KPFA - Pushing Limits

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 show alternates weekly and airs on even weeks Friday 2:30pm.

The post Pushing Limits – August 18, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Peers and Mental Health Recovery with Sean Kelson

Our guest, Sean Kelson, has faced mental health challenges since he was a child.  He’s also spent over a decade at the Interlink Self-Help center in Santa Rosa, California, helping other people make peace with the mental and emotional disabilities.  Now, he’s talking to the movers and shakers in Sonoma County’s wine county about the need to invite sobriety into our community culture.

We talk to Sean about his personal journey and what he’s learned about using peer support to deal with severe mental health issues.  Is it possible to have a meaningful, connected life while living with an emotional disabilities?  Sean not only answers with a powerful, “Yes;”  he tells us how we can get there too.

A superhero in his own life, Sean has tools in his tool belt that would benefit Batman.  And, when someone tells him, “Don’t worry; That’s normal.”  He replies, “Hey, Dude, Set your sights a little higher!”

Interlink Self-Help Center

Interlink is a project of West County Community Services, which also administers three other mental health peer support centers in Sonoma County.

Sean Kelson told us that longitudinal studies show that many people who live with mental disabilities recover, apparently without any relationship to the kinds of help and/or medication they receive.  One source of that information is the book Rethinking Madness.  See chart on  The link to the book is here: https://rethinkingmadness.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Rethinking_Madness_completeBook.pdf 

15+ Year Longitudinal Schizophrenia Recovery Studies: This is a chart from Rethinking Madness – page 40 of the book (page 65 of the pdf) – which lists twelve 15-27 year studies that showed many people improve in their mental health. The largest study looked at 502 people over 22.4 years.  It found that 65% recovered or improved ~ and 22% fully recovered.

After the program aired, Mr. Kelson refined his statement to say, “in regards to the studies I mentioned: Data from these studies showed that between 36 and 84% improved or recovered and between 5 and 54% fully recovered.”

Sean Kelson also talked highly of Smart Recovery, which offers free meetings and tools to help build a meaningful, connected life at SmartRecovery.org.

This program produced and hosted by Adrienne Lauby.

The post Mental Health w/ Sean Kelson – Pushing Limits – August 11, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

Disability and the media – the good bad, and the cringe.

We air excerpts from a conversation about how Hollywood presents people with disabilities hosted by Santa Barbara’s Independent Living Resource Center Rapid Response Committee.   Then we talk to New York-based comic, Mike Cotayo and Florida-based actress singer-songwriter Danielle Hollobaugh about their experiences as disabled people in the industry.

The horrors of inspiration porn.   Programs that do a decent job portraying people with disabilities.

Should non-disabled actors play a character with a disability?  Our panel was divided.  What’s your opinion?

The post Disability and Media – Pushing Limits – August 4, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

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 show alternates weekly and airs on even weeks Friday 2:30pm.

The post Special Fund Drive Programming – Pushing Limits – July 28, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

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 show alternates weekly and airs on even weeks Friday 2:30pm.

The post Pushing Limits – July 21, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

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 show alternates weekly and airs on even weeks Friday 2:30pm.

The post Pushing Limits – July 14, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

COVID- 19. What is it like for people living with disabilities – past and present? Is Long Covid part of your daily life? Is mass transit safe for disabled people?  Who feels safe on an airplane with all mask mandates lifted?

Discussion of these issues and more.

We invite people with disabilities to call with your experiences, thoughts and concerns:

510-848-4425

And check out this great resource and power-building group organizing around Long Covid, Long Covid Justice.

Hosted by Shelley Berman and Adrienne Lauby

The post Covid Call In – Pushing Limits – July 7, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

We air an episode of the podcast, Proud Stutter, with Maya Chupkov and Cynthia Chin.  Their guest is the wonderful, thoughtful, interesting Bailey Levis.

Read more about it on their website here.

The post Proud Stutter – Pushing Limits – June 30, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

A week from today, Governor Newsom is expected to sign the 2023-2024 California state budget.  In this program, we look at the deals that were struck and their impact on people with disabilities.

Then we widen our camera to talk about our yearly budget advocacy and how our community can become more powerful in this and other policy arenas.

Eric Harris, the director of Public Policy at Disability Rights California, breaks down how the state has chosen to invest its money for the next fiscal year.

Ligia Andrade Zúñiga, a member of the State Independent Living Council and trustee of the San Mateo Union High School District, discusses the budget’s problems as well as the stress of constantly advocating for services affecting people with disabilities – in particular women of color.

