Season 02, Episode 17 Co-Hosts: Nadine Vogel & Norma Stanley Guest: Ryan Neimiller

Intro: [Music playing in background] Disabled Lives Matter... here we go!

Voiceover: Hello and welcome to this week's episode of the disabled lives matter podcast. Let's welcome co-hosts Nadine Vogel and Norma Stanley.

Nadine Vogel: Hello everyone, this is nadine vogel your co host of disabled lives matter we are a podcast but actually we are more than a podcast we are a movement, and I am joined by the fabulous norma stanley my co host. hey norma.

Norma: Hey. Hi. How is everybody doing today.

Nadine Vogel: Well, I gotta tell you I am riding high high high high today and not because of a substance.

Nadine Vogel: But i'm riding high i'm riding high because we are interviewing Ryan Niemiller Ryan was born with a disability in both his arms, he is a self proclaimed cripple threat of comedy how cool is.

Nadine Vogel: that many of you may have.

Nadine Vogel: seen him on america's got talent, or some other world stage, because he is always on the road performing Ryan, thank you for joining us today.

Ryan Niemiller: Absolutely, thank you for having me I always love how people have to say self proclaimed because before you got to know who I am.

Ryan Niemiller: If someone just says he's the.

Ryan Niemiller: cripple triple threat they're going to be like what. ooh.

[laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: i've done that to people before when when they say that, like he's the cripple threat and i'll be like we just met how.

Ryan Niemiller: dare you who told you to call me that.

Nadine Vogel: Right and especially on a podcast called disabled lives matter right that would really be. interesting.

Ryan Niemiller: Exactly.

Nadine Vogel: So ah. you know, but you know what.

Nadine Vogel: i'm going to ask you about your childhood, and I'm going to ask you a bunch of questions, but before I do that talk to us about cripple threat of comedy. How'd that come about.

Ryan Niemiller: Yes, so that name originally um so i've done comedy now for about 16 years I have a background in theater But my main dream, when I was growing up was always to be a professional wrestler that was.

Ryan Niemiller: That was my first love of what performing.

Ryan Niemiller: Was.

Ryan Niemiller: was watching wrestling as a kid I fell in love with it, I still it's one of my favorite things in the world, to this day that I did not outgrow that.

Nadine Vogel: Like some people do I just love it.

Ryan Niemiller: makes me so happy so that was the name I thought of when I was going to be a pro wrestler and I trained to be a pro wrestler for about two or three months and it's really hard on the body it's not you know people always be like all that stuff's fake.

Ryan Niemiller: Like no it's scripted.

Ryan Niemiller: that's a very different thing there, there are beating the tar out of each other it's rough on the body.

Ryan Niemiller: But I loved the cripple name or the cripple threat name so much that I just kept it when I started doing stand up by this transition did that way and it's kind of stuck with me, ever since.

Norma: cool.

Nadine Vogel. it's a very stickable name, I like that.

Ryan Niemiller: Yeah I was actually shocked when I did america's got talent that they allowed me to refer to myself as that because you know they're they're very you know it's a big budget show that has a lot of advertising dollars in it.

Ryan Niemiller: So I was worried that we're gonna be like.

Ryan Niemiller: Because like when someone like me says cripple it's like empowering it's part of you know i'm using that word to empower.

Ryan Niemiller: myself when other people hear it, though.

Ryan Niemiller: You know able bodied people, or whatever you want to say when they hear a lot of people get like oh I don't know if this is.

Ryan Niemiller: OK, but fortunately, they Let me run with it and it worked out for me.

Nadine Vogel: Correct, no absolutely.

Nadine Vogel: So my question, Ryan is, you talked about your childhood wanting to be a wrestler what was that childhood like.

Ryan Niemiller: my childhood was very it's always hard when I say this, some people kind of turn an eye a little bit, but like growing up a lot of people assume like the disability would have been the hardest thing I had to deal with, but for me it was kind of the least of my concerns in a certain way.

Ryan Niemiller: But my parents did their best, but you know my dad had some issues with alcohol and stuff like that, so we were joking before we got on the air i'm an old trailer park kid that was kind of my upbringing.

Ryan Niemiller: We had six of us packed in a single wide trailer money was always difficult.

Ryan Niemiller: You know I didn't own a bed until I was in college just to kind of give you an idea of just sort of how it out worked for me, so you know that that part for me.

Ryan Niemiller: I think those were more of where my strength came from a lot of people always want to assume like oh I bet having a disability was hard i'm like no like surviving That was the hard.

