KPFA - Pushing Limits

Record scratch — your favorite DJ is back on the turntables!

Join Denny Daughters on Pushing Limits this Friday for another edition of Musicians With All Types of Disabilities, a spotlight on artists whose talent and impact span genres and generations. This time we feature performers connected to blindness, dyslexia, multiple sclerosis, and bulimia nervosa.

Denny digs deep into his music collection to bring you a half hour of standout tracks from the 1970s through the 1990s — music, history, and disability culture all in one show.

Tune in and turn it up.

This program is hosted and produced by Denny Daughters.

For a full program transcription, click here

The post Disabled Musicians: 70’s – 90’s – Pushing Limits – January 30, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

How do new technologies, shifting laws, and global politics affect the lives of disabled people — sometimes in ways we don’t see coming?

Pushing Limits continues its coverage of breaking developments in the disability community. This week, we look at the growing role of artificial intelligence in schools, state budget concerns, and new disability-related laws. Also under the microscope is the lingering impact of Trump-era policies. Plus, don’t miss a sobering look at why it can be especially dangerous to be disabled in Myanmar.

This program is co-hosted by Talia Thompson Mariano and producer Eddie Ytuarte.

1. Teachers use AI for IEPs (Individualized Education Programs)  

2. Sign language in Britain

https://bda.org.uk/bsl-is-not-for-sale/?ref=disabilitydebrief.org

3. Disability in Myanmar       

https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc61crp1-hidden-crisis-disability-rights-post-coup-myanmar-advance

4. State summary of some legislation plus budget

https://www.disabilityrightsca.org/public-policy/2025-end-of-session-wrap-up

5. State cuts disaster aid

6. Trumps attack on disability attorneys 

7. Transpersons 

 8. “Life After” film

For a full program transcription, click here

The post Shifting Ground: Disability, Policy, and Power – Pushing Limits – January 23, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

What defined disability in the headlines this past year — progress, controversy, or both?

This Friday, Pushing Limits looks back at some of the most talked-about moments in the disability world. From a clergyman seeking a federal lawsuit after preaching that disabled people shouldn’t marry, to the mixed bag of disability policy coming out of California’s state government. And we’ll dig into a debate that sparked plenty of opinions: should pregnant women be allowed to park in blue zones? 

Join Pushing Limits for a year-end wrap-up you won’t want to miss. 

This program is produced by Adrienne Lauby and hosted by Talia Mariano and Eddie Ytuarte. 

1. Conditions for Disabled People in Venezuela

Venezuela – Disability – Expat Focus

https://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/countries/VEN

2. Diminished Democracy is Diminished Disability Justice

3. Should Pregnant Women Use Disabled Parking

4. ICE Raid near Day Program for Developmentally Disabled Adults

5. Federal court nominee says disabled people should not marry

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/12/indiana-southern-district-federal-judge-nominee-justin-olson-disabled-people-marriage-benefits-cancellation-medicaid-ssi/

6. Autistic Barbie Doll

7. Alice Wong and Bob Kafka – Rest In Power

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/alice-wong-disability-rights-activist-dies-aged-51

https://nursing.ucsf.edu/news/memory-alice-wong-disability-rights-activist-writer-and-ucsf-changemaker

https://time.com/7336976/disability-justice-alice-wong/

Pushing Limits Interview with Alice Wong

Personal story ~ meeting Bob Kafka:  https://adapt.org/1984-washington-bob-kafka/

Obituary:  https://www.kut.org/politics/2025-12-29/bob-kafka-austin-disability-rights-advocate-dies-tx

Bob’s home chapter of ADAPT celebrates his passing: https://adaptoftexas.org/

Pushing Limits interview with Bob Kafka prior to the passage of Obama Care (Affordable Care Act):   https://kpfa.org/episode/58204/

8.  2025 State wrap-up–new laws and budget

9. Teachers use AI for IEPs (Individualized Education Programs) 

10. Sign Language Problems with AI

11. “Life After,” movie. A Disabled Filmmaker Looks at Physician-Assisted Suicide (Free)

Independent Lens, PBS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCH-51YqMMs

For a transcription of the entire program, click here

The post Political Wrap-Up – Pushing Limits – January 16, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

What happens when disabled artists, activists, and scholars finally have a space of their own?

Pushing Limits radio presents its first program featuring the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center. This new venue will host a wide range of activities—from art exhibits and “café crip check-ins” to a collective quilt and a space for disabled and disgruntled academics to air it all out.

Plus, the renowned Superfest Disabled Film Festival is now under the auspices of the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center, marking a major new chapter for disability culture in the Bay Area. Tune in so you don’t miss any details!

This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte.

