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.
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Upcoming Disability Matters Podcast Episode
ENCORE PRESENTATION
Jason Mida: Entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ Advocate
June 6, 2023 / 2pm – 3pm ET
In recognition of Pride Month, Joyce welcomes back to the show, Jason Mida. Jason, President & CEO of Mida Associates, collaborates closely with all clients to provide oversight for each engagement to ensure their daily success. During the show he will tell his story and what encouraged him to get involved in the LGBTQ+ community as an advocate. In addition, he will share what encouraged him to become an entrepreneur and the mission of Mida Associates LLC.
Recent Disability Matters Podcast Episodes
Jason Mida: Entrepreneur and LGBTQ+ Advocate
Tue, 06 Jun 2023 07:00:00 GMT
In recognition of Pride Month, Joyce welcomes back to the show, Jason Mida. Jason serves as President & CEO at Mida Associates. As President & CEO, Jason collaborates closely with all clients to provide oversight for each engagement to ensure their daily success. During the show he will share his story of his youth and what encouraged him to get involved in the LGBTQ+ community as an advocate. In addition, he will share what encouraged him to become an entrepreneur and the mission of Mida Associates LLC.
Encore Lachi: Recording Artist, and Disability Rights Advocate
Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes recording artist and disability rights advocate, Lachi to the show. Lachi will share her story about growing up as a person who is blind. She will share what inspired her to enter the music entertainment industry and what gave her the confidence to do so. Additionally, Lachi will share her work with the Grammy’s and offer advice to people with disabilities on how to overcome being ashamed of a disability and instead embrace it and pursue their dreams.
Rachel Kallem Whitman: Living with Bipolar:
Tue, 23 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes Dr. Rachel Kallem Whitman to the show. Dr. Whitman is an educator, advocate, and memoirist who has been living with bipolar since 2000. As a disability studies professor, she teaches courses on unpacking ableism and challenging sanism. Her speeches, interviews, and writings have garnered acclaim locally in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA, across the United States, and internationally. Rachel’s memoir, Instability in Six Colors, paints a vivid picture of what it is like living with a chronic mental health disability, trauma, and a complicated relationship with sanity, suicide, and self-love. Rachel will be discussing her career, her struggle with bipolar, and her passion to help others who also live with mental health disabilities.
Encore Ty Herndon: Living with Bipolar Disorder and Giving Back
Tue, 16 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce is thrilled to have as her guest, country music superstar, Ty Herndon, to the show. Mr. Herndon will discuss his career in the country music industry and living with bipolar disorder, which was diagnosed at the age of 59. He will share why he supports the Bender Leadership Academy’s #NotAshamed campaign and discuss his 10-episode podcast, Soundboard, featuring conversations with artists discussing their struggles and wins along their mental fitness journeys.
Bender Leadership Academy/Bender Student Leaders Program Students
Tue, 09 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships, with Bender Leadership Academy back to the show. Scott is pleased to include Jason Desantis and Brooklyn Walker, current high school students participating in the Bender Student Leaders Program sponsored by the Bender Leadership Academy. They will share their experiences in the program and explain how the program has helped them prepare for the world of work.
Chamberlain/Bazelon: Overcoming Stigma Around Mental Health
Tue, 02 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes to the show, Kathy Chamberlain, Director of Development & Special Projects at The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and Jill Bazelon, who proudly serves on the Center’s Board of Trustees to help live out the groundbreaking work of her grandfather. As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, the guests will discuss the prevalent stigma around mental health and the progress that is being made to overcome it by countless Americans with mental health disabilities. They will also discuss Bazelon’s 2023 fundraising gala.
Impending Crisis for FDR Memorial and the MLK Jr. Memorial
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes Helena Berger, Chair of the FDR Legacy Committee’s Board of Directors and Mary E. Dolan, Executive Director, to the show. The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee serves to preserve the memory of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s catalytic involvement in issues of equality and freedom – especially for people with disabilities. The guests will be sharing the committee’s plans to protect the FDR Memorial and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial from flooding as a result of repairing part of the Tidal Basin seawall.
Scott Hammerstrom: BLA’s Programs and Services
Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce welcomes back Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships, with the Bender Leadership Academy to the show. Scott will discuss the non-profit organization’s participation in Highmark Health’s Walk for a Healthy Community on Saturday, May 13, 2023, and the programs and services offered by the Bender Leadership Academy to young people with disabilities.
Ty Herndon: Living with Bipolar Disorder and Giving Back
Tue, 11 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce is thrilled to have as her guest, country music superstar, Ty Herndon, to the show. Mr. Herndon will discuss his career in the country music industry and living with bipolar disorder, which was diagnosed at the age of 59. He will share why he supports the Bender Leadership Academy’s #NotAshamed campaign and discuss his 10-episode podcast, Soundboard, featuring conversations with artists discussing their struggles and wins along their mental fitness journeys.
John Kemp: His Work as a Disability Rights Leader
Tue, 04 Apr 2023 07:00:00 GMT
Joyce is honored to welcome John Kemp, the American disability rights leader who co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities and is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Lakeshore Foundation in Birmingham, Alabama to the show. He will discuss his work as a disability rights leader and his book, “Disability Friendly: How to Move from Clueless to Inclusive,” which was published in October 2022.
Other Ways to Listen
You can find archived episodes of Disability Matters with Joyce Bender going back to 2005 on our VoiceAmerica Channel.