Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Rex Althoff, Chief Information Officer and President, Technology, Federated Services Company, a division of Federated Investors, Inc. He will discuss the importance of hiring people with disabilities and his past experience in this area and what he believes it means to be a leader in the IT community.

IDAR Dart, daughter of the late Disability Rights Leader, Justin Dart, will be discussing her father's life-long mission to ensure that people with disabilities obtain civil rights.

Joyce's honored guest will be Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) of the United States Senate. As we approach July 26th, the anniversary of the signing of the ADA, Senator Harkin will discuss his April 2011 speech to the United States Chamber of Commerce in which he discusses the current state of employment of people with disabilities, and his challenge to U.S. businesses to improve that employment outlook. He will also reflect on the impact that President Obama's signing of the executive order last year to increase the hiring of people with disabilities in the Federal government will have on the lives of people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Mark Perriello, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). The AAPD is the largest cross-disability organization for people with disabilities. Mr. Perriello, who has had a visual disability since childhood, has a proven track record of increasing organizational standing with decision makers through creative and high-impact grassroots and grass-tops programs across America. As a political strategist, he has overseen highly successful efforts to elect candidates to office at the federal, state and local level. He will discuss his plans to use this experience in his new role with AAPD to ultimately increase the membership and awareness of AAPD.

Joyce welcomes The Honorable Tony Coelho, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and immediate past chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to the show. Mr. Coelho will discuss his personal experience as a person living with epilepsy. In addition, he will reflect on the changes that have taken place in the lives of all people with disabilities since the ADA was signed in to law on July 26, 1990.

Joyce welcomes Commissioner Karen Tamley, from the Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) to the show. Ms. Tamley was named Commissioner of the MOPD by Richard M. Daley in March of 2005. MOPD promotes total access, full participation and equal opportunity people with all types of disabilities with the goal of making Chicago the most accessible city in the nation. Ms. Tamley will discuss her job duties in the position; as a person with a disability, she will also discuss her career-long commitment to furthering the rights and opportunities offered to people with disabilities in her community.

Joyce welcomes Marca Bristo, board president of United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD), to the show. Ms. Bristo will discuss the organization's mission, to catalyze and help focus the energy, expertise and resources of the US disability community and the US government to optimize their impact on improving the lives of and circumstances of people with disabilities worldwide. She will also discuss the organization's commitment to the disability community in Japan, as they recover from the recent earthquake; and her lifelong work as a leader in the disability rights movement.

Back by popular demand, we will be re-airing the May 31, 2011 Disability Matters with Joyce Bender show featuring 18 year-old Connor Doran, champion indoor kite flyer and person living with epilepsy. Connor will discuss how he became interested in kite flying, his recent notoriety as a contestant on America's Got Talent in 2010, and how he has used kite flying and subsequent publicity to increase awareness of epilepsy.

Joyce welcomes Peter Rousseau, to the show. Mr. Rousseau will discuss living with Asperger's Syndrome as a child and as an adult, including his techniques for dealing with childhood bullying. He will also share how he is using this experience to inspire other students with Asperger's and other disabilities to deal with bullying and focus on achieving their goals.

Joyce welcomes 18 year-old Connor Doran, champion indoor kite flyer and person living with epilepsy. Connor will discuss how he became interested in kite flying, his recent notoriety as a contestant on America's Got Talent in 2010, and how he has used kite flying and subsequent publicity to increase awareness of epilepsy.