PODCAST · society
The Pulse
by Accessible Media Inc.
Host Grant Hardy leads a weekly in-depth discussion on issues impacting the disability community across Canada.
Episodes
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Making Dreams Come True with Shine Foundation - Thursday July 10th, 2025
Shine Foundation works to make the dreams of youth with severe physical disabilities come true! Tiffany Houston, the CEO of Shine Foundation, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to share some updates on future fundraising initiatives and the upcoming 2026 Dreamer’s Summit. For more information, visit...
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Mixed Reality Glasses Could Restore Stroke Patient’s Peripheral Vision - Tuesday July 8th, 2025
Dr. Edsel Ing from the University of Alberta is joining Grant Hardy on The Pulse today, along with his patient Glenn Calverley. Dr. Ing and Glenn are on the show to talk about a piece of software that was developed at the University that may partially restore peripheral vision for people affected...
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Abilities Expo: Wheelchair Basketball, Neil Squire Society, and Staying Active - Thursday June 3rd, 2025
Today we’re continuing our coverage of the Abilities Expo. The event took place in Burnaby, BC on June 9th, 2025, and host Grant Hardy attended. Coming up is a compilation of interviews that were recorded right on the conference floor of the Abilities Expo! First, Grant spoke to Helaine Boyd, the...
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Abilities Expo: Chronic Pain, Libraries, and the KidsAction Project - Thursday June 16th, 2025
Grant Hardy attended the Abilities Expo in Burnaby, BC on June 9th, 2025. Today, we’re sharing a compilation of interviews that were recorded right on the conference floor of the Abilities Expo! First up, we’re going to find out more about the Abilities Expo with the Connectra Program…
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MOVE FOR SIGHT with FBC and Mara Pagliaro - Thursday June 19th, 2025
Mara Pagliaro is the 2025 Ambassador for MOVE FOR SIGHT, Fighting Blindness Canada’s fundraiser that challenges participants to move their way and raise funds for vision research. On June 22nd, 2025, Mara will be leading a walk in North York for the MOVE FOR SIGHT event. Mara shares her vision…
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DeafBlind Awareness Month with CNIB - Tuesday June 17th, 2025
The CNIB’s Deaf Blind Community Services is marking DeafBlind Awareness Month this June with several campaigns across Canada. Grant Hardy spoke with Sherry Grabowski, the Vice President of DBCS, and Sheena Hill, the Manager of Client Engagement about their mission to “Make a Wave from Coast to...
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Let’s Talk About: Practical Applications of Assistive Tech - Thursday June 12th, 2025
It’s time for another panel conversation on The Pulse! Grant Hardy invites the hosts of Double Tap, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, and the host of AMI Today and AMI Audiobook Review, Jacob Shymanski, for a conversation about assistive tech. Steven, Shaun, and Jacob share some of their favourite...
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Track 2 MAiD Policy Changes Update with Krista Carr - Tuesday June 10th, 2025
Krista Carr is joining us on the show again to give us an update about the recommendations for Track 2 MAiD policy changes. Back in March, Grant Hardy spoke to Krista, the CEO of Inclusion Canada, after she had appeared before the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Review...
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The Art of Making Saturday – A Film by Jessica Hall - Thursday June 5th, 2025
Jessica Hall is a film maker living in Yukon, and on The Pulse she speaks with Grant Hardy about the making of her film Saturday. Saturday is a heart-warming and uplifting real-life tale of Katherine, a Whitehorse-based woman with an intellectual disability, and her close friendship with her…
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Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World by Jessica Slice - Tuesday June 3rd, 2025
Jessica Slice is a disabled author, speaker, and essayist. She wrote a book called “Unfit Parent: A Disabled Mother Challenges an Inaccessible World” that has been shortlisted for the J. Anthony Lukas Prize. In this book, Jessica debunks the myths and stereotypes that people with disabilities are...
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National AccessAbility Week with Matthew Shaw - Thursday May 29th, 2025
Matthew Shaw is the Head of Accessibility Practice at the Rick Hansen Foundation. To kick off National AccessAbility Week, Matthew moderated The Power of Championing Disability Inclusion. Today on the Pulse, Matthew shares the highlights from the panel, the importance of National AccessAbility...
