Accessibility Ally

Accessibility Confident Leaders

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. The three have a conversation about what it means to be an accessibility confident leader in Nova Scotia, and the importance of valuing and empowering people with disabilities to advocate for themselves and create an accessible future. This podcast is ...

Arts and Accessibility, with LEGacy Circus Co-Creator, Vanessa Furlong

Corrie sits down with Vanessa Furlong, who 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. Vanessa and Erin created a great resource called Increasing Accessibility in movement-based practices . In this episode, Vanessa discusses experiences advocating for accessibility in live performance. She emphas...

Advocating for Accessibility in Education

Michelle Mahoney, Accessibility Officer at Kings University, and Morgane Evans, a former Dalhousie student who works in communications, share their experiences around accessibility and education. They chat with host Corrie Melanson about the importance of inclusive education and advocating for accessibility in Nova Scotia, with a focus on shifting mindsets towards disability inclusion. They discuss challenges and difficulties in accessing accommodations in post-secondary education, highlighting ...

Access and Autonomy: Navigating Social Justice with Vicky Levack

We should always feel supported by our community, specifically by our local institutions. Human Rights Activist, Vicki Levack, joins Corrie this episode to discuss the challenges faced by people with disabilities in accessing employment and housing, as well as their experiences advocating for social justice and human rights in Canada. The two chat about the Human Rights Remedy, and the role of the Disability Rights Coalition, as well as their personal experiences and barriers in accessing the co...

Actioning Intersectionality, and Centering Disability Justice

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 interconnecte...

Accessing Deaf Identity, Culture, and Inclusive Education

In this episode we explore and identify Deaf culture and the importance of fostering inclusive education, shedding light on the joys and challenges faced by the deaf community in a predominantly hearing world. Your host Corrie Melanson, is joined by Holly and their interpreter Mae. 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 s...

Access by Design

There is no doubt that being accessible by 2030 is a huge goal! In this episode, your host Corrie Melanson, sits down with Dawn Stegen and Terri Lynn Almeda, to discuss how the many moving pieces of accessibility can work together to ensure an accessible future for our province. Dawn is the Executive Director of the Accessibility Directorate. Terri Lynn Almeda is the Director of Programs and Services at the Directorate. They give great insight into how the government of Nova Scotia is implementi...

A Case Study in Equitable Employment

It would be hard to find a more amazing, local example of an exceptional partnership for change in accessibility than that of 2 Crows Brewing and the Prescrott Group! 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 hi...

Accommodations in the Workplace

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. This podcast is made possible by Sea Change CoLab. Sea Change CoLab supports leaders and teams across private, public, and impact-driven sectors to learn sustainable ways that spark meaningful change and cr...

An Accessible Nova Scotia by 2030

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 livi...

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