Disability Matters

Former Governor of Pennsylvania and Attorney General of the United States, Dick Thornburgh and his wife, Ginny Thornburgh will be the honored guests of Joyce Bender. Discussed on the show will be Mr. Thornburgh's reflections on the Americans with Disabilities Act as we prepare to celebrate the 15th anniversary of this landmark legislation signed into law on July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. Additionally, Ginny Thornburgh will reflect on being selected as one of three distinguished recipients of the 2005 Hubert H. Humphey Civil Rights Award, sponsored by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights.

The Honorable Tony Coelho, former Democratic California Congressman and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be Joyce's guest. They talk about the impact the ADA has had on the lives of people with disabilities, since it was signed into law by President George H.W. Bush on July 26, 1990. Mr. Coelho is also the new Chair of the Epilepsy Foundation.

American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) was founded after five key leaders from the disability community (who were instrumental in drafting, advocating for and passage of the landmark civil rights law, the Americans with Disabilities Act -ADA) met to organize what they believed would be the next logical step for people with disabilities -- creation of a national, non-partisan organization that can and will represent 54 million Americans with disabilities. Joyce welcomes Andy Imparato, president of the AAPD.

The Solutions Marketing Group (www.disability-marketing.com) is a marketing consulting firm dedicated to providing businesses with innovative marketing strategies that target consumers with disabilities. Join Joyce as she welcomes founder and president of SMG, Carmen Jones. Carmen's passion is to create win-win relationships between companies and the disability community.

The "Targit Trainer" exercise machine was created by Marty Hoge's business partner Matt Siaperas, to promote the value of exercise in improving health and fitness, as well as self-esteem for everyone, including people with disabilities. As we learned from Merrill Hoge's last appearance, August 24, 2004, both brothers are proponents of the idea to "Find a Way" to overcome whatever obstacles present themselves in life; this is especially true for people with disabilities.

Joining Joyce is Bill Brenneisen, Vice President of Human Resources at the Institute for Transfusion Medicine (ITxM). Discussed on the show, will be the mission of the Institute, which is to provide a number of clinical, diagnostic, and consulting services to Pittsburgh area hospitals, the Central Blood Bank of Pittsburgh, and the community at large, regarding blood related issues.

David Lepofski, Chair of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, will be featured with Joyce Bender. The Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee is a coalition of individuals with disabilities and over 100 disability organizations advocating for enactment and effective implementation of new disability access legislation in Ontario, Canada to achieve a barrier-free Ontario for 1.9 million people with disabilities.

EnabledOnline.com is the online version of the Enabled in Words magazine, a magazine dedicated to the real lives, real victories of people with disabilities. Enabled in Words is tomato soup for when your soul needs something a little different", says Jim Brady, former White House Press Secretary for President Ronald Reagan. Join us as Joyce speaks with Keith Landry, president of EnabledOnline.com.

Joyce welcomes Beth Loy, Ph.D, a Clinical Assistant Professor at West Virginia University, and a Human Factors Consultant, as well as, Linda Carter Batiste, J.D., a Disability Rights Lawyer with the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN is a free consulting service designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities by: providing individualized worksite accommodations solutions, providing technical assistance regarding the ADA and other disability related legislation, and educating callers about self-employment options.

Featured guests, Judy Painter, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA (EFWCP) and Michael Aggas, a Bender Consulting Services, Inc. employee and Chair of Bender's Annual Fun Run/Walk Committee to benefit the EFWCP. Discussed on the show will be the various programs and services of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central PA, most notably the Foundation's Annual Fun Run/Walk, which is co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Team. This year's event will be held Saturday, June 11, 2005 at PNC Park.