Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes to the show Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships for Bender Leadership Academy. Joining Scott on the show will be Leanne Thomas, Account Manager, Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Chief-of-Staff for Joyce Bender, CEO. Each guest will talk about the mission of the Bender Leadership Academy and the Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative. This program was started to honor the life and work of the late President of Bender Consulting Services, Inc., Mary Brougher.

Joyce welcomes back to the show, Maria Town, President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); Holly O'Donnell, President & CEO, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; and Peri Jude Radecic, CEO, Disability Rights Pennsylvania. It's the annual year-end show with these national disability rights and Pennsylvania state leaders to reflect on accomplishments of the past year, issues that have not been accomplished, and goals for 2022.

Joyce welcomes Keisha Lalama, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO) Education Director, Associate Professor of dance at Point Park University, and choreographer to the show, Christine Kobus, board member of the CLO also joins the show. Joyce will be discussing a future partnership opportunity planned with the CLO. Both guests will be discussing the mission of the New Horizon's Program. For 25 years, the CLO New Horizons program has been teaching performing arts to people with disabilities. Among the topics discussed will be what the theater experience does to help improve the self-esteem of people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes to the show Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships for Bender Leadership Academy. Joining Scott on the show will be Asher Jordan, graduate and winner of the Academy's 2021 Sam Miller Award and Zoe Whitman, graduate, and winner of the Academy's 2021 Linda Dickerson Scholarship Award. This non-profit organization has been serving students with disabilities since 2018. It accomplishes the mission of competency-based workforce development through a continuum of learning. Its goal is to increase long-term competitive employment for youth with disabilities. The Bender Leadership Academy delivers competency building programs that enable students with disabilities to engage in educational, empowerment and work opportunities, celebrate successes, and set and achieve career journey goals. Each guest will talk about what it means to them to have received this recognition and how they plan to be disability leaders in the future.

Joyce welcomes Pastors, Scott Stevens and David D'Angelo of North Way Christian Community Church in Wexford, PA to the show. Both members of the clergy for this congregation of faith will discuss the programs and services offered at this church during the holidays and year-round as well. In addition, they will discuss the mission of this non-denominational church.

Joyce welcomes Audrey Russo, President and CEO of the Pittsburgh Technology Council to the show. Ms. Russo will be honored as the Epilepsy Association of Central and Western PA (EACWPA) 2022 Mardi Gras King on Fat Tuesday, March 1, 2022, the organization's annual fundraising gala. When it became clear that a gala would not be possible in 2021, Audrey Russo, really stepped up! She and Joyce Bender, EAWCP Board Chair, personally reached out to the Pittsburgh corporate community to urge them to support the 2022 Mardi Gras Campaign, ensuring that the EAWCP would have the funding it needs to support important programs and services. Pittsburgh came through even though there was no party, Joyce and Ms. Russo will discuss this in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Charlie LaVallee, CEO of Variety the Children's Charity to the show. Variety the Children's Charity is a non-profit organization that strives to enable children with disabilities to live life to the fullest with a focus on mobility, communication, and social interaction throughout 71 counties in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. They will discuss the programs and services of this non-profit organization, and the importance of giving to this cause during the holiday season.

Joyce welcomes the Honorable Tony Coelho, author, and principal sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Tinamarie Duff, Global Lead, with the Disability Focused Employee Resource Group at Bristol-Myers Squibb to the show. To see the employment of people with disabilities increase, we need the business community and disability community to work together. Hear both distinguished guests discuss this issue in-depth.

As November is National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Joyce welcomes two members of the board of Epilepsy Alliance America, Allison DeBattista, founding member and serves as board member of the Epilepsy Alliance Louisiana Also Liza Gundell, Chief Executive Officer of Epilepsy Services of New Jersey. Epilepsy Alliance America is a nation-wide network of community-based epilepsy organizations who are dedicated to confronting the spectrum of challenges created by seizures through the promotion of independence and quality of life for people with epilepsy and their families. Among the topics discussed will be how the pandemic changed the advocacy landscape and what we learned from moving forward. With more people being comfortable with online platforms to communicate, it makes it easier for people living with epilepsy and disabilities to participate in meetings and have a voice in policymaking. Also discuss how Epilepsy Alliance America is committed to advocating for broader access to care, including telehealth in rural communities across the country.

Joyce welcomes Deborah Rice-Johnson, President, and Chief Growth Officer for Highmark, Inc. to the show. Ms. Rice-Johnson will share her story of success and how she started her career at Highmark and rose the President of Highmark, Inc. from entry-level positions such as, claims processing and customer service. Among other topics discussed will be her role within the organization today, how much the organization has grown over the years and the locations in which, Highmark operates. Also discussed will be her commitment to having a diverse workforce including people with disabilities and why it is important to her and the organization alike. We will get her impressions of the Bender Leadership Academy program and this year's Disability Mentoring Day Activities at Highmark. Finally, she will discuss how Highmark and the insurance industry in general, has dealt with the pandemic and how she feels Covid-19 has changed the workforce for the future.