Disability Deep Dive

In this episode of You First , hosts Maddie and Keith dive into disability voting rights and the upcoming 2024 election with experts Michelle Bishop, Monica Wiley, and Jack Rosen from the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN). The discussion explores voting accessibility, challenges faced by disabled voters, and new support resources in Florida. Emphasis is placed on the importance of local el...

In this episode of You First , hosts Keith and Maddie interview Matthew Cortland, a Senior Resident Fellow at Data for Progress. Matthew shares insights about their work in public opinion research and advocacy focused on disability issues and social policies. They discuss their personal journey, including challenges with the healthcare system, and explain how data is used to influence policy decis...

In this episode of the  You First  Podcast, hosts Maddie and Keith talk with disabled activist and attorney Marissa Ditkowsky about the challenges and inequities faced by disabled women in healthcare, employment, and financial freedom. Marissa discusses her role as Disability Economic Justice Council at the National Partnership for Women and Families and shares insights on systemic oppression, the...

In this episode of the You First Podcast, hosts Keith and Maddie interview Cara Reedy , founder and director of the Disabled Journalists Association. Cara shares her journey from political science and theater to journalism, spending ten years at CNN. She discusses the challenges of being disabled in the newsroom, toxic productivity, and the systemic ableism in the journalism industry. Cara then ex...

Content warning: mentions of suicide, assisted suicide, and medical violence against people with disabilities. In this compelling episode of the You First  podcast, hosts Maddie and Keith continue their in-depth interview with Anita Cameron , a prominent activist in the disability rights movement. They explore Anita's role at Not Dead Yet, focusing on their work against assisted suicide and their...

On this episode of You First , we talk with the fantastic disability rights activist Anita Cameron . Anita was, and still is, a core reason why we have disability rights today. They were an early adopter of disability rights and justice advocacy and heavily involved and a leader of the organization ADAPT (known throughout the years as American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit or American Dis...

In this unique episode of You First, hosts Maddie and Keith share a personal and insightful discussion about Long Covid and its effects on everyday life. Initially delayed due to Maddie's Long Covid flare-up, this episode takes a candid and casual approach to a serious topic, highlighting symptoms, the politicization of masking, and the ongoing pandemic. The conversation takes an unexpected yet co...

Today's episode features disability and artificial intelligence (AI) experts Larry Weru, Ariana Aboulafia, and Jennifer Gray. AI has been around for years, but things changed when OpenAI released ChatGPT. Since then, the news around AI has increased a lot. AI is more than just a chatbot responder; it can be used in many different ways. We talk with the guests about how AI impacts people with disab...

This podcast episode features Andrew Pulrang and Gregg Beratan , prominent figures in disability advocacy and social change. Their pioneering initiative, #CripTheVote, created alongside Alice Wong, has been important in raising awareness about the political power of disabled citizens and sparking meaningful conversations about disability, politics, and activism. Through their efforts, Pulrang and...

In this episode of You First , co-hosts Keith and Maddie speak with Indigenous activist and disability rights leader Vesper Moore about the Mad Movement, psychiatric survivorship, and envisioning a future of collective care. Vesper, deeply involved in mental health and disability rights activism, discusses their work in altering perceptions and legislation surrounding mental health both nationally...

In today's episode, we are joined by two international disability advocates, Rosangela Berman Bieler and Patricia Almeida . During our conversation, we discuss the importance and impact of global disability policy and rights work, including their work with the UN and UNICEF. They also discuss how other countries compare to the US regarding disability progress and inclusion, global accessibility in...

In this week's episode, co-hosts Keith and Maddie talk with The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies' Co-Directors Shaylin Sluzalis & Germán Parodi . The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership) is the only U.S. disability-led, 501(c)(3) organization that prioritizes equity, access, disability rights, disability justice, and full inclusion of people with disabilitie...

In this episode of You First , we talk with Jen White-Johnson (she/they), a renowned artist, educator, and disability activist who uses the arts as a medium to champion the life, joy, and experiences of the disabled and neurodivergent community. Jen discusses their journey as someone diagnosed with ADHD later in life, the barriers for disabled Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) to gett...

