Episodes

Allison Jones, Director of Boards-By-Design and Chaz Kellem, recent graduate and board member of the program will discuss in-depth the program mission, which is to benefit non-profit organizations, businesses, and individuals by connecting non-profit organizations with qualified board candidates with disabilities.

Robert E. Coward, Jr., Co-Founder/Director, DIRECT Action (Disabled Individuals for Real Empowerment and Community Training and Chair/Spokesperson, Capital Area ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today) discusses “What it means to be an Advocate”.

Helen Roth, Immediate Past Chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), will discuss the AAPD and the civil rights of people with disabilities.

Neal Lutz, Director of Bender Consulting Services, Inc., as well as, Ricco Brusco, and Jim Homme, both Software Developers and Project Managers for Bender Consulting Services, Inc., discuss what employment means to people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Mac Gray who will talk about his varied career as a motivational speaker and overcoming a motor cycle accident in 1984 which resulted in quadriplegia. Also discussed, will be his Decisions and Consequences program, which has enabled him to speak to thousands of teens and young adults about the dangers of alcohol, drugs and driving.

Joyce welcomes, co-authors, Ruth Anne Wood and Stash Serafin, of You Can’t Get It ‘Cause You’ve Already Got It!, A blind figure skater and visionary writer's inspirational guide to moving through life. Discussed on the show will be the book and Mr. Serafin’s experiences.

John Matney, Human Resources/Organizational Development Consultant and cultural diversity coach, will discuss his varied career and his experience living with bi-polar disorder, to motivate others.

Neal Lutz, Director of Bender Consulting Services, Inc., as well as, Ricco Brusco, and Jim Homme, both Software Developers and Project Managers for Bender Consulting Services, Inc., discuss what employment means to people with disabilities.

Celia Hindes, Executive Director of Variety the Children's Charity, and Greg Triko, will discuss Variety’s programs and services.

Joyce welcomes Nancy Stampahar, founder of Silver Lining Solutions® an organizational training and keynote speaking business, and author of Peace, Love, and Lemonade: A Recipe to Make Your Life Sweeter to the show. Discussed on the show will be the mission of both the book and her business.

Joyce welcomes student participants in the National Epilepsy Foundation’s Kid’s Speak Up Advocacy Campaign; Tim Finnigan and Jamie Laurie. Discussed on the show will be the mission of this campaign in depth. The campaign provides the opportunity for kids between the ages of 7 and 16 to go to Washington, D.C. to meet with their elected officials to help the Foundation present the need for better public understanding of epilepsy and research toward a cure.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Donna Carol Maheady, author of Nursing Students with Disabilities Change the Course and Leave No Nurse Behind: Nurses working with disabilities discusses her advocacy work for the inclusion of nurses with disabilities in nursing practice. Also discussed will be her non-profit resource network for nurses and nursing students with disabilities.

Back by popular demand, we will rebroadcast the November 7, 2006 episode of “Disability Matters with Joyce Bender”. Joyce welcomed Alan Faneca, Left Guard for the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers Football team. Discussed on the show was his volunteer work with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central PA (EFWP) and his personal story as a person with epilepsy.

Dr. Brien Smith, Medical Director of the Comprehensive Epilepsy Program at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, and National Board Director of the Epilepsy Foundation will discuss epilepsy, and the civil rights work that he did on behalf of soldiers and veterans by testifying before the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee about the need for Epilepsy Centers of Excellence to treat people with post-traumatic epilepsy.

Sandy Finucane, vice president of Legal & Government Affairs for the National Epilepsy Foundation, will discuss her organization’s efforts to bring awareness to epilepsy and to improve the lives of people with epilepsy, as November is National Epilepsy Month.

Joyce welcomes Michael Winter, Director of the Federal Transit Administration’s Office of Civil Rights. Discussed on the show will be his office’s full range of Federal civil rights responsibilities as they apply to the Federal transit assistance programs, including those under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Joyce welcomes Coleen Vuono, Executive Director and Tammy McNaughton, Chairperson of the Pittsburgh Disability Employment Project for Freedom. Discussed on the show, will be the mission of this non-profit organization, which provides technology skills and training to individuals with disabilities and assists them in gaining competitive employment opportunities.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Christopher Rosa, Director of Student Affairs for Disability and Veterans Services for the City University of New York as her guest. Discussed on the show will be the university’s student affairs programs related to disability and veterans services.

Joyce welcomes Jim Dickson, Vice President for Governmental Affairs, American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), and Ramón Garcia, Organizer of Just Vote Arizona! Disability Vote Coalition. Discussed on the show will be the AAPD Disability Vote Project, a broad coalition of 36 national disability-related organizations working to close the political participation gap for people with disabilities.

Back by popular demand, we will be rebroadcasting the October 31, 2006 addition of “Disability Matters with Joyce Bender” on Tuesday, October 2, 2007, with Joyce’s honored guest Doro Koch, daughter of the 41st President of the United States, and author of My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H.W. Bush.

Joyce welcomes Robert Chamberlin, President and CEO of NISH. NISH is a not-for-profit organization, whose headquarters are in Vienna, VA. Their primary mission is developing job opportunities for people with severe disabilities under the AbilityOne Program. Mr. Chamberlin will be discussing its mission in depth.

Joyce welcomes Howard Cohen, Vice President of the Program Management Office (PMO) and Quality Office (QMO),.for WellPoint, Inc. in Thousand Oaks, CA and Mariana Nork, Senior Vice President for Communications & Development for the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM Eastern Time. Discussed on the show will be Mr. Cohen’s recent participation in a 6-day 150 mile race across Chile to support the mission of the AAPD.

Joyce welcomes John R. Macko, Interim Director in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Center on Employment (NCE) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), who will discuss the curriculum of this school with a national reputation for graduating qualified deaf students with disabilities in the areas of business and technology.

Joyce welcomes Joseph F. Lagana, Ed.D., Founder, of the Homeless Children’s Education Fund (HCEF), who will discuss the mission of this Pittsburgh, PA – based non-profit organization, which was established in 1999 to supplement federal funding for the educational needs of local homeless children.