Traipsin' Global on Wheels Podcast Hour: Recent Episodes
Traipsin' Global On Wheels Podcast
The Traipsin’ Global On Wheels Podcast Hour is dedicated to being a definitive resource for new insights and perspectives in disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, global-minded, and informed advocates willing to take on both emerging and age-old issues within disability rights. Each week on our podcast, we interview someone with a disability or someone whose work advances the disability rights movement locally and internationally.
If you have any questions/inquiries about the podcast please email traipsinglobalonwheels@gmail.com
As manual wheelchair users, we're often excluded from social events due to attitudinal barriers or physical infrastructural barriers. Listen or watch this short episodes on my views towards whether or not you should invite those of us who cannot walk and rely on a wheelchair to participate in certain social events such as clubbing.
Samaneh Shabani is a human rights and gender equality advocate. She has a doctorate in international law, and a master in transitional justice, human rights and the rule of law. Since 2018, she has worked as project manager, capacity builder, trainer and advocate with differentnational and international organisations, as well as the United Nations. Samaneh lives with complete visual impairment.
Alvaro Silberstein is the founder of Wheel the World. It is an organization that helps people with disabilities and seniors with accessible travel. The destinations are cool and the experiences are memorable. See how Alvaro scuba dives as a long-term wheelchair user and how you can do it, too!
Kamil Goungor, 36, is from Poland but is born and lives in Greece, where he studied journalism and communication. In2014 he co-founded i-living, the first and only Independent Living organisation in Greece, which now he chairs. Since 2018 he works for the European Network on Independent Living - ENIL as Policy and Movement Support Officer. Also, until autumn of 2022 he represented the ENIL Youth Network at the Youth Committee of the European Disability Forum, being the chair of the latter, and he was alsoin the Youth Committee of the International Disability Alliance. Finally, Kamil is the only disabled travel blogger in Greece (check @thetrawheeler).
bio from PINC Experience
The colour of a tie or T-shirt, the ultimate date for use on a milk carton or the number on a bus stop, visually impaired people sometimes need to know what they can’t see. Hans Jørgen Wiberg, who started to lose his sight at 25, knows the challenges all too well. When he learned that a friend used FaceTime to overcome this problem, he thought of abetter idea. Because FaceTime is limited to friends, and friends may not always be available. Wiberg, who had been working for several Danish organisations forthe blind and visually impaired since 2005, imagined an app that would make random contact with a seeing volunteer. With the help of a young business student, Christian Erfurt, he developed the app Be My Eyes, launched in 2015.
‘The main ingredient in Be My Eyes is trust,’ says Wiberg, who studied philosophy. ‘I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Be My Eyes was made here in Scandinavia. We have a very high degree of trust in each other. I hope that Be My Eyes can export trust to the rest of the world.’
Dr Miro Griffiths is a Disability Studies scholar, based in the School of Sociology and Social Policy, at the University of Leeds. His research is associated – primarily – with understanding disabled people’s experiences of resistance, activism, social movement participation, and advocacy. His contribution to existing bodies of literature has progressed ideas and theories about power, resistance practices, anddisabled people’s pursuit for liberation. Dr Miro Griffiths is also a policy adviser to governments, civil society organisations, research networks, and private enterprises.
Finding a life partner is very much a personal choice. What's important is to understand, reflect, and be aware of what is influencing who we are attracted to and who we are not attracted to.
Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed. has been an elementary educator for over 30 years, and co-teaches a Disability & Society course at San Diego State University. She is a consultant and educator on diversity as it relates to disability, and is the author of several articles and books including Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity Work in K-12 Schools & Communities, and children’s book, Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights, and Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator’s Guide. Diana is known for her powerful keynote presentations and educational workshops related to disability awareness and inclusive teaching practices. Her disability awareness work in schools has earned her statewide PTA recognitions in the areas of advocacy and outreach, as well as her elementary school’s designation of Teacher of the Year. In addition to a TEDx Talk and her award-winning podcast, Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana has been featured in several articles and other podcasts. She served two terms on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights California, and currently serves as a board member of Disability Voices United. Although Diana experiences disability herself, she credits her passion for this work to her brother, Joaquin Carson, who endured years of segregated schooling and subsequent institutionalization. She takes the most pride in knowing that after many years of fighting for his release from an institution, Joaquin now lives a life of self-determination, inclusion and quality, in the community, as her next-door neighbor. Along this journey to inclusion, Diana and Joaquin have become advocates for safe community inclusion, especially for people who experience body dysregulation, and as it relates to healthcare access, and access to "durable accommodations", a term coined by Diana's family.
What having a mobility disability has taught me:
- Life is short, do what’s important
a. Lower backaches
b. Shoulder pain
- Be innovative if you want to do youwant do.
a. Using the escalators when elevators go out ofservice
b. Using an office chair with wheels to reach kitchencounter and cook because the kitchen is not accessible.
c. Climbing the Great Wall by crawling part of thestretch
d. Checking out the camel and Arabian desert byditching my wheelchair at a hostel
- Don’t be shy and speak up
a. Asking for help in public places when physicalspaces are inaccessible
- Be persistent
a. Accessible pool entrance
Thank you to the following guests for coming on the podcast show …
-
Emma Farley
-
Izzy Camilleri
-
Danielle Connolly
-
Keisha Greaves
-
Laura Andert
-
Billy Price
-
Lydia X. Z. Brown
-
Mindy Scheier
I’ve been wanting to do a casual monologue episode for a while now, but nine weeks later, we’re still in the same spot. I am going to push through my resistance and release something imperfect and short, but real andhonest.
Today I am going to talk about MY top fears to making recorded content … other people may (and probably will) have a different list …
-
Not having all the “correct information”
-
Not saying it the “correct way” that is acceptedby all.
-
Not having the privacy to record the contents
-
Not having the right clothes for recording
-
Needing to prepare: shower, look “presentable” and theeffort it takes to be “video” ready
-
People’s judgements once the content is released
-
Having my contents be misconstrued or used outof context
-
Not having the right length of contents
-
Being judged by your family members
-
Sounding stupid, uneducated, ill-informed, and unaware.
Emma Farley is a Disability Studies student and disability activist based in Brooklyn, New York. Emma has both visible and invisible disabilities - a rare form of muscular dystrophy, ADHD, and dyscalculia. Emma's involvement within the disability community stretches back to early childhood, when she began public speaking about her lived experience with muscular dystrophy, and she continues to do this as a Diversability Leadership Collective Member, hosting several discussions with the Diversability group about various disability-related topics. Passionate about creating connections with the disability community and taking an intersectional approach to activism, Emma is launching a new podcast called Unsilent: Disability On Our Terms in Spring 2024.
Izzy Camilleri is one of Canada’s leading and most celebrated fashion designers, and a pioneer in adaptive clothing. Izzy first ventured into the world of accessible clothing after initially doing custom work for a wheelchair user in 2004. It opened her eyes to the huge necessity for this type of clothing in the world.
In 2022, Izzy received 2 awards for her adaptive line. She won the Innovation Award from the Women’s Empowerment Awards and the Fashion Impact Award from the CAFA Awards. In 2006, she received CAFA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year Award. Her adaptive line has been featured in the Royal Ontario Museum.
