Hot Seat With Cognizant Clay

Chris Mitchell is a successful self-employed person with 3 major disabilities: a physical disability, a visual impairment, and a neurodiverse diagnosis of ADHD. Chris is a certified confidence life coach. He is also a professional speaker and presenter. He helps people with disabilities develop the self confidence needed to succeed in a professional setting. Thanks for tuning in to my channel! I appreciate the support and I hope I provide some decent entertainment for you. If you are new to my page, my name is Clayton. I am a 31 year old Canadian living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I started my page to raise awareness for the disabled community. I stream video games and also host a video podcast called Hot Seat with Cognizant Clay. For those interested, there are links to my Instagram, Patreon, YouTube channel and website below! Instagram: https://instagram.com/cognizantclay?igshid=fji5gwefyjhv Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cognizantclay?fan_landing=true YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/CognizantClay Donate to Defeat Duchenne Canada: https://defeatduchenne.akaraisin.com/ui/su/t/CognizantClay?fbclid=IwAR18DMMVAJwBSnp49OKRdPW1uErXIMcSVmV250ABuVimXWs1HF2LTx-9PPo Website: www.cognizantclay.com Thanks for tuning in to my stream! I appreciate the support and I hope I provide some decent entertainment for you. If you are new to my page, my name is Clayton. I am a 28 year old Canadian living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I started my page to raise awareness for the disabled community. I stream video games and also host a video podcast called Hot Seat with Cognizant Clay. Instagram: https://instagram.com/cognizantclay?igshid=fji5gwefyjhv Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cognizantclay?fan_landing=true YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/CognizantClay Donate to Jesse's Journey: https://jessesjourney.akaraisin.com/ui/squadup/pledge/sponsor/start?tid=370100 In July my accessible van lost brakes and when we took it for a service our mechanic told us the repairs needed would exceed $10,000. It's a 1997 Econoline so there is no point in fixing it. We are now looking to buy a newer van to replace it. The Econoline was the 3rd van we have purchased. This will be van number four! Without a van I am unable to travel for my medical appointments. As someone on ODSP, financing a van is unobtainable. It would mean a lot to me if you donate or share my cause! Any amount donated is greatly appreciated! https://gofund.me/5ba654f7 Website: www.cognizantclay.com

Tim Balz is an award-winning engineer who is passionate about designing mobility technologies for people with disabilities. After working on high profile projects for SpaceX, Balz founded Kalogon in an effort to develop solutions that would radically transform the way the world sits and, most importantly, give wheelchair users their independence back. In 2014, Balz invented the first smart wheelchair, which won Intel's IOT Device of the Year Award and was endorsed by Stephen Hawking. He is a named inventor on an all terrain wheelchair patent and designed a wheelchair suspension system for one of the world’s largest wheelchair companies. When he's not inventing high tech solutions, Balz is giving underserved communities access to modern wheelchair technologies for free as part of his nonprofit, Freedom Chairs.

I sat down with Anna-Maria Mountfort. She is the founder of MimiTENS, a custom fabrication company that makes bags and mittens for children. MimiTENS also makes mittens for children with Limb Difference. She also started the GET In project which was started to raise awareness for the disability community. https://mimitens.com/ https://instagram.com/mimitens?utm_medium=copy_link https://m.facebook.com/MimiTENS/

I had the honour of sitting down with George Stroumboulopoulos. George is an icon in Canadian media. He is the former host of NewMusic on Much Music. He served as the host and co-executive producer of George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight (formerly The Hour) on CBC for ten seasons from 2005 until 2014. He was the host of Hockey Night in Canada from 2014 to 2016. He is currently the host of STROMBO on Apple Music.

I had the honour of chatting with Steve Way. Steve is an actor, comedian and substitute teacher. He is one of the main characters on Hulu's Ramy. Steve was born with Ullrich Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, a very rare form of MD. He has also been a public speaker for several years, mainly for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Daniel P. Malito. Daniel was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at age 9. He has been writing for over ten years. He authors weekly columns for several prominent websites such as Creaky Joints, The Huffington Post and "Can I Play That?". He has also published an autobiography titled "So Young - A Life Lived With Rheumatoid Arthritis."

I sat down with Bobbie Cherepuschak. He is a hunter from Saskatchewan who was born with Spina Bifida. With the help of Trent Wotherspoon, member of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, he was able to lobby the provincial government to allow people who use motorized wheelchairs to go hunting. Before the change they were deemed ATVs and were not allowed to be used to hunt.

