Just ask Christa Couture, the charming host of the AMI television series, Postcards From. Broadcast on cable and online, AMI is a not-for-profit media company that entertains, informs and empowers Canadians who are blind or partially sighted. Postcards From invites viewers to reimagine travel through all five senses. Now shooting a sixth season across the country, the show reveals a full sensory experience, from gold panning in Yukon, hoop dancing in Edmonton, go-karting in Niagara, or roasting salmon over a fire in Whistler. Couture, who lost her left leg to cancer, is an award-winning performing and recording artist, writer, filmmaker and broadcaster. She is also proudly Indigenous, queer, disabled and a mom. I caught up with her at home in Toronto to learn more about the challenges and opportunities for disabled travellers in Canada and what she’s learned on her journeys.

Robin Esrock: How did you become such a proud advocate for accessibility?

Christa Couture: It happened out of necessity. My left leg was amputated above the knee when I was 13, and as a disabled person moving in the world, I encountered barriers all the time. As I got older, I learned more about disability justice and other types of disabilities, becoming more invested, interested and vocal about the changes we need to make. I was also a touring musician for many years, and venues aren’t accessible to audiences, much less performers. I also worked in television production, and one day, I got a call from a producer I’d worked with on a different show. I thought they were looking for a researcher, but they were looking for a host! AMI’s mandate is to serve blind and partially sighted audiences, but the network also caters to a broader disability community in the stories and people they put on screen.

RE: As an amputee, what factors must you account for when travelling?

CC: My biggest concern is terrain, like uneven ground, hills and stairs. When I look at accommodation, I’m always researching stairs and elevators on websites. I can still do a lot, but it’s hard on my body. I have to manage the risks of a fall and the pain it causes my body. I can’t walk in the snow, so the terrain has to be dry and flat. 

RE: Are these accessibility considerations taken seriously in the Canadian tourism industry?

CC: It depends where you go. Places like Niagara Falls are well-resourced since they receive millions of tourists and cater to the disabled market. When I did a zipline there, the staff were well educated and experienced getting different bodies into the harnesses. They didn’t bat an eye helping me. In Dawson City, which is more remote, there are no paved roads, and it was a tough place for me to get around. But the community was so welcoming as they’re resourceful, creative, community-minded, and used to helping each other. Their welcoming spirit was very accommodating. I’d say all the other cities and places are somewhere in between.

RE: You wear your brightly painted prosthetic leg with pride. How do people react to it?

CC: I call it my flower leg. I used to wear a skin tone cover over the leg, but 10 years ago, I decided to do something more decorative. The flower leg looks hand-painted, but it’s actually a linen fabric laminated onto fibreglass. I make it visible for a few reasons. It’s helpful to have an immediate cue so people see it and offer assistance, and I don’t have to pass for non-disabled. The way I walk, most people think I sprained an ankle or something, and it’s a privilege of sorts to be able to pass for non-disabled, as I don’t have to face the attitudinal discrimination others face for using a wheelchair or hearing aid. The visible prosthetic helps me get help. It empowers my difference and sparks conversations. People look at it and go, ‘that’s so cool, what are the flowers, how did you get that made,’ or ‘how does that work?’ People see my comfort with it, and it helps them be more comfortable to ask more than just ‘what happened to you?’ or say “I’m so sorry, that must be horrible.”