Accessible Future

About Accessible Future

1.3 Billion people with disabilities are excluded by a world that isn't designed for them. Dismantling those barriers is no easy task - but it starts with education. After 15 years in the accessible vehicle industry, host Simon Jones is stepping into the role of a student to platform the voices fighting for a more inclusive world. From physical infrastructure to digital design, we explore lived experiences from disability advocates, tech innovators, policy makers, and more. Join us every second Wednesday as we learn how to build a more accessible future, together.

Publisher

Simon Jones

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Mar 2026

Latest episode

30 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   30 Sept 2026

   Adaptive Skateboarding with Jesse Noonan of Skate Advantage

   Eight years ago, Jesse Noonan was coaching two brothers at a Gold Coast skatepark when their sister Matilda rolled up in her wheelchair. He got a drill out of his car, put some holes in a skateboard and bolted it under her walking frame. By the end of that session she was going down ramps. That afternoon became Skate Advantage, Jesse's adaptive skateboarding program. He talks with Simon about the custom frame and harness his team built with a friend who fabricates hot rods and a community grant, how one skater went from bearing no weight at all to standing on his own, and why the skatepark crowd went from looking away to coming over to say hello. He also gets into the Just Roll With It festival, Matilda Wilson's pro model board, and what it would take to start a program like this in your own city. His advice for anyone thinking about it: rig up something simple, see who shows up, and talk to people with disabilities about what they want. ABOUT JESSE NOONAN Jesse Noonan is a professional skateboarder and coach from the Gold Coast, Australia, and the founder of Skate Advantage. He's been skating since he was eight. Skate Advantage runs adaptive sessions with community organizations and private clients, using custom-built frames that support skaters over the board so they can ride the park, rails included. Jesse also runs Just Roll With It, an all-abilities skate festival that drew around 2,000 people this year. 🔗 Connect with Skate Advantage Website: skateadvantage.com.au Instagram: instagram.com/skateadvantage Email: hello@skateadvantage.com.au 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome and the Flute Man story 02:01 What an accessible future looks like to Jesse 04:44 How Skate Advantage started with a walking frame 10:28 How the adaptive skate frame works 16:22 From awkward stares to proud skateboarders 19:31 Sport, therapy, or both? 21:33 Just Roll With It and Matilda's pro model board 26:15 How to start an adaptive skate program in your city 29:52 Outro

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   Planning Around Barriers - Life as a Little Person with Cody Wills

   Before Cody Wills heads to the grocery store or the pub, he's already running through questions most people never think about. Can he reach what he needs? Will the bartender even see him? Is that door handle four feet up? Cody was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism. He talks with Simon about growing up as a little person in Manitoba, the planning that goes into going somewhere new, and why dignity should be at the centre of an accessible future. He also talks about working as a body double for Chucky, why strangers keep asking if he's an actor or a comedian, and what employers get wrong about hiring little people. His advice for businesses is simple: listen to the people you serve, including the ones who can't get through your door yet. ABOUT CODY WILLS Cody Wills is a little person from Manitoba who was born with achondroplasia. He's been part of Little People of Manitoba since he was five or six, and a casting call through the group led to work as a body double for Chucky, plus a couple of other film gigs shot in Manitoba. He's also part of the team at MoveMobility, a Canadian manufacturer of wheelchair-accessible vehicles. 🔗 Follow Accessible Future PodcastYouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFutureInstagram: instagram.com/accessible_futureFacebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-futureEmail: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com (mailto:accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com)

3. 

