Episodes

Joyce welcomes Chris Soukup, CEO of Communication Services for the Deaf. Mr. Soukup, a 2001 graduate of Gallaudet University, has held diverse and progressively responsible positions with CSD since the mid-1990s. Since 2005, he has been a member of CSD’s executive leadership team and was appointed by the CSD Board of Directors to lead this organization as chief executive officer in 2014. He will discuss how this organization makes communication access a top priority for the deaf community.

Joyce welcomes Diego Mariscal, CEO and Chief Disabled Officer of 2Gether-International, a nonprofit organization that develops advocacy campaigns to empower and unify young people with disabilities. Mr. Mariscal uses communication technology to engage youth with and without disabilities around issues such as education, employment, and entrepreneurship. He will share his passion for helping those with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. and Scott Hammerstrom, Manager of Programs and Partnerships for the Bender Leadership Academy to the show. Mr. Homme will discuss the wide range of competitive career opportunities that are available for job seekers with disabilities through Bender Consulting Services Inc. and share what factors make Bender Consulting stand apart from other recruiting firms. Mr. Hammerstrom will share ...

Joyce welcomes Tracy Saula, Senior Vice President and Chief Product and Experience Officer at Highmark Health to the show. Ms. Saula will discuss her role within the organization further and the wide range of products and services that Highmark Health provides to its customers, including those with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Holly O’Donnell, CEO, at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law to the show. Ms. O’Donnell will discuss the mission and accomplishments that the Bazelon Center has made for those living with mental health disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Olivia Dunn, Procurement Manager-Supplier Diversity, and Laurinda Thomas, Senior Director of Sourcing within Global Procurement, at ADP. They will share ADP’s commitment to a workforce that includes people with disabilities and the importance of diversity within the supply chain.

Joyce welcomes Kathryn Zox, host of the VoiceAmerica’s The Kathryn Zox Show, to Disability Matters. Ms. Zox is informative and fun and opens the mic with conversations that women need to hear. The Kathryn Zox Show is savvy and relationship oriented. Ms. Zox has counseled hundreds of women and their families who have suffered from eating disorders, addiction problems, marital, family, and geriatric issues as well as persons coping with mental and physical disabilities. Ms. Zox will share her pass...

Joyce welcomes Steve Nolder, Chief Human Resources Officer and Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Global Communications, and Kaylene Ritchie, Talent Management & Diversity Supervisor, at Calgon Carbon Corporation to the show. The guests will share how Calgon Carbon Corporation of Pittsburgh supports the efforts of the Bender Leadership Academy’s Mary Brougher Mental Health Initiative.

Joyce welcomes Brittany Bullock, Relationship Marketing Specialist with ABLEnow. The show will be explaining tax-advantaged savings accounts for eligible individuals with disabilities. For too long, Americans with disabilities could not save or invest for the future. Advocates fought hard to change this, resulting in a grassroots movement that changed the law, so people with disabilities can achieve a better life experience. ABLEnow accounts help eligible individuals save for the future, without...

Joyce welcomes Peggy Beem-Jelley, President and CEO, and Colleen Fulkerson, Special Events Coordinator, for the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central Pennsylvania (EAWCP). Also joining Joyce will be Logan Huwalt, a Baldwin-Whitehall student living with epilepsy, an advocate for people living with epilepsy who is working hard to raise funds for the EAWCP. Annually, March 26th is Epilepsy Awareness Purple Day; therefore, on this day, the guests reflect on the work of the EAWCP and their cont...

Joyce welcomes Danielle Filip, Chief Executive Officer and Owner of Sign Language Interpreting Professionals (SLIP), back to the show. She will discuss Act 57, Pennsylvania’s interpreting legislation. Ms. Filip is working on this legislative initiative with State Representatives, Arvind Venkat and Rob Mercuri. The goal of the legislation is to ensure that Pennsylvania has enough trained interpreters to cover the communication needs of all Pennsylvanians who are deaf.

