Disability Matters

Award–winning author, Edwin Black, joins Joyce to talk about his book "War Against the Weak", which assembles the gripping story of America's decades-long campaign to create a white, Nordic master race through a sham science called eugenics. Some 60,000 Americans, including those with disabilities, were forcibly sterilized in eugenic campaigns organized by American corporate philanthropic organizations. In 2003, Mr. Black received the International Human Rights Award from the World Affairs Council for "War Against the Weak".

Encouraging Angels is a music ministry designed to raise awareness to the plight of disabled children and their families, and specifically to encourage the church to assimilate them into the local body of believers. Joining Joyce is Stan Szymanski, Christian Recording Artist and Chief Executive Officer of Encouraging Angels and dad of Hannah Rose Szymanski who is living with 2 rare diseases affecting only one in 2 billion children. It is out of his personal experience and need to reach out to others that Encouraging Angels was established with the mission of "Disability awareness through music and witness".

Jim Dickson, Vice President of Government Affairs for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) (http://www.aapd.com), joins Joyce Bender on "Disability Matters". Tune in as Joyce and Jim discuss his role within the AAPD. The AAPD promotes the economic and political empowerment of all 56 million adults and children living with disabilities in the U.S., and to be a national voice for change in implementing the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Al Condeluci, Chief Executive Officer of United Cerebral Palsy of Pittsburgh (UCP) joins Joyce to discuss the mission of United Cerebral Palsy of Pittsburgh, which services individuals with severe disabilities, a segment of the population that is particularly vulnerable to neglect and community isolation. Through Community Living and Support Services (CLASS), UCP of Pittsburgh services more than 200 individuals daily with all types of disabilities, including acquired brain injury retardation, spina bifida, spinal cord injury, and cerebral palsy.

The President and CEO of Leadership Pittsburgh Inc., Aradhna Dhanda, joins Joyce to discuss the mission of this organization. Leadership Pittsburgh Inc (LPI), a premier resource for leadership development in southwestern Pennsylvania, seeks to strengthen regional leadership through programs, partnerships, and connections. Over its twenty-year history, LPI Inc. has produced over 1,300 informed and engaged leaders working diligently to help our region maximize its potential.

Blind since birth, Kathy Martinez, Executive Director of the World Institute on Disability, is an internationally recognized disability rights leader specializing in employment, asset building, independent living, international development, diversity and gender issues. Currently, Kathy oversees Proyecto Visión, WID's National Technical Assistance Center to increase employment opportunities for Latinos with disabilities in the U.S. Tune in as Kathy talks with Joyce about the mission of the WID.

Dr. Joseph Lagana, Founder and CEO of the Homeless Children's Education Fund, a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization joins Joyce Bender. Tune in as they discuss the mission of the Homeless Children's Education Fund, which is to serve as a voice for the homeless children of Allegheny County in the Pittsburgh, PA area, and to ensure that they are afforded equal access to the same educational opportunities and experiences as their peers.

Karen Wolk Feinstein, President of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) of Pittsburgh joins Joyce. Tune in as they discuss the mission of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, a regional foundation funding a broad range of activities to advance the health of the residents of Western PA.

Joyce's guests are Veronika Ivanova and Jenan Mahmoud Barghhouthi, two foreign exchange students with disabilities at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Health Rehabilitation Sciences Counseling Program. Tune in as they discuss their experiences as persons with disabilities and what they have learned here in the U

Tobias Forrest, a theater actor who uses a wheelchair due to a diving accident, will be the honored guest of Joyce Bender. After diving off of a waterfall into shallow water at the Grand Canyon, he broke his neck. Instantly, he was paralyzed and as he was drowning, knew that this was the end of his life. Fortunately, he was saved through the efforts of many strangers and has bounced back with a positive sense of humor. He has had parts in the TV shows "Malcolm in the Middle" and "Six Feet Under" just to name a couple. Tune in as they discuss his first appearance at City Theater in the production "Pyretown" from March 2, 2006 through April 2, 2006, in their Lester Hamburg Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.