Podcasts about disability research

About This Series Over six weeks, we're sharing keynote talks and discussions from the second Future Church Conference, held at the Tram Sheds in Glebe. This gathering brought together church leaders, pastors, and Jesus-followers passionate about creating safer, more inclusive faith communities.Whether you're leading church, leaving church, unsure about the whole thing, or just curious about what the future might hold, these conversations explore what it means to reimagine church for everyone.Conference Posture Future Church Conference invited participants to adopt three key postures:Lean in - Sit with discomfort and ask why certain ideas trigger usListen - Hear vulnerable ideas from speakers and connect with each otherLook forward - Focus on future possibilities rather than past woundsWhat You'll Hear in This Episode: Shane Clifton shares his story and reflections on whether the Church has a future, and what kind it could beAbout the Speaker: Shane Clifton is Associate Professor of Practice in the School of health sciences at the University of Sydney, on the leadership team at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Want to reach out and let us know your thoughts or suggestions for the show? Send us a message here; we'd love to hear from you.The Spiritual Misfits Survival Guide (FREE): https://www.spiritualmisfits.com.au/survivalguideSign up to our mailing list:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/Join our online Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spiritualmisfitspodcastSupport the pod:https://spiritualmisfits.com.au/support-us/View all episodes at: https://spiritualmisfits.buzzsprout.com

Physician Tina Stankovic is an ear, nose, and throat specialist and a lover of music whose seemingly disparate pursuits — medicine and music — have led her to a groundbreaking career in hearing research. She recently worked with music legend Paul Simon during his well-publicized battle with hearing loss and he has become a vocal advocate for hearing research. New understandings and new approaches like regenerative medicine have put the once-impossible dream of hearing restoration within reach, Stankovic tells host Russ Altman on this episode of Stanford Engineering's The Future of Everything podcast.Have a question for Russ? Send it our way in writing or via voice memo, and it might be featured on an upcoming episode. Please introduce yourself, let us know where you're listening from, and share your question. You can send questions to thefutureofeverything@stanford.edu.Episode Reference Links:Stanford Profile: Konstantina M. StankovicStanford Researchers Assist Paul Simon with his Return to the StageInside the Stanford Initiative to Cure Hearing Loss: Cutting-Edge Science and InnovationConnect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>> Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / FacebookChapters:(00:00:00) IntroductionRuss Altman introduces guest Tina Stankovic, a professor of otolaryngology and neurosurgery at Stanford University.(00:03:36) Why Hearing LossWhat inspired Tina's lifelong journey into hearing science.(00:04:17) Treating Hearing LossLimits of current options and lack of FDA-approved therapies.(00:05:23) Causes of Hearing LossThe two main categories of hearing loss: conductive vs. sensorineural.(00:07:47) Inside the Inner EarThe complexity of the inner ear, and why diagnosis is so difficult.(00:09:22) Tinnitus & Hearing LossWhy ear damage can cause phantom sounds in the brain.(00:10:28) Emerging Technologies in Hearing ResearchNew technologies that are evolving treatment approaches.(00:15:19) Recreating the Ear in the LabChallenges the inner ear's unique composition pose to researchers.(00:20:02) AI Applications in Hearing DiagnosisThe ways AI is transforming diagnosis and genetic analysis.(00:21:31) Can Ears Regrow?Why humans don't regenerate ear cells—but mice might help.(00:23:55) Emotional & Social Toll of Hearing LossHow hearing loss can lead to isolation, stigma, and cognitive decline.(00:26:06) Born Deaf vs. Later Hearing LossExperiential differences between those with early and late hearing loss.(00:27:52) Paul Simon's Role and AdvocacyHow the artist got involved with Tina's work and the initiative at Stanford.(00:29:44) Protecting Your HearingBest practices for protecting your hearing.(00:33:21) Conclusion Connect With Us:Episode Transcripts >>> The Future of Everything WebsiteConnect with Russ >>> Threads / Bluesky / MastodonConnect with School of Engineering >>>Twitter/X / Instagram / LinkedIn / Facebook

Cornell University research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy has identified approaches to designing employer career webpages that can significantly heighten the likelihood of a company's success in attracting job seekers with disabilities and encouraging them to apply for open positions.Susanne Bruyère, a professor of Disability Studies and academic director of the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at the Cornell ILR School, takes a close look at this research—and what it means for employers as well as people with disabilities—and offers insights for recruiting applicants with disabilities, finetuning hiring processes and understanding how a person with a disability may choose to self-identify to potential employers.What You'll LearnApproaches to disability-inclusive messaging on Fortune 500 company career webpagesHow job seekers with disabilities approach job searching onlineHow to tailor messaging to encourage job seekers with disabilities to apply and self-identifyThe Cornell Keynotes podcast is brought to you by eCornell, which offers more than 200 online certificate programs to help professionals advance their careers and organizations. Susanne Bruyère is an author of these programs:Neurodiversity at WorkWorkplace Disability InclusionResources mentioned in the episode:Checklist for Employers: Facilitating the Hiring of People with Disabilities through the use of eRecruiting Screening Systems, Including AIDisability Outreach and Inclusion Messaging: Assessment Checklist for Career PagesODEP websiteYang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability Website Did you enjoy this episode of the Cornell Keynotes podcast? Watch the full Keynote. Follow eCornell on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, and X.

Your weekly dose of information that keeps you up to date on the latest developments in the field of technology designed to assist people with disabilities and special needs. Special Guest: Cynthia Curry – Director of the National Center on Accessible Digital Education Materials and Instruction (NCADEMI) – Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice […]

Send us a textIn October this year Professor Shane Clifton wrote a piece for The Conversation titled, 'When even fringe festival venues exclude people with disability, cities need to act on access' after a series of accessibility issues to attend events at one of Sydney's biggest festivals on the calendar.Shane is the Associate Professor of Practice, School of Health Sciences and the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney and you can listen to him on Episode 40: Faith, God, Diversity and The Journey - https://scia.org.au/resource-hub/faith-god-diversity-and-the-journey/Information in this episodeAssociate Professor Shane Clifton - University of Sydney:  https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/shane.clifton.htmlShaneClifton.com: https://shaneclifton.com/The Conversation - When even fringe festival venues exclude people with disability, cities need to act on access: https://theconversation.com/when-even-fringe-festival-venues-exclude-people-with-disability-cities-need-to-act-on-access-239937CreditsThis episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://bit.ly/ResourceHubSCIA.Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://bit.ly/ResourceHubSCIA.

Dr. Audrey Juhasz, Researcher at the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice, explains a project she is working on that is focused on accessible healthcare for people with disabilities; Dr. Marcus Plescia, ASTHO Chief Medical Officer, says the risk for avian influenza is still low for humans; an ASTHO blog article teaches you how to support Community Health Workers; an ASTHO report dives into the work ASTHO is doing with the COVID-19 health disparities grant; and Route Fifty spoke to ASTHO leaders about the National Implementation Center program. ASTHO Blog Article: Strategies for Accessible Healthcare for People with Disabilities Living in Rural Communities ASTHO Blog Article: Helping Community Health Workers Excel in the Public Health Workforce ASTHO Report: Improving Community Access to Care Through Health Disparities Grant Route Fifty News Article: New $255M federal grant will help state, local public health agencies modernize data systems  

This special episode of Public Health Review Morning Edition revisits a popular episode from June 7th, 2024. Dr. Audrey Juhasz, researcher at the Institute for Disability Research Policy and Practice at Utah State University, discusses findings from their disability data analysis research; Nada Hassanein, health inequities reporter at Stateline, talks about her article which details research from UC San Francisco dealing with maternal implicit bias training; and ASTHO's PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center can help protect and support your teams. Association of University Centers on Disabilities Webpage: Announcement of AUCD-ASTHO Grant Awardees The Salt Lake Tribune Article: Opinion – Too often, Utah neglects the mental health needs of individuals with disabilities Chronic Health Conditions Among People with Disabilities Living in the Mountain West Stateline News Article: To close racial gap in maternal health, some states take aim at implicit bias ASTHO PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed

Dr. Audrey Juhasz, Researcher at the Institute for Disability Research Policy and Practice at Utah State University, discusses findings from their disability data analysis research; Nada Hassanein, Health Inequities Reporter at Stateline, talks about her article which details research from UC San Francisco dealing with maternal implicit bias training; and ASTHO's PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center can help protect and support your teams. Association of University Centers on Disabilities Webpage: Announcement of AUCD-ASTHO Grant Awardees The Salt Lake Tribune Article: Opinion – Too often, Utah neglects the mental health needs of individuals with disabilities Chronic Health Conditions Among People with Disabilities Living in the Mountain West Stateline News Article: To close racial gap in maternal health, some states take aim at implicit bias ASTHO PH-HERO Workforce Resource Center ASTHO Webpage: Stay Informed  

What does an inclusive society look like? And what are the challenges and opportunities when the society in question, Timor-Leste, is one of the most resource-constrained in Southeast Asia? My guest today is interested in these questions of inclusion and participation, and argues that people with a disability are a key component of a truly inclusive society – and that employment can be a key policy lever for inclusion. With Timor-Leste recently ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), now is the time, she says, for building an evidence base for employment as a foundational right that has transformational potential not only for people with disability but for the broader community. Dr Kim Bulkeley from the Faculty of Medicine and Health joins Dr Natali Pearson to share the work she is doing ion disability and work in Timor-Leste. Dr Kim Bulkeley is a Co-head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for strengthening rehabilitation capacity in health systems, senior lecturer in the Sydney School of Health Sciences and a stream leader in the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

What does an inclusive society look like? And what are the challenges and opportunities when the society in question, Timor-Leste, is one of the most resource-constrained in Southeast Asia? My guest today is interested in these questions of inclusion and participation, and argues that people with a disability are a key component of a truly inclusive society – and that employment can be a key policy lever for inclusion. With Timor-Leste recently ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), now is the time, she says, for building an evidence base for employment as a foundational right that has transformational potential not only for people with disability but for the broader community. Dr Kim Bulkeley from the Faculty of Medicine and Health joins Dr Natali Pearson to share the work she is doing ion disability and work in Timor-Leste. Dr Kim Bulkeley is a Co-head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for strengthening rehabilitation capacity in health systems, senior lecturer in the Sydney School of Health Sciences and a stream leader in the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/southeast-asian-studies

What does an inclusive society look like? And what are the challenges and opportunities when the society in question, Timor-Leste, is one of the most resource-constrained in Southeast Asia? My guest today is interested in these questions of inclusion and participation, and argues that people with a disability are a key component of a truly inclusive society – and that employment can be a key policy lever for inclusion. With Timor-Leste recently ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), now is the time, she says, for building an evidence base for employment as a foundational right that has transformational potential not only for people with disability but for the broader community. Dr Kim Bulkeley from the Faculty of Medicine and Health joins Dr Natali Pearson to share the work she is doing ion disability and work in Timor-Leste. Dr Kim Bulkeley is a Co-head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for strengthening rehabilitation capacity in health systems, senior lecturer in the Sydney School of Health Sciences and a stream leader in the Centre for Disability Research and Policy.

What does an inclusive society look like? And what are the challenges and opportunities when the society in question, Timor-Leste, is one of the most resource-constrained in Southeast Asia? My guest today is interested in these questions of inclusion and participation, and argues that people with a disability are a key component of a truly inclusive society – and that employment can be a key policy lever for inclusion. With Timor-Leste recently ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), now is the time, she says, for building an evidence base for employment as a foundational right that has transformational potential not only for people with disability but for the broader community. Dr Kim Bulkeley from the Faculty of Medicine and Health joins Dr Natali Pearson to share the work she is doing ion disability and work in Timor-Leste. Dr Kim Bulkeley is a Co-head of the WHO Collaborating Centre for strengthening rehabilitation capacity in health systems, senior lecturer in the Sydney School of Health Sciences and a stream leader in the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tom Shakespeare is a Professor of Disability Research, a sociologist, a bioethicist, and now the author of 'The Ha-Ha' a reverse "whodunnit" about a pig who steals a manuscript - he joins Anton to discuss this, his love of literature, his stand-up career, his links to Ireland, and more.

Tom Shakespeare CBE is Professor of Disability Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and was the 2020 Swarthmore Lecturer. Tom has achondroplasia and uses a wheelchair. He is a social scientist and bioethicist who has worked particularly on disability and on genetics. His books include Disability Rights and Wrongs, Genetic Politics, and Disability – the Basics. Tom has presented programmes and documentaries on BBC Radio and has written for publications including The Guardian and The Lancet, alongside talking to academic, professional and lay audiences around the world. In July 2018 Shakespeare was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. He has been a stand-up comedian, an actor, a dancer, and an artist. His latest book is his first novel, The Ha-Ha .Tom Shakespeare is guest number 369 on My Time Capsule and chats to Michael Fenton Stevens about the five things he'd like to put in a time capsule; four he'd like to preserve and one he'd like to bury and never have to think about again .Tom's new book, The Ha-Ha, is available here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ha-Ha-feel-good-comedy-friends-reunited/dp/1788424778 .Follow Tom Shakespeare on Twitter @TommyShakes .Follow My Time Capsule on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook: @MyTCpod .Follow Michael Fenton Stevens on Twitter: @fentonstevens & Instagram @mikefentonstevens .Produced and edited by John Fenton-Stevens for Cast Off Productions .Music by Pass The Peas Music .Artwork by matthewboxall.com .This podcast is proud to be associated with the charity Viva! Providing theatrical opportunities for hundreds of young people. Get bonus episodes and ad-free listening by becoming a team member with Acast+! Your support will help us to keep making My Time Capsule. Join our team now! https://plus.acast.com/s/mytimecapsule. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this insightful episode of Autism Weekly, host Jeff Skibitsky and esteemed guest Dr. Matthew Wappet, Executive Director of Utah State University's Institute for Disability Research, engage in an illuminating discussion about reimagining the future of education to be more inclusive for individuals with disabilities. With a focus on autism, they critically discuss the current challenges and possibilities of special education. The episode highlights the pressing issues of incorrect societal attitudes, inadequate policies, and funding restrictions that often hinder the progress of inclusive education. It also examines contested topics such as the Individualized Education Plan (IEP), parental rights and responsibilities, and the frustrating legal battles parents often face to secure an adequate education for their children. Notably, the dialogue emphasizes the evolution and current state of inclusive teacher preparation programs, differing definitions of inclusion across districts, and the crucial need to allocate resources correctly to foster inclusive environment in schools. Delving deeper, the episode underscores the importance of inclusive education not just as a policy, but as a pivotal strategy for promoting social cohesion and an open-minded society. It also discusses the significant role of parental advocacy in shaping their children's experiences and the substantial benefits of inclusive practices for all students. In conclusion, the episode urges for stronger support, increased awareness, and widespread acceptance of inclusive education, envisioning a future that embraces diversity and recognizes every individual's potential. Resources:  Learn more about Dr. Wappett: https://www.matthewwappett.com/about learn more about laughter yoga on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthewwappett ................................................................ Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, google podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

On Election Day, people are expected to do their civic duty and vote. Some citizens have a harder time voting than others because of the lack of accessibility at various polling stations. Approximately 13% of people surveyed by the U.S. Census reported illness or disability kept them from voting in the 2020 presidential election. Almost 2 million voters with disabilities, or 11% of voters, had some type of difficulty voting in 2020, according to a study by the Program for Disability Research at Rutgers University and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. People with a disability voted at a lower rate...Article LinkSupport the show

We had a great chat with Samantha Maxwell and her publisher Allan Longshadow about inclusion, accessibility and barriers faced by people with disabilities. 00:00 Intro 03:29 Samantha's Journey 08:10 Changing Perceptions Together 09:53 Samantha's Book "CP Isn't Me" 11:53 Where Experience And Advocacy Meet Respectfully 14:37 A Collective Journey 15:30 Employers And Disability 21:20 A Very Misguided Hierarchy 23:50 Ethical Representation 25:12 Positive Discussions, Mostly Positive Reponses 27:17 Interesting And Valuable Connections 29:02 Samantha's Upcoming Book 31:49 Advocating Through Resistance With Resilience 36:25 Normalizing Disability In A New Way 41:57 Disability Research 44:30 Relative Equality 45:43 Recap LINKS: CP Isn't Me: https://amzn.to/3PDbUP8 CP Isn't Me Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089898101346 ___ WAYS YOU CAN HELP Buy us a coffee or tea to help us continue to be able to share this content - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/m4gkrysandmark Pick up some merchandise on our online store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/m4g-advocacy-media/ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Sign up for PodMatch at https://podmatch.com/signup/m4gadvocacymedia or email us at accounts@marked4glory.com ___ We take accessibility seriously at M4G! Our accessibility partner is accessiBe. If you're looking to make your website more accessible (and really you should!), check them out at https://accessiBe.com @accessiBe ___ Check out our website: https://www.m4gadvocacymedia.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m4gadvocacymedia Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/m4gadvocacymedia Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m4gadvocacymedia Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/m4gadvocacy Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@m4gadvocacymedia #disability #m4gadvocacymedia #cpisntme #author #CP #CerebralPalsy #accessibility #equity #employment #barriers #stigmas --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/m4gadvocacymedia/support

Interviewee: Dr. Kara Ayers Interviewer: Peter Poullos, MD Description: In this episode, Dr. Peter Poullos interview Dr. Kara Ayers disability researcher and associate director of the University of Cincinnati University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. Together they  discuss advocacy work, interprofessional collaboration,  the language we use when describing marginalized communities and how ableism impacts the health outcomes and safety of our patients.  Resources: (1) Evolution of Disability Language (2) How to talk to kids about people with disabilities (3) @ThinkEquitable Transcript Bio: Dr. Kara Ayers is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, where she is also Associate Director of the University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. She's co-founder of the Disabled Parenting Project. She's recently launched the National Center for Disability, Equity, and Intersectionality. Her research interests include health equity, disability ethics, and anti-ableism. Produced by: Gabe Abrams, Jake Feeman and Lisa Meeks Digital Media: Katie Sullivan Keywords: disability, anti-ableism, disability ethics, disability mentorship, disability policy, health equity, intersectionality, docswithdisabilities, medical education.  

