Episodes

Joyce welcomes Robert James, supplier diversity program manager for Highmark Health, Inc. Mr. James will address the importance of Highmark Health’s supplier diversity program, the results being achieved, components of how the company carries out its supplier diversity program, and its new mentor-protégé pilot program.

Joyce welcomes Jimmy Krenn, Pittsburgh comedian and former morning-drive radio host for WDVE FM and Q-92 FM. Jimmy will discuss his extensive career in stand-up comedy and radio broadcasting and his charity work with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA.

Joyce welcomes David Holmberg president and CEO of Highmark Health, a national health and wellness enterprise based in Pittsburgh that serves an estimated 40 million people nationwide. Mr. Holmberg will discuss the Highmark, Inc. commitment to employing people with disabilities through its involvement in the Careers2B program in partnership with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Founded in conjunction with Bayer Corporation and Bayer MaterialScience LLC. the Careers2B program is designed to addre...

Joyce welcomes Randy Dearth, chairman, president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Calgon Carbon Corporation in Pittsburgh to the show. Calgon Carbon is a leader in water and air purification technology. Mr. Dearth will discuss Calgon Carbon’s commitment to the Bender Leadership Academy in Pittsburgh. In 2001, Bender Consulting launched its first Bender Leadership Academy in partnership with CSC in Newark Delaware. The program welcomes high school juniors and seniors with disabilities from fo...

John Stollsteimer, Deputy State Treasurer of Pennsylvania since January 2017 is the featured guest with Joyce Bender on Disability Matters. He will be discussing the PA ABLE Community Event on Thursday September 28, 2017 from 4:30 PM to 8 PM at the Circuit Center Ballroom in Pittsburgh, PA. This free community event is designed to gain valuable information on the PA Treasury Department’s PA ABLE program, a savings program for people with disabilities. A panel discussion with PA Treasurer Joe Tor...

Joyce welcomes Kaitlyn Lore, winner of the 2017 Sam Miller Award; Gerald Homme, chairman of the Bender Lead On Team: and Ginny Emerson, mother of the late, Sam Miller, to discuss the Bender Lead On Team. The Bender Lead On Team assists high school and college students in the areas of setting career goals and championing anti-bullying efforts. The team provides a forum for young people with disabilities to speak out about instances of bullying and to support others who may be involved in similar ...

Joyce welcomes Todd Bankofier, CEO of Audio Eye, Inc. Incorporated in 2005, AudioEye provides enhanced web access and usability for its customers. AudioEye’s custom and proprietary Digital Accessibility Platform testing suite automatically detects Section 508 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) success criteria violations and details best practices to remediate issues. Mr. Bankofier will discuss how Audio Eye is helping companies improve digital accessibility.

Joyce welcomes Sarah Sell, director of Veteran Student Affairs at Wichita State University in Kansas. Ms Sell will discuss The Captain Riley Leroy Pitts Military and Veteran Student Center which exists to build and maintain a community of students with military experience and to provide comprehensive support for the unique needs of veterans, military members and military dependents in an environment of respect. All students with military experience, past or present, and military dependents are w...

Joyce welcomes Shane Claiborne, a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of people committed to living as if Jesus meant the things he said. Shane is a champion for grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty. Mr. C...

Joyce welcomes Kathryn Spitz Cohn, executive director of Film Pittsburgh. This non-profit organization, presents independent films from around the world, deepening audiences’ understanding of culture, tolerance, and common humanity. The organization believes film is a powerful visual medium that thrives in the digital era by transcending cultural boundaries and inspiring change. A broad range of programming is designed to reach people of all races, religions, ages and abilities, with emphasis is...

Joyce welcomes Jill Houghton, executive director of the US Business Leadership Network (USBLN). The USBLN embraces the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor force and marketplace; assists in career preparation for, and employment of, people with disabilities; improves customer experiences for people with disabilities; and promotes the certification and growth of disability-owned business enterprises. Ms. Houghton will discuss the USBLN Disability Supplier Diversity Program (DSD...