I had the honour of chatting with community planner and disability activist Al Etmanski. His daughter Liz was born with Down Syndrome. Al has been an activist for people with disabilities for over 30 years. He is the co-founder of Planned Lifetime Advocacy Network (PLAN), a non-profit social enterprise assisting families address the financial and social well being of their relative with a disability. He proposed and led the successful campaign to establish the Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP), the world’s first savings plan for people with disabilities. Al is a recipient of the prestigious Order of Canada. if you are interested in his books or to find out more about Al please visit: aletmanski.com

I had the honour of chatting with R&B and Hip Hop artist Joshua Karpeh, better known by his stage name Cautious Clay. We chatted about his career as well as his relationship with his brother, who is on the Autism spectrum.

I had the honour of chatting with Alex and Mark Starratt. Mark served as the Director of The Paralympic Foundation of Canada from 2015 until 2019. Mark and his wife Jennifer founded The Starrett Family Foundation in 2013. It was founded to raise awareness and funds for Neuromuscular research and to make the world more accessible to those with disabilities. Alex, Mark's son, is 12 years old and is diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2. He has starred in a Canadian Tire First Skate commercial as a young boy trying sledge hockey for the first time.

I had the pleasure of talking with my good friend Dominique. Dom is a Barre, Pilates and Yoga instructor. She has an acquired brain injury from a fall from a second floor balcony. Dom also has a podcast called Embodied Alchemy Pod. Dominique's Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/37qHjQCoa5AFJWJ6Fi27zP?si=nvQPky0GQ2etxRtbsdogKQ

I had the honour of chatting with Kate Strohm. Kate grew up with a sister who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. She wrote a book titled "Siblings: Brothers and Sisters of children with disability". in 1999 she founded the charity Siblings Australia, which provides support and resources for those with disabled siblings.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Trinity Jagdeo. She is the Founder and CEO of the charity From We Can't To We Can. She publishes and illustrates children's books where the main characters are disabled superheroes. She hopes more companies in media and illustrating start including characters with disabilities.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Tricia Simons. She is the co-owner of The Triple C Farm in Ancaster, Ontario. Her three sons Geoffrey, Michael and Richard were all born with Autism. She founded Triple C Farm in 2013 to allow her eldest son Geoffrey to realize his dream of becoming a farmer. Tricia also wanted a safe and inclusive environment for people of all ages and disabilities to enjoy. The farm is fully inclusive and wheelchair accessible. Check out the farm: https://www.triplecfarm.ca/

I had the pleasure of chatting with Eddie Rice and Louise Russo. They are the co-foundees and co-chairs of the Canadian Coalitiion for Mobility Challenged Drivers. The coalition was founded in 2017 and aims to provide a barrier free environment for drivers with disabilities and mobility challenges. You can find more info on the Coalition here: https://ccmcd.ca/

I had the pleasure of chatting with Kgothatso "KG" Montjane. She was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, a congenital birth defect which affects the development of fingers and legs. She is a professional wheelchair tennis player representing South Africa. KG is currently the number 9 ranked woman in the world. KG's Instagram: https://instagram.com/kgmontjane1?igshid=yoxop25g0xq8 Twitter: https://twitter.com/KGmontjane1?s=09

I had the honour of chatting with David Montez. David is a former Public Safety Officer and 911 dispatcher from Wisconsin. He is diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, POTS and PTSD. David hosts the Chronic Victory Podcast, focusing on chronic illnesses and how to overcome them. He also focuses on philosophy and faith. Listen to the Chronic Victory Podcast here: http://chronicvictory.buzzsprout.com/ David's Instagram: https://instagram.com/chronicvictorypodcast?igshid=1k0knpf0z94bk

I had the honour of chatting with Brad Norris. Brad is the chair of the Hamilton Professional Fire Fighters Association Charity and Community Support. The charity works with several organizations in the Hamilton area including the Hamilton General Hospital Foundation, the Hamilton Bulldogs, Muscular Dystrophy Canada and several others.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Rocky Stoutenburgh. Rocky is a Twitch streamer who plays under the name RockyNoHands. He is paralyzed from the neck down without the use of his arms. He uses an adaptive controller called a Quadstick which is controlled through breathing. Rocky has two Guinness World Records in Fortnite for most eliminations and most Victory Royales with the Quadstick. Watch RockyNoHands with on Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/rockynohands?sr=a YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RockyNoHands11 Instagram: https://instagram.com/rockynohands?igshid=5t8xgo7xjwvp

I had the pleasure of chatting with Jay Onrait. Jay is a sportscaster who hosts Sportscentre with Jay and Dan with Dan O'toole for TSN in Canada. He obtained his degree in Radio and Television Arts from Ryerson University in Toronto. After spending time with Global Television in Saskatoon and A-Channel in Winnipeg he joined the NHL Network. In 2003 he started hosting Sportscentre for TSN. Onrait and O'toole spent 4 years from 2013-2017 in Los Angeles for Fox Sports 1 before returning to TSN. Jay and Dan also host a podcast together which they started in 2009.