Ryan Niemiller: Part. The disability it didn't help you know that had its own challenges, but for me it was like Okay, we got it we got to deal with all of this over here first so it's.

Ryan Niemiller: That the bright side of having a an upbringing like that, though, is that I know now as an adult when things are going better for me that, if anything, does happen, I can survive I got this you know. I might be wrong about but.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: We can get through.

Nadine Vogel: Well, and I think, certainly the humor helps right so when or how did you know that you were is not just funny but hysterical.

[laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: Well, thank you for that that your words, not mine your words.

Ryan Niemiller: For me it honestly was around the same time it's like you know age four or five it was part of that survival instinct that you kind of get you kind of pick up because my hometown was maybe 3000 people it's a little town called DeMotte, Indiana.

Ryan Niemiller: it's about as big as it sounds.

Ryan Niemiller: Just a really tiny little.

Ryan Niemiller: Farming town, and I was the only person who had anything like what I have you know, I was not.

Ryan Niemiller: amongst a lot of other disabled peers.

Ryan Niemiller: So to speak so and I think we all can remember this isn't just for people with disabilities, but all of us know, like you remember, being a kid kids are mean you know like kids are.

Nadine Vogel: They can they can be very cruel.

Ryan Niemiller: So I had to learn quick like i'm the only one that looks like this that makes me a target.

Ryan Niemiller: I got to figure out how to make sure I don't get bullied.

Ryan Niemiller: And I just luckily was born with this kind of just quick wit and once I sort of learned that like if I make the jokes first whether it was about me or if I roasted them, you know, in some way. first.

Ryan Niemiller: they'd be like oh he's really funny we like him we don't need to pick on him because he's funny.

Ryan Niemiller: And, and that was sort of originally it was survival it wasn't any thought that I, you know when you're five years old, I wasn't like i'm going to be on america's got talent, or whatever you know.

Nadine Vogel: [laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: It's just. Being funny makes me feel good you know, and when people laugh it's like it's being a good center of attention and then just as time went on, I was like oh.

Ryan Niemiller: I always when I say this, it always sounds more sinister than I mean it to, but if you're funny people will do whatever you want.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, like like if they, like you, and you can make them laugh they're more willing to like you know work with you, and once I kind of figured that out there is power in this sort of transition into comedy and then 16 years later we're here now.

Nadine Vogel: No that's that's so true, I mean my my daughter's my daughter's 31 and has a myriad of disabilities, and I can remember the terrible bullying and things that she had to deal with and it's.

Nadine Vogel: You know it's kids are mean. It's uh I don't even know how else to say that kids kids are just mean but but.

Nadine Vogel: My concern is that kids grow up they become adults and we have adult bullies as well, so i'm curious What was your experience at A-G-T relative to that.

Ryan Niemiller: For me, you know growing up, I you know I mentioned, I never really was bullied because I kind of figured out.

Ryan Niemiller: How to be the funny guy.

Ryan Niemiller: That's how I was good, so I never got bullied I had way more trouble with the adult version of bullying I think than I ever did as a kid and and i've never been i've never been concerned with anyone calling me names like when you're an adult and someone calls you a name, whatever like.

Ryan Niemiller: That that doesn't affect me.

Ryan Niemiller: Personally, but I was dealing more with the stuff that like you don't really know how to prepare for as a kid you know, like when I started getting into the workforce people not wanting to hire me because they assume. that.

Ryan Niemiller: Oh, you have a disability, you can't do these jobs, what I wanted when I started getting interested in dating you know it takes a very strong individual to be with someone with a disability, because it's a different world if they haven't experienced it before.

Ryan Niemiller: And for a long time, like.

Ryan Niemiller: I understand that now intellectually, now that i'm married and kind of gone through the journey, but when you're first just like hey I think she's pretty, why does she think i'm disgusting.

Ryan Niemiller: it's not my fault, you know you start to have these these thoughts that you're dealing with so that was a lot worse for me was getting into the real world, so to speak.

Ryan Niemiller: and learning that and and A-G-T for me was kind of the culmination of my journey of accepting all of that.

Ryan Niemiller: Because having.

Ryan Niemiller: You know this is something I always try to tell people with disabilities who might not have made it in the journey, where I have yet is I had to learn that it's okay to be angry about it.

Ryan Niemiller: Because that's because I think we're always told when we have disabilities it's usually well meaning but people will tell you just be positive just be happy.

Ryan Niemiller: You know everything will be fine and that started to make me feel like I would try to do that and things weren't.

