The Independent Life

On today’s dojo, Tony’s intention is to take stock in what we’ve talked about on the past Disability Dojo episodes from Season 2. This is Part 1 of his reflections, A-M, on some of the threads we’ve pulled within these dojos, so that we can continue work towards becoming the best version of ourselves possible. Key Takeaways: 00:01:23 Authenticity Being authentic to our true selves as we are delive...

On today’s episode, Tony dives into a conversation with Dave Platt about assistive computing and his journey into making technological devices more accessible for people with disabilities and older adults. Dave teaches user experience engineering at Harvard University Extension School, and at companies all over the world. He is the author of 12 books, and of MSDN Magazine’s monthly back-page colum...

On today’s dojo, Tony talks natural disasters and how we, as a community, respond to them. Anticipating the arrival of Hurricane Ian as it approached Florida’s West Coast, Tony reflects on previous hurricanes that have been met by Florida’s coastline, noting that many are still working to recover and heal from storms from over a decade ago. When it comes to natural disasters, it affects everybody....

Gerry Altamirano is an Inclusion Strategist at Tangible Development. He joins us back on the podcast with an exciting conversation around being socially conscience, civics minded, and philosophically astute. Gerry describes himself as an emotionally intelligent relationship builder who believes in changing people’s hearts and minds by connecting them to their why. On this episode, Tony talks with...

On today’s dojo, Tony reflects on the Autumn Season and the lessons it can bring us as it related to preparations and harvest. The fall season is rich in examples. Tony takes this time to reflect upon the things he’s planted in the days, weeks, and months leading up to this season that would allow for an abundant harvest. If you’re listening to this episode, Tony’s hope is that you can take stock...

Joining us on today’s episode is the one, the only, Jane Johnson. A dear friend and true champion of the Independent Living Network, we welcome Jane back onto the podcast to discuss legislative updates that includes new leadership, new funding opportunities, and keeping the end goal in mind. The Independent Living Network is currently in an expansive phase with opportunities on the horizon that co...

On today’s dojo, Tony talks about having a growing awareness and frame of reference for how to best serve others. He reflects on his recent conversation with Eric Davis, sharing how he has been impacted by him and his work, without prior communications or correspondences. As a result, Tony expresses how it has influenced the way he sees the world. Eric’s openness was so authentic and illuminating...

On part two of Tony’s conversation with Eric and Mark, he dives right into talking about systemic, policy-based changes and how we can really come up with solutions to affordable housing. They talk about humanization for both sides of the equation; noting how oftentimes property owners are demonized for their role due to a lack of understanding of what property owners may be going through, as peop...

Albert Einstein said, "The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or hostile universe." On today’s dojo, Tony explore’s this question. He shares real life examples and scenarios, some which he has experienced himself and others from those he knows within the community. He examines and dissects the nuances of how each situation could sway anyone one way or the o...

On today’s episode, Tony gets into an authentic and heartfelt conversation with Eric Davis, Director of Housing at St. Francis House and Consumer Specialist Mark Brisbane, who oversees housing efforts at CILNCF. Together, they work to get people into affordable, accessible, and safe housing. Eric joins us today to share how he operates first and foremost, from a place of humanity, and from a place...

On today’s dojo, Tony takes a brief look into the history of Labor Day, as it is important to know the purpose and intention for it’s inception. Until preparation for this dojo, Tony himself had a vague understanding of the history and origins for Labor Day, which always falls on the first Monday in September. It’s origins point to the year 1882 and began in New York City, where people organized i...

With more than twenty-five years’ experience, Allison Chase has dedicated her career to the employment of people with disabilities. As President & CEO, Chase is committed to ensuring The Able Trust is the leading expert in Florida for disability workforce inclusion, providing valuable resources to businesses, employment service providers, communities and Floridians with disabilities. Chase has...

