AT Banter Podcast Episode 392 - Disability Tour Bus

·1 hr 5 min·5 clips

A city official defended inaccessible stairs by saying you wouldn't change Machu Picchu—but they discovered Machu Picchu is actually accessible.

The episode begins with casual banter among hosts Rob, Ryan, and Lis about jury duty and absences before introducing guests Amy Amanti and Reena Cohen. Amy is an artist and accessibility advocate living with legal blindness, while Reena is the former managing and artistic director of Realwheels Theatre, a disability-focused theater company. They discuss their audio play 'Disability Tour Bus', a podcast available on all platforms. The play originated from stories shared during Realwheels' 'Comedy on Wheels' project and a CBC interview about Robson Square's inaccessible stair-ramp combinations, where a city official compared them to Machu Picchu—ironically, Machu Picchu has been made accessible. Initially planned as a live site-specific bus show, the project pivoted to audio due to pandemic challenges and sponsor withdrawal, which the guests note allowed greater accessibility for the disability community. The play features two main characters with opposing perspectives—a younger, progressive wheelchair user and an older, traditionalist tour guide—alongside a love story subplot involving Amy's character Tess. It densely packs disability experiences like transit issues, ableist comments, and curb cuts into its runtime. Amy and Reena explain their writing process, aiming for 'edutainment' that avoids ableist microaggressions except for intentional ones, a choice praised by disability justice advocates. They highlight key themes, such as the line 'Do you understand how hard it is to be in a world that is always reminding you that it isn't built for you?' and discuss the humor derived from character interactions. The climax centers on Robson Square's accessibility flaws, with guests criticizing design priorities over functionality. They reflect on the arts' role in fostering empathy and difficult conversations, and mention future plans like a Vocal Eye live presentation. The episode concludes with hosts praising the play's production and joking about creating an AT Banter cookbook.

As heard by us

A lively discussion about writing disabled characters with flaws, disagreements, and room to feel real.

Disability representation is treated as a matter of writing craft, not just good intent. After some loose opening banter about jury duty, AT Banter moves into a sharper conversation with Rina and Amy about shaping disabled characters as flawed, opinionated people rather than…

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Why you'd press play

Press play when you want disability representation explored through writing craft, comic detours, and space for flawed characters.

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