KPFA - Pushing Limits

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...

In the midst of a national outcry against ICE tactics, an organization supporting people living with developmental disabilities is speaking out. The response to tactics used by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including abuse against both immigrants and native-born residents, is growing larger and louder. Jordan Lindsey The ARC of California’s board of directors has joined...

Record scratch — your favorite DJ is back on the turntables! Join Denny Daughters on Pushing Limits this Friday for another edition of Musicians With All Types of Disabilities, a spotlight on artists whose talent and impact span genres and generations. This time we feature performers connected to blindness, dyslexia, multiple sclerosis, and bulimia nervosa. Denny digs deep into his music collectio...

How do new technologies, shifting laws, and global politics affect the lives of disabled people — sometimes in ways we don’t see coming? Pushing Limits continues its coverage of breaking developments in the disability community. This week, we look at the growing role of artificial intelligence in schools, state budget concerns, and new disability-related laws. Also under the microscope is the ling...

What defined disability in the headlines this past year — progress, controversy, or both? Bob Kafka This Friday, Pushing Limits looks back at some of the most talked-about moments in the disability world. From a clergyman seeking a federal lawsuit after preaching that disabled people shouldn’t marry, to the mixed bag of disability policy coming out of California’s state government. And we’ll dig i...

What happens when disabled artists, activists, and scholars finally have a space of their own? Pushing Limits radio presents its first program featuring the San Francisco Disability Cultural Center. This new venue will host a wide range of activities—from art exhibits and “café crip check-ins” to a collective quilt and a space for disabled and disgruntled academics to air it all out. Plus, the ren...

Andrea Jones Klein What happens when the fight for justice isn’t accessible to everyone — even the people doing the organizing? And how often do we overlook disabilities we can’t see, but that profoundly shape who gets to show up? Join Pushing Limits this Friday as we talk with social justice organizer Andrea Jones Klein. For more than five years, Andrea has worked at the intersections of climate...

What really happened behind the scenes at Pushing Limits in 2025? In our end-of-the-year special, host Denny Daughters turns the questions on the Pushing Limits crew themselves. What did they love about this year? What did they learn? And what are they hoping for in the year to come? But that’s not all! Don’t miss the montage of all the guests from last year. Plus, hidden in this special is a secr...

How do we build a city where seniors and disabled people don’t just survive, but actually thrive? And what does it take for an organization to stay ahead of the curve when so many in our community are struggling for housing, transportation, and basic dignity? Shaya French Join Pushing Limits as we sit down with Shaya French, Director of Organizing for Senior and Disability Action — a long-standing...

How accessible is your daily commute, really? And when public transportation falls short, who’s out there fighting to fix it? Join us on this week’s Pushing Limits as Denny Daughters interviews Warren Cushman, a systems change advocate with Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) in Hayward. Warren shares the work he’s doing with the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, as well as his...