Episodes

Joyce welcomes Scott Hammerstrom and Jill Zomp from Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to the show. The guests coordinate Disability Mentoring Day in Pittsburgh, PA with the largest participation of companies and high school students in the country. The show will be a discussion of Disability Mentoring Day in the United States and the positive impact that the day has on high school students with disabilities. This show is great to listen to if you want information about planning for Disability Men...

Joyce welcomes Dina L. Clark, head of diversity and inclusion for North America, Covestro. The company is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. During the show, Ms Clark will share her vision for the company and explain the commitment that Covestro has from the top with management on down to a diverse workforce includi...

Joyce welcomes Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN, formerly known as the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN). Disability:IN and Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) to the show. They will discuss the origin of October as Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Joyce welcomes Lou Orslene, co-director of the Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace. Mr. Orslene will explain his role a...

Joyce welcomes Derek Shields, president, ForwardWorks Consulting, LLC. and director, National Disability Mentoring Coalition (NDMC). ForwardWorks has proven leadership and technical experience in disability inclusion, veterans integration, and youth in transition services, and successfully managed training, information technology research, branding, media and mentoring projects. Lets move forward together. NDMC aims to raise awareness about the importance and impact of mentoring in the lives of ...

Joyce welcomes Christopher M. Lee, Ph.D., managing director of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and Sam Evans IAAPs certification manager to the show. IAAP is a not for profit membership based organization for individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies. The objective of this association is to help accessibility professionals develop and advance their careers and to ...

Joyce welcomes Jonathan Duvall, a postdoctoral researcher in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Rehabilitation Science and Technology focusing on assistive technology for people with disabilities at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories. For his master’s thesis developed a sidewalk roughness standard for the United States Access Board to add guidelines for accessibility so that wheelchair users are not subjected to harmful levels of vibrations. For his doctoral dissertation focus...

Joyce welcomes Gary Dick, chief information officer of Highmark Health Solutions to the show. Mr. Dick will discuss his career, background and the value that the Careers2B program has brought to Highmark Health Solutions workforce. The Careers2B initiative is a program designed to increase the professional level experience and marketability of early career professionals with disabilities with hands-on workplace experience over a 12-month period.

Joyce welcomes Clarence A. Johnson, director, Diversity Management Operations Center, Defense Human Resources Activity, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel Readiness. This great leader in the disability community will share his accomplishments and discuss his current role and responsibilities in detail with the Department of Defense. There he directs the DoDs diversity and inclusion efforts around workforce recruitment efforts of college students and members of the community w...

Joyce welcomes returning guest, Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living to the show. NCIL is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. NCIL represents thousands of organizations and individuals including: Centers for Independent Living, Statewide Independent Living Councils, individuals with disabilities, and other organizations that advocate for the human and civil rights of people wit...

Joyce welcomes Maria Town, the new president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Ms. Town will discuss her diverse background before obtaining this new position and will share her vision for the organization.

Joyce welcomes Holly O’Donnell CEO and Jennifer Mathis, deputy legal director of Policy and Legal Advocacy for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, and Eve Hill, a leading disability and civil rights attorney with Brown, Goldstein & Levy, LLP. Discussed on the show will be the mission and various programs of the Bazelon Center for America in Washington, DC. Also discussed with be how the Bazelon Center and its partners reached a groundbreaking settlement agreement with the St...

Joyce welcomes disability rights leader, Helena Berger and president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) to the show. Ms. Berger will share her feelings about having Ted Kennedy, Jr. as chair of the AAPD, as well as discuss many of the programs and services provided by AAPD, including planning for the ADA’s 30th anniversary.

Joyce welcomes PA State Representative Dan Miller, Allegheny County’s 42nd District to the show. Representative Miller will discuss his duties as chair of the Allegheny County House Democratic Delegation. He will also discuss his recent appointment to co-chair the National Task Force on the Future of the Workforce. The initiative is designed to improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The task force is bipartisan, bicameral collection of legislators, agency heads, and advoc...

Joyce welcomes The Honorable Tony Coelho, former democratic congressman from California and author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the show. As we get ready to celebrate the 29th anniversary of the signing of the ADA into law, on July 26, 1990, Mr. Coelho will discuss the progress we have made since the ADA was passed.

Joyce welcomes Karen Hanlon, executive vice president and COO of Highmark Health, Inc. Ms. Hanlon will discuss her new role as COO. In addition, she will also discuss the corporate culture that David Holmberg, CEO has instilled throughout the organization, as well as the leadership beliefs she instills in her leadership team. Ms. Hanlon will explain why she believes Highmark Health is committed to an inclusive company for people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Jeremy Shapira and Kiersten Crosby to Disability Matters. Both guests are on the new Pittsburgh, PA-based Disability Inclusion Consortium. Jeremy Shapira is strategic manager, Inclusion and Diversity for Giant Eagle, and Kiersten Crosby is managing director, Corporate HR Service Delivery, Diversity, Diversity & Inclusion for FedEx Ground. Led by Giant Eagle, FedEx Ground, and the United Way of Southwestern PA, the Consortium is made up of 30+ Western PA employers who are making it...

Joyce welcomes Christine Griffin, immediate past chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). Also included will be Ari Ne’eman board member of the AAPD. Discussed on the show will be the overall mission of AAPD and an in-depth discussion of their roles within the organization.

Joyce welcomes two members of the Pennsylvania Rehabilitation Council (PaRC), David Mann, current chair of the PaRC and Claire Senita the organization’s vice chair. The PaRC is a statewide citizens group created to advise the Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) about how well its programs and services match the needs of people with disabilities. The mission of the Council is to inform and advise the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, the State Board of Vocational Rehabilitat...

Joyce welcomes Larry Kleinman, executive vice president, chief human resources officer for Highmark Health. Highmark Health, a Pittsburgh, PA based enterprise that employs more than 40,000 people who serve millions of Americans across the country, is the second largest integrated health care delivery and financing network in the nation based on revenue. Highmark Health is the parent company of Highmark Inc., Allegheny Health Network, and HM Health Solutions.. Mr. Kleinman will discuss the compan...

Joyce welcomes Erik Jimenez, disability leader and senior policy director in the Nevada State Treasurer’s office. He will discuss his political career and his work on the legislative committee for the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, recruitment specialist for Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to the show. Gerald will discuss Bender’s Career2B initiative. The Careers2B initiative is a program designed to increase the professional level experience and marketability of early career professionals with disabilities. Founded in conjunction with Bayer Corporation and Bayer MaterialScience LLC, the objective of Careers2B is for people with disabilities to gain the work experience required to increase the...

Joyce welcomes Claudine Malone, director of programming for the Beau Biden Foundation and Joshua Alcorn, its chief operating officer, (COO) in Wilmington, DE to the show. The Beau Biden Foundation for the Protection of Children was created to honor Beau Biden's life's work: ensuring children are free from the threat of abuse. Each guest will discuss their role with this foundation and the programs and services it offers.

Joyce welcomes Allegheny Health Network (AHN), Orthopaedic surgeon, Robert Schilken, MD, and Matthew Aaron, president and CEO of Special Olympics Pennsylvania to the show. Both guests will explain their roles with the Special Olympics of PA (SOPA) and how being a part of the Special Olympics program is beneficial for the staff, volunteers, and athletes with disabilities alike.