   26 Aug 2026

   Nobody Is Immune From Disability with Bean Gill

   In 2012, Bean Gill left an abusive marriage, watched her parents separate, and then woke up on a trip to Las Vegas with pain in her lower back. Ten minutes later she couldn't feel her legs, and was later diagnosed with transverse myelitis. She's now a keynote speaker and co-founder of Reyu Paralysis Recovery Center, an Alberta nonprofit using activity-based therapy to help people regain function doctors told them they'd never get back. She also starred in Push, a CBC Gem docu-series about her life and nine other wheelchair users. Simon talks with Bean about that year, why she refuses to call it something she "overcame," and why she thinks the biggest barrier disabled people face isn't physical at all. ABOUT BEAN GILL Bean Gill is a keynote speaker, disability advocate, and co-founder of Ryu Paralysis Recovery Center, an Alberta nonprofit offering activity-based therapy for people with neurologic conditions. She's a wheelchair user and spinal cord injury survivor, and she starred in Push, a two-season CBC Gem docu-series about her life and the lives of nine other wheelchair users. She also runs a disability etiquette workshop through NAIT for health sciences students. Website: callmebean.com Instagram: @branzoid TikTok: @branzoid Watch Push: cbcgem.ca/push 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open: "Nobody is immune from disability" 01:20 What an accessible future looks like to Bean 02:29 Las Vegas, 2012: the ten minutes that changed her life 03:41 Misdiagnosis, the ICU, and learning to talk about it 08:30 Why Bean rejects the "overcoming" narrative 10:00 Founding Ryu Paralysis Recovery Center 12:20 The medical model vs. the social model of disability 18:34 Client stories: the ponytail, the signature, learning to walk again 29:12 Getting cast in Push 41:14 Parting advice, and where to find Bean

4. 

   12 Aug 2026

   Ask, Don't Assume | Para Sport & Allyship with Claire Buchanan

   Claire Buchanan spent eleven seasons on defense for Canada's women's national para ice hockey team, and she now covers the sport as a broadcaster on The Neutral Zone. In this episode she breaks down how the game actually works — two sticks, blades that look like one — why women's para hockey still isn't a Paralympic event, and what it costs the athletes who play for their country out of their own pockets. From there the conversation turns to allyship: what it takes for non-disabled people to be genuinely useful rather than just well-meaning. Claire talks about speaking up in the moment, why constant advocacy wears people down, and how spaces get built with good intentions but without asking disabled people what they actually need. She also shares her advice for the next generation, and what she hopes to leave behind for the women's game. About Claire Buchanan Born with spina bifida, Claire Buchanan has navigated life with a disability, and finding sport gave her not only a sense of community but a sense of belonging. She has competed in wheelchair basketball at the collegiate level with the University of Alabama and was part of the national development program with Wheelchair Basketball Canada. In 2014 she made her first national team with women's para hockey. She represented Canada for 11 seasons and is a 3x World Championships silver medalist. Since 2019 she has been a broadcaster on The Neutral Zone podcast, and recently was part of the 2026 Winter Paralympics broadcast team with CBC. Storytelling and covering sport is a passion of hers, and her goal is to continue to grow para sport coverage. Chapters 00:00 — Welcome 01:43 — Meet Claire: finding para hockey 04:24 — "I almost didn't get on the ice" 06:07 — What para ice hockey actually is 08:46 — Playing defense 11:49 — What an accessible future looks like 13:31 — Living with spina bifida 15:47 — Why it's not at the Paralympics yet 17:36 — Funding: paying to play for Canada 19:05 — Growing the game (and how to help) 21:47 — How para sport gets covered 24:56 — Covering disability: where to start 26:37 — Intentional allyship 29:48 — When good intentions miss 32:17 — Advice for the next generation 36:38 — What she wants to leave behind 38:56 — Breaking the stigma 40:23 — Where to find Claire 41:17 — Wrap-up Connect with Claire Instagram: @clairebuchanan10 TikTok: @canadiangamechanger Podcast:  ⁨@neutralzonepodcast⁩  (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCavuCQwEleWbwYZx2pfNNOw) 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com

5. 

