Category: Disability Rap

Ready Player One

Gamer Allie Williams on accessibility and community in and out of the gaming space.

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The Adventures of Superfreak

Author Caleb Dardick on his new memoir and his connection to the Independent Living movement

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Climate Change, Emergency Preparedness, and Disability

Brian Snyder talks to April Dawson-Rawlings and Russell Dawson-Rawlings

It’s peak fire season, and today we’re talking emergency preparation and climate change. Our guests today are April Dawson-Rawlings and Russell Dawson-Rawlings. Both long-time disability advocates, April is currently studying at McGeorge School of Law and she serves as the executive director of the California Commission on Disability Access (CCDA). This role involves collaborating with stakeholders in business, disability advocacy, and local and state government to increase business accessibility and reduce litigation. April is passionate about working with communities to find common ground on complex issues. She was born with Spina Bifida and is a wheelchair user, road trip enthusiast and kayaker.

Russell currently serves as the California Foundation of Independent Living Centers Communications and Strategic Partnerships Manager. He brings a wealth of experience to the role, both as a wheels on the ground community organizer with Disability Organizing Group For Initiating Total Equality, and Occupy Sacramento as well as leadership positions with disability related advisory groups and the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness. Russell believes Disability community leaders must be at the forefront of a progressive society, because barriers to access are also barriers to progress. Passionate about accessible transformational justice for all people, Russell also knows the transformational power of humor and performs stand up and improv comedy in his spare time.

Guest hosting today is Brian Snyder, FREED’s Emergency Preparedness Specialist, with a round table discussion on the realities of climate change, and how they impact the disability community. Brian has been with FREED since 2018 and has had multiple roles, with extensive experience in emergency preparedness and response during snowstorms, wildfires, and public safety power shut off events. Brian also brings a wealth of media experience to the show, as a graduate of UCLA’s school of theatre, film and television, he has worked in the entertainment industry and produced two episodes of the American Unity Project focused on Peace Literacy, and his own podcast. Brian has Usher syndrome, a rare genetic condition resulting in blindness and moderate hearing loss.

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Coaching From the Heart

Soccer coach Scott Martin on his new book, and coaching on and off the pitch.

We’re joined by Scott Martin, host of the Life’s a Road Trip podcast and author of the new book, Play From Your Heart, which takes us through his journey of accepting his disability after surviving life-threatening illnesses and having to have both of his hands and feet amputated.

Scott is an award-winning soccer coach, educator, and advocate within the disability community. With an advanced national coaching license and more than 30 years of experience coaching select youth, high school, and college athletes, he has earned four Coach of the Year titles and guided multiple teams to state championships. He was a soccer coach and teacher before his illness and amputations. His new book, Play From Your Heart, released yesterday, chronicles his journey to return to the field with his new disability.

Click here to listen to and read the transcript of the show.

Power Soccer

Two power soccer players on camaraderie, competition and independence

As summer draws near, it means hot weather and long days, but it also means the season for Power soccer. Power soccer is a competitive team sport in which players maneuver power wheelchairs equipped with a specialized metal footguard. Two teams of four players each, use their wheelchairs and these footguards to move an oversized soccer ball around a basketball court. The rules of power soccer are similar to traditional soccer, and the team that scores the most number of points after two twenty-minute halves wins the game.

For more, we’re joined by two guests, Tyler Czapkay is a current player of power soccer, and Julie Fuller is a former power soccer coach. And our own co-host, Alexa Guerrero, played power soccer from 2009 to 2018.

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Traumatic Brain Injury as a Superpower

A Quaker chaplain reflects on how his TBI changed his outlook on the world

April is Brain Injury Awareness Month. According to the Brain Injury Association of America, 1 in 60 Americans are living with a permanent brain injury, and 2.8 million traumatic brain injuries, or TBIs, occur every year in the United States alone.

On today’s show, we are joined by Carl Magruder. In August, 2023, he was doing what he loved to do: ride his motorcycle. He got into an accident and, as he says, ”bonked my head.” That ”bonk” resulted in an extended hospital stay and a medically induced coma to give his brain time to heal. He was in the hospital for just over a month and then continued his healing process at home.

Carl Magruder is a Bay Area native. He earned a Master’s of Divinity degree from Pacific School of Religion and followed his calling to become a hospice chaplain. Prior to his accident in 2023, Carl was a home-based palliative care chaplain in Humboldt County and then served as a chaplain at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center. Carl is an Advanced Practice Board Certified Chaplain with the Spiritual Care Association, and is endorsed by the Religious Society of Friends.

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Multiple Sclerosis Uncovered

The realities of Multiple Sclerosis and the stories behind the diagnosis

March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This breakdown in the protective covering makes it harder for messages from the brain to travel to other parts of the body. MS affects each person who has it differently, and the severity of the symptoms varies widely. People with MS may have chronic fatigue, have trouble seeing, feel numbness, or have difficulty walking. There is no cure, but treatments can help reduce symptoms and slow the progression of the condition.

We’re joined today by two guests who have multiple sclerosis. Kelley Hartman is a retired occupational therapist, joining us from outside of Denver, Colorado. And from Steuben, Maine, Mary Pancoast is with us. Mary is an artist and retired Montessori teacher. Kelley and Mary share with us their experiences of life with multiple sclerosis and the physical, mental, and financial realities – from retirement to relocation and rearranging life priorities.

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Love Is in the Air

A couple explores how their disabilities deepen their relationship

It’s February, and we have a tradition here on Disability Rap of doing a show focused on love and relationships at this time of year. This year, we’re joined by Jackie Armstrong and Eric Loeffler, who have been together since 2024. They tell us how they met and fell in love, and they share how their disabilities have enriched their relationship.

Jackie is the president of the disability self-advocacy group Sacramento United People First and is a board member of Alta California Regional Center. She works at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Progressive Employment Concepts.

Eric moved to California from Oregon in 2024 to be with Jackie. He works at Katadyn Foods in Rocklin, California. In his spare time, he enjoys video games, music, and movies. Eric and Jackie also participate in a community choir together.

Click here to listen to and read the transcript of the show.

Campus Life

Navigating the college experience

As we begin the new year, many high school seniors are receiving college acceptance letters. For many people with disabilities, especially significant physical disabilities, selecting a college and then attending that college comes with added complexities. They are often faced with having to advocate for themselves and their access needs in a whole new way, while also discovering what their needs are as disabled young adults. And all this while going to classes and having the college experience.

For more on all this, we’re joined by two guests. Jessica Roeckl-Navazio is a senior at Sacramento State University, studying sociology. Gus Albertsen attended Santa Barbara City College and California State University at Monterey Bay, majoring in Environmental Science. He graduated in 2023.

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The Kids Are Alright

Youth engagement and the future of disability advocacy

Each summer, California’s Youth Leadership Forum brings high school students with disabilities from across the state to Sacramento for a week of learning and fun. The students stay on campus at Sacramento State University, gaining a taste of college dorm life. Often, this is their first time away from their families and support systems. They learn about self-advocacy, independent living, and life after high school from mentors who themselves have disabilities. Our new co-host, Alexa Guerrero, has participated in YLF as a disabled mentor to the high school students for a number of years.

For more on the Youth Leadership Forum and disabled youth engagement more broadly, we’re joined by two guests. Matt Baker is the Project Manager for YLF at the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. We’re also joined by Dani Anderson, Disability Access Manager for the Ventura County here in California.

Click here to listen to and read the transcript of the show.