You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D

Ep. 32: The Global State of Disability Inclusion in 2025

In the Province of Ontario, Canada, the twentieth anniversary of legislation that was supposed to make the province fully accessible by 2025 came and went in January with Ontario being nowhere near fully accessible for people who have a disability.

Over in France, with disability groups protesting in Paris on the eve of the twentieth anniversary of that country’s disability law of 2005, people chanted rien n’a changé, or, nothing has changed.

And then there’s the United States, where DEI has been made illegal and there’s been government action that’s already directly impacting people who have a disability. And there’s fear disability rights and inclusion could be set back 50 years.

In Episode 32 — part two of our Season 6 opener series, we’re zooming out for a look at the global state of disability inclusion in 2025. Helping us make sense of the global state of things in these turbulent times are these two guests:

• Susan Scott-Parker — Founder and CEO of Business Disability International, and host of her own disability-inclusion focuses podcast, Scott-Parker goes live
  
  
• Peter Torres Fremlin — A freelance consultant who has lived experience with disability who’s spent many years advising international organizations including the U.N. on disability rights; and editor of the Disability Debrief email newsletter

SHOW NOTES

• Episode 32 transcript (PDF)
• Learn more about Business Disability International
• Sign up to receive the Disability Debrief email newsletter
• Check out Susan Scott-Parker’s podcast, Scott-Parker Goes Live

Ep. 31: The State of DEI in North America

In our first episode of the 2025 season, we’re jumping right into the controversial fray of things.

We’re tackling a timely topic that’s literally dividing people and an entire country.

There’s been a lot of controversy, destructive action…and destructive conversation on social media about diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.

This episode is part one in a two-part series to start off season six. We’re diving right into the state of DEI in North America.

This is a compelling conversation with these three guests providing a perspective from both sides of the Canada-U.S. border:

• John Robinson — Founder and CEO of Our Ability, based in Albany, NY; he has lived experience with disability
  
  
• Danica McPhee — Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Indigeneity Co-ordinator at Erie Shores HealthCare in Leamington, ON; she has lived experience with disability
  
  
• Ruby Latif — Certified Coach, Certified Psychological Health and Safety Professional and the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging for the Brant County Healthcare System in Brantford, ON.

SHOW NOTES

• Episode 31 transcript (PDF)
• Learn more about Our Ability
• Toronto Star Opinion column by Dr. Ruby Latif: Have diversity issues died? Maybe in the U.S. — but there is still time for Canada

Ep. 30: Intersectionality Part 3 — Disability in the Newcomer Community

The newcomer community in Canada is huge. In 2022, the country welcomed 431,645 new permanent residents — the largest number in one year — in Canadian history.

The last time Canada welcomed that many newcomers was over a century ago, in 1913.

There was a time when almost all immigrants to Canada came from Europe.

Today, they come from countries and cultures all over the world. Asia is the continent where most come from; and India is the country where most immigrants to Canada were born, according to Statistics Canada (StatCan) data.

As StatCan notes, “immigrants come from many different countries, bringing with them their cultural, ethnic, linguistic and religious heritage.”

And, as we learn in this episode, their perceptions of disability.

Just what is the perception of disability in the newcomer, or immigrant, community and cultures? How inclusive are they? And what are the challenges for people in these communities who have a disability?

These are some of the questions we explore in this episode that wraps up our three-part series on Intersectionality, and season five of You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D.

We get deep perspectives and insights from two guests whose work involves supporting people in the newcomer comer community who have a disability:

• Raihanna Hirji-Khalfan, the National Director of Race and Disability Canada
• Rabia Khedr, CEO of Disability Empowerment Equality Network (DEEN) Support Services

SHOW NOTES

• Race and Disability Canada website
• Race and Disability Canada resources:
  • IDEA Tool Kits
  • IDEA Practitioners & Professionals Network
  • Instagram feed storytelling program about Black leaders and South Asian leaders who have a disability
  • Other programs for Indigenous, Black and racialized people who have a disability
• DEEN Support Services website
• Episode 30 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 29: Intersectionality Part 2 — Disability in the First Nations and Inuit Communities

You can't explore intersectionality without talking about disability among Canada's Aboriginal people — the Inuit and First Nations.

An estimated 30% of Canada’s Indigenous population, or 420,000 people, live with a disability or functional limitation.

So just what is the perception and definition of disability in the Inuit and First Nation cultures and communities? How much of a role does the British colonial history of Canada play in the intersectionality of disability in Indigenous communities and cultures? What challenges around employment barriers and disability inclusion are unique?

All of this is a complex, sometimes sensitive topic with many nuances.

