KPFA - Pushing Limits

This Friday on Pushing Limits, we’re continuing our journey through The History of Adaptive Technology for the Blind — Part 2!  Denny Daughters talks with Mike Tanner about the technology that helped transform everyday life for blind people from the 1990s into the early 2000s. They’ll talk about computers, screen readers, MS-DOS, Windows 95, scanning software, and some more gadgets that made infor...

  Brooks Benson In the U.S. over 38 million individuals live with diabetes and, in California, more than 10% the adult population live with the disease.  On the 27th of this month, the Tour de Cure bike race fundraiser takes off from Palo Alto.  It’s 670 people and 63 teams of bicyclists.  It’s speed, glamour, endurance and many contestants with diabetes. But, what happens when the excitement is o...

A wheelchair isn’t just a way to get around. To a dancer, it’s also a tool for creating art, movement, and beauty.  As AXIS Dance approaches its 40th year of dance performance, the venerable East Bay dance organization will be featured in the Sept. 4 edition of Pushing Limits. For four decades, AXIS has delighted national audiences by showing how chairs on wheels can be every bit as graceful, expr...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently has 65,765 people locked in their detention warehouses. We wondered how many were disabled and what the conditions are for them. We wanted to find out what is being done to keep people out of detention centers in the first place. We went looking. A team of disability advocates visited ICE detention centers throughout California to advocate f...

We call our news highlight program Disability in MAGA Land. That’s because, frankly, the news for people with disabilities these days is almost completely related to bad decisions by the right-wing Trump Administration. But sometimes… Sometimes, we see the world differently than many other lefty KPFA listeners and programmers. In this program for instance, we join Canadian conservatives to raise a...

The current state of disability rights wouldn’t be what it is without the rich history and the strong individuals who pushed the movement forward. But what about the future? Who is propelling us into the next era of disability rights?   Ryan Manriquez On this week’s program, Dominick Trevethan attempts to answer that question by interviewing two of his peers. His guests, Ryan Manriquez and Sarah B...

In 1981, longtime disability activist Jean Stewart guest edited a special issue of the legendary folk music magazine Sing Out!, featuring folk musicians and songwriters whose work explored disability themes. Though Sing Out! is no longer in publication, Jean remains a cherished friend of Pushing Limits and continues her advocacy from her home in El Sobrante. This week, Pushing Limits revisits that...

What did it take for blind people to gain access to computers before modern day screen readers and smartphones? Join Denny Daughters as he talks with Mike Tanner, a blind educator who teaches blind and visually impaired students in Southern California, about the evolution of adaptive technology for the blind.  From the first scanning and reading machines of the 1970s to groundbreaking devices like...

“Sexual violence is not just an issue within the disability community — it’s a defining issue.”   Margaux Sorenson Margaux Sorenson     Nancy Williams-Nettles “Historically the intersectionality of disability and race was overlooked by [both] the civil rights and disability movements.” Nancy Williams-Nettles   What brings them to this understanding and what can we do in response? Hear presentation...

How do you produce radio when you can’t see the screen? Or when you only have the use of a few fingers?  This week on Pushing Limits, producers Dominick Trevethan and Denny Daughters take you behind the microphone to share how they edit audio, produce radio, and overcome barriers using assistive technology and adaptive techniques.  They also discuss why authentic disability representation matters—...

Will we return to the bad old days of existence in substandard hospitals and nursing homes?  Or will we fight to preserve our lives in the community? Sadly, this is not a rhetorical question.   In 1999, the United States Supreme Court passed the Olmstead decision determining that people with disabilities should not be forced into institutions when they can be safely and appropriately supported in...

Jo, who lives with chronic illness, wears the ‘Please Offer Me a Seat’ badge and sunflower lanyard on public transport.  If you’re wondering through the Trump fog, we have some help for you.  There are so many problems, so many alarms, so many changes. . . how can anyone take it all in and get out the front door in the morning. So, today, we bring you key stories of disability in MAGA Land.  We’ve...