Interviewee: Rasheera Dopson, MPH Interviewer: Peter Poullos, MD Description:  Today, we are joined by public health researcher and disability advocate Ms. Rasheera Dopson. In this episode, Ms. Dopson and Dr. Poullos discuss the interactions between disability and chronic illness, how the experience with disability and the healthcare system changes throughout different life stages, and the intersection of race, gender, and disability .  Bio: Rasheera Dopson, MPH is a motivational speaker, podcaster, author, D.E.I.A. consultant, and qualitative researcher at the National Center of Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine. Her intersectional approach to systems thinking has supported organizations and their teams to advance equity and mitigate health disparities in multiply-marginalized communities through community engagement, policy development, education, and advocacy. She founded the Dopson Foundation whose organizational aim is to advance professional, health and social equity for women and girls with disabilities.  Transcript  Resources: https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2023/01/10/black-women-leaders-and-disability-justice/ Keywords: disability, disability research, public health, intersectionality, chronic illness, rare diseases, health policy, BIPOC. Produced by: Gabe Abrams, Jake Feeman and Lisa Meeks Digital Media: Katie Sullivan Key Words: 

Are mental health problems a ‘disability'?We chat with Professor Tom Shakespeare about the relationship between concepts of disability and mental health. Tom is Professor of Disability Research at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has taught and researched at the universities of Sunderland, Leeds, Newcastle and East Anglia, worked for the World Health Organisation, and authored several books including 'Sexual Politics of Disability', 'Disability Rights and Wrongs' and 'Disability - the Basics'.Follow us on Twitter and more at https://www.bio.link/livelymindsPlease note that this show does not constitute medical advice and is not a replacement for seeking professional help. You can find our more about the show and get signposting to support on our website anyamedia.net/livelyminds

Description: In this episode, Dr. Meeks, Dr. Troung, and Dr. Charnsangavej discuss the residency accommodation system from multiple perspectives, the importance of team-wide support in GME to ensure access for doctors with disabilities, and the value disabled doctors bring to health care.  Bio: Uyen Truong, MD grew up in Minnesota but is currently finishing her chief year at UT Austin Dell Medical School Pediatric Residency Program. Following graduation, Uyen is going to work as a Complex Care Pediatrician back in Minnesota. Although the path has not been easy, she has always wanted to become a pediatrician and work with kids with medical complexity like herself. Through Uyen%E2%80%99s training and her own personal experiences, she has been able to help parents and children navigate the medical system. Uyen is very excited to continue working and advocating for children with disabilities and helping them achieve their goals. Nalinda Charnsangavej, MD is an associate professor of pediatrics at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin. She serves as the pediatric residency program director and has an interest in promoting a healthy and supportive learning environment through supporting diversity, cultivating an inclusive climate, and promoting physician well-being and resilience. She has a specific interest in raising awareness of the benefits of inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the learning environment and patient care and has supported faculty and institution development in working with trainees with disabilities. In her role as a program director, she has individually mentored many trainees and also recognizes the need to support the establishment of strong mentorship relationships for trainees, particularly those from backgrounds underrepresented in medicine. She has led program-wide efforts to foster wellbeing and resiliency amongst trainees and participates in national work-groups such as the Pediatric Resident Burnout and Resilience Study Consortium. She is interested in helping develop best practices for GME programs to enhance access and inclusion of trainees with disabilities. Interviewees: Dr. Uyen Troung, and Dr. Nalinda Charnsangavej  Interviewer: Dr. Lisa Meeks Producer:  Gabe Abrams  Key words: medical education, physical disability, disability research, accommodations, wheelchair, SCI, medical technology, residency, pediatrics, program director, GME, GME Policy Transcript  

Today, we are joined by two guests and namesakes, Drs. Heather Feldner and Heather Evans, both from the University of Washington, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine . In their conversation with Dr. Pete Poullos, Dr. Evans and Dr. Feldner discuss their arrival to disability studies scholarship at the University of Washington, the curious and impactful forms that their work has taken as products of inter-departmental collaboration, and their visions for a medical education that is more cognizant of and that actively centers the dynamic, lived experiences of those with disabilities.   Transcript    Resources: http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fresc.2022.947592/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Rehabilitation [journal.frontiersin.org]   Key words: medical education, physical disability, disability research, accommodations, chronic illness, mental health, crip theory   Bios:  Dr. Feldner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, core faculty in the Disability Studies Program, and an Associate Director of the Center for Research and Education on Accessible Technology and Experiences (CREATE) at the University of Washington. Dr. Feldner's research is centered at the intersection of mobility, disability, and technology in two primary areas, including perceptions of disability and identity and how these emerge and evolve through technology use, and in the design and implementation of pediatric mobility technology, considering how attitudes and the built environment affect equity and participation. She also focuses on how disability can be further integrated into intersectional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, particularly in health professions education. Her current work incorporates multidisciplinary, mixed methods, and participatory approaches drawing from her background as a pediatric physical therapist, doctoral work in disability studies, and postdoctoral research in in mechanical engineering.  Heather D. Evans is a socio-legal scholar who focuses on the ways in which institutions such as the law, higher education, and the medical field interact with marginalized populations. She has conducted statistical analyses, ethnographic fieldwork, and evaluation research. Heather's current work is in the field of Critical Disability Studies examining disclosure, identity management, and workplace accommodations among people with physical, mental, and sensory differences that are not readily apparent. She is also committed to community based research and does consulting work for local social justice organizations, primarily focusing on disparities within the criminal justice system. Heather earned a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Washington and teaches courses in the Department of Sociology; Disability Studies Program; and the Law, Societies & Justice Department at UW. She joined the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at UW in 2021 as an Acting Assistant Professor and Research Director for the Northwest ADA Center.

In this episode, Dr. Poullos is joined by Dr. Michelle Meade, a professor within the University of Michigan Departments of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Family Medicine and a practicing rehabilitation psychologist. Dr. Meade's research focuses on topics such as healthcare disparities, health self-management, and the employment of individuals with physical disabilities. She joins us today to talk about her career journey and some of her recent work.  Michelle A. Meade, PhD is a Professor with tenure in the U-M Departments of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and Family Medicine within the School of Medicine, a practicing rehabilitation psychologist, affiliated faculty for IHPI, and a Co-Director for the CDHW. Dr. Meade also serves as PI and Director for the NIDILRR-funded Michigan SCI Model Systems (2022-2026) and the IDEAL RRTC (2018-2023). Her research expertise is in the areas of healthcare disparities, health self-management, and employment of individuals with physical disabilities, particularly among individuals with disabilities from marginalized populations.   Transcript: https://bit.ly/Episode68_MichelleMeade Key Words: PM&R; Rehab Psychology, Disability Studies, Disability Research, Psychologist, Physical Disabilities  

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Asia-Pacific region is the most disaster prone region in the world. Australia has a long history with heatwaves, bushfires, drought, flood and tropical cyclones and we're going from La Nina to El Nino, meaning, potentially a repeat of the 2019 – 2020 bushfires that saw the whole country on fire. In this episode, Susan talks to Michelle Villeneuve, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy and Deputy Director at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at University of Sydney about this emerging interest, how COVID-19  came in and changed everything.Information in this episode: Michelle Villenueve - University of Sydney, Faculty of Medicine and Health: https://www.sydney.edu.au/medicine-health/about/our-people/academic-staff/michelle-villeneuve.htmlCollaborating 4 Inclusion: https://collaborating4inclusion.org/Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) Resource Package: https://collaborating4inclusion.org/disability-inclusive-disaster-risk-reduction/p-cep-resource-package/Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) Workbook: https://collaborating4inclusion.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-08-19-Person-Centred-Emergency-Preparedness-P-CEP-WORKBOOK_FINAL.pdfDisability and Australia's Disability Strategy 2021–2031 - Australian Department of Social Services: https://www.dss.gov.au/disability-and-australias-disability-strategy-2021-2031Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade - Disaster Risk Reduction and Resilience: https://www.dfat.gov.au/development/topics/development-issues/building-resilience/drr/disaster-risk-reduction-and-resilienceUnited Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction: https://www.undrr.org/disability-inclusion-disaster-risk-reductionAustralian Human Rights Commission - United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD): https://humanrights.gov.au/our-work/disability-rights/united-nations-convention-rights-persons-disabilities-uncrpdCreditsThis episode has been written, produced and edited by Susan Wood. Logo art by Cobie Ann Moore.Spinal Cord Injuries Australia is a for-purpose organisation that supports people with a spinal cord injury and other neurological conditions. For more information about our supports and services, visit our Resource Hub at https://bit.ly/ResourceHubSCIA.

We spoke with Victoria Moore who created the Tap For All dance program to create more inclusion for people with disabilities! 00:00 Intro 02:42 Victoria's Journey 07:03 A New Journey For Dance 08:53 Beautiful Ability Within A Disability 10:38 Adapting Choreography 12:00 'Peg Leg' Bates, Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor 15:17 Tap Gloves & Educating For Tap For All! 17:58 Presentation At Abilities Expo 19:55 Bridging The Gap 21:04 Covid's Awkward Positives 23:28 Finding Hope After Discrimination 28:04 Familiar Surroundings 29:01 Communication & Interpretation Through Tap 31:56 Finding Your Joy, Your Purpose 36:30 Changing The Perspective 37:25 Memory Care & The Power Of Music 41:22 Giving Access To Shine 41:55 Explaining The Tap For All Program And Mini Classes 44:45 How To Get Your Own Tap Gloves 46:07 Getting Others On Board 46:35 Victoria's Website, Book And More 47:17 What Rules? 48:14 Disability Resources 50:17 Disability Research & Reviews 53:00 Actual Change, Actual Engagement 55:03 A Double Edge Sword That Requires Creative Minds 56:20 Different Disparities 1:00:03 Victoria's Contact Recap LINKS: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/victoriamooretapdance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/victoriamooretapofficial/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-moore-4b560945/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/vmoore_tap Website: https://www.victoriamooretap.com/ Clayton "Peg Leg" Bates - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hayM4B7hcBQ Gene Kelly & Donald O'Connor Sitting Tap Routine - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnFiqRiZh1s ___ WAYS YOU CAN HELP Buy us a coffee or tea to help us continue to be able to share this content - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/m4gkrysandmark Pick up some merchandise on our online store: https://www.bonfire.com/store/m4g-advocacy-media/ Want to be a guest on the podcast? Sign up for PodMatch at https://podmatch.com/signup/m4gadvocacymedia or email us at accounts@marked4glory.com ___ Check out our website: https://www.m4gadvocacymedia.com Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/m4gadvocacymedia Join our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/m4gcommunity Follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/m4gadvocacymedia Follow us on Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/m4gadvocacy Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe8ndaB-tTTUpS42TIXec6g #disability #m4gadvocacymedia #TapDanceForAll #dance #inclusion #adaptability #allies --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/m4gadvocacymedia/support

Today we are discussing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) with Prof. Jennifer Smith-Merry, who is the Professor of Health and Social Policy and the Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy at the University of Sydney. She has written about the need for better equity in the NDIS in the Medical Journal of Australia: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.5694/mja2.51899 With MJA news and online editor, Sam Hunt. 19 mins. 

In this episode in our Disability & Theology series, we are joined by Dr. Shane Clifton to talk about virtue ethics and what it means to live a good life with a disability. Dr. Clifton is a disability ethicist and theologian, Principal Policy Officer and Director of Respect & Inclusion at the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation against People with Disability, and an Honorary Associate for the Centre of Disability Research and Policy, the University of Sydney. He's also the author Crippled Grace: Disability, Virtue Ethics, and the Good Life (Published by Baylor University Press). During our conversation, Dr. Clifton shares with us his experience of a spinal cord injury that left him with quadriplegia and the way that experience compelled him to re-explore happiness, or eudaimonia, within the virtue tradition as a pursuit specifically for people with disabilities. This conversation is rich with discussion on virtue ethics and full of raw and honest reflections on pain and pleasure. Team members on the episode from The Two Cities include: Dr. John Anthony Dunne and Stephanie Kate Judd.

In this podcast, author Agata Krasny-Pacini discusses her paper 'Single-case experimental designs for child neurological rehabilitation and developmental disability research' The paper is available to read here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/dmcn.15513 Subscribe to our channel for more:   https://bit.ly/2ONCYiC    ___  Listen to all our episodes:  https://bit.ly/2yPFgTC   __  DMCN Journal:  Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology (DMCN) has defined the field of paediatric neurology and childhood-onset neurodisability for over 60 years. DMCN disseminates the latest clinical research results globally to enhance the care and improve the lives of disabled children and their families.    DMCN Journal - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/14698749  ___    Watch DMCN videos on our YouTube channel:  https://bit.ly/2ONCYiC    Find us on Twitter!  @mackeithpress - https://twitter.com/mackeithpress 

NOTE: A transcript of this episode can be found HERE The Latest in LGBTIQ+ Health and Policy is a podcast that brings you the health and wellbeing hot topic discussions... LEARN MORE The post Episode 12: LGBTIQ+ Disability Research Report appeared first on The Latest.

A blind woman who temporarily regains her sight is the heroine of Wilkie Collins' 1872 novel Poor Miss Finch. Matthew Sweet is joined by Clare Walker Gore, Tom Shakespeare and Tanvir Bush to discuss how Collins' own poor health led him to write about disability and physical difference in a more nuanced way than many of his contemporaries. Apart from Lucilla Finch, who has more agency when blind than sighted, other examples include the apparently monstrous Miserrimus Dexter ('the new centaur: half-man, half-chair') in The Law and the Lady, and the shockingly moustachioed Marian Halcombe in The Woman in White. Tanvir Bush is the author of Cull. You can also hear her discussing John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids on Free Thinking. Clare Walker Gore has contributed to a Free Thinking discussion about Depicting Disability and written essays for Radio 3 about authors including Dinah Mulock Craik and Margaret Oliphant. Tom Shakespeare is Professor of Disability Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. You can hear his Radio 3 essay on Tolkien on BBC Sounds. Producer: Torquil MacLeod

This episode we are joined by Margherita Coppolino, a well-known community advocate for LGBTIQ+ people with disabilities, and Associate Professor Adam Bourne from the Australian Research Centre for Sex, Health and Society to discuss the new report released last week, titled "Violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of LGBTQ+ people with disability: a secondary analysis of data from two national surveys." This is an important analysis of findings regarding respondents who reported having a disability or a long-term health condition from two national LGBTIQ surveys. Resources Adam and Margherita will be taking us through the report and some key reflections on the findings. Writing Themselves In 4 https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/work/writing-themselves-in-4 Private Lives 3 https://www.latrobe.edu.au/arcshs/work/private-lives-3 Support Rainbow Door https://www.rainbowdoor.org.au/ QLife https://www.qlife.org.au/  JOY Support resources joy.org.au/support   Subscribe to the podcast / Add to iTunes Presented by Michael, Cal, Rachel, Jacinta & Jack Email wellwellwell@joy.org.au thorneharbour.org Well Well Well is produced on the lands of the Yalukut Weelam Clan of the Boon Wurrung peoples 

Dr. Jen Rinaldi will tell us about how Ontario Tech University is hosting speaker series called Disability Research from the Ground Up. From the November 1, 2022 episode.

Today on NOW with Dave Brown, Dr. Jen Rinaldi will tell us about how Ontario Tech University is hosting speaker series called Disability Research from the Ground Up. Accessibility Reporter Meagan Gillmore shares findings from the report on the Canadian Council of the Blind continuing to research the impact of the pandemic on vision health. Guide Dog access denial remains a pressing issue, Louise Levesque Burley has an update on a personal experience. Nelson Rego explains how to setup bedtime mode on Android 13. And, another edition of the News Quiz with Mike Ross, Karen Magee, and Jim Krysko. This is the November 1, 2022 episode.

Join podcast host Gretchen Miller and Professor Cathie Sherrington, Chief Investigator of the Centre of Research Excellence in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries, as they discuss the rise in fall-related injuries, the various risk factors involved, and what can be done to improve those figures. Is it about physical activity, strength or balance exercises, or are there other strategies that can have a beneficial impact? Cathie also leads the Physical Activity Aging and Disability Research stream within the Institute for Musculoskeletal Health at the School of Public Health, University of Sydney. The CRE in the Prevention of Fall-related Injuries is a member of the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI).

