Alona, @DrOfComics, joins me to explore the world of superheroes and antiheroes and how comic storytelling offers a revealing window into society, including many ableist assumptions that often shape it.

She made a particularly insightful point: unlike many other genres, comics tend to treat emotions more realistically. The traditional “happy ending” that dominates so much of film and television is rarely the final destination in comics. Instead, characters have lives that constantly fluctuate through the range of emotions. Happiness, sadness, and all other feelings are not final destinations in fantasy or reality.

That idea mirrors a widespread ableist belief about disability. The assumption that people with disabilities are simply waiting to be cured so their story can finally reach its “happy ending.” But real life, much like comics, is so much more than that.

In the next episode, I talk to @DannyKurtzman and @TheSteveWay!

Catch new episodes on Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin on Instagram!

- Your friendly neighborhood PhD

This episode features a conversation with Briana who is a school psychologist providing resources for educators and parents. I really appreciate her approach to dedicating effort into providing real time information that improves the experience for everyone involved in public education.

I honestly did not realize that schools have a psychologist. Looking back, I would have benefited from visiting with someone like Briana on several occasions.

Briana was also pregnant at the time of this podcast and shared her experience with gestational diabetes. Her story lends valuable insight into short term disability and what it can look like for expecting mothers.

In the next episode, I talk to @DrOfComics who is pursuing a degree with a focus in comic books!

Catch new episodes on Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin on Instagram!

- Your friendly neighborhood PhD

CarmenRose joins the TyePod this week! She is a content creator who lives with chronic migraines. We talk about her experience with several aspects of her diagnosis and some strategies on managing them including self injections (which she dialogues on her digital platforms).

I appreciate CarmenRose sharing how each part of her identity has shaped her experience as a member of the queer and Latina communities and as someone living with chronic illness. It’s so important to honor one another as whole humans with different experiences and intersectional identities that deserve to be celebrated!

In the next episode, I talk to @EducationallyPsyched who is a school psychologist!

Catch new episodes on Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin on Instagram!

- Your friendly neighborhood PhD

Cory Lee stops by the show to talk about his efforts to assist people with wheelchairs who want to travel! He detailed his entry into the world of traveling as someone with SMA with some of his favorite destinations.

I got the opportunity to share one of my dream destinations (Japan!) while learning about some highly accessible and inaccessible locations around the world! I highly recommend visiting his website if you’re interested in learning more about wheelchair travel and opportunities to apply for travel aid through Cory Lee’s Curb Free Foundation:

https://curbfreewithcorylee.com/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn2ts5L91rN4R-Tt3CngQ1FwQEhTy-EkbVlh-MmONrYK0llPUT2BeR8-erIVs_aem_QaNqC0aQ3k08zeGYXvIRhg

In the next episode, CarmenRose aka @CarmenRoseFiallo makes a guest appearance to talk about her story including identifying as queer while also living with disability.

Catch episodes on Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin!

- Your friendly neighborhood PhD

Jessica Oddi (@Oddi.Jessica) is my guest on this episode of the TyePod! She is a graphic designer living in Canada with a focus on accessibility and representation within design identity, websites, and representation. We talk about her story and some common challenges related to our disability experience. One of the coolest parts of this episode is an exercise where we each give a verbal description of ourselves and surroundings for those who access the podcast by non-visual means. I learned a lot about electronic accessibility and hope you all will too!Please check out Jessica’s website https://www.jessicaoddi.com for information on working with her on any area of the digital accessibility space!In the next episode, I am joined by Wheelchair Travel Expert Cory Lee (@CurbFreeCoryLee)!Catch episodes on Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin!- Your friendly neighborhood PhD

Season 3

Jessie (a self taught artist, chronic illness warrior, and mental health advocate) is the guest on this episode of the TyePod! We talk about her current experiences with ongoing diagnosis and her knowledge of social work. She also has collaborated with me for this season’s refreshed artwork!

Please check out her page: @PrettyRudeJJ and artwork available at https://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyRudeJJ

In the next episode, I talk to @Oddi.Jessica who is a disabled designer!

Catch episodes on Tuesday and Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin!

With love,

Your friendly neighborhood PhD

What is Up(side down) everybody!

To start off the third season of The TyePod, I am joined by the creators and hosts of the Raising Disabled Podcast, Deonna and Rhandyl who are both parents of kids who are disabled. We chat about their experiences as moms, coping with the challenges of disability including tracheostomies, and the benefits of forming podcasts!

Please check out their page and listen to their podcast: @RaisingDisabledPodcast

In the next episode, I talk to @PrettyRudeJJ aka Jessie who is an artist who helped me design the artwork for this season’s podcast!

Catch episodes on Tuesday and Friday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube! If you are part of the disability and/or chronic illness community (any part!) and are interested in a guest appearance, please DM @Dr.TyeDMartin on Instagram.