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Celebrating National AccessAbility Week! - Thursday May 22nd, 2025
During National Access AbilityWeek at the end of May, organizations from across Canada host a variety of activities to raise awareness and celebrate the achievements of people with disabilities. Brad McCannell is the Vice President of Access and Inclusion at the Rick Hansen Foundation, and he…
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Vision Health Month with the Canadian Association of Optometrists - Tuesday May 20th, 2025
Earlier in May, Grant Hardy spoke with Dr. Martin Spiro, the President of the Canadian Association of Optometrists. Dr. Spiro tells Grant about some of the events and campaigns that the CAO is running this year to mark Vision Health Month. Plus, they talk about the importance of eye exams and eye...
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Global Accessibility Awareness Day with Joe Devon! - Thursday May 15th, 2025
Joe Devon, the co-founder of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to share information about the Global Accessibility Awareness Day Foundation! Joe speaks about the foundation’s work and expands on an exciting announcement from the foundation! Check out the Pulse on...
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Experience AccessFest, Where Accessibility Comes First! - Tuesday May 13th, 2025
The accessibility app Access Now is celebrating their 10th anniversary with “AccessFest,” a free and immersive experience right in the downtown Toronto core! Host Grant Hardy learns more about they event with Maayan Ziv, the founder and CEO of AccessNow. Check out the Pulse on YouTube! About AMI...
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Supporting Parents of Children with Mental Health Challenges - Thursday May 8th, 2025
Approximately 20% of children in Canada will experience a mental illness, and supporting the caregivers, guardians, and parents of these children is crucial. To recognize Mental Health Week, the Ontario Caregiver Organization and Parents’ Lifeline have partnered to host a free webinar that will...
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Crisis in the Classroom: a Report by Community Living Ontario - Tuesday May 6th, 2025
A new report by Community Living Ontario details the disturbing treatment of students with disabilities in Ontario schools. The report, titled “Crisis in the Classroom,” provides an analysis of the Ontario School Inclusion Survey. The report’s author Shawn Pegg breaks down some of the findings…
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Exploring the State of Mobile App Accessibility Report - Thursday May 1st, 2025
The State of Mobile App Accessibility (SOMAA) report shares the findings from a study that analyzed the accessibility of 50 popular apps across five key industries – Food and Delivery, Payments, Streaming Media, Fitness, and Shopping. The report was conducted by ArcTouch, Fable, with advising…
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Creating Music for Children About Disability and Inclusivity with Heather Feather - Thursday April 24th, 2025
Heather Feather is an Award-Winning Children’s Artist and Accessibility Advocate, and this month she released a new single “Happy for You” and announced a new album coming this summer called “Together.” Heather is a presenting member of the Recording Artists and Music Professionals with...
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Navigation with Click&Push Accessibility and Voting Accessibility with Elections Canada - Thursday April 17th, 2025
On today’s episode of The Pulse, host Grant Hardy dives into a couple of discussions. First, he chats with Arne Andres, the director of community engagement at Click&Push Accessibility. The organization has been making strides in accessible navigation for people who use mobility devices. Later in...
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The Latest Federal Debate on Accessibility Issues Ahead of the Election - Tuesday April 15th, 2025
On April 8, all parties were called for a debate on accessibility issues in Canada ahead of the next federal election. Host Grant Hardy reviews some of the big takeaways with David Lepofsky, the chair of the AODA Alliance. Plus, we're featuring an older conversation with David Lepofsky about the...
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Airline Accessibility with Timothy Rose and ARCH Disability Law Centre - Thursday April 10th, 2025
The Federal Court of Appeal, in Air Canada versus Timothy Rose et al., upheld a decision ordering Air Canada to accommodate persons with disabilities who use mobility devices. The Court’s precedent-setting decision was released last month and marks a significant turning point in a fight for…
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Learn About the Trico Communities Accessible Arts Centre with Jung-Suk Ryu - Tuesday April 8th, 2025
The development of the Trico Communities Accessible Arts Centre in Calgary is finally becoming a reality! The National accessArts Centre has been seeking approvals for the past five years to revitalize the old Scouts Hall building where their Visual Arts programs and administrative offices are...
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Disability Representation in Government with Rabia Khedr
Hose Grant Hardy interview Rabia Khedr, the National Director of Disability without Poverty. When Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in, he slimmed down the cabinet and removed roles that were specific to people with disabilities and women and gender rights. Rabia and Grant discuss the…
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Connecting Families to Support Services at Inclusion Alberta - Tuesday April 1st, 2025
CEO of Inclusion Alberta, Trish Bowen, joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse for a wide-ranging discussion about Inclusion Alberta’s services, cuts to their funding by the Alberta government, and the importance of family-based services for individuals in the disability community. Visit Inclusion...
