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History in 60: The Podcast

History in 60: The Podcast

Written by: Accessible Media Inc
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The History in 60 Podcast is the official companion to the television series History in 60 on AMI-tv. While the series highlights key moments in Canada’s disability history, this podcast creates space to go deeper and explore the conversations shaping disability culture and public life today. Hosted by John Loeppky, each episode connects the history we see on screen with the people thinking, writing, and working in these areas right now.2026 Accessible Media Inc. Art Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Laughed At to Laughed With: Disability Comedy and Reclaiming the Joke with Yousef Kadoura

    Laughed At to Laughed With: Disability Comedy and Reclaiming the Joke with Yousef Kadoura
    May 18 2026
    In this episode of the History in 60 Companion Podcast, host John Loeppky sits down with actor and writer Yousef Kadoura to explore disability-led comedy, where it comes from, what it pushes back against, and why it matters for disability culture in Canada. From the complicated history of freak shows and “being the joke,” to the power of disabled creators building their own creative spaces and careers, Yousef shares how humour can hold up a mirror to ableism, relieve tension, and make political truth cut through the noise. The duo cover styles of comedy, blunt humour, representation beyond tokenism, and why comedy, done by disabled people, can help preserve disability history in ways audiences actually remember. This conversation continues the themes from AMI’s History in 60 television episode on disability-led comedy, asking what changes when disabled people aren’t just in on the joke, they’re writing it, directing it, and owning it. Watch the full episode on AMI+ Find the Video Podcast on YouTube GUEST BIO Yousef Kadoura is a Canadian actor and writer trained at the National Theatre School of Canada in Montreal. His work spans stage and screen, with a focus on disability arts and performance. He has been part of disability culture spaces including Toronto’s Tangled Art + Disability, and appears in AMI’s disability-led sketch comedy series The Squeaky Wheel, where disabled artists are involved at every level of production. Yousef is also a member of Toronto-based theatre company The Other Hearts Collective, and he’s passionate about disability history, comedy as community connection, and storytelling that punches up, without turning disabled people into the punchline. SHOW NOTES The History in 60 Podcast is the official companion to the television series History in 60 on AMI Television. While the TV series highlights key moments in Canada’s disability history, this podcast creates space to go deeper, blending curated moments from the show with behind-the-scenes context and extended conversations with guests shaping disability culture today. In this episode, we turn to comedy. Disability and humour have a complicated past. For generations, disabled people were laughed at, through freak shows, villain tropes, and punchlines that reinforced stigma and exclusion. But disability-led comedy has increasingly flipped that script: using humour as advocacy, social commentary, and a tool for reclaiming narrative control. John’s extended conversation with Yousef Kadoura dives into what changes when disabled people aren’t just performing comedy, but building the container it happens in. They talk about why “lowbrow” humour can be powerful when it’s disability-led, how Bouffon can be misunderstood (and misused) in training spaces, and how comedy can help draw a line between laughing with disabled people versus laughing at them. They also discuss the importance of disrupting the presumed whiteness of Canadian disability history by expanding access to resources, building truly accessible arts spaces, and making room for the communities most impacted. Referenced in this Episode Tangled Art + DisabilityToronto Metropolitan University (TMU)National Theatre School of Canada To learn more about Yousef’s work: Website The Other Hearts CollectiveInstagram (Other Hearts) CREDITS John Loeppky, Host & CreatorYousef Kadoura, GuestBrent Kawchuk, Co-ProducerCali James, Metamorphosis Media Group, Co-Producer & NarratorPodcast Studio Camera: Daylen Hartz & Kody NgKade Stevens, KS Media, Editor If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the History in 60 Companion Podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who might appreciate the conversation. Your support helps more people discover these stories and the history behind them. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services: AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English, plus AMI-télé in French, along with the AMI+ streaming platform. Our vision is to position AMI as a leader in accessible content by amplifying the voices of Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, meaningful representation, and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca & AMItele.ca Watch full episodes of your favourite AMI-tv documentaries & series on AMI+ Connect with AMI Online: Instagram @AccessibleMediaINCFacebook @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaX / Twitter @AccessibleMedia Email feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    29 mins
  • From Winnipeg to Worldwide: Wheelchair Rugby and Canada’s Disability History with Jessica Kruger