   29 Jul 2026

   The Best Accessibility Lessons — From 10 Experts

   Ten episodes in, we stopped to look back. This one's a highlight reel: producer Jaeden steps out from behind the scenes to co-host for the first time, and he and Simon walk back through the first ten episodes of the Accessible Future Podcast to pull the lessons that stuck. What stood out most was how much the ideas rhyme. These guests never met and never compared notes, and they kept arriving at the same place. Beth Deer describes an accessible future through a kids' movie, where every door is built for every animal and no one is left out. Jenel Shaw makes the case that access already helps everyone, from longer crossing times to the ramp that works just as well for a stroller. There's airlines that damage wheelchairs on roughly one in four flights while building climate-controlled stalls for racehorses. There's the shift from "I'm so sorry" to "congratulations" when a family gets a diagnosis. And running under all of it: the biggest barrier people name isn't a staircase, it's attitude. Coming from the accessible transportation world ourselves, sitting down with advocates, accessibility professionals, and people with lived experience has reset how we see the whole thing. It was never just about a building or a van. In this episode: Why an accessible future is one where nobody has to ask Universal design, and how building for the margins helps everyone The business case: disabled people are already your audience Compliance vs. culture, and why meeting code isn't the finish line "Don't assume, just ask" — the barrier that lives in how we treat each other 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com ⏰Chapters 0:00 — Intro: 10 episodes in 0:59 — An accessible future, built for everyone (Beth) 2:52 — Accessibility already helps everyone (Jenel) 5:48 — Universal design (Jules) 9:07 — The business case for access (Kelly) 12:53 — Compliance vs. culture (Peter) 15:54 — More than a ramp (L'Arche) 18:39 — The airline double standard (Peter) 21:12 — Transportation is like a sidewalk (Paul) 24:06 — Removing transit barriers (Luke) 27:41 — How we think about disability (Jubilee) 29:17 — The biggest barrier is attitude (Jenel) 30:59 — Don't assume, just ask (Jules) 32:56 — From "I'm sorry" to "congratulations" (Jubilee) 34:55 — How strangers react (Chrissy) 37:30 — Understanding and kindness (Beth) 38:58 — Outro: it's all connected, and what's ahead

6. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Making Art Accessible - with Jenel Shaw

   What does it take to make the arts open to d/Deaf and disabled people? Jenel Shaw, executive director of Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba (AANM), joins Simon to explain how her organization is doing it — starting with an accessibility audit that the disability community designed itself. Jenel walks through why AANM skipped the usual panel of doctors, therapists, and architects and asked disabled artists and audiences what they actually needed. The result is a 174-point audit that covers the whole venue experience, from the parking lot to backstage, published in a free public database so patrons can check a space before they go. She also gets into the anti-ableism workshop that grew out of the audits, the move to audit digital access — including the five-minute ticket timer that locks people out — and why knowing how a venue isn't accessible matters more than being told that it is. It's a practical, clear-eyed conversation about treating disabled people as the experts on their own access, and what changes once you do. 👋Guest Info Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba: https://aanm.ca Free accessibility audit database: https://aanm.ca/accessibility-audit-database/ Anti-ableism workshop for the arts: https://aanm.ca/anti-ableism-workshop-for-the-arts/ "Disability Gains" — AANM's forthcoming book featuring 34 d/Deaf and disabled writers Current Exhibit: https://aanm.ca/exhibitions/ Contact AANM: info@aanm.ca · 204-336-2366 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com ⏰Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:22 Meet Jenel Shaw & finding her community at AANM 03:10 What Arts AccessAbility Network Manitoba does 05:18 What an accessible future looks like 06:16 Why disabled people are the real experts on access 07:36 Inside the 174-point accessibility audit 10:52 The biggest barrier, and why transparency matters 14:42 Winning the Manitoba Accessibility Award & the gallery 16:46 Taking the audit digital 18:20 Who gets left out — and creative fixes 21:40 Where organizations should start 23:25 Why accessibility helps everyone 25:36 Inside the anti-ableism workshop 29:56 Beyond the arts, and one thing to start today 32:43 Where the work goes next & where to find AANM 34:59 Outro #AccessibleFuturePodcast #Accessibility #DisabilityCommunity #DisabilityRights #Inclusion #BarrierFree #DisabilityArts #AccessibleArts #Winnipeg #Manitoba

7. 

