Episodes

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...

Joyce welcomes Internationally Recognized Accessibility Leader, Jeff Wissel, to the show. Mr. Wissel will discuss career highlights, including being the first ever Chief Accessibility Officer for Disability:IN and spearheading the groundbreaking Procure Access Initiative, which drives systemic change by making accessibility non-negotiable in procurement practices. He is a trailblazing strategist and inclusion champion who partners with Fortune 500 companies to embed accessibility and disability ...

Joyce welcomes Sara Innamorato, County Executive for Allegheny County and Caylin Snyder, Americans with Disabilities Act Coordinator for Allegheny County to the show. The guests will share the Administration’s commitment to making sure the county meets the needs of its residents with disabilities. 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 trans...

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology and Jill Zomp, Manager of Talent Acquisition with Bender Consulting Services, Inc., back to the show. ​ A wide range of employment opportunities available at Bender Consulting Services for qualified people with disabilities will be discussed. Opportunities range from early career to leadership roles in healthcare, engineering, artificial intelligence, IT, and skilled trades, among others. Joyce A. Bender Career H...

Joyce welcomes Kent Chevalier, keynote speaker and author of to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the countless motivational speeches he has provided to organizations and companies as well as his role as Chaplain for the Pittsburgh...

Joyce welcomes John D. Kemp, President and CEO of The Lakeshore Foundation to the show. The Lakeshore Foundation has become an internationally renowned organization, serving over 4,000 unique individuals annually through physical activity, sport, recreation, advocacy, policy, and research. It serves as an Olympic and Paralympic Training Site, strengthening the ongoing commitment to the development of para sports. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting Services, I...

Joyce welcomes Harvey Davis, Currently Director of Strategic Development for Service and Critical Support for MC Dean and Retired Senior Executive from the NSA. 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 o...

Joyce welcomes Deborah Williamson, Vice President, Institute for Workplace Skills and Innovation (IWSI) America. IWSI is a workforce development organization that collaborates with enterprising businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies. The organization provides technical assistance and program design to assist these entities in growing pipelines of talent and meeting dynamic workforce needs. Ms. Williamson will discuss the mission of the organization in depth and share her role. Joyce A....

Joyce welcomes Tracy Saula, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Experience Officer of Highmark Health, a $32 billion blended health organization. This includes one of America's largest Blue Cross Blue Shield insurers and a growing regional hospital and physician network, to the show. Ms. Saula will share details of her role with Highmark and her commitment to helping make the healthcare industry more manageable for all of Highmark’s members, including those with disabilities. Joyce A. ...

Joyce welcomes Ari Ne’eman an American disability rights activist. Ari is currently serving as an assistant professor of health policy and management at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He is well-known researcher who co-founded the Autistic Self Advocacy Network in 2006. On December 16, 2009, President Barack Obama announced that Ari would be appointed to the National Council on Disability. He chaired the Council's Policy & Program Evaluation Committee. He was the first autistic ...

Joyce welcomes welcomes Colin Killick, Executive Director of the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network (ASAN). This nonprofit organization is a national grassroots disability rights organization for the autistic community. It fights for disability rights and works to make sure autistic people are included in policymaking, so that laws and policies meet that community’s needs. It also works to support all forms of self-advocacy and to change the perception of autism. Members and supporters include auti...

Joyce welcomes Elizabeth Karan, Principal, Artemis Policy Group, Fred Lado, Professor of Neurology & Director, Epilepsy Division, Northwell Health Eastern & Central Regions, and Amanda Mitchell, Executive Director, Epilepsy Alliance Louisiana to the show. These guests are the core organizers of The National Plan for Epilepsy Committee, NPEC, designed to advocate for the creation of a National Plan for Epilepsy. More than 120 epilepsy-related organizations joined together to celebrate these effo...

Joyce welcomes Bobbi Watt Geer, President and CEO of the United Way of Southwestern, PA to the show. Ms. Geer will share the mission and accomplishments of this non-profit organization. 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 soluti...

Joyce welcomes Philip M. Gattone, the current President and CEO of the National Bleeding Disorder Foundation (NBDF) to the show. NBDF’s core mission areas are research, education, and advocacy to improve the lives of people with inherited blood and bleeding disorders. Mr. Gattone will expound on the mission of the organization and share more about his lifelong career leading various other impactful nonprofit organizations. Joyce A. Bender Career Highlights Serves as CEO of Bender Consulting S...

Joyce welcomes Laura Carlson, Executive Director of Development for Allegheny Health Network's Division of Brain & Spine Health, to the show. Among the topics discussed will be the latest advancements in the role of philanthropy in this area of specialized healthcare. 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 you...