How much of your life in 2020 depended on the Internet? And if something didn't depend on the Internet, it often required reliable transportation. Now, imagine the whole world shuts down, and you have some mountain-sized barriers to both using the web and getting around town. In this episode I interview Everette Bacon, an assistive technology specialist with Utah's  Division of Services for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and Sachin Pavithran, the current executive director of the US Access Board. I hope you'll listen to the end, because Sachin really threw me a plot twist. Like everyone else, blind people used websites and apps to grocery shop during the pandemic. But not all of those sites and apps were accessible--and picking those groceries up was also difficult without a car.  These limitations also meant fewer shopping choices and fewer delivery slots.Some other topics: education for blind children over Zoom (the hands-on aspect disappeared during lockdown), COVID testing (much of it drive-through, which was a problem for people with disabilities who don't drive), plus COVID vaccination sign-ups, vaccination cards and other things officials and company leaders probably didn't think about when they made their COVID policies.Many of these barriers saw at least some improvement over two years. In fact, when the whole world started telecommuting, the barriers to working from home were suddenly gone. It's a privilege some had been asking for, for years: a way to go to work without the commute. Of course, you usually need accessible websites for that, as well as accessible digital documents. And those things are possible. But what about the barriers of transportation? Of access ramps and all those features that make it possible for people with disabilities to interact with their communities? Pavithran cautions that people with disabilities shouldn't give up the fight for built, accessible spaces.  The Americans with Disabilities Act  made accessibility a requirement, and people with disabilities who had been invisible for most of history were able to join their communities to at least some degree. If they work and shop and do everything online, will they go back underground?"There is a consequence that could pop up," he said. "Not right now, but maybe five years, 10 years from now, if that becomes the norm."Resources:WebAIM offers accessibility training. Full disclosure: like UATP, WebAIM is part of the Institute for Disability Research, Policy & Practice.WebAIM's WAVE tool allows users to scan any webpage for accessibility issues. While many accessibility features cannot be detected by an automated scan, WAVE can help users get a feel for whether the page's developer was keeping accessibility in mind.This news report is one of many showing the difficulties people with disabilities had signing up for vaccines nationwide.

