Disability After Dark

Episode Notes In episode 326, I sit down with my friend, songwriter Dani Saldo. We talk about her experiences being a songwriter with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and possibly a Traumatic Brain Injury. We talk about the hustle and grind culture of the music industry and how her disabilities play a role in that, we explore disability grief, talk about talking about disability in music + s...

Episode Notes One of the things that I love doing on this show is hearing people’s journey with disability; how they view it, come to understand it, etc. On episode 325, I sit down with my friend Jeremy Osslund, and he talks about his journey being queer and autistic and he shares why he sees his autism as a super power + so much more. Follow Jeremy’s work here: https://hiddenoasis.space/ Follow m...

Episode Notes The incomparable Judy Heumann, pioneer of disability rights, passed away at 75 years old on March 4, 2023. I had the immeasurable pleasure of interviewing her back in 2020, and I felt it was important to replay this gem of an interview with her for you today instead of anything else. Judy you were a big bright light. Rest in Peace! Thank you for everything. This podcast is powered by...

Episode Notes On Episode 324, I sit down with author Joe Meno, who lives with hearing loss and has written a great book, Book of Extraordinary Tragedies about a family living in Chicago, each dealing with their own journey of disabilities.  I talk with Joe about his own experience of hearing loss and how that made it into one of the characters in this story + so much more.  Enjoy.  Follow Joe’s wo...

Episode Notes On episode 323, I sit down with disabled actor, writer and producer Teal Sherer.  We talk about disabled motherhood, her great show My Gimpy Life, her injury and so much more.  She was so cool and fun to sit down with and I hope you enjoy it!  Follow Teal here: www.tealsherer.com   Follow my work at www.aagurza.com Episode Sponsors: Clone-A-Willy or Clone-A-Pussy all your own and get...

Episode Notes This one is jam-packed as I sit down with co-creators of a great new show out of Australia called Latecomers all about sexuality and disability, starring real live disabled people.  I chat with co-creators Emma and Angus, and I loved talking with them about their work so very much, and I hope you will all tune into Latecomers.  Enjoy! You can watch Latecomers in Australia by going he...

Episode Notes Happy New Year!  On episode 321, I sit down with the President of QCarePlus Quinton Rasberry as we talk about the accessibility and the importance of at home testing kits for HIV and why home delivery of things like PREP is important for the disabled community.  I also give Quinton the opportunity to ask me questions about disability, because I believe that one of the ways that we di...

Episode Notes For holiday time, I wanted to re-release one of my fave episodes over the last few years. My interview w/ my sex worker and friend, Jon Shield in December 2019. We talk about our relationship as client and worker, the importance of sex work and disability + so much more. Enjoy this re-listen if you've heard it before, and enjoy it for the first time if you are just catching up. You c...

Episode Notes On Episode 320, I sit down with disability activist Derek Schmitz as they share with us what it’s like to be 18 and have Cerebral Palsy, but also what it’s like to be queer and disabled.  We talk about queerness and disability, they/them pronouns and their connection to disability, the abject policy failure around Covid & disability + heaps more.  Enjoy! ‘ Follow Derek here: http...

Episode Notes On episode 319, I sit down with my friend and colleague, the multihyphenate, Tiffany Yu, CEO and Founder of Diversability.  We talk about her journey to acceptance of disability, and how there are so many layers to that acceptance that we don’t really explore.  Tiffany and I explore those layers here.  We also talk about what it’s like when family doesn’t acknowledge your work in dis...

Episode Notes BONUS EPISODE!!!! **** On this bonus episode of Disability After Dark, I sit down with my friend and disabled writer EC O’Reilly.  We talk about her new book Who’s Afraid of The Chair? OUT NOVEMBER 25, 2022,  and how it centers around a disabled character and her experiences, but it is also a sexy thriller with the disability experience at its core!  We also talk about her disabiliti...

Episode Notes In episode 318, I sit down with filmmaker and dancer Kelsey Peterson as she shares all about her important new documentary “Move Me” now streaming on the PBS Video App.  We also have a big talk about internalized ableism and how Kelsey is navigating that, 10 years after her accident.  We talk about this, and that Kelsey is still learning so much about disability.  We have a really ra...

Episode Notes On this episode of Disability After Dark, we sit down again with Jeremy Andrew Davis to talk about his experiences of learning he was autistic at 40, what having multiple disabilities is like for him AND we talk about the kind of roles around disability we want to see in movies. Like, what if James Bond were a wheelchair user?  Plus so much more, enjoy!  Follow Jeremy here: https://w...

