Pennsylvania announced a new Advisory Commission on People with Disabilities in April, aiming to gather information regarding the experiences and needs of people with disabilities, assess support programs, and provide information about services for the disability community, families, and caregivers.

Sherri Landis, executive director of The Arc of Pennsylvania, spoke with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about the commission, how it can help with gaps in services or accessibility, and how others can become involved as advocates or supporters. She also spoke about The Arc's mission, which began with a group of parents who dreamed of more for their children.  

For more information on the Pennsylvania Advisory Commission on People with Disabilities, visit https://www.pa.gov/governor/administration/advisory-commissions.

For The Arc of PA, visit https://thearcpa.org.

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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What is the Blue Envelope Program? The New York State Sheriffs' Association has established a free public service program that provides blue envelopes for drivers with autism and neurodivergence, helping them in interactions with law enforcement.

Onondaga County Sheriff's Deputy Danielle Podejko spoke with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about the program and other tips for people with disabilities in police interactions. The envelopes include information for drivers about what to expect if they get pulled over or are in an emergency situation to help reduce anxiety and encourage preparedness. Telling a deputy or police officer that you have a "blue envelope" will also inform them about how to better respond to the driver and situation.

You can contact your local sheriff's office or other law enforcement agencies about getting a blue envelope, or request one from the NYS Sheriff's Association at https://nysheriffs.org/blue-envelope/.

Syracuse and Central New York residents can also contact Danielle Podejko in the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office Community Relations Unit at 315-435-3006 or email [email protected].

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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How should you plan for a vacation with a disability? What kind of accessibility resources and options are available for travel?

"Blindish Latina" and disability advocate Catarina Rivera talks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about her experiences growing up with hearing loss, trying to hide a progressive vision disability, accessibility tools for the deaf-blind such as a white cane and live captioning, and the importance of image descriptions for low vision audiences. She also shares some of her favorite places she's visited and meals she's enjoyed, plus provides insight on the four stages of her disability journey from denial to acceptance to self-advocacy to public advocacy.

For more information about Catarina's public speaking and consulting services, visit https://www.catarinarivera.com.

You can also watch Catarina's videos on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@CatarinaRivera/ 

And follow her on social media @blindishlatina: 

https://www.instagram.com/blindishlatina 

https://www.tiktok.com/@blindishlatina 

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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Video game developer Sam Glassenberg speaks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about his free mobile app, “Level One: A Diabetes Game,” which helps people with Type 1 diabetes better learn how to keep track of insulin therapy and blood sugar monitoring. He's previously worked on games for franchises like "Star Wars" and "Mission: Impossible" but wanted to help diabetics and parents of children with diabetes when he learned how challenging treatment is for new T1D's and their families.

"On Friday, your life is normal. And then on Saturday, you're responsible for injecting precisely calculated doses of a lethal drug, insulin, into your kid (or yourself if diagnosed) 20 times a day," Glassenberg said of when his daughter was hospitalized and first diagnosed. "And if you get it wrong, she falls into a coma."

Download "Level One: A Diabetes Game" for free through the Apple App Store or Google Play, or visit http://playlevelone.com.

For more info about diabetes and disability benefits, visit the American Diabetes Association at https://diabetes.org.

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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How can a military family find stability while constantly moving when they have a child with autism? Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Jaime B. Parent and his wife, educator and autism specialist, Elizabeth "Tracy" Parent, spoke with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower about their experiences raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, resources for military families with special needs, and tips for others when major changes can disrupt their school and home lives.

"Parents, the very first thing they need to do is let the child know as soon as possible that you're going to be moving," Tracy said. "Get a calendar ready, and have visual supports there to let them know how many days until you get to the new school."

Other tips include contacting the schools about an IEP, getting pictures of their child's new teachers, learning about available resources, and driving around the area to get them familiar with their new surroundings. "You really want to make sure the child feels comfortable and know what to expect. That's where their anxiety gets high," she added.

