Accessibility Now: Stories About Disability Rights in Georgia

Idaho SILC director Mel Leviton joins Accessibility Now to explain the often-misunderstood work of State Independent Living Councils and why cuts to home and community-based services put everyone at risk of institutionalization. Along the way she shares how becoming a wheelchair user reshaped her sense of self, the small moment of peer mentorship that became her turning point, and what young disab...

Tiffany Yearwood, Emergency Management Director for Charlton County, Georgia, joins Accessibility Now to break down what real disaster readiness looks like for people with disabilities. She walks through how to build a personalized go bag, why the 72-hour rule matters more than any generic checklist, and why signing up for your county's voluntary disability registry can be a lifeline before you ev...

Victor McRae, Housing Policy Coordinator for the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, joins host Matt Shedd to break down the current housing landscape for people with disabilities across the state. Victor walks through practical resources, from LIHTC-funded developments and Housing Choice Vouchers to the Georgia Housing Search tool — and shares an honest assessment of where Georgia is...

In this episode, Ester DuRante, Assistant Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, shares how organizations across the state are building partnerships to close critical gaps in emergency preparedness for people with disabilities. From the response to Hurricane Helene to outdated federal training materials, Ester breaks down where the system falls short and what real collabo...

In this episode of Accessibility Now, Parker Glick shares how a youth advisory council in Florida pulled him into disability advocacy and the independent living movement. Parker talks about working in Centers for Independent Living, serving with SILCGA, and helping young disabled leaders find their own voices. He also tells a powerful story about a car accident that nearly pushed him into a nursin...

In this episode of Accessibility Now, we speak with Lee Ann Pendergrass, who became the first Statewide Independent Living Coordinator for Georgia’s Division of Rehabilitation Services in the 1990s. Lee Ann worked closely with the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA) during its formation and played a behind-the-scenes but crucial role in shifting power and funding directly to c...

In this heartfelt tribute, members of Georgia’s independent living community gather to celebrate the life and leadership of Shelly Simmons, the late Executive Director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA). Through powerful reflections, they share how Shelly’s compassion, wisdom, and advocacy shaped their lives and the future of disability rights in Georgia. Featuring:Bec...

In this episode of Accessibility Now, recorded live at the 2025 National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) Conference in Washington, D.C., we share conversations with disability advocates from across the United States. Each guest talks about the work they are doing in their communities to advance accessibility, equity, and independent living. You will hear about advocacy on women’s health and a...

On this episode of Accessibility Now, we speak with Tiffany Clifford, a longtime leader in Georgia’s independent living movement. She recounts her early days at Walton Options and reflects on the critical role the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA) played in expanding independent living services throughout the state. Tiffany also provides a clear explanation of how SILCs and...

In this special 30th anniversary episode, Pat Puckett, former longtime executive director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia (SILCGA), reflects on the early years of the Independent Living movement in Georgia. From the humble beginnings of a rented office funded out-of-pocket to the historic Olmstead Supreme Court decision, Pat shares the defining moments that helped shape serv...

In this episode of the SILCGA podcast, we talk with Kip Slade, a seasoned advocate and grant manager with decades of experience in disability employment initiatives. Kip discusses the evolution of customized employment, the importance of self-employment for people with disabilities, and the funding mechanisms that make these opportunities possible. He also addresses the potential threats to disabi...

Join us for the SILCGA end-of-the-year retrospective podcast as we celebrate the progress and challenges of Georgia’s Independent Living Movement in 2024. Hear from SILCGA staff as they share updates about expanding services, improving accessibility, and building a more inclusive future. Together, we reflect on the milestones of the past year and look ahead to exciting opportunities in 2025.

In this episode, Victor McRae shares his journey from experiencing vision loss as a child to becoming an advocate for accessible housing in Georgia. Victor discusses his work with the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, where he tackles housing disparities for people with disabilities. He reflects on the systemic challenges, such as geographic resource gaps and rising housing costs, t...

Jordan Hall, the Mobility coordinator for the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, has personally encountered obstacles to mobility and transportation as a person who uses a motor wheelchair. She discusses with us her path to this position of mobility coordinator at SILCGA, and how being hired was an introduction to the resources provided by Centers for Independent Living, which she ha...

Dana Lloyd, an advocate with the Georgia Advocacy Office, shares her journey into the vital civil rights work of advocating for people with disabilities. From her early days of providing direct support to her current role as a Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities (PADD) advocate, Dana discusses the evolution of mindsets about the disability community and how thes...

Jimmy Peterson is the Executive Director of the Georgia Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and he is also a person who is deaf himself. We discuss the advocacy and services they provide to Georgians and how translation is the number one need for the deaf and hard of hearing community. Additionally, he shares insights on what people with hearing should know about communicating with deaf indiv...

In this episode, we dive into the journey of Garrick Scott, the Executive Director of Multiple Choices in Athens, Georgia. Born with retinitis pigmentosa, Scott shares how his vision loss led him to become a passionate advocate for the disability community. Through initiatives like accessible transportation and community-building events, Multiple Choices under Scott's leadership, is innovating...

Living Independence for Everyone, the Savannah-based CIL serving Coastal Georgia, is growing strong. They’re making new hires, building new inroads into the community and practicing truly active listening with their consumers. We spoke with three of their staff, Executive Director Neil Ligon, Associate Director Angel Denardi, and Students for LIFE coordinator Maggie Meade, about the work they’re d...

The Georgia Advocacy Office is a key player in the fight for independent living. They lead accessibility and advocacy initiatives, take on cases, and spearhead investigations into disability rights issues. We sat down with Cheri Mitchell, a GAO advocate specializing in housing, to talk about her 18-year career, her philosophy, and her organization’s work toward making life in Georgia better for al...

For many of our episodes of Accessibility Now, we've consulted the expertise of SILCGA's executive director Shelly Simmons. Finally, we've spoken with Shelly about her own story — from California to Georgia, from TV commercial production to disability advocacy — as part of our new segment, States of Accessibility, that will profile the directors of SILCs in each state.

Phoenix Station, a new affordable housing project by LDG, will be an apartment complex in Decatur, just outside downtown Atlanta. It's on track for completion in 2024, with applications opening December 2023. Unlike most affordable housing, 30% of its units will be mobility-accessible, and all units will have the "bones" for easy conversion for accessibility needs. We talked to Shell...

For the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia created Inclusion , a comprehensive and compelling look at the legacy of the struggle for disability rights. We sat down with Ty Hunt, director of Inclusion , to talk about his experiences prior to the project and how it's changed him in the time since.

Disability Connections, the Center for Independent Living in Macon, Georgia, has built a strong digital media presence over the last few years. With their online communities, virtual courses, podcasts and more, they might just be a 21st-century vision of independent living. We spoke with executive Director Michael Leverett and two more traditional, analog consumers, Kimberly Harrell and Debra Davi...

Unlock 2.0 is a coalition of organizations fighting for change through legislative action on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDDs. Much of the resources that help people with IDDs live fulfilling lives are tied up in state programs like Medicaid — that requires activists to change the minds of budget-conscious legislators, telling stories and presenting data i...

What are some of the ways people with disabilities experience discrimination on a daily basis, and how can we start to address those forms of discrimination? To begin answering those questions, we’re featuring a conversation with Dr. Sue ElHessen, an educator and activist in California specializing in Disability Rights, speaking to us about the topic of ableism. This is a form of discrimination si...