Andrew are clients at Prescott, and both work in the 2 Crows warehouse. They share the highlights of working at 2 Crows and their wish that more people with IDDs could be hired in the community.
Holly Green and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter Mae Striteman– Holly is queer, Indigenous, and Deaf. Holly shares their experience as a Deaf person in rural and urban settings in Nova Scotia. They also talk about being a new mom to a hearing child. Mae is an ASL interpreter and shares how they got into this field of work, and why they love it!
Michelle Mahoney and Morgane Evans– Michelle and Morgane share their experiences around accessibility and education. Michelle is the accessibility officer at Kings University, and Morgane works in Communications, and is a formal Dalhousie University student. Both women have physical disabilities.
Ursula Mogensen– Ursula is a queer, non-binary human with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). They share their experiences with late diagnosis of ADHD, the supports at work that help them thrive, and the challenges and benefits of being Neurodivergent.
Vicky Levack- Vicki is a human rights activist in Halifax. Vicky has a physical disability and uses a power wheelchair. She talks about the recent Human Rights Remedy in Nova Scotia, and the advocacy work of the Disability Rights Coalition (DRC).
Henk van Leewen and Thivjan Tharmaratnam– Henk and Thivjan are both Executive Directors (ED) of organizations that support people with intellectual disabilities. Henk is the ED of DASC Dartmouth Adult Services Centre (DASC), a social enterprise. Thivjan is the ED of Inclusion Nova Scotia.
Vanessa Furlong- Vanessa is an artist and mental health practitioner based in Halifax. She worked with Erin Ball to create LEGacy Circus, a contemporary arts duo combining the use of leg attachments, mobility aids, and traditional and non-traditional circus apparatuses. They created a great resource called Increasing Accessibility in movement-based practices.