Episodes

Joyce welcomes Fred J. Maahs Jr., president of FJM Solutions, LLC. FJM Solutions, LLC, offers options for people with disabilities to live and thrive in the community with greater independence. It accomplishes this in several areas including: providing service to corporations, connecting them to experts in the field; offering companies the methodology to build a more inclusive workforce; providing expertise for the travel and tourism industry on accessibility, accommodations and other issues tha...

Joyce welcomes Denise Triba, chief talent officer with InnovAge to the show. Headquartered in Denver, Colorado., InnovAge offers Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) services in Colorado, California, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Virginia., In addition. it also offers home care services for seniors, and owns two affordable senior housing communities in the Denver metro area. Its mission is to allow seniors to live life on their terms – by aging in place, in their own homes and commun...

Joyce welcomes Doris Carson Williams, president and CEO of The African American Chamber of Commerce (AACC) to the show. The mission of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania is to continuously improve business and professional opportunities for African American business owners and professionals. Guided by the core values of equity in opportunity, economic advancement, self-sufficiency and entrepreneurial excellence, the organization seeks to advance economic parity for ...

Exciting news! Hear a show from Japan on the commitment to disability inclusion! Joyce is thrilled to welcome Megumi Kawakami a certified deaf interpreter accredited by Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf, and Martin Dale-Hench, Japanese - English Translator who has worked at companies such as Amazon.to the show. Ms. Kawakami will tell her story about how she managed as a child who is deaf in Okinawa, Japan and how that inspired her to became one of the only ASL/JSL interpreters in Okinawa, Ja...

Joyce welcomes to the show Scott Hammerstrom, manager of programs and partnerships for Bender Leadership Academy. This non-profit organization has been serving students with disabilities since 2001. It accomplishes the mission of competency-based workforce development through a continuum of learning. Its goal is to increase long-term competitive employment for youth with disabilities. The Bender Leadership Academy delivers competency building programs that enable students with disabilities to en...

Joyce welcomes Dr. Lonie S. Haynes, senior vice president and Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at AmerisourceBergen to the show. Dr Lonie Haynes have an impressive background in Diversity and Inclusion and has worked as an advocate for Americans with disabilities. AmerisourceBergen provides pharmaceutical products, value-driving services and business solutions that improve access to care. Tens of thousands of healthcare providers, veterinary practices and livestock producers trust th...

Joyce welcomes Marcie Roth, executive director, and CEO, and Kat Zigmont, senior director, and deputy director of World Institute on Disability, (WID) to the show. Since WID’s original call to action in 1983, it remains committed to advancing promising disability inclusion policy and practices globally. Today, it’s call to action remains rooted in rights and indelibly embedded in strategic engagements with leaders, allies and visionaries who share its commitment to innovative solutions. The orga...

Joyce welcomes Karen Hanlon, executive vice president and COO of Highmark Health, Inc. Ms. Hanlon is widely respected as one of the lead healthcare executives in the country. She will discuss Highmark’s continued commitment to hire people with disabilities throughout the national organization and the 26-year-old partnership with Bender Consulting Services. Highmark was acknowledged nationally by the disability community in 2020 for their incredible accomplishment of the Highmark 30/30. The initi...

Joyce welcomes Toni Murphy who in January 2021 was named Senior Vice President of Comcast’s Keystone Region, overseeing the organization’s operational, strategic and financial performance across areas serving western, central and northeastern Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, northern West Virginia and the Maryland panhandle. The Region is headquartered in Pittsburgh, where Murphy is based. Highly engaged within her industry and the community, Murphy is an executive sponsor of Comcast’s Diversity and ...

Joyce welcomes Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Allegheny Health Network to the show. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew is known and respected nationally for her work to promote diversity in the workforce. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew will share the organization’s commitment from the top down to diverse workforce that includes hiring people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Joshua Verdi, Labor and Employment Counsel at Highmark Health to the show. Mr. Verdi will share the reasons the organization places emphasis on maintaining a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities within their corporate culture. He will also talk about living with his own mental health disability and the importance of ending the stigma associated with having a mental health disability.

