Elizabeth Mohler is a triathlete, scholar, and accessibility consultant who will get you excited about life! Jennie gets to know this dynamic guest, as they dive into race stories, discuss therapeutic trampolines and hot air balloons, and hear how Elizabeth swallowed half of Lake Ontario.
Elizabeth Mohler is a triathlete, scholar, and accessibility consultant who will get you excited about life! Jennie gets to know this dynamic guest, as they dive into race stories, discuss therapeutic trampolines and hot air balloons, and hear how Elizabeth swallowed half of Lake Ontario.
Highlights:
Guest Bio -
Elizabeth Mohler is a triathlete, scholar, and contributor to AMI. She’s an accessibility professional with the voice of an angel and an infectious zest for life.
Guest Description - Elizabeth has shoulder length light brown hair. She wears a crisp white t-shirt with matching jade coloured beaded necklace and earrings. She is seated with a window to the right and shelves to the left, lined with texts and medals.
Elizabeth Mohler's Website- https://elizabethmohler.ca/
Elizabeth Mohler:
It's like the apocalypse. I know it's going to happen, I just don't really know when. That's what I say.
Jennie Bovard:
When you're good and ready. Yeah.
Elizabeth Mohler:
When it's done, it'll be done.
Jennie Bovard:
Welcome, welcome to Low Vision Moments. It's the podcast all about those, sometimes frustrating, potentially embarrassing, but often pretty comical things that happen when you are just going about your day with visual impairment, blindness and, in my case, albinism. I'm your host, I'm Jennie Bovard, and I am delighted, absolutely delighted to have Elizabeth Moore here as my guest today. She's based in Ontario. She's a triathlete and a scholar who loves coffee, me too, and singing. She has the voice of an angel, let me tell you people. If you listen to the podcast, you know that I kind of have the voice of a sailor or a pirate or something. She has the voice of an angel. She is also an accessibility consultant. And I cannot wait to pick your brain, Elizabeth, welcome to Low Vision Moments.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Thank you so much. I am thrilled to be here and I'll try not to sing my responses this morning.
Jennie Bovard:
I would be down with that. I think that would be totally fine. Just don't expect me to reciprocate.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Okay.
Jennie Bovard:
Nobody wants that. I am again, so excited that you're here because, firstly, we've crossed paths a little bit in the AMI universe. You are a contributor regularly for Now with Dave Brown, as am I, and we've crossed paths there a little bit. So I have got little glimpses into who you are. But what really made me want to talk to you and have you on the podcast was a recent social media post, and we'll get into that in just a second. But I need to ask you a question right off the top here. I recently just this past long weekend in Nova Scotia, we call it Natal Day, and on that long weekend, on the Monday, I got to participate in a really cool six-mile road race. That's like a little over nine kilometers, is that right?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yeah. Nice. Congrats.
Jennie Bovard:
Thank you so much. It was my first time at this particular event. It was so well organized. They were so good at answering my questions about access ahead of time to make sure I felt prepared and everything. I want to say thank you, shout out to all the people who I followed secretly to avoid potholes and getting lost along the way. Volunteers were awesome, super visible, super helpful with instructions.
But I want to ask you, does this often happen to you where you go to a sporting event... And I mentioned the road race because they're so crowded. It's like a sea of people, especially at the finish line when you're done. Just to navigate your way to the water or to your finisher medal is hard enough. I don't know if this happens to you, but I often go to an event and then in the days that follow I get texts or messages from people or I see that they were there too. And I'm like, wait a minute, you were there too. And we did not cross paths. And they're like, oh yeah, I was cheering for you at the finish line and I am none the wiser.
And this particular one, there were like five people who after the fact said, hey, I was there and I was looking for you. We didn't have a plan to find each other afterwards, so that's always helpful. But this is not the first time. This happened at the recent All Access Comedy show where a bunch of my blind and visually impaired friends and friends in the disability community were in attendance. And I only found out afterward, even though we were all in the lobby, we were all in the same area, I only find out afterward that they were all there. So there's a sense of guilt and then a sense of let's do better next time. Does this happen to you and do you have any tips?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Oh my goodness, yes. So I find, we'll get into this, but I do triathlons and they are a multitude of mess at the end. There are people swarming the bananas, there are people at the water, the medals. And for me, the screaming at the end as I'm running in is unbelievable. And people will comment on Strava because I upload my runs and stuff to Strava, they'll be like, I saw you. I was cheering. I took some pictures. And I'll be like, oh my gosh, I didn't see you. Or I'll try to meet up with someone and I'll be like, oh my goodness, I didn't even know you were there.
