Disability Matters

Joyce welcomes Albrecht Tracy Powell, Managing Director with Accenture. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization focused on addressing the transition to work for youth and young adults with disabilities. Founding partner of iDisability, an eLearning solution. Named a 2024 Woman of Influence by The Pittsburgh Business Times and 2024 Henry Viscardi Achievement Award Re

Joyce welcomes Randy Dearth, an executive with over 35 years of experience in the chemicals industry to the show. Mr. Dearth will discuss his extensive career with various corporations and his non-profit support for organizations that support the community. Particularly, his work as a member of the board of the Bender Leadership Academy, which is committed to expanding opportunities for employment of people with disabilities from youth through adulthood. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serve

Joyce welcomes Ms. Preety Kumar, Founder and CEO of Deque Systems to the show. Ms. Kumar established Deque Systems in 1999 with the vision of unifying web access from both the user and technology perspectives. Under her leadership, Deque has grown into a market leader, serving enterprise and government clients such as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Education, Humana, Intuit, HSBC, and Target. During the show Ms. Kumar will discuss her commitment to providing accessible we

Joyce welcomes Nisha Agarwal, Commissioner, and Abby Mayerhoff, Director of Programs for the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD), to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the various achievements of the MOPD and the long-term goals for the MOPD in the areas of transportation, employment, and the importance of voting rights for New Yorkers with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair an

Joyce welcomes iDisability’s®, Chief Executive Officer, John F. Walsh III and Co-Founder, Andrew Houghton, back to the show. Discussed will be the mission of iDisability® and its growth since its founding in 2016. Recent product enhancements, including an artificial intelligence solution, AskJoyce AI, will also be discussed. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Leadership Academy, a non-profit organization foc

Joyce welcomes Allegheny County Disability Advocate, Chaz Kallem, to the show. Chaz will discuss his latest appointment to PA Governor Josh Shapiro’s newly established Governor’s Advisory Commission on People with Disabilities and what it means to him to be a part of this prestigious group impacting the lives of Pennsylvanians with disabilities. The Commission’s purpose is to recommend policy changes across the disabilities spectrum, engage with federal/state/local agencies, communicate Administ

Special guest Maria Town, President and CEO at American Association of People with Disabilities.

As part of Disability Pride Month, Joyce welcomes former Senator Tom Harkin back to the show. Senator Harkin will reflect on the significance of the 36th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), July 26, 1990, by President George H.W. Bush. Senator Harkin will share his thoughts on the work that still needs done to advance the lives of Americans with disabilities. ​ Joining Senator Harkin will be Dr. Victor Santiago Pineda. Dr. Pineda is the Executive Director of

Joyce welcomes Helena Berger, Chair of the FDR Memorial Foundation’s Board of Directors and Mary E. Dolan, Executive Director, to the show. The guests will discuss the 25th Anniversary of The FDR Memorial which helps preserve the memory of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s catalytic involvement in issues of equality and freedom – especially for people with disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Board Chair and Founder of Bender Lead

Joyce welcomes former United States Congressman and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act, Tony Coelho and Congressman Steny Hoyer of Maryland to the show. Discuss on the show will be the journey to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act and the ADA Amendments Act. Also discussed will be the current effort to pass comprehensive website accessibility legislation for all people with visual disabilities. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender

Joyce John F. Walsh III, Chief Executive Officer of iDisability, to the show. iDisability is an e-learning platform serving more than four million business users with training on compliance, engagement, and retention of customers and employees with disabilities. Mr. Walsh will discuss the product in depth, along with new product enhancements. Additionally, he will discuss the impact of AI on the product and how this will assist customers in revolutionizing their approach to disability training.

"Writing What Mattered Most has been one of the most vulnerable and rewarding experiences of my life. This book is my truth—the highs, the heartbreaks, the lessons, and the love that have shaped me as a man, an artist, and a survivor." Joyce welcomes back country music superstar, Ty Herndon, to the show. Mr. Herndon will discuss his new memoir, What Mattered Most. He will share his struggles with addiction and mental health, becoming the first openly gay male country superstar in a traditionally