National Disability Radio

On this episode of National Disability Radio , we sit down with award-winning recording artist, advocate, and author Lachi for a powerful conversation about disability pride, music, and unmasking. Lachi shares her journey, from navigating the music industry as a blind artist, to founding RAMPD, a coalition amplifying disability culture across the industry. We talk about what it means to say “I ide...

On this episode of National Disability Radio , we sit down with award-winning recording artist, advocate, and author Lachi for a powerful conversation about disability pride, music, and unmasking. Lachi shares her journey, from navigating the music industry as a blind artist, to founding RAMPD, a coalition amplifying disability culture across the industry. We talk about what it means to say “I ide...

Alden Blevins, the newest host of National Disability Radio, has a personal journey with autism and ADHD that has shaped her perspective on disability rights and advocacy. Alden was misdiagnosed with anxiety and depression as a child, and did not receive the correct diagnosis of autism and ADHD until her late 20s. Alden describes her experience navigating the workplace and healthcare systems as an...

Jack is going off to law school. So the gang sits down to reminisce on his time at NDRN, share a few stories from behind the scenes, and hear a joke from Stephanie that gets a good laugh out of us. Full transcript available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-august25/ Jack Rosen: Like we have any sort of agenda for today, so just sort of going to get what I get. Turn that into a podcast, I gues...

We wrap up our series on the battle for the passage of the ADA with none other than Senator Tom Harkin. Senator Harkin was the lead sponsor of the ADA in the Senate and has spent his career being a steadfast ally to the disability community. In this interview we talk to him about what that was like, where we need to go from here, and he even stumps us with a bit of disability rights trivia. Full t...

On part two of our series commemorating the fight for the passage of the ADA, we have on long time activist Jim Dickson. Jim talks with us about the challenges they faced in getting the ADA passed, what changes he’d still like to see, and surprises us with a fun story about a former guest and friend of the podcast.   Full transcript available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-jim-di...

To kick off our series highlighting the fight for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act we have on NDRN’s founder and former Executive Director Curt Decker. Curt tells us about how the disability community came together to make sure no one was left out of the protections of the ADA and warns us about the downsides of helping getting major legislation passed in summertime in DC....

After three years, Jack has finally gotten Stephanie and Michelle to do an episode about sports. And not just any sport, but golf. In this episode we sit down with Josh Basile, Andrew Mitchell, and Kate Strickland to talk about AdapTee Golf, what it means to reclaim sports as a person with a disability, and how to play the ninth hole at Sligo Creek Golf Course. Learn more about AdapTee Golf at: ht...

Congress? The budget? What’s the whole deal there? You asked, we brought someone on who answered! NDRN’s Deputy Executive Director for Public Policy Eric Buehlmann came on the podcast to explain what’s going on with the budget and how it impacts the funding NDRN and the Protection and Advocacy network receives. Full Transcript Available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-may25...

This episode we had on Taylor Easley for Social Work Month. Taylor talks about her experiences earning a social work degree and how social work overlaps with the disability rights movement. Link to full transcript: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-mar25 Michelle Bishop: I’m not usually the recorder, so God knows. We’ll just start having a conversation and nothing will be recording. Ja...

Friend of the pod and NDRN colleague Monica Wiley joins us to talk about the role models that inspired her own activism. Full Transcript Available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-feb25/ Stephanie Flynt McEben: All righty, folks, so we have the pleasure and privilege to sit down with one of our lovely colleagues, Monica Wiley who is going to, talk about Fannie Lou Hamer and the contributions...

Friend of the pod and NDRN alumni Ian Watlington get’s back on his advocacy horse to talk to us about the impact sudden weather events like the recent DC blizzard can have on folks with disabilities. Full Transcript available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-jan25/   Jack Rosen: Yeah, I guess we’re just doing this. We don’t know where Michelle is. She has abandoned us....

The gang celebrates the holidays with a slightly disorganized episode talking about our holiday traditions and how we’re celebrating this year. Sort of featuring special guest Quinn McEben.   Link to our Bonfire shop: https://www.bonfire.com/store/national-disability-rights-network/ Stephanie Flynt McEben: Well, hello, podcast listeners of the universe. We are doing a different episode...