Episode Summary Talk about a man on a mission and a man with a vision, meet Dr. Kirk Adams. Dr. Adams was one of the fortunate children who happen to be blind and whose parents did not stifle his growth but let him explore his world no matter where it led. As an adult, Kirk worked for a time in the financial world, but later he found that his talents went more toward him working in the not-for-profit world. Today, Dr. Adams leads one of the largest and well-known agencies in the world serving blind people. The AFB today conducts a great deal of research about blindness and explores how to help lead blind persons to be more fully integrated into society. This week you get to experience Kirk's visions and thoughts first-hand. I hope you will come away with a different and more inclusive attitude about what blindness really should mean in our world. If you are an employer, take Kirk's positivity to heart and consider hiring more blind people in your business. About the Guest Kirk Adams, Ph.D. President and CEO American Foundation for the Blind As president and chief executive officer of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB), Kirk Adams, Ph.D. is a longtime champion of people who are blind or visually impaired and is committed to creating a more inclusive, accessible world for the more than 25 million Americans with vision loss. Dr. Adams has led AFB to a renewed focus on cultivating in-depth and actionable knowledge and promoting understanding of issues affecting children, working-age adults, and older people who are blind or visually impaired. His role involves pursuing strategic relationships with peers, policymakers, employers, and other influencers to engender and accelerate systemic change. Dr. Adams frequently serves as a keynote speaker at conferences across the country, on topics including education, vocational rehabilitation and workforce participation, vision loss and aging, and technology. He has consulted with top leadership at Google, Facebook, Microsoft, as well as key leaders in the finance, public policy, nonprofit, and tech sectors to discuss topics ranging from product and digital accessibility to civil and disability rights. Before joining AFB, Dr. Adams was president and CEO of The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. He was a member of the Governor's Task Force on Disability Employment and the Seattle Public Library's Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and served on the boards of the National Industries for the Blind, and the National Association for the Employment of People Who Are Blind. Dr. Adams graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in economics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, and earned his master's in not-for-profit leadership at Seattle University in Washington. In 2019, he completed his doctorate in Leadership and Change at Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio. In 2020, he was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from SUNY Upstate Medical University. About the Host: Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog. Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children's Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is an Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association's 2012 Hero Dog Awards. https://michaelhingson.com https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/ https://twitter.com/mhingson https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/ accessiBe Links https://accessibe.com/ https://www.youtube.com/c/accessiBe https://www.linkedin.com/company/accessibe/mycompany/ https://www.facebook.com/accessibe/ Thanks for listening! Thanks so much for listening to our podcast! If you enjoyed this episode and think that others could benefit from listening, please share it using the social media buttons on this page. Do you have some feedback or questions about this episode? Leave a comment in the section below! Subscribe to the podcast If you would like to get automatic updates of new podcast episodes, you can subscribe to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe in your favourite podcast app. Leave us an Apple Podcasts review Ratings and reviews from our listeners are extremely valuable to us and greatly appreciated. They help our podcast rank higher on Apple Podcasts, which exposes our show to more awesome listeners like you. If you have a minute, please leave an honest review on Apple Podcasts. Transcription Notes Ad  00:01 On April the 16th at 2pm North American instant time, blind musicians from across the globe are getting together for an online benefit concert for Ukraine. It's called we're with you, and all money raised goes to the World Blind unions unity fund for Ukraine. To learn more, including how to listen and how to perform it were with you visit mushroom m.com/withYou that is mushroomfm.com/withYou   Michael Hingson  00:30 access cast and accessibly initiative presents unstoppable mindset. The podcast we're inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet Hi, I'm Michael Hinkson, Chief vision officer for accessibility and the author of the number one New York Times best selling book thunder dog, the story of a blind man, his guide dog and the triumph of trust. Thanks for joining me on my podcast as we explore our own blinding fears of inclusion and acceptance and our resistance to change. We will discover the idea that no matter the situation, or the people we encounter, our own fears, and prejudices often are our strongest barriers to moving forward. The Unstoppable mindset podcast is sponsored by excessive B, that's a cc E, SSI, capital B E, visit www.accessibility.com To learn how you can make your website accessible for persons with disabilities. And to help make the internet fully inclusive by the year 2025. Glad you dropped by we're happy to meet you and to have you here with us.   Michael Hingson  01:50 Hi again, and welcome to another episode of Unstoppable Mindset today. I'm really honored and proud and pleased to invite and have someone on the podcast who I've known for a while and he's he's moved up through the world of working with blind persons and disabilities over the years. When I first met Kirk Adams, he was the CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind in Seattle. He is now the would it be CEO Kirk, President and CEO, President and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind. But more important than that, I mean, that's just a little thing more important than that. In 2019, he became a PhD he became as my mother used to say a doctor. Anyway, so Kirk Adams, welcome to unstoppable mindset.   Kirk Adams  02:39 Well, it's a pleasure. Thanks for having me.   Michael Hingson  02:42 So you, you have been involved in in the blindness world for a while, tell us sort of maybe some of the early parts about you that that, that you want to talk about growing up and how you ended up being involved in blindness and advocacy and all that stuff?   Kirk Adams  02:59 Well, it's, it's interesting, and I'll just kind of start where I am, and then I'll zip all the way back. But I'm very, very interested in social justice, and a more inclusive society. And of course, the way I come at that is through my lived experience of blindness, and working hard, day and night, to create more opportunities for inclusion for people who are blind in society. And in particular, I'm very interested in employment. As we all know, the workforce participation rate for people are blind is about 30, or 35%, which is about half of the general population. And I say whatever outcomes you're looking at, it's either half as good or twice as bad for people who are blind compared to the general population. As far as employment goes, but, you know, I'm at AFP. Now we're a very much a research focused organization. And when we do research and we look at the factors that lead to successful employment for blind adults, I through good fortune, and mostly not, not on any effort of my own, I lived a life that gave me a lot of those success factors. So it really started when I my retinas detached when I was in kindergarten. I became totally blind within a couple days had a bunch of emergency retinal surgeries that weren't successful. This was pre laser surgery. And so my parents were told Kirk cannot come back to school here at the neighborhood school, he needs to go to the state school for blankets, and we live north of Seattle. My parents visited the Washington State School in Vancouver were not very impressed with what they saw there. They were both teachers just starting out on their careers. And my retinal specialists, you University of Oregon medical school in Portland, said you should check out the Oregon State School and Salem, it's great. They visited, they liked it, they quit their jobs moved. So I could go to Oregon State School. And the success factor here is I was totally blind. There was no question. Does he need to learn braille? Does he need to use a cane? There's there's so many kids with, you know, varying levels of vision that are not, unfortunately, not always given the right instructional curriculum. So kids are using magnification and audio and not learning braille. But there was no question. And we know that strong blindness skills are a strong predictor of successful employment. So I've learned to read and write Braille as a first grader, and type on a typewriter and use a white cane. And a little aside, the one of the happiest days for me is when the Braille book review comes and one came last week, and they're in the children's book section is a book by Michael Hinkson. Running with Roselle anyway. Yeah, so there it is. I put it on my request list. I'll be reading it.   Michael Hingson  06:17 And let me know what you think.   Kirk Adams  06:20 And then, you know, my parents, although they didn't know any blind people we grew up in. I grew up in small towns, we're not connected with with blindness organizations, they instinctively did a couple things, right. One is they had very high expectations of me, they expected me to get good grades, and expected me to participate in sports. Expected expected me to do chores, and I didn't always helped me figure out how to do it. But the high expectations were there. And we see that as well as a predictor that the parents when schools have high expectations of blind kids, they, they they do do well.   Michael Hingson  07:05 Back thinking back on your parents, not telling you how to do it. What what do you think of that? And I'm sure it's different than what you thought at the time. But what do you say experiences?   Kirk Adams  07:16 Well, I'd say I learned how to it was sink or swim. So I learned how to swim. I was in public school, I was the only blind kid and all my schooling, I kind of had to wing it a lot. And I don't I don't think my psycho social deeds were attended to much, but I did, I did learn. And this was another another point, living every day as a blind person, you have opportunities to develop characteristics and some really unique ways and some strengths that the average person may not have around resilience and problem solving and grit and determination and how to work with teams. How to communicate, I got when I when I went to college, and I had some money from the Commission for the Blind to hire readers. So I was 18 years old. I was interviewing and hiring and sometimes firing employees readers and now invoicing and take taking care of the the the the accounts and and those things that my classmates were, we're not doing. The other the other thing I had early work experience. I was really into sports. My dad was a high school basketball coach, I wrestled ran cross country, and I became the sports editor for the high school paper. And the sports editor for the high school paper got to write a weekly high school sports column for the city weekly paper. So I was a I was a 16 year old sports columnist writing a weekly column for the Snohomish Tribune, showing up my timesheet and getting a check and happily spending that minimum wage. Thing was three 325 an hour, something like that. So again, I had some of these early I had some of these success factors that lead to successful employment for people who are blind. And my opportunity at AF B is to create those opportunities for lots of other blind people. So we develop programs that seek seek to level the playing field for people who are blind, we are focused on employment. And I had the experience as a young college graduate with a good track record and school Phi Beta Kappa and Akun laude and a four point in my field of econ and could not you could not get a job like many young blind people. We are the most highly educated, most underemployed disability group as far as college, college graduation, things like that. So I wanted a job in finance, I started applying for jobs, I wanted to live in Seattle, I went to college in Walla Walla needed to live where there was a bus system. I, you know, sent sent in resumes and cover letters, would get a phone interview, would be invited in for the in person interview, and then the employer would be very confused about why a blind person is coming at applying for this job. How in the world could they do it? So you know, disclose disclosing your disability is the thing, when do you do it? So I wasn't disclosing until I walked in with my cane, and my slate and stylus, and some braille paper in a folder. And then I started disclosing in my cover letter playing, I'm totally blind. This is how I do what I do. This is how I'll do the job. And then I wasn't even getting phone interviews. So yeah, I guess cast my net wider and wider and wider. And I applied for a job with a securities firm a sales job selling tax free municipal bonds. And the sales manager had also gone to Whitman College had also been an econ major, like 15 years before me. So he called some of the professors that we had, and they said, Sure, Kurt can sell tax free bonds over the phone. So I did that for 10 years, straight commission 50 cold calls a day every day builds build strong bones. And when I turned 30, had a had an opportunity to make a change. The firm I was with was purchased by another firm and just a good inflection point. And I got the What color's your parachute book, out of the Talking Book and Braille library and read it and did all the exercises and got clear that I wanted to be in the nonprofit sector. And I wanted to be in a leadership role. And I wanted to devote the rest of my working life to creating opportunities for people who are blind. So the next little blind kid could have an easier, easier time of it. And I got very interested in leadership, I went back to school and got a master's degree in not for profit leadership, got involved in nonprofit fundraising, was hired by the lighthouse, Seattle to start their fundraising program and foundation and eventually became the CEO there simultaneous to that. Again, really believing leadership is key to changing our world. I went back to school, as you mentioned, and earned a PhD in leadership and change through Antioch University.   Michael Hingson  13:09 I know the first time the first time I heard you speak was when you came to the National Federation blind convention after just becoming I think the CEO in Atlanta, in Atlanta, I had gone to work for Guide Dogs for the Blind, we were having challenges at gdb because people would not create documentation in an accessible format before meetings. And I recall you talking about the concept of no Braille, no meeting, no   Kirk Adams  13:40 Braille no meeting,   Michael Hingson  13:41 I took right back to them. And it helped a little bit. But it was amazing to see that there was such resistance at such a prestigious organization to hiring and being open to hiring blind people given what they do. And it was, it was a real challenge. Bob Phillips, who was the CEO at the time, created the job that that I had, and I'm sure there will I know there was a lot of resistance to it, but he was the CEO and made it happen. But still, the culture was not oriented toward being open for blind people to to have jobs there. And there are a few blind people working there now, but not even what there was several years ago, which is unfortunate, because there are a lot of things that that could be accomplished by blind people in various aspects of that organization. And as you point out of most organizations, you and I had a lot of very similar life experiences growing up, which is, I think, just evidence of what needs to be done for for kids who are blind and I'm defining blind, as Ken Jernigan used to which was your blind when you lose it If I sight that you have to use alternatives to be able to accomplish tasks and I gather you agree with that. When you were in college, did you have an Office for Students with Disabilities on campus? And if so, how did know?   Kirk Adams  15:14 You didn't know? Yeah. I went to Whitman College, which was small. You know, I graduated from high school in 1979. So I got a, you know, had the four track cassette player and I got is read by volunteers by Recording for the Blind. And the state provided me with a Perkins Brailler, and the cutting edge technology of an IBM Selectric typewriter with a recent. That's, that's what I had.   Michael Hingson  15:46 Well, I asked the question because when I went to, to UC Irvine, we had an office. And Jan Jenkins, early on when I started there, said to me, she lectured me, she said, I want you to understand what I do here, and this is her. She said, I'm here to assist, you need to take responsibility for doing things like going to professor's if you want books in braille, and getting the the books and, and doing the things that you do. But my job here as a principal in the university is if you can't get the cooperation you want, then you come to me, and I'll help you do it, which is such a refreshing attitude, even today. Because in the office is for students with disabilities, mostly today, you come into our office to take a test or we'll get the information for you, we'll get the things for you. And as you pointed out so eloquently, students as a result, don't learn to do it. And and like you I had to hire and fire readers. And and do all of the the same sorts of things that that you had to do. And it's the only way for us to succeed.   Kirk Adams  16:57 Absolutely. And again, if you if you look at research, and you look at what employers say they want employees for the 21st century, its employees who are resilient and flexible and have grit, and are problem solvers, and are creative and know how to analyze and manage risks and know how to work in teams of diverse people. And in my conversation as well. If you're looking to win the talent, war, blind people, by the fact of living everyday lived experience of blindness, learn, learn how to do all those things and develop those capabilities, develop those characteristics.   Michael Hingson  17:39 I think I've told the story on this podcast before but I like you debated often about whether to say that I'm blind when I'm writing a cover letter for a resume. And in 1989, I was looking for a job. And my wife and I were talking and we found this great job in a newspaper. It was perfect. And I said to her I said well, I say in the cover letter that I'm blind and my wife like wives all over can can say this. She said you're an idiot. And I said why? And she said you What is it you've always said that you learn when you took a Dale Carnegie sales course when you started out selling for Kurzweil? Well, she was ahead of me as often is the case. And finally, she said, you've said that you tell every sales person you've ever hired and every person that you've ever managed in sales, turn perceived liabilities into assets. And I think that's the key. Because blindness isn't a liability. It's a perceived liability. And what I did is I went off and I wrote a letter based on that. And I actually said that I'm blind. And the way I did it was I said in the last paragraph, so the letter, the most important thing that you need to know about me is that I'm blind because as a blind person, I've had to sell all of my life just to be able to survive and accomplish anything I've had to sell to convince people to let me buy a house, take my guide dog on an airplane, pre ACA, nada, rent an apartment and all that. So when you're hiring someone, do you want to hire somebody who just comes in for eight or 10 hours a day and then goes home after the job is done? Or do you want to hire somebody who truly understands sales for the science and art that it is and sells as a way of life? So I mean, that that I think is the whole point of perceived liabilities? Well, I did get a phone call from them. They were impressed by that. And I got the job and worked there for eight years. Fantastic. And I think we all need to learn how to win whatever job that we do to take that same sort of approach because I think most any job could adapt that same concept to say why blindness is a perceived liability on the part of the employers and why we're best for the job because of the way we live.   Kirk Adams  19:59 Perfect. Now I'm thinking about Carol Dweck work on the growth mindset versus the fixed mindset. So it all, it all holds together, you know, access strikes based asset, space, philosophy, etc?   Michael Hingson  20:17 Well, it does. And, you know, blindness is a perceived liability, and is all for us only as much of a liability as we allow it to be.   Kirk Adams  20:26 I think that's background expectations, too. As I mentioned, before my parents held high expectations of me, therefore, I hold high expectations of myself. Yeah, I know that not every blind kid is in a family situation like that. I've talked to many blind parents who are Parents of Blind Children, rather, who don't first learning their child is blind or going to be blind, just despair, and, you know, feel that their child has no future. And will, there'll be a caretaker role. And so it's really, really important that the high expectations get established early on. And like I say, not not every point blank kid is born into a family that's going to do that, automatically. So that's, that's an opportunity for all of us who are blind, to talk to parents of blind kids, and something I really enjoy doing, and letting them know that, you know, your, your kiddo can do whatever they want to do, as long as they are given the right tools and supports, and the opportunity.   Michael Hingson  21:36 Yeah, how do we get parents who feel desperation and so on? How do we get them to change their minds?   Kirk Adams  21:48 Well, I think that's exposure. And I think exposure to blind adults, successful blind adults, I am a big advocate for both consumer groups. So if someone's listening and are not connected with plain adults playing people, for the National Federation of blind American Council of the Blind, comes in different flavors, they have chapters and and different groups and affinity groups. And I would suggest checking it out. I think that's one way. I think that's an important way in the same in the workplace. And, you know, again, I'll keep harping on research. You know, it's shown that if a department or a manager hires a blind person, they're much more likely to hire another blind person, you know, then than another department hiring their first blind person. So, you know, familiarity, understanding the capabilities, and understanding that people are people with the same emotions and tribes and hopes and dreams and all the things I will before before I forget, I'm mentioned at work workplace technology study that we just did. And it was very well designed. We did We did focus groups interviewed then created a, an online survey then did in depth, in depth interviews, just to understand the dynamics of technology in the workplace, for people who are applying, what's working, what's not working, what tools do people use for which functions, and it's available on our website, so FB dot o RG? Easy, easy website to remember that we've done. We've done four or five, I think, really important studies in the last couple of years and and all that data is there.   Michael Hingson  23:36 You were talking a little bit earlier about what employers are looking for in terms of being flexible and so on? Where does loyalty fit into all that in today's world? You know, you used to hear about people staying in jobs for most of their whole time. And now it's a lot different. But where does loyalty fit?   Kirk Adams  24:01 That is a super interesting question. And I don't think there's clarity on that. And I was just reading an article this morning about the 10 greatest risks faced by corporate corporate boards, and one of them was the uncertainty of what the workplace is going to look like, in the future. Strategically, how do you build your workforce and your talent pool, not knowing exactly what the workplace is going going to look like? So a couple a couple things that come to mind. One One is that people change careers. I can't cite this. I can't cite the numbers, but something like seven, seven or eight job changes now and a lifetime of work. And the trick is to manage that person's career path. While keeping them in your organization, if you value them, and you find that they're a great contributor, and you don't want to lose them. So it's a different type of conversation, what? You, you try it HR, you don't like it that much, you'd rather be in it, how to recreate a pathway to keep a person within the organization. And then then the next thing we have, we've had the great resignation here with COVID. And so many people, it's been a wake up call for so many people to say, Hey, I'm Life is too short, I want to do something that's meaningful, I want to do I want to live well, I moved from the East Coast back to Seattle, to be closer to closer to family. So people are making those kinds of life based decisions that I think are much greater right now. I would say that the shifting landscape and employment I believe will create more opportunities for people who are blind as remote work, telework and hybrid work situations become normalized. You know, there, there is language in our statutes that says, setting up a person to work with a disability work from home is the accommodation of last resort. That was the, you know, the assumption was that everyone needed to go into the office, and everyone needed to be in a building with their co workers. And to set up a person to work for from home was the the last accommodation that should be considered. And I think that's, that's been flipped. Now. So I'm really, I'm really excited to see what it's going to look like.   Michael Hingson  26:44 I think that it is a, it is a moving target for everyone. And the key is to not allow blind people to be part of that flip. And I think that's that you're exactly right, it will be interesting to see where it goes, I asked you that question, because one of the things that I've often heard is, a blind person who is hired to work somewhere, will tend to be more loyal and want to stay there, rather, and will do a better job as a result rather   Kirk Adams  27:17 than and that's going out of that and that's verifiable. Look at Disability Research, DuPont did a really long longitudinal study 5060s 70s that people with disabilities are, they have less turnover, you have less absenteeism. Morale, in work groups goes up. customer perceptions improve. So there's there's a lot of there's good business cases for employers to include people with disabilities.   Michael Hingson  27:55 Yeah, it makes good sense. And, and, you know, we, we see in so many different ways that there are advantages to being blind, which which all of us also need to learn how to explain. And an emphasize another one that comes to mind. We've used it excessively a fair amount is the concept of brand loyalty, which is a little different. But the Nielsen Company did a study in 2016, talking about the fact that people with disabilities in general, and I'm going to narrow it to blind people tend to be a lot more brand loyalty to the companies online that give them access to their stuff, because they don't have to slave and work so hard to get access to it. And they're going to continue to work with those companies. That make sense to me. It is, it is just absolutely relevant that that we need to to get more of those messages out and make it happen. Of course, that's one of the reasons that we have unstoppable mindset is to hopefully educate people about some of these things, because it makes perfect sense to do. And there's no reason why we can't get get better access. It's just a matter of educating employers and a lot of decision makers who are not blind that we're, we're actually an asset to them.   Kirk Adams  29:16 Yeah, and I again, I'll mention an AFP. I think one of our crown jewels is our annual leadership conference. It'll be May 2 and third in Arlington, Virginia. When I first went to work for the satellite house in 2000, the person who hired me said if you want to get to know the blindness field, you need to go to the AFP conference. So I went to my first in 2001 I've never missed and it's it's fairly unique in that we bring together all the stakeholders so we bring leaders from voc rehab for the the federal agencies, nonprofit CEOs, corporate diversity, inclusion and access ability folks, academic researchers, blindness advocates advocates into the same space. And that's a really interesting thing to do. Because those groups don't often talk to one another. Although they, they would, they would all say they share a common goal in improving employment outcomes for people are blind. There's a really cool research study where they asked VR counselors and HR hiring managers, the same set of questions. And the one that stands out to me was the question was what what is the greatest barrier to successful employment of people who are blind, and the the VR counselor said, attitudes of employers, perceptions of the employer, and the employer said, lack of understanding of our business needs on the point of VR. So, you know, both groups would say they are very dedicated to improving employment outcomes, but but they come at it from from different angles. So, AFP Leadership Conference is a place where we, we bring all those stakeholders together in conversation. So it's, it's pretty cool.   Michael Hingson  31:14 And hopefully, you can get them to communicate a little bit more with each other. Yes. I don't know. It is it is interesting. Do you ever watch the ABC ABC show? What would you do? I have not. Have you ever heard of it?   Kirk Adams  31:30 I don't think   Michael Hingson  31:31 so. Duncan Jonas, has run the show in the summer, every year for a number of years. And one of the the whole premise of the show is that they bring in actors to play roles. And see how the, the people who are around them react. So for example, on one show is actually one of the first shows they brought in a an actor to play a barista at a coffee shop. And this was, I think, put on or created by the Rochester Institute for the Deaf. They brought in two women, deaf people, and there was a job posting and they went in and applied for the job. And the whole process for the decrease barista was to simply say, No, you're deaf, you can't do the job. And, and he did a really good job of that. But these, these two deaf people kept saying, well, we could do the job. This is a kitchen job. You're not asking for me to even interact with customers all the time. And he said, Well, what if there's something I need you to do? Well, you can write it down, or I can read lips, and he just continued to resist, which was great. But during the day that they did this, there were three HR people who came in. And they after listening to all this for a while, pulled the barista aside, and they said, you're handling this all wrong, these people have more rights than the rest of us. Just take the application and write on it. It's not a good fit. But don't don't keep arguing. It was it was fascinating that the HR people did that. So there is a there is a problem with HR. But again, that's what we have to help educate in, in all that we do too. So I'm glad to to see what you're doing and that you are bringing people together. I've I've been to a couple of the leadership conferences, but not not lately.   Kirk Adams  33:34 Well, we'll see. We'll see you in May. But I've got to work that out. But the workplace technology study I mentioned earlier, there's there's real data there from real people. Current so we can show HR managers that, hey, blind people report that part of your recruiting process involves some sort of online exercise or test 60% of your blind and low vision, people are having challenges accessibility challenges with that, you know, 30% of the people you're hiring, are having problems with your employee onboarding processes. So you know, there's anecdotal stories, there's complaints, but now we have real data. So it's really intended for the HR manager, the IT manager, and assistive technology developers to really show what's what's actually happening. You know, how your blind employees are needing to take work home and use their own equipment and work more hours. And, you know, they're having having to ask sighted colleagues to do essential steps in their processes. And I know people hear those stories, but now we've got we've got numbers and we got statistics. And you know, and I HR person doesn't want to say Yeah, 30% of this group of people is having problems with my onboarding process. You know that that's, that's a number that is going to get some attention, we think.   Michael Hingson  35:12 We hope so. And we hope that we can continue to find ways to, to get people to be a little bit more aware of all this, because accessibility to the tools is, is one of the biggest challenges we face. You know, that's why I joined accessibe. B last year, because I saw that there were opportunities and accessibility has even expanded a lot. And is saying that what it does to create internet access, which began with an artificial intelligence system that does a good job with some websites and a significant part of websites, but also doesn't necessarily do everything in an accessible he has now put together additional processes to create human intervention to help with the rest of it. But excessive he also wants to educate people about web access, whether they use excessive these products or not, because the feeling is we've got to do more to educate people in that exactly what makes sense to do.   Kirk Adams  36:13 Yes, and as I mentioned, before, we began our recorded part of our conversation, FB, NFB ACB, and the national rights Disability Network have drafted a joint letter to the Department of Justice, asking them to implement the web and app accessibility regulations that they are empowered to enact. And we have sign on letter. Again, you can go to afp.org, for more information, and we're looking for disability and civil rights organizations who want to join us and Ernie urging the Department of Justice to do that. Because it's so meaningful. I am a I'm not a high tech person. I like you said, I'm brand loyal to a small, small number of retail websites. But we also did a study last year, as part of what Mississippi State National Research and Training Center on blindness was doing. They contracted with AFP, we looked at 30 corporate websites, and we looked at specifically at their recruiting and hiring portals. And there's lots of accessibility issues. So they're there. So   Michael Hingson  37:42 five away compliance for the government. Yeah.   Kirk Adams  37:45 Yes. So whatever we add FB can do to change that landscape to change the way institutions, government, nonprofit corporate address, inclusion, put it under the umbrella of digital inclusion. You know, I think it's somewhat similar to we've more from diversity to inclusion. In our language, I think we've more from the digital divide to digital inclusion, which I think as a much more proactive concept.   Michael Hingson  38:21 A speech I've given for years is actually titled moving from diversity to inclusion, because diversity is doesn't even include us anymore. Which is unfortunate. And so we've got to go to to something that makes more sense. And you're either inclusive or you're not, you can't be partially inclusive, because then you're not inclusive.   Kirk Adams  38:40 There you go. Like it makes I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm stealing that one here. Welcome   Michael Hingson  38:46 to have it, it's You go right ahead. Because you either are inclusive, or you're not, it's a quantum jump in you can't be partially inclusive and say you're inclusive. You shouldn't be able to say you're partially diverse. And so you're diverse, because but but you know, that ship has kind of sailed. But I think it is something that that we need to do. And it's all about education. And it's all about finding ways to give kids at a young age the opportunity that you talked about Braille earlier. How do we get the educational world to recognize, again, the value of Braille and what's happening with that? Oh, boy. I know that was a loaded question.   Kirk Adams  39:36 That's that's that's my my personal soapbox, which I can can get oh, I don't know how to do it, other than frame it in terms of literacy. It is a literacy question. Reading is reading listening to something as listening to something writing is reading writing, you know, if if we didn't need to read and write and cited kids wouldn't be taught how to read and write. It's just a matter of efficiency and efficacy and art and being being a human human being in a literate society. So there's some there. There are some numbers embedded in some of our research, that that show the number of employed respondents who are Braille readers or use Braille displays. There are some there were some numbers generated 30 years ago that indicated that 90% of of blind people who are employed read Braille, that doesn't appear to be the case. Now, based on what we can infer from from our surveys. Does that I'm not sure what that means. So I I will say, to answer your question, I don't know. And we need to figure it out. So I will take 10 I think that's some deep research questions. But I would be energized to explore   Michael Hingson  41:15 take what you said to another level, let's let's say your right 30 years ago, 90% of employed blind people were Braille readers. And that number has dropped. Just for the sake of discussion, let's say significantly. The other thing that immediately comes to mind is how far people who are blind especially who are not Braille readers today are advancing as opposed to Braille readers. Because Braille is the, the means of reading and writing, I know so many people who are partially blind, who have grown up, not having the opportunity to learn to read Braille, who are very blunt about saying, if we had only been able to learn to read and write Braille, we would have been a lot better off because it's just so much slower and harder for us today.   Kirk Adams  42:14 Yeah, so I hear people with those same, same regrets. And, again, it's back to what I said earlier that as a, becoming totally blind at age five, there was no question I knew I was going to learn braille, and I was instructed in Braille. And, you know, it wasn't a question or debate. Who, who, you know, who knows what would have happened if I would have had enough usable vision to read with magnification? So I like I guess, along the same lines, is what you mentioned about Doctor turning his definition of blind, you know, if, if a child cannot read at the same rate as their sighted classmate using magnification, they need to learn braille, so they can read read just as fast as their kid at the next desk, you know,   Michael Hingson  43:03 otherwise, why do we teach sighted kids to read just let them watch TV which is, which is another, which is another technology and art form or whatever, that that isn't as creative in some ways as it used to be, but they're also good shows. So I guess we got to cope with that, too.   Kirk Adams  43:24 But yeah, audio description is not not our thing. Although we appreciate it immensely. And I know some other blindness organizations are really carrying the torch to increase the amount of audio description. But that just brings to mind that accessibility and innovation around accessibility for people with with particular disabilities is good for everybody. Yeah, and I know, my, my wife, she's puttering around the kitchen, and there's a movie on, she'll put the audio audio description on, you know, so she can, she can follow it. When I was at the lighthouse in Seattle, we worked with Metro Transit to put larger bus numbers with contrasting colors, because we have had a lot of employees with ARPI. A lot of Dateline, employees with ushers, and they did enlarge the bus numbers and put them in contrasting colors. And they said they had more positive comments from their general ridership about that than anything they've done. Because it made it easier for people with 2020 vision to see if that was their bus coming. Sure. So simple, simple example. But yeah, one of   Michael Hingson  44:45 the things that one of the things that really surprises me still, and I've mentioned it before, and so it's one of my soap boxes is Apple, put voiceover partly because they were compelled To do it, but put VoiceOver on iPhones, iPods, iTunes, you and all that, but on iPhones and iPods and the Mac, they put voiceover, they created it. But I'm very surprised that in the automotive world, they haven't done more to make voiceover a part of the driver experience so that people don't have to go look at screens on their iPhones or whatever. As opposed to being able to use VoiceOver, because clearly, it would be a very advantageous thing. And I also think of like the Tesla, which uses a screen including a touchscreen for everything. And my gosh, yeah, you can do a little bit more of that, because the Tesla has co pilot that allows you to interact in some other ways, although you're still supposed to keep your hands on the wheel and all that, but why aren't they using voice technology more than they are?   Kirk Adams  45:53 That's a good question that I can't answer.   Michael Hingson  45:56 I know, it's, it's, I've never heard a good explanation of it as to why they don't. And it makes perfect sense to do it. The voices are very understandable, much less dealing with Android and so on. But no one is using the voice technology and the voice output to take the place of of screens, which is crazy, much less voice input. So it is it is a mystery. And it is one of those things that it would be great if people would would consider doing more of that the automotive industries missing out and of course, we as blind people are the ones who bring that opportunity to them will take credit.   Kirk Adams  46:34 There you go. Well, you know, when when I was walking around with my four track, cassette player listening to textbooks, I was the, you know, the the oddity in school, and now everyone listens to Audible books. Right, right.   Michael Hingson  46:51 It's a common thing. And now not only that, you can use things like bone conducting headphones, so you can listen to your audio as you walk around and still hear what else is going on. So you're a little bit safer.   Kirk Adams  47:05 Yeah, I don't know how far afield you want to get in this conversation. But you know, indoor wayfinding navigation systems, many people are trying to figure that that out, you know, the GPS systems work pretty well when you're outdoors. But when when you're indoors, what are the wayfinding tools that are that are emerging? And you know, I'm thinking about haptics and, yes, different modes of receiving information than then audibly, because most of the adaptations accommodations for people who are blind tend to be audible. And if you get 234 things going at once you get you get a diminishing marginal utility there. And then at some point, you know, becomes counterproductive if too much is going on audibly. So I'm, I'm I went to Consumer Electronics Show ces for the first time, this past January. And I was very interested, I was very interested in kind of the the emerging use of different modes of conveying information, either through vibration or temperature or airflow, different types of information. So lots of smart people out there, trying to figure out ways to make make us all live better.   Michael Hingson  48:35 Yeah, I will have to hunt down Mike Mae and get him on the show, because he can certainly talk our ears off about indoor navigation integration, you should haven't done that. I've got to get hold of Mike, I think that would be cool. But it is all part of as you said, making all of our lives better. And the whole concept of virtual reality is something that all of us can take advantage of and use. And again, a lot of the things that that come about because of some of these developments actually started with with blindness. I mean, look at Ray Kurzweil with the Kurzweil Reading Machine, he developed the technology to be able to let a camera build a picture of a page of print. And his first choice was to develop a machine that would read out loud of course for blind people. Percy took it further after that, and now OCR is a way of life but it did start with Ray without machine, the Kurzweil Reading Machine for the blind.   Kirk Adams  49:37 Yep. Remember, it becomes a washing machine. Now Yeah, we can just now you can do with your iPhone.   Michael Hingson  49:43 You can and better how much our computer processes have have evolved over the years. It's really pretty incredible, isn't it? It really, really is. And you know, but technology is all around us. And it, it is a it is a good thing. But again, it's all about how we use it and how we envision it being used. So it again, it gets back to the discussion that we had about Braille. You know, people say, Well, you don't need Braille because you can use recordings and all right, well, that's just not true. Why is it that we should be treated differently? Why should our exposure to being able to read and write be different than people who have eyesight because reading and writing with Braille is really equivalent to reading and writing with, with printed page or pens and pencils, or typewriters now that I knew mentioned running with Roselle earlier, I remember, sitting on an airplane going, I think I was flying back to California from somewhere. And we were going through many revisions of running with Roselle at the time and Jeanette Hanscom, who was my colleague in writing that who writes children's books, so she was able to make the words something that we felt would be more relevant for kids, although I gotta tell you more adults by running orthros health and then children do so I've heard. But I spent the entire time flying from the East Coast to the West Coast, going through an editing, running with Roselle. And I was using a computer that talked but I also know that the skills that I learned as a braille reader gave me the ability to catch nuances and so on, that I never would have been able to learn to catch if I hadn't learned how to truly be able to read a book. And we edited the book. And you know, it is where it is today.   Kirk Adams  51:45 Well, it's on its way to me from the Talking Book and Braille library. I look forward to reading it. Congratulations on yet another publication Good on you.   Michael Hingson  51:56 Well, thank you, we're working now towards another one. Writing about fear, and especially with the pandemic all around us. And, gosh, fear has taken on many forms, some of which are understandable, and some of which are ridiculous. But we're we're looking at the fact that well, when I left the World Trade Center, I didn't exhibit fear. And that was because I learned what to do, and approach to the day when an unexpected emergency happen from a standpoint of knowledge. And I had actually, as I realized, over the last couple of years developed a mindset that if something were to occur, I mean, obviously something could happen. And we could have been smashed by something, but but without that happening, I could step back and quickly analyze whatever situation was occurring as we were going down the stairs or getting out. And I could focus on that and let the fear that I had not overwhelm me, but rather instead be a mechanism to keep me focused. So it's developing the mindset. So we're, we're working on it, and we've got proposal out to publishers, so we're hoping that that's going to go well. And, you know, we'll   Kirk Adams  53:18 see. Well, as mentioned earlier, I am president and CEO of the American Foundation for the Blind. And as such, I am scheduled to be on a zoom call with our Finance and Investment Committee of our Board of Trustees.   Michael Hingson  53:33 Well, we're gonna we're gonna let you go. But I'd like you to want to tell us if people want to reach out or if he wherever you want them to go to to learn more about AARP or you and reach out to you yeah,   Kirk Adams  53:45 FB dot o RG is the website. My email address, if you want to email me is my first initial K my last name Adams, K da ms at AFB dot o RG. And AFP and myself are present on social media. And you can find us easily and we'd love to connect. Get your thoughts, share our thoughts. Check out the Leadership Conference, May 2 and third in Arlington, Virginia and go to fb.org and look at our research.   Michael Hingson  54:20 Well, perfect. Well thank you very much for being with us today on unstoppable mindset. We very much appreciate your your time and hope that we'll be able to chat some more.   Kirk Adams  54:29 All right, Michael, keep up the good work.   Michael Hingson  54:32 We'll do it. If you'd like to learn more about unstoppable mindset, please visit www dot Michael hingson.com/podcast Or go to wherever you listen to other podcasts. We have a number of episodes up we'd love to also hear from you. You can reach me directly at Michael H AI that's ni ch AE L H AI at accessibly ACs. c e ss ibe.com. So Michael hai at accessible comm we'd love to hear from you. If you've got suggestions of people you think that we ought to have on the podcast, please let me know. We're always looking for guests if you want to be a guest, let us know about that as well. And most important of all, please, after listening to this, we'd appreciate it if you would give us a five star rating in wherever you're listening to podcasts. The ratings help us and they help us show other people that we're doing something of interest. So if you feel that way, please give us a five star rating. Thanks again for visiting us today. And we'll see you next week with another episode of unstoppable mindset the podcast where inclusion, diversity and the unexpected meet.   Michael Hingson  55:51 You have been listening to the unstoppable mindset podcast. Thanks for dropping by. I hope that you'll join us again next week, and in future weeks for upcoming episodes. To subscribe to our podcast and to learn about upcoming episodes, please visit www dot Michael hinkson.com/podcast. Michael Hinkson is spelled ma ch AE l h i n g s o n y you're on the site. Please use the form there to recommend people who we ought to interview in upcoming editions of the show. And also, we ask you and urge you to invite your friends to join us in the future. If you know of any one or any organization needing a speaker for an event, please email me at speaker at Michael hinkson.com. I appreciate it very much. To learn more about the concept of blinded by fear, please visit www dot Michael hinkson.com forward slash blinded by fear and while you're there, feel free to pick up a copy of my free ebook entitled blinded by fear. The Unstoppable mindset podcast is provided by access cast an initiative of accessibility and is sponsored by SSP. Please visit www.accessibly.com accessibly is spelled a cc e SSI B E. There you can learn all about how you can make your website inclusive for all persons with disabilities and how you can help make the internet fully inclusive by 2025. Thanks again for listening. Please come back and visit us again next week.