   2 Jul 2026

   Ableism at Work - With Julie "Jules" Emeid

   Julie “Jules” Emeid has a diploma, an honours degree, and a master's in progress, and she still gets read as a twenty-year-old who "doesn't know anything" the moment she walks into an interview. On this episode, she breaks down what ableism at work actually looks like: the hiring bias that sits in the gap between a strong résumé and the room, the assumptions people make about disabled workers, and why so much of it goes unnoticed by the people doing it.Jules is a social worker and public speaker whose master's research focuses on ableism in the workplace. She's also funny on purpose. Humor is how she gets people to relax and actually listen. We get into the school system that tracked her into the lowest classes, the difference between visible and invisible disability, why "anyone can be disabled" should change how we design things, and the one rule she'd give every employer: don't assume, just ask.What we cover* Why Jules uses humor to disarm the awkwardness around disability* Being placed in "essential" classes in high school, and the road to a master's* Ableism in hiring: qualified on paper, judged in the room* Visible vs. invisible disability, and the double standard each carries* Why accessible design helps everyone, not only disabled people* Her rule for getting it right: don't assume, just ask👋 Guest - Julie “Jules” Emeid* Podcast: youtube.com/@rollwithit_withjules* TikTok: tiktok.com/@rollwithit_withjules* LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julie-emeid-679b8a190/🔗 Follow Accessible Future PodcastYouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFutureInstagram: instagram.com/accessible_futureFacebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-futureEmail: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com About the Accessible Future Podcast The Accessible Future Podcast brings real conversations about disability, inclusion, and accessible design, centering the voices of people with lived experience and the people working to remove barriers. Subscribe so you don't miss an episode.

8. 

   17 Jun 2026

   Reframing Transportation Barriers - Accessible Transportation with Paul Siller

   What if the biggest barrier to healthcare isn't the clinic, but getting there? For more than two decades, Paul Siller has run the Rocky View Regional Handibus Society, a rural charity that gets people to the appointments, groceries, and everyday places they can't reach on their own. In this episode of the Accessible Future Podcast, Paul and host Simon Jones reframe what accessible transportation actually means: why Paul stopped using the word "handicap," how a single bus can serve three towns in one run, and why he calls transportation a foundation of health that almost no one budgets for. It's a grounded look at the systems behind disability, inclusion, and barrier-free communities in rural Alberta, and the people left stranded when the ride isn't there. In this episode: Why "transportation barriers" works better than "disability," and what shifted when the language changed How one bus covers 4,500 square kilometres and 600,000 km a year on about a third of a city's budget The rural access gap: ten communities around Calgary, zero hospitals What happens to someone's independence when the ride disappears Making councils care, using a story instead of a statistic 🔗 Learn more about the Rocky View Regional Handibus Society, including how to support or volunteer: https://www.rockyviewbus.ca (https://www.rockyviewbus.ca/) 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture (http://youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture) Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future (http://instagram.com/accessible_future) Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 (http://facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future (http://linkedin.com/company/accessible-future) Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters 0:00 Welcome to the Accessible Future Podcast 1:18 Inside the Rocky View Handibus Society 5:59 What an Accessible Future Looks Like 9:20 When the Rules Ignore Accessibility 13:02 Dropping the Word "Handicap" 16:59 Barriers, Not Disability 21:17 Transportation Is a Foundation of Health 23:06 Telling the Story to Make Councils Care 25:16 What Paul Wishes People Understood 27:37 Thank You to the Drivers #AccessibleFuture #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #BarrierFree #AccessibleTransportation #DisabilityRights #InclusiveCommunities #RuralTransit #DisabilityCommunity

9. 