Ryan Niemiller: Changing you know things weren't being different so It made me feel like I was a failure, like, I was doing something wrong like I was the problem and once I got to the age and like a point in my life, where I acknowledged like.

Ryan Niemiller: hey it's okay to have a rough day every now and then.

Ryan Niemiller: You can have a day, where you're.

Ryan Niemiller: You know where you're mad about having the disability, you know what i'm having the days, where, for whatever I call them my crippled days, where i'm just dropping stuff more than I normally do or for whatever it is, like the buttons on my jeans just will not button, no matter what I.

Ryan Niemiller: do so i'm wearing sweatpants.

Ryan Niemiller: Today, you know those things still happen, and even though i'm good like i've had to give myself permission.

Ryan Niemiller: To to be like okay today sucks I wish I didn't have this today and that's okay tomorrow will be a different day we'll tackle it again.

Ryan Niemiller: And once I kind of got that into my brain that it was okay to do that, that, let me really take off and then A-G-T was sort of the big kind of the crescendo of that it was the the final product of me getting there.

Norma: Awesome. Wow well, I mean you've done so much so, what is your style of comedy, what is your favorite form and who was some you know some of your role models.

Ryan Niemiller: So for me my general i'm a storyteller is what I do it's a.

Ryan Niemiller: little bit of it comes from laziness so yeah.

Ryan Niemiller: If I just tell jokes and stories that have happened to me in my life I don't have to sit and think okay What do people think is funny.

Ryan Niemiller: If I just tell you things that I. like.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, so my style of comedy is just keeping my my eyes and ears open and paying attention and be like oh this person did this, this is funny to me let's talk about it.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: My. Probably the two biggest influences that I had comedy wise before I started, especially one of them is Dave Chappelle.

Norma: Um, hmm.

Ryan Niemiller: You know.

Ryan Niemiller: In any current controversies.

Ryan Niemiller: Notwithstanding just talking from a performance standpoint I think Dave chappelle was always he was like my example of he was like the end.

Ryan Niemiller: of any conversation about a topic.

Ryan Niemiller: And most things like yeah before a joke would become hacky, so, like if Dave chappelle is talking about Michael Jackson Michael Jackson jokes are done now.

Ryan Niemiller: If he's talking about you know he.

Ryan Niemiller: always had the final say.

Ryan Niemiller: you're not gonna top that.

Ryan Niemiller: And, and then the other person I always loved was Jim Gaffigan.

Nadine Vogel: And he actually grew up.

Ryan Niemiller: he's a little older than me, but he grew up in the same area of Indiana I did so, he was sort of a role model and that way that i'm like okay just he came from here, and he successful so being from this place, does it, you know disqualify me from success it's not an excuse you know I can go out there.

Norma: Right.

Nadine Vogel: So. Ryan,

Nadine Vogel: So Ryan I one of the things I find challenging when it comes to disability is the need to always be inspirational.

Norma: Um, hmm.

Nadine Vogel: Right, no matter what you're doing professionally and i'm just curious if you've ever if you see yourself, or have ever seen yourself as inspirational or whatever your reaction is to that when people feel that way about you.

Ryan Niemiller: I will be honest that's that's never why I got into what I got into.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: Even when I was a kid I always found it so pompous when somebody would say i'm going to be an inspiration like who are you you don't get to make that call.

Ryan Niemiller: People are either inspired by you orr they're not you know you don't get to decide.

Ryan Niemiller: That that's the thing it's like it's like you can't just decide i'm gonna be i'm gonna be handsome well that's kind of how you know you are you're like that, just like the world, you know.

Ryan Niemiller: there's certain things like that so.

Ryan Niemiller: I never looked at that and I i've always to this day i've always hated it that there's this assumption that you have to be that.

Norma: Right.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: Now.

Ryan Niemiller: When I got into comedy and even like when I got onto A-G-T, which was a long term goal of mine.

Ryan Niemiller: I wasn't getting on the show thinking okay now so people are going to see it they're going to be so inspired by my story and they're going to try to do this i'll be honest i'm kind of just an attention whore.

Ryan Niemiller: And I like when people laugh at me I like being the center of attention, you know, like.

Ryan Niemiller: it's It makes me feel good.

Ryan Niemiller: To be that guy.

Ryan Niemiller: But then when I started getting like after I was on the show and I started getting emails and tweets and D-Ms and that type of thing.

Ryan Niemiller: From people with disabilities or parents of children with disabilities who are like hey, thank you for being one of us that's representing the Community in a positive light, I realized there was there is some power in that so you know I i've never wanted.