To help us better understand disability in the First Nations and Inuit communities, our two guests provide some deep insights into all of this:

• Romaine Peters, a Family Disability Support Worker on Walpole Island First Nation, in Southwestern Ontario
• Lisa Spencer, the Communications Manager for the NDMS, the only cross-disability society in Nunavut, in Canada’s Far North

SHOW NOTES

• Episode 29 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 28: Intersectionality Part 1 — Disability in the LGBTQ2S+ Community

The World Health Organization points out that for people who have a disability, negative attitudes about disability is one of the most common barriers to participation and inclusion — in the broader community and society in general — that they face.

But what about the intersection of disability, including attitudes and perceptions about it, with marginalized communities and cultures?

In Episode 28, we begin a three-part series exploring this.

About 1.3 million Canadians identify as being part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community. And the results of the 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey by Statistics Canada showed, 27% of people in this community are living with a disability. That’s around 350,000 people.

They’re a minority group within a minority group. And how inclusive is the one, for the other?

Not as inclusive as it could be, as we learn from our two guests.

In 2023, they co-authored a piece for The Conversation about disability inclusion in the 2SLGBTQI+ community. In this episode of You Can’t Spell Inclusion Without a D, they share their insights.

This is an insightful, thought-provoking conversation with:

• Alan Santinele Martino, Assistant Professor in Community Rehabilitation and Disability Studies in the Community Health Sciences Department at the University of Calgary
• Emily Coombs, a PhD Student at the University of Alberta and lesbian autistic researcher studying the intersection of autism and LGBTQ+ indentity, the experiences of autistic women and lesbian mental health

SHOW NOTES

• The Conversation, article by Alan Santinele Martino and Emily Coombs, June 25, 2023
• Still Being Left Behind: The Intimate Lives of Queer Disabled People, by Alan Martino
• Facts, Stats and Impact: 2SLGBTQI+ communities
• Statistics Canada 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey Findings
• Attitudes, Awareness and Behaviours Surrounding 2SLGBTQI+ Communities in Canada, prepared for Women and Gender Equality Canada, March 2023
• Episode 28 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 27: Remembering David C. Onley and His Legacy

In North America, the disability inclusion conversation — the fight for equity — has been going on for over 50 years.

In Canada — more specifically, in the province of Ontario — the name David C. Onley is synonymous with championing disability inclusion in employment, and accessibility.

He was the first working television journalist in Canada, and the first Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, who had a visible disability. And he was a tireless, passionate champion for the rights of people who have a disability. His continuous advocacy efforts changed the fabric of society in Ontario.

He educated and informed; he influenced and encouraged; and he challenged the business community and the government to rethink disability.

David Onley passed away on January 14, 2023 at the age of 72.

In this episode, which airs one week before the start of National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2024 in North America, we’re reflecting on the legacy of David C. Onley.

We wanted to get some deep personal insights about David Onley and his legacy.

This is a powerful, intensely emotional conversation with three people who knew David Onley well:

• Robert Onley, a lawyer and one of David Onley’s three sons
• Mike Bradley, the Mayor of Sarnia, Ontario, and one of ODEN’s original Business Champions in the Business Champions League that David Onley created
• Lorin MacDonald, an award-winning human rights lawyer for whom David Onley was a mentor

SHOW NOTES

• The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act 2005
• Third review of the AODA by David Onley, 2019
• Fourth review of the AODA by Rich Donovan, 2023
• Episode 27 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 26: The Misfit 100 Disability Inclusion Mission

Advertising and disability. There’s a lot of both in North America. Eight per cent of the population in both the U.S. and Canada have a disability. In the U.S. that’s about 87 million people. In Canada, about eight million people.

In the U.S., there’s an average of about eight minutes of television ads every hour of programming on major networks. In Canada, there’s now no limit on the minutes per hour of national television advertising allowed on both network  and specialty channels.

Maybe you’ve seen the occasional television ad that includes someone who has a disability. There are a few out there — emphasis on “a few.”

Kelsey Lindell is determined to change all this. She’s a disruptor who was born with a disability. She’s been called an “impact entrepreneur.”

In 2022, Kelsey started Misfit Media. It’s run by people who have a disability, producing creative that’s disability inclusive, and educating brands and advertising agencies about why and how to do disability-inclusive creative — and do it right.

Now she’s leapfrogging off all this and taking a really disruptive step forward. She’s setting out to revolutionize the entire advertising industry across North America and how disability is represented in it — within two years.

She launched The Misfit 100 in March 2024. In this episode, she talks about the Misfit 100’s disability-inclusion mission and the state of disability-inclusive advertising in North America.

