Episodes

Joyce welcomes vice president of Multi-Cultural Markets and Alliances for Marriott International, Apoorva Ghandi to the show. Mr Ghandi will discuss his role with the organization and why he is so committed to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities by hiring them. He will also touch on why he believes the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is high. In addition, he will discuss the work of Marriott International with the United States Business Leadership Network ...

Joyce welcomes Joe Strechay, director of the Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (BBVS). Mr. Strechay will discuss his duties with this non-profit organization, and its mission.

Joyce welcomes Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft, leading efforts to drive great products, services, and websites that empower people and organizations to achieve more. Ms. Lay-Flurrie will discuss how her team is at the forefront of creating positive experiences that apply technology to make a difference in the world and the lives of individuals—from how we hire and support people with disabilities in employment to innovative technology that aims to revolutionize what ...

Joyce welcomes Kevin Lynch, CEO and president of the Quell Foundation. Mr. Lynch will discuss, the mission of the organization. The Quell Foundation strives to reduce the number of suicides, overdoses and incarcerations of people with mental health disabilities. The organization works to accomplish its goals by encouraging people to share their stories, increasing access to mental health services, providing a pipeline of future mental health care professionals with scholarships, and training fir...

Joyce welcomes Joan D’ Alessandro, founder of Christopher’s Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to feeding the caregivers of children admitted to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Christopher’s Kitchen is committed to helping families and caregivers take care of themselves, so they can better comfort those around them.

Joyce welcomes back to the show, legendary morning radio host and story-teller, Jack Bogut. During the holiday season, Mr. Bogut will share more heart-warming stories of his experiences in broadcasting first with KDKA Radio and its Children’s Hospital Campaign, then his work with the Make-A-Wish Campaign in Pittsburgh while working with Wish 99.7-FM WSHH.

Joyce welcomes Pastor Scott Stevens, Lead Pastor at North Way Christian Community Church in Wexford, PA. Pastor Stevens will discuss the missions of his church as well as his work on the board of the Pittsburgh Kids Foundation, an organization in the Pittsburgh area dedicated to training and developing youth pastors throughout the region as well as partnering with orphanages in Haiti. His heart for global missions has taken him to Honduras, Haiti, and China to observe orphan care ministry around...

During this season of giving, Joyce welcomes Jeff Fields, site manager for World Vision’s Global Distribution Center in Sewickley, PA. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tracking the causes of poverty and injustice. Mr. Fields will discuss the programs of the organization, and how important it is for people to give and get involved, not only during the holidays, but y...

Joyce welcomes Bob Smith, chairman of the national board of directors of the Epilepsy Foundation. To close out of National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Mr. Smith will discuss the programs and services of this organization and what is being done nationally to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy.

Joyce welcomes Charlie LaValle, president and CEO of Variety the Children’s Charity, and board member, Todd Edmonds. The guests will discuss the programs and services of the organization. They will be discussing their “My Bike” and the “My Voice” programs. The “My Bike” program provides accessible bikes for children with disabilities and the “My Voice” program provides augmentative communication devices for children who live with disabilities impacting speech.

Continuing with the recognition of November as National Epilepsy Awareness Month, Joyce welcomes The Honorable, Tony Coelho, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to the show. As a person living with epilepsy, Mr. Coelho will discuss his experiences and how he has overcome the stigma often associated with epilepsy.

Joyce welcomes motivational speaker, Michael Kalberer a Long Islander with cerebral palsy. In addition, he lives with Leber congenital amaurosis (a retinal degenerative disease which slowly causes loss of usable sight). Michael earned his BA in Psychology and Speech Communications from Hofstra University along with his Master's degree in Social Work from Adelphi University. Michael will discuss his passion to empower all individuals and embraces every opportunity to educate, inform and interact ...

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...