Why is disability research important? When asked this question I tend to respond by revising it in my head (if not out loud). Why is disability research so important? Why is any research important? I might go on in this vein but my point is that disability research has the potential to improve understandings of the most fundamental aspect of the human condition —namely, the diversity of minds and bodies. 

Fast Takes – Ep 35 Read the transcript at https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2022-02/2021%20nTIDE%20Year%20In%20Review-A%20Story%20of%20True%20Grit.pdf People with disabilities have remained the bright spot on the employment front, showing true grit in the face of economic upheaval. As economic recovery continues, people with disabilities continue to outpace their counterparts without disabilities in the labor market. Throughout the last quarter of 2021, the job numbers for people with disabilities remained above pre-pandemic levels, according to the semi-monthly National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE), issued by Kessler Foundation and the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD). This contrasts with the trend for people without disabilities, who have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels of employment. The nTIDE team closely monitors job numbers in the U.S. for people with and without disabilities, issuing semi-monthly nTIDE reports as the labor market continues to reflect the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this Year-in-Review podcast, the co-founders of nTIDE, John O'Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation, and Andrew Houtenville, PhD, research director of UNH-IOD, reflect on how these two groups fared in the workforce during 2021, as the pandemic continues to affect businesses and the economy. John O'Neill, PhD, kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/John-ONeill Andrew Houtenville, PhD, iod.unh.edu/person/houtenville/andrew University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD), https://www.researchondisability.org/ nTIDE, https://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter/disabilityemployment/nTIDE Each nTIDE release is followed by a Lunch & Learn webinar at 12:00 ET. Register for upcoming webinars, and view the nTIDE archives here: www.researchondisability.org/ntide =============================================== Tuned into our podcast series lately? Join our listeners in 90 countries who enjoy learning about the work of Kessler Foundation. Be sure to subscribe to our SoundCloud channel “KesslerFoundation” for more research updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. This podcast was recorded remotely on February 3, 2022, and was edited and produced by Joan Banks-Smith, Creative Producer for Kessler Foundation.

Today I welcome Meg Traci, Mackenzie Jones and Hana Meshesha to discuss their research on people with disabilities copied during the COVID era. Philippa Clarke, is hoping to join us tonight too. Mackenzie Jones is the Health Education Specialist for the Montana Disability and Health Program at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the Accessibility liaison for the APHA Disability Section. Hana Meshesha is a doctoral candidate at the Department of Counseling, University of Montana and the Mentoring co-chair for the APHA Disability Section Mentorship program. Meg Ann Traci is a senior scientist and research associate professor at the University of Montana Rural Institute for Inclusive Communities with nearly thirty years of experience in the field of disability and health. Dr. Clarke is a Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health. She is also a Research Professor at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. Her work examines the social determinants of disability, with a particular focus on the built environment for older adults aging in place.

