Author: Carl Sigmond

From Patient to Chief: Dr. Michael Alexander’s journey from polio to rehab doctor

Today, we’re joined by Dr. Michael Alexander, retired Chief of Rehabilitation Services at the A.I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware. Dr. Alexander has a long history at duPont, starting when he first set foot in the hospital as a patient at age 12 after contracting polio. As a teenager, he spent summers as an inpatient at the duPont Hospital, forming relationships and community with other children with disabilities and with the doctors and nurses working there. With encouragement from the lead physician at duPont, he decided to go to medical school at the University of Virginia and enter the emerging field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. After practicing in Ohio and Pennsylvania, Dr. Alexander returned to duPont, now the Nemours Children’s Hospital, as the Chief of Rehabilitative Medicine in 1986. He retired in 2013.

Click here to listen to the interview and/or read the transcript.

Read More “Disability Rap – January 10, 2024”

For These ‘Long Haulers,’ Covid Is Still Taking a Toll

Today, we continue our coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic and the long-term impacts of SARS-CoV-2 on people’s health and everyday lives. We speak with two contributors to a new anthology by and for the Long Covid community.

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Read More “Disability Rap – December 13, 2023”

Candis Welch, Ms. Wheelchair California 2023

We’re joined today by Ms. Wheelchair California 2023 Candis Welch. Much more than a beauty queen, Candis is on a mission to bring equitable inclusion to all communities. In our interview, about her work as an advocate, her advice for disabled people pursing a college education, and her favorite disability representation on TV.

At 18 months, Candice was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This is a genetic muscular disability that affects the central nervous system. She has her B.A. in Journalism with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Psychology. She also has her master’s in public administration from California State University, Northridge. She recently attended Cornell University where she received a certificate in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She is an advocate for the disabled community and serves on multiple committees to bring awareness to the public on what the disability community experiences and needs.

Click here to listen to the interview and/or read the transcript.

Voters Sue 3 Alabama Counties for Failure to Provide Accessible Absentee Voting Methods

Today, we turn to Alabama, where people with disabilities are suing three counties in that state for failure to provide an absentee voting option that is fully accessible for blind voters and other voters with disabilities. The lawsuit, filed earlier this month by four individuals and the National Federation of the Blind of Alabama, alleges that the counties are violating the rights of blind voters and other voters with disabilities by failing to provide them with accessible means to mark and return their absentee ballots.

We’re joined by two guests. Dr. Eric Peebles is one of the named plaintiffs in this Alabama lawsuit. He currently serves as executive director of Accessible Alabama, an organization that works to increase accessible housing options in communities for people with disabilities and those facing growing limitations as they age. He has a PhD in rehabilitation from Auburn University. Eric has spastic cerebral palsy because of an oxygen deprivation during birth. This trauma has severely limited his motor skills to the point of functional quadriplegia.

We’re also joined by Bill Van Der Pol, senior trial counsel at the Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program. Bill is one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the absentee voting lawsuit.

Click here to listen to the interview and/or read the transcript.

2022 Berkeley City Council Candidate Michai Freeman

We are joined today by Michai Freeman, a Systems Change Advocate at the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley, California. When she was young, Michai developed a neuromuscular disease. Originally from New York, she spent her formative years in Brooklyn and had to be bussed to a community two hours away from her home to attend a school for the disabled. At that time, in the 1970s, children with disabilities were not admitted to the school closest to her home.

In 1989, Michai came to California to attend the University of California Berkeley. She studied abroad for a year in Egypt and then received her master’s in Holistic Studies with a specialization in nutrition from John F. Kennedy University. She ran for Berkeley City Council in 2022. While she did not win in that election, she continues to advocate for the disabled in her communities.

Click here to listen to the broadcast version of this interview and/or read the transcript.

Embodied Inclusion with Andrew Golibersuch

Today, we’re joined by Andrew Golibersuch, an artist, activist, dancer, and founder of Embodied Inclusion, a project designed to help organizations, communities, and institutions become more inclusive and welcoming to all. In our interview, Andrew shares his journey as a disabled dancer and how his experiences in dance led him to create his Embodied Inclusion workshops, where participants learn what each of us needs to feel comfortable inhabiting space with themselves and others. Andrew is a mental health counselor and art therapist based in western Massachusetts.

Click here to listen to the broadcast version of this interview and/or read the transcript.

The Future of Robotics in Disability Aides

On today’s show, we’re joined once again by Dan and Viola Dwyer, creators of the YouTube channel, The Ginchiest. We invited Dan and Viola back to discuss personal care and how they see robotics playing a role.

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Social Security Increases and Medi-Cal Expansion

In October, the Social Security Administration announced that it would institute an 8.7 percent increase in all Social Security cash benefits and Supplemental Security Income. This cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which takes effect this month, is meant to counter the soaring cost of everyday expenses due to inflation. For people on fixed income, as many people who receive Social Security or SSI are, this increase will help them continue to put food on their table and pay their bills. This is Social Security’s largest COLA increase since 1981 and it will impact over 72 million Americans.

This got us thinking about other government benefit programs here in California that are either increasing benefits and services for people with disabilities and older adults or expanding eligibility criteria to enable more people to qualify.

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Read More “Disability Rap – January 2, 2023”

Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the First Center for Independent Living

On today’s show, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Independent Living Center in the world, founded in 1972 by UC Berkeley students. Joe Xavier, Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation, tells us how California is leading the way in creating a more accessible, equitable workforce, and why that matters to people with disabilities across the state. Former US Congressmember Tony Coelho talks about how growing up with a disability led him to sponsor the ADA. And we hear voices from the Independent Living Street Festival in Berkeley on October 22.

Click here to listen to the show and/or read the transcript.

Samuel Habib’s ‘My Disability Roadmap’

Transitioning from high school to adulthood is a big deal – even more so for young people with disabilities. Not content with merely trailblazing an accessible future, Samuel Habib decided to create a documentary film about his journey. On today’s show, we hear from Samuel and his co-director, Dan Habib, about their film, My Disability Roadmap, and their hopes for the future.

Click here to listen to the show and/or read the transcript.