   3 Jun 2026

   Accessibility is Personal - Kelly Thibodeau on Inclusive Design

   Kelly Thibodeau builds her work around one idea: accessibility is personal. The founder of Squarely Accessible joins Simon to talk about what inclusive design actually means online, and why so much of it comes down to a single choice, including people on purpose, or excluding them by accident. Kelly shares the story of watching her mom's world shrink as technology moved on without her, the business case most organizations overlook, and where to start when accessibility feels too big to tackle. IN THIS EPISODE Why Kelly says accessibility is personal, and the story behind Squarely Accessible What an accessible future looks like when everyone can do the everyday things — applying for a job, filing taxes, catching up with friends The difference between being intentionally included and accidentally excluded Why 80% of disabilities are invisible, and what that means for the content we publish The numbers brands miss: 1.3 billion people worldwide, and the customers lost to barriers "Do you want it, or do you need it?" — moving past compliance to actually caring Small starts, why there's no such thing as "100% done," and how to begin anyway Masking at work, and building workplaces where people don't have to hide who they are "Nothing about us without us": working with disabled people, not just for them 👋 Guest - Kelly Thibodeau, Squarely Accessible Website: squarelyaccessible.com (http://squarelyaccessible.com) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kthibodeau (http://linkedin.com/in/kthibodeau) Level It Up: levelitupmb.ca (http://levelitupmb.ca) 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture (http://youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture) Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future (http://instagram.com/accessible_future) Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 (http://facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future (http://linkedin.com/company/accessible-future) Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters0:00 Intro1:28 What an accessible future looks like4:07 Her mom, and why accessibility is personal8:10 Inside Squarely Accessible12:03 Want it vs. need it: beyond compliance17:48 Training, invisible disabilities & the business case24:25 Neuroinclusion, autism employment & a final word32:33 Wrap-up

10. 

    20 May 2026

    Growing Up a Young Caregiver, Now Fighting for Change - With Chrissy Sadowski

    Chrissy Sadowski spent years caring for her mother, who has MS, without anyone calling it caregiving. She was a teenager seeking help who was told no. She was a young adult who grew up in a house full of unknowns and ambulance visits and learned to move on. It wasn't until she was 38 years old, sitting in a room with the Young Caregivers Association, that it clicked. She had been a young caregiver the whole time. Now Chrissy works for the YCA. Canada's only dedicated young caregiver organization and she's using everything she lived through to build the support system that didn't exist when she needed it. She's also living with MS herself, navigating a condition that was invisible for 15 years before her right leg started to change. In this episode, Chrissy talks about what it actually means to be a young caregiver, including why a five-year-old reading to their sibling so a parent can shower counts, and what the healthcare system keeps getting wrong. She shares the story of her son Darius going missing last summer, how first responders initially responded, and how that incident turned into police training and a vulnerable persons registry coming to Niagara Region. She also talks about group home wait lists, the gap in respite care, and what she'd say to every parent, educator, and healthcare professional who still doesn't know this population exists. 👋 Guest - Chrissy Sadowski Instagram - instagram.com/freshprincesschris/ (http://instagram.com/freshprincesschris/) YCA - youngcaregivers.ca (http://youngcaregivers.ca) 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture (http://youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture) Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future (http://instagram.com/accessible_future) Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 (http://facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future (http://linkedin.com/company/accessible-future) Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters 0:00  Intro 1:29  What is the Young Caregivers Association? 11:01  What does an accessible future look like? 14:29  Growing up a young caregiver — without knowing it 19:07  Living with MS — from invisible to mobility aid 22:03  How disability changes the way the world treats you 27:13  Sharing the reality of MS on social media 30:04  Advocating for people with intellectual disabilities 33:03  Darius goes missing — and a registry gets built 37:12  One thing every listener should understand 39:15  Where to find Chrissy and YCA 40:33  Simon's closing thoughts

11. 