For more than 39 years, she has designed custom clothing for aninternational clientele, crafted gorgeous collections featured in fashion magazines from Vogue to InStyle, and dressed celebrities like Daniel Radcliffe, Mark Wahlberg, Meryl Streep, Angelina Jolie and David Bowie. Since 2009, Izzy has focused on inclusive fashion through her brand IZ Adaptive, with the mission to make great looking and well fitting clothes accessible to everyone. To learn more about Izzy, visit www.izzycamilleri.com.
Danielle Connolly is a rare disease and disability advocate, content creator, and business and marketing professional. Being born with a muscle disease, that still has an unknown origin after twenty-nine years, has given Danielle many unique life experiences that set the course for her various ambitions. After she took her first vacation with friends as an adult, she realized that she is more capable of traveling than she realized. Upon returning from the trip, she swiftly got her own mobility scooter and started planning more adventures. The idea of documenting these adventures and giving accessibility reviews came about, and then many other ideas for content and series (such as “Breaking the 4th Wall of Disability”) followed. Thus, Daniellevates was born! Daniellevates is a play on her name combined with “elevates” because the content is all about elevating ideas about disability, rare disease, and chronic illness through humor, storytelling, education, and adventures.
At age 24, Keisha Greaves was diagnosed with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy - at which point, her life changed forever. Rather than be bogged down by her diagnosis, Keisha decided to channel her energy into celebrating those with Muscular Dystrophy and other chronic illnesses. Thus began Girls Chronically Rock and the founding of her other nonprofits: The GCR Adaptive Project and the Trust Your Abilities Nonprofit for People of Color.
Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Girls Chronically Rock supports individuals in th disability community through inspiring and adaptive tees, hoodies, accessories, and swimwear.
The mission of the GCR Adaptive Project is to make fashion accessible to everyone regardless of ability by providing adaptive fashion supplies and tools to college fashion students so they can learn to design more inclusively.
The Trust Your Abilities Nonprofit for People of Color helps people of color in the disability community access much needed resources and support for their disability (ie. grants for accessible vehicles, uninsured medical equipment, adaptive fitness equipment, and school scholarship, among other needs.)
Laura Andert, born with Cerebral Palsy, is a disability consultant and benefits coach who is training to become a work incentive practitioner in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. As an advocate for herself and for others, Laura’s goal is to help other individuals with disabilities navigate their resources, recognize their worth, and discover their unique abilities. And this is me quoting Laura, “When I set out to do something and I am blocked from it, I don’t just walk away. I will knock down walls to make it happen. I don’t give up until I give it my all!”
As a teenager, Seattle native Billy Price suffered a spinal cord injury and became paralyzed from the chest down, losing the ability to move his fingers. Daily tasks became difficult, but using his creative mind and unyielding spirit, he never gave up. He continued on, facing life's challenges with tenacity and determination.
Born out of a need, BILLY Footwear was founded on the principle of inclusion. Alongside an incredible team, Billy strives to add value to the lives of others and make a measurable difference in the world, one foot at a time.
Lydia X. Z. Brown is the Director of Public Policy at the National Disability Institute. They have spoken and consulted internationally and throughout the U.S. on a range of topics at the intersections of disability, race, class, gender and sexuality, and has published in numerous scholarly and community publications. Lydia is also a lecturer in disability studies at Georgetown University and foundingexecutive director of the Autistic People of Color Fund. Previously, they served as Policy Counsel at the Center for Democracy & Technology, focusing on disability rights and algorithmic bias; Director of Policy, Advocacy, & External Affairs at the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network; Justice Catalyst Fellow at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law; and Chairperson of the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council.
Before starting the Runway of Dreams Foundation in2014, Mindy spent 20 years working in fashion as a designer for the INC collection and as a stylist for Saks Fifth Avenue.
Mindy was inspired to start Runway of Dreams after her son Oliver, who has Muscular Dystrophy, dreamed of wearing jeans like everyone else. In 2016, Mindy partnered with Tommy Hilfiger to make fashion history creating the first mainstream adaptive clothing line in the market. Runway of Dreams was founded on the basis that clothing is a basic human need.
In 2022, the Runway of Dreams fashion show was recognized as one of the top seven NYFW shows by Forbes, highlighting the latest designs from the Adaptive category featuring brands such as Kohl’s,Target, JCPenney, Zappos.com and Tommy Hilfiger.
Due to the overwhelming amount of requests Mindy receivedat Runway of Dreams from a multitude of brands and industries for connection to PWDs, in 2019, Mindy created GAMUT Management. GAMUT is a trailblazing consulting and talent management company that represents people with disabilities (PWDs), across the fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment industries.GAMUT exists to lead brand’s towards doing better, more inclusive business, helping to engage with, and develop new products for PWDs. GAMUT works with a diverse range of clients including Adidas, Victoria’s Secret, Footlocker, Kohls & QVC.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels Podcast Relaunch – InauguralEpisode
Welcome back to the Traipsin’ Global on Wheels Podcast! I am back!! It’s been a long minute since the last episode. This the inaugural episode of my podcast relaunch.
As some of you may know, this podcast show has been on pausefor quite some time. I think the last released archival episode was over a year and a half ago. However, this was a much-needed pause for both personal and professional reasons.
Because of this pause, I will be able to show up moreauthentically and vulnerably. This pause has also given me the time to decide on a more effective format for the podcast show. Instead of just interview style episodes, this podcast will incorporate more of me intimately sharing one-on-onewith you.
As for what kinds of topics will be covered, it will, hopefully,be all topics that will help you shift to a more positive mindset and discover what it is that lights up your soul. I hope these episodes will encourage and challenge you to be the best version of yourself and do the thing that you’ve always wanted to do. My mission in life is to help people be the most pure, authentic and natural form of themselves. They say most people die with their inner music box locked tightly in them. I don’t want that to happen to you so Iwant to help you excavate that magic out of you and share with those you care about. I want each and every single one of us to live a life that is vibrant, uninhibited and purposeful.
I am also a sucker for continuous improvement in all aspectsof life. If any of this interest you, feel free tune in! Since I am someone with a mobility disability due to scoliosis and polio, perhaps some of these topics I cover will be particularly interesting to those of you who also have a mobility disability.
I hope the relaunch of this podcast will be even engaging,informative, and helpful to you. By form of recap, the contents will focus more on self-development and living your best life. And instead of just formal interview style podcast episodes, I will also be release more informal, casual and intimate 1:1 segments where I just pick up the microphone and share stories and lessons from my journey with you. Regardless of your background or vantagepoint, if you find any of my episodes useful, chances are, others will, too. So please share with ONE person who you think may enjoy and benefit from this podcast show. Thank you and talk to you again soon!
In this podcast episode Jhannel Tomlinson tells me more about the catalyst to her activism work. She then discusses the inclusion of disability youth in climate change activism. Jhannel also shares about climate change’s impact on people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Alex Ghenis tells us more about climate change's impact on people with disabilities. He then discusses the issues of climate related migration. Alex also shares about disaster responsiveness for people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Aaron tells us more about his passion for wheelchair motocross (WCMX). He then discusses with us about his Guinness World Records. Aaron also shares with us about wheelchair malfunctions encountered as an extreme athlete. Finally, Aaron gives us some dating advice as a person with a visible physical disability.
