Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Sarah Helm, Senior Manager, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Discover Financial Services to the show. Ms. Helm will be sharing Discover's commitment to a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Bender's HighTest Team to the show. Paula "PJ" Ballog, Jim Homme, and Gerald Homme will explain the mission of the team and their expertise in providing digital accessibility solutions. Guests will discuss the increasing importance of digital accessibility from compliance with regulations such as Section 508 and World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to impact from a consumer perspective. The team will also add perspective about digital accessibility as an emerging talent need within the information technology field and what this means for candidates with disabilities seeking careers in this field.

Joyce welcomes Kenya Loudd, a joint doctoral student at Yale University in the departments of History of Science and Medicine and African American Studies, to the show. During the show, she will discuss her research, which is centered around the nexus of race, disability, education, and institutionalization where she explores, on a large scale, the historical Black experience with disability. As we prepare to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the passage of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Kenya will also explain her involvement in the 1977 protest to pass the legislation and share her perspective of the strength of Section 504 today.

Joyce welcomes Jill Houghton, President, and CEO of Disability:IN to the show. Disability:IN is the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. It's network of over 400 corporations expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. Also, it's central office and 25 affiliates serve as the collective voice to effect change for people with disabilities in business. Among the topics Ms. Houghton will discuss, are the plans for the 2022 Disability:IN Conference, July 18-21, 2022, in Dallas, TX.

Joyce welcomes Peri Jude Radecic, CEO of Disability Rights Pennsylvania. Disability Rights Pennsylvania is an independent, nonprofit corporation authorized by the U.S. Congress and designated by the Governor of Pennsylvania as the Protection and Advocacy System in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Their mission is to advance, protect, and advocate for the human, civil, and legal rights of Pennsylvanians with disabilities. Ms. Radecic will discuss Disability Rights PA and civil rights for people with disabilities in the state of PA.

Joyce welcomes Philip DeVliegher, Cami Turcotte, and Kathleen Castore to the show. They are members of the Disability-Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE) Team at Disability:IN, the leading non-profit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide. Disability:IN represents a network of over 400 corporations and expands opportunities for people with disabilities across enterprises. Their central office and 25 affiliates serve as the collective voice to effect change for people with disabilities in business. The guests will share the mission of Disability:IN, the process for a business to become DOBE certified, and the advantages of having that certification associated with a business' name. Also discussed, will be the value to businesses to attend the Disability:IN Conference scheduled for July 18-July 21, 2022, in Dallas Texas.

Joyce welcomes Helena Berger, Chair of the FDR Legacy Committee's Board of Directors and its Executive Director, Mary E. Dolan to the show. The FDR Memorial Legacy Committee serves to preserve the memory of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's catalytic involvement in issues of equality and freedom – especially for people with disabilities. The guests will be sharing plans for the 25th Anniversary Celebration of the FDR Memorial this May in Washington, DC.

Joyce is honored to have as her guest, Andy Imparato, Executive Director, of Disability Rights California (DRC). DRC is the federally funded legal services agency that serves Californians with all disabilities across the age spectrum. Among the topics Mr. Imparato will discuss during the show, are the services offered by this agency, and how he has improved the outreach of those services since becoming Executive Director in February 2020.

Joyce is honored to have as her guest, Steve Irwin, lifelong public servant, and current democratic candidate for US Congress for PA. He will discuss his commitment to people with disabilities and employment at the state level.

Joyce welcomes Jonathan Lovitz to the show to discuss his role as a politician and national leader in the LGBTQ+ and Disability Communities, as well as the intersectionality between these two groups. He will discuss his work as a small business and public policy advocate and as a special advisor for the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, as well as the key issues he is talking about in his campaign for the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.