There are currently 4.4 million Aussies living with a disability, and millions more who form part of their care and support network, but despite so many people having this lived experience it seems we often fall short of making our communities inclusive. The Quicky speaks to a disability researcher and three women each with different experiences to discuss the everyday challenges they face, and what we can all do to make sure every public space is accessible and welcoming to all. If you love The Quicky and want to share your enthusiasm, please take a moment to vote for us in the category of Listeners' Choice at the Australian Podcast Awards. You can cast your vote here. Voting closes on Sunday 28th November 2021 at 23.59 (AEDT). CREDITS  Host: Claire Murphy With thanks to:  Associate Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry - Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP) at the University of Sydney Mel Dzelde - Liver cancer survivor who now uses a wheelchair as a result of Motor Neurone Disease Tess - Has been blind since birth and recently moved from Melbourne to Albury where she has provided inclusion training for local businesses Ainslie Robertson - Researcher with Autism Spectrum Australia who has two children, one of whom is on the spectrum Producer: Claire Murphy Executive Producer: Siobhán Moran-McFarlane Audio Producer: Ian Camilleri Subscribe to The Quicky at... https://mamamia.com.au/the-quicky/ CONTACT US Got a topic you'd like us to cover? Send us an email at thequicky@mamamia.com.au GET IN TOUCH: Feedback? We're listening! Call the pod phone on 02 8999 9386 or email us at podcast@mamamia.com.au Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. Just by reading or listening to our content, you're helping to fund girls in schools in some of the most disadvantaged countries in the world - through our partnership with Room to Read. We're currently funding 300 girls in school every day and our aim is to get to 1,000. Find out more about Mamamia at mamamia.com.au  Support the show: https://www.mamamia.com.au/mplus/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Full Transcript In episode 6 of Manager Minute, employment and VR take center stage during October's National Disability Awareness Month. David D'Arcangelo, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB), and Natasha Jerde, Director of State Services for the Blind of Minnesota (SSB), join Carol Pankow to talk about the state of employment, today's challenges, and the initiatives and practices they implemented to improve employment for individuals with disabilities.   Learn how David and his team at MCB increased their customer base by 25% over the last year and how partnerships and creativity in Minnesota are helping to increase the number of people with disabilities being employed.   Find out more about VRTAC-QM at https://www.vrtac-qm.org/.                                                                       Stay up to date by following VRTAC-QM on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @VRTAC_QM.   About VRTAC-QM Partnering with State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies (SVRAs) to enhance service delivery and maximize outcomes through quality program and resource management.  The purpose of the VRTAC-QM is to provide training and technical assistance that will enable State VR agency personnel to manage available resources, improve effective service delivery, and increase the number and quality of employment outcomes for individuals with disabilities. The VRTAC-QM provides TA and training in VR program and performance quality management, fiscal and resource quality management of the VR program, and general quality management of organizations. You can request technical assistance from the VRTAC-QM by contacting your TA Liaison directly, contacting any member of the Center you wish, or by filling out the information on our main website and clicking on submit. While on the main website, join our mailing list to receive updates on training and new activities occurring within the center.    Full Transcript:   Speaker1: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management conversations powered by VR, 1manager at a time, 1 minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: So welcome to the manager minute, I am so excited to have David D'Arcangelo, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind, and Natasha Jerde, Director of State Services for the Blind in Minnesota. Thank you both for joining me today. Natasha, you've been in your position for two years now. So how's it going in Minnesota?   Natasha: Well, first, thanks for having me, Carol. And for others, I'm actually filling in for detail magazine with Minnesota General, so I am representing both. So I will speak globally and with Minnesota. We are definitely going through a state of evolution because not only are we going through COVID, we are also one of the states that really are going through the racial reckoning that's been happening when George Floyd was murdered. So we are having a lot of diversity and inclusion efforts in addition to trying to figure out what VR is going to look like in this new era. So it's been a challenge, but it's also been an opportunity as well.   Carol: Yeah, it definitely has been a heavy load and thank you for pinch hitting for Dee, too. I knew you could represent both, so that's great. And David, I saw you just had your three year anniversary in August. So how are things in Massachusetts?   David: Thanks for having me on. Things in Massachusetts are going well. I'm excited to talk about all of the various programs that we have. We haven't let COVID stop us at all. We continue to move forward. We're doing realignment projects. We've done a bunch of those that we'll talk about. Hiring is up good things happening in Massachusetts. I know we're going to go into more detail.   Carol: Good to hear it. Well, October is designated as a National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and when I was thinking about an October topic, well, it just made perfect sense to talk about employment and VR. David, I remember last year when we were on a call with RSA and they were highlighting VR's 100th anniversary. You presented what was happening at the Mass Commission and you really had some exciting things happening for customers during the pandemic. And I love following all the work that you do on your social media and I saw y'all have a podcast as well. And Natasha, I know your team well, and they're always creating some wonderful ways to build partnerships with employers and create interesting and lasting relationships that have helped to improve employment opportunities. And you're also a really good partner with Minnesota General. I know two years ago we held the roundtable and recognition of employers in Minnesota during this very month to celebrate National Disability Employment Awareness Month. I just wanted to talk for a second about some Bureau of Labor Statistics and as I was looking things up as of August 2021, the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that unemployment rates for persons with disabilities are 11.5 percent, compared to five point one percent for persons without disabilities. And the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities is 35.6 percent, compared to 75.8 percent for working age people without disabilities. Now, the labor force participation of people with disabilities is higher than it was prior to the pandemic, and John O'Neill, he's the director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research at the Kessler Foundation. He said that this actually has been a bright spot during the pandemic as people with disabilities, and he thought maybe out of economic necessity remained engaged in the labor market. He says the last time that we saw labor force participation at this level was July of 2009. But even given all of that, you know, that bright spot, much work needs to be done to increase the number of people with disabilities in the labor force, which really ties directly to the mission of VR. So I know these past 18 months have definitely been a challenge for you both pivoting to remote work for your staff, figuring out new ways to provide services to your customers and figuring out the reality of this new world of work. And in some ways, I'm really hopeful that the pandemic has proven there are new ways in which work can be done that's going to benefit our consumers in the end. So let's dig in. So, Natasha, can you paint us a picture of your agency? Like, how many people are you serving right now? Do you currently have a waiting list and how are your employment numbers looking?   Natasha: I have both Minnesota blind and general here at Minnesota Blind. We're at about 650 individuals we're currently surveying. And if you look at 2, 3, 4 years ago, we were usually in the 700's. So our applications are still down, but they are trending upwards. We haven't had a waiting list for a few years. All categories are open. Our employment numbers are slowly trending upwards. 2021 brought much higher well, not much higher, 3 higher than 2020. But we are looking to get back our 2019 numbers slowly but surely. And as for Minnesota General, they've had a downward trend. There are about 2000 fewer applications and serving 11 percent fewer applicants than they did in the previous year. Our numbers are pretty on par with the national trends. Minnesota General has been offering services to all people on the waiting list. They reopened their final 2 priority for service categories, which had been closed since the fall of 2014. They have effectively eliminated the waiting list. They are seeing rates of employment at the time of exit decrease overall about 13 percent decrease, which is very identical to the national trends.   Carol: That's big news, though on the waiting list, that's good stuff. That is really good stuff for both of you. So, David, paint us a little picture of your agency.   David: Basically, everything I'm going to talk about is on our website. So let me just start with that. If people hear something that resonates with them, please use us as a resource. We want to collaborate with you. Go to Mass.Gov/MCB Mass.Gov/MCB and find out all that's going on with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind. We've seen a 25 percent increase over our previous year in terms of VR despite the pandemic, so that's really a testament to our team, our counselors, and most especially though, the consumers we work with who have persevered and there's just a lot of opportunity in Massachusetts. Some of that might be related to the pandemic, actually. You know, COVID has put real strain on the health care system. We've seen hiring there. But even other service industry things, we've seen hiring there to go back to John O'Neill's data point, which I believe in John very much and Andrew out Anvil that does the entire program first Friday of the month at noon, I faithfully listen to the number come out and they do a great job since the data has been collected in 2008. Yeah, I mean, we made a great amount of progress that COVID happened. We slid all the way back and now we've slowly regained. So at least we're back to where we were, which I think is a good thing for people with disabilities. Specifically to Massachusetts, though, we've seen that, we've seen our VR program increase and consumers typically we have, you know, somewhere between 850 and 950. Now we're at about 1050, 1038 consumers. Exactly, actually that we served as of June 30 at the end of the fiscal year. And of that, we had 155successful closures, and many of those were six figure closures. We had a significant amount of people that got a high level job, so that's very encouraging to us and we've had some good results. I know we're going to talk about some of the specific programs we're looking at pre X, we're looking at the mid-career professional and even older adults who want to reenter the workforce or continue to work beyond retirement age.   Carol: That is super exciting news. It really is. I love it. That's what I remember you talking about with RSA when we were doing that. Other call it like a year ago, like these six figure positions, that's that's incredible. So now that we've gotten this kind of picture of what's going on in general with your agencies, let's just look a little bit at the overall employment picture in each of your states. So what's your employment rate kind of look like and what are your hot employment markets and sectors? And David, I'll go to you first. I know you started a little bit on this. I'll let you expand.   David: Yeah, as I indicated, health care remains strong. In Massachusetts, we're hovering right around five percent for the general unemployment number. Our labor participation rate among the general population remains strong. Unfortunately, among people with disabilities, we're still looking at around two thirds of all working age people with disabilities who are not in the labor force. To me, that's job one, right? That's job one for our agency, for our counselors, is engaging our consumers and trying to get them resolved to want to work. That, I think, is because before you can get the job, we know how to get them the job once they're resolved, but they've got to be resolved to want to work. So that's job one. Then the second part is getting them a job, which is it's not easy, but it's easier, right? I think we're doing well. We've put together public awareness campaigns to really try to get out there. We use actually real allotment dollars from RSA to launch our What's Your Vision campaign, which we're out on TV with 30 second ads. We've been in print or on social media again, go to mass dot gov food slash MQB to check out the full campaign. I know there was a plethora of real dollars coming from RSA, so if you're looking for something to do with those dollars, we've proved the proof of concept that you can do it and it can be effective because we're having more people come to MQB.   Carol: Very cool. Yeah, I'm looking forward to looking at that link. So Natasha, how about you? What's going on with the employment overall? The picture in Minnesota?   Natasha: Minnesota is looking great. Our unemployment rate is at 3.8percent, which is well below the national average. Our labor force participation rate is 67.8 percent for all individuals and about 48 percent of Minnesotans with a disability are employed, and that's compared to about 38.8 percent nationally. So the numbers are looking great. And when you're asking about hot jobs across the board, everything is hot right now. Job vacancies are at a record number. Employers across the state are reporting difficulty finding workers. The demand is especially high in health care and social assistance. But those other areas that really were hit hard during the recession, including food service, hospitality, those are soaring right back.   Carol: Wow, thank you for that. So it's no secret that the pandemic had a huge impact on employment and the economy as a whole. But can you tell us how the pandemic has affected employment for the customers you serve in particular? And are there any lessons you learned during these past 18 months you're putting into place for the long term and attached? I'm going to punt that one to you first.   Natasha: We actually had a lot more opportunity than challenge when COVID hit, so we did have a number of individuals with disabilities who were laid off primarily because they were in the service and hospitality industry, and that was hit especially hard. But with COVID, it really showed that teleworking is completely and utterly doable, and all of these job postings we're seeing now are for remote workers. And when you're working with people who have transportation barriers who also live in very rural settings, this has been incredible and they're getting jobs and we're able to accommodate those jobs. The biggest struggle, though, is because we are so remote and virtual is accessibility issues, and we've been doing a lot of education of employers, of our own employer, the state of Minnesota, how to make sure everything is accessible so that if someone is working virtually, they can still do their job. And how we implement accommodations in a virtual world look very different. I think our biggest lesson learned is you just need to roll with it. You have to be flexible and you can't get locked into the way you used to do things. So we did things we didn't think was actually possible. We've done virtual adjustment to blindness training. We've even done virtual job site accommodations where they would walk us around on their phone or their laptop showing us the worksite, and we had been able to give suggestions and ideas how to accommodate without ever leaving our house. You just have to throw the book out the window is what we learned.   Carol: I bet your team has been super busy. I bet those guys are just like, Wow, but it's got to make the work super interesting.   Natasha: It's so much fun. I have never seen such creativity as I have these past 18 months. We have tried anything and everything, and it's been incredible. We're going to use a lot of those things from here on out.   Carol: Oh, very cool. So, David, I know you guys are always super innovative at the mask commission. So what about you? Tell us about how these last 18 months have impacted you and employment for your customers and kind of any lessons you've learned?   David: Yeah, really. Just a big credit goes out to our team and our consumers, one for being resilient. And we closed Friday, March 13 at five o'clock and we were open for business Monday morning, 9:00 a.m. Our counselors were already equipped with mobile laptops. Aware, which is our case management system, is all in the cloud, so we were positioned well to be able to work in this remote environment. So that's helped our counselors and our team. But additionally, I got to agree in Natasha's right, and I think you all listening to this podcast will agree the amelioration of transportation as a barrier or at least the significant amount of that as a barrier has been a game changer. It's really a paradigm shift and is unlocked. So many potentials for not only blind people, but all people with disabilities. I think that the permanence of that opportunity is a huge takeaway, a silver lining. Covid is a very serious situation. A lot of people have suffered, so I don't want to say it's a great thing because we wouldn't want to trade that right. But this is really help people with disabilities. And I think in the long term, it's going to continue to help them. I think that's the top of the full thing. And how can we leverage that even further? Is there are things we can collectively go to RSA for or I think, you know, Carol, I also sit on the National Council on Disability. Although I'm here as commissioner today, I'm trying to influence people on the federal level to think outside the box. And let's consider if there are other ways that we can leverage, whether it's being online or any technology that we can use to bring to bear for the benefit of people with disabilities to work.   David: I think more and more of that is coming, and that's a good thing. We're getting some of the other things we've been doing, though we just want an award. I'm pleased to say for our graphic novel that we put together our Patriots Best Practices guide. That's a good thing. We're trying to engage those students and their families who traditionally you know how some of these RSA guidelines go. They're very dry. They're on an eight and a half by 11 piece of paper typed print. This is engaging. We find once you put it in the kids hands, they can't put it down and they're learning about all the steps of VR and the families are learning about that. That's a good thing because we really believe it takes a village and back to the other thing we were talking about where you've got to get the person with the disability resolved to want to work. And yes, they come about that ultimately on their own. But if their families are in on it, their friends are in on it, the community is on it and telling them, Hey, this is a good thing. Work brings independence, self-determination and it really, you're going to be contributing to something. I mean, I would assert somebody's self-identity really work is intertwined with that. So we think that things, whether it's the what? Your Vision ad campaign, this Preets practices guide, all of the other work that we're doing, trying to get out into the broader community. We think that rising tide will lift all ships.   Carol: So is that price guide also on your website, David?   David: It sure is Mass.Gov/MCB. Additionally, we have a companion website that goes with it that shows you the graphic novel and is audio described at the same time. And I think that's quest for independence. It's the UWW, AMC B Dash quest for independence. Again, go toMass.Gov/MCB. You'll get the link to it.   Carol: Awesome. No, I'm sure there's some people going to be interested in that as well. That's a bonus tip all listeners for the price guide. That's great. So it might be a little early on seeing this yet, but have you either have you seen any kind of the signs of the long COVID starting to impact customers? David, I'll ask you that first, have you started to see that?   David: Yeah. So in Massachusetts, we haven't seen too much of that, but we have seen hesitancy getting back out into the community a little bit. And on the consumer side, you know, so we're only going to do that when people are comfortable because it's really it's safety first, it's safety first for our team, for our counselors and then additionally for the consumers. We haven't seen too many breakthroughs, fortunately or too much spread in our community in Massachusetts, which we're grateful for. We have a high vaccination rate. I think Massachusetts leads the nation in the percentage of our people who are vaccinated. I think that's contributed and helped really open things up in Massachusetts here. I wouldn't say it's back to what it was pre-COVID, but I think we're trending in the right direction and hopefully sometimes we'll be able to put this behind us.   Carol: Good. Good, Natasha, what about in Minnesota? Are you seeing any signs of like the long COVID in customers?   Natasha: We have not. Between both general and blind. We haven't seen a single applicant or customer who is dealing with long COVID. Part of me is, yes, it might be too soon, and the other part of me is thinking, I don't know if individuals really are realizing that those long term effects are going to have a disabling impact on them, and they may not even realize what VR is or what disability is. They were living and working just as anyone does. And then this happened. So I think there might need to be some awareness out there in the future.   Carol: I can see a campaign coming. I can see David like launching a campaign around this, how we going to serve the long COVID folks. So back in the day, I used to have this personal philosophy. I like to tag to start with, you know, about employment, and I always felt that I wanted our customers to achieve and obtain or maintain family sustaining wages. And I don't focus used to be like, what? Like, what is that? But I didn't want people to just get a job. I wanted them to give more than a job. I was hoping it could lend itself to a career and moving up and having a ladder and buying a house and doing all of that. So what is your personal philosophy around employment and people with disabilities and Natasha, I'll ask you first.   Natasha: My first philosophy is I agree with you, Carol. Any old job does not mean a good job, and family sustaining wage is essential. My other philosophy is I don't believe there should have to be a philosophy around employment of people with disabilities. I mean, frankly, VR is a long term goal needs to be that we aren't needed, that the only factor in any employment situation should be that the individual can do the job and it should not matter if they have a disability or not. And employers need to recognize that every single person brings value and strength to the organization. And we are doing a family sustaining wage study in Minnesota, and 93 percent of individuals with disabilities who are part of the data did not receive a family sustaining wage. 93 percent, there should not be a gap and they should not be relegated to entry level employment, minimum wage employment if they want and need to do more. My philosophy is there shouldn't have to be one.   Carol: I love that here here, Mic-drop on that boom. So David, how about you? Even though we shouldn't have to have one? Do you have a personal philosophy?   David: I certainly do as a consumer myself, having been completely blind multiple times in my life and now being legally blind right on 20-200, there is a significant amount of suffering that occurs with people with blindness, people with disabilities in general. Coming to that acceptance, that disability is going to be part of the natural human condition, I think is the first thing. So once you can come to terms with that, then it becomes the greatest secret right, which is we become what we think about. So if you focus and your resolve that you want to work, you will achieve that and then move up. And so it starts with goal setting and a plan and all the things we talk about in VR, the tried and true methods of sitting down with your family, with your extended circle and drawing up that plan and sticking to it, the path to prosperity is paved by perseverance. You got to hang in there for everyone hundred you ask you. I get 99 no's, and you can't give up until you get that one, yes, even if it's at the hundredth time, so you've got to hang in there, that is. The number one thing is that perseverance, because people with disabilities are naturally inclined to solve problems to hang in there. Whether it's the Accenture study that we know that people with disabilities outperformed in terms of being on time in terms of having less absenteeism, in terms of being productive in many ways. Those are all good traits, but it starts with overcoming the inherent challenges that come with disability. And then once you do that, then come into VR. We've got programs and services, and we've got great professionals who know how to provide opportunities for you.   Carol: I love that. Oh my gosh, I'm glad you said it. That Accenture study as well. It's back to the basics. I always think we used to talk about that. Going back to the basics. I know sometimes it's like, Oh, here's a flashy new program that's going on, but really, it is back to the basics. I am going to ask you, though, have you had any other types of initiatives or practices that you put into place around employment that you're hoping are going to help to move the needle forward? And David, I'm going to kick that to you.   David: So let's talk about some of the realignment projects that we do. I think year one realignment projects that we did. Twenty four separate realignment projects, we follow that up with another six this year. I think we're doing another 6. So we're talking everything from the graphic novel that we talked about to we launched an employer challenge during the pandemic. We get great response on that from the business community, where we challenge the business community to, hey, do one more thing. That's the name of the campaign. Do one more thing. Everybody can be a mentor. You can offer one more internship. How about interviewing and then hiring and then promoting and retaining all of those things? So that's what that campaign is centered around. We launched our Career View podcast. We've got twenty one episodes there on all types of VR topics. We have special guests and staff and counselors sharing their insight, by the way that's available on our website Mass.Gov/MCB. You can also find it on SoundCloud, Apple and Google. So we have our nationally recognized summer internship program. This year, we had nearly 70 individuals participate that joins more than a group of 700 that we've had over the years. In October, we had our job fair. We do that annually at Radcliffe and with partners like Perkins School for the Blind, Carroll Center for the Blind and other community stakeholders. This year we had 40 career ready candidates who pitch themselves. We did reverse pitches, which seem to be a very effective model in the 20 personnel executives that we have loved it and we're getting placements out of that job fair. We did the 60 second elevator pitch, so if you want more information, contact me, be pleased to share it. We did a reach for the stars, which was in that event where we gave out gifts to the people that had the best pitches. And then for Nadeem, we created blogs and worked with our sister agencies, MRC and Match Commission for the death of Hard of Hearing to get it out through their communities to make sure that people know that, yeah, it's about blindness, but it's also about people with deaf blindness and people with blindness and other disabilities as well. So whether it's the virtual town halls that we're doing, I came day celebrations. I mean, we've got a lot of events going on. My team has worked so hard and I think we have the advantage, though, of such institutional knowledge and just great human resources here in Massachusetts with our team at MCB and the consumers. I mean, you just got to have a willing consumer group that wants to take part.   Carol: Well, I think you need to have a session at NCSAB or CSr CSAvR and all the things that you're doing because I could just see, like my old director, wheels are turning. I am sure colleagues from across the country would be like, What are you doing? I want to know more about that.   David: Sign us up. I mean, there is a number of other studies that we did realignment projects. I think in total, Carla and I, who's our communications director, Carla Cathy, does a terrific job. I think we stopped at 52 different projects that we've done over the past 24 months or something like that. So we've got a lot going on. Check us out. Mass.Gov/MCB to find out more.   Carol: Holy smokes. Thanks for sharing that. So Natasha, I know you're representing you and Dee, so are there any other initiatives or practices that you all are doing around employment to move the needle forward?   Natasha: I got sent a whole list that Minnesota General has been doing, but I think the biggest thing I wanted to share first is that we are doing most of these things together. I think Minnesota General and Minnesota Blind had had a long history of being very isolated from one another and siloed. That is no more. We do almost everything together and as one voice, and so a lot of the things I'll be talking about, we are doing this as a team, but with employment, I think pre-employment is the first place we start is when you build that. Relationship between a student and work, so a couple of things that we're doing at SSB is bring your a game where students are meeting monthly and they get information about an Alexa game and then they play that game with their family and friends, and then they come back together with their peers to talk about the game and how it relates to jobs and job skills. And then we also did an open mic night so that we can encourage the artistic side of our students. And they came, Well, they're going to be coming on the 28th. They're singers and bands and poets and comedians and storytellers, so they'll be able to share their talent. We're also expanding our pre-employment transition services programs. We're adding another work opportunity navigator who's going to be focused on providing work experiences in the northern region since we have a ton of students up there and a lot of need. We're also entering into a contract with the third party to host liability insurance so that we can get more students out there for work experiences. That's been our biggest barrier, so we figured let's get over that so we can get students paid work experiences. We have a program in Minnesota called the Connect seven hundred program, which is great but could be better. But Connect seven hundred is like Schedule A, where a person with a disability can come in and have a noncompetitive interview. And the Connect 700 program has just soared this last year. And the stats are that someone who applies for Connect 700 with the state are nearly twice as likely to get hired than someone from the general public firsthand. SSB has had a number of vacancies in every single vacancy, has had to connect 700 applicant and almost every single vacancy has been hired from a Connect 700. So that's been a really great experience. Another huge project, and I'm going to say it's 2 projects. The first is the elimination of subminimum wage. Legislature created a task force to eliminate it by 2025 and going hand in hand with that is our collaboration with the Department of Human Services to help people who are on waivers and receiving vocational rehabilitation to get jobs. We're doing something called service provider alignment, so if someone's on a waiver and getting vocational rehabilitation services, they can have the same provider from start to finish. We have a new framework called Engage Plan, Find and Keep so that it helps people move through that process without any delays so that they can get into employment. And there's no back and forth of who's paying for what. So it's a seamless experience. And then I could go on and on with 50 more things, but for sake of time, I won't. But the final thing is we have increased our collaboration with our WIO partners tenfold because they have connections. We don't we know disability, but they have connections with the business community we often can't replicate. So we've been doing a lot with our title 1 and title 3 partners. And so with that, I'll turn it back to you, Carol.   Carol: Well, I know that's been on your heart for a long time. You've always talked about that partnership with the WIO partners, and that is so critical. You both have so much happening. And so I want to lead us into our National Disability Employment Awareness Month, little part of our discussion and how each of your agencies is drawing attention to this month. So, Natasha, I know that I was following on social media as well and saw that there was an employer event earlier in the month. So can you tell us a little bit about how that went?   Natasha: Yeah, we had over 400 attendees. We invited the creators of the windmill training. If you're familiar with windmills, Milt Wright is the company, and the two owners of that corporation actually came and presented. And the topic was music within disability inclusion in a business world, and that recording is available on YouTube. And if you go to our Career Force website, it's available on there. We also unveiled something called disability inclusion bite-size learning modules for employers, and they are 20 minute modules and there are five of them that employers can go in and learn about disability inclusion, and there's tip sheets and tip cards and how they can incorporate it into their business. We've also done a number of blog posts and of course, we celebrated White Cane Day and we posted three videos regarding White Cane Day and what it means for people with vision loss. And fortunately, our governor is very much in support and issue two proclamations one for NDI and one for White Cane Day.   Carol: Yeah, that was awesome and I loved it. I saw your video too, promoting White Cane Day. I thought that was really well done. Both of you are good at the old social media and David, I follow the mask commission all the time on social media and I saw you were part of a panel a couple of weeks ago for National Disability Employment Awareness Month.   David: Yeah.   Carol: and also I saw there was a podcast dropped and you had a couple of other tweets out and some really cool things with customers. I just wondered if there's any things you want to highlight about the special month.   David: Again, just a shout out to our team for doing such a great job with all of the social. Media, Caller Kath is doing a great job, but did a VR panel with the state exchange for employment for people with disabilities, a seed project which counts on state governments, has an affiliate. It's the National Association of State Personnel executives. So NASPE they had their conference in Boston, so they wanted to hear from me. So we were able to present there about hiring people with disabilities. So we're a model employer state. We talked a little bit about that and how they could do things in their state. So that was good. But we kicked off the month with our vlog and our ad campaign that I mentioned previously. What's your vision, which is on TV and it's in print and it's really getting a lot of traction. We had our job fair. We had our employer of the year and then our Reach for the Stars contest, which we talked about. We had our virtual town hall with our transportation authority, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, about barriers and making sure that people with disabilities have their free or reduced Charlie card in Massachusetts. If you're blind, you have a free travel pass to be able to travel throughout the public transit system. So we talked about that we had a white pain awareness day and celebration where we had some mobility awards within that program. That was fun, but we had a provider's council presentation with the disability commissioners all throughout Massachusetts about human services and things like that. We presented to higher education professionals at Lesley University. We did an event for parents of children with blindness and visual impairments for the Boston Public Schools and New England College of Optometry. Again, just more of the reallotment project. So it's very busy at MCB, but it's a good thing. And I think that's one of the reasons why you're seeing the amount of consumers coming in for VR is up. The amount of closures is up. So it's a good thing. I think it's working.   Carol: I'd say so, David, I think you need to train your peers. I have never seen anyone quite like you and how you've promoted and really gotten traction in Massachusetts and have made some really cool things happen. I think it's amazing. And Natasha, I just wanted to say so that if people wanted to follow what you were talking about with the mini modules for the employers, I looked it up and it's CareerForceMN.com. So if anybody wants to listen to that, definitely. David's promoted his website to a number of times, but folks should definitely go to both because I think that you will get a lot of rich information that is applicable in any state. It doesn't have to be that it was developed for Massachusetts or Minnesota. What's being said are things that are pertinent anywhere. So I know we need to close up here shortly and I just want to ask you each. So if you had a shiny VR crystal ball and you could forecast what is happening with VR 5 years from now and how would employment for VR look? And what do you think needs to be done to just overall improve employment for individuals with disabilities? Natasha, I'm going to go to you first and then I'll go to David   Natasha: O if only I had that crystal ball. You know, I think we can't have VR look the same in 5 years from now as it does 5 years ago. I think we have hung our hats on the old way of doing VR for so long, and we really, really need to reimagine across the board how we work with our customers and everything that David says. This is what I hope that all VR agencies embrace. We need to connect people to not just any old job. We need to be focusing on advancement. We want people to never have to come back to VR. But yeah, that's the majority of our cases. Are people returning. That's why we need to invest people for the long haul and we need to make sure that they have everything that they need so that they do not come back. And the way that we approach businesses, I think, has been kind of archaic and has been from this. Well, we're going to convince you to hire people with disabilities, but we need to be driving home that the expectation is if employers want talented, loyal staff, a strong business model that embraces diversity and inclusion and a workforce that actually reflects their stakeholders and customers, then they cannot disregard the disability community. And VR needs to be the leader in that message. And it cannot be. Just please hire someone with a disability that's not going to work, and that's not our approach anymore.   Carol: Well said. Well said. So, David, how about you? Do you have a crystal ball?   David: Wish I did. But the great poet Santayana said those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it, so I think we need to look back. Let's look back at starting with like Smith's best act and all of that and see how much progress we have made. And even it just contemporarily when we're talking about we did away with homemakers, that was a big VR thing. Right now, it's imminent that we're going to get rid of. 14C, that's another step. You know, I look at programs like the SBA8A program. Let's get included in that. I look at Randolph Sheppard as we've seen the pandemic just crushed so many of those vendors there. What can we do now to expand that program or to get that program into other sectors or industries to keep that alive and keep people entrepreneurial? So I. I think the future's bright for VR, I believe in incremental change. These are long standing challenges that are profound. And so to me, it's like, what can we do to look at the existing program, incorporate all of the good things that we've talked about, all of the things that we've been hyper accelerated to learn as a result of COVID. It's the transportation piece that we talked about, the technology piece that we talked about. Let's keep that going so we can provide our people with access to the opportunities. And I'm just very confident that we're trending in the right direction. I want to keep it going.   Carol: Well, thank you, David, for those positive words at the end. I really appreciate that. I think you two are both such a visionary and just talented leaders, and I'm really looking forward to the work you all do over these next five years. Very excited. Thank you for being on the show. I appreciate your time. I know you're both busy.   David: Thank you, Carol.   Natasha: Thanks to you all.   Speaker1: Conversations powered by VR. 1 manager at a time, 1 minute at a time brought to you by the VRtAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!