For a transcription of the entire program, click here

The post Claiming Space: SF Disability Cultural Center – Pushing Limits – January 9, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

What happens when the fight for justice isn’t accessible to everyone — even the people doing the organizing? And how often do we overlook disabilities we can’t see, but that profoundly shape who gets to show up?

Join Pushing Limits this Friday as we talk with social justice organizer Andrea Jones Klein. For more than five years, Andrea has worked at the intersections of climate justice, political liberation, and health equity — all while living with chemical intolerance.

In this conversation, Andrea discusses the ableism she encounters in organizing spaces, explains what chemical intolerance is, and shares simple, practical steps people can take to make public spaces more accessible for those with her disability.

To get in contact with Andrea, you can e-mail her at [email protected]

This program was produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton. It was hosted and edited by Dominick Trevethan.

For a full transcription of this program, click here

The post Social Justice and Ableism – Pushing Limits – January 2, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

What really happened behind the scenes at Pushing Limits in 2025?

In our end-of-the-year special, host Denny Daughters turns the questions on the Pushing Limits crew themselves. What did they love about this year? What did they learn? And what are they hoping for in the year to come?

But that’s not all! Don’t miss the montage of all the guests from last year. Plus, hidden in this special is a secret about how the year end montage was made—something we’ve never shared before.

Laugh, reflect, and uncover what you weren’t supposed to know. We’ll see you real soon!

This program was hosted and produced (all year long) by Denny Daughters.

The post 2025 in Review – Pushing Limits – December 26, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

How do we build a city where seniors and disabled people don’t just survive, but actually thrive? And what does it take for an organization to stay ahead of the curve when so many in our community are struggling for housing, transportation, and basic dignity?

Join Pushing Limits as we sit down with Shaya French, Director of Organizing for Senior and Disability Action — a long-standing, progressive San Francisco organization often a step ahead of others serving the disability community.

We’ll explore SDA’s work on housing, transportation, health care, and its innovative anti-ICE organizing efforts.

And honestly… you’ve got to appreciate an organization whose goals include “to be creative and have fun.” Tune in for a lively and informative conversation.

If you’d like more info about Shaya and SDA, check out their website here

This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte.

The post Organizing for Access – Senior and Disability Action – Pushing Limits – December 5, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

How accessible is your daily commute, really? And when public transportation falls short, who’s out there fighting to fix it?

Join us on this week’s Pushing Limits as Denny Daughters interviews Warren Cushman, a systems change advocate with Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) in Hayward. Warren shares the work he’s doing with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, as well as his advocacy with AC Transit and BART. We also dive into his efforts around housing justice and mental health support—two issues deeply intertwined with disability rights.

This show was hosted and edited by Denny Daughters.

For more information, contact CRIL at (510) 881-5743 or visit crilhayward.org.

The post Disability Advocacy at the Local Level – Pushing Limits – November 28, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

For most people, “the happiest place on earth” means Disneyland. But for the kids who attend Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital’s annual Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp, true magic happens somewhere else entirely—on the courts, fields, and pool deck of UC Santa Barbara’s Recreation Center.

This week on Pushing Limits, we’re joined by counselors Cynthia Muñoz, who lives with cerebral palsy spastic diplegia, and Brian Rathfelder, who lives with a spinal cord injury. They share what it’s like to mentor kids navigating the same challenges they once faced, the behind-the-scenes hustle of creating a fully adaptive, sport-oriented day camp, and the unforgettable moments that make this community feel like a second family.

Tune in to discover why this one-week camp leaves a lifelong impact on everyone who rolls through its doors.

This program is hosted, edited, and produced by Dominick Trevethan.

The post Behind The Magic: Junior Wheelchair Sports Camp – Pushing Limits – November 21, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

For many veterans, the hardest fight begins when they come home—navigating disability, trauma, and a system that too often turns its back on them.

For more than half a century, Swords to Plowshares has been serving and uplifting military veterans across the Bay Area. What began as a small grassroots effort to support Vietnam veterans—many of them living with disabilities and facing rejection from traditional institutions like the Veterans Administration—has grown into one of the nation’s leading veteran service organizations.

This week on Pushing Limits, we spotlight Swords to Plowshares, a vital force for veteran rights and disability justice. Tune in as we explore their powerful history, ongoing advocacy, and how they continue to help veterans rebuild their lives with dignity and purpose with the help of Elena Kim, Chief Operating Officer.

As the former City of San Francisco’s Director of Veterans Services, human intelligence collector from 2005-2010 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Master Degree holder in Legislative Affairs, Elena oversees Swords to Plowshares‘ operations and programs.

This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte.

The below image is from: https://www.flickr.com/people/37922399@N05

The post 50 Years Strong: Swords to Plowshares – Pushing Limits – November 14, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.