    6 May 2026

    Blindness Is a Spectrum. Ignorance Isn't - with Beth Deer

    Beth Deer is a reporter and podcast host for AMI, Canada's accessible media broadcaster, and shares life as a blind person with her followers under @the_blind_girlie. She was born with optic nerve hypoplasia and lost the functional vision she grew up with at 13 following a surgery that went wrong. In this episode: her Zootopia theory of what an accessible world actually looks like, the difference between navigating with a white cane versus a guide dog, the story of her guide dogs, and why the kindness of strangers is both the biggest barrier and the best thing about being blind. 👉 In This Episode •  What optic nerve hypoplasia actually is, and why Beth's level of vision confused specialists for years • The surgery at 13 that changed everything • Her Zootopia theory of accessibility: what a world looks like when it's built for everyone from the start • The difference between travelling with a white cane and a guide dog, and what that gap reveals about how society sees disability • Patronus: the guide dog who loved crowds, hated fetch, and whose illness brought vets across North America together rooting for him • The 18 months without a guide dog. What independence actually means for day-to-day life and mental health • Parenting while blind: What's genuinely hard, and what isn't • Why the biggest barrier in Beth's life isn't a broken curb or a missing ramp 👋 Guest - Beth Deer Instagram: instagram.com/the_blind_girlie (http://instagram.com/the_blind_girlie)TikTok: tiktok.com/@the_blind_girlie (http://tiktok.com/@the_blind_girlie) AMI Reflections Podcast: https://www.amiplus.ca/Reflections (https://www.amiplus.ca/Reflections) 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture (http://youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture) Instagram: instagram.com/accessible_future (http://instagram.com/accessible_future) Facebook: facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 (http://facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685) LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future (http://linkedin.com/company/accessible-future) Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters 0:00   Introduction 0:56   Beth's Background — From England to Canada 3:34   Losing Her Sight — Optic Nerve Hypoplasia 8:20   What an Accessible Future Looks Like 10:43  What a Guide Dog Actually Does 15:54  What People Get Wrong About Blindness 18:28  Patronus, Churro, and the Guide Dog Journey 31:07  How Society Views Disability 33:25  Parenting While Blind 35:59  One Thing Every Listener Should Know 36:55  Outro

12. 

    22 Apr 2026

    Transit is Accessibility: The Missing Link with Luke Mellor

    Most conversations about accessibility focus on ramps, apps, and adaptive features. Luke Mellor thinks there’s a missing link. If transit itself doesn't show up when you need it, or doesn't go where you need to go, none of the rest of it matters. Luke works at Pantonium, a Canadian company that builds on-demand transit software rooted in the paratransit space. In this episode, he breaks down why technology can be a barrier just as easily as it can be a solution, how a near-empty Belleville night bus became one of Ontario's first successful on-demand transit deployments, and what transit poverty looks like in both urban cores and remote Indigenous communities. He also makes a case that most on-demand transit pilots fail not because the technology doesn't work, but because transit agencies don't go big enough to find out. 👉 In This Episode • Why adding technology to transit automatically creates new barriers. And what Pantonium does about it • The 'perfect app' problem: how a flawlessly accessible app can still fail the person using it • The Belleville story: a night bus nobody rode, 300-400 stops made available on demand, and a 300% ridership jump • What transport poverty looks like when you map income data over a transit network • How Indigenous communities across Canada are navigating the chicken-and-egg of transit access and economic opportunity •  The dialysis case: why reliable transit is, for some people, a matter of life and death • What Luke would tell a room full of transit directors today 👋 Guest Luke Mellor - Pantonium Reach out at www.pantonium.com 🔗 Follow Accessible Future Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AccessibleFuture Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/accessible_future/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Accessible-Future/61586380868685 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessible-future/ Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com If you found value in this episode, please subscribe and leave a rating on your platform. It helps more people find the show. ⏰Chapters 0:00 Cold Open 0:12 Intro 1:45 Luke's Background 3:10 What is Pantonium? 5:20 Accessible Future Philosophy 9:00 Removing Barriers in Practice 13:30 Fleet & Vehicle Accessibility 17:00 Right-Sizing for Communities 21:30 What is Macro Transit? 26:00 The Belleville Story 31:30 Transport Poverty 36:00 Indigenous Communities & Transit 42:30 Connectivity in Remote Communities 45:00 The ROI of Transit Investment 52:30 Message to Transit Directors 55:30 How to Reach Pantonium 56:00 Outro

13. 

