Our Team

Informed by 45 years of lived-experience as an amputee and 30+ in the media business, Jeff Tiessen is mindset’s Executive Producer. As the host of the Disability Literacy 101 course, Tiessen provides learners with incomparable disability content.

PEKN; 3M National Teaching Fellow, 2003. Chair, Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education’s 3M National Teaching Fellowship. A long-standing Brock University faculty member, Maureen is a Professor of Physical Education and Kinesiology with her life’s work materializing in the Brock-Niagara Centre of Excellence in Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity.

Archie Allison is a legendary figure at Toronto’s Variety Village, a centre that serves the disability community through sports, fitness and physical activity. Archie, the centre’s Director, Access and Awareness, and a staff member since 1984 is estimated to have impacted more than 10,000 students and educators with his expertise in diversity, equity and inclusion.

Anthony’s determination to support the growing need for accessibility led him to become RHFAC Certified (Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification). His consultancy company, Anthony Lue Consulting Inc., works with organizations to make our communities barrier-free… both physically and attitudinally. Anthony is a member of UHN’s (University Hospital Network) Black Legacy Committee.

With over 20 years of public speaking experience, her keynote presentations across North America include stages at the Mayo Clinic Summit and the Harvard Medical School. Canada’s premier media personality with a disability, Joanne hosted and produced two national television programs about Canadians with disabilities - the Gemini award-winning CBC show Moving On, and Accessibility in Action.

Drawing from her experiences climbing the Himalayan mountains and teaching in classrooms around the world, Tracy is a highly sought-after presenter and facilitator who has taken her message to stages in over 40 countries. This four-way amputee is also a respected corporate and education consultant, delivering AODA (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act) content to management and front-line employees.

Evan Swance-Smith, Minister of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care graduated from the Toronto School of Theology at the University of Toronto with a Master of Divinity. With an undergraduate degree in Women and Gender Studies, Evan serves communities living on the margins. They use their experiences, including living with invisible disabilities and as a member of the 2SLGBTIQ community to relate the gospel message to everyday life.

Identifying as neurodiverse, with ADHD and autism, Donna embraces her disability and utilizes it in her work as an Instructional Designer, specializing in Digital Accessibility and Certification Exams. She couples her multi-media instructional design expertise with accessible e-learning product development.