Episodes

Curt Willig, Director, and Matt Poland, Employment Coordinator, for the PEP Jobs Program of the California Pacific Medical Center will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, February 20, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be employment issues for people with epilepsy and the problems of epilepsy being a “hidden disability”.

Joyce Welcomes Judy Painter, Executive Director of the Epilepsy Foundation of Western/Central PA and James E. Rohr, Chairman and CEO of the PNC Financial Services Group to the show.

Jessica Gogan, Assistant Director for Education and Interpretation for the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, PA will be discussing, Deadly Medicine: Creating a Master Race. This exhibition explores the Holocaust’s roots in then-contemporary scientific and pseudo-scientific theory. It will be at the Andy Warhol Museum through March 18, 2007.

Soula Antoniou, President of VSA arts will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters” on Tuesday, January 23, 2007, from 2 PM to 3 PM eastern time. Discussed on the show will be the mission of this international, non-profit organization. VSA arts was founded in 1974 by Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith to create a society where all people with disabilities learn through, participate in and enjoy the arts. VSA arts is an affiliate of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. We t...

Debra Ruh, President and CEO of TecAccess will be featured with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. Discussed on the show will be the mission of TecAccess, and her company’s numerous awards including the New Freedom Initiative Award given by the Bush Administration’s U.S. Department of Labor in 2005.

Frances West, Director of the IBM Human Ability and Accessibility Center joins Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”.

International best-selling author, Karin Slaughter is the featured guest on Disability Matters with Joyce Bender. Discussed is Karin’s new book, “TripTych”, which features a character with a disability.

Chair of the National Organization on Disability (NOD), Former Secretary of Homeland Security, and Former Governor of Pennsylvania, Tom Ridge is the honored guest of Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. He discusses his past and present work in support of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the employment of people with disabilities.

Mark Ashby is a person living with epilepsy who between April and October of 2005 completed the Ironman Arizona and the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, in addition to five half-Ironman triathlons. In two of the half-Ironman competitions, Mark placed second and third place in his age division. Tune in as Joyce talks to Mark about what it is to compete at such a high level and live with epilepsy. For Mark, there are limitless boundaries.

The Honorable Tony Coelho, former Democratic California Congressman, author of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and current Chairman of the National Epilepsy Foundation joins Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. This discussion is about his work with the National Epilepsy Foundation. Mr. Coelho, who has had epilepsy since his late teens, was elected to chair the Epilepsy Foundation’s Board of Directors, during its spring 2005 meeting. His leadership has focused on improving public awar...

Dr. Kenneth Melani, President and CEO of Highmark, Inc., discusses Highmark’s achievement as the recipient of the 2006 New Freedom Initiative Award sponsored by the Bush Administration and the Department of Labor.

Joyce welcomes Dr. Steve Schachter, Professor of Neurosurgery at Harvard Medical School and past Chair of the Professional Advisory Board of the Epilepsy Foundation. Tune in as Dr. Schachter discusses his research involving seizure prevention drugs and contributions to the medical literature in this area.

Tune in as Joyce talks with Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers’ Left Guard, Alan Faneca. Alan does more than play football. He dedicates his time to charity work as well. Alan talks with Joyce about his volunteer work with the Epilepsy Foundation of Western and Central PA (EFWCP) and his personal experiences, as a person with epilepsy.

Joining Joyce is Doro Koch, author and daughter of President George H.W. Bush to discuss her new book “My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H.W. Bush”.

It took a devastating car accident, paralysis from the chest down, and dependence on a wheelchair before Matthew Sanford truly realized the importance of his body. He has been rolling into his body ever since. After the accident, Matthew spent the first fourteen years believing that his mind was shut out of his paralyzed body. He spent the next twelve years practicing hatha yoga and discovered how deeply he was mistaken. Living vibrantly through one’s whole body – whether paralyzed or not – is a...

Tune in as Joyce welcomes Ginny Thornburgh, who founded and directs the Religion and Disability Program of the National Organization on Disability. Ginny talks about her work to ensure that places of worship for all faiths are made accessible for all people with disabilities.

Tune in as Joyce talks with Brandon M. Macsata, consultant for the One Percent Coalition. The One Percent Coalition is committed to the achievable goal of helping at least one percent (94,000) of severely disabled Americans find competitive employment. The One Percent Coalition is based on the belief that the Federal Government should create new incentives for the private sector to employ people with severe disabilities.

It takes a fellow CEO to know how to truly grasp the challenges that confront a CEO. With a point of view and judgment that only real life experience as a CEO can produce, The Roseman Institute provides coaching, mentoring and negotiating assistance to CEOs of growing enterprises. Jack Roseman, President and CEO of the Roseman Institute, is the author of “Outrageous Optimism: Wisdom for the Entrepreneurial Journey”. Tune in as Jack and Joyce talk about his work, his passion, and his optimism.

Edwin Black is the award-winning, New York Times and international bestselling investigative author of 50 bestselling editions in 13 languages in 60 countries, as well as scores of newspaper and magazine articles in the leading publications of the United States, Europe and Israel. His work focuses on genocide and hate, corporate criminality and corruption, governmental misconduct, academic fraud, philanthropy abuse, and historical investigation. Tune in as Edwin joins Joyce to talk about his lat...

John A. Lancaster, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL) (http://www.ncil.org), makes his fourth appearance with Joyce Bender on “Disability Matters”. Tune in as Joyce and John discuss the mission of the NCIL and the progress it has made in advancing the independence of people with disabilities in housing. Stay tuned for updates on the status of the independent living centers in Biloxi and New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.

Tune in as Joyce talks with Debbie Scott of New Castle, Delaware Vo-Tech and Leanne Thomas, HR Service Delivery Manager at Computer Sciences Corporation about the student business leadership program in Delaware.

: Joyce welcomes Rebecca Hare, Project Coordinator for the National Consortium on Leadership and Disability for Youth housed at the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington DC. NCLD-Youth is one of 15 Youth Led Resource, Information, and Training Centers funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities. Tune in as Rebecca discusses her work with this organization.

The Burton Blatt Institute, located at Syracuse University, will build the premier organization to advance civic, economic, and social participation of persons with disabilities in a global society by creating a collaborative environment - with entrepreneurial innovation and best business practices - to foster public-private dialogue, and create the capacity to transform policy, systems, and people through inclusive education, the workforce, and communities. BBI, takes its name from Burton Blatt...

Joining Joyce on “Disability Matters” is Darren Macioce, Senior Vice President, Customer and Analytic Operations for Highmark, Inc.