Disability Matters with Joyce Bender focuses on the employment and empowerment of people with disabilities. Episodes feature prominent disability leaders such as Congressman Tony Coelho, Governor Dick Thornburgh, Andy Imparato and senior executives from the private sector.

Listen right here, subscribe on your favorite podcast app, or tune in on VoiceAmerica Channel every Tuesday from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST. The toll free caller/listener number is 1-866-472-5788. Tell your friends!

Disability Matters is one of the first international talk radio shows/podcasts with real-time captioning. Click here for real-time captioning during the show!

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Upcoming Disability Matters Podcast Episode

Diego Mariscal: Disability Advocate & Entrepreneur Helps Others

May 21, 2024 / 2 pm – 3 pm ET

Joyce welcomes Diego Mariscal, CEO and Chief Disabled Officer for 2Gether-International, a nonprofit organization that develops advocacy campaigns to empower and unify young people with disabilities. Mr. Mariscal uses communication technology to engage youth with and without disabilities around issues such as education, employment, and entrepreneurship. He will share his passion for helping those with disabilities.

Recent Disability Matters Podcast Episodes

Homme/Hammerstrom: Bender Consulting & Bender Leadership Academy

Tue, 14 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships for the Bender Leadership Academy to the show. Mr. Homme will discuss the wide range of competitive career opportunities that are available for job seekers with disabilities through Bender Consulting Services Inc. and share what factors make Bender Consulting stand apart from other recruiting firms. Mr. Hammerstrom will share an update on the programs offered through the Bender Leadership Academy to high school students with disabilities, including an update on #NotAshamed, a mental health awareness campaign.



Tracy Saula: Highmark Health Provides Range of Products/Services

Tue, 07 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Tracy Saula, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Experience Officer at Highmark Health to the show. Ms. Saula will discuss her role within the organization further and the wide range of products and services that Highmark Health provides to its customers, including those with disabilities.



Mission and Latest Accomplishments of the Bazelon Center

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Holly O’Donnell, CEO, at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law to the show. Ms. O’Donnell will discuss the mission and accomplishments that the Bazelon Center has made for those living with mental health disabilities.



Dunn/Thomas: ADP’s Commitment to Diverse Workforce

Tue, 23 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Olivia Dunn, Procurement Manager-Supplier Diversity, and Laurinda Thomas, Senior Director of Sourcing within Global Procurement, at ADP. They will share ADP’s commitment to a workforce that includes people with disabilities and the importance of diversity within the supply chain.



Kathryn Zox: Podcast Committed to Helping Those with Disabilities

Tue, 16 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Kathryn Zox, host of the VoiceAmerica’s The Kathryn Zox Show, to Disability Matters. Ms. Zox is informative and fun and opens the mic with conversations that women need to hear. The Kathryn Zox Show is savvy and relationship oriented. Ms. Zox has counseled hundreds of women and their families who have suffered from eating disorders, addiction problems, marital, family, and geriatric issues as well as persons coping with mental and physical disabilities. Ms. Zox will share her passion for her work with the audience.



Calgon Carbon’s Commitment to the Bender Leadership Academy

Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Steve Nolder, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Global Communications, and Kaylene Ritchie, Talent Management & Diversity Supervisor, at Calgon Carbon Corporation to the show. The guests will share how Calgon Carbon Corporation of Pittsburgh supports the efforts of the Bender Leadership Academy’s Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative.



Brittany Bullock: ABLEnow Allows People with Disabilities to Save

Tue, 02 Apr 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Brittany Bullock, Relationship Marketing Specialist with ABLEnow. The show will be explaining tax-advantaged savings accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. For too long, Americans with disabilities could not save or invest for the future. Advocates fought hard to change this, resulting in a grassroots movement that changed the law, so people with disabilities can achieve a better life experience. ABLEnow accounts help eligible individuals save for the future, without endangering certain disability benefits that are critical for health and independence.



Tue, 26 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Peggy Beem-Jelley, President and CEO, and Colleen Fulkerson, Special Events Coordinator, for the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central Pennsylvania (EAWCP). Also joining Joyce will be Logan Huwalt, a Baldwin-Whitehall student living with epilepsy, an advocate for people living with epilepsy who is working hard to raise funds for the EAWCP. Annually, March 26th is Epilepsy Awareness Purple Day; therefore, on this day, the guests reflect on the work of the EAWCP and their continued goal to bring awareness of epilepsy and help people live with it.



Danielle Filip: Importance of PA’s Act 57 Ensuring Interpreters

Tue, 19 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce welcomes Danielle Filip, Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Sign Language Interpreting Professionals (SLIP), back to the show. She will discuss Act 57, Pennsylvania’s interpreting legislation. Ms. Filip is working on this legislative initiative with State Representatives, Arvind Venkat and Rob Mercuri. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that Pennsylvania has enough trained interpreters to cover the communication needs of all Pennsylvanians who are deaf.



Encore Valerie Jarrett Receives Prestigious Tony Coelho Award

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Joyce will be joined by the Honorable Tony Coelho, Author of the America's with Disabilities Act, and the Honorable Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. Ms. Jarrett will discuss her feelings about receiving the prestigious Tony Coelho award, recognizing her work in furthering the employment of people with disabilities in America.



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You can find archived episodes of Disability Matters with Joyce Bender going back to 2005 on our VoiceAmerica Channel.

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