Hosts Amanda and Michelle follow the journey of Sandra Pronteau, an inspiring and resilient Indigenous woman from the Cree-Metis community. Sandra lives in Vancouver with a congenital birth defect that's rendered her with disabilities, that include weak hearing. 

But perhaps the challenge that's most defined her life, and her inspiring story, is that she's a survivor of the Sixties Scoop. This refers to the racist policy enacted by Canada's colonial machinery that removed, or “scooped,” Indigenous children out of their homes, communities and families of birth through the 1960s. They were then forced into predominantly non-Indigenous families across the United States and Canada—leading to trauma, as well as loss of language and culture caused by the rupture from their Indigenous families and communities at an early age. "Indigenous children were seen as commodity and government property," says Sandra. 

In this episode, Sandra offers a glimpse of her journey toward resilience. She talks about reuniting with her mum as a teenager, and how understanding her family tree, her roots and culture as well as 'beading' forged a path towards healing. 

"Every bead I put on is like a prayer for that child," describes Sandra, referring to the children of the Sixties Scoop, many of whom have been missing, or found to be deceased. 

Click the play button to learn about Sandra's story, and how she's empowering the next generation of Indigenous children to stand up for themselves. And to learn about a movement led by people with disabilities, visit: https://www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca/. 

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