On this dojo, Tony reflects on celebrating the 7th anniversary since he’s joined The Center For Inpdendent Living of North Central Florida, as the director. Tony recalls well-known author and motivational speaker Dr. Wayne Dyer having passed away on the same day he came onboard at CIL. This event has Tony reflecting on Dr. Dyer’s teachings and expansive work in self-development, to which Tony is c...

High School High Tech is a free program for high school students with disabilities. The Center For Independent Living works to get students into the program as early as their freshmen year, to help guide them through the process from the beginning of their high school years to the end. The main purpose is to prepare students with disabilities for life after high school. This effort helps students...

To kick off today’s episode, Tony takes us through a story about a teacher who initially misjudged one of her students and made assumptions about them before taking the time to learn about the student’s full story. He shares this story to provide an example of how our interactions and treatment of someone in the present moment can impact their future. This story serves as a reminder to how many of...

On part two of Tony’s conversation with Sada, she chronicles her experience at CIL. She started with the Center For Independent Living during UF practicum internship where she began working in Paratransit Services to ensure needs were met for the area that CIL serves. She later came back as a COVID specialist working to ensure people who are homebound get the resources and vaccinations that they n...

On today’s dojo, Tony reflects on how our memory of the past can be something that captivates our consciousness and can take us away from being fully present in the moment. He poses this question: When we reflect on the past, are we doing it to relive that moment, which takes us away from the moment we’re currently in or are we doing it in order to learn from it and helping us to instill a level o...

Sada came to the Center For Independent Living during her sophomore year while attending The University of Florida, to complete her practicum. She then came back as an intern, and once again to take on a temporary position as a COVID specialist. Today, Sada is a Community Outreach Specialist at CIL, supporting multiple roles and wears many hats on any given day. On this episode, Sada takes us alon...

Tony recorded this episode on the cusp of his 53rd birthday, which propelled him into reflection of his age, this time in his life, and what it means to approach senior citizen status. But moreover, the timing allowed him to question his own stereotypes about what it means to be an older adult. On today’s dojo, Tony takes us through vast perspectives that we, as a society, have on age. He talks ab...

As a person with a disability, Christien Woodell grew to learn that she had rights, and that law and policy were critical to allowing her to have the opportunity to have a full life. Not only was her life affected, but also the lives of her children, grandchildren, family and friends. She realized that what she had learned during her life allowed her to influence others to understand why complianc...

On this dojo, tony reflects on being a parent and furthermore, being a parent with a disability- from his perspective and experiences. As a parent with a disability, he shares challenges that he faces and the virtues he’s learned from his adversities. Tony acknowledges how having a disability has taught him how to be adaptable, resilient, to persevere, and how to not concerning himself with what o...

July 26 marks the anniversary of the ADA, The Americans With Disabilities Act, and this year we celebrated it’s 32 years of passage. To commemorate this anniversary and celebrate Disability Pride month, Tony invited CIL staff and colleagues to share their thoughts and reflections on the ADA. On this episode we are joined by: Sada Ahmed: CIL Community Specialist Dr. Vijay Vasudevan: Associate Data...

Happy Anniversary to the Americans with Disabilities Act! On July 26, the ADA celebrates 32 years since it was passed in 1990. On today's dojo, Tony reflects on the history leading up to the passing of the Americans with Disabilities ACT, those who were involved and who've made it possible, and what the ADA means to those are need it and to those who may not yet need it but that may benefit from i...

Jacob came to the United States as a Lost Boy, fleeing the Southern Sudan Civil War. He has made some incredible choices that set him on a path to getting his Ph. D and founded a nonprofit organization. At the time when Tony and Jacob reconnected, CIL was in need of someone to fulfill a position with unique qualifications. The Independent Living network was collaborating with Florida’s Department...

Today on the dojo, we have the privilege of having Dr. Jacob Atem join us to share his perspective on the freedom of choosing to be a better person and who himself chooses to do the work that gives people the freedom to make choices for themselves to be better people. Be sure to tune into our weekly long form interviews this Thursday for our follow up conversation with Dr. Jacob Atem. Episode Reso...