Two Disability Rights Florida education advocates, April Katine and Daysi Ortiz , join Keith in education planning for students with disabilities. The three discuss the importance of individual education plans (IEPs) and transition planning and offer tips on how parents can more effectively find success throughout the process. Tune in to learn about the various services available under IEP, how to...

In this episode of You First , hosts Keith and Maddie talk with guests Neal Carter, Jess Moore Matthews, Sarah Blahovec, and Dom Kelly about disability-inclusive campaigning, strategies to reach disabled voters, and the significance of accessible elections. Today's episode is not about any specific candidates or voting laws. Instead, we focus on the broader culture of political campaigns, explorin...

In this episode of You First , hosts Keith and Maddie discuss the impact of language on disability rights and inclusion with advocates Lawrence Carter-Long , Damian Gregory , and Laura-Lee Minutello . The conversation highlights the #SayTheWord disability campaign, personal experiences with disability-related language, government services, marketing, and legislation affecting the disability commun...

In this bonus episode, You First Podcast host Maddie talks with 5 guests about various legal and medical precedents that have led to the division between the disability and LGBTQ+ communities. The history between the LGBTQ+ community and the disability community is often at odds with each other. Historically, LGBTQ+ identities were viewed as mental illnesses, and many within the LGBTQ+ community r...

In this episode, guests Ashley Shew and Mallory Kay Nelson discuss the concept of technoableism, the history of disability and technology, and the importance of involving disabled people when developing new technologies. They highlight the challenges surrounding the definition of disability, the impact of assistive technology on people with disabilities, and the potential problems that may arise d...

In this episode, co-hosts Maddie and Keith talk with Dr. William Bronston and Marlene Sallo about Willowbrook State School, its exposé, and its impact on the disability rights movement. The episode starts with our conversation with Dr. Bronston, a doctor who worked at Willowbrook and ultimately was vital in the lawsuit against New York State, ultimately officially closing the institution in 1987....

You First podcast co-hosts Keith and Maddie are joined by disability activists and legal scholars AJ Link, Jalyn Radziminski, and Haley Moss, who identify as neurodiverse and disabled. They shared their personal stories and insights about their experiences with law school, advocacy, careers, and more. The guests discussed how their unique perspectives benefit and challenge them in their work and h...

In this episode of You First, we chat with our friend Beck DeTrempe who is doing some awesome peer led community building in Florida. They founded Basically Wonderful, which is a grassroots organization run by Queer + Disabled folks in Orlando, Florida, USA. Their mission reads: Our hope is to create peer-led spaces for marginalized communities where folks are free to express themselves and build...

With one of their favorite holidays just around the corner, co-hosts Maddie and Keith delve into a serious discussion on using disability as a tool for instilling fear in others, all in the name of Halloween fun. From dressing up in offensive costumes to visiting eerie museums and reopened haunted institutions, the hosts explore how disability history and the disabled community have been intention...

On today's episode, we chat with the co-hosts of The Accessible Stall podcast, Emily Ladau and Kyle Khachadurian! These two disabled podcasting stars were some of the first podcasters with disabilities when they got their start in 2016. They are both strong advocates for disability, accessibility, and the power of story-telling. They join Keith and Maddie to discuss why they began podcasting, what...

As we head back to school in a few weeks, we wanted to highlight our new Transition Toolkit. Transition is a term to describe when youth are moving into a new phase of life. Think about big transitioning moments in your life growing up: going to middle school, trying to get a job, or being able to vote. The Transition Toolkit has timely, helpful information regarding education plans, like IEPs or...

Guest Dr. Anita Marshall joins hosts Keith and Maddie to talk about her work to make STEM more accessible for students with disabilities. As someone who acquired a disability later in life, she realized how ableist and inaccessible higher education really was. Anita created the first-ever disability-accessible planetary geoscience field course and mentoring program, GeoSPACE, and is the Executive...