    From Winnipeg to Worldwide: Wheelchair Rugby and Canada’s Disability History with Jessica Kruger
    May 11 2026
    In this episode of the History in 60 Companion Podcast, host John Loeppky explores the Canadian origins and global rise of wheelchair rugby, one of the most intense and strategic sports on four wheels. John sits down with elite athlete Jessica Kruger to talk about how the sport builds community, accelerates independence after injury, and reshapes what people assume is possible for athletes on and off the court. They also dig into the sport’s evolving gender landscape, why a national women’s program matters, and what it means to help build the next era of wheelchair rugby in Canada. Watch the full episode on AMI+ Find the Video Podcast on YouTube GUEST BIO Jessica Kruger is an elite Canadian wheelchair rugby athlete based in British Columbia. After a spinal cord injury at age 15, she found wheelchair rugby through rehabilitation and has spent the past 18 years competing and building sport community, most notably with Team BC and through national women’s development opportunities, including international competition. Beyond sport, Jessica is also an entrepreneur and disability advocate. She founded a custom dessert business called The Stubborn Baker and shares practical, real-world reflections on disability, travel, and accessibility through her social platforms, helping others see what’s possible, even when the world says “you can’t.” SHOW NOTES The History in 60 Podcast is the official companion to the television series History in 60 on AMI Television. While the series highlights key moments in Canada’s disability history, this podcast creates space to go deeper and explore the conversations shaping disability culture and public life today. Hosted by John Loeppky, each episode connects the history we see on screen with the people thinking, writing, and working in these areas right now. In this episode, we turn to rugby and resilience and the Canadian origins and global rise of wheelchair rugby. When you first see eight athletes in wheelchairs smashing into each other on a gym floor, it can be hard to imagine this sport began as a grassroots game built by quadriplegic athletes who wanted something of their own. Wheelchair rugby was born in Manitoba in the 1970s, and what started as “murderball” grew into one of the most exciting sports in the Paralympic Games, now played in dozens of countries around the world. John sits down with Jessica Kruger, an elite athlete with Team BC and a key voice in the evolving national women’s pathway, for an extended conversation about what wheelchair rugby gives athletes beyond the scoreboard. Jessica reflects on how sport can fast-track independence after injury (travel, transfers, driving, self-belief), how the culture of the game pushes athletes to problem-solve, and why visibility matters when you’re trying to imagine your own future as a disabled person. They explore how wheelchair rugby is evolving around gender: from being one of only a handful of women in the sport nationally, to a moment where Canada can realistically develop a women’s team, while still maintaining a co-ed high-performance pathway. Jessica shares what it meant to travel internationally with Canada’s women’s development team, why those opportunities matter at the grassroots level, and what she hopes the next five years will bring for both the women’s game and the broader national program. Referenced in this Episode:G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre (Vancouver Coastal Health)Wheelchair Rugby Canada To learn more about Jessica’s work:The Stubborn Baker (Instagram)This Stubborn Life (TikTok) Credits: Jessica Kruger, Guest John Loeppky, Host Brent Kawchuk, Co-Producer Cali James, Metamorphosis Media Group, Co-Producer & Narrator Podcast Studio Camera: Daylen Hartz & Kody Ng Kade Stevens, KS Media, Editor If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the History in 60 Companion Podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it with someone who might appreciate the conversation. Your support helps more people discover these stories and the history behind them. About AMI AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services: AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English, plus AMI-télé in French, along with the AMI+ streaming platform. Our vision is to position AMI as a leader in accessible content by amplifying the voices of Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, meaningful representation, and positive portrayal. To learn more visit AMI.ca & AMItele.ca Watch full episodes of your favourite AMI-tv documentaries & series on AMI+ Connect with AMI Online: Instagram @AccessibleMediaINCFacebook @AccessibleMediaIncTikTok @AccessibleMediaX / Twitter @AccessibleMedia Email feedback@ami.ca Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    21 mins
  • History in 60: The Podcast - Coming Soon!

    History in 60: The Podcast - Coming Soon!
    Mar 27 2026

    The new TV & Podcast series "History in 60" Is Finally Here....And It Starts with Murderball

    A brand new series has arrived… and we’re starting with a sport that hits HARD. In this first episode of History in 60, we dive into the origins of Murderball — the intense, full-contact sport now known as wheelchair rugby. Built on speed, strategy, and impact, it changed the game forever. This is history… faster, louder, and more exciting than ever.

    Catch new episodes every Monday starting March 30th, with the TV series airing on AMI-tv and streaming on AMI+, and the Podcast available wherever you get your podcasts!

    About "History in 60"

    John Loeppky tells the stories of Canada’s evolving disability history in 60 seconds.

    Watch full episodes on AMI+

    About AMI

    AMI is a media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians with disabilities through three broadcast services: AMI-tv and AMI-audio in English, plus AMI-télé in French, along with the AMI+ streaming platform. Our vision is to position AMI as a leader in accessible content by amplifying the voices of Canadians with disabilities through authentic storytelling, meaningful representation, and positive portrayal.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
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    1 min
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