Babysitting can be a very important marker in many teenager’s lives, teaching valuable skills and a sense of responsibility. For teens who are blind or partially sighted, this is no different, and can carry with it the added feeling of trust and confidence in their own abilities. This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Jill and Nika to discuss their own experiences and the importance babysitting can be for building confidence and skill sets.

It’s a very special episode this week as Limitless celebrates International Women’s Day, a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. Jinnie takes over hosting duties and talks with Shawn and Director of Operations for Blind Beginnings Lia Dicicco about their own professional journeys into the nonprofit sector, what it’s like to lead as women, some of the challenges that still exist in the workforce, finding a home/work balance, and much more.

The Paralympics are right around the corner, which means that Paralympic fever is beginning to build here at the podcast! Shawn and co-hosts Nika and Ishita welcome Courtney Knight, a 4-time Paralympian (1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2010 Vancouver) who competed in not only the Summer Paralympic Games, but the Winter as well! They discuss the process of becoming a Paralympian, what training was like and the kind of sacrifices that she had to make in order to compete.

This week Shawn and co-host Jinnie welcome Rob Sleath, chair of Access for Sight-Impaired Consumers group (ASIC) and member of the User Advisory Committee for Translink to the show. They talk about Translink's new initiative to bring accessible signage to bus stops all around the Lower Mainland as well as the importance of having properly trained bus drivers that understand the experience of navigating the transit system as riders who are blind or partially sighted and other advocacy projects that Rob is involved in.

It’s the second part in our conversation all about what it’s like to date when you are blind or partially sighted. This time around Shawn welcomes Grant and Richard to the podcast in order to get the male perspective on dating and have an open and frank discussion on everything from attraction to how to stay safe during the early stages of dating. Due to the mature subject matter on this week’s episode, listener discretion for younger listeners is advised. 

This week we go international as Shawn and co-host Keisha welcome Italian foreign exchange student Sara to the show to talk about what it’s like to travel and live in a different country when you are blind or partially sighted, discussing everything from navigating cultural differences to overcoming their own fears and misgivings. From insects to toilets to insects inside toilets, this episode has it all!

This week Shawn welcomes Karen from CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access) and Pikora from NNELS (National Network for Equitable Library Service) to the podcast to talk about their respective organizations, the services they provide, and how people who require materials in alternate formats can access them.

The beginning of a new year also means the start of a new semester at Universities all over the country, and this week Shawn welcomes Jinnie back to the show to discuss what campus life is like as a student who is blind. They discuss the resources that are in place for students with disabilities, the accommodations and adaptations that can also help, and give us an idea of what the process is like to navigate for those youth that will be looking to attend post secondary in the near future.

January 4th was Louis Braille’s birthday and also World Braille Day, with the entire month of January being devoted to recognizing the importance of braille literacy with Braille Literacy Awareness Month. In honor of that, this week Shawn is joined by co-host Nika and special guest Maria, who is a parent to a 9 year old braille reader, to once again talk about braille and its importance, as well as taking a look at some surprising places that braille is starting to turn up.

In last week’s episode we talked with Lily about her experience going to school at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind in Ontario. This week Shawn welcomes co-hosts Clement, Nika, and Ishita for a roundtable discussion about the pros and cons of integrated and segregated education systems, and how the experiences can impact the students within each.

For students in BC, integration into the mainstream school system is commonplace, with the last school for the blind closing its doors years ago. So just what is it like going to school for the blind? This week we try to answer that question as Shawn and co-host Clement welcome Lily to the show, who attended the W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind in Ontario.

This week on Limitless we’re hitting the gym as Shawn and co-host John welcomes Jessica Bailey to the podcast! Jessica is Miss World British Columbia 2021, Miss Supranational Canada 2021, and a personal trainer who has also started an initiative to make visits to the gym more accessible for the blind and partially sighted community. 

Moving out on your own for the very first time can be one of the most exhilarating and at the same time terrifying experiences of anyone’s life. But what is it like for youth who are blind or partially sighted? This week Shawn is joined by co-hosts Nika, Ella, Jill, and Randi for a round table discussion of what the experience is like and some advice for those that might be looking to move out on their own for the first time. 

Quite often children and youth who are blind or partially sighted can feel isolated and not know any other peers that might share their condition. This week Shawn welcomes back co-hosts Nika, John, and Kolby to discuss the importance of meeting peers that are blind or partially sighted for the first time and the impact that it can have, as well as many of their own personal experiences.

This week Shawn and co-hosts Ishita and Nika sit down and talk to Lynn Langille, long time Vision Teacher and coordinator for the Children’s Low Vision Project of BC. They discuss the Project and its mandate to provide comprehensive low vision assessment to school-age children all over the province, how COVID impacted it, and plans for the coming year. 

Backcountry skiing is a type of ski excursion that involves being guided through areas that are more remote than conventional ski tours and has been growing in popularity in the past few years. This week Shawn and co-host Kiesha welcome Tyson Rettie, founder of Braille Mountain Initiative, a new non-profit organization that aims to inspire those that are blind and partially sighted to get involved in Backcountry Mountain Sports. 

Getting a guide dog is a significant event in any individual’s life, signaling a new independence and new host of mobility options. But the process itself can be more involved and complicated than you may think. This week Shawn is joined by Jinnie, who very recently went through this process in order to get her new guide dog, to talk about each part in detail and shed some light on what the experience is like. 

Fireworks have been a traditional form of celebration and entertainment all around the world for centuries, but have you ever considered how you might describe a firework display to a person who is blind or partially sighted? Shawn welcomes Colin van Uchelen to the show this week to talk about that very topic, along with his accessible exhibition about pyrotechnical arts called “Project Fire Flower”. Colin and Shawn discuss how and why he came up with the idea of creating an accessible art project like this and talk about what is in store for people who attend the show.