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The Ethical Implications of AI with Dr. Jutta Treviranus - Thursday March 27th, 2025
Dr. Jutta Treviranus is the Director of OCAD U’s Inclusive Design Research Centre and an expert in AI and ethics on AI’s societal impact. Dr. Treviranus recently gave a keynote speech at the Zero Project Conference at the United Nations building in Vienna, Austria. She also met with the European...
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Let’s Talk About: Orientation and Mobility Training - Tuesday March 25th, 2025
On today’s special episode of The Pulse, we’re featuring a panel of AMI-audio hosts to talk about Orientation and Mobility Training. Host Grant Hardy invited Kelly MacDonald from Kelly and Company, and Alex Smyth from Para Sport Nation to talk about their experiences with O&M Training, where they...
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Advocating for Track 2 MAiD Policy Changes with Krista Carr - Thursday March 20th, 2025
Inclusion Canada appeared before the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities review Committee at the United Nations in Geneva. Krista Carr, the CEO of Inclusion Canada, joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to explain the slow implementation of the CRPD in Canada, the effect of Track 2…
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A Safe and Inclusive Place for Neurodivergent Youth: The May Day Club - Tuesday March 18th, 2025
Nicole Provost founded the May Day Club to create a community for neurodivergent youth to join together. Through choir practices, talent shows, music production, and more, the youth in this club gain experience working with a team, find friends, and combat loneliness. Nicole joins Grant Hardy on...
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The Impact of Home Care and Community Support - Thursday March 13th, 2025
Deborah Simon is the Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Community Support Association. She joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about the importance of people living independently as long as they can, home care’s effect on the workload in hospitals, and the importance of community in people’s...
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What is Restorative Justice? - Tuesday March 11th, 2025
Ben Fulton is a lawyer and active restorative justice advocate. In this episode of The Pulse, Ben explains what restorative justice is, cases where it is best implemented, and tells us a few stories of how participants of restorative justice methods have benefited from the concepts. Grant Hardy...
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The 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge with Nic Novicki - Thursday March 6th, 2025
The 2025 Easterseals Disability Film Challenge was launched at this year’s Sundance Film Festival by Nic Novicki, an actor, comedian, producer and disability advocate. Nic spoke with the host of The Pulse Grant Hardy about the impact the Film Challenge has had in it’s 12 years of existence, the...
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Find Employment with CNIB’s Come to Work Program - Tuesday March 4th, 2025
Shoko Kitano, the Executive Director of the Come to Work program at the CNIB joined Grant Hardy on The Pulse. They spoke about the development of the program, making large corporations more accessible, and the types of jobs that are available in the database. Learn more about the Come to Work...
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Easter Seals Southern California “Reimagining Hollywood” Report with Nancy Weintraub - Thursday February 27th, 2025
Easter Seals Southern California released the “Reimagining Hollywood” report. The report covered topics like disability representation in film and TV, plus representation in the cast and crews of these projects. Nancy Weintraub is the Chief Advancement Officer of Easter Seals Southern California,...
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2025 Ontario Election’s Disability Issues with David Lepofsky - Tuesday February 25th, 2025
In anticipation of the upcoming Ontario Provincial Election, twelve agencies from across Ontario organized a political debate on February 19th, 2025. The debate allowed representatives from each major political part to address major issues that affect the disability community. David Lepofsky…
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Human Trafficking Awareness Day with Peel Children's Aid Society - Thursday February 20th, 2025
Join Grant Hardy on The Pulse this week for an important conversation about human trafficking, with Alicia Boothe and Natasha Hercules from Peel Children's Aid Society. Learn about what human trafficking is, how to spot it, and how to assist suspected victims. Plus, Natasha and Alicia provide...
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Rick Hansen Foundation Difference Maker of the Year Awards - Tuesday February 18th, 2025
The Rick Hansen Foundation has opened the nominations for the Difference Maker of the Year Awards! Organized by the Rick Hansen Foundation School Program, these awards celebrate youth from ages five to eighteen who are making a positive change in their schools and communities for people with...
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Accessibility Consultant Zachary Weeks - Thursday February 13th, 2025
Grant Hardy speaks with accessibility consultant Zachary Weeks about the importance of advocacy work and Zachary's campaign Zac Sacs. Born from his mother's desire to make sure Zachary could go outside like his classmates, she created a Zac Sac out of an old sleeping bag that could fit over his...
