Category: Disability Rap

Crip the Vote

How community advocacy advances voter accessibility in California

It’s November, and we just had a special election here in California. We’re spending today’s show talking about the voting process for people with disabilities, how voting is made accessible, and the importance of voting as a way to engage in the political process.

We’re joined by three guests. From right here in Nevada County, Corey O’Hayre is with us. Corey has been the Assistant Registrar of Voters for Nevada County since August 2023 and served as Acting Registrar of Voters from June to October of this year. Donna Johnston is also with us. Donna is the Registrar of Voters for Sutter County. She has served in county government since 1990 and has been the Sutter County Registrar of Voters since 2008.

And from outside of Sacramento, Peter Mendoza is with us. Peter is currently a Community Program Specialist at the Sacramento Regional Office of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. He is also a member of the Sutter County Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee.

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

Incoming Executive Director of CFILC, Lisa Hayes

From managed care to managing a statewide network of Independent Living Centers: a conversation with Lisa Hayes

Today, we’re joined by the incoming Executive Director of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, Lisa Hayes. Lisa has had a long career in health and disability policy, leadership, and advocacy. For the past 7 years, she has served as the Executive Director of Rolling Start, Inc., an independent living center in southern California. She also serves as an appointed commissioner of the California State Independent Living Council and a board member of the National Council on Independent Living. Prior to her service in the nonprofit sector, Lisa worked for more than two decades in healthcare operations and contracting.

The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, or CFILC, is a membership organization comprised of twenty-four independent living centers across the state. CFILC’s mission is to increase the capacity of independent living centers to support community living and independence for Californians with disabilities by providing advocacy, training, and resources. Lisa will officially assume her role as CFILC Executive Director on November 3.

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

Celebrating 40 Years of FREED

Two past directors reflect on 40 years of FREED, where we’ve been, and where the IL movement is heading.

This month, FREED is celebrating our 40th anniversary. We were founded in 1985 through the efforts of people with disabilities in Nevada County and the Nevada County Committee on the Disabled. This was a natural outgrowth of the Independent Living Movement, which grew out of Berkeley in the 1970s. FREED was one of California’s first rural independent living centers.

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’re hosting a fun-filled night of music and storytelling at the Gold Miners Inn in downtown Grass Valley on Saturday, September 27, from 5 to 9 p.m.. More about that event later in the show.

Today, we’re joined by a very special roundtable of guests. Tony Sauer was the Executive Director of FREED from 1995 to 2001. He went on to be the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation. Ana Acton is also with us. Ana started at FREED in 2004 as the Disability Community Advocate and then was Executive Director of FREED for 11 years. She then went on to lead the Independent Living division at the California Department of Rehabilitation. She’s now with the California Department of Aging. Our Co-host Carl Sigmond spoke with Tony and Ana on Monday.

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

35 Years On – Reflections on the Anniversary of the ADA

Highlights from our 2020 show on the fight that brought us the Americans with Disabilities Act and the fights that lie ahead.

[Editor’s Note: We aired this show on July 9, 2025 as a rebroadcast of our August 2020 show. One of our guests was Mark Fenicle, the Chair of FREED’s Board of Directors. We are sad to share the news that Mark passed away on August 1, 2025. The following is a statement from FREED’s Executive Director, Carly Pacheco: “Mark has been involved in Independent Living since his college days. He was a steadfast leader, passionate advocate, and dear friend to FREED. His dedication to our mission and our community was unwavering, and I will certainly miss his council and support both personally and for the organization. Mark knew the value of our work and reminded us regularly where we come from, both with critical direction and reminders, as well as hilarious stories from ‘the good old days.’”]

In this episode of Disability Rap, we are looking back to 2020 and the 30th anniversary of the ADA. We assembled a panel of guests from across town and across the country who joined us remotely in studio for a live radio show. The discussion was so remarkable, we are bringing you the highlights to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ADA.

Our guests were FREED founding member Geeta Dardick, FREED board chair Mark Fenicle, Eddie Ytuarte from Pushing Limits Radio Collective and Ami Hyten who is now the director of the Lois Curtis Center in Topeka Kansas.

Reflecting on what life was like in the days before the ADA, and the struggles that brought the law to fruition, our guests shared both personal experiences and the historical reflections that place this important legislation in context. Their hopes for the current struggles and future of disability justice are as relevant now as they were five years ago.

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

Cuts Proposed to Medicare, Medicaid, and Disability Services

An update on the proposed cuts to healthcare and disability services at the State and Federal level

Last month, the US House of Representatives passed a budget reconciliation bill that proposes cutting over a trillion dollars in Federal health care spending. The program that would see the largest cuts is Medicaid, which provides health insurance to people with low income and people with disabilities. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill, if passed into law, would cut over 800 billion dollars from Medicaid alone, resulting in nearly 11 million Americans losing Medicaid coverage. The bill also proposes cuts to the Affordable Care Act, SNAP, and to Medicare, which provides coverage to more than 61 million adults age 65 or older and almost 7 million people with disabilities under the age of 65.