Coming to you live tomorrow on YouTube, we’re doing a live Election Day special!   Transcript: [Heavy rock music plays in background] Coming live this Election Day. It’s the National Disability Radio live election special! Featuring Michelle Bishop, Stephanie Flynt, guide dog Nala, Jake Rosen, maybe Stephanie’s wife, Quinn if Stephanie’s working from home that day. She...

On this episode celebrating National Disability Employment Month we have a double header! First up we interview the team managing the Financial Access, Inclusion & Resources (FAIR) Program at Disability Rights Louisiana. Members of the team include Carolyn LeBrane Tilton, MPH, MDiv, who serves as Program Manager, and Case Managers Alexander Andréson and Lauren Sanchez. They together to support...

Things are a bit upside down on this episode. Our producer, Jack Rosen, is one of the guests this time, so David Card is a guest host (he’s guesting as a host, Jack is guesting as a guest). They are joined by Monica Wiley (also a guest) and Michelle Bishop (still a host) to discuss “Accessing Democracy” a documentary short directed by Jack and staring Monica focused on voters wit...

Paralympic medalist and World Games record holder Sandy Hanebrink joins us to talk about her journey from St. Louis to the 1996 games in Atlanta. We discuss how the treatment of Paralympic athletes has progressed and where more investment needs to be made in athletes with disabilities.   You can find Sandy at:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandy-hanebrink-otr-l-24432029 To find out more about...

Amy Scherer joins us for her fourth appearance on the pod to discuss her work covering the US Olympic Gymnastics trials, and the accessibility challenges she’s faced both at the events themselves and while traveling for them. Check out Amy’s coverage at: https://www.intlgymnast.com/ Full transcript available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-july24/ Stephanie Flynt: Do I just start...

A summer heat wave can’t stop our intrepid podcasters. In this episode, the gang (well Michelle and Jack) goes abroad! From Brussels, Michelle interviews Alejandro Moledo, the Deputy Director and Head of Policy of the European Disability Forum. Then, Jack conducts our spotlight interview from a hotel lobby in Spain, where he speaks with Mercedes Lopez Miranda about her experiences being a pe...

In this (mini?) episode the gang interviews Stephanie’s wife Quinn McEben about their work as a mental health care nurse, and how mental healthcare can better serve the disability community. Also we talk a lot about their wedding. Full transcript available at: https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-may24/ Jack Rosen: Can we talk for a minute about how we got on some sort of press release mailing...

In what is (potentially*) the start of an ongoing series, this month we’re joined by our own Rebecca Shaeffer for a discussion of what people with disabilities experience in the carceral system, how they disproportionately end up there, and what we can do to support returning citizens.   *This is contingent on us being organized enough to do that.   Full transcript available at htt...

On this episode of National Disability Radio, we sit down with three women leaders in the disability rights movement, Marlene Sallo (NDRN), Maria Town (AAPD) and Robin Troutman (NACDD) for a discussion about the challenges of being a disabled woman in a leadership position, the challenges of balancing work and caretaking, and even the Barbie movie.   Full Transcript at: https://www.ndrn.org/r...

On this episode of National Disability Radio we sit down with author Jules Sherred, who wrote the cookbook “Crip Up the Kitchen” about how he rediscovered his love of cooking after finding a way to make it accessible. Then we are joined by Natalie Alden from Disability Rights Florida, who speaks about her experiences traveling as a person with a disability. Finally, Stephanie tries a n...

We’ve got a new name, National Disability Radio! But the hosting team is still here, and we aren’t giving up on the puns. And of course since it’s November we are talking all things voting. NDRN’s Voter Engagement Specialist Monica Wiley joins us on this.   Full transcript available at https://www.ndrn.org/resource/ndr-nov23/   Michelle Bishop: All right. Sorry. A...

We open up the vault to revisit guest host Amy Scherer’s previous interview with Liz Weintraub, where Liz discussed her journey from a sheltered workshop to a Senior Advocacy Specialist on the Public Policy team at the Association of University Centers on Disabilities. Then, we go back to the future, as Stephanie tells Jack and Michelle about White Cane Awareness Day. Check out Liz’s v...