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Celebrating 100 Years of Advocacy from the Lions Club with CCB - Wednesday January 29th, 2025
Lori Fry is the Director of Public Relations and Fund Development at the 100 Mile House Chapter of the Canadian Council for the Blind. She joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about their upcoming programming to celebrate the Lions Club and their over 100 years of advocacy for the blind and low...
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Growing Your Self Confidence and Your Small Business with Michelle Jorgenson - Monday January 27th, 2025
Grant Hardy hosts The Pulse and speaks with Michell Jorgenson, the founder of ABLE United, on today’s episode. Michelle faced many challenges and barriers in environments where people weren’t accepting of her disability, and she looked at these challenges as an opportunity to gain confidence in...
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David Lepofsky explains what it means to miss the January 2025 Accessible Ontario Deadline - Wednesday January 22nd, 2025
Host Grant Hardy is following up with chair of the AODA Alliance David Lepofsky! Grant and David spoke a couple of months ago ahead of the AODA Alliance’s 30th Anniversary celebrations at Queen’s Park in Toronto. David provides an update on how the event went and talks about the missed AODA…
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Season 2 of Sight Unseen with Dolly Lewis and Agam Darshi - Monday January 20th, 2025
Host Grant Hardy spoke with lead actors of the popular CTV crime-drama “Sight Unseen,” Dolly Lewis and Agam Darshi. Together they preview the show’s upcoming second season and discuss authentic and respectful disability representation in film and television. AMI Communications Specialist Greg…
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Audio Description with Alex Howard of The Dark Room Podcast - Wednesday January 15th, 2025
Alex Howard is a host of The Dark Room podcast and is a self-described cinephile. He is all about the implementation of Audio Description for all movies and is an advocate for the blind and low vision community in the film and TV industry. He joins Grant Hardy on The Pulse to talk about…
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Advocate Vicky Levack on the Housing Crisis Among Women with Disabilities in Nova Scotia - Monday January 13th, 2025
Host Grant Hardy is speaking with Vicky Levack, advocate for The Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia, about how women with disabilities are more likely to experience homelessness caused by fleeing violent and abusive living situations that women without disabilities. Vicky shares some of…
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Brain Computer Interface Development at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
The Pulse is continuing to cover the important impact made by a historic $30 million dollar donation from The Slaight Family Foundation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and healthcare in Canada. On this episode, host Grant Hardy is speaking with Sandra Hawken, President…
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Empowered Kids Ontario and the BCI initiative with Jennifer Churchill
On Tuesday December 3rd, both Giving Tuesday and International Day of Persons with Disabilities, The Slaight Family Foundation announced a historic $30 million dollar donation to 11 of the leading organizations in disability advocacy and health care. Empowered Kids Ontario is one of those...
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Shine Foundation with Tiffany Houston
Tiffany Houston is CEO of Shine Foundation, a Canadian organization that works to fulfill the dreams of youth with disabilities. Host Grant Hardy speaks with Tiffany about some of the Shine Dreams they are currently fulfilling, their response to the Canada Post Strike, and how the organization…
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Makers Making Change Holiday Hackathon
Today on The Pulse, we’re featuring the Makers Making Change Holiday Hackathon! Last month in Burnaby, B.C., host Grant Hardy attended this event, hosted by Makers Making Change, a program offered through the Neil Squire Society in British Columbia. The event offered an opportunity for volunteers...
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CNIB’s Get on Board! Campaign with Stephanie Pilon
On The Pulse, host Grant Hardy highlights important issues in the disability community. On today’s episode he speaks with Stephanie Pilon, Manager of Campaigns and Advocacy at the CNIB. Stephanie joins the show to share information on the CNIB’s Get on Board! Campaign, including what an…
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The AODA Alliance’s 30th Anniversary with David Lepofsky
Chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, David Lepofsky, joins host Grant Hardy to talk about the history of the AODA Alliance, and let’s us know what’s going on at their 30th Anniversary celebrations on November 25th in Toronto. The AODA Alliance has invited…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Host Grant Hardy leads a weekly in-depth discussion on issues impacting the disability community across Canada.
HOSTED BY
Accessible Media Inc.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Pulse have?
The Pulse currently has 361 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Pulse about?
Host Grant Hardy leads a weekly in-depth discussion on issues impacting the disability community across Canada.
How often does The Pulse release new episodes?
The Pulse publishes regularly with 361 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Pulse?
You can listen to The Pulse on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Pulse?
The Pulse is created and hosted by Accessible Media Inc..
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