A lot of people avoid speaking to strangers. Heck, it's something our mothers have told us not to. But doing exactly that led to Nick D'Ambrosio to joining the Accessible Media Inc. team.
Nick, who is a Community Reporter for AMI-audio's Kelly and Company, was on a train home after attending an Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians convention three years ago when he met former Concordia University professor Dr. Leo Bissonnette. The pair hit it off, bonding over, among other things, sports. They traded phone numbers.
"He gave me a call a few days later and said, 'Hey Nick, why don't you become a Community Reporter for AMI? You're the right man for the job." Dr. Bissonnette had heard Nick on podcasts for Blind Abilities and with fellow Kelly and Company contributor Jeff Thompson and thought he'd be a good fit.
Nick and Jeff recently flew to AMI's Toronto headquarters to a two-day visit, where Nick co-hosted Live from Studio 5 and Kelly and Company, went on a tour of the offices and met staff.
"It's been an opportunity to finally shake the hands of the voices I've heard throughout my time at AMI," Nick says. "Everyone works so well together. It's been great to see how everything works behind the scenes and how hard everyone works to get the best show out every morning and afternoon."
As a Community Reporter, it's Nick's job to let listeners know about services and events available to the blind and partially sighted community in Montreal. He hopes that, armed with that information, they will venture out for new adventures. He admits that, before joining AMI, Nick tended to keep to himself. Being part of the company has, literally, expanded his world.
"I think that, in some cases, the blind community needs to expand in the city and go to sighted events, go to places where they might not be comfortable," Nick says. "The public needs to see the blind community in many different lights. In some ways, it's great to be in a comfort zone, but it's also good to be out there in the general public."