News

Hikers Summiting Peaks with their Wheelchairs

Today, we are joined by two outdoor enthusiasts and avid hikers, Chris Layne and Daniel Wilson. Both Chris and Daniel are wheelchair users. They work with support teams and use specialized equipment to hike trails that are anything but wheelchair accessible. Chris has hiked up Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the Colorado Rockies. It’s over 14,000 feet. Daniel has traversed rugged trails in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

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

Read More “Disability Rap – May 8, 2024”

A Woman’s Unusual Journey to Leave a Hospital

Hospitals don’t generally sue patients for trespassing, but that is what happened to Alexis Ratcliff. Alexis is 18 years old and has lived in a hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina since she was 13. Last year, the hospital sued Alexis for trespassing to try and force her to move out. Alexis wants to leave the hospital, too, just not where the hospital wanted her to go. Alexis wants to live in her own home with support from caregivers. She wants to live close to family and friends. The hospital, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, wanted to transfer Alexis to a nursing home in another state. Alexis, who won a full academic scholarship to a nearby college and started classes there this fall, is saying no.

On today’s episode of Disability Rap, we speak with Alexis Ratcliff. Alexis is a quadriplegic who uses a wheelchair to get around and a ventilator to help her breathe. She acquired her disability as a result of a car accident when she was 18 months old. We are also joined by Lisa Nesbitt. Lisa is a Supervising Attorney at Disability Rights North Carolina, and she’s part of the team working on Alexis’s case.

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

Celebrating National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

In honor of National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month this March, FREED Center for Independent Living partnered with the California Department of Rehabilitation to host a live recording of the Disability Rap radio show and podcast. The show featured a panel discussion focusing on the transition from youth to adulthood for people with cerebral palsy. Our panelists shared their stories of growing up with CP and the choices, obstacles, and opportunities they faced as they entered the workforce. The panel was moderated by Ana Acton, former Executive Director of FREED and Host of Disability Rap, now the Deputy Director of the Independent Living and Community Access Division at the California Department of Rehabilitation.

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

Click here to watch the recording of the show.

Read More “Disability Rap – March 13, 2024”

Live Recording of Disability Rap in Honor of National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

In honor of National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month this March, FREED Center for Independent Living partnered with the California Department of Rehabilitation to host a live recording of the Disability Rap radio show and podcast. The show featured a panel discussion focusing on the transition from youth to adulthood for people with cerebral palsy. Our panelists shared their stories of growing up with CP and the choices, obstacles, and opportunities they faced as they entered the workforce. The panel was moderated by Ana Acton, former Executive Director of FREED and Host of Disability Rap, now the Deputy Director of the Independent Living and Community Access Division at the California Department of Rehabilitation.

Watch the Recording: 

Special thanks to Ana Acton and the California Department of Rehabilitation for their partnership in hosting this event with FREED! 

Read More “Live Recording of Disability Rap”

Valentine’s Day 2024 with Dan and Viola Dwyer

On this Valentine’s Day, we’re joined once again by Dan and Viola Dwyer, creators of the YouTube channel The Ginchiest, for a conversation about what makes their relationship work, how they’d like to see disability and relationships portrayed in popular culture, and what still needs to be done for greater media representation and disability marriage equality.

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

Read More “Disability Rap – February 14, 2024”

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.

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

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.