Humour may be the best medicine, but it can also be an effective tool to break down barriers and help build social bonds. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Ishita and Clement back to the podcast to discuss how each uses humour to defuse awkward situations, put others at ease, and to help strengthen relationships. They discuss everything from when and how humour is appropriate to sharing stories of when it has worked (and even a few cases when it didn’t).

It’s that time of year again, when love is in the air and flower shop employees and chocolatiers feel overwhelmed .. Valentine’s Day! We are helping celebrate again this year by talking all about dating and some of its challenges when you are blind or partially sighted. Shawn is joined by Nika and special guest Mark, both of whom are actively dating, to have an open and honest conversation and to take a deep dive into what it’s like these days to be looking for love. 

It’s a very special episode this week as Shawn welcomes JJ Hunt and Christine Malec, creators of the innovative and fascinating podcast, Talk Description to Me which discusses current events, and topical issues through the lens of audio description. They discuss the show’s origins and its unique premise as well as the importance of applying the idea of audio description to more than just shows and movies. It’s a fascinating discussion, and if you have ever wondered how lightning might be described to someone who has never seen it, you definitely won’t want to miss this episode! 

White Cane Week begins on the first full week of February, and in honor of this we have once again gathered together a group of Blind Beginnings youth to answer your questions in our ever-popular “Ask A Blind Beginnings Youth” series! Shawn is joined by co-hosts Nina, Alethea, and Nolan to answer a series of listener questions. If you’ve ever wondered how hard it is to learn braille or how blind people can identify different types of money, you won’t want to miss this episode!

It’s the first month of a new year and for many people who have fitness related goals as part of their new year’s resolutions, that means starting to attend a new gym. This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Nolan and Aly and special guest Gail to talk about their experiences attending new gyms as blind or partially sighted patrons. They discuss some of the ways in which gyms can be welcoming as well as some of the barriers they can sometimes experience and the way they overcome them.

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Ishita, Nolan, and Ali as they share a series of hilarious vision-related embarrassing moments they have all experienced in their past (and for some, not too distant past). It’s an episode full of laughter and fun and a reminder that these types of moments can happen to us all!

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Ishita to discuss their experiences with giving presentations to schools. From what it was like explaining their vision conditions to their peers and the impact it had on them socially, to the importance of education and awareness, they discuss both the pros and cons of a variety of different presentation methods when it comes to changing the general public’s awareness of blindness.

It’s a new year and in this inaugural episode of 2023, we have put together a very special episode! Blind Beginnings has been growing its staff over the past few months and this week Shawn sits down with the whole team to introduce each, their roles, and talk about what brought them to the organization before revealing their list of New Year’s resolutions and trying to guess which one belongs to which staff member. If you ever wondered about the people working hard behind the scenes of Blind Beginnings, you won't want to miss this episode!

This week Shawn welcomes Adam Wilton, Jen Jesso, and Daphne Hitchcock, the team behind Braille Bites, a series of videos and resource guides designed to support blind and partially sighted learners. They discuss how the videos are produced, how they come up with the various activities, and the significance and impact of the activities centered around touch for blind and partially sighted children. 

At the Limitless Podcast, we like to talk to individuals in the blind or partially sighted community that are doing unique and interesting things. But what happens when our own co-hosts fall into this category? The answer, of course, is to release a special episode where we talk to our own co-hosts and learn about some of the amazing things they are currently doing in their own lives. This week Shawn talks with Jill and Clement, two of our regular co-hosts, and learns more about what keeps them busy outside of contributing to the podcast as well as their very exciting recent achievements!

Shawn and co-host Clement are excited to welcome brother and sister duo Brian and Kerry Kijewski to the podcast this week to talk about their advocacy related weekly radio show, Outlook, which airs on Radio Western. They also discuss their experiences growing up as blind and partially sighted siblings, their early experiences with podcasting, and how hosting and some of the sibling-related challenges they face creating a weekly radio program. 

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and to help celebrate, Shawn welcomes advocate Amy Amantea to the show to discuss the importance of the day as well as advocacy, allyship, “nothing about us without us”, and how attitudinal barriers and various forms of ableism continue to impact people with disabilities on a daily basis.

We’re heading into the kitchen for this episode of the podcast as Shawn welcomes co-hosts Keisha and Kolby to the show to discuss their experiences in the kitchen, from experiences of shopping for groceries to the struggles of inaccessible appliances. It’s an episode full of learning that you’ll also be hungry by then end of, so you don’t want to miss it!

This week Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Dan Mancina, one of the pioneers in blind  skateboarding to the show. They discuss how he got into the sport, how he has adapted it, and his efforts to build the world’s first adaptive skatepark.

Synesthesia is the term for when you experience one of your senses through another. For example, you might hear the name "Alex" and see green, and people who have this ability are called synesthetes. This week Shawn welcomes Jugaad, Keisha, Jinnie, and Monty to the show, all of whom are synesthetes. They discuss the various different types of synesthesia, how it manifests for them and describe what it’s like and the various ways it impacts their daily lives. If you’ve never heard of synesthesia or ever wondered what colour Tuesday is, you won’t want to miss this fascinating episode!

It’s a very spooktacular episode this week as Shawn welcomes Nika, Nolan, and Leena to the show to discuss Halloween, from their favourite memories and how this spooky holiday may or may not have been adapted to how they currently celebrate and plans for this year! 

This week Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Mark Bentz, entrepreneur, business owner, and member of the blindness community to the show to talk about employment and the benefits of inclusive hiring practices for businesses and discuss some of the qualities that can make an employee who is blind or partially sighted a huge asset to any company.

Our Blindness Awareness Month content continues this week as Shawn is joined by co-host Acacia as they welcome Adam to the show to discuss Albinism. They discuss its definition, de-bunk various myths, and share stories about what it’s like living with Albinism.