Joyce welcomes Rabbi Daniel J. Fellman, Senior Rabbi of Temple Sinai, in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, to the show. They will discuss the healing process after the tragic event that took place at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 27, 2018. Rabbi Fellman will also discuss what they are doing at Temple Sinai to be more inclusive of the Jewish population of people with disabilities and share the purpose of Jewish Disability Awareness, Acceptance & Inclusion...

Joyce welcomes Kerry Stith, PNC Bank’s Accessibility Director, to the show. Mr. Stith will explain his long history working for disability awareness and advocacy at PNC Bank and his work with Disability:IN’s Accessibility Leadership Committee.

In recognition of February as Black History Month, Joyce welcomes Evan Frazier, President and CEO of The Advanced Leadership Institute (TALI), back to the show. The Advanced Leadership Institute is an organization aimed at cultivating Black executive leadership to strengthen companies, institutions, and communities. Mr. Frazier will share the latest accomplishments for this organization that works to build African American leaders in the region.

Joyce is looking forward to having as her guest, Shaunda McDill, who joined Pittsburgh Public Theater as Managing Director in February 2023. Previously, she was a Program Officer at The Heinz Endowments, supporting a suite of Pittsburgh-based artists and arts organizations. With her vast background in theater and the arts, Ms. McDill will share her commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the theater and in the arts, as well as Pittsburgh Public Theater’s commitment to the caus...

In recognition of February being Black History Month, Joyce welcomes Nedra Dickson, international/national business leader and disability advocate to the show. Ms. Dickson is Managing Director, Global Supplier Inclusion and Sustainability Programs across 20 countries at Accenture. Accenture is a leading global professional services company, providing a broad range of services in strategy and consulting, interactive, technology and operations, with digital capabilities across all these services. ...

Joyce will be joined by the Honorable Tony Coelho, Author of the America's with Disabilities Act, and the Honorable Valerie Jarrett, CEO of the Obama Foundation. Ms. Jarrett will discuss her feelings about receiving the prestigious Tony Coelho award, recognizing her work in furthering the employment of people with disabilities in America.

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, Manager of Talent Acquisition and Technology with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. to the show. Bender Consulting Services takes its motto: “Paychecks Not Pity” seriously, and Gerald will be discussing with Joyce the company’s aggressive search and recruitment plans for 2024 so that more qualified people with disabilities obtain competitive employment.

Joyce welcomes Bob Kafka, a disability rights leader and former national organizer of American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today (ADAPT) to the show. He will discuss his life-long advocacy on behalf of all Americans with disabilities to live productive lives, independently.

Joyce welcomes back Lachi, recording artist, cultural activist, and go-to voice on disability culture in the music industry through her work on the GRAMMYs Board and as founder of RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities). Joining Lachi, will be Arthur Gwynne, her operations manager, sighted companion, makeup artist, and cane designer. Arthur stepped away from his career in executive search at the AESC to work full time for Lachi. Both guests will discuss how they have ...

Joyce is excited to start 2024 with the returning champion of competitive employment for Americans with disabilities, David Holmberg, President, and CEO of Highmark Health and Chairman of the Board, Highmark, Inc. Mr. Holmberg launched an initiative in 2020 to hire 30 people with disabilities from Bender Consulting Services to honor the 30th anniversary of the signing of the ADA, called the Highmark 30/30. He and all of Highmark have continued this practice every year since 2020. During the show...

Joyce welcomes back to the show, Maria Town, President & CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD); Holly O’Donnell, President & CEO, Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; and Peri Jude Radecic, CEO, Disability Rights Pennsylvania. The guests will explain what each of their agencies do and discuss the importance of the upcoming 2024 election and the progress of the REV UP campaign to engage voters for 2024 as we approach next year’s election.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Cindy Maro from Cranberry Holistic Pet Care in Cranberry, PA. Dr. Maro will discuss the holistic approach to veterinary medicine that her staff practices when treating pets.

Joyce welcomes Steph Andrews, writer, worship leader, and songwriter based in Pittsburgh, PA. Her words, whether sung or written, are rooted in 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, a passage that emphasizes the freedom, intimacy, and transformation that is only possible through a relationship with Jesus. She will share her passion for writing and performing music and the role that her faith played in leading her on that career path.