Meanwhile, here in California, disability rights advocates have been flocking to Sacramento in recent weeks to push back on Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed state budget, which includes massive cuts to the In-Home Supportive Services, or IHSS, program, as well as cuts to services for people with developmental disabilities. IHSS provides in-home care for people with disabilities and older adults in California.

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

Read More “Disability Rap – June 11, 2025”

Trauma-Informed Disability Acceptance & Workplace Accessibility

Trauma researcher and author Dr. Xenia Barnes on loving herself through a disability diagnosis

Today, we’re joined by Dr. Xenia Barnes. After a 20 year career in education, Xenia turned her attention to social justice work and trauma research, with a particular focus on how gun violence impacts individuals and communities. Then, in 2021, she was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease that makes it difficult for the body to absorb oxygen from the air. Her essay “The Invisible Battle: Navigating the Minefield of Workplace Accommodation” was included in the recently published book, “Triumph in the Trenches: Navigating Success for Black Professionals.”

Xenia Barnes is a researcher, a public speaker, and a life coach. She is the author of two books on navigating trauma: “Grieving to Heal: The Shadow Boarding Experience” and “The Recondition: A Guide to Loving Yourself Through the Trauma.” She has completed one PhD degree in Theology and is finishing up a second PhD degree in Advanced Human Behavior.

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

Exploring Late-diagnosed Autism

A discussion with Kristen Hovet, the host of The Other Autism podcast, about autism in adulthood

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and today we’re honoring that by spending the show talking about autism and specifically late-diagnosed autism. Autism is a broad umbrella for describing how some people think, feel, and act differently from what is considered typical or normal. We did a show in January on neurodivergence. Autism is a form of neurodivergence, and autism is a disability.

Autism manifests in each person differently, but common experiences of autistic people are finding socializing challenging and/or tiring, getting overwhelmed in loud or busy spaces, having intense interests that you keep coming back to, and preferring order and routine. Some people use repeated motions or actions to calm down their nervous system and/or express joy and happiness. Some autistic people hide – or mask – their emotions in order to fit in socially. This can sometimes lead to mental illness.

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

Read More “Disability Rap – April 9, 2025”

Biden Administration Official Responds to Medicaid Threats

Emily Voorde on flying while disabled and the current proposed cuts to Medicaid funding in Congress

Today, we are joined by Emily Voorde, a former Biden Administration official and a top staffer in the Pete Buttigieg Presidential campaign. We talk with Emily about the current threats to Medicaid funding that are working their way through Congress. We also hear first-hand about the challenges people with mobility disabilities and assistive devices face when flying commercially, and we get Emily’s response to a recent lawsuit challenging rules set by the Biden Administration that aimed to make air travel safer and easier for people with disabilities.

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

Read More “Disability Rap – March 12, 2025”

No One Is an Island: Disability and Polyamory

Reflections on the intersection of disability and polyamory, both personally and community-wide.

It’s February, and Valentine’s Day is around the corner. We have a tradition here on Disability Rap of doing a show focused on love and relationships at this time of year. We’re continuing that tradition on this show with a roundtable of guests to talk about disability and polyamory.

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

Why do a show about polyamory on Disability Rap? Well, there is actually more overlap than you might think, unless of course you are disabled and polyamorous! Last month, we did a show on neurodivergence, and there’s actually quite a bit of overlap between the neurodivergent and polyamorous communities. We’ll get into that in the show. And then in polyamory, there’s this acknowledgement that no one partner should be expected to meet all of someone’s romantic and/or sexual needs, and as people with disabilities, many of us are used to getting our needs met by multiple people. So the extension to the romantic arena isn’t that hard for some people with disabilities.

Read More “Disability Rap – February 12, 2025”

Discovering Neurodivergence in Adulthood

Two Xennials share how they recognized their neurodivergence in post-pandemic life and the positive impact of finding community through that diagnosis.

Neurodivergence is the recognition that not all brains work the same way. It’s a broad spectrum of brain behavior that’s outside of what’s considered standard or “normal.” Today on the show, we explore neurodivergence with two guests who recognized their neurodivergence as adults. They share how this revelation has changed their understanding of their upbringing, their relationships, their work, and their daily lives.

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

Amanda Kennon is an American Sign Language Interpreter who lives in the Philadelphia suburbs. She, who has a neurodivergent child, was inspired to embark on her own journey of self-discovery about how neurodivergence has impacted her personally and in her professional life. She is currently working on research on neurodiversity in the interpreting profession along with her friend and colleague Dr. Laura Polhemus. Their ongoing research includes the experiences of neurodivergent interpreters and consumers. Amanda and her colleague Laura presented at the 2023 Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf Conference, April 2024 Registry for the Deaf Neurodiversity Webinar Series, and 2024 Conference for Interpreters Trainers.

John Leimgruber grew up in the mid-west in the 1980’s. He turned his developing interest in computers into a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering. He now lives in Philadelphia where he enjoys exploring his interests including computer gaming, mysticisms, polyamory, and psychology. While not professionally diagnosed, John identifies with late diagnosed Autism.