KPFA - Pushing Limits

By KPFANews Politics

KPFA - Pushing Limits episodes

October 16 California’s Disability Report Card – Pushing Limits – October 16, 2026
How well is California serving its residents with disabilities? According to a new report, the state has a long way to go.
The California Disability Leadership Alliance, a coalition of leading disability organizations, has released its second comprehensive report examining how California measures up in advancing equity for people with disabilities. The findings are troubling: California ranks 47th out of all 50 states as a place to live for people with disabilities.
On this episode of Pushing Limits, we speak with Eric Harris, Associate Executive Director of External Affairs at Disability Rights California, to highlight some of the report’s key findings. Covering 14 areas that affect everyday life, including education, the report offers a closer look at where California is falling short, as well as what needs to change to create a more equitable future for people with disabilities.
This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte.
The post California’s Disability Report Card – Pushing Limits – October 16, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
October 02 Pushing Limits – October 2, 2026
A half-hour radio show providing critical coverage of disability issues and bringing the insight of the grassroots disability movement to the general public.
The post Pushing Limits – October 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
September 18 The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind — Part 2! – Pushing Limits – September 18, 2026
This Friday on Pushing Limits, we’re continuing our journey through The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind — Part 2!
Denny Daughters talks with Mike Tanner about the technology that helped transform everyday life for blind people from the 1990s into the early 2000s. They’ll talk about computers, screen readers, MS-DOS, Windows 95, scanning software, and some more gadgets that made information more accessible — including talking calculators and talking dictionaries.
Before smartphones and AI, there was technology that talked, scanned, and opened up a whole new world of independence. Hear how it all started, this Friday on Pushing Limits!
This program is produced, edited, and hosted by Denny Daughters.
The post The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind — Part 2! – Pushing Limits – September 18, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
September 11 Living with Diabetes – Pushing Limits – September 11, 2026

In the U.S. over 38 million individuals live with diabetes and, in California, more than 10% the adult population live with the disease. On the 27th of this month, the Tour de Cure bike race fundraiser takes off from Palo Alto. It’s 670 people and 63 teams of bicyclists. It’s speed, glamour, endurance and many contestants with diabetes.
But, what happens when the excitement is over and everyone goes home?
The contestants with diabetes, and those among our friends and families, pedal through a different kind of race in their daily lives – a race with some of the same qualities – and many different ones.
Tune in for a candid conversation with Brooks Benson, who lives with diabetes and has both ridden and volunteered at the Tour de Cure. The Tour de Cure is a fundraiser for the American Diabetes Association of Northern California.
This program is hosted by Josh Elwood, produced by Adrienne Lauby, and edited by Dominick Trevethan and Denny Daughters. Support from Britney Fanelli of the American Diabetes Association and Rod Akil from KPFA.

ANNOUNCEMENT
Next Tuesday afternoon, two Alameda County independent living centers are inviting you to come talk about what is going on for you in housing, transportation and emergency preparedness. It’s a town hall on Tuesday, September 15, from 4-6 pm at the Ed Roberts Campus which is at 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA, That’s Tues, Sept 15 from 4-6 pm at the Ed Roberts Campus. Both the Berkeley Center for Independent Living and Community Resources for Independent Living or CRIL will be there
For a full program transcription, click here
The post Living with Diabetes – Pushing Limits – September 11, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
September 04 Dancing Beyond Limits – Pushing Limits – September 4, 2026
A wheelchair isn’t just a way to get around. To a dancer, it’s also a tool for creating art, movement, and beauty.
As AXIS Dance approaches its 40th year of dance performance, the venerable East Bay dance organization will be featured in the Sept. 4 edition of Pushing Limits. For four decades, AXIS has delighted national audiences by showing how chairs on wheels can be every bit as graceful, expressive, and creative as any non-disabled human body.
Executive Director Holly Million and Artistic Director Nadia Adame speak with producer and host Eddie Ytuarte about why this organization continues to grow during a time of uncertainty for nonprofit arts presenters.
This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte.
For a full program transcription, click here
The post Dancing Beyond Limits – Pushing Limits – September 4, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
August 28 Disability, Immigration and Detention – Pushing Limits – August 28, 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently has 65,765 people locked in their detention warehouses. We wondered how many were disabled and what the conditions are for them. We wanted to find out what is being done to keep people out of detention centers in the first place.
We went looking.
A team of disability advocates visited ICE detention centers throughout California to advocate for better conditions, the abolition of solitary confinement and more. Richard Diaz from Disability Rights California (DRC), who led the team, explains what they found. They’ve released reports documenting the condition of those with disabilities in the facilities.
In L.A. a disability peer group helps its members with the immigration process, obtaining assistive technology, and hosts support groups. We talk with Jose Luis-Jimenez, who’s in a leadership role with Immigrants with Disabilities. Jose also organized an international goalball tournament in Southern California as the Trump administration made it harder for foreigners from certain parts of the world to visit the U.S.
This episode of Pushing Limits is produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton, hosted by Bonnie Elliott, and edited by Denny Daughters.
If you would like DRC assistance with a loved one in an ICE detention center, contact Richard Diaz at (213) 213-8000
For a full program transcription, click here
The post Disability, Immigration and Detention – Pushing Limits – August 28, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
August 21 Disability In MAGA Land – August 21, 2026
We call our news highlight program Disability in MAGA Land. That’s because, frankly, the news for people with disabilities these days is almost completely related to bad decisions by the right-wing Trump Administration.
But sometimes… Sometimes, we see the world differently than many other lefty KPFA listeners and programmers. In this program for instance, we join Canadian conservatives to raise an alarm about a plan to enlarge those who are eligible for Physician Assisted Suicide. And, in another item, we see how disability rights can intersect with abortion rights in a peculiar way.
Listen to these and other news highlights from the Disability Community. Tell us what you think at [email protected]
Produced by Eddie Ytuarte. Hosted by Eddie Ytuarte and Adrienne Lauby.
For a full transcript of this program, click here.