One thing that I have started to do is, if I know that someone's going to be there in advance, to find a place that's kind of off to the side to meet up. So one of my triathlons what we'll do is we'll meet up sort of by the food tent and we'll find a space to just meet up. But I find honestly for me, that finish line experience that you've mentioned, getting that medal so invigorating. You could be running in 40 degrees, you could be running in pouring rain-
Jennie Bovard:
Done i.t.
Elizabeth Mohler:
... you're wondering about life choices at the moment-
Jennie Bovard:
This is what I do for fun.
Elizabeth Mohler:
And then you get the medal. And so I think for me, yeah, it's hard too because I think it's really about the fact people can see us but we can't always see them. So it's a really interesting piece around just like, oh, I didn't even know that you were there and that's so cool. And then I find I get really excited if I recognize a voice or somebody will say like, hey, it's Trina from church. I'll be like, ah, I didn't even know that you were here. And then I'll give them a big hug.
So I have a funny... Speaking of the AMI universe. I was doing, we have in Toronto, where I'm based, the Santa Claus Parade run, it's called the Holly Jolly 5K Fun Fest, say that 10 times fast. It's always freezing cold and you want to die, but you don't. Good news. You run really fast-
Jennie Bovard:
Love a cold weather run though.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Hot chocolate at the end, maybe a little lunch out. So I'm running and all of a sudden I hear from the side, hey, it's Bruce from AMI. And I run over and I start talking to Bruce and he's like, keep running, keep running, don't mess your time up for me. But I was just like, people that you don't expect to be in places where you are and then you see them and you get so excited. I love, love, love those moments.
Jennie Bovard:
Me too. Me too. A couple of things you said sort of stuck with me. Not only meet by the food tent. Yes, go where the food or the coffee will be and you'll probably find me there. This was my first time at this particular road race, but you make a really good point, choose a meeting spot. And I had kind of iffily tried to do that with one of the organizers that I had been chatting with ahead of time and we were like, okay, we'll meet hopefully by the tables. But she didn't really know what I looked like and I didn't really know what she looked like. So better luck next year.
And you mentioned the finish line. The finish line is the best. I love when I can hear it in the distance. I always hear it before I see it. And you get that last little jolt of energy and you just give her. This time literally, I literally gave myself a little pat on the back and I think that's a little tradition I'm going to do from now on.
But recognizing a voice, someone else finding you, that is so satisfying. There was one person that did find me at the end of this race, Paula, and we have been Facebook friends for a long time. I am mutual friends with her through a guide. And she is like an elite runner. She came first in her category and 13th overall. So incredible human being, certainly someone to look up to. But she knew to come up to me and say, hey, Jennie, it's me, Paula, I'm your Facebook friend. I'm so excited to meet you in person. And that was so satisfying that someone knew to come and introduce themselves and say who they were. It was just such a nice little surprise because I do miss so many of those connections.
It certainly happens to other people. We say this on the podcast a lot. You don't need to be blind or visually impaired to miss someone at a big event like that. But I think it's more likely to happen to us. Good tips, meet by the food, make a plan. Those seem kind of obvious to me, but now that I know the lay of the land-
Elizabeth Mohler:
You'll do that next year.
Jennie Bovard:
Yeah, next year I'll know where we can meet. Exactly. So tell me about swallowing half of Lake Ontario, because that's the main reason I brought you here today. You're a triathlete and that is impressive in itself. But you also managed to swallow half of Lake Ontario and you're here to tell the tale. So, please.
Elizabeth Mohler:
I am. Yes. So I've been doing triathlons for about 10 years now. So just really quick for folks that don't know, a triathlon is you swim, then you bike, then you run, you might wonder why you don't swim last to cool down because swimming's the most dangerous. So you do it first when you're the least tired. So I've been doing them for 10 years and specifically one that I love, big, big, huge shout out, Toronto Triathlon Festival and Jeff and the gang there, we've been doing triathlons with them. My guy David and I showed out to David, guides are the best, for about 10 years now. Not about, we have 10 years.
