Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Jim Fruchterman a leading social entrepreneur, MacArthur Fellow and CEO of Benetech, a nonprofit technology company based in Silicon Valley, which creates e-books and other technology innovations for people with disabilities. He will explain the mission of this organization in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Sherry Lapaglia, Manager Talent Programs, Gerald Homme, Recruitment Specialist, and Scott Hammerstrom, Team Lead, Talent Programs with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Discussed on the show will be employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes back to the show, Jimmy Krenn, Pittsburgh comedian and former morning-drive radio host for WDVE FM and Q-92 FM. Jimmy will discuss his extensive career in stand-up comedy and radio broadcasting and his latest charity work with the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA.

Joyce welcomes Diane Coleman, president of Not Dead Yet, a national, grassroots disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia as deadly forms of discrimination against old, ill and disabled people. Not Dead Yet helps organize and articulate opposition to these practices based on secular social justice arguments. Not Dead Yet demands the equal protection of the law for the targets of so called "mercy killing" whose lives are perceived as worthless. Ms. Coleman will explain the mission of the organization in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN, formerly known as the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN). Disability:IN embraces the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor force and marketplace; assists in career preparation for, and employment of, people with disabilities; improves customer experiences for people with disabilities; and promotes the certification and growth of disability-owned business enterprises. Ms. Houghton will discuss the reason for the name change and the mission of the organization in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Todd Bankofier, CEO of Audio Eye, Inc. AudioEye provides enhanced web access and usability for its customers. AudioEye's custom and proprietary digital accessibility platform testing suite automatically detects Section 508 and web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 success criteria violations and details best practices to remediate issues. Mr. Bankofier will discuss how Audio Eye is helping companies improve digital accessibility including its work making Bender Consulting Services' iDisabilityTM Enterprise-Wide eLearning Solution (iDisability™) product digitally accessible.

Joyce welcomes Tari Hartman Squire, founding CEO of EIN SOF Communications, Inc, JD Michaels, executive vice president, director creative engineering/director of Diversity at BBDO Advertising Agency and Alec Frazier, director of Autistic Reality. They will discuss the Lights! Camera! Access! 2.0 Collaborative to increase media employment of people with disabilities, improve portrayals across media delivery platforms and advocate for captions and audio descriptions. Jd and Alec met at LCA2.0 at The White House in 2016 and have been working on exciting projects ever since, including Alec's new book Veni, Vidi, Autism.

Joyce welcomes Vickie D'Avanzo, the owner of Stellar Support Services to the show. Founded on March 27, 2017, Stellar Support Service offers "habitation aid" services to individuals that are Deaf/Hard-of Hearing (HOH) with an intellectual disability. A "habitation aide provides face to face support either one-on-one or in small groups, in the home or the community. They assist in learning, maintaining and improving person care, home care, and adaptive skills. They focus on the areas of communication, socialization, mobility, fine and gross motor, relationship development and using community resources. Ms. D'Avanzo will discuss the company's mission in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Jeniece Davis, attorney and board chair, of Disability Rights Pennsylvania (DRP). Also, on the show will be Peri Jude Radecic, chief executive officer of DRP. The organization protects and advocates for rights of people with disabilities so that they may live the lives they choose, free from abuse, neglect, discrimination, and segregation. Both guests will discuss the mission of this organization in-depth.

Joyce welcomes The Honorable Tony Coelho, former democratic congressman from California and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the show. As we get ready to celebrate the 28rd anniversary of the signing of the ADA into law, on July 26, 1990, Mr. Coelho will discuss the progress we have made since the ADA was passed, but he will also discuss the dangers facing the ADA if HR 620 ADA Education and Reform Act of 2017 passes the U.S. Senate, and what we can do to prevent its passage.