Episodes

Joyce welcomes Regina Heyward, senior vice president and head of supplier diversity at Wells Fargo and Company. Founded in 1852, this financial institution is a diversified, community-based financial services company. Headquartered in San Francisco, Wells Fargo provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage, and consumer and commercial finance through more than 8,600 locations. Ms. Heyward will discuss this company’s commitment to a diversified workforce, including hiring individual with dis...

Joyce welcomes Gerald Homme, product manager of Bender’s Careers 2B competency-based workforce development program, Leanne Thomas, account manager for Bender Consulting Services, Inc., and Jenny Homme, business analyst with Highmark Health Solutions to the show. Each guest will explain their role in the Careers 2B program, which is designed to increase the professional level experience and marketability of early career professionals with disabilities. Founded in conjunction with Bayer Corporatio...

Joyce welcomes Jennifer Mathis, deputy legal director and director of Policy and Legal Advocacy of the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. She engages in litigation and policy advocacy to promote community integration of individuals with mental disabilities, other non-discrimination work under the ADA and Section 504, and the Medicaid rights of adults and children with disabilities. During the show Ms. Mathis will explain her duties in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Claiborne Haughton, president and CEO of Haughton Group, LLC to the show. In addition, Mr. Haughton is a motivational speaker and Equal Opportunity Diversity Consultant. He will explain his duties in each capacity and explain why he is known as father of the United States Department of Defense Program for individuals with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Andy Imparato,executive director of The Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD). AUCD is a membership organization that supports and promotes a national network of university-based interdisciplinary programs. Members consist of University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Programs, and Intellectual and Developmental Disability Research Centers (IDDRC). These programs serve and are l...

Joyce welcomes Joan D’ Alessandro, founder of Christopher’s Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to feeding the caregivers of children admitted to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Christopher’s Kitchen is committed to helping families and caregivers take care of themselves, so they can better comfort those around them.

Joyce welcomes Pastor Scott Stevens, the directional leader, overseeing Campus Pastors and the Teaching Team at North Way Christian Community to the show. Pastor Stevens will discuss the importance of giving back to the less fortunate during this time of year and year-round. In doing so, he will share the programs and services his church provides the community all year long.

Joyce welcomes Steve Suroviec, president and CEO and David Tinker, vice-president of Advancement of ACHIEVA. This non-profit organization was founded in 1951 by a group of family members who all desired the same thing, to ensure their children with disabilities had the same chances in life that all children should be given. Their commitment helped to establish a nationwide movement that changed the long history of isolation and segregation for both children and adults with disabilities. ACHIEVA ...

Continuing with recognizing November as National Epilepsy month, Joyce welcomes Allison DeBattista executive director of Epilepsy Alliance Louisiana (EAL). Ms DeBattista will discuss the programs and services of the EAL that bring greater awareness and treatment for those living with epilepsy in Louisiana.

Joyce welcomes Peggy Beem Jelley, President and CEO of the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA. Ms. Beem Jelley will discuss the programs and services of this non-profit organization to help those who are living with epilepsy Western and Central PA.

Joyce welcomes Kathy Schrag, executive director of Epilepsy Alliance Ohio to the show. Ms. Schrag will discuss the programs and services of this non-profit organization to help those who are living with epilepsy in Ohio.

Joyce welcomes executive board members of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), William Ris and John Register to the show. AAPD is the largest membership organization of people with disabilities in the country. Guests will discuss their roles within AAPD in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Joan Stein, president and CEO of Stein Consulting, LLC. Joan’s company works with its clients to find answers, options and opportunities. Focusing on ADA compliance, event planning and operations and fund development, the company provides consulting services to employers and can assist with compliance with newly-implemented OFCCP regulations. It also provides litigation support to companies faced with ADA litigation. Ms. Stein will discuss the company mission in depth as well as b...

Joyce welcomes Keri Gray, director for the Rising Leaders Initiatives and Becky Curran, Disability Equality Index (DEI) Program Manager at Disability: IN. This non-profit organization promotes an inclusive global economy that empowers people with disabilities to participate fully and meaningfully. It empowers business to achieve disability equality and inclusion. There is a shared commitment to collaborate with purpose to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities, to inspire accessi...

Joyce welcomes Marci Katona and Shannon Austin, District Administrators for the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry's Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). Both guests will discuss in-depth their disability advocacy. Also discussed will be their roles within the OVR organization, as well as the overall mission of the organization.

Joyce welcomes Jayla Youngblood, winner of the 2018 Sam Miller Award; Gerald Homme, chairman of the Bender Lead On Team: and Ginny Emerson, mother of the late, Sam Miller, to discuss the Bender Lead On Team support group. The Bender Lead On Team assists high school and college students in the areas of setting career goals and championing anti-bullying efforts. The team provides a forum for young people with disabilities to speak out about instances of bullying and to support others who may be in...

Joyce welcomes Jim Fruchterman a leading social entrepreneur, MacArthur Fellow and CEO of Benetech, a nonprofit technology company based in Silicon Valley, which creates e-books and other technology innovations for people with disabilities. He will explain the mission of this organization in-depth.

Joyce welcomes Sherry Lapaglia, Manager Talent Programs, Gerald Homme, Recruitment Specialist, and Scott Hammerstrom, Team Lead, Talent Programs with Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Discussed on the show will be employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes back to the show, Jimmy Krenn, Pittsburgh comedian and former morning-drive radio host for WDVE FM and Q-92 FM. Jimmy will discuss his extensive career in stand-up comedy and radio broadcasting and his latest charity work with the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA.

Joyce welcomes Diane Coleman, president of Not Dead Yet, a national, grassroots disability rights group that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and euthanasia as deadly forms of discrimination against old, ill and disabled people. Not Dead Yet helps organize and articulate opposition to these practices based on secular social justice arguments. Not Dead Yet demands the equal protection of the law for the targets of so called “mercy killing” whose lives are perceived as worthless. Ms. Colem...

Joyce welcomes Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN, formerly known as the U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN). Disability:IN embraces the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the labor force and marketplace; assists in career preparation for, and employment of, people with disabilities; improves customer experiences for people with disabilities; and promotes the certification and growth of disability-owned business enterprises. Ms. Houghton will discuss the reason for...

Joyce welcomes Todd Bankofier, CEO of Audio Eye, Inc. AudioEye provides enhanced web access and usability for its customers. AudioEye’s custom and proprietary digital accessibility platform testing suite automatically detects Section 508 and web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 success criteria violations and details best practices to remediate issues. Mr. Bankofier will discuss how Audio Eye is helping companies improve digital accessibility including its work making Bender Consultin...

Joyce welcomes Tari Hartman Squire, founding CEO of EIN SOF Communications, Inc, JD Michaels, executive vice president, director creative engineering/director of Diversity at BBDO Advertising Agency and Alec Frazier, director of Autistic Reality. They will discuss the Lights! Camera! Access! 2.0 Collaborative to increase media employment of people with disabilities, improve portrayals across media delivery platforms and advocate for captions and audio descriptions. Jd and Alec met at LCA2.0 at T...

Joyce welcomes Vickie D’Avanzo, the owner of Stellar Support Services to the show. Founded on March 27, 2017, Stellar Support Service offers “habitation aid” services to individuals that are Deaf/Hard-of Hearing (HOH) with an intellectual disability. A “habitation aide provides face to face support either one-on-one or in small groups, in the home or the community. They assist in learning, maintaining and improving person care, home care, and adaptive skills. They focus on the areas of communica...