Disability Deep Dive

In this episode of You First, we talk to Annie Segarra, James Rath, and Rikki Poynter. They discuss the accessibility obstacles they encounter, recount the joys and challenges of sharing vulnerable stories on the internet, and share what disability pride means to them.

Links:

• Annie Segarra's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/theannieelainey
• James Rath's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jamesrath
• Rikki Poynter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rikkipoynter

In this episode of You First, we talk to Disability Rights Florida's Tony DePalma and Olivia Babis to discuss the 2021 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony review a number of important bills that were presented to the legislature, challenges we faced related to the pandemic, and what did and did not pass this session.

NOTE: at the time of recording this episode, Governor Ron DeSantis had not signed or vetoed some of the items discussed. Visit our 2021 Florida Legislative Outcomes blog post for an updated list of all legislation that passed and was signed by the governor.

In this episode of You First, we look at COVID-19 through the lens of mental health. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) was identified years before the pandemic, along with great strategies to reduce the chances that someone in intensive care would develop complications related to it. But COVID-19 has changed that, as ICUs became overcrowded and staff overtaxed.

Our guest is Dr. Megan Hosey from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Megan explains what PICS is, how the pandemic has affected its prevalence, and what new strategies are being developed to deal with it.

Resources:

• Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS)
• Disability Rights Florida COVID-19 Resources
• POPPI Study
• Five Wishes
• The Conversation Project
• After the ICU (THRIVE)

In this episode of You First, let's talk about saving the planet! We can fight climate change by eliminating all single-use plastics and walking to get where you need to go – that will save us all! But will it? Or does thinking like that make you an eco-ableist by not considering the needs of people with disabilities?

Our first guest is Elizabeth Wright, a writer, activist, keynote and TEDx speaker, and an Australian Paralympic Medalist. She is also the founder and editor of Conscious Being, a publication for disabled women by disabled women, and the editor of Disability Review Magazine. Liz gives us a global perspective on disability and climate change, and explains why people with disabilities need a seat at the table to help us think more creatively when planning how to combat it.

Our second guest is writer and activist Syren Nagakyrie. They are the founder and director of Disabled Hikers, which advocates for accessibility and inclusion in the outdoors. Syren explains why the outdoors are not always as accessible as you might think and how they are working to change that for people with disabilities.

Links from the episode:

• Climate Change, Disability, and Eco-Ableism: why we need to be inclusive to save the planet
• Elizabeth Wright's website
• Conscious Being
• Sustained Ability
• Disabled Hikers
• Disaster and Emergency Planning

In the fifth episode of the You First podcast, we heard from Michael Lincoln-McCreight about something new in Florida called Supported Decision-Making (SDM). Much has changed with SDM and Mike in the four years since then, and he's back to give us some updates. We also talk to Viviana Bonilla López and Tyler Burns. Viviana is an attorney at Disability Rights Florida who coordinates the SDM project and co-chairs the SDM4FL Coalition with Mike. And Tyler is a client of Viviana who is signing his SDM agreement within days of this recording.

Relevant Links:

• SDM4FL Coalition Website
• Disability Rights Florida Supported Decision-Making Disability Topic

Our guests on this episode of You First are Beth Haller and Jeff Preston, both of whom are university professors, authors, and experts on disability in the media. They discuss what's been done right and wrong with the portrayal of people with disabilities in film and TV, the impact of streaming platforms on the movement, and why Sia's new movie, "Music," is a disaster.

Referenced in the episode:

• Routledge Companion to Disability and Media
• Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media
• The Fantasy of Disability: Images of Loss in Popular Culture
• Disability and Social Media: Global Perspectives
• Salon: Sia's directorial debut "Music" is a baffling and patronizing cringefest of ableist minstrelsy
• LISTEN: Film by CommunicationFIRST
• NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity

News:

• We are now on Feedspot's Top 15 Disability Podcasts to Follow in 2021!

I have experienced weight stigma throughout my life, but had never heard the term or understood exactly how it affected me. After speaking to Shira Collings, I know much more about weight stigma: what it is, where it comes from, and how it can affect mental health. Listen to learn more, and register for our upcoming free webinar on weight stigma.

Resources:

• Food Psych podcast
• Body Respect book
• The F*ck-It Diet book/podcast

Also, Feedspot added You First to their list of Top 10 Social Security Disability Podcasts! Check out their list for other great podcasts.

In this fun episode of You First, we talk to Marika Devin, owner of the Clumsy Girl Travels blog. Marika discusses her experiences traveling with a hidden disability, offers practical travel advice to others, and tells us about the time she ate a lamb's head in Iceland.

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted assistive technology (AT) access and training, especially for students with disabilities. In this episode of You First, we talk to Ana Nevares of FAAST and Gerry Altamirano of the University of Florida to learn more about the benefits of AT for students with disabilities, how COVID-19 has impacted AT, and what students and parents can do to overcome it.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and to recognize that, this episode of You First is all about barriers to employment. Disability Rights Florida advocates Wendy Vance, Victor Panoff, Howard Bell, and Allison Klein explore numerous barriers to employment, beginning with school-age issues all the way to challenges in the workplace, and how they can each be overcome.