Do you have work colleges with disabilities? If not why not? How should businesses ensure inclusion in thier workplaces? Peta explores how we should work towards disability inclusion. You can ask Peta a question via: The website: www.icantstandpodcast.com Email: icantstandpodcast@gmail.com You can follow Peta on Instagram @petahooke Episode Transcript This is the article written by our friend Lisa Cox: Is Sephora Smudging Its Reputation With Its Lack Of Diversity? Sephora hiring 150 people with disabilities at its Utah warehouse Disability inclusion at work: What it is and why it matters Disability Inclusion: The Best Actionable Guide and Statistics (2021) Jess Ma Australian Network on Disability Research proves the importance of inclusion (2018) Disability and Health Promotion: Disability Inclusion What is included in the disability community?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Safeer Zartasht and Salman Qamar for Tuesday's show where we will be discussing: Teachers/ Health • Teachers Teachers have been pandemic heroes supporting our children throughout. Join us as we discuss the various challenges faced by teachers and the pressure on teachers in light of school assessed grades for results day. • Health: disproportion ate impact of COVID Those living in poorer parts of the UK are more likely to be die with coronavirus. Join us as we look at reasons behind this and discuss the need to eradicate poverty from all parts of society. Guests Include: Charlotte Beardsley: (Sociology teacher at a school in Derby) Ryan Lowe: (Child psychotherapist, a member of the Association of Child Psychotherapists and the Chair of the ACP's Independant Practice Committee) Nayab Yonus: (Maths teacher at Non-Such High for Girls, teaching year groups 7-13) Dr. Adeel Ahmad: (Key Stage 5 Head of the Science Department at Wemms Education Centre) Professor Tom Shakespeare: (Professor of Disability Research at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) David Finch (Assistant Director in the Healthy Lives team, The Health Foundation) Produced by: Sofia Amir, Faiza Mirza, Iffat Mirza, Maliha Shahzad, Nudrat Qasim and Sunya Athwal

Youth leaders are being trained to identify and prevent mental health issues as part of a new project from the Institute for Disability Research, Policy, and Practice at Utah State University. Dr. Ty Aller is a researcher for the Institute, and he joins guest host Ethan Millard to explain how the program works. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this podcast, Jennifer shares with us her passion and her disability advocacy work but, more than that, she explains to us in more detail about the disability advocacy work done in Australia by the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. She explains how it all helps the disability community.

Measuring quality of life is important, particularly in clinical trials, to capture the broader impacts of treatment beyond just measuring seizures.  To help understand what outcome measures are and why they are important to spoke to Dr Jenny Downs, Program Head of Disability Research at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth.  You can listen to and subscribe to the SCN2A Insights podcast via Apple Podcasts,  Spotify, and Google Podcasts or in your podcast app. Links:  Information on Quality of Life Inventory-Disability (QI-Disability) Validation study of QI-Disability Want to help developing quality of life measures for children with genetic epilepsy? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tom Shakespeare is one of the UK’s leading social scientists. He is Professor of Disability Research at The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has taught, written and researched widely on disability rights and bioethics. In 2011 he co-authored and co-edited the World Report on Disability for the World Health Organisation. Among other things, he’s currently researching how the pandemic has impacted disabled people in England and Scotland, and writing a novel about a time-travelling pub. Tom continues to find time to be a broadcaster and regular contributor to news and current affairs programmes. We talk about making complex ideas simple, strength in adversity, and about giving voice to the lived experience of disabled people through the pandemic.Learn more about Tom's work and follow him on Twitter.Get in touch to find out how we can work with you to progress your organisation's inclusion.

TW: Suicide, Depression Dr. Carolyn Shivers is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science and the Director of the Disabilities Studies Pathways Minor at Virginia Tech. Originally from Northeast Ohio, Dr. Shivers completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Notre Dame where she studied Psychology, Vocal Performance and was in the honors program. She completed Graduate School at Vanderbilt University where she studied Psychology and Statistics. Dr. Shivers shares some insight into her research area where she looks at siblings of individuals with any disability. She also shares about her personal experience with disability. Dr Shivers had this to say about her experience on the Disability Perspectives Podcast: I had a blast sharing my stories with Utah. I really appreciated the focus on the academic side of disability, as well as my personal experiences. The whole process was so casual and respectful, and I hope people are able to continue expanding their worldview to include people with disabilities! If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts or are at risk of hurting themselves or others, please use the suicide prevention lifeline for immediate assistance: 800-273-8255 Episode Links: Link to the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Inventory: https://cesd-r.com/ --------------------------- Thank you for listening to the Disability Perspectives Podcast! We are working on creating a space to share all of our episode transcripts so that the Disability Perspectives Podcast is accessible to everyone. Until that is available, if you would like access to the transcript for any episode, please send us an email at disability.perspectives@gmail.com and we will be happy to share them with you! If you or anyone you know is interested in being a part of the podcast as a guest, contributor, or team member, please fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/TiitPVCGfanPX9vf8 If you have any questions or would like to reach out to us for any reason or discuss supporting us financially to offset production costs, please email us at disability.perspectives@gmail.com Find us online at anchor.fm/utah-kershner1 Please follow our social media accounts and share us with your friends! Facebook: @disability.perspectives Instagram: @disability.perspectives Twitter: @DP_podcast1 --------------------------- Host: Utah Kershner Audio editing/production: Scotty Larsen Marketing/Social Media/Creativity: Polina Sobol & Morgan Rader Find the Disability Perspectives Podcast wherever you get your podcasts!

This Equity Spotlight Podcast is based on the authors’ qualitative research paper, in which they synthesized studies from 2006 to 2018 about students' experiences. Specifically, the authors discuss students' experiences, how students made sense of their disability labels within the education system, and how they negotiate—and potentially challenge—these labels within school settings.

15 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung leben mit einer Behinderung. Oder ist für 15 Prozent der Weltbevölkerung diese Welt nicht optimal eingerichtet? Der Soziologe Tom Shakespeare sagt: «Wer über Behinderung und Krankheit spricht, spricht immer auch über die Normvorstellungen in seiner Gesellschaft.» Niemand ist gefeit davor, behindert zu sein. Manche Menschen kommen mit einer Behinderung zur Welt, andere verunfallen in der Lebensmitte, wieder andere werden im Alter blind oder gehörlos. Wie es sich mit einer Behinderung leben lässt, hängt stark von der Gesellschaft ab, in der man sich bewegt. Inklusion ist ein Menschenrecht. Was aber braucht es, um Menschen mit einer Behinderung auch wirklich miteinzubeziehen und zu berücksichtigen – ohne dass sie unter Leistungsdruck geraten und überfordert sind, weil sie täglich mit ihrem Anderssein konfrontiert werden? Wie können sich behinderte und nicht behinderte Menschen auf Augenhöhe begegnen? Und was bedeutet es für die Gesellschaft, wenn die vorgeburtliche Diagnostik dazu führt, dass sich immer mehr Paare gegen ein Kind mit einer Behinderung entscheiden? Tom Shakespeare, renommierter Professor für «Disability Research» an der London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, wurde mit Achondroplasie (Kleinwuchs) geboren. Im Gespräch mit Barbara Bleisch diskutiert er, was Gleichberechtigung angesichts der menschlichen Verschiedenheit bedeutet, und wie wir zusammenleben, wenn der optimierte Mensch zum Ziel unserer Gesellschaft wird.

Fast Takes - Episode 6 View the transcript at https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2020-12/applying-virtual-reality-to-improve-job-reentry-skills-in-individuals-with-traumatic-brain-injury.pdf In this episode, Dr. Helen Genova, assistant director of our Center for Neuropsychology and Neuroscience Research at Kessler Foundation talks about her study " Using virtual reality to improve job reentry in adults with traumatic brain injury: a randomized controlled trial.“ This is a three-year study funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) 90IFRE0031. Learn more about Dr. Helen Genova at at https://kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/Helen%20Genova and podcast host Joan Banks-Smith at https://kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/Joan%20Banks-Smith Co-authors: Denise Krch, PhD, and Anthony Lequerica, PhD, from the Center for Traumatic Brain Injury Research, and John O’Neill, PhD, director of the Center for Employment and Disability Research. Learn about ongoing brain injury studies at Kessler Foundation: https://kesslerfoundation.org/research/studies/traumatic-brain-injury Be sure and subscribe to our SoundCloud channel “KesslerFoundation” for more research updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you get your podcasts. This podcast was recorded on Tuesday, December 8, 2020 remotely and was edited and produced by Joan Banks-Smith, Creative Producer for Kessler Foundation.

Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador interviews Dr. Hugh Herr, Associate Professor MIT Media Lab and head of the Biomechatronics group, MIT Media Lab. Ira Pastor comments: Dr. Hugh Herr, is Associate Professor MIT Media Lab and heads the Biomechatronics group at the MIT Media Lab, as well as the Center for Extreme Bionics at MIT, and is creating bionic limbs that emulate the function of natural limbs. In 2011, TIME magazine coined him the “Leader of the Bionic Age” because of his revolutionary work in the emerging field of biomechatronics – technology that marries human physiology with electromechanics. A double amputee himself, Dr Herr is responsible for breakthrough advances in bionic limbs that provide greater mobility and new hope to those with physical disabilities. He is the author and co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed papers and patents, chronicling the science and technology behind his many innovations. These publications span the scientific fields of biomechanics and biological motion control, as well as the technological innovations of human rehabilitation and augmentation technologies. Dr. Herr’s Biomechatronics group has developed gait-adaptive knee prostheses for transfemoral amputees and variable impedance ankle-foot orthoses for patients suffering from drop foot, a gait pathology caused by stroke, cerebral palsy, and multiple sclerosis. He has also designed his own bionic limbs, the world's first bionic lower leg called the BiOM Ankle System. Dr. Herr has received many accolades for his groundbreaking innovations, including the 13th Annual Heinz Award for Technology, the Economy and Employment; the Prince Salman Award for Disability Research; the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in Technology; the 14th Innovator of the Year Award; the 41st Inventor of the Year Award; and the 2016 Princess of Asturias Award for Technical & Scientific Research. Dr. Herr's story has been told in a National Geographic film, “Ascent: The Story of Hugh Herr.” He has also been featured on CNN and other broadcasters and in many press articles, including The Economist, Discover, and Nature. Dr. Herr earned an undergraduate degree in physics at Millersville University, a master's degree in mechanical engineering at MIT, followed by a PhD in biophysics from Harvard University. On this episode of ideaXme we will hear from Dr. Herr about: His background - how he developed his passion for rock climbing, for science and technology, and his fateful story about being caught in a blizzard during a climbing trip that lead to his double leg amputations An introduction to the topic of Biomechatronics An overview of the BiOM Ankle System, clinically shown to be the first leg prosthesis to achieve biomechanical and physiological normalization, allowing persons with leg amputation to walk with normal levels of speed and metabolism as if their legs were biological once again An overview of Dr. Herr’s team developing the first autonomous exoskeleton to reduce the metabolic cost of human walking, a goal that has eluded scientists for over a century His work with the Haptics program at DARPA The recent Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announcement that it has invalidated a rule adopted by World Athletics (formerly "IAAF") – the international sports federation governing track & field – which imposed the burden of proof on disabled athletes requiring them to prove that their prostheses do not provide them with an overall advantage against able-bodied athletes Credits: Ira Pastor, ideaXme ambassador interview. Visit ideaXme www.radioideaxme.com Follow ideaXme on Twitter:@ideaxm On Instagram:@ideaxme To discuss collaboration and or partnerships please contact the founder of ideaXme: andrea@ideaxme.com Find ideaXme across the internet including on ideaXme YouTube, SoundCloud, Radio Public, TuneIn Radio, I Heart Radio, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Podcasts and more. ideaXme is a global podcast, creator series and mentor programme. Our mission: Move the human story forward!™ ideaXme Ltd.

How is the shift to digital shaping workplaces, cultures and employment opportunities? Explore future ways of working that are truly inclusive of people with disability. FEATURING – Dr Manisha Amin, CEO of Centre for Inclusive Design – Professor John Buchanan, University of Sydney Business School – Dr Sheelagh Daniels-Mayes, University of Sydney School of Education and Social Work – Charles Humblet, Co-Chair, Disability at Work Network, University of Sydney – Penelope Pitcairn, Staff Accessibility Manager, University of Sydney – Moderator: Associate Professor Jennifer Smith-Merry, Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy This conversation was held as part of Disability Inclusion Week at the University of Sydney (21-25 September 2020). For more info, including a transcript to this discussion, visit the website: https://bit.ly/2RgEKHq

Tom Shakespeare discusses how people with a range of physical and sensory disabilities in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia have achieved educational, employment and family success. Drawing on the findings of a DFID-funded research project conducted with local academic partners, he highlights some of the stories shared and barriers overcome.Speaker: Professor Tom Shakespeare FBA, Professor of Disability Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineImage: © Simon Maina / AFP via Getty ImagesTranscript: https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/podcasts/10-minute-talks-how-disabled-people-achieve-good-lives-in-three-african-countries/

This week on Spastic Chatter we hear from Caleb William Wells, as he speaks about his scholarly research on disability. Check it out! Caleb's FB group-https://www.facebook.com/groups/703944563699580/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whitney-bailey/support

Today we're going to look at what disability and COVID-19 research have in common.

Christina Ryan is the CEO and Founder of the Disability Leadership Institute. She has been an active leader in the Australian disability community for over 20 years. Christina pioneered the use of mainstream forums by women with disabilities at the United Nations, and now mentors and teaches effective use of the UN for rights activists globally, while working as a leadership coach for people with disabilities. After 20 years working in community sector management, Christina realised that the levels of violence and marginalisation experienced by people with disabilities were the direct outcome of inequality, and that to address this we need a growth in disability leadership right across the public domain. So, Christina established the Disability Leadership Institute in 2016. It is the first organisation of its kind globally, run by and for disability leaders.

This is the first in a series of Men's Health related interviews. In today's conversation we look into many of the intersections of research, social work, activism, disabilities, Indigenous perspectives, which are all interconnected in the life and work of Dr John Gilroy (Assoc Prof at Sydney University).

