Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes recording artist and disability rights advocate, Lachi to the show. Lachi will share her story about growing up as a person who is blind. She will share what inspired her to enter the music entertainment industry and what gave her the confidence to do so. Additionally, Lachi will share her work with the Grammy's and offer advice to people with disabilities on how to overcome being ashamed of a disability and instead embrace it and pursue their dreams.

As October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, Joyce is kicking off the month by welcoming a very successful business leader and real advocate for employing people with disabilities, John Walsh, to the show. He has hired people with disabilities from Bender Consulting Services, Inc. for years. During the show, he will explain why he feels that it is important to hire people with disabilities and to have that commitment from the top down in an organization. Additionally, he will discuss his work on the Board of Directors for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Bender Leadership Academy.

Joyce welcomes Christine Griffin, Principal Consultant and Sr. Search Consultant, and Sherry Lapaglia, Director of Talent Programs and Product Innovation, for Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to the show. The guests will highlight Bender's disability inclusion assessment and strategic planning services available to corporations seeking to be inclusive of people with disabilities. Bender's disability inclusion assessments and strategic planning explore processes and policies to identify barriers and areas of compliance concern, while building a brand of inclusion.

Joyce welcomes Ellen Duffield, President and CEO of Highmark Wholecare, to the show. Highmark Wholecare is a health insurance provider caring for the whole person - physically, mentally, and financially. It is committed to connecting its members with the right resources to meet health needs. Ms. Duffield will share with the listeners her story of how she reached President and CEO of Highmark Wholecare, and the personal reason she supports the commitment that Highmark Wholecare places on hiring people with disabilities in its workforce.

Joyce welcomes Laina Fusarelli, Advisor, Decision & Risk Analyst, Nova Chemicals, and Jenny Homme, a Lead Business Process Engineer at enGen, a technology subsidiary of Highmark Health and Chair of the Abilities Business Resource Group to Disability Matters, along with Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships, with the Bender Leadership Academy. As we approach October, Disability Employment Awareness Month, and the celebration of Disability Mentoring Day (DMD), on Wednesday, October 19, 2022, the guests will discuss their company's role in the Bender Student Leaders Program, as all three guests represent host sites for the program. Additionally, the guests will share how their prospective organizations locally support the Bender Leadership Academy and the DMD initiative, which gives students with disabilities the opportunity to job shadow around the country annually.?They will review plans for this year's kick-off reception, Monday, October 17, 2022, at Pittsburgh's Heinz History Center and the unique partnership that Bender Leadership Academy has established with Pittsburgh's CLO.

Joyce welcomes Gary Dick, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at enGen, and Gerald Homme, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology, at Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to the show. They will be discussing The Careers 2B™ Program. The Careers2B™ Program was established in 2007 and serves as a national workforce development model to address the lack of professional work experience barrier to competitive employment for people with disabilities and improve employment outcomes for talented professionals with disabilities. Careers2B™ provides paid work experience at sponsor companies to candidates with disabilities, after which participants are eligible to be hired as a direct associate at the sponsor company or to promote their skills in the open marketplace. Careers2B™ participants add value, meeting critical business needs in early-career roles designated for Careers2B™ reserved positions.

Joyce welcomes Mark Fleischer, Executive Producer for the Civic Light Opera (CLO) of Pittsburgh to the show. Mark will share his passion for the theater and an update on what has been happening at the CLO. Mark will also discuss the exciting new partnership between the CLO and Bender Leadership Academy to support young people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Mick Malec, CEO of enGen and Enterprise Technology and Operations Officer for Highmark Health, back to the show. enGen's dynamic ecosystem of smart automation and technology supports streamlines complex operations for health plans and their provider partners. Founded in 2014 as HM Health Solutions (HMHS), enGen is a wholly owned subsidiary of Highmark Health. enGen has more than 3,500 employees and works with health care plans serving more than 10 million members nationwide. Mr. Malec will discuss enGen's continued commitment to hire people with disabilities as part of a diverse workforce.

Leanne Thomas, Chief of Staff and Account Director at Bender Consulting Services, and Gerald Homme, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology, join Joyce Bender this week on Disability Matters to discuss the necessary reasons to hire people with disabilities as a business investment right now. Changes in the business and government world today demonstrates the monetary gains and investment opportunities for corporations and their ESG.

Joyce welcomes The Honorable Tony Coelho, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), to the show. Tony discusses his experiences living with epilepsy and work to pass the ADA and the ADA Amendments Act throughout his career in the U.S. House of Representatives and as an on-going advocate for the disability community. He shares his pride in the achievement of getting both passed and his continued passion for helping people with disabilities live productive lives.