    8 Apr 2026

    Congratulations, Not Condolences - Celebrating Down Syndrome with Jubilee Dueck-Thiessen

    Jubilee Dueck-Thiessen is the Executive Director of the Manitoba Down Syndrome Society. She started with MDSS as a student, spent years at L'Arche Winnipeg leading community programs and a major accessibility-focused art exhibit, and has now returned to MDSS to lead the organization. In this episode, she makes a case for seeing disability not through a medical lens, asking what's wrong and how to fix it, but through a social one: asking what barriers society has built, and how we start tearing them down. From reframing Down syndrome diagnoses as something to celebrate rather than apologize for, to questioning whether our standards of independence and productivity were ever designed for everyone, Jubilee brings a perspective on disability rights and inclusive community that's worth sitting with. Connect With Manitoba Down Syndrome Society: Website: https://manitobadownsyndromesociety.com (https://manitobadownsyndromesociety.com) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManitobaDownSyndromeSociety/ Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbdownsyndrome (https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbdownsyndrome) LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbdownsyndrome (https://www.linkedin.com/company/mbdownsyndrome) Connect With Us Facebook: facebook.com/accessiblefuture Instagram: instagram.com/accessiblefuture Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future/ Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com Chapters: 00:00 — Introduction 01:21 — Meet Jubilee Dueck-Thiessen 03:21 — From university volunteer to Executive Director 05:19 — What MDSS does and who it serves 07:24 — The accessible future: barriers we need to remove 07:38 — Medical model vs. social model of disability 10:26 — Why the productivity mindset hurts everyone 11:19 — What to say when a family gets a Down syndrome diagnosis 12:40 — The Eden Project: an accessible art exhibit at L'Arche 17:11 — Barriers to accessing nature 18:57 — Mutual care: moving from one-way to community support 21:00 — The L'Arche model and how it shaped Jubilee's work 22:29 — The cliff: what happens when young adults leave the school system 23:45 — Why disability organizations are being asked to do more with less 26:08 — How government and agencies can better align 26:43 — Burnout in the nonprofit sector and leading as a neurodivergent person 30:12 — Wrap up

14. 

    25 Mar 2026

    Barrier Free Living: Building an Inclusive Community with L'arche Winnipeg

    In todays episode of Accessible Future, host Simon Jones sits down with three members of L'Arche Winnipeg, Grace, Mira, and Jordan, to talk about what barrier free living actually looks like when it goes beyond ramps and wheelchair access. L'Arche is built on the idea that people with and without intellectual disabilities can live together, share a home, and grow from one another. Not as a program, but as a way of life. The conversation gets into the family model, the Community Circle day program, interdependence over independence, and why accessible relationships matter just as much as accessible spaces to the disability community. Plus the Walk with L'Arche is coming up May 3rd, and they'll tell you everything you need to know. “An accessible future isn’t just about accessible spaces. It’s about accessible relationships.” - Mira, L’Arche Winnipeg Guest Links • Website: https://www.larchewinnipeg.org • Walk with L’Arche:  https://www.larchewinnipeg.org/get-involved/the-walk/register-for-the-walk-with-larche/ • Jordan 411 Sports Show: https://www.youtube.com/@jordan411sports2 Connect With Us • Facebook: facebook.com/accessiblefuture • Instagram: instagram.com/accessiblefuture • Linkedin: linkedin.com/company/accessible-future/ • Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com Chapters 0:00 Intro 1:23 Meet the Guests: Jordan, Grace & Mira 4:19 What Does an Accessible Future Look Like? 7:29 The Community Circle Program 11:23 Life at L’Arche: Jordan’s Perspective 12:29 The Family Model & Mutual Relationships 17:15 Living In, Grace’s Year Inside L’Arche 19:21 Interdependence vs Independence 23:23 What Does Belonging Really Mean? 25:00 The Walk with L’Arche — May 3rd 31:15 Final Reflections: What Would You Pass On? 35:18 Outro

15. 