The newly appointed CEO of Disability Rights Advocates, Kathy Martinez, will be Joyce’s guest. Kathy Martinez is a nationally known and admired disability rights leader in our country. She served as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy during the Obama administration. Her work continues to improve and protect the rights of Americans with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Neil Romano, former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. He is a disability rights leader and board member of the National Council on Disability (NDC) and former chairman. First established as an advisory Council within the Department of Education in 1978, NCD became an independent federal agency in 1984. In 1986, NCD recommended enactment of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and drafted the first version of the bill, which was introduced in t...

Joyce welcomes Susan M. Dooha, J.D., national disability rights leader and executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) to the show. CIDNY is a well-respected disability civil rights organization in New York City and nationally. It is an organization run by and for people with disabilities. CIDNY empowers people with disabilities with the skills and advocacy they need to achieve goals that will improve their lives, develop their knowledge and self-advocacy ...

Exciting news! On March 16th, Joyce will have diplomats and other guests from the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia on the radio show to discuss their commitment to progress in the area of employment of people with disabilities. U.S. Embassy delegate Cheryl Harris, who is a leader committed to people with disabilities will be a guest on the show. The other guests joining Cheryl are Manel Bargaou, a teacher of English and the first teacher of English to use Tunisian sign language and Amine Dridi, a special...

Joyce welcomes Diane Coleman, the president and founder of Not Dead Yet. This organization, is a national disability rights group, that gives a voice opposing assisted suicide and euthanasia. Diane will discuss the mission of this organization in depth, as well as her leadership and policies in place now. She is a well-known writer and speaker on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Joyce welcomes Andres Gallegos, newly appointed chairman of the National Council on Disability (NCD) to the show. President Biden appointed Mr. Gallegos on January 20, 2021. The NCD is an independent, nonpartisan federal agency that advises the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policy. Mr. Gallegos will discuss his vision for the Council during his tenure.

In recognition of February as Black History Month, Joyce welcomes, Robert A. James, the new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Highmark Health to the show. Mr. James will explain the commitment of diversity and inclusion at Highmark Health. Mr. James is known nationally for including all marginalized groups including people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Greg Weinstein, Jennifer Mazza-Cagliuso, Jennifer Trich Kremer, and Alina Bengert-Lombardi to the show. They are organizers of the World Information Architecture (IA) Day Pittsburgh 2021. The nonprofit World IA Day provides the foundation for learning about information architecture, a discipline devoted to the understanding of how information is structured and understood. World IA Day is the one day a year the community gets together for a global conference, curated and organized ...

Joyce welcomes Jo Clark, chair of the board of the Homeless Children Education Fund (HCEF) and vice president Value based care at Highmark Health to the show. Ms. Clark will discuss the organization’s commitment to support the HCEF in Pittsburgh. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization was established in 1999 to support the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness in Allegheny County. Over the years, HCEF's role in the community has developed and expanded to meet these needs. HCEF re...

Joyce welcomes Larry Kleinman, executive vice president, chief human resources officer at Highmark Health to the show. Mr. Kleinman will share his perspective on the success of Highmark Health’s 2020 30/30 initiative to hire 30 people last year in honor of 2020 being the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Kleinman played a key role in the 30/30 hiring initiative. Also discussed will be Highmark Health’s ongoing commitment to hire people with disabilities ...

Joyce welcomes Holly O’Donnell, president and CEO, and Harvey Rosenthal, member of the board of trustees for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. The Center has advocates for the civil rights, full inclusion and equality of adults and children with mental disabilities and has been pivotal in expanding the civil rights movement to include fighting discrimination against, and segregation of, people with mental disabilities. Ms. O’Donnell and Mr. Rosenthal will discuss the servi...

Joyce welcomes Marcie Roth, the new executive director and CEO of World Institute on Disability (WID) to the show. Ms. Roth will talk about the plans for WID in 2021 and her background in the disability rights community. The World Institute on Disability (WID) was established in 1983 as one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and lead by people with disabilities. WID works to advance the rights of over one billion people with disabilities worldwide.

Joyce welcomes Morgan K. O’Brien, chairman of the board of Watt Fuel Cell Corporation since 2018, to the show. WATT Fuel Cell Corporation is a manufacturer and developer of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell stacks and systems that operate on common, readily available fuels such as propane and natural gas. WATT's proprietary patented additive manufacturing process (AMP) has allowed them to produce commercially viable SOFC products for small scale and remote power applications. Mr. O’Brien will discuss the co...