Disability Deep Dive

We'll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we're releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month, we bring you our 14 th episode, Accessibility in Florida Prisons. This episode was originally released on November 21, 2017, when Disability Rights Florida was suing the Florida Department...

We'll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we're releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month we bring you "The Right to Recovery." This episode was originally released on February 21, 2017. Since then, we've done two more episodes on related topics: episode 10 on Peer Support and ep...

We'll be back with new episodes in April, so until then we'll be releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that still ring true today. This month, we present our fifth episode, titled Supported Decision-Making. This episode was originally published on December 15, 2016, and supported decision-making, or SDM for short, is now going strong in Florida and many other parts of the US. Ou...

In this episode, Jordan Kuveke-Guyton, a Veteran's Affairs Accredited Attorney with Chad Barr Law, and Ann Siegel, the Legal Director at Disability Rights Florida, discuss options available to veterans with disabilities, many of which you might not be aware of. Not only are there benefits and discounts veterans can qualify for, but there are a number of services and rights protections that can pro...

In this episode of You First , we talk to Angela Muir Van Etten . Angela just published her third book, Always an Advocate , which is full of both practical advocacy advice and many interesting stories. There will always be a need for advocates and, Always an Advocate offers hope for those who are skeptical about changing the discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities. Links: Angela's bo...

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In this episode of the You First podcast, we wanted to bring some awareness to a group right here in Florida that created some amazing resources to help people with disabilities find and keep quality employment. To talk much more about that are my guests: Danielle McGill , the founder of Empower Possibilities and a disability consultant, a...

In Episode 23 of the You First podcast, we talked about the representation of people with disabilities in the media, how that has evolved over the years, improving in some ways, but more often still faltering with poor and inaccurate portrayals of people with disabilities in popular media. A great point that was brought up was one of the best ways to combat these issues was for people with disabil...

When you hear the word "clubhouse," what do you think of? For somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million people with mental illness, they think of a clubhouse as a place to gather regularly to reduce isolation, gain important skills and resources, and is an integral part of recovery. My three guests today will tell us more. They are Debra Webb , Executive Director of the Key Clubhouse of South Florid...

In this episode of You First , we talk to Annie Segarra, James Rath, and Rikki Poynter . They discuss the accessibility obstacles they encounter, recount the joys and challenges of sharing vulnerable stories on the internet, and share what disability pride means to them. Links: Annie Segarra's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/theannieelainey James Rath's YouTube Channel: https://www.y...

In this episode of  You First , we talk to Disability Rights Florida's  Tony DePalma and Olivia Babis to discuss the 2021 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony review a number of important bills that were presented to the legislature, challenges we faced related to the pandemic, and what did and did not pass this session. NOTE: at the time of recording this episode, Governor Ron DeSantis ha...

In this episode of You First , we look at COVID-19 through the lens of mental health. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) was identified years before the pandemic, along with great strategies to reduce the chances that someone in intensive care would develop complications related to it. But COVID-19 has changed that, as ICUs became overcrowded and staff overtaxed. Our guest is Dr. Megan Hosey from...

In this episode of You First , let's talk about saving the planet! We can fight climate change by eliminating all single-use plastics and walking to get where you need to go – that will save us all! But will it? Or does thinking like that make you an eco-ableist by not considering the needs of people with disabilities? Our first guest is Elizabeth Wright , a writer, activist, keynote and TEDx spea...

In the fifth episode of the You First podcast, we heard from Michael Lincoln-McCreight about something new in Florida called Supported Decision-Making (SDM). Much has changed with SDM and Mike in the four years since then, and he's back to give us some updates. We also talk to Viviana Bonilla López and Tyler Burns . Viviana is an attorney at Disability Rights Florida who coordinates the SDM projec...

Our guests on this episode of You First are Beth Haller and Jeff Preston , both of whom are university professors, authors, and experts on disability in the media. They discuss what's been done right and wrong with the portrayal of people with disabilities in film and TV, the impact of streaming platforms on the movement, and why Sia's new movie, "Music," is a disaster. Referenced in the episode:...

I have experienced weight stigma throughout my life, but had never heard the term or understood exactly how it affected me. After speaking to Shira Collings, I know much more about weight stigma: what it is, where it comes from, and how it can affect mental health. Listen to learn more, and register for our upcoming free webinar on weight stigma . Resources: Food Psych podcast Body Respect book Th...

In this fun episode of You First , we talk to Marika Devin , owner of the Clumsy Girl Travels blog. Marika discusses her experiences traveling with a hidden disability, offers practical travel advice to others, and tells us about the time she ate a lamb's head in Iceland. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted assistive technology (AT) access and training, especially for students with disabilities. In this episode of You First, we talk to Ana Nevares of FAAST and Gerry Altamirano of the University of Florida to learn more about the benefits of AT for students with disabilities, how COVID-19 has impacted AT, and what students and parents can do to overcome it.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and to recognize that, this episode of You First is all about barriers to employment. Disability Rights Florida advocates Wendy Vance, Victor Panoff, Howard Bell, and Allison Klein explore numerous barriers to employment, beginning with school-age issues all the way to challenges in the workplace, and how they can each be overcome.

In this special episode of You First , we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disability Rights Florida staff members Barb Page, Juli Pack, Curtis Filaroski, Ann Robinson, Andrea Jenkins, and Olivia Babis discuss the impact the ADA has had on them, how things might be different without the ADA, and what still needs to be accomplished even 30 years later.

In the second part of this episode of  You First , we conclude our conversation with Disability Rights Florida's  Olivia Babis  and  Tony DePalma  as they discuss the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony explore several key bills that were presented to the legislature, the outcome of those bills, and their impact on Floridians with disabilities. For more information about the 2019 Leg...

In this episode of  You First , we talk to Disability Rights Florida's Olivia Babis and Tony DePalma to discuss the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony explore several key bills that were presented to the legislature, the outcome of those bills, and their impact on Floridians with disabilities. For more information about the 2019 Legislative Session, visit www.disabilityrightsflorida...

In this episode of  You First , our panel discusses the ins and outs of transitioning from one facility to another. First, we hear from Deborah Linton , Chief Executive Officer of The Arc of Florida, who provides an overview of the process and gives us some helpful resources. Next,  Bonnie Carr , who, with her daughter Sara, went through the process of transitioning from one facility to another, t...

In this episode of  You First , we talk to Disability Rights Florida staff members  Nately Alvarez  and  Lauren Eversole . Nately and Lauren explain what Extended School Year (ESY) is, who is eligible, and strategies to help parents of children in Special Education acquire appropriate ESY services.  

In this episode of  You First , we talk to David Boyer , Director of Investigations at Disability Rights Florida, and  Molly Paris , Assistant Director at Florida Lawyers Assistance. David and Molly discuss how prisoners with disabilities were not receiving the same access to programs and services that other prisoners were receiving, and what Disability Rights Florida did to remedy those oversight...

In this episode of  You First , we talk to Barb Page and Lisa Kinser , two Senior Advocates at Disability Rights Florida that provide assistance for clients with service animal issues. Lisa and Barb discuss the different types of assistance a service animal can provide, what the laws are regarding housing and places of business, and taking your service animal on airlines and other forms of public...