Welcome to DisabiliTEA: Conversations for Change. This special video edition of the Finding Avalon Podcast features authentic chats over hot cups of tea with Disabled, chronically ill and neurodivergent changemakers, citizens and our allies.
Episode 3 highlights the insights of disability ally Mandy Ford in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. She has lived experience advocating for and supporting family members, including a mother navigating life with fibromyalgia.
Mandy is putlavamiut from NunatuKavut (putlavamiut means “people from the place with the treacherous water” in Inuttitut, which in western terms is the Battle Harbour area of Southern Labrador. NunatuKavut is the homeland of the Southern Inuit of Labrador, in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
She’s a writer and artist raised in Fox Harbour, NunatuKavut who now lives in Happy Valley-Goose Bay with her husband and dogs, Kane and Raven. Mandy captures beautiful photographs of life in Labrador and shares her skill with words on her blog and social media.
” It’s really not fair for people to say, ‘Well, why don’t you move?’ Because this is an indigenous community that has had roots there for hundreds of years. Connection means a lot to people. The traditional ways mean a lot to people. You can’t just expect people to move.
Mandy Ford, ally and advocate to disabled mother
But it is very scary because I’m five hours away (from family) and there’s no real consistent health care, especially emergency health care in the town. If there was an emergency, the patient would have to get medevaced to St. Anthony. But of course, all of that also depends on the weather. So if it’s a stormy winter day, you’re not getting anywhere.
And so what happens then? You’re stuck and you’re going to continually get worse, if not pass away. To be real, it happens. That’s what happens and that’s the reality of living in such a small isolated place.”
About this Epsiode
DisabiliTEA: Disabled Allyship in Remote Labrador Communities with Mandy Ford (Season 1, Episode 3)
Jenna and Mandy “spill the tea” and explore the realities of living with disability in remote and Indigenous Labrador communities. Mandy shares her personal stories as a non-disabled ally who advocates for her mother who lives with fibromyalgia while navigating remote Labrador healthcare access, community supports and the realities of barriers in everyday life in coastal Labrador.
Mandy also recounts experiences with emergency health care and medevacs from northern regions and advocating in hospital for the urgent care of her father, requiring her to be away from her family, work and life for a full month, far from home.
Watch Mandy’s Episode here
Episode Sponsor
Thank you to Episode Sponsor World Tea House, specialists in organic, small batch, direct trade, hand blended teas from around the world., located in downtown Halifax, Nova Scotia. Tea master and owner Phil Holmans kindly shared a delicious Strawberry Green tea blend to taste on the show!
World Tea House is where old world tea traditions meet modern mixology and cafe culture. With plenty of room to sit, listen to the world music and enjoy a pot of tea or try one of the award winning tea fusions.
Learn More
- Mandy Ford’s Colour of Outdoors blog
- Mandy Ford’s book Cotton Gloves and Rusted Anchors
- Jenna’s Story on Mandy’s Poetry on the Finding Avalon Blog
- Subscribe to DisabiliTEA on YouTube
- Follow DisabiliTEA on Spotify
- DisabiliTEA Series Episode List
- World Tea House website
- Saucy Pots Pottery Instagram
- Regions mentioned: NunatuKavut, Labrador, Newfoundland
Thank You / Support a Disabled Creator
Thank you for supporting DisabiliTEA – an award-winning, Disabled-led, Atlantic Canadian program! Every like, share and comment really matters to Disabled creators, helping build a stronger, more inclusive community.
This is an entirely grassroots project creating accessible, cost-free public educational resources, with absolutely no assistance or funding. Here are ways to support me to continue my contribution to inclusive change, community empowerment and disabled justice. Donations are gladly accepted to help cover basic operational costs to keep the podcast going.
Atlantic Canadian Pride
If you can, please consider supporting Atlantic Canadian makers, artisans and storytellers like the ones mentioned in this episode, and think about planning your next adventure to the East Coast travel destinations our guests live and make change in. We are blessed to live in Atlantic Canada where community, storytelling, art and nature connect in intricate, organic ways to support our unforgettable culture and land.
From Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick to Nova Scotia and my home Newfoundland and Labrador, we are a fine destination for food, craft, nature, locally-made products, excursions, outdoor pursuits, roadtrip fun and memory making — and the classic warmth of humour and hospitality the East Coast has become legendary for.
Finding Avalon: Storytelling, Advocacy & Life 
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