And every year David and I have this debate about are we going to wear a wetsuit? And I always wear my wetsuit because Lake Ontario is cold, like 17 degrees Celsius cold. So we're talking some chilly temps. So I wore my wetsuit and the lake is very busy. The swim starts, the waves that they start you in, so the group, wave is a group, are five seconds apart. So you are jumping in there with your wave, you're swimming and five seconds later, boom, boom, boom. And it's really crowded. So people were trying to swim in between David and I because of course we're tethered at the hip because he's guiding me in the water so I don't get lost and die. Fun times.
So we're tethered at the hip and people were trying to swim in between us, which I thought was super frustrating. But more frustrating was people trying to push me to the side. And as a result, they're splashing, there's lots of kicking. And so I'm trying to do breast stroke and all of a sudden I kept getting gulps of Lake Ontario. I'm like, I swear I'm drinking half this lake. Not really, but it feels like it. I'm also aware of like E. coli and other things. I'm like, oh God, I really don't want to be drinking this water. But I felt literally, when I came out, so bloated from all the water I swallowed. But the thing about Ontario is it's-
Elizabeth Mohler:
All the water I swallowed. But the thing about Ontario is it's very deep and very cold where we are. In some of the other triathlons we do, we're walking in off a beach that's a lot nicer, but not this one. So yeah, the swim is pretty scary actually. Every time I do it and I survive, I'm like, okay. I've got this. Hashtag, I got this. But it's that moment of like, oh my gosh, you're in this huge lake with all these people. There are lifeguards, but there's a lot of people. So that's one of the really tricky, challenging things.
Jennie Bovard:
It seems like poor etiquette to try and push someone to the side. And is there not an indicator to the other swimmers that you are someone who's swimming with a guide?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yes, so we have a different color cap, and then we always tell the organizers. But unfortunately, if people don't know what that means, or they've never seen someone working with a guide before, that might be a bit of a challenge. I will say though, that aside, people are amazing at triathlons. The support that my guide, David, and I get is incredible. We always get a medal. We always get to go up to the podium and have our picture taken, and say thank you and give a little speech. We always get lots of kudos on Strava. So honestly, although the swimming is a little scary, and that was a scary experience, I will say that overall people are incredible. And the support that we get, the coil of support is overwhelming and really, really meaningful.
Jennie Bovard:
That's what I hear consistently about, not only the running community, but also the triathlon community is it is just that, it's a big community. There's a lot of support back and forth amongst the participants. And I think what I'm hearing is, and something that I think would be helpful in some of the events that I participate in, the road races, it's education of the other participants. So you know ahead of time, we're given a ton of information so that we're all prepared and safe on the day of the event. A lot of road races will say, "We don't have room for strollers or dogs and this kind of thing." And that's really helpful for me as someone with low vision because the fewer things low to the ground that I have to try and avoid the better. But you get a ton of information ahead of time, and I think it could be really helpful.
And maybe, I don't know if this is the case always, but the local races where I participate, there aren't a lot of other people who are blind and visually impaired. And if there are, I don't know if they're making it known to the organizers. Because I think it could be as easy as a little phrase in your pre-race information. If you see XYZ, if you someone see someone with this color cap, if you see someone with a vest that says blind or low vision, here's what it means. They're probably running with a guide or give them some space, yada, yada. It's quite easy, I think, to educate people, and just a little blurb could just, I think, make all of the difference perhaps.
Elizabeth Mohler:
For sure. And one of the things that my guide, David, and I do is we always email the race organizers prior to, and just say, "I'm blind, I'm the guide, I'd like to come down early and just, if I can," especially if we've never been there, "look at the transition area." So that's kind of where you transition from swim to bike to run. We want to look at the bike course, we just want to get a sense of what we're dealing with so on the day, we're not figuring that out for the first time.
Jennie Bovard:
Yeah, preparation is so important, not only for yourself, but for the other people on the course and the organizers. It's just best to have everyone on the same page. I have a logistical question for you, but wait, before that, we need to praise these guides a little bit more. Because it takes a special kind of human being. It really does. You have to be so confident and competent in yourself to be a guide, but also it just, they give so much to us, and I'm just so forever grateful for every guide that I have ever had.