Dr. Jennifer Smith-Merry is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Jen is the Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP). Jen also leads the Mental Health and Disability research in the Faculty. Jen has a Ph.D. in policy from the University of Queensland (2005) and her academic research has focused on policy and service development, primarily in mental health and the study of adverse events. Prior to her current position, she was a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr. Piers Gooding is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and the University of Melbourne Law School. His work focuses on disability law and mental health politics. He is the author of 'A New Era for Mental Health Law and Policy: Supported Decision-Making and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' (2017. Piers has worked with a range of international organisations and agencies, including the UN Special Rapporteur for the Rights of People with Disabilities, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of the Asia Pacific. Piers was previously a research fellow at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Piers holds degrees from the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He has received a Discovery Early Career Research Award from the Australian Research Council, and was awarded a Menzies Australian Bicentennial Fellowship to serve at Kings College London.

We are excited to share this interview with Tom Shakespeare who is Professor of Disability Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He has 30 years of experience, researching with disabled people. Tom also writes and presents extensively about issues facing people with disabilities. His specialties and interests include dementia rights, social model of disability, relationships and disability and bioethics. For more information on Professor Tom Shakespeare: @tommyshakes (Twitter) https://farmerofthoughts.co.uk/biogra... (his web-page and blog) Tom works at: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM): https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/ International Centre for Evidence In Disabled People (ICED): https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/cent... A list of research and reports from ICED: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/cent... Publications by Tom Shakespeare - https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/peopl... New on work with disabled people in low and middle-income countries: https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/ne... Information on UPIAS: https://the-ndaca.org/resources/audio... Wendy Mitchell - https://www.theguardian.com/books/201... Health and Social Care Committee: https://www.parliament.uk/business/co... --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/coproducecare/message

For the PEACEtalk to discuss "The Ins and Outs of the Body of Christ: listening to the voices the church needs to hear" we heard from an exciting panel of speakers about what it's like to be LGBTIQA+, have a disability, be multicultural, and Aboriginal, in God's Family and in our churches. The panel of Steff Fenton, Shane Clifton, and Joanne Shan was moderated by Brooke Prentis. Meet the panel Steff is a self-identified gay Anglican Christian, currently studying a Masters of Divinity through the University of Divinity. Steff is involved in many projects supporting the equal membership of LGBITQA+ Christians in Australian churches. Steff is the Chair of Equal Voices Sydney, and is a candidate for ordination in the Australian Anglican Church. She blogs at queervangelical.com. Dr Shane Clifton is Honorary Professor, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. His current research is interdisciplinary, exploring the intersection between disability studies, virtue ethics, and theology. Shane is Married to Elly, and they have three sons. In 2010 Shane had a serious accident that left him a quadriplegic (C5 Incomplete). He is passionate about the flourishing of people with a disability. https://shaneclifton.wordpress.com/ Joanne is Tamil and Sinhalese, born and raised in Narrm (the place now called Melbourne). Joanne holds a Bachelor Degree in Australian Indigenous Studies and is completing a Postgraduate Certificate in Indigenous Theology through Naiits: An Indigenous Learning Community. Joanne loves working with young people to embrace culture, and is a Support Worker volunteering with VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) and working in DHHS (Department of Health and Human Services). Brooke is an Aboriginal Christian Leader, a descendant of the Waka Waka peoples. Brooke is the Director of PEACEtalks, Aboriginal Spokesperson for Common Graceand Coordinator of the The Grasstree Gathering. This event is part of PEACEtalks: a monthly event (held on a Thursday or Saturday evening) starting at 7pm hosted by Paddington Anglican Church aimed at serving the community by promoting and cultivating deep conversations about life, the world and everything. ‘PEACE’ stands for ‘political, ethical, artistic & cultural engagement’. Also on iTunes / Apple Podcasts by searching for PEACEtalks.

Elaine E. Katz, MS, CCC-SLP is senior vice president of Grants and Communications. During her tenure, the Foundation has awarded more than $43.8 million in grant support for national and community-based employment programs. She gives some tips for applying for grants in this episode. View the podcast transcript at https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-10/Elaine%20Katz%20on%20Grantmaking%20%E2%80%93%20Expert%20Interview%20Series.pdf Links: More about Elaine Katz (https://kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/Elaine%20Katz?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=bio%20link&utm_campaign=katz) Center for Grantmaking (https://kesslerfoundation.org/grant-programs?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=center%20grantmaking&utm_campaign=katz) Grantmaking Impact Reports (https://kesslerfoundation.org/what-we-fund/impact-reports?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=impact%20report&utm_campaign=katz) White Paper: Employing People with Disabilities (https://kesslerfoundation.org/what-we-fund/white-paper?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=white%20paper&utm_campaign=katz) More about nTIDE (https://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter/disabilityemployment/nTIDE?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=ntide&utm_campaign=katz) Center for Employment and Disability Research (https://kesslerfoundation.org/research/center-employment-and-disability-research?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=center%20employment&utm_campaign=katz) 2015 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey (https://kesslerfoundation.org/kfsurvey15?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=survey%202015&utm_campaign=katz) 2017 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey (https://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter-employment-and-disability-research/2017-kessler-foundation-national-employment-and?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=survey%202017&utm_campaign=katz) Listen to all of our Expert Interviews at https://soundcloud.com/kesslerfoundation/sets/expert-interviewers-series

John O'Neill, PhD is the director of employment and disability research at the Kessler Foundation and has over 28 years of experience in vocational rehabilitation as a rehabilitation counselor educator, disability employment researcher, and advisor to state vocational rehabilitation agencies. Dr. O’Neill has been a PI or co-PI on six National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research funded, five-year research and training centers focusing on traumatic brain injury and community integration, disability statistics, disability employment service system and how individual and contextual factors relate to employment outcomes among people with disabilities. View the transcript of this podcast at https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/2019-09/John-ONeill-on-Employing-People-with-Disabilities-FINAL-Transcript.pdf Links: More about Dr. O’Neill and his research (https://kesslerfoundation.org/aboutus/John%20ONeill?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=bio%20link&utm_campaign=oneill) Jean Vanier official site (https://www.larcheusa.org/who-we-are/jean-vanier/) Center for Employment and Disability Research (https://kesslerfoundation.org/research/center-employment-and-disability-research?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=center%20employment&utm_campaign=oneill) nTIDE (https://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter/disabilityemployment/nTIDE?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=ntide&utm_campaign=oneill) 2015 Employment Survey (https://kesslerfoundation.org/kfsurvey15?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=2015%20survey&utm_campaign=oneill) 2017 Employment Survey (https://kesslerfoundation.org/researchcenter-employment-and-disability-research/2017-kessler-foundation-national-employment-and?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_medium=podcast&utm_term=&utm_content=2017%20survey&utm_campaign=oneill)

Episode 21: In this episode I talk with Professor of theology and ethics Dr Shane Clifton about the intersections between disability, theology and embodiment. In 2010 Shane had a serious accident that left him a quadriplegic (C5 Incomplete). Since that time his research has explored the intersection between disability studies, virtue ethics, and theology. In this conversation we talk about his accident and what that meant for his own faith, as well as how that has reshaped his academic work as a theologian. We talk about human flourishing, happiness and living a life of meaning, along with how we can see the body in positive terms. Shane is currently Honorary Professor, at the Centre for Disability Research and Policy, the Faculty of Health Sciences, the University of Sydney. You can find out more about Shane's work by visiting www.shaneclifton.com   

There are many pieces to compensation aside from dollar bills that can, to some, be just as important as the numbers on the check. In this episode, hosts Peter Cappelli and Dan O'Meara sit with Nicole Maestas to talk about just how much those other pieces are worth.Nicole Maestas, PhD, is an associate professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. Her research studies how the health and disability insurance systems affect individual economic behaviors, such as labor supply and the consumption of medical care.Dr. Maestas’ research in disability economics has shown how the federal disability insurance system discourages employment by people with disabilities. Applying a causal research design to newly developed administrative data, her work showed that the work capacity of disability insurance beneficiaries with less severe disabilities is substantial. Furthermore, individuals lose additional work capacity the longer they stay out of the labor force pursuing a disability determination.Dr. Maestas’ work on the effects of health insurance coverage showed that the onset of Medicare eligibility causes a sharp increase in the use of health care services. For low-cost services, such as routine doctor visits, Medicare eligibility leads to increases in utilization that are concentrated among groups with the lowest rates of insurance coverage prior to age 65. But for relatively high-cost procedures—including hospitalization for procedures like bypass surgery and hip and knee replacement—the gains are concentrated among groups with the highest rates of insurance coverage prior to age 65 (and who are also more likely to have supplementary insurance coverage after 65). As a result, Medicare narrows disparities in access to care, but appears to widen disparities in elective care. Closely related work presented the first causal evidence of an insurance-induced mortality gap: Medicare coverage causes a nearly 1-percentage-point drop in 7-day mortality for patients at age 65, equivalent to a 20% reduction in deaths for this severely ill patient group. Her work on the economics of aging has demonstrated significant shifts in labor supply patterns at older ages. She showed that one-half of all retirees pursue a retirement transition path that involves partial retirement or labor force re-entry (“unretirement”) and that re-entry was largely predictable ex ante, and not a consequence of economic shocks. She has also argued that labor supply at older ages is likely to increase still further, even absent policy changes to promote employment at older ages, due to increased labor demand for older workers. Indeed, her work shows that the rise in employment at older ages was driven in substantial part by an increase in labor demand by firms in the professional services industries. In current work, she is examining how these labor force trends, and population aging more generally, affect economic growth.Dr. Maestas has testified before Congress about her research on two occasions, once before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and once before the Senate Finance Committee. She recently completed service on a national disability policy panel convened by the Social Security Advisory Board.Dr. Maestas graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Wellesley College. She received her MPP in public policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley, and her PhD in economics also from UC Berkeley. Prior to joining Harvard, Dr. Maestas was a senior economist at RAND, where she served as director of the Economics, Sociology and Statistics Research Department, director of the Center for Disability Research, director of the NIA (T32) Postdoctoral Training Program in the Study of Aging, and director of the NIA-sponsored RAND Summer Institute’s Mini-Medical School for Social Scientists. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the first half of today's show we are joined in the studio by Naomi Chainey, coordinator of 3CR's special whole-day broadcast for International Day of Persons with Disabilities, coming up next Monday (December 3rd). Together we speak to Jen Hargraves from Women with Disabilities about her recent 2-month research tour to England, Scotland and Sweden, comparing disability policies on financial independence, provision of support as well as attitudes to disability pride.Afterwards we are joined by Colin Neathercoat, Manager of Community Afairs at Melbourne Water. Following on from conversations with community members on our show two weeks ago, he explains what Melbourne Water is doing to clean up after the disastrous fire at Stony Creek earlier this year. We also talk about the uniqueness of Melbourne's water catchments and new greywater recycling networks being installed in new suburbs on the city's fringes.

How people with dwarfism have been represented in art and culture, from Ancient Egypt to Velasquez to Game of Thrones. Kirsty is joined by Tom Shakespeare, Professor of Disability Research at East Anglia University and Richard Butchins, who has made the BBC Four film Dwarfs in Art: A New Perspective. Scottish artist Barbara Rae has travelled to the Arctic in the footsteps of the Victorian explorer John Rae. She discusses the resulting artworks currently on show in Edinburgh and the challenges of working in the extreme cold.As another film about Winnie-the-Pooh is released, this time starring Ewan McGregor as Christopher Robin, film critic Kate Muir and children's author Meg Rosoff discuss our fascination with the world of A.A Milne.Producer: Timothy Prosser Presenter: Kirsty Lang.

Welcome to a Kessler Foundation Spinal Cord Injury Grand Rounds podcast featuring Drs John O’Neill and Trevor Dyson-Hudson of Kessler Foundation and Adria DeSimone of Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation presenting “Resource Facilitation: Early Inpatient and Assertive Outpatient Vocational Rehabilitation Services for Individuals with SCI”. Follow along with presentaiton slides at https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/filepicker/11/SCI_Grand_Rounds_07JUN18_John_Oneill.pdf Dr. John O'Neill is Director for Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation, Dr. Trevor Tyson-Hudson is Director for Spinal Cord Injury Research also at Kessler Foundation, and Adria De Simone(MS, CRC, LAC) is the Spinal Cord Injury Vocational Resource Facilitator at Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation This is a cooperative project between Kessler Foundation, Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, and the Craig H Neilsen Foundation which funded this demonstration project This presentation was recorded and produced by Joan Banks-Smith, Creative Producer for Kessler Foundation on Thursday, June 7, 2018 at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Conference Center, West Orange, New Jersey and was hosted by the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System, which is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90SI5026). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Be sure and check out our next podcast with Jill Wecht, Associate Professor of Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, and VA Rehabilitation Research & Development Service (RR&D) as a Research Health Science Specialist. She will be presenting “Hypotension in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury: Consequences & Treatments” on Thursday, July 26, 2018.

Tom Shakespeare, is an English sociologist and broadcaster. He is Professor of Disability Research in the medical faculty at the University of East Anglia (UEA)and a member of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. He is also known for his work and activism around disability rights in the UK. In this episode, he talks about the role of religion in his upbringing, agnosticism and finding solace in Quakerism. He also talks about his work as an activist, and the challenges that people with disabilities face in the age of austerity. This episode also features a conversation with Theos' Natan Mladin about the idea of 'thinking about thinking'. Follow us on @sacred_podcast and on Twitter, follow Elizabeth at @Theoselizabeth. You can also follow Theos at @theosthinktank to keep up to date with news, events and the latest research.

Welcome to a Kessler Foundation Spinal Cord Injury Grand Rounds podcast featuring Dr. Nathan Hogaboom presenting “Transfer Skills and Soft-Tissue Injuries in Wheelchair Users with Spinal Cord Injury". Dr. Hogaboom is the inaugural postdoctoral fellow from the Derfner Foundation grant in regenerative rehabilitation research at Kessler Foundation. He will work on a project that evaluates the safety and efficacy of a regenerative treatment designed to improve shoulder pain and function in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury who have not responded to therapy or other conservative treatments. For more information about Dr. Hogaboom, be sure and check out the description of this podcast. To follow along with the presentation slides, go to https://kesslerfoundation.org/sites/default/files/filepicker/11/10MAY18_nathan_hogaboom_SCIGrandRounds.pdf#overlay-context=aboutus/publications.php To contact Dr. Hogaboom, e-mail him at NHogaboom@kesslerfoundation.org This presentation was recorded and produced by Joan Banks-Smith, Creative Producer for Kessler Foundation on Thursday, May 10, 2018 at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation, Conference Center, West Orange, New Jersey and was hosted by the Northern New Jersey Spinal Cord Injury System, which is supported by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90SI5026). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Be sure and check out our next podcast with Dr. John O'Neill, Director of Employment and Disability Research at Kessler Foundation. He will be presenting “Resource Facilitation: Early Inpatient and Assertive Outpatient Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services for Individuals with SCI” on Thursday, June 7, 2018. For more information about Kessler Foundation and our researchers, go to KesslerFoundation.org Like us on FaceBook, follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Soundcloud, and tweet with us on Twitter! ========================== BIO Dr. Hogaboom received his PhD in Rehabilitation Science and Technology from the University of Pittsburgh. While he was there, he worked with Dr. Michael Boninger to identify mechanisms behind rotator cuff degeneration in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury using different biomarkers. Dr. Hogaboom primarily worked with ultrasound to quantify changes in the structural and morphological properties of tendons in response to different wheelchair activities. He then moved more toward the mechanistic side of things by developing a technique to measure chemical biomarkers of inflammation of the shoulder joint in vivo. He measured changes in these inflammatory chemicals after wheelchair activities and correlated these them with the changes we observed in ultrasound properties. Although there were limitations to the study, it served at a starting point to his work at Kessler Foundation with Drs. Trevor Dyson-Hudson and Gerard Malanga. Dr. Hogaboom will work on a project that evaluates the safety and efficacy of a regenerative treatment designed to improve shoulder pain and function in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury who have not responded to therapy or other conservative treatments. His current focus is to work toward discovering the mechanisms behind the subjective improvements by looking at various radiologic and chemical biomarkers. ==========================

Every 15 hours a child is born in Australia with cerebral palsy. Considering Australian children are three times more likely to suffer from cerebral palsy than a childhood cancer, this is a disorder that needs all the support it can get.

In this R2P podcast, publications manager Lorraine Sobson chats with Sarah Nagro about how to engage students with disabilities when teaching to a whole group. Listen to learn how strategies such as hand signals and response cards can help to keep your students tuned in. Sarah co-authored the TEACHING Exceptional Children article, “Whole-Group Response Strategies to Promote Student Engagement in Inclusive Classrooms.” Sarah Nagro is an assistant professor in the Division of Special Education and Disability Research at George Mason University. Her research focuses on teacher preparation in special education with an emphasis on education in inclusive classrooms. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/exceptionalchildren/support

Dr Tom Shakespeare, author, social scientist, bioethicist and editor of the World Report on Disability presents a keynote lecture 'Making a difference: how disability research can change our world' at the Disability Studies: Every Body In, inaugural conference. November 2011

Dr Tom Shakespeare, author, social scientist, bioethicist and editor of the World Report on Disability presents a keynote lecture 'Making a difference: how disability research can change our world' at the Disability Studies: Every Body In, inaugural conference. November 2011

Dr Tom Shakespeare, author, social scientist, bioethicist and editor of the World Report on Disability presents a keynote lecture 'Making a difference: how disability research can change our world' at the Disability Studies: Every Body In, inaugural conference. November 2011