 

SHOW NOTES

• Learn more about Misfit Media and its disability-inclusion services
• The New School, blog post, Impact Entrepreneurship — Mentor Spotlight: Kelsey Lindell (October 14, 2023)
• Culture Creators: The Power of Simplicity — talk by Kelsey Lindell
• The Misfit 100 Master Class — March 26, 2024 — official kick-off of The Misfit 100
• Kelsey Lindell’s LinkedIn profile
• Contact Kelsey directly by email: kelsey@misfitmediaagency.com
• Episode 26 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 25: Making the Journey: Marnie Cuthbert

There are over 1.2 million employer businesses in Canada. And almost 98% of them are small businesses, which employ about 5.7 million people.

But surveys have shown that over half the small businesses in Canada have never hired someone who has a disability. They’ve never made the disability-inclusive hiring journey.

In Episode 25 — the second instalment of our occasional Making the Journey series — we talk with a small-business owner who is doing that.

Not only is Marnie Cuthbert just starting out on her disability-inclusive hiring journey, she’s doing it as a first-time small business owner. She left behind a 15-year career in health care administration to do something entirely different.

She recently opened the Crafty Corner Tea Room in Woodstock, ON. And her first two hires were people who have a disability.

In this new instalment of Making the Journey, Marnie talks about why:

• She’s so personally driven to be a disability-inclusive employer
• She believes other small business owners should make the journey
• She’s fervently encouraging all businesses in Woodstock to participate in Light It Up! For NDEAM, a national awareness lighting event that happens every October during National Disability Employment Awareness Month

SHOW NOTES

• Visit the Craft Corner Tea Room website
• Learn more about the national Light It Up! For NDEAM event that Marnie Cuthbert talks about participating in
• Visit the Ontario Corporate Training Centre website
• Episode 25 transcript (PDF)
• Research reports:
• • Making Your Business Accessible for People with Disabilities: Guide for Small Businesses (Conference Board of Canada, 2022)
  • Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact
    (Job Accommodation Network/Office of Disability Employment Policy, updated May 4, 2023)
  • Getting To Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage
    (Accenture, October 2018)

Ep. 24: Inclusion Through Images and Storytelling

If you’ve ever looked for a stock photo portraying disability to use in a blog post or on a website page, you might find yourself thinking they all look the same; they all look contrived; and they don’t authentically portray disability in all its diversity.

How disability is broadly viewed and perceived, can depend on how it’s seen through a photographer’s mind, eye, viewfinder and lens.

The first-ever environmental portraiture of people who have a disability was done by famous American photographer Diane Arbus, between 1969 and 1971. Whether the Diane Arbus Untitled series was artistically inclusive, or helped perpetuate myths and stereotypes about disability, is of course, open to interpretation.

Canadian commercial and portrait photographer Hilary Gauld, is on a personal mission to make sure her photographic work portraying disability, is inclusive and authentic; that it tells an inclusive story about the person.

Episode 24 is an engaging conversation with photographer Hilary Gauld and creator, storyteller, educator and inclusion coach Jenny Jay about:

• Hilary’s journey of learning to photograph disability authentically and telling an inclusive story
• The impact photographers can have on the disability community; and
• What photographers and other creators need to understand and be aware of, to create authentic disability imagery

SHOW NOTES

• View Hilary Gauld’s disability portraiture projects on her website
• Contact Hilary: oneforthewall@rogers.com
• Learn more about Jenny Jay
• Episode 24 transcript (PDF)

Ep. 23: The State of Accessibility in Canada (Part 2)

In part two of our series on The State of Accessibility in Canada, we go from the bird’s-eye view to a closer look at accessibility — in branding, marketing, advertising and social media content created by businesses in Canada.

This is an important conversation to have, because the accessibility of content for everyone can affect a business’s profitability and brand reputation.

Be sure to listen to this episode especially if you’re in marketing or advertising; or you’re a brand manager; or a social media manager; or a webmaster; or a graphic designer; or even a freelancer who does some or all of these things.

In Episode 23 you’re in for some insights into what’s right and what’s wrong about accessibility in all aspects of marketing, advertising, branding and social media from two people who specialize in helping businesses make sure what they’re creating is accessible.

An engaging conversation with guests:

• Kelly Thibodeau, Principal, Squarely Accessible
• Jolene MacDonald, Founder and Creative Director of Accessibrand

SHOW NOTES

• Get in touch with Kelly Thibodeau at Squarely Accessible
  • Email: kelly@squarelyaccessible.com
  • Website: https://squarelyaccessible.com

• Get in touch with Jolene MacDonald at Accessibrand
  • Email: jolene@accessibrand.com
  • Website: https://accessibrand.com
    
    
• Read the 2024 Global Advertising Accessibility Index and Trends Report
  
  
• Tip sheet: 7 Tips for Making Your Social Media Content Accessible
  English version(Accessible PDF)  |  French version (Accessible PDF)
  
  
• Episode 23 transcript (PDF)