In this podcast episode Dr Erin Stuckey tells us more about the presence and eradication of polio by the Gates foundation. She then discusses with us about the resources that can facilitate the eradication of polio. Dr. Stuckey also shares with us about response to COVID-19 and vaccinations.
In this podcast episode Amy Trigg tells us more about getting into theater as a person with a physical disability. Amy then discusses with us about playing a Shakespearean character on a wheelchair. Finally, she shares with us about the importance of representation of persons with disabilities in the arts.
In this podcast episode Sylvia Longmire tells us more about her mission as an accessible travel business agent. She then shares with us some travel tips and important gadgets. She then discusses with us the pros and cons of being a miss wheelchair from the wheelchair pageant.
In this podcast episode Marla Runyan shares with us about her parenting experience and the challenges she encountered as a mother who is visually impaired. Marla also discusses with us about the importance of digital accessibility.
In this podcast episode Senator Sheldon Whitehouse tells us more about the importance of universal and accessible design. He then shares with us about the inclusion of people with disabilities in disaster evacuation planning. Senator Whitehouse also discusses with us about the importance of tackling climate change.
In this podcast episode Jay Ruderman tells us more about the disability rights movement in Israel. He then discusses with us about the issues facing the disability community and the role of the Ruderman Family Foundation in tackling these issues.
In this podcast episode Jesi Stracham tell us more about the Wheel with Me Foundation. She then discusses with us about the importance of representation through her series about a wheelchair user by a wheelchair user. Jesi also shares with us about her passion for adaptive sports.
Gwen Buck joined me in this podcast hour, to share her thoughts about climate change, how this passion for the environment started and the inclusion of the disability community in the climate change discussion.
Bill McKibben honored me by joining me in this podcast hour to share with us his passion for the environment and where it came from, he also shares with us about 350, their rallies and how they are more accessible for people with disabilities.
Juliet Davenport joined me in this podcast episode to share her passion for atmospheric physics, her involvement in the climate change fight as well as her achievements in this arena.
Erik Solheim joined me in this podcast to discuss climate change issues and solutions, the win win win policies, his involvement in disability advocacy and the impact of climate change on people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Curtis McGrath tells us more about the attitudinal barriers and discrimination faced post injury and how he overcame these challenges. He then discusses with us about the physical barriers encountered in the "real" world. Curtis also shares with us about his relationship with an able-bodied person and the obstacles faced post injury after transitioning to becoming a person with a disability.
In this podcast episode Dana Vollmer discusses with us about the advantages and disadvantages of having an invisible disability and the misconceptions and discrimination faced. Dana Vollmer also shares with us about her misdiagnosis experience and how it affected her life.
In this podcast episode Jeremy Schmidt and Erik Neufeld tell us more about their accessible tourism company. Erik then discusses with us about his disability advocacy work in morocco. Finally both Erik and Jeremy share with us about the accessible cities in Morocco.
In this podcast episode, Ade Adepitan shares with us about the physical and attitudinal challenges faced in travel journalism and how he overcomes them. He then shares with us his working experience as it relates to his physical disability. Ade also tells us more about the innate and inherent skills needed to be a journalist. He also shares with us about the impact of climate change on the disability community.
In this podcast episode Chella Man shares with us about his transition journey and process into becoming the person he Identified into. Chella then discusses with us about his advocacy work for the LBTQ and disability communities and its impact on his life. Chella also shares with us about the behind the scenes story of the superhero story, Titans and what it's like to be an actor in that show.
In this podcast episode Ashley Lyn Olson tells us more about her injury and how that impacted her life. She then discusses with us about dating life as a person with a physical disability.
In this podcast episode Janet Labreck tells us more about her disability and how it impacted her life. She then shares with us the challenges she faced as a person of color and with a disability. Janet also discusses with us about the importance of technology in improving the life of people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Miles O’Brien shares with us about his post injury life experience and equipment/tools used to support him in his daily life. He then discusses with us about confidence and ways to cultivate it.
In this podcast episode, El Gibbs tells us more about Australia’s immigration policy and discrimination. She also discusses with us about climate change and its impact on people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Dinesh Palipana shares with us some advice for people with disabilities regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. He then tells us more about his post-injury experience and the way that changed his view towards human nature. Dinesh also gives us some advices about dating for people with spinal cord injury.
In this podcast episode Dana Bolles tells us more about her career as an engineer and the role model that helped her pursue that path. She then discusses with us about the role of her family in shaping her career trajectory. Dana also shares with us about employee resources group and their mission.
In this podcast episode Eric Lipp explains to us in details about his disability and its impact on his life. He then tells us about the services provided by the Open Doors organization. Moreover, Eric shares with us about the United States Air Carriers Access Act and his involvement in its implementation.
In this podcast episode Karen Saba tells us about disability advocacy work in the middle east. She then discusses with us about the biggest barriers to equal opportunities and access for people with disabilities in the Middle east. Karen also discusses with us about the key to collaborating with a diverse group of people in an international level.
In this podcast episode Devon Palermo tells us more about DPI adaptive fitness. He also discusses with us about the skills needed to create a useful adaptive fitness program for people with disabilities. Devon also shares with us some tips on staying fit for people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Steph Aiello tells us more about her passion of doing makeup. She also shares with us about social stigma towards people with disabilities and changes needed to shape the image of the disability community. Steph then discusses with us about her responsibilities as a role model and influencer for people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode, Kings Floyd shares with us about the importance of representation. She also tells us more about her role as the co-chair of the Dc Metro Adapt. Kings also discusses with us about her experience of protesting with ADAPT and being arrested at the Capitol Building.
In this podcast episode Amy Currotto shares with us her dream of becoming an opera singer. Amy also tells us more about her international disability advocacy work as well as Model UN Program. She also discusses with us about how her family and friends advocated for her with her specific disability.
In this podcast episode, Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo shares with us about her post injury experience and the role models that helped her overcome and embrace her disability and shaped her identity. She also discusses with us about the tools that helped her succeed in life. Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo also shares with us about people’s misconceptions and fears towards disability.
In this podcast episode, Lucy Jones tells us more about her dream and how working with people with disabilities helped her achieve it. Lucy also discusses with us about her takeaways from her exposure to the disability community. She also shares with us about her company Ffora, its mission and gives us some insights on how to grow a startup.
In this podcast episode, Tom Harkin discusses with us the laws that could help people with disabilities live a fulfilling life. Tom also tells us more about his work at the United States Senate and his choice of working in public service. He also shares with us about empowering youth with disabilities to get involved in politics.
In this podcast episode Sylvia Quan discusses with us in details the challenges faced by people with disabilities in Guatemala. She also tells us more about disability advocacy at a global level. Quan also shares with us her motivation and inspiration to pushing forward with disability rights work.
In this video, Karen Braitmayer shares with us about her parenting experience as well as the adoption process. Karen also discusses with us about her disability advocacy work as well as her proudest achievements. She also gives us some advices in terms of gaining economic stability and finding a career path.