Episode Notes Happy Turdsday to you friends. On this long-awaited episode of This Shit Is Real, I sit down with Jeremy Andrew Davis as we uncover how poo plays a role in his life.  He shares what it’s like to hold you poo in during a pitch meeting, the stress of poo on a set + so much more!  Enjoy! You can follow Jeremy here: www.jeremyandrewdavis.com   You can sign up to be a part of TSIR by e-ma...

Episode Notes In episode 316 of Disability After Dark, I sit down with my friend Denise DiNoto and we talk about the ways to make healthcare accessible, her role as a Program Manager for the New York State Department of Health and more.  We also talk about her experiences managing her own attendant care and some of our feelings about that & a whole lot more you won’t want to miss!  Follow Deni...

Episode Notes In episode 315 of Disability After Dark, I sit down with Dr. Allison Mitch of Ignite Wellbeing  who is a disabled person with EDS and a physiotherapist among many other things.  We talk about their experience of disability, death cafes and disability, being a disabled parent, finding ways to bring joy to her clients and so much more.  Follow all my links for Disability After Dark (si...

Episode Notes One of the series that we do on this podcast is asking non-disabled queer people to explore what would happen if they became disabled tomorrow. On this episode, I sit down with Hugh Crothers, Founder of Drip as he considers how his life would change with a disability.  We honestly explore how his routines would change; from his morning routine to his sex life with his partner and so...

Episode Notes In the latest installment of Great Flix and Joysticks, I sit down to review one of the most ableist films of the year, Sia’s “Music.” It’s a masterclass in how not to be ableist on film. Featuring neurotypical people playing autistic people, disabled characters almost being institutionalized, and disabled people being used to make able-bodied people fall in love + so much more. Liste...

Episode Notes I watched this trashfire of a film all about a well to-do sorority girl, Carolyn, who falls in love with an intellectually disabled person and can’t deall with it.  Pumpkin is full of ableist slurs, sexual ableism and so much more.  The make the movie all about these people unable to deal with their ableism, and use disability as a dramatic plot point that ruins their able-bodied pri...

Episode Notes This week we look at Bryan Cranston’s “business decision” of a film The Upside, based on a true story (they should have hired a disabled actor) of a wealthy man who gets injured and hires an ex-con as his “life auxiliary”.   Get comfy, cozy and crippled as we see Bryan Cranston crip up, Kevin Hart learn about catheters, wheelchair repair + so much more.  Enjoy!  Follow all my links f...

Episode Notes To kick off our first themed month on Disability After Dark, I decided to do a whole month of the Great Flix & Joystick series that we do here, and I thought what better film to review than Crip Camp!  So grab your popcorn, sleeping bag and your flashlights because we’re off to Camp Jened where we meet a young Judy Heumann, Jim LeBrecht and a slew of important people, who from th...

Episode Notes In episode 309, I sit down with The Grumpy Grammarian, Autumn Tompkins.  We talk about how Autumn got into her job, tokenism and ableism in the workplace, why some mornings we both wake choosing violence.  Autumn shares how SMA plays a role in her life + so much more.  This one was really fun!  Enjoy!  Follow Autumn’s work here: https://grumpygrammarian.com/   Support Disability Afte...

Episode Notes On episode 308, we meet a kinky new friend, Adrianna Garza.  We talk with them about finding accommodations through kink, how kink helped them come to terms with parts of the disability experience and so much more.  Enjoy!  You can follow Adrianna at @misfitsmavis on Instagram.  Support Disability After Dark on Patreon at Patreon.com/DisabilityAfterDark     Apply now to be on Disabil...

Episode Notes On episode 307, I bring you a hilarious story about a perforated bowel on a cruise ship with my new friend, sex therapist and author, Dr. Stefani Goerlich. We talk about all things disability here, along with discussions of deafness, not feeling disabled enough and so much more! This was a fun one! Enjoy! Connect with Dr. Stefani Goerlich here: https://www.stefanigoerlich.com/ You ca...

Episode Notes On episode 306, I sit down with long-time listener and fan of the show, James Geiger.  He shares with us his experiences of living with Cerebral Palsy and a speech impediment, and he highlights some examples of ableism that he experiences as a result.  We also talk about queerness & disability and how ableism plays a role for him there as well + a whole lot more.   Enjoy!  You ca...