Joyce welcomes Shane Claiborne, a prominent speaker, activist, and best-selling author. Shane worked with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and founded The Simple Way in Philadelphia. He heads up Red Letter Christians, a movement of people committed to living as if Jesus meant the things he said. Shane is a champion for grace, which has led him to jail advocating for the homeless and to places like Iraq and Afghanistan to stand against war. And now grace fuels his passion to end the death penalty. Mr. C...

Michael Morris, founder and executive director of National Disability Institute, is a former legal counsel to the US Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy and is a key architect of the ABLE Act. He serves as a subject matter expert on financial inclusion and poverty reduction concerning people with disabilities to the FDIC, IRS, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, National Council on Disability and multiple state ABLE programs.

Joyce welcomes Carlos Carter, newly elected Executive Director, of the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF) to the show. The HCEF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1999 in Allegheny County to advance the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness, guiding them to be productive, empowered citizens. Over the years, HCEF’s role in the community has developed and expanded to meet these needs. As a national model for addressing the educational needs of unstably-...

Joyce welcomes Daniel Kleinmann, special project coordinator for Traditional Paths to Independent Living (TRPIL) in Washington, PA. TRPIL is a Center for Independent Living that brings together individuals who face common barriers – equal access, assistive technology, education, employment, housing, and transportation – in order to solve these problems. Mr. Kleinmann will discuss this organization’s mission in depth during the show.

Joyce welcomes Joan Stein, president and CEO of Stein Consulting, LLC. Joan’s company focuses on ADA compliance, event planning and operations and fund development. The company provides consulting services to employers, can assist with compliance with newly implemented OFCCP regulations, and supports companies faced with ADA litigation. Ms. Stein will discuss the company mission.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Gerald Buckley, National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) President and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Vice President and Dean. Dr. Buckley will discuss the commitment of both universities to serving the deaf community.

Joyce welcomes Molly McCully Brown, an author and indispensable new voice for disability rights. Ms. McCully Brown will discuss her new collection of poems, The Virginia State Colony Epileptics and Feebleminded. The title is named after an actual place of the same name, a government-run residential hospital in Amherst, County, VA that opened in 1910. The facility was recognized as a center of the eugenics movement, where patients, who were at the time viewed as defective, underwent sterilization...

Joyce welcomes Marsha Blanco, president and CEO of ACHIEVA. ACHIEVA is the only agency of its type in southwestern Pennsylvania that provides lifelong supports. From early intervention therapies, in-home support, to older adult protective services for senior citizens, ACHIEVA provides services through the entire life-span. ACHIEVA is a nonprofit parent organization providing comprehensive services and supports to more than 14,500 individuals with disabilities and their families. Ms. Blanco will ...

Joyce welcomes Colleen Starkloff, co-founder and co-director of the Starkloff Disability Institute (SDI). SDI works on changing societal attitudes and perceptions about people with disabilities through activities that send a positive message about living with disability in order to create a world that welcomes people with disabilities. Ms. Starkloff will discuss the programs and services of the institute and her role with the organization.

Joyce welcomes 2017 American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award recipient, Ola Ojewumi to the show. Ms. Ojewumi founded two non-profit organizations, Sacred Hearts Children’s Transplant Foundation and Project ASCEND. These organizations provide college scholarships to low-income students, funding for women's education programs, support for global mentorship groups and literacy programs, and distribute teddy bears and books to children awaiting organ tr...

Joyce welcomes Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL). The National Council on Independent Living is the longest-running national cross-disability, grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. Founded in 1982, NCIL represents thousands of organizations and individuals including: Centers for Independent Living (CILs), Statewide Independent Living Councils (SILCs), individuals with disabilities, and other organizations that advoc...

Joyce welcomes John Williams, professional writer and disability rights advocate;; Kevin Linde, physical therapist and Dr. Rubin Clintron, Neurologist. All 3 guests will discuss their latest research into the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.

Joyce welcomes Katherine Perez, a 2017 AAPD Paul G. Hearne Leadership Award recipient. Topics discussed on the show will be the mission of AAPD and highlights of this year’s AAPD Leadership Awards Gala.