Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Derek Shields, president, ForwardWorks Consulting, LLC. and director, National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC). ForwardWorks has proven leadership and technical experience in disability inclusion, veterans integration, and youth in transition services, and successfully managed training, information technology research, branding, media and mentoring projects. Lets move forward together. NDMC aims to raise awareness about the importance and impact of mentoring in the lives of people with disabilities and to increase the number and quality of disability mentoring programs around the country. Mr. Shields will further explain the missions of these organizations.

Joyce welcomes Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D., managing director of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and Sam Evans IAAPs certification manager to the show. IAAP is a not for profit membership based organization for individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies. The objective of this association is to help accessibility professionals develop and advance their careers and to help organizations integrate accessibility into their products and infrastructure. IAAP provides a place for accessibility professionals around the world to gather, share experiences and enrich their knowledge of accessibility. Guests will discuss the mission of this organization.

Joyce welcomes Jonathan Duvall, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Pittsburgh's Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology focusing on assistive technology for people with disabilities at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. For his master's thesis developed a sidewalk roughness standard for the United States Access Board to add guidelines for accessibility so that wheelchair users are not subjected to harmful levels of vibrations. For his doctoral dissertation focused on the design and evaluation for a bed scale for wheelchair users to be able to weigh themselves at home.

Joyce welcomes Gary Dick, chief information officer of Highmark Health Solutions to the show. Mr. Dick will discuss his career, background and the value that the Careers2B program has brought to Highmark Health Solutions workforce. The Careers2B initiative is a program designed to increase the professional level experience and marketability of early career professionals with disabilities with hands-on workplace experience over a 12-month period.

Joyce welcomes Clarence A. Johnson, director, Diversity Management Operations Center, Defense Human Resources Activity, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness. This great leader in the disability community will share his accomplishments and discuss his current role and responsibilities in detail with the Department of Defense. There he directs the DoDs diversity and inclusion efforts around workforce recruitment efforts of college students and members of the community with disabilities looking for employment.

Joyce welcomes returning guest, Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living to the show. NCIL is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. NCIL represents thousands of organizations and individuals including: Centers for Independent Living, Statewide Independent Living Councils, individuals with disabilities, and other organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people with disabilities throughout the United States. Discussed on the show will be the American Association of People with Disabilities REV UP Campaign, which aims to increase the political participation of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues.

Joyce welcomes Maria Town, the new president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Ms. Town will discuss her diverse background before obtaining this new position and will share her vision for the organization.

Joyce welcomes Holly O'Donnell CEO and Jennifer Mathis, deputy legal director of Policy and Legal Advocacy for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and Eve Hill, a leading disability and civil rights attorney with Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP. Discussed on the show will be the mission and various programs of the Bazelon Center for America in Washington, DC. Also discussed with be how the Bazelon Center and its partners reached a groundbreaking settlement agreement with the State of Ohio in a special education class-action lawsuit.

Joyce welcomes disability rights leader, Helena Berger and president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to the show. Ms. Berger will share her feelings about having Ted Kennedy, Jr. as chair of the AAPD, as well as discuss many of the programs and services provided by AAPD, including planning for the ADA's 30th anniversary.

Joyce welcomes PA State Representative Dan Miller, Allegheny County's 42nd District to the show. Representative Miller will discuss his duties as chair of the Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation. He will also discuss his recent appointment to co-chair the National Task Force on the Future of the Workforce. The initiative is designed to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The task force is bipartisan, bicameral collection of legislators, agency heads, and advocates from across our country. It has been put together as a collaboration of the US Department of Labor, the Council of State Governments, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. He will also discuss his work as co-chair of the Sub-Committee on Special Education, and the Autism and Intellectual Disabilities Caucus.