What's the Difference Podcast

04/17/2023

You can check out our brand new episode via the following links:

https://youtu.be/Lh57lIxTofE

https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/HL5mXm8J3yb

https://open.spotify.com/show/5rPipc20I8WlUeD66E91V5

Share your thoughts on this brand new episode below ⬇️⬇️⬇️

Thanks for listening!!

In this first episode of season three, Jackie and her new Tru Faces co-hosts Emilee Schevers, Jess Eaton and Jenna Kedy discuss the issues with segregated sp...

04/16/2023

We are back, tomorrow at 12 p.m. Eastern time!!!

Tune in to our first episode of the third season, "Integrated Sports for People with Disabilities". In this episode, we hear from (Jackie) and her new co-hosts and who weigh the pros and cons of inclusive versus integrated sports, and share their recreational experience as individuals with a mix of congenital and acquired disabilities (LINK TO THE EPISODE IS IN BIO).

We're still based on .fm which is now part of but you should be able to hear us wherever you get your podcasts! We'll also be posting the episode to our YouTube channel within the next 1-2 weeks.

Thanks to for partnering with us this season!

ID: Split screen image. On the left is Emilee playing goalball and on the right is Jenna taking part in cheerleading. The text "integrated sports for people with disabilities" is in the middle, with the Tru Faces and What's the Difference Podcast logo on the bottom right corner.

03/14/2023

WE'RE COMING BACK, BABY!!!

What's the Difference Podcast is very excited to announce Season 3 is finally happening!! And it's going to be bigger and better than ever!

This season, we are supported by our friends at Tru Faces] to bring you content from diverse voices all across Canada. Our aim remains the same - promoting advocacy, smashing stigmas and putting an end to ableism in mainstream culture.

We are so happy to have Tru Faces] on board with us as we work towards a common goal. Expect new topics, new co-hosts including the amazing and a wider variety of experiences from persons with all disabilities.

We start recording in just a few days, so stay tuned for more announcements in the coming weeks!

03/14/2023

Hey y'all .... we are alive, and about to hit you with a big announcement ...

Stay tuned!

06/08/2022

THIS.

Literally all I have to say right now....

Take time out of your day to watch this. If you're disabled, you can most likely relate. If you're fully able-bodied, think about little things you can do in your daily life to make the world a friendlier place for those of us still in isolation.

- Jackie

What problems has the pandemic unearthed among disabled communities? Could long-Covid become a mass-disabling event?Are you a business looking to work with T...

05/28/2022

Oh hello there!!

I've been super quiet on social media lately. I rarely post to Facebook anymore and I seem to only do mindless scrolling on Instagram these days and not much else. Truth is, things are good. Like, really good right now. 2022 has no doubt been a challenging year so far, but it's also brought a ton of happiness that I didn't expect. I look forward to sharing more Toronto adventures in the coming months.

Also, in case you were wondering, has taken a back seat for now. Between my day job, chasing after a 15-month-old, my two other volunteer jobs and additional family commitments, it has been impossible to film and put out new episodes. However, I'm planning on stepping back from one of my volunteer jobs in the fall which hopefully will allow me to get back into podcasting with my amazingly talented co-host (as you may have noticed, we haven't posted on our podcast Instagram in months but plan on doing so as soon as we have new episodes).

I know it's been a really rough spring for so many of my friends. Please know I am always here to support you no matter what is going on in your life. Don't hesitate to reach out at any time - I'm not exactly a trained therapist but as someone who still struggles daily with anxiety and OCD, I can empathize and sympathize. Sending big hugs to everyone who needs them right now ❤️



Reposted from

02/09/2022

It's White Cane Week! For our new followers, you may not know that our co-host Sarah Patel lives with - a condition that causes severe vision loss at birth or early in childhood.

As part of advocating for public funding for Luxturna - a gene replacement therapy for LCA that is not yet publicly funded across Canada - Sarah's story is featured in this month's enews edition from . Here you can learn more about Sarah's story and add your name to the list of thousands asking for Luxturna to be approved. You'll find the link in our bio!

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: A woman wearing a long-sleeved long blue dress, a grey headscarf and sunglasses sits on rocks at the edge of a riverbank. There are trees on the opposite side of the riverbank.

02/08/2022

It's CHD Awareness Week!

Congenital heart disease is one of the most common diagnoses for babies, impacting approximately 1 in 100. Our own was born with a rare version of one of the most common defects, tetralogy of Fallot. This photo, taken immediately after Jackie was born, was given to her mom around the same time of her diagnosis. In 1984, the prognosis was not good - Jackie had a 10 per cent chance of surviving her first night.

While Jackie clearly blew those odds right out of the water and is thriving 37 years and four months later, there were many others at the time who didn't survive. Even for survivors like Jackie, lifespans for those with CHD are generally shorter than average.

With this in mind, it's important to continue to support research into congenital heart defects so no parent ever has to hear those terrifying odds that Jackie's did. Most children born with various CHDs do extremely well these days, but it's still trauma that no child ever needs to experience.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Jackie as a newborn baby lying in an incubator. She is sleeping, facing the camera with leads on her chest.

02/04/2022

REPOST FROM

"February is Heart Month, a time to reflect on the importance of our cardiovascular health and to learn ways we can manage our risks and prevent heart disease. This has extra meaning for those who, like me, were born with a congenital heart defect. Only a decade before I was born, babies with CHD generally did not survive. Since my birth in the mid 1980s, medical technologies in the cardiovascular field have progressed to the point where babies born today can lead completely healthy lives.

I have tetralogy of Fallot with absent pulmonary valve which has been corrected, but I am not cured. I have undergone three operations and numerous outpatient procedures to keep my health stable. While I was previously told I would need surgery every 10-15 years for the rest of my life, newer, more efficient surgical interventions means I may not need as many operations as doctors originally thought."

By:
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Photo description: a picture of Jackie and Hannah smiling.
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01/29/2022

So we've been quiet ....

I know, we start EVERY post that way, don't we? But this time we've been REALLY quiet.

Truth is, we haven't filmed an episode since June. Not because we don't want to, but life has been busy. has gone back to work at and has a lot of exciting things happening in her life. Plus, you know, there's still a pandemicky thing going on. At this point, we're all suffering from COVID fatigue and a lot of Zoom fatigue as well. And a couple of times in the fall we DID try to film an episode and our WiFi connection was just so bad that we had to scrap the recording.

But we're not done. At least not yet!

We don't have an exact date for our return. We have to see how things play out over the next few weeks and months and what our schedules are like.

But guaranteed we will never stop advocating for individuals with disabilities nor will we ever stop telling those stories that need to be heard.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Text reading "hiatus, anyone?" on a purplish-blue background.

12/10/2021

FROM OUR COHOST

Please help me get access to this treatment.

On November 25, provincial governments across Canada agreed upon moving forward to try to negotiate access to Luxturna.
 
Its taken a year to get this far after it was approved by Health Canada in October 2020.  We must expedite the negotiations to provide access to Luxturna as quickly as possible.
 
Luxturna is the first treatment approved by Health Canada that restores sight for an inherited retinal disease (IRD).  We are tracking over 70 more clinical trials that hold the promise of future treatments.  We must set the precedent of access to Luxturna to clear the way for these future treatments being available, and accessible, to all Canadians.

Please send email via www.ApproveLuxturna.ca with the new message – expedite the negotiations.



IMAGE DESCRIPTION: Photo of Sarah with a banner reading "breaking news" above her head. Text below reads "please help me get this treatment."

-canadian