Episodes

Joyce welcomes Greg Babe, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bayer MaterialScience, LLC, to the show. They will discuss his recent acceptance of the 2006 Tony Coelho Award, for his efforts to employ people with disabilities

Joyce welcomes Jim Glatch, Coach of the Edinboro University of PA Wheelchair Basketball Team and team member Jose Leep. Discussed on the show will be this athletic program for Edinboro students with disabilities.

Carl Robert Lee, Communications Lead for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington, DC and Adjunct Professor of Mass Communication at George Mason University and Shepherd University will discuss “the road to success” in finding employment for a person with a disability.

Joyce welcomes TyKiah Wright, Executive Director and Founder of Wright Choice, Inc., The organization places students in internships in the Central Ohio area, and the organization is looking to expand its services to Southwestern Ohio. Ms. Wright will be discussing their DiversABILITY Employment Summit to be held at The Ohio State University’s Fawcett Center in October 18, 2007.

Joyce welcomes John Lancaster, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living. He will discuss issues facing people with disabilities in the areas housing, transportation, and employment.

Joyce welcomes Paul J. Tobin, President and CEO of United Spinal Association. He will discuss the mission of the organization and how the organization strives to improve the quality of life for those with spinal cord injuries.

Joyce welcomes Jim Ward, Founder and President of ADA Watch and the National Coalition of Disability Rights (NCDR), will discuss the “Road to Freedom” bus tour.

Joyce welcomes Eric Hargis, President and CEO of the National Epilepsy Foundation, to the show to discuss the Washington, DC Epilepsy Walk planned for Saturday, March 31, 2007.

Claiborne (Clay) Haughton, Jr., Retired Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and nationally known motivational speaker discusses his life and how he dedicated his life to helping people with disabilities gain equality.

Nichelle Schoultz, State Relations and Grassroots Manager for the National Epilepsy Foundation of America and Activities Coordinator for the Speak Up Speak Out advocacy campaign, including Kids Speak Up!, will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, March 6, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Also on the show will be student participants in the Kids Speak Up! Campaign. They will be discussing the mission of the program.

Kevin Bales, 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning author, and President of Free the Slaves, the U.S. Sister organization on Anti-Slavery International, will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, February 27, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be his book, Disposable People: New Slavery in a Global Economy. This is fitting, as February 27, 2007, is Anti-Slavery Day. We thought the attached press release would interest you.

Curt Willig, Director, and Matt Poland, Employment Coordinator, for the PEP Jobs Program of the California Pacific Medical Center will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be employment issues for people with epilepsy and the problems of epilepsy being a “hidden disability”.

Joyce Welcomes Judy Painter, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA and James E. Rohr, Chairman and CEO of the PNC Financial Services Group to the show.

Jessica Gogan, Assistant Director for Education and Interpretation for the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA will be discussing, Deadly Medicine: Creating a Master Race. This exhibition explores the Holocaust’s roots in then-contemporary scientific and pseudo-scientific theory. It will be at the Andy Warhol Museum through March 18, 2007.

Soula Antoniou, President of VSA arts will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be the mission of this international, non-profit organization. VSA arts was founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We t...

Debra Ruh, President and CEO of TecAccess will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. Discussed on the show will be the mission of TecAccess, and her company’s numerous awards including the New Freedom Initiative Award given by the Bush Administration’s U.S. Department of Labor in 2005.

Frances West, Director of the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center joins Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”.

International best-selling author, Karin Slaughter is the featured guest on Disability Matters with Joyce Bender. Discussed is Karin’s new book, “TripTych”, which features a character with a disability.

Chair of the National Organization on Disability (NOD), Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Former Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge is the honored guest of Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. He discusses his past and present work in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the employment of people with disabilities.

Mark Ashby is a person living with epilepsy who between April and October of 2005 completed the Ironman Arizona and the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, in addition to five half-Ironman triathlons. In two of the half-Ironman competitions, Mark placed second and third place in his age division. Tune in as Joyce talks to Mark about what it is to compete at such a high level and live with epilepsy. For Mark, there are limitless boundaries.

The Honorable Tony Coelho, former Democratic California Congressman, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and current Chairman of the National Epilepsy Foundation joins Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. This discussion is about his work with the National Epilepsy Foundation. Mr. Coelho, who has had epilepsy since his late teens, was elected to chair the Epilepsy Foundation’s Board of Directors, during its spring 2005 meeting. His leadership has focused on improving public awar...

Dr. Kenneth Melani, President and CEO of Highmark, Inc., discusses Highmark’s achievement as the recipient of the 2006 New Freedom Initiative Award sponsored by the Bush Administration and the Department of Labor.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Steve Schachter, Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and past Chair of the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation. Tune in as Dr. Schachter discusses his research involving seizure prevention drugs and contributions to the medical literature in this area.

Tune in as Joyce talks with Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers’ Left Guard, Alan Faneca. Alan does more than play football. He dedicates his time to charity work as well. Alan talks with Joyce about his volunteer work with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central PA (EFWCP) and his personal experiences, as a person with epilepsy.