We’ve spun a lot of records and told a lot of stories—but there’s still more to discover. And speaking of…   Join Denny Daughters on Friday, June 19, at 2:30 pm for another installment of Musicians With Disabilities. This time, Denny explores the stories and music of artists affected by blindness, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. Discover how these performers continued to create and leave their...

This Friday, Pushing Limits talks to “The Last Person on IHSS.”   This Friday afternoon at 2:30, Pushing Limits presents a radio play entitled “The Last Person on IHSS.”   It’s the year 2036, three years since California eliminated its In-Home Supportive Services program, commonly known as IHSS. Since 1973, this program has allowed people with disabilities to choose the individual they want to ass...

Pushing Limits continues its coverage of disability issues in the Middle East, particularly as tensions and military conflict continue to affect the region.  Hannah Guedenet This Friday, June 5, our focus turns to Lebanon. We’ll examine the state of disability rights in the country, the availability of services and support for people with disabilities, and the challenges faced by the large populat...

Join Denny Daughters this Friday on Pushing Limits. He interviewed Pushing Limits collective member Jacob Stanton on March 21st of this year. At the time, Stanton was a U.S. citizen living in Israel. He shares his experiences living in a foreign country, teaching students English, and what life is like for people with disabilities in Israel. He also discusses a couple of side projects he has been...

Looking for work is tough for anyone, but for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), the barriers can be even higher. This week on Pushing Limits, we take you inside the world of supported employment and the real impact it has on people’s lives.  Jason (left) and Josh (right) Dominick Trevethan and Josh Elwood sit down with Jason Shaw, Director of Supported Employment and J...

The disability community waits fearfully for the hammer to fall from the Big Beautiful Bill’s cuts to MediCal and other state services. Atfuluna’s Community Kitchen in Gaza is run by 20 persons with disabilities, especially hard of hearing, who were trained as cooks. That hammer falls after the mid-term elections, and, as we wait, we’re dealing with a steady drip of bad news – from new cuts in the...

What do Django Reinhardt, Black Sabbath, 211 services, and a fiery take on the military have in common? They’re all coming your way this Friday on Pushing Limits on KPFA.  Host Eddie Ytuarte brings a fast-moving mix of current events, powerful music—from Django Reinhardt to Black Sabbath—and practical information about the 211 phone line and how it can help you access vital community resources. Pl...

What if the reason we know so much about the Beatles isn’t just fandom… but neurodiversity?  Estevan Villegas Tune in to Pushing Limits this Friday as we explore the Beatles through the eyes of people on the autism spectrum. Unlike most musical acts, there are dozens of books and countless YouTube videos documenting everything from flights the band took to specific song takes and tiny studio detai...

What do you do when the hardest part of surviving a stroke isn’t the recovery—but navigating the bureaucratic systems in place meant to help you?  Every year, thousands of Californians rely on IHSS and the Department of Rehabilitation to survive, work, and live independently—but what happens when the system meant to help becomes another barrier? Kevin The Cap This week on Pushing Limits, we talk w...

Tell us again, how Linda McMahon got her job running the Education Department? And, how did she outlast Kristi Noem? Listen this Friday, as we struggle to find nuggets of good news among the recent horrors unleashed on the disability community by the Trump administration. Shelley Berman joins co-host Eddie Ytuarte for the March 20 edition of the Pushing Limits Political Roundup. From disabled peop...

What does it mean to advocate for disability rights on a global stage—and how do different countries approach disability access and inclusion? Saran Tugsjargal Join Pushing Limits this Friday as we talk with Saran Tugsjargal, a student at Rice University who identifies as neurodiverse. In high school, Saran made history as the first student commissioner on the California Advisory Commission on Spe...

A half-hour radio show providing critical coverage of disability issues and bringing the insight of the grassroots disability movement to the general public. The post Pushing Limits – February 27, 2026 appeared first on KPFA.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be afraid of the very foods that are supposed to nourish you because no matter what it is you eat, you get violently ill? To be told “You look healthy”, “Drink more water”, “Sounds like stress” by doctor after doctor so many times that you start to question your own sanity? To lose your job due to your inability to tell your new employer the reason w...