Not only that, but they've helped me make connections in the running world. That person, Paula, I never would know her if I hadn't been connected with other guide runners. And so it's a nice little in to the community I find. Because I could pass the same people in local races every single time and I might not know it's the same person. So to have someone to take you along and bring you under their wing is really nice too. But my logistical question, are you a person who sunburns?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yes. And I find that's the hardest thing because putting on sunscreen takes time. And of course in between events, like the swim, the bike, the run, you want to be as fast as you can. But I find the sunburn on my face is the worst, especially during the run. You're already overheating and you're running into the sun. The best triathlon I ever had was one where it wasn't rainy, but it was overcast, it was perfect. But unfortunately we can't control the weather. So yeah, I find for me wearing, if only, I find wearing a hat really key, I find. I have these things for my arms. You can wear them for either keeping them warm or cool. They're sort of like sleeves for your arms. I find those really helpful. And my guide, David, wears those a lot as well. Three quarter length shorts.
Yes, I sunburn quite easily. And when I'm sunburned, it doesn't tan, it's just gross. So I find proper sun prep really important. And honestly, just taking that time in between to plaster up sunscreen, make sure you have the waterproof sunscreen, I think that's really helpful. Like I said, a hat, sunglasses, if that's what you need. And then really staying hydrated. Anytime there's a water station, even if I'm not thirsty, I always stop. And for me, what I like is I alternate one station water, one station Gatorade, one station water, one station Gatorade. And I find that really helps too, just to keep the electrolytes up and to keep the hydration up.
Jennie Bovard:
It's so about what works for you. I'm so glad you sound like you have such a perfect system, and I envy it a little bit. I'm a little stubborn with the water myself, but I'm getting better. I'm noticing the difference when I do hydrate in a longer race. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. So going back to the sunscreen, you're so right about the long, I wear long sleeves a lot of the time, especially for a half marathon. Half marathon's my longest distance, so I'm often wearing
Elizabeth Mohler:
That's pretty impressive.
Jennie Bovard:
Thank you.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Me too.
Jennie Bovard:
I'm not a strong swimmer, so I don't know if a triathlon is in my future, but I'm trying to find out how logistically I'm going to complete my first marathon with the fact that I know halfway I'll have to reapply sunblock. And I am so about my personal goal for each and every race, I don't know how I'm going to sacrifice the time that it takes. Because even if my arms and legs are covered, you're right, the face is a big deal. And the face is the moneymaker for some of us. No, I'm just kidding. But that's what I'm trying to figure out. So anyone listening or watching, if you've got any tips, I'm here for it. I think something that could help, I'd love to hear your perspective on this too.
We'll move on to another topic because I think people might get bored of all our race talk. Hopefully not. I wonder, what do you think about having a disability or a blind visually impaired category? I don't know if we have the numbers for it, but if we were to have a specific category, I know Ottawa Race Weekend, I believe, they have a specific blind visually impaired category, which is fantastic. Would that allow some time for me for let's stop my race clock so I can quickly reapply for five minutes, and then start again? Would that be a reasonable accommodation? And do you think that that would be a help?
Elizabeth Mohler:
I think that would be a huge help. Or even people that like, we all need water, but some people for medical reasons need to eat, like if they're diabetic. So you don't want to be running and eating. That just seems kind of dangerous. So yeah, or like [inaudible 00:19:05].
Jennie Bovard:
It's an art.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yeah, I think for me, that's a great idea for sure. I know Ottawa Race Weekend, I know for us when we do triathlon, there is impaired category, but usually we're the only ones in it. So it's kind of sad. We need a couple more folks to come out. But yeah, I think those things are super important. But also for me, I'm always kind of trying to find that sweet spot between I want to challenge myself, but I also don't want to be the last one at the finish line. So the years we did the Olympic distance, which is a kilometer and a half swim, 40K bike ride, and 10K run, it was fun, but I was beat at the end, and we were sort of at the back of the pack. Whereas with the sprint, which is much smaller, it's nice because you're sort of in the middle of the pack and you can enjoy some of the post-race fun and celebrations.
Jennie Bovard:
I just want to say before we move on, I just want to say that anyone that shows up to any distance, if you show up, even if you don't finish, kudos to you. If you're walking with your cane, whatever it is you're doing, if you complete it, if you complete half of it, just the fact that you showed up, that is huge. I always joke that I've got the audacity to show up to these events, like the ones that I've never participated in particular, and I do my planning ahead of time, but it's often show up and see what happens. And just the fact that anyone shows up and tries. You have overcomed something that a lot of people don't even have the guts to start to try. So I just want to say that. And final question about triathlon, I promise, what's your favorite post-race meal? Do you have one?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yes, I do. Okay. My favorite post-race meal is we go to this pub called the Swan near my place. I love it. I get tater tots and I dip them in mayo because yum. And I get the chicken club sandwich, which has pesto, chicken, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, super good, and of course a beverage of my choice to drink. And then of course a Starbucks to top it all off because who doesn't love a beautiful Pike Place, large two cream, one cinnamon sprinkle pump, and a little bit of brown sugar. Who doesn't love that?