In this segment, Grace Jun shares with us about Open Style Lab, its mission and long term vision. She also tells us more about her passion for creating adaptive clothing. Grace also discusses with us about the importance of adaptive clothing for people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Susan Sygall joined us to share with us about Mobility international USA, its mission, the founders and the reasons for founding it. She also shares with us about her disability advocacy work and compounding discrimination women with disabilities face.
Susan Sygall also share with us about accessible travel -- the challenges and advantages of traveling in a wheelchair.
In this podcast episode Noorain Khan shares with us about how she continues on trying to help marginalized communities while islamophobia is increasing in America. She also discusses with us about her disability advocacy work with Ford Foundation. Noorain Khan also explains to us how every movement needs to integrate the disability movement.
In this podcast episode, John Lancaster shares with us about the impact his injury has had on his life as wells as the hardest part of transitioning from being an able bodied person to a person with a disability. John also discusses with us about the importance of fitness and about the changes needed in regards to employment of people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode, Jeff Meer tells us more about his passion for helping marginalized groups such as individuals with disabilities. He also discusses with us about his work as an executive director as well as his multilingual skills. Jeff also shares with us about the mission of the INGO he works for, Humanity and Inclusion.
In this podcast episode Denis shares with us about his evolvement in the disability rights advocacy field. He also tells us about his life experience and growing up with parents with disabilities. Denis also discusses with us about his passion for creating adaptive sports and tells us more about the importance of fitness for people with disabilities.
In this podcast episode Debra Ruh shares with us about the founding of her technology firm that employs especially people with disabilities. She also tells us more about the challenges of finding people with disabilities with the skill sets needed to be employed in her firm and how employment of people with disabilities can be improved.
In this podcast episode, Andy Arias shares with us about his experience with foster care and how the foster care system needs to be improved to be more accessible for people with disabilities. He also discusses with us about the importance of social media for the disability community. Andy Arias also shares with us about his disability advocacy work.
In this podcast episode, Kanya Sesser tells us more about her involvement in fitness activities. She also discusses with us about what beauty looks like to her.
In this podcast episode, Justin Pines shares with us about his solo travel experience, challenges and accessibility. He also shares with us how his injury changed and impacted his life. Justin Pines also tells us more about his exciting life pre and post injury as well as the importance of documenting and sharing stories.
In this podcast episode, Cheri Blauwet shares with us about the physical challenges for wheelchair users, how to avoid them and the importance of fitness. Cheri also suggests to us some interesting exercises for people with disabilities. She also shares with us about her parenting experience and life hacks. Cheri also discusses with us about the stereotypes and the challenges of people with disabilities in the medicine field. She also discusses with us about the importance of documentation and storytelling.
In this podcast episode Vincenzo Piscopo shares with us about his life experience and family relationship changes he encountered after becoming a wheelchair user. He also discusses with us about some misconceptions able-bodied people have about people with disabilities. But more importantly Vincenzo tells with us more about the inspiration of the Wheel of Happiness foundation.
In this podcast episode Denise Roza tells us more about her passion for helping people with disabilities in Russia. She also discusses with us about the ratification of the UNCRPD in Russia as well as the improvements implemented post ratification in terms of accessibility and inclusion.
In this podcast episode Anastazia Somoza shares with us about dating challenges for people with disabilities and tells us more about her work as New York’s first ever liaison to the disability community.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Bruce Curtis, a wheelchair dance teacher, and international disability activist. Ming and her guest talk about their different experiences dealing with accessibility in college and beyond.
Kristin shares with us about the importance of fitness for people with disabilities. She also elaborates on some exercises she does to stay fit. Furthermore, Kristin also provides insights into the representation of beauty and sexuality in the media in regards to people with disabilities.
In this video Kelley share with us about her story and how she adapted to her new way of living after her car incident. She also discusses with us about the importance of fitness for people with disabilities as well as her parenting experience from a wheelchair.
In this video Judy Heumann discusses with us about the issue of discrimination against minorities, and the importance of empowering the disability community. Judy also shares with us about the importance of NGOs and DPOs in including and advancing the rights of the disability community as well as the importance of the intersectionality between the civil rights movements.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Reveca Torres who is an adaptive fashion designer and founder of Backbones, a peer to peer advocacy organization that pairs wheelchair users with similar disabilities in order to foster better advocacy and connections in the disability community.
In this video David Younger joins us to share with us the importance of communication and forming relationships with others . He also discusses with us about the importance of the advancements in technology for people with disabilities.
In this podcast, Gene Baur shares his vision about veganism as well as Farm Sanctuary and his animal advocacy work. Gene Baur also discusses accessibility to the disability community at his Farm Sanctuary sites.
In this podcast, Bob Inglis joined me to share his conservative point of view on the causes and solutions for climate change. He also introduces the mission of his environmentalist advocacy organization RepublicEn, and discusses the impact of climate change on the disability community.
In this podcast episode Elsa talks in more details about her disability advocacy work as well as her career as a writer with a disability. Elsa then discusses with us about inaccessibility and changes that need to be made in the medical industry.
Tiana Tozer shares with us about wheelchair accessibility in Oregon. Separately, she also discusses the challenges for people with disabilities who want to do international humanitarian work and how to overcome these challenges. She also elaborates on attitudinal barriers towards people with disabilities
In this video Shantha Rau Barriga shares with us about her involvement in disability advocacy, her achievements and impact on the disability rights issues with the Human Rights Watch. Shantha also shares with us about the importance of the empowerment of people with disabilities and increasing their presence and voice. She also discusses with us about the challenges of people with disabilities in third world countries.
Jill Moore shares with us her incredible story and involvement in inclusive play. She explains how inclusive play has shaped her life and made her this amazing confident woman who continuously seeks to empower others and normalize their disabilities.
Piers tells us about the origins of his passion for disability advocacy and activism work, he also shares his proudest achievements as a disability advocate and elaborates on the importance of the UN CRPD for the global disability community.
In this podcast episode Steve Bartlett tells us more about working in congress. He then share with us about his knowledge in finance with a focus on people with disabilities. Steve also discusses with us the importance of including people with disabilities in the political sphere.
In this podcast, Jennifer shares with us her passion and her disability advocacy work but, more than that, she explains to us in more detail about the disability advocacy work done in Australia by the National Disability Insurance Scheme and the Centre for Disability Research and Policy. She explains how it all helps the disability community.
In this podcast episode Alastair shares with us about the work of the Royal Commission and the goal of its establishment. Alastair also explains to us his mission and his goals as a commissioner for the disability royal commission as well as his achievements as a disability advocate.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Ralf Hotchkiss, an inventor and engineer who founded Whirlwind Wheelchair, a company devoted to making better, more reliable wheelchairs for individuals with disabilities in the developing world. Ralf and Ming also touch on how certain characteristics of the western world wheelchairs make them less reliable and more dependent on integrated infrastructure.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Craig Blanchette as they discuss how important it is to stay healthy and active in order to maintain positive health. Their discussion also touches on the importance of having a good wheelchair and what it takes to keep it maintained.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Julie Fernandez, an actor and television star best known for her role on the original british show, The Office. Julie talks about the challenges that come with being born with brittle bone disease and sheds light on the mistakes the British healthcare system has made regarding healthcare for people with disabilities.