Sources and Other Information about today’s stories:
Disability Justice and Palestine
https://uptonrebecca.substack.com/p/disability-justice-and-palestine
Rebecca Upton recommends the following organizations to support and/or follow:
HEAL Palestine
The Atfaluna Society for Deaf Children
Disability Divest
Disability Justice for Palestine Collective
Article Footnotes:
Beutels, F., & Verhoeven, M. (2025). Contextualizing disability: Settler-colonial power and the production of impairment in Palestine. DiGeSt – Journal of Diversity and Gender Studies, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.21825/digest.95437
Goodarzi, H., Badri, T., & Javadzadeh, H. R. (2023). War, forced displacement, and lack of healthcare in the Gaza Strip. Trauma Monthly, 28(5), 945-946. doi.org/10.30491/tm.2023.427311.1665
Hamamra, B., Mahamid, F., & Mayaleh, A. (2025). Childhood under siege: Battling malnutrition, disease, and despair during genocide in Gaza. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 44(1), 321. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-025-00321-y
Sen, S., & Asi, Y. (2024). Coming to terms: Gaza and disability. Disability & Society. Advance online publication. doi.org/10.1002/nad.12187

Surrogate mother gives birth over “parents objection”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/12/surrogate-mother-texas-gives-birth
https://abc13.com/story/mckenna-west-surrogates-fight-parental-rights-dallas-could-discourage-surrogacy-use-texas-lawyers-say/19702274/

Canada May Allow Mentally Disabled People Medical Assistance To Die
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/maid-mental-illness-canada-9.7240830
https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/maid-mental-disorder-committee-report-government-9.7238589

California Strengthens Hate Crime Protection
https://thearcca.org/news-room/press-releases/

Trump Withholds Billions from California
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VKs61x5FxE
https://healthlaw.org/news/californias-final-2026-2027-budget-delays-the-worst-medi-cal-cuts-but-still-harms-millions-of-californians/
Cat Training Helps Kids With Disabilities – and Their Cats
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/16/14/2133
The post Disability In MAGA Land – August 21, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
August 14 SMA Voices, Disability Rights – Pushing Limits – August 14, 2026
The current state of disability rights wouldn’t be what it is without the rich history and the strong individuals who pushed the movement forward. But what about the future? Who is propelling us into the next era of disability rights?
On this week’s program, Dominick Trevethan attempts to answer that question by interviewing two of his peers. His guests, Ryan Manriquez and Sarah Bellish, both live with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, or SMA, and they want more from our current systems. Listen in as they discuss the changes they hope to see in the coming years and outline how to fight for the future we want.
Ryan Manriquez is a disability justice advocate, a graduate of UC Davis and UC Berkeley, and, as he puts it, a “transit nerd.” Working in the Bay Area, he hopes to use his lived experience as a person with a disability to push for more accessible housing, public transportation, and government-funded medical research.
Sarah Bellish is the Senior Manager of Advocacy at Cure SMA, where she works in public policy to help push vital disability legislation through the doors of Congress. Issues important to her include increasing the current SSI Asset Limit, making it safer for those with disabilities to fly, and improving the current state of accessible public transportation.
We’ve come this far. So, where do we go next? Find out on Pushing Limits!
This program was hosted and produced by Dominick Trevethan. Editing by Dominick Trevethan and Denny Daughters.
For a full program transcription, click here
Relevant Resources:
Cure SMA
Cure SMA Advocacy
How to become a Cure SMA Advocate
The post SMA Voices, Disability Rights – Pushing Limits – August 14, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
August 07 Disability in Song: Revisiting Sing Out! – Pushing Limits – August 7, 2026
In 1981, longtime disability activist Jean Stewart guest edited a special issue of the legendary folk music magazine Sing Out!, featuring folk musicians and songwriters whose work explored disability themes. Though Sing Out! is no longer in publication, Jean remains a cherished friend of Pushing Limits and continues her advocacy from her home in El Sobrante.
This week, Pushing Limits revisits that landmark 1981 issue by spotlighting two prominent musicians it featured: Doc Watson and Django Reinhardt. Both were extraordinary guitarists who lived with distinct disabilities, came from different continents, and mastered different musical genres.
Enjoy part of your Friday afternoon with Pushing Limits, produced and hosted by Eddie Ytuarte.
For a full program transcription, click here
The post Disability in Song: Revisiting Sing Out! – Pushing Limits – August 7, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
30 min
July 31 The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind (Part 1) – Pushing Limits – July 31, 2026
What did it take for blind people to gain access to computers before modern day screen readers and smartphones? Join Denny Daughters as he talks with Mike Tanner, a blind educator who teaches blind and visually impaired students in Southern California, about the evolution of adaptive technology for the blind.
From the first scanning and reading machines of the 1970s to groundbreaking devices like the Apple IIe, VersaBraille, and early PCs, they explore the innovations that opened the door to education, employment, and independence.
This first installment traces the history of adaptive technology from the early 1970s through about 1990. It’s the beginning of a series exploring the evolution of technology that has transformed life for blind people.
This program is hosted, produced, and edited by Denny Daughters.
For a full program transcription, click here
The post The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind (Part 1) – Pushing Limits – July 31, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.
34 min

About KPFA - Pushing Limits

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A half-hour radio show providing critical coverage of disability issues and bringing insight into the grassroots disability movement to the general public. By and About People with Disabilities!