Jennie Bovard:
I'm writing your order down so when we get together, I'll surprise you with that. You've got it all figured out, Elizabeth. That is such a perfect post-race meal. I'm a big breakfast, big brunch girl. I don't care what time of day it is, what time I get to the restaurant. It's a big breakfast. There's probably pancakes and bacon involved. Probably a mimosa or a light beer of some kind. But if you ever get to try white pudding or Guinness bread as part of your post-race meal, I would highly recommend it. White pudding is like a sausage and Guinness bread is a really nice-
Jennie Bovard:
And Guinness bread is a really nice, hearty, quick bread sort of bread. So anyway, I will move on from food. We'll move on from triathlon because you are so much more, and I feel like we are only going to scratch the surface today. You have lived a million lifetimes I feel, and we're of a similar age. And before we started we were talking about how we have to remind ourselves sometimes not to compare our lives as people who are blind and visually impaired to people who have typical vision, who maybe can hop in their car and do whatever on a whim. We have to remind ourselves sometimes of all the cool stuff that we get to do and all the cool things and experiences, and you were just rattling these things off as we were... like it was nothing. I would love to hear more about... You're a scholar, you do cool things on trampolines. I need to hear more about all these things. What would you like to share?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Okay. Well, yes, I am doing my PhD. I'm going into year X, that's what you're supposed to say after you've done your four-year funding window. I'm going into your X of my PhD at Western University. And my dissertation work really looks at how practices and discourse within Ontario direct funded home care shape how people take up in access services. So basically looking at policy and program documents around home care and how those documents construct who does and doesn't get care and what kind of care that looks like. So very relevant certainly to our community. It's been quite the journey. I started during that lovely big C word, COVID, and in some ways that was great because I could do all my coursework online. I'm based in Toronto and Westerns in London, Ontario, so about two hours away. So it meant I didn't have to hop on a train or a bus and go to campus.
And then when we came sort of back into in-person, I was already at the stage of my qualifying or comprehensive exam, which is essentially a big paper that shows your committee that you actually can do the work that's required, so you have to pass that. And I did. And then I did my proposal and I passed that. And now I'm just writing, not just, but I am writing. I feel like I will be writing forever. When people ask me, "When are you going to be done by your dissertation, Elizabeth?" I say, "It's like the apocalypse. I know it's going to happen. I just don't really know when." So yeah, that's what I say.
Jennie Bovard:
When you're good and ready, yeah.
Elizabeth Mohler:
When it's done, it'll be done. When it's done is my answer. I'm a little generally certainly mindful of the kind of trajectory. Our program is generally people take about six years, so I'm going into year five or year X, but yeah, I'm... also got a lot of other things on the go. So yeah, it's been a great journey. My committee and supervisor have been wonderful, very supportive of sort of a holistic life balance. I've learned a lot. Certainly the accessibility of being able to do everything online. My supervisor and I meet on Zoom is really convenient for me. I feel like I can put that energy I'd spend traveling into actually doing my work, which is kind of nice. But yes, to de-stress from dissertation and life, I find trampolining a really great thing to do. I got into it during the pandemic, my guide David showed up again, actually dropped a trampoline off during the first lockdown when we weren't running together.
He had one at home just to... not just, it was a rebounder, so it's a circle. It's for one person. And he just left it at my door and was like, "I think you might like this." And the first day I tried it, I was hooked. I was living in a basement at the time, so I couldn't jump really high because I'd hit my head. But the good news is I have since moved to a bigger apartment with higher ceilings and I have upgraded from that little rebounder. I now have a super bounce. It is guaranteed up to 1 million bounces. Don't ask me what happens after that. It's hot pink.
Jennie Bovard:
It self-destructs. I'm just kidding. I hope not.
Elizabeth Mohler:
It's hot pink and it has bungee cords and a safety bar and I love it. And one of my dear friends bought it for me and put it together. So thank you to that friend. You know who you are out in listener land. So yeah, I love it. I de-stress on it, but I really wanted to kind of dive into why trampolining works for me. And I've been reading some literature around stimming and how trampolining can help for those of us who might need some more sensory stimulation, who might stim a little bit, who just might need, because we don't have the visual cues to kind of stimulate us, that extra bit of engagement and stimulation.