Host Ming Canaday interviews Paralymian Chris Waddell about his trips around the world. Ming and Chris take a deep dive into accessible tourism and the different quirks of cities around the globe. They also touch on the best ways to approach accepting help from others and how best to discuss disability.
In this podcast episode, Brittany Déjean joins us to share with us about her life experience and how her father’s accident affected and shaped her life. Brittany also shares with us about the founding of AbleThrive, its missions and services. She also discusses with us about the similarities and differences around the world on the disability issues.
In this video Catalina Devandas shares with us the negative consequences of not ratifying the UNCRPD on people with disabilities in the US. She also discusses with us about the balance between embracing and overcoming disability as well as the importance of diversity, the multitude and variation of disability in influencing the trajectory of the disability rights movement.
In this video, Judy Woodruff joins us to share with us about her experience of parenting a child with a disability, the impact of his injury on their lives and the grieving process they went through. Judy Woodruff also discusses with us about accessibility and inclusion as well as the challenges and attitudinal barriers faced by people with disabilities and the changes needed to help them reach their full potential.
Host Ming Canaday interviews wheelchair tennis player Dana Mathewson about the ins and outs of competing in adaptive tennis at a global level. They also touch on the different levels of accessibility and social awareness in various countries. Dana also tells us about what it was like to grow up disabled with a mother who is also a doctor.
the importance of self-confidence and embracing disability | Christina Ryan by Ming Canaday
Jay Ruderman is president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, an advocacy organization focusing on the full inclusion of people with disabilities into society. Jay graduated from Brandeis University with honors and received his J.D. from Boston University School of Law. He lives in Boston with his wife, Shira, and their four children.
Jesi Stracham is a trauma survivor on a mission to help individuals see the opportunity in their obstacles. She is the founder of Wheel With Me Foundation, the owner of Wheel With Me Consulting, and a full-time student. Through her struggles, she works for teaching individuals the power of our mindset.
Marla Runyan holds three national titles in the 1500m event and was ranked number one in the United States in 5k and marathon distances in 2002. Additionally, she is a two-time Olympian, USA Indoor 3000m champion, and placed tenth in the 1500m race at the 1999 World Outdoor Championships. Runyan holds records in the 20k, all-female marathon, 500m, and heptathlon events. Runyan received a degree in Education of the Deaf at San Diego State University and another degree in Education of Deaf-Blind Children in 1994. In 2000, Runyan became the first legally blind American to compete in the Olympics where she placed eighth in the 1500m event and had the top finish for an American female in the race.
Aaron was born in 1992 with spina bifida, a developmental birth defect caused by the incomplete closure of the embryonic neural tube. At his birth, doctors had predicted that Fotheringham wouldn’t be able to sit independently. Aaron is known to be the pioneer of WCMX (wheelchair motor-cross).
Dr. Erin Stuckey – The Health Specialist: Disease Eradication, Health Advocate and a Researcher
Dr. Erin Stuckey is an epidemiologist and Program Officer at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focusing on polio eradication. They contribute to the last mile of Polio eradication by working with government and NGO partners to increase coverage of routine immunization and other essential health services in areas at high risk for polio in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Motivated to address health inequity worldwide, Erin is a Foreign Policy Interrupted Fellow and has over fifteen years of experience in the global health field. Prior to joining the Polio team, Erin focused on malaria at the Gates foundation where they created and managed strategy, scientific content, and partner relationships for a portfolio in genetic epidemiology, geospatial epidemiology, and applied mathematical modeling, as well as malaria elimination programs in the Latin America region. Before joining the foundation in 2014 Erin conducted doctoral research at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel, Switzerland applying mathematical modeling to support decision-making for operations in malaria control and elimination in Kenya and Zambia.
Prior to moving into academia, Erin worked in various roles with Population Services International (PSI) including several years in Juba, South Sudan where they led a department implementing a multi-donor portfolio of nation-wide HIV/AIDS social marketing programs, and later established a department for research, M&E, and communications for programs in HIV/AIDS, safe water, and malaria. Erin holds a PhD in Epidemiology from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, a Postgraduate Program Certificate in Public Health from the Swiss School of Public Health, an MSc in Control of Infectious Diseases from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and a BA in Comparative Literature and International Studies from Washington University in St. Louis.
Erin also holds a 200-hour yoga teacher training certification and is honored to serves on the non-profit Board of Directors of Yoga Behind Bars.
Sylvia Longmire is an award-winning accessible travel writer, a service-disabled Air Force veteran, and the former Ms. Wheelchair USA 2016. She travels around the world, usually solo, in her power wheelchair to document the accessibility of her destinations through articles, photography, and video. Sylvia is also the owner of an accessible travel agency, President of the nonprofit scholarship fund The PreJax Foundation, and a staunch advocate for accessibility in Central Florida. She is a brand ambassador for O, The Oprah Magazine, the author of three accessible travel books, and the creator of the Spin the Globe accessible travel blog.
In this episode, British actress Amy Trigg shares what it’s like to be in the performing arts as a wheelchair user and to be one of the first actresses to play a role in Shakespeare plays. Amy also illuminates us with her understanding of why true representation of people with disabilities in the media is so crucial
Eugene Pandala is an Indian architect, known for building with values of environmental sustainability. He studied Masters in Urban Design from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi and his Fellowship in Heritage Conservation at University of York and at Fort Brockhurst (English Heritage Training Centre) in U.K. Pandala while studying at Delhi School of Planning and Architecture met the legendary architect Hassan Fathy, and was inspired to build with mud.In 2011, Lalith Kala Academy awarded him the first Laurie Baker award. The residence"Bodhi", Fort Cochin Heritage conservation project, Trivandrum East Fort Conservation projects are often cited as good examples of Kerala heritage conservation initiatives.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners! end credit music: "Protest Song" by Derek Clegg.
Laura is a Mexican feminist who has advocated for human rights, social justice, and civil society throughout her career. Before joining Global Greengrants, Laura served for seven years as the Executive Director of Fondo Semillas, a Mexican nonprofit organization that finances grassroots organizations to achieve gender equality. Laura has vast experience in grassroots philanthropy, human rights, and movements for social justice, and she has co-created networks to promote community philanthropy in the Global South. She holds a Master's Degree in International Peace and Security, from King’s College, London. She currently serves on the boards of Oxfam Mexico, Justicia Transicional MX and El Día Después.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners! end credit music: "Protest Song" by Derek Clegg.
Wildlife Photography, Climate Change & Disabilities from the Arctic to the Antarctic with Roie Galitz
Roie Galitz is an award-winning, NYC based, wildlife photographer and entrepreneur. For over a decade, he has been exploring and documenting our planet’s wildlife and nature, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. His intimate and innovative work was presented in local and international exhibitions, featured in exclusive magazines and honored with over 70 international awards, including the prestigious Picture of the Year for reportage of Science and Natural History. With equal passion and commitment, Roie is acting as a Greenpeace ambassador and engaging in conservation work around the globe. His video and still photography is a strong testimony to the struggle of the majestic animals he meets throughout his expedition, under the threats of climate change . To help protect them, he shares their stories in fascinating talks. He is recognized for his talks at the United Nations HQ, the NYC Climate Week and TEDx talks in Helsinki University, Glasgow and Wexford alongside global conventions everywhere.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners! end credit music: "Protest Song" by Derek Clegg.
