Disability Matters

As part of Disability Pride Month, Joyce welcomes Maria Town President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to the show. The AAPD is a national disability-led and cross-disability rights organization, AAPD advocates for full civil rights for over 60 million Americans with disabilities. AAPD does this by promoting equal opportunity, economic power, independent living, and political participation. Ms. Town will discuss the mission of this organization in depth and how it preserves the legacy of the ADA 36 years from its passage and continues to advocate for the rights of all Americans with disabilities.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

As part of Disability Pride Month, Joyce welcomes former Senator Tom Harkin back to the show. Senator Harkin will reflect on the significance of the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. Senator Harkin will share his thoughts on the work that still needs done to advance the lives of Americans with disabilities. ​ Joining Senator Harkin will be Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda. Dr. Pineda is the Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living (CIL) in Berkeley, California, —the world's first independent living center, founded in 1972 by Ed Roberts and other pioneering disability rights activists. ​ Both men will share their insight into the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act and how we need to continue to advocate for the rights of Americans with disabilities 35 years after its passage. In addition, Dr. Pineda will highlight his advocacy work on behalf of people with disabilities.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Helena Berger, Chair of the FDR Memorial Foundation's Board of Directors and Mary E. Dolan, Executive Director, to the show. The guests will discuss the 25th Anniversary of The FDR Memorial which helps preserve the memory of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's catalytic involvement in issues of equality and freedom – especially for people with disabilities.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes former United States Congressman and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act, Tony Coelho and Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland to the show. Discuss on the show will be the journey to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act. Also discussed will be the current effort to pass comprehensive website accessibility legislation for all people with visual disabilities.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce John F. Walsh III, Chief Executive Officer of iDisability, to the show. iDisability is an e-learning platform serving more than four million business users with training on compliance, engagement, and retention of customers and employees with disabilities. Mr. Walsh will discuss the product in depth, along with new product enhancements. Additionally, he will discuss the impact of AI on the product and how this will assist customers in revolutionizing their approach to disability training.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

"Writing What Mattered Most has been one of the most vulnerable and rewarding experiences of my life. This book is my truth—the highs, the heartbreaks, the lessons, and the love that have shaped me as a man, an artist, and a survivor." Joyce welcomes back country music superstar, Ty Herndon, to the show. Mr. Herndon will discuss his new memoir, What Mattered Most. He will share his struggles with addiction and mental health, becoming the first openly gay male country superstar in a traditionally conservative industry, and the resilience it took to endure more than three decades in the music industry. Mr. Herndon emerged out of those darkest hours with a renewed sense of purpose with his most personal song, God or the Gun.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Internationally Recognized Accessibility Leader, Jeff Wissel, to the show. Mr. Wissel will discuss career highlights, including being the first ever Chief Accessibility Officer for Disability:IN and spearheading the groundbreaking Procure Access Initiative, which drives systemic change by making accessibility non-negotiable in procurement practices. He is a trailblazing strategist and inclusion champion who partners with Fortune 500 companies to embed accessibility and disability inclusion into the DNA of their business strategies.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Sara Innamorato, County Executive for Allegheny County and Caylin Snyder, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for Allegheny County to the show. The guests will share the Administration's commitment to making sure the county meets the needs of its residents with disabilities.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology and Jill Zomp, Manager of Talent Acquisition with Bender Consulting Services, Inc., back to the show. ​ A wide range of employment opportunities available at Bender Consulting Services for qualified people with disabilities will be discussed. Opportunities range from early career to leadership roles in healthcare, engineering, artificial intelligence, IT, and skilled trades, among others.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.

Joyce welcomes Kent Chevalier, keynote speaker and author of Do It Afraid to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the countless motivational speeches he has provided to organizations and companies as well as his role as Chaplain for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights

• Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities.
• Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution.
• Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Recipient from the Viscardi Center.