So the trampoline really helps with that, or the rebounder really helps with that. And I have been looking into therapeutic trampolining, which means you are working with a trampoline therapist who's a physio or occupational therapist around your trampoline goals. Now, when I first thought about my trampoline goals, I was like, "Well, to have fun," but then I thought, "Okay, well maybe I can work on balance or maybe I can work on core or stability or being able to just be very... mindfulness, just focusing on what it feels like to be bouncing on that surface." So in preparation for my adaptive trampolining, I've been thinking about my trampoline goals and how a certified trampoline therapist can help me with my trampoline goals.
Jennie Bovard:
I knew that I would learn some things today, but I had no idea that I would learn about therapeutic trampoline or is it rebounding?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yes. So at home, I have a rebounder, so that's the small circle. Now, the trampoline's at the therapeutic trampoline place. They have both, the bigger trampolines, which you're kind of maybe used to seeing on the Olympics or in gymnastics, and then the smaller rebounders and I think they start you on a rebounder and then you gradually graduate to the bigger ones. But the goal really I think for me with trampolining is to manage and minimize and mitigate stress.
Jennie Bovard:
It sounds like you use trampolining the way that a lot of folks, including myself use yoga or something like that. Yeah, it takes the whole body and mind to accomplish the thing that you're doing. There's no time to think about anything else or allow your mind to wander. That is incredible. Like I said, I didn't know that I would learn about trampolining, but I'm so glad that you brought it up. You are also a professional in the sense that you have your own business and you do some consulting, you do accessibility consulting. Can you tell me a little bit more about that? Who do you serve with that?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yeah, for sure. So during the pandemic, I was starting school at the time and wanted to do something to help obviously put myself through school. But especially the first few years of my PhD when you're very heavy in coursework, I knew I couldn't devote to a full-time job at that time back in 2020, 2021. So somebody, my employment counselor actually suggested, "Why don't you do some freelance and just see how it goes?" So a lot of what I do is things like this, speaking, podcasts, you mentioned earlier I'm quite involved with the AMI universe and family. I do also quite a bit of writing around accessibility, so whether that's accessibility plans or delivering sensitivity training to organizations. I've also done some things where I've gone into an organization and done a lunch and learn. So it really varies just depending on what people want. I am really excited.
I've gotten to teach some courses and facilitate discussions generally for people who are students in the allied healthcare and social service fields, so occupational therapy, physical therapy, social work, medicine, nursing, et cetera. So talking to them about treating patients or clients from an anti-ableism lens and really bringing in a critical paradigm to talk to them about what does disability look like, it's not a monolith, where it's very individualized experience. So bringing in a lot of work from Sins Invalid or on disability justice. So talking to providers to be about how do we treat from a disability justice lens. So somebody that comes into your office that's missed the last three appointments, really digging into why. Is it paratransit? Is it money to get to the appointments? Is it that they don't have a caregiver that was able to get them up in time to get to those appointments?
So kind of bringing in that whole lens is what I love about the teaching piece. And I'm excited, I think I'm going to get to do some more this fall, but also really getting away from the medical model or deficit model of disability. So as you very clearly show on your podcast, we can do just about anything, whether it's trampolining, skydiving, hot air ballooning, bungee jumping, whatever you want to do. It's just you might need to do it differently. And so I try to get people to think about, okay, if you have a client that comes in and they want to do X, rather than shutting that down, what are the ways that that client can engage in that activity?
Jennie Bovard:
My heart is singing. I'm just nodding my head and I'm so full of... I'm just so happy that you are out here doing this because as you've probably experienced, it's a constant... I don't want to say that it's a battle, but it's constant work to educate the people around us. And I encounter it in my day job as well. For me, who... sometimes I fly under the radar a lot and then so my disability is... and perhaps not as obvious to the world as it is. So when I'm not using a cane, it's not obvious that I might need assistance.