With love,

Your friendly neighborhood PhD

#Disability ChronicIllness #Podcast

The final episode of Season 2 of the Tye Pod features Annie Tulkin, CEO of Accessible College! She is currently working with students with disabilities and their families as they transition to college. 

We discuss her organization's support for students with physical disabilities, sensory impairments, and chronic health conditions. She emphasizes the importance of holistic support, including accommodations, independent living, and continuity of care. She also networks with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. As someone who attended university for over 10 years, I can honestly say working with Annie would have been extremely helpful with navigating many of the immediate complexities of college life with disabilities!

✨ Next season on The TyePod will continue to include guests from across the entire disability and chronic illness community!

🎧 Tune in to all available episodes via the link in my bio, or search The TyePod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube!

💬 If this story resonates with you, or you’d like to share your own, please reach out!

With love,

Your friendly neighborhood PhD 

Accessible image description: The podcast cover for The TyePod Episode S2E78, titled “This is our life, this is our song.”, shows a peaceful outdoor landscape with grassy fields, scattered rocks, and tall autumn trees beneath a lightly clouded sky. A bold white banner across the top reads “THE TYE POD.” Below it are three figures: on the left, Dr. Tye Martin smiles with glasses and a beard; in the center, a cartoon avatar of Dr. Tye sits in a power wheelchair; and on the right is the guest from Accessible College, smiling with short dark hair. A white banner near the bottom displays the episode title, with the social media handles @Dr.TyeDMartin and @AccessibleCollege shown below.

#TheTyePod #AccessibleCollege #DisabilityInHigherEd #CollegeAccessibility #DisabledStudents #ChronicIllnessCommunity #InclusiveEducation #DisabilityAdvocacy #TransitionToCollege #RepresentationMatters

The Tye Pod guest for this episode is fellow podcaster Kaitlyn Rohde who hosts Sick, I Swear. We dive into what it’s like to deal with chronic illness whether visible (Tye with Muscular Dystrophy) or invisible (Katlyn with Ehler’s Danlos).Kaitlyn also shares her experience with ableism from every level including from some family and relationship partners. I loved discussing both of our journeys especially how we have adapted over time including moving to Tennessee and navigating the cesspool that is online dating. In addition, I feel the responsibility to mention we are both fans of Taylor Swifts music. I hope you all enjoy this episode with Kaitlyn (and Otis!) ✨ Next time on The TyePod I am joined by @AccessibleCollege!🎧 Tune in via the link in my bio, or search The TyePod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube!💬 If this story resonates with you, or you’d like to share your own, please reach out!With love,Your friendly neighborhood PhD Accessible image description: The podcast cover for The TyePod Episode S2E77, titled “Otis the lap dog is free range!”, shows a warm outdoor landscape with grassy fields, scattered rocks, and tall autumn trees beneath a lightly clouded sky. A bold white banner at the top reads “THE TYE POD.” Below it are three figures: Dr. Tye Martin smiling on the left, a cartoon avatar of Dr. Tye in a power wheelchair in the center, and the guest on the right holding flowers. A white banner near the bottom displays the episode title, with the handles @Dr.TyeDMartin and @SickISwearPodcast shown below.#TheTyePod #ChronicIllnessCommunity #InvisibleIllness #EDSAwareness #MuscularDystrophy #AbleismAwareness #DisabledPodcasters #DisabilityAdvocacy #RepresentationMatters #SickISwear

Today I am joined by Caden Nelms who is a digital creator living with SMA type 2.He discusses his journey and advocacy navigating life with a progressive neuromuscular diagnosis. We also talk about some of the difficulties in securing insurance for necessary treatments, including Spinraza injections and physical therapy. Caden’s advocacy efforts while attending college led to significant accessibility improvements like ramps, curb cuts, and accessible dorms. I really appreciate his willingness to share this experience in particular as so many of us in the disability community fight inaccessible spaces in our daily lives.✨ Next time on The TyePod I am joined by Kaitlyn Rhode who is the awesome host of the Sick, I Swear Podcast!🎧 Tune in via the link in my bio, or search The TyePod on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or YouTube!💬 If this story resonates with you, or you’d like to share your own, please reach out!With love,Your friendly neighborhood PhD Accessible image description:The podcast cover for The TyePod Episode S2E76, titled “You can just drive in front of the graduation stage.”, shows a calm outdoor landscape with grassy fields, rocks, and tall autumn trees beneath a lightly clouded sky. A bold white banner across the top reads “THE TYE POD.” Below it are three figures: Dr. Tye Martin smiling on the left, a cartoon avatar of Dr. Tye in a power wheelchair in the center, and guest Caden on the right, seated and looking slightly to the side. A bottom banner displays the episode title along with the handles @Dr.TyeDMartin and @Obviously_Its_Caden.#TheTyePod #SMAAwareness #SpinalMuscularAtrophy #DisabilityAdvocacy #AccessibleEducation #DisabilityCommunity #HealthInsuranceBarriers #AdaptiveLiving #DisabledCreators #RepresentationMatters