Penn and Moses welcome filmmaker, author, and policy expert Day Al-Mohamed. She shares her blindness story, trauma and recovery, and a practical view of advocacy from campus to Congress to the White House. The conversation covers ADA pressures, why state-level action matters, AI bias and disability, fencing as a confidence lab, and the power of authentic media (“Renegades” on PBS). Day closes with steady counsel for hard seasons: it will be okay—because we plan, support each other, and figure it out.

Contact Info

Guest — Day Al-Mohamed

Website: dayalmohamed.com

Books/Film: The Labyrinth Archivist; Renegades (PBS)

Aftersight

Web: aftersight.org

Phone: (720) 712-8856

Email: [email protected]

Producer

Jonathan Price, Podcast & Program Producer, Aftersight — [email protected]

Show Credits

Hosts: Penn Street, Moses Street

Guest: Day Al-Mohamed — filmmaker, author, disability policy leader

Producer: Jonathan Price

An Aftersight Original

Chapter Markers

00:00 — Cold open + show intro

00:28 — Cabin banter and Halloween setup

02:49 — Guest intro: policy, filmmaking, and advocacy

05:10 — Blindness origin and the “first question” problem

09:00 — Trauma, community, and rebuilding life

11:27 — From social work to law: rules that actually work

13:51 — Fencing and refusing limits

18:20 — First steps in policy and data-driven advocacy

20:43 — Statehouse internship to Capitol Hill

24:37 — ADA, regs, and where erosion happens

26:58 — What to do now: act local, build state protections

31:43 — How real constituents move votes

36:20 — AI bias, oversight, and disability truth

41:01 — Why stories change policy: books and film

45:46 — “Renegades” and disability history without inspiration porn

50:19 — What’s next: season two hopes and the blind detective

52:44 — The White House guide dog story

55:08 — What I’d whisper then, what I’d shout now

57:18 — Where to find Day + closing and Aftersight CTA