Tammy Duckworth – a Person with a Disability on the Decision Table
Sen. Tammy Duckworth is the junior Democratic senator from Illinois. She has served since Jan 3, 2017. Duckworth is next up for reelection in 2022 and serves until Jan 3, 2023 unless re-elected.
Since her recovery at Walter Reed, Duckworth has dedicated her life to public service, advocating on behalf of disability rights and Veterans. She served as the Director of Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs where she implemented many first-in-the-nation, programs for Veterans, especially in the areas of health care, mental health, housing and employment. She also initiated a new grant program, awarding lottery funds to non-profits working on Veterans disability, homelessness, long-term medical care and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
She was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Assistant Secretary under Eric Shinseki. While at VA, Tammy led an unprecedented era of increased communication between the Department and the Veterans they serve.
Please enjoy this conversation with the first female wheelchair user Senator. She answers questions about helping people with disabilities run for public office, getting more individuals with disabilities employed, and on her future plans on becoming the first female president of the United States who uses a wheelchair.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners! end credit music: "Protest Song" by Derek Clegg.
Jeff Merkley – Oregonian Custodian: Disability Debates, Climate and Politics
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley has been serving Oregon in Congress since 2009. Born in the timber town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, Senator Merkley is the son of a millwright and the first in his family to attend college. He earned an undergraduate degree from Stanford and graduate degree in Public Policy at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. In 1991, he returned to Oregon to lead Portland's Habitat for Humanity, a non-profit that empowers low-income families through homeownership. He went on to serve as president of the World Affairs Council in Portland before entering the Oregon House of Representatives in 1998. From 2007 to 2009, he was Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives.
His goals for Oregon include fighting to create good jobs for working Oregonians, protecting consumers from predatory practices, and ensuring that all Oregonians have access to high-quality, affordable education.
Elizabeth was born in Sydney, Australia, with a birth defect called "Congenital Limb Deficiency," meaning she is missing half her right arm, half her right leg, and a missing finger on her left hand with two finger's fused together.
At the age of 13 Elizabeth decided she wanted to swim at the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. With determination and focus she started her swimming career, resulting in her achieving her Paralympic dreams, having competed at the 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games and the 2000 Sydney Paralympic Games; all in all she walked away with three Paralympic medals (two bronze and a silver).
After retiring from swimming Elizabeth embarked on her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the University of Newcastle, Australia, with a particular focus on the visual representation of the disabled woman's body. Finishing her degree top of her class and with 1st Class Honours, Elizabeth was offered a scholarship to do her Master of Philosophy degree at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Whilst studying Elizabeth went on exchange to Leeds University, a place she fell in love with and where she now lives.
Julian Mocine-McQueen is an Oakland Ca. native raised in rural Northern California. He brings years of organizing, facilitation and training experience to his role as the co-founder, Training Director and Lead Facilitator for the Million Person Project. The Million Person Project exists to support leaders to harness the power of personal narrative to serve the most important movements of our time.
In addition to his work with the Million Person Project, Julian utilizes story to help organizations explore their relationship and commitment to justice and equity so that they may ensure their structures, norms, practices and culture are inclusive, safe and generative for all people.
Prior to the Million Person Project Julian was a founding team member of Van Jone’s nationally renowned green economy organization Green For All. His career is fueled by a strong belief in authentic movements that are powered by people. To this end, he co-created Green For All’s College Ambassador program, which cultivates environmental leaders at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. And launched Green For All’s Fellowship program, working to weave together and support the leadership of 135 seasoned organizers from all over the United States. In 2015, Julian was recognized by Huffington Post as one of “10 Leaders reshaping the Environmental Movement.” In 2019, he co-wrote the book, “How Your Story Set You Free,” published by Chronicle Books.
Passionate Activism, Climate Change Crises, Diverse Stories and Voices embodied in an enthusiastic individual – Vanessa Nakate.
Vanessa Nakate is a climate activist from Uganda. She was the First Fridays For Future climate activist in Uganda and founder of the Rise up Climate Movement in order to amplify the voices of activists from Africa. Her work includes raising awareness to the danger of climate change, the causes and the impacts. She led the campaign for Save Congo rain forest which is facing massive deforestation. This campaign later spread to other regions from Africa to Europe. She is also working on a project that involves installation of solar and institutional stoves in schools. Another unique aspect to Vanessa’s activism is that it stems from an individual originating in a third world country. Countries that contribute the least harm but take most of the blow from the aftermath of climate change. As per her quote “Diversity is important, because each activist has a story to tell and each story has its solution” Vanessa highlights the necessity of diversity and how different voices from all backgrounds deserve to partake in the tackling the Climate Crisis.
Jen Wang has over a decade's worth of experiences applying interdisciplinary approaches to address issues of environmental sustainability. Originally from the Canadian prairies, she's since worked around the globe while at organizations such as the World Bank and the UK Behavioral Insights Team. She's also launched several organizations across North America to promote interdisciplinary cross-pollination and creativity, has led teams across public, academic, and private sectors, and continues to sprinkle music and art into her portfolio of projects.
Her background in molecular biology served as foundational training in the sciences and in systems thinking, which she later built upon with an interdisciplinary PhD focused on behavior change, environmental decision-making, and the intersection of organizations, business, climate change & sustainability. Her current work as a Director of Product at thredUP is focused on the online clothing resale market and the impacts that consumers can have when they buy secondhand and re-sell their clothing. Across these many experiences, Jen has become an evangelist for best practices in data and human-centered design, evidence-based policy and decision-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive practices.
Jen is passionate about amplifying the voices of others and sharing impactful work, especially in support of social enterprises and topics related to environmental sustainability, social equity, and access. She has over 10 years of experience coaching public speaking and continues to teach on a number of topics including sustainability and environmental behavior change.
Born April 22, 1964, Langevin is the first quadriplegic to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives.
At the age of 16, Langevin was injured while working with the Warwick Police Department in the Boy Scout Explorer program. A gun accidentally discharged and a bullet struck Langevin, leaving him paralyzed. This is how Rep. Langevin recalled that moment, “I was in the locker room of the police station one afternoon getting ready to go on my shift. Two police officers were looking at a new weapon that one of them had purchased. Not realizing the gun was loaded, one of the officers pulled the trigger and the bullet ricocheted off the locker and went through my neck and severed my spinal cord. I have been paralyzed ever since.” The tremendous outpouring of support from his community inspired Langevin to give something back and enter public service.
Langevin graduated from Rhode Island College and earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He resides in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Gene Baur is President and Co-Founder of Farm Sanctuary, America’s premier farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization. Hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by TIME magazine, for more than 30 years, Baur has traveled extensively around the country, campaigning to raise awareness about the abuses of industrialized factory farming and our current food system. Credited with initiating passage of the first U.S. laws to prohibit cruel farming confinement methods, winning the first-ever cruelty conviction at a U.S. stockyard, and inspiring an international farm sanctuary movement, he is author of two national bestselling books: Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food, and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life: The Ultimate Guide to Eating Mindfully, Living Longer, and Feeling Better Every Day.