Ryan Niemiller: To be treated like an inspiration I don't that's not i'm just a guy trying to get through and i'm trying to succeed in the world that i'm in, but it does matter to people.

Ryan Niemiller: And you know i'm that's why i'm always very careful that i'm real when I was on A-G-T I was very clear that I did not want to be inspiration porn my job, my job wasn't to be oh wow.

Ryan Niemiller: Look at him, he can dress himself like yeah most of us, you know we can like people with disabilities are adaptable it's not.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, impressive because you learn how to do a.

Ryan Niemiller: thing you know that you just did it, so I was always very clear that I never wanted to be a disabled comedian I wanted to be a comedian who happens to have a disability, that was a very important.

Ryan Niemiller: distinction for me.

Nadine Vogel: Love it.

Norma: Yes.

Nadine Vogel: that's a great that's a great point for us to stop and move to commercial break and we'll be back in just a minute with the minute with the Ryan Miller, stay tuned everybody.

Voiceover: And now it's time for a commercial break.

[COMMERCIAL] If you're familiar with Springboard Consulting Disability Matters Events. You won't want to miss out on the 2022 Disability Matters Asia-Pacific Conference & Awards Live-Stream. It's happening November 9 & 10, and it's being hosted by Manulife. So, don't miss out! Visit www.consultspringboard.com for more information. Again, that's www.consultspringboard.com for more information.

Voiceover: And now back to our show.

Nadine Vogel: We are back today at disabled lives matter we're talking with Ryan Niemiller, you may know him from america's got talent or any place on a comedic world stage he's also known as the cripple threat of comedy we are having this fabulous conversation and.

Nadine Vogel: You know, one of the questions that jumps out for me Ryan is, you must over all these years you've probably had some amazing.

Nadine Vogel: moments amazing you know events, but is there one or two that just stand out for you is you know you would say, these are my proudest these these really rise to the top.

Ryan Niemiller: I mean it's probably the most obvious one is probably my run on america's got talent, you know, especially you know I ended up getting third place overall in my season.

Ryan Niemiller: And number one that's tough for any comedian to do on that show it's that shows not really designed for comedians per se, because a lot of people don't think comedy is a talent.

Ryan Niemiller: Because if you're good you're good at it, it just looks like you're talking you know even if you hate juggling if someone's good at it.

Ryan Niemiller: You can.

Ryan Niemiller: You can tell like okay they're doing something you know.

Ryan Niemiller: comedy not so much.

Ryan Niemiller: But, but for me that was such a culmination of a long journey, for me, not not not to I don't want to get to like sappy or or negative about it, but in the entertainment business it's still very hard to break through if you have a very noticeable physical disability like I do.

Ryan Niemiller: You know it's not something that you.

Ryan Niemiller: Can you can hide when necessary, or whatever they said, you know so.

Ryan Niemiller: I tried to I even tried to get on america's got talent for five years before they said yes, and it was sort of like breaking those walls down that like you know just because I have this doesn't mean that like.

Ryan Niemiller: People are going to react negatively to it or judge you and an unfair way So for me to finally break through and.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, get to be one of the few people with the limb difference, who got to be not only on television but put in a positive light I wasn't that inspiration porn we were talking about before the break you know, it was this guy is just funny and he did well.

Ryan Niemiller: So, to make the top three for that, and especially with you know, I was on the season that Cody Lee won who is another represent.

Ryan Niemiller: representative of.

Ryan Niemiller: You know the disabled community, so the fact that, like two of the top three of our season, where you know people on the team.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, for lack of a better phrase was that was an amazing honor to be a part of that and it showed that I had been right.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, all those years, when I was entertainment and getting told no by people who are like yeah nobody wants to see a gimmick.

Ryan Niemiller: You know how they would describe but nobody wants to say you know that's not going to last you can't do that, to know that, like just being myself, I was correct It made me feel.

Ryan Niemiller: Both vindicated and just I couldn't have been prouder for that run.

Norma: Awesome.

Nadine Vogel: Right no that makes sense for sure so i'm curious you know we talked about sometimes how disabilities impact us negatively um but then sometimes they give us quote unquote a leg up in some ways, do you feel that and, if so, what was that beneficial side of the disability.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah yeah So for me, I mean talking about the negatives, I think there's there's always the obvious ones, you know there's certain things that.

Ryan Niemiller: You know i'm pretty self sufficient I i've been able to live by myself, for years I travel by myself, like i'm fortunate I have that, but there are certain things I can't do and and.