So then on the other flip side, it's the bigger perception that, "Oh, you don't have a cane or a dog guide and you're asking me for something. Why should I give this to you? Prove to me that you're blind enough," because it's the bigger perception and then it sort of hearkens back to the work that you're doing in access to things when we need them. So I've been in situations in employment where I've requested accommodation. I know the accommodation I need, I have the right documentation, and it's still an uphill battle to sort of convince the employer that I need this accommodation because I'm not their cookie cutter societal image that they've been fed.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yeah, it's so interesting. This kind of conversation reminds me of actually a concept I write about in my dissertation called The Burden of Gratitude. And when I explain it to a lot of able-bodied people, they're like, "Gratitude's wonderful. It's not a burden." But as people with disabilities, and especially this is prevalent in literature where you're relying on people for your everyday care needs, there's always an expectation to be grateful. I'm so grateful they showed up on time. I'm so grateful for the fact that we have paratransit...
Elizabeth Mohler:
I'm so grateful for the fact that we have paratransit. I can't complain about how bad it is, or I'm so grateful for any little bit that I get. But not realizing that always having to be grateful for things that in the able-bodied world folks just take for granted, can be quite a burden. So it kind of shifts away from how gratitude is sort of intended to be to this sort of, "Well, I better not complain. I better not say anything. I always need to be grateful." And it's a really cool concept and I'm really loving starting to unpack that in my dissertation work.
Jennie Bovard:
Well, I can't wait to read. I can't wait to read this because this is like you are describing my life right now where I'm at a place in my life where I'm like, "You have so many things to be grateful for and you have access to so many things that so many people do not have access to." I'm privileged in many ways, and then there's some days where I just feel so damn sorry for myself because I can't do the thing that I want to do, or I can't do it at the level that I want to do it. Do you know what I mean?
And it's just you are articulating it so well. And I think that if someone like you can unpack it and make it more digestible for people like me and for people who don't have a personal connection to disability, I think that's just going to be a wonderful thing because it's going to help us, again, get all on the same page and just treat each other the way that human beings should be treated and in a fair and equitable way. Ah, I'm loving picking your brain, and this has just been so insightful. I can't thank you enough for all the work that you've done over the years because-
Elizabeth Mohler:
Oh, you're welcome.
Jennie Bovard:
... you are out here doing some really important work. Before we go, is there anything else that you wanted to share with the lovely listeners and viewers?
Elizabeth Mohler:
Sure. I'll just share very quickly, two fast experiences.
Jennie Bovard:
Oh, don't go too fast. Take your time.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Okay, I won't. So, one was I went hot air ballooning recently. Now I did talk about this over in our AMI Universe, but just really quickly, it's something I've always wanted to do. I love balloons, I love birthdays, I love helium balloons. So my friend knew that about me and bought me a hot air balloon trip for my birthday. Nice friend. So they were amazing around the vision loss. Sometimes it's nerve-racking when you've never been somewhere and you reach out and say, "Hi, I'm blind or low vision, how are they going to react?" They were incredible. They let me help blow up the big tube, which attaches to the basket that we get on because the tube's what stays inflated.
Jennie Bovard:
They put you to work.
Elizabeth Mohler:
They put me work, but I loved it. And then they helped me get into the basket. Then when we were in the air, the pilot described everything that was going on so I could participate like everybody else, and people were taking pictures. Then at the end, the landing was super bumpy and I toppled out of the basket of the balloon, which was super scary, but I'm alive. And then I got to deflate the balloon, which was so fun. So that kind of tactile experience was really fun, and I encourage anybody to check out Sundance Balloons who lives in Ontario because it was really fun. Then the other cool thing I got to do this summer was tandem kayaking at CNIB like Joseph camp. Shout out to Lake Joe.
Jennie Bovard:
Oh, such a nice spot.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Have you been? It's amazing.
Jennie Bovard:
Oh yes, yes. It's like a dream that place. Anyway.
Elizabeth Mohler:
It's amazing.
Jennie Bovard:
Go ahead.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Yes, I'd never been in a kayak and I was really nervous, because they're kind of topsy-turvy. And my friend that I went with had been, and he was like, "Oh, this is nothing." It was really great. We almost went into the trees a couple times, but good news, we didn't. We did not tip. There was one part because the way the kayaking area works is they have inflatable buoys all around, so you don't go out in the lake and get hit by boat, which is good. So, we kept bumping up against the buoy and at one point we were trying to push it back, but because it's inflatable, it kept bumping back against our boat. So it was like fighting with the buoys, but it was such an incredible experience to be on the water, to be doing something in a, what I like to call, dignity of risk environment.