Bob Inglis is the Executive Director of republicEn.org. He was elected to the U.S. Congress in 1992, having never run for office before. He represented Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, from 1993-1998, unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Senator Fritz Hollings in 1998, and then returned to the practice of commercial real estate law in Greenville, S.C. In 2004, he was re-elected to Congress and served until losing re- election in the South Carolina Republican primary of 2010. In 2011, Inglis went full-time into promoting free enterprise action on climate change and launched the Energy and Enterprise Initiative (“E&EI”) at George Mason University in July 2012. In the fall of 2014, E&EI rebranded to become republicEn.org.
Jhannel Tomlinson is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Geography and Geology, UWI, Mona whose research for the past four years, has sought to assess the capacity of Community-based Organizations in eastern Jamaica to effectively support climate action.
In addition to her academic work, she is a youth climate activist who is a member of the Caribbean Youth Environment Network (CYEN), Jamaica, Country representative for YPARD Jamaica, and co- founder of Young People for Action on Climate Change (YPACC).
Her involvement in climate action both through academia and activism, has further led to her being selected as: - A Youth Innovator to attend the Global Landscapes forum in Paris (2015) where she contributed to the development of an online assessment tool for landscape professionals. - The Jamaican Youth delegate both for COP24 in Poland and COP25 in Madrid (2018/19) where she participated in panel discussions and youth-led events. -Committee member for the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum (2019) where she contributed to the design of the youth blast and facilitated a training session on Youth, Climate Advocacy and Policy.
Her passion in taking a stand against climate change, helps to showcase that the youth have a critical role to play and if we all work together.
Alex Ghenis is the founder of Accessible Climate Strategies and a consultant on climate resilience for people with disabilities. As the world changes, people with disabilities must be prepared for what's ahead: Alex provides information and services to government, organizations and individuals to ensure our well-being. Alex was previously a Policy and Research Specialist at the World Institute on Disability, where he managed the New Earth Disability initiative, and he continues to support both local and national climate justice efforts.
Chella Man – A Plethora Piled into One: Queer, Trans, and Deafness morphed into Activism. Chella Man emerged in 2018 as one of the best LGBTQ+ advocates on the internet, as the deaf, trans, artist known as Chella Man documented his entire transition on social media to his combined audience of nearly 500K. Launching his channel in an effort to empower and educate people about gender dysphoria, the model has become a forefront voice for equity and genderqueer activism. Becoming the first deaf trans model to sign with IMG in 2018, Chella was also named to the Out100 list by GLAAD. Further serving as a voice for the deaf community, “Professor Chella” offers YouTube sign language tutorials, encouraging fans to upload greeting videos and fingerspelling names in ASL. Chella Man also made his acting debut, rising to prominence in 2019 for his portrayal of mute superhero Jericho in DC Universe’s second installment of the series “Titans”. For more of Chella Man’s up to date content and status checkout his IG page @ChellaMan
Ashley Lyn Oslon in her own words...
At age Fourteen, I was paralyzed in a horrible car wreck that took the life of my father, crippled my mother and injured my younger sister. That one moment transformed my entire world, but it couldn’t dampen my spirit. I graduated high school on-time and received a full scholarship to the University of Southern California where I graduated with honors.wheelchairtraveling.com stats for 2020
After high school, a group of friends and I traveled to Greece. It was tough getting around, but for fourteen memorable days I had the time of my life. Years later, I went to Berlin and had a totally different experience with more accessibility. Those two trips lit a fire in me to discover more. I wanted to see the world! Now that I was paralyzed, I wondered, ‘what can I see and do now?’
After college, I first interned at an indie music management company followed by four years of employment at Wente Vineyards where I was the Executive Marketing and Production Assistant for the Concerts; performers George Carlin to Crosby, Stills and Nash to Ray Charles graced the stage.
I quit this job in 2009 to go full-time with wheelchairtraveling.com, which I founded in 2006. The website was designed so that not only I but anyone around the world could share their travel experiences – from basic travel needs to thrill seeking adventures. Finding accurate accessible travel information is challenging and sometimes non-existent and I wanted to change this. Plus, we all have different interests, abilities, and things we are or are not willing to put up with, and all of these perspectives are needed to be represented when it comes to the world of accessible travel. The mission of wheelchairtraveling.com is to empower people with limited mobility, their friends and loved ones to access and experience the world of leisure and adventure travel.
Breaking away from boundaries and testing our limits takes courage, which makes the journey of life all that more satisfying. That’s the main reason I founded wheelchairtraveling.com—to remove mental and physical barriers surrounding travel.
My role at wheelchairtraveling.com has crossed over into many areas of life to empower people. I am an advocate for reasonable accessibility on many fronts from hotels to airplanes to city-planning to healthy lifestyle options. I’ve traveled to many countries on five continents, personally experiencing the diversity of accessible travel. I work with both the CA State Parks and the National Park Service to improve access to parks, which has been transformed into the May 2015 launch of the Access to Parks Project. In 2020, I traveled to New Zealand to assess access at parks across the country. I also lecture about accessible travel around the country for all different size groups, mentor newly injured people with spinal cord injuries, write for national magazines, am an ambassador for the Abilities Expo, and more.
Ever since my injury, my eyes have been opened to the beauty of life, from the grandest of scales to the tiniest little parts. Now 15 years and a college degree later, I welcome life with open arms and remember that all journeys begin with an open heart.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse is the Junior Democratic Senator of Rhode Island. He has been in office since 2007.
A graduate of Yale University and the University of Virginia School of Law, Sen. Whitehouse served as Rhode Island’s U.S. Attorney and state attorney general before being elected to the Senate, where he serves on the Finance Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Environment and Public Works Committee, and the Budget Committee.
He and his wife Sandra, a marine biologist and environmental advocate, live in Newport. They have two grown children.
Gwen Buck – As Green as Can Be: Veganism, Policies and Politics, all for Climate Activism.
Gwen joined Green Alliance as a policy adviser in November 2018 to work on the Climate Leadership Program for member of parliaments (MPs), which engages members of parliament in climate change. She also works for Greener UK, the coalition for insuring environmental standards are maintained during Brexit and in future free trade agreements.
Gwen previously worked for Green Party, both for the leadership team in London and for a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in the European Parliament. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Science from Plymouth University.
In August of 2013, LaBreck was nominated and confirmed by the United States Senate as the Commissioner of Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA). RSA was established to provide leadership and resources to assist state and other agencies providing vocational rehabilitation services (VR) to individuals with disabilities to maximize their employment, independence and integration into the community and workforce.
Under her leadership, LaBreck was responsible for promulgating the most substantive regulation changes to the Vocational Rehabilitation program in over 15 years. She began her 27-year career with the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB) where she served as Commissioner during the last six years of her appointment by Governor Patrick until her transition to Washington, D.C. She is also the recipient of numerous awards and honors including an Honorary Doctoral Degree from New England College of Optometry (NECO) for her innovative partnership which resulted in the establishment of a mobile eye care clinic for individuals with low vision conditions. In 2017, NECO dedicated the Janet L. LaBreck Center for Low Vision Rehabilitation clinic in her honor in recognition of her commitment and dedication to the field of blindness. Most recently, LaBreck has established Janet L. LaBreck Consulting LLC in addition to becoming the Founder of Synergy Consulting Partners.