They also shared advice and experiences from their book, "The Mission at Home: Navigating Military Assignments, TRICARE, Education, Benefits, and Everyday Life with Your Child on the Autism Spectrum," available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Home-Navigating-Assignments-Education-ebook/dp/B0GHZV5SDC/ 

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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For more information and resources:

ACCES- VR (Vocational Rehabilitation) in New York https://www.acces.nysed.gov/vr 

Access CNY https://www.accesscny.org/ 

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) https://askjan.org/ 

Find job fairs and workshops through New York Department of Labor: https://dol.ny.gov/career-development 

Set up Google Alerts for job fairs and job openings: https://www.google.com/alerts 

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) https://www.ssa.gov/disability 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) https://www.ssa.gov/ssi 

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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For families with neurodivergence, resources and support are often easier to find for children than adults. On this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," two moms of adult children with autism spoke about the challenges they've faced, the "gray area" of adulthood, and efforts to help them become independent as they get older.

"It's a huge transition when you leave high school," said Jean Leiker of the Central New York chapter of the Autism Society of America. "It's challenging. I joke around and say 'I feel like a cruise director' sometimes because I try to find enriching, purposeful activities to fill his days. As much we struggle with challenges, often behavioral, when our kids are younger - I think it's even scarier when they get out in the real world."

"The biggest challenge for me right now is feeling secure and knowing that he is going to be able to be 100% independent without my help," added Sandy Cittadino of the CNYASA. "[There are] a lot of great services for children and younger. When they get a little older, it kind of changes... at this age and stage of my life that concerns me as to will he ever be able to be 100% able to be on his own? And if not, what do the services look like for somebody his age?"

For more about the Autism Society of America, visit https://autismsociety.org/ or connect with the CNY chapter at https://cnyasa.org/.

"Enable: The Disability Podcast" will be at the CNYASA's "One Step at a Time" Autism Acceptance Walk in Syracuse on April 25, 2026. Donate here: https://runsignup.com/Race/125765/Donate/Fg3WPXd7kepkzZ6C 

You can also watch our interview with Sandy's son, Joe Cittadino, on this episode of the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBtE6u9X4Gc 

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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What is a learning disability, and how does it look on the inside? On this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," writer, photographer and para educator Michelle Steiner talks about being diagnosed with dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects numerical processing, mathematics, and spatial awareness (like right vs. left). She also has issues with visual perception and limited hand dexterity, so things like driving and opening doors are especially difficult.

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How can families teach kids about disabilities, inclusion and acceptance? In this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," children's book author Ryan Revere Ritter shares the real-life inspirations for "Fredrick the One Legged Goose," including a young boy with cancer and an actual one-legged goose, and why he decided to include coloring pages in the back of the book.

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In this special Q&A episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower answer questions about their own different abilities, including hearing loss, ankylosing spondylitis and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). They may all be very different conditions, but you'd be surprised at the common threads, the different challenges that can come with each, and other things you might not know.

“Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more.

Geoff Herbert, who was born with a profound binaural hearing loss, is a reporter, SEO Lead and content supervisor for syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Despite being mostly deaf in both ears, he’s also worked as a DJ for 25 years, including in radio (as “DeafGeoff”) and as a wedding DJ in Upstate New York, and was inducted into the WJPZ Radio Hall of Fame. He learned how to communicate orally with hearing aids, lipreading and speech therapy, and embraces assistive technology like visual waveforms in music programs, closed captioning/subtitles, and video calls.

Kurt Hower, who has worked at Advance Local for over 35 years, is a leader both in the media industry and in the community. He has been actively involved in leading change as the print industry has continued to rapidly evolve, while also serving on a variety of boards including the Central PA Chapter Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors where he was Chairman of Board Development and a member of the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Hower has ankylosing spondylitis, a rare disease that causes arthritis of the spine, and encourages others to focus on what they can contribute to society rather than their challenges. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local.

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