Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes former Governor of Pennsylvania and Attorney General of the United States, Dick Thornburgh and his wife Ginny Thornburgh to the show. The Thornburghs will share their impressions of the impact of the Americans with Disabilities Act as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Gerald Buckley, National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) President and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Vice President and Dean. Dr. Buckley will discuss the commitment of both universities to serving the deaf community.

Joyce welcomes 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 charity work with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA.

Joyce welcomes David Holmberg president and CEO of Highmark Health, a national health and wellness enterprise based in Pittsburgh that serves an estimated 40 million people nationwide. Mr. Holmberg will discuss the Highmark, Inc. commitment to employing people with disabilities through its involvement in the Careers2B program in partnership with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Founded in conjunction with Bayer Corporation and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. the Careers2B program is designed to address the lack of experience barrier for people with disabilities and increase marketability of this talent to perspective employers.

Joyce welcomes Randy Dearth, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Calgon Carbon Corporation in Pittsburgh to the show. Calgon Carbon is a leader in water and air purification technology. Mr. Dearth will discuss Calgon Carbon's commitment to the Bender Leadership Academy in Pittsburgh. In 2001, Bender Consulting launched its first Bender Leadership Academy in partnership with CSC in Newark Delaware. The program welcomes high school juniors and seniors with disabilities from four high schools in the area to attend four classes, held quarterly throughout the school year and hosted by a sponsor company. Joyce Bender delivers training to prepare students with disabilities for the world of work. What began as a one-year initiative with four school districts in Delaware has expanded and been replicated to include school districts in the Pittsburgh area.

John Stollsteimer, Deputy State Treasurer of Pennsylvania since January 2017 is the featured guest with Joyce Bender on Disability Matters. He will be discussing the PA ABLE Community Event on Thursday September 28, 2017 from 4:30 PM to 8 PM at the Circuit Center Ballroom in Pittsburgh, PA. This free community event is designed to gain valuable information on the PA Treasury Department's PA ABLE program, a savings program for people with disabilities. A panel discussion with PA Treasurer Joe Torsella and local families who will share how they are using their PA ABLE savings accounts is planned. An Enrollment and Resource Fair is part of the event and will feature experts on PA ABLE who can answer questions and help encourage enroll as well as representatives from local organizations that provide a wide array of disability services. Find valuable information and discover if a PA ABLE savings account would be beneficial for community members with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Kaitlyn Lore, winner of the 2017 Sam Miller Award; Gerald Homme, chairman of the Bender Lead On Team: and Ginny Emerson, mother of the late, Sam Miller, to discuss the Bender Lead On Team. The Bender Lead On Team assists high school and college students in the areas of setting career goals and championing anti-bullying efforts. The team provides a forum for young people with disabilities to speak out about instances of bullying and to support others who may be involved in similar situations. Gerald will discuss the Bender Lead On Team, his duties as chair, and his personal experience with bullying. In 2012, under Gerald's leadership, the Bender Lead on Team established the Sam Miller Award, sponsored by Bender Consulting, to recognize a young leader who embodies the mission of the Bender Lead On Team. The award was named for Sam Miller, a dedicated member of the Bender Lead On Team, who died by suicide in 2011. Before death, Sam supported young people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Todd Bankofier, CEO of Audio Eye, Inc. Incorporated in 2005, 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.

Joyce welcomes Sarah Sell, director of Veteran Student Affairs at Wichita State University in Kansas. Ms Sell will discuss The Captain Riley Leroy Pitts Military and Veteran Student Center which exists to build and maintain a community of students with military experience and to provide comprehensive support for the unique needs of veterans, military members and military dependents in an environment of respect. All students with military experience, past or present, and military dependents are welcome to visit the Military and Veteran Student Center to ask questions, find resources or to just unwind between classes. The center features veteran staff members that are ready to answer questions and connect students with resources.

Joyce welcomes Shane Claiborne, a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of people committed to living as if Jesus meant the things he said. Shane is a champion for grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty. Mr. Claiborne will discuss his book, Executing Grace: How the Death Penalty Killed Jesus and Why It's Killing Us.