So, you're taking some risk, but there's safeguards in place. Like the buoys, they have lifeguards in the water with you. It's shallow water, so if you do fall out, you're not going to drown. Good news. What I love about Lake Joe is that dignity of risk. They're always encouraging you to take calculative risks in a safe way, and their motto "challenge by choice," so there's lots of challenges there if you so choose to engage. I'm not sure I loved blind baseball. I tried it. I was like, "Nope, this is good. I'm good on not doing this. I'm more of a water baby." But yeah, the tandem kayaking, really encourage anybody to check it out who wants to get in the kayak.
Jennie Bovard:
Well, I'm glad you won the fight with the buoy, and I am glad it just sounds like a little gentle tumble from the basket of the hot air balloon. That sounds like such an immersive experience, and it's the kind of thing where it gives you so much context about how something works as well. I find that I'm always learning new things. It's like life is still a big mystery at this age, because so much of our world is visual that someone will explain something to me and I'm like, "Oh, that's how that works." So I'm so excited about life now having talked to you because yeah, you are just... I don't know, you're a ray of sunshine and I don't know, you get me excited about life and I think that's going to happen for our listeners as well.
One last question before I go. Like I said, I've had a million lifetimes. You've been a scholar, you're an advocate, you're a consultant, you are many, many things. You wear so many hats and have so much wonderful experience. What piece of advice would you give to someone who lives with a disability who is maybe struggling with finding their footing, with finding their place?
Elizabeth Mohler:
I would say, find your people, right? So I think what's really key is people to say you can do it. It's hard because our world, we know this, is not made for us. But I think it's easy to hear negatives, and I think people don't mean to be negative, they just don't know what they don't know. So they don't know what's possible. So I think finding your people. So whether that's tuning into something like this and connecting digitally or finding peer support through a group, through a disability organization, a peer rec group. So, finding recreational activities for people with disabilities, finding your people. And those people don't all have to have disabilities, but you want champions and supporters and people that challenge you in a good positive way. But I would say find your people because positive portrayal is out there and knowing what's possible is out there. You just have to find it. And it's not easy. I'm privileged to live in a big city where there's almost too many activities to do, but with our digital world today, you can find your people anywhere.
Jennie Bovard:
Excellent advice. And I'll just add to that, that it may feel awkward, it may feel weird, it may feel very out of your comfort zone at first when you first try to do these things, and I'm speaking from experience. But when I moved here to Halifax and showed up at a goalball practice, a whole new world opened up for me and a whole new set of supportive people in my life were introduced to me. So I second everything you said, and I thank you again for coming on here. Not only do you have the voice of an angel, I feel like you're kind of... There's going to be like a St. Elizabeth one day. Again, I feel so happy to have talked with you. I think the rest of my day is going to be better now-
Elizabeth Mohler:
Aw, thank you.
Jennie Bovard:
... after having talked with you. You probably hear that a lot.
Elizabeth Mohler:
Oh, well, thank you. It's so nice to meet you. I feel like we've kind of been in this universe sailing and traveling together, but not really sitting down for a chat, so that's a really special thing that was part of my morning here today as well.
Jennie Bovard:
Well, thanks again. Hopefully we'll cross paths again soon, and it's so nice to talk to you.
Elizabeth Mohler:
You're very welcome. Take care.
Jennie Bovard:
I hope you feel at least half as uplifted as I do, following that conversation with Elizabeth, I will say that gratitude is important. It is a key for me to happiness for sure. But should we feel especially thankful simply because, for example, a major intersection has audible pedestrian signals? Isn't that kind of like being grateful that a city has paved streets as opposed to dirt roads? I don't know. I don't know. What do you think? You can chime in. You can get in touch by adding a comment on YouTube, or you can send an email to podcast at AMI.ca. Or you can even give us a call at 1-866-509-4545. One more time, that number is 1-866-509-4545.
Just make sure to mention Low Vision Moments in your message, please, and thank you. Come and follow me. I would love that. I'm on Instagram, I'm on TikTok, and I'm there under UberBlonde4. That is U-B-E-R-B-L-O-N-D-E and the number four. The following absolute saints make this podcast possible: Marc Aflalo is our technical producer, Ryan Delehanty is podcast coordinator. And the manager at a AMI-audio is Andy Frank. Our theme song is by the band Outtacontroller. And until next time, you can always rely on finding me by the food and coffee. I'm telling you, I'll be there. Come and find me.