Omer Zur is the founder & CEO of Paratrek. It is a company that seeks to help those who lack independent mobility functions. They believe, regardless of physical ability, people should be able to enjoy the great outdoors. Omer created a wheelchair equipped for mountain climbing and devised specialized hiking trails for disabled tour groups.
Omer formulated the idea for his startup, Paratrek, after his father experienced an injury that paralyzed him. Seeing that his father’s injuries left him unable to pursue his hobby of hiking, Omer set out to develop a company that would make it easier for those living in wheelchairs to participate in hiking excursions.
In 2014, Zur and his co-founder established Paratrek and debuted its line of unique wheelchair accessories. Those who are looking to embark on outdoor activities can purchase mountain bike-inspired tires that will allow their wheelchairs to go off road. Paratrek also offers a harness that makes it easy for companions to pull the wheelchairs over rough terrain.
Through Paratrek, he also regularly assists individuals who want to go on hikes. After asking about a client’s hiking destinations and physical challenges, the cofounders then develop a hiking plan that will best suit that person’s individual needs. The entrepreneurs also regularly plan hikes for their customers and even participate in these excursions.
Bill McKibben is an author and environmentalist who in 2014 was awarded the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the ‘alternative Nobel.’ His 1989 book The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change, and has appeared in 24 languages; he’s gone on to write a dozen more books. He is a founder of 350.org, the first planet-wide, grassroots climate change movement, which has organized twenty thousand rallies around the world in every country except for North Korea, spearheaded the resistance to the Keystone Pipeline, and launched the fast-growing fossil fuel divestment movement.
Foreign Policy named him to their inaugural list of the world’s 100 most important global thinkers, and the Boston Globe said he was “probably America’s most important environmentalist.”
A former staff writer for the New Yorker, he writes frequently for a wide variety of publications around the world, including the New York Review of Books, National Geographic, and Rolling Stone. He lives in the mountains above Lake Champlain with his wife, the writer Sue Halpern, where he spends as much time as possible outdoors.
Juliet is founder and Chief Executive Officer of Good Energy – a renewable energy company with a mission to power a greener, cleaner future together with its customers
Juliet has been an innovator for over 20 years, working on ideas to fight climate change and transform the energy sector for the better. In 2013, she was awarded an OBE for services to renewables.
She currently sits on the board of the Renewable Energy Association, Innovate UK and is Vice President of the Energy Institute.
In addition, she sits on the advisory boards of leading UK think tanks, including Energy Systems Catapult, Aurora, Oxford Energy, and LSE’s Grantham Institute.
Erik Solheim is a well-known global leader on environment and development as well as an experienced peace negotiator. He served as Norwegian minister of Environment and International Development from 2005 to 2012.
Erik has been chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (the main body of world donors) as well as Executive Director of UN Environment. He led the peace efforts in Sri Lanka as the main negotiator of the peace process and played a vital role in peace efforts in Nepal, Myanmar and Sudan.
Currently he is senior adviser at World Resource Institute and Convener of the Global Coalition for Green Belt and Road and serves as the CEO of the Plastic REVolution Foundation. Erik is also adviser to Singapore based April/RGE and co-chair of Tree-lion, an Asian green blockchain company.
Adedoyin Adepitan. Or Ade to his friends and the public, was born in Lagos Nigeria. At the age of fifteen months he contracted Poliomyelitis. The effects of the virus meant that Ade was unable to use his left leg, and only had partial use of his right leg.
Ade discovered wheelchair basketball when he was twelve, after being spotted by two Physiotherapists. After turning down an opportunity to study and play basketball, at the University of Illinois in Chicago. Ade decided to play basketball professionally for two years with CAI CDM Zaragoza. His dream to play for Great Britain at the Paralympics finally came true. After fifteen years, Ade was selected to compete in the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. The Sydney Paralympics got good media coverage; this helped to boost Ade's Profile amongst the British public. After starring in a documentary called "hoop dreams" for a cable channel, and also featuring in the world famous PlayStation double life advert, as well as presenting a wildlife show on national TV. Ade Adepitan became a familiar face in the UK with his trademark cheeky grin and flowing dreadlocks.
Ade continued to represent Great Britain, for five more years after Sydney. In that time he won a bronze, and a silver medal, at the 2002 and 2005 European championships. He also captained his country to a silver medal, at the 2002 World championships in Kitakyushu Japan. In 2004 Ade Adepitan achieved his lifelong ambition, winning a medal at the Athens Paralympics.
Steve Bartlett has been a Mayor, US Congressman, Board Member, CEO, and disability independence advocate.
His specific areas of expertise include disability policy, financial services, financial education and many other areas.
He is Chairman of the Board of RespectAbility Inc, a large and fast growing non-profit forcefully advocating for independence and respect for persons with disabilities. Principal areas of advocacy are destigmatizing disabilities through TV and Movies, promoting full employment for persons with disabilities, and advancing access to education for persons with disabilities.
He has served in a Board leadership role two large, $50-100 million in revenue, non-profits as they managed strategic transitions: Home Ownership Preservation Foundation and International Relief and Development Corporation.
From 1999 – 2012, Steve was the President and CEO of The Financial Services Roundtable, a trade association representing 100 of the largest integrated financial services companies which provide banking, insurance, and investment services to American consumers.
In 1975 Steve founded a manufacturing company named Meridian Products Corporation, an injection molding plastics company. He sold his interest in 1999. He has also owned several retail businesses through the years in restaurants, fitness, and early childhood development.
Steve is also an active adventure traveler, most recently Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2011, Mt. Blanc Circuit in 2012, and boating the full length of the Grand Canyon in 2018.
August 23, 2012. That was the day it all changed for Curtis McGrath. A combat engineer with the Australian army who had been deployed to Afghanistan a couple of months earlier, McGrath stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) while patrolling the Taliban-infested region. It detonated, taking both his legs with it.
Eighteen months after this fateful day, Curtis was crowned World Champion at the World Sprint Canoe Championships in Moscow, Russia. This started his path to the Paralympics. In 2016, just over 4 years after losing his legs, Curtis true to his word, not only made it to the Paralympics but made history in becoming the first Australian to win a Paralympic Gold medal in the Paracanoe event at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games have been postponed, the goal remains the same; to defend the Gold medal he won in Rio, but also add another with the V1 canoe being added to the Paralympic schedule. The Tokyo Games are going to be an amazing event.
Curtis has picked up an impressive list of international awards including being the first-ever Para-athlete to win the “Sportsman of the Year” Award at the World Paddle Awards, the one Curtis is most proud of. As Curtis conveys, “I’m the first Paralympic or Para-canoe athlete to win the award and was against high profile athletes from all over the world who have achieved a lot. It’s been a very humbling time post Games, and there has been a lot of recognition for what I have achieved. But I’m just going out there and enjoying myself on the water, so to be recognized is really cool.”
Erik Erik has an undergraduate degree in business administration and extensive experience in North Africa. Erik has also worked for the Norwegian Association of the Disabled. As an owner, he is using this combination of experience and training to grow Morocco