Pack those bags and get ready to hit the road! This week Shawn and co-hosts Keisha and Randi welcome Ted Tahequechi, a travel influencer, blogger, and photographer who also runs the website Blind Travels. They discuss his love of travel, how he adjusted after losing much of his vision in a car accident, and dive into travel tips and things to look for when traveling as someone who is blind or partially sighted. 

This week we cap off our three part discussion about having sighted friends and acquaintances by inviting some of our high school aged youth to discuss what the experience of meeting new people in the high school environment is like. Shawn welcomes co-hosts Leena, Jugaad, and Nolan to provide insight and their own experiences being the only youth who are blind or partially sighted at their schools or, even, in their communities.

This week Jinnie, Clement, and Shawn gather together once again to discuss the nuances of relationships with sighted friends in the second part of this fascinating conversation. They discuss the challenges of communicating needs to new friends while trying not to feel self conscious, how to handle people that are being too helpful or attentive, and much much more!

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Clement for an open and honest discussion about the nuances of having and maintaining friendships with people who are sighted. It’s a fascinating conversation full of insights about everything from accepting help to building new friendships that you won’t want to miss!

This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jinnie and Acacia to discuss the recent Netflix limited series adaptation of the book, “All The Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr.  They discuss the story, which centers around the character of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl in Paris after it is invaded by Nazi Germany as well as how blindness was portrayed within the story and translated from the book to screen.

This week Shawn sits down with Scott Rees, who has retinitis pigmentosa and recently swam the Georgia Straight in order to raise money for Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. They discuss how this epic 30 km open water fundraising swim came to be, what it was like to train, and what it was like on the day of the swim itself after 11 hours in the water.

It’s the first episode of 2024, and this week Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Danielle Main, President and Program Coordinator of Leash of Hope, an organization which trains rescue dogs to be service dogs to enable people with disabilities to enjoy more independent living. They discuss some of the benefits and challenges when it comes to using rescue dogs to be trained and what the training process is like.

Imposter Syndrome is the condition of being anxious or nervous and feeling like a “fraud” or a “phony” within a given community or job title. This week Shawn welcomes Acacia, Ishita, and Nina to talk about it in the context of being partially sighted and having this feeling of being stuck between the blind and sighted communities and not always feeling a part of either.

Looking for work when you are blind or partially sighted can feel daunting, overwhelming, and even a bit scary, especially the part where you have to interview for the job. This week Shawn welcomes co-host Keisha back to the show to discuss looking for work, specifically how to prepare for the job interview, things to consider and plan during your search, and so much more! 

The Limitless Podcast goes international this week as Shawn welcomes Jugaad and Jinnie to the show for a fascinating discussion about life in India as a person who is blind or partially sighted. They discuss the cultural differences in how blindness is viewed as well as how day to day life as a blind or partially sighted person can differ from daily life in Canada.

It is both Halloween and the last week of Blindness Awareness Month, so this week we’ve decided to do a bit of a monstrous mash-up of the two (kind of like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup)! It’s a full house on this episode as Shawn welcomes Jinnie, Acacia, Ishita, Jugaad, and Clement back for each to share what they would do if they each were “sighted for a day”.

In our continuing series of podcasts centered about learning about blindness for Blindness Awareness Month, this week Shawn welcomes Keisha back to the podcast to simulate certain scenarios that illustrate the best way to interact with someone who is blind or partially sighted.

October 15th was White Cane Day. and this year to mark the occasion, we wanted to talk about white canes from a slightly different perspective. Join us as Shawn welcomes Acacia, Dougie, and Ishita to the show for a fascinating discussion about using a white cane later in life or choosing to use one even though you may have just enough vision to manage without one. Using their own lived experiences as examples, they discuss the advantages of this choice and how perceived attitudes can sometimes influence when that choice is made.

Over the summer Blind Beginnings held a five day camp for youth that allowed them to practice and learn independent living skills (such as cooking, laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc.) with a group of their peers. Dubbed the “Limitless Life Skills Camp”, it was a great success and many of the participants were able to develop and learn skills that they will carry with them into adulthood. This week Shawn welcomes co-host Keisha, who also helped facilitate the Camp, and two of the Camp’s participants, Ella and Tom, to talk about their respective experiences and the importance of independent living skills.

The first year at University or any post-secondary institution can be a big adjustment for anyone, but for those students who also have to juggle moving away from home for the first time as well, it can be a major challenge. This week Shawn and co-host Jill welcome back Nina and Acacia, both of whom have moved away from home for the first time in order to attend University. From accessibility challenges to University cafeteria food, they discuss what the transition has been like as students who are blind or partially sighted.

Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants – often known as education assistants or EAs – support students by providing help to teachers and counsellors and help with teaching and other various tasks. But what’s it like for students, such as ones that are blind or partially sighted, to have an EA by their sides during the course of a regular school day? This week we answer that very question as Shawn welcomes Acacia, Jill, and Nolan to discuss their various experiences with EAs.

This week Shawn welcomes Chantal Oakes and Ryan Fleury from The Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians (AEBC) to discuss their organization and the importance of getting involved with advocacy organizations like theirs. They talk about what brought each of them to become involved with AEBC, some examples of the change they are fighting to bring about, and how important participation is to fulfill their mandate to ensure that everyone can equally participate in all aspects of society.