Zúñiga and Harris also bring us valuable tips on how to advocate effectively with policymakers on issues of importance to those with disabilities.  (Scroll down for more information about these two amazing humans.)

It’s all coming to your ears on Pushing Limits.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Disability Housing FAQ workshop

What’s the difference between a reasonable accommodation and reasonable modification?

I’ve experienced discrimination; what are my options? 

Will having an emotional support animal affect my housing? 

I need physical changes in my unit because of my disability. Do I have to pay for these modifications? 

Discover the answers to these questions and more at our upcoming Disability Housing FAQ Workshop on June 29th, from 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. PST, presented by Disability Rights California, The Center for Independent Living, ECHO Fair Housing, and Bay Area Legal Aid.

Disability Rights California has gathered some of their most frequently asked questions, submitted to their Housing Helpdesk from disabled people all across the state of California, and these questions will provide the framework for an engaging workshop on all things fair housing, disability, accessibility, and accommodations!

Our Disability Housing FAQ Workshop will be a hybrid event, with options to join in-person at the Ed Roberts Campus at 3075 Adeline Street in Berkeley, California, or virtually via Zoom. To register to attend virtually click here, or by going to https://bit.ly/DisabilityHousingFAQ

*Note: presenters cannot give legal adviceASL and CART will be provided. If you have other reasonable accommodation requests, please submit them via our Zoom registration page or reach out to Emma Martin at [email protected] or 510-422-5085.

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Produced and hosted by Jacob Lesner-Buxton.

Eric Harris

Eric Harris was born in Berkeley, California and grew up in Sacramento. He was born with left congenital hip dislocation, which gave him nerve damage in his left leg, right foot and right ankle. He had a number of surgeries growing up.  Mr. Harris played on the sheelchair basketball team from BORP  to win the National Championship game.   As a member of the Under 20 USA Wheelchair Basketball Team he won the international championship.  He’s played wheelchair basketball with the Golden State Road Warriors and is one of the founding members of the Sacramento Rollin Kings.

While in college, Mr. Harris focused on public policy and worked for United States Representative Barbara Lee (CA) and Sacramento City Council member Allen Warren.  He attended the University of Oregon School of Law and worked at the Democratic National Committee.  He’s worked on general policy for the western region and disability policy throughout the country, interned at the American Association for People with Disabilities in Washington, D.C., worked for the California State NAACP.   He started to work at Disability Rights California in 2019.

Mr. Harris has done community work with disability leaders, community members and elected officials throughout the country.  He is a proud member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. and attends Bayside Midtown Church in Sacramento, California. Mr. Harris is a member of the State Independent Living Council as a Governor Newsom appointee, and a board member of the Resources for Independent Living in Sacramento.

Ligia Andrade Zúñiga

Ligia Andrade Zuniga, MPA, is a disability rights advocate and leader focused on the empowerment of marginalized and underrepresented communities primarily women of color with disabilities. Being a first-generation Guatemalan American-woman of color, preserving cultural identity, while embracing intersection and interdependence is extremely important to her.

Ms Andrade Zuniga attended Notre Dame De Namur University in Belmont California and has worked in local government and nonprofit for over 15 years. In 2009 almost a year after graduating from graduate school Ligia sustained a spinal cord injury which opened the door to the disability community.  She is a volunteer peer supporter through the Spinal Cord Injury Peer Support Program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center where she rehabilitated. Ms Andrade Zuniga worked for the Silicon Valley Independent Living Center in the deinstitutionalization program where she learned about the Independent Living Movement.

Currently, she works as a Sexuality and Disability Educator and Advocate and is an elected trustee and vice president of the Board of Trustees of the San Mateo Union High School District.

Ms Andrade Zuniga is highly involved in civic engagement locally primarily influencing policy and regulation around individuals with disabilities. Groups she is affiliated with include; San Mateo County Commission on Disabilities, San Mateo County Public Authority Advisory Committee, San Mateo County Cal Medi Connect Committee, San Mateo County Health Commission, and Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities Board of Directors.  Ms Andrade Zunigavalues the visibility of parents with disabilities and has made sure parents with disabilities are visible and taken into consideration through the school experience with their children.

The post CA Budget – Disability Advocacy & Results – Pushing Limits – June 23, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.

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 show alternates weekly and airs on even weeks Friday 2:30pm.

The post Pushing Limits – June 16, 2023 appeared first on KPFA.