    11 Mar 2026

    Assume We’re Coming: Accessible Design with Peter Tonge

    What does a wheelchair fencer, criminal defence lawyer, datascientist, and accessibility auditor have in common? They're all Peter Tonge, and he's here to challenge how organizations think about disability inclusion. In this episode, host Simon Jones sits down with Peter Tongeof Peter Tonge Consulting to explore what accessibility really means beyond the building code. Peter has been a wheelchair user since age four, worked as a data scientist at Statistics Canada, and earned his law degree at the University of Manitoba — all of which informs his uniquely practical approach to accessibility advocacy. They cover why airlines damage wheelchairs on 25% of flightsyet somehow manage to transport racehorses safely, the real difference between legal compliance and cultural inclusion, how to make your website accessible for screen reader users, and what it actually takes to shift an organization's accessibility culture from checkbox to genuine commitment. "An accessible future means assuming we're coming —not treating disability as an afterthought." Guest Links Peter Tonge Consulting: petertongeconsulting.com (https://petertongeconsulting.com) Talking Rotary Podcast: talkingrotary.buzzsprout.com (https://talkingrotary.buzzsprout.com/1215122) Connect With Us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HWP4o1yXo/?mibextid=wwXIfr (https://www.facebook.com/share/1HWP4o1yXo/?mibextid=wwXIfr) Instagram: instagram.com/accessiblefuture⁠ Email: accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com (mailto:accessiblefuturepod@gmail.com) Chapters: 00:00 Cold Open - Wheelchair Damage at 30,000 Feet 00:30 Welcome & Introduction to Peter Tonge 02:45 Wheelchair Rugby, Fencing & Sailing — Life Outside of Work 07:02 Growing Up as a Wheelchair User Since Age 4 10:09 From Statistics Canada to Law School 12:29 What Does an Accessible Future Look Like? 14:16 Airlines Transport Racehorses Safely — But Not My Wheelchair 20:48 Inside Peter Tonge Consulting 25:04 Gaps vs. Barriers — A Critical Distinction 35:22 Simon's Takeaways & Preview of the next Episode

16. 

    5 Mar 2026

    Welcome To The Accessible Future

    1.3 billion people are excluded by a world that isn’t designed for them. Dismantling the barriers 1 in 6 people face is no easy task - but it starts with education. In this trailer, host Simon Jones introduces a brand-new journey into the world of accessibility. By day, Simon works at MoveMobility, building wheelchair-accessible vehicles in Canada. Through his work, he has realized that while physical mobility is vital, there is a much broader world of accessibility to explore. From digital design to workplace culture and beyond. Stepping into the role of a student, Simon invites you to learn alongside him as he sits down with global experts to discover how we can build a more inclusive world. What’s Coming Get a sneak peek at upcoming conversations, including: Accessibility Audits: Insights on how businesses can make their physical spaces and websites more inclusive. Inclusive Cultures: How organizations can shift their daily operations to make accessibility a "matter of course". Shifting Perspectives: A conversation with the Manitoba Down Syndrome Society on how barriers are often rooted in how we value people rather than just physical obstacles. Accessible Tech: Exploring on-demand transit and the importance of keeping software applications simple and compatible with assistive tools. Join the Conversation - We want to hear from you! What does an accessible future look like to you, and what barriers need to be removed to reach it? Subscribe now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you get your favourite shows to catch our first full episode next week. New conversations will be released every two weeks after that. Let’s build an accessible future - together.

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.