Ryan Niemiller: it's always hard because, like it a lot of context people don't want to hear about what you can't do they want to hear about what you can what you've overcome what you've you know taken care of.

Ryan Niemiller: So there are there are those negatives, but, for me, I i've always tried to and it took me a while to get there, but nowadays, I always try to.

Ryan Niemiller: Put the positive spin on it, because there there's a lot of things that I think are very much beneficial for me like.

Ryan Niemiller: For instance, it might have been hard to break through in comedy because of my disability, but now that I broken through there's nobody else, like me, I am incredibly unique so i'm not competing with other individuals who have this because this i'm one of one. When it comes to that so.

Nadine Vogel: [laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: that's that's very beneficial in that regard and then just sometimes just finding those little little things on the road that I can use it to my advantage because.

Ryan Niemiller: I don't think it's unfair to say that a lot of times disabilities have a big disadvantage with how people are treated how you know situations are set up for us, so there are certain situations that I that I milk it a little bit to get back.

Norma: Um, hmm.

Nadine Vogel:[laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: let's say if i'm flying.

Ryan Niemiller: And I accidentally checked in too late, so now, I have a really bad boarding position where i'm going to have to get a middle seat next to the bathroom or something like that.

Ryan Niemiller: When I get to the airport i'm like hey i'm gonna need a little bit of extra time getting on the.

Ryan Niemiller: plane, do you think I could get that pre board and they're like oh absolutely.

Ryan Niemiller: Mr Niemiller you know.

Ryan Niemiller: That there's enough negative things,that we have to deal with that, I think, occasionally getting those positives is it's something i'm not too proud and my wife.

Ryan Niemiller: Who does not have a disability, she she loves that I have that.

Ryan Niemiller: Power as well.

Ryan Niemiller: Especially, if we're running late.

Norma: Awesome. And that's so important.

Norma: I think you know take advantage of situation when we have the opportunity to do so i'm know whenever i'm pushing my daughter, and her wheelchair, I have no problem getting to get on the plane first.

Norma: Because they let us on first.

Ryan Niemiller: Exactly and they way so i've had some people tell me that, like Oh well, that's not fair i'm like if I gave you the long list of things that that we deal with that aren't fair to us.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: Yeah yeah I always tell people, some people think it's unfair that I had I joke about my disability they say it's easy and i'm like well if you don't want me to tell jokes about but disability tell people to hire me for a real job without having any issues.

Ryan Niemiller: That you know, like like, let me just be judged on my merits when I tried to get employment, then i'll do whatever you need to I like I always tell people that I wish I we didn't have to talk about this.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, like like like you're all fantastic, but I wish that is a podcast like this didn't have to exist.

Ryan Niemiller: I wish it was just Oh, we have a disability, but we're still functioning members of society that can contribute like that's fine.

Ryan Niemiller: We don't have to talk about this it's.

Ryan Niemiller: Not a big deal but we're not there yet so.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah we're gonna have to deal with. me telling a few arm jokes. [laughter] you know.

Nadine Vogel: Well, you know Ryan that so true, I mean.

Nadine Vogel: So I run a global company called springboard and we work with corporations on mainstreaming people with disabilities as employees as candidates as customers and I always say that, like the best thing that can happen is we get put out of business because businesses finally get it.

Norma: Yes.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah I always tell people that and I even said this when I was you know i'm fortunate that like with what I do now, I don't have to work that nine to five anymore.

Ryan Niemiller: But I always tell.

Ryan Niemiller: People you would it would be to your benefit to hire people with disabilities, because.

Ryan Niemiller: Number one we are gonna work hard to prove ourselves we're going to prove that we are are capable and worthy because we just want that same respect so we're going to work hard for that respect.

Ryan Niemiller: And I touched on it a little bit before but too we're very innovative and we're very adaptable, you know, like there's.

Norma: Resourceful.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah exactly a lot like.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah there's a lot of things I can't do with my hand or I shouldn't be able to do.

Nadine Vogel: With the disability that I just figured out.

Ryan Niemiller: Because when you learn problem solving skills you're like Okay, you know there's been plenty of times, where i'm like all right, I am out here, I can't get my jeans back button i'm in a public restroom right now I can't go out there.

Ryan Niemiller: With my pants down what do I do, and then you figure it out like it makes you very resourceful I think.

Ryan Niemiller: You know, like obviously I I was always realistic to I wasn't trying to you know with my disability I wasn't trying to unload trucks or are things that we're going to be physically taxing that wasn't going to work, but like I can be a cashier.

