CNIB - Blind Wide Open Podcast

Sfen Mogensen is a totally blind world traveler. He’s visited 97 countries and counting. In this episode, we hear his irrepressible and captivating stories about where, why and how he travels.

Anyone losing their vision knows the importance of learning new practical skills for daily living. Perhaps more important is the emotional journey we take in coming to terms with our situation, and constructing a new sense of self. In this candid conversation with Client Support Services worker Brian Vey, we dig into this complex and rewarding process.

Having a guide dog and being denied service in cabs or restaurants is disturbingly common, despite laws and public awareness campaigns. In this conversation with Victoria Nolan, we hear how CNIB Guide Dogs is fostering advocacy and encouraging guide dog handlers to challenge unlawful treatment.

For people living in remote communities, eye care isn’t something they can take for granted. The Eye Van is a mobile medical unit that covers 6,000 kilometers each year, providing preventative eye health screening and eye care for people who would otherwise have to travel long distances.

How do you describe an abstract art piece? What’s a professional audio describer’s dream job and how do you get there? These are some of the questions for J.J. Hunt, a Toronto-based describer who’s worked on film, TV, museum installations, and at live events.

If you haven’t been around a lot of blind people, you may not associate them with things like marathon canoeing or a 42 km hike. Ron Walsh of Saskatoon, founder of the Blind Adventurer Foundation, wants to change that. His ambition is to help blind and partially sighted people prepare and learn, then set out on the kind of guided adventures that change lives. In this conversation, we hear about Ron’s goal, and how he plans to get there.

“I have a million stories of every client who has been able to find their way and embrace what’s inside,” says Ann Harry, who facilitates the CNIB Foundation's Manitoba Youth Council. Her love for her work is clear in her stories of young people with sight loss, their parents, and the journeys they’ve taken.

For most of us, staying fit is a task that requires discipline and dedication. If you’re blind or partially sighted, there’s often another layer of challenges between you and your best health. The CNIB Foundation’s Ashley Nemeth leads an interval training program for participants who receive guidance from a trained fitness professional and build confidence to advocate for inclusion in local gyms.

Skipping class, making friends, and dissecting frogs are among the many normal parts of school that can be harder if you have sight loss. But what’s it like in a setting where everyone is just like you? In conversation with the principal of the W. Ross MacDonald School, we hear about changes and what the school has to offer students and families.

GPS navigation is one of the biggest leaps in increasing independence for people with sight loss. At the CNIB Hub in Toronto, a new project is taking things to the next level by equipping surrounding businesses with Bluetooth beacons. These small, programmable devices offer detailed, localized information about what’s around you, making it easier to find places.

How relevant is braille? What steps are being taken to make it more accessible to people who want it? The CNIB Foundation's Diane Bergeron speaks to these issues and discusses the Orbit Braille Reader, a new, low-cost braille display that makes braille more available to everyone.

Across the country, groups of people with sight loss are getting together to share what they know about technology and helping each other learn. It’s a member-led movement that demystifies assistive technology and builds confidence and independence!

“If you can’t see what you’re looking for, then you’re in the right place!” That’s the unofficial motto of David Dennis, who manages Shop CNIB in Toronto. In this episode, you’ll learn about devices and games for people with low vision (or whose vision is changing) in this lively and fascinating place.

Until now, there’s been no service animal program in Canada exclusively focused on guide dogs. In this episode, we hear from John Mulka, Executive Lead for CNIB Guide Dogs and Elaine Mattatall, a volunteer puppy raiser, about CNIB’s new guide dog program.