What if disability representation started in the toy box? In this week’s episode, podcast hosts Daniel and Victor sit down with Lockwood Toys founder, Amy Lockwood, whose main mission is to spread inclusivity and cheer to children, one toy at a time. She talks about the motivation behind the company’s founding, the inspiration behind many of the toys (spoiler: a lot of them are inspired by her son!), and the challenges and triumphs in her journey to increase disability representation.

In this week's episode of the IDD: Get to Know Me podcast, hosts Daniel and Victor chat with Erica Streisslberger, a self-advocate at CAMH and a recreation therapist. Erica shares her journey of achieving independent living and pursuing her dream of becoming a recreational therapist. The hosts and Erica delve into the significance of self-advocacy and how it can positively impact one's daily life. They also discuss Erica's recent venture of starting her own YouTube channel! Tune in to this insightful episode to learn more about Erica's incredible story and the importance of self-advocacy.

Join us for the first episode of our third season on IDD Get to Know Me!

Podcast hosts Daniel and Victor interview Dr. Meghann Lloyd from Ontario Tech University. They talk about her journey with getting involved in Special Olympics and her exciting research about the benefits of participating in Special Olympics.

Meghann Lloyd, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at Ontario Tech University, and a Senior Research Associate at Grandview Children’s Centre. Her field of research is Adapted Physical Activity; she studies motor development, physical activity, and health promotion for people with disabilities.

This week Victor and Daniel talk to Danielle Strnad, the Executive Director and Founder and Senior Arts Facilitator Morgan Joy of DramaWay and DramaWay Productions. DramaWay Productions is a non-profit arts program for all abilities. As Morgan says, “DramaWay is a place that people come together to grow and create regardless of their backgrounds or abilities”. DramaWay and DramaWay Productions offers inclusive arts classes that range from visual arts, drama, physical activity and more. Danielle shares how she developed this company and how it has grown since its creation in 1999.

Heidi is a Special Olympics athlete and a leader. She has been a key member of many leadership committees including People First of Canada, PEI People, Special Olympics Canada’s Athlete Leadership Council, the Global Athlete Leadership Council, as well as the Athlete Representative for the Special Olympics PEI Board of Directors.

Heidi joins us to discuss her various leadership roles and how she became the strong leader that she is today. Heidi also shares the importance of Special Olympics. Special Olympics provides programs for people with disabilities over the age of two and has many sports programs including both individual and team sports. Some of Heidi’s personal favourite sports include bowling, golf, and snowshoeing. 

On this episode, we speak with Lawyer and Disability Rights Advocate, Kerri Joffe. Kerri is a lawyer at ARCH Disability Law Centre. ARCH Disability Law Centre is a specialty legal clinic that practices exclusively in disability rights law. Respecting Rights is an initiative at ARCH, where self-advocates participate in programs to learn more about law and how to get involved with accessible rights education. 

https://archdisabilitylaw.ca/

This week we have a special guest, Dr. Alan Santinele Martino. Alan is an instructor in community rehabilitation and disability studies at the University of Calgary. He researched the romantic and sexual lives of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Ontario for his PhD at McMaster University. We have Dr. Martino on this episode to discuss his research and the experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in intimate relationships. Dr. Martino highlights stories from people with disabilities who have advocated for themselves or others and shares why this work is so important to him. He also shares what the barriers are to his research and sex education for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Dr. Martino’s website: https://alanmartino.com/

Dr. Martino’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlanSMartino?s=20&t=DiV4e_kzatEjIgxrD2UqSw

Dr. Martino's Recent Publications:

Santinele Martino, A. (2022). Ethically important moments: Researching the intimate lives of adults labeled/with intellectual disabilities. Qualitative Research.

Santinele Martino, A. & Kinitz, D. J. (2022). “It’s Just More Complicated”: The Experiences of Adults with Intellectual Disabilities When Navigating Digital Sexual Fields. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace. https://cyberpsychology.eu/article/view/15180/16710

Brennand, E. & Santinele Martino, A. (2022). Disability is Associated with Sexually Transmitted Infection: Female Sex, Severity and Disability Domain are Important Risk Factors. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality. https://doi.org/10.3138/cjhs.2021-0053

Welcome back for another season of IDD: Get to know me! In the first episode of our second season, podcast hosts Daniel and Victor interview Dr. Yona Lunsky, the director of the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre. Together they talk about why inclusion is so important and different ways they are making the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre, and research at CAMH more inclusive of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Yona shares what motivated her to get involved and continue working in this field for over 20 years. She also discusses the importance of including self-advocates in her work. Yona shares some tips on how she makes positions accessible to self-advocates and what we can do to create accessible and inclusive work environments.

Want to get involved with projects at the Azrieli Adult Neurodevelopmental Centre? Email us at hcardd@camh.ca