Ryan Niemiller: You know I can do that, like this.

Ryan Niemiller: And i'm resource i'll figure it out, I people should just like look at look at alternate like things that you might not consider hiring people for because we'll we'll figure it out and we'll do we'll do a good job.

Norma: Absolutely.

Nadine Vogel: Absolutely well, let me, let me, let me, let me ask you.

Nadine Vogel: How to give one piece of advice, maybe two or three pieces.

Nadine Vogel: To individuals with disabilities.

Nadine Vogel: Whether, whether because they want to go into comedy or show business, or just life in general, what What would you say to that.

Ryan Niemiller: We touched on it a little bit earlier, but I think acknowledging your circumstances is one of the most important things that I had to learn.

Ryan Niemiller: And, and knowing what your reality is I always feel that us with disabilities, we have to be honest with ourselves, at the same time.

Ryan Niemiller: You have to you have to know what you're personally capable of then acknowledge what the world thinks you're capable of and kind of see where those meet in the middle.

Ryan Niemiller: And I will always push this i'll reiterate this again is just allowing yourself to fail and be sad sometimes and be upset the phrase, I like to use is it's okay to be mad it's not okay to stay mad I.

Nadine Vogel: Oh I like that.

Ryan Niemiller: I think that's very important because you'll be told by the outside world who doesn't understand how disabilities work.

Ryan Niemiller: Just be positive just be like Oh, you can do anything you can do anything, when I was five Oh, you can be anything you want Ryan well i'm not going to be a major league baseball pitcher Am I. Nope.

[Laughter]

Ryan Niemiller: That is not going to happen, but you know, so we can't do everything but there's going to be something we can do better than everybody else and it's.

Ryan Niemiller: Being okay with failing trying to find what that was you know I my lifelong dream is to be a pro wrestler I failed at that.

Ryan Niemiller: But it led me to theatre, which led me to comedy which I excel at so I had to be willing to be disappointed and fail and try things that might not work that might have been what you wanted to do and and understanding that.

Ryan Niemiller: Sometimes, what you want to do your disability might make impossible and that's Okay, because there's going to be something you're going to be great at.

Ryan Niemiller: You just have to be honest with yourself and and take the time to learn and be willing to fail on that journey, so you can be mad don't stay mad.

Norma: And that applies to everybody.

Ryan Niemiller: Oh yeah yeah.

Nadine Vogel: I was just going to say that Norma.

Nadine Vogel: it's like.

Nadine Vogel: It is everybody could figure that one out my God, you can you know we can have world peace.

Ryan Niemiller: yeah yeah I just I always thought of as again that's why I never i'd never if i'm lucky enough to have kids you know i'm an uncle Now I will never do this to my nieces and nephews just I think it's very it can be very dangerous to tell a child that they can do anything they want to.

Nadine Vogel: Right.

Ryan Niemiller: Because that let that set you up I I was so disappointed in myself so often as a kid when people well meaning.

Ryan Niemiller: But people would say hey you can do anything, and then I try something, and my disability made me fail at it, so it made me feel like I was, I was like I screwed up.

Ryan Niemiller: Like I was useless like I didn't do it, so I think telling any kid you can do anything is unrealistic because you're going to set them up for disaster but telling them hey try things.

Ryan Niemiller: you're going to suck at a lot of them we're humans, we suck at most things, if you think about it it's like realistically if we got to try everything you could possibly do I would be terrible at almost all of them.

Ryan Niemiller: But there's gonna be a couple things that I am great at that's what you got to find just keep trying until you get that.

Norma: Fail forward.

Ryan Niemiller: Exactly.

Nadine Vogel: Well like Norma said.

Nadine Vogel: That's a message for everyone, I this this session just flew I cannot believe we're out of time.

Norma: Yes.

Nadine Vogel: We are. Ryan, thank you, thank you and thank you for taking the time to speak with us for being so just darn funny.

Ryan Niemiller: Thank you.

Nadine Vogel: For for not only you know, informing our listeners, but really entertaining them at the same time, so we are grateful for that and Norma Thank you once again for being my fabulous co host.

Norma: Thank you.

Nadine Vogel: And we'll see everyone on another episode of disabled lives matter bye-bye everybody.

Ryan Niemiller: Thank you all. Take care.

Norma: Be blessed everyone.

Closing comment: [Music playing in background.] Thank you for listening to this week's episode of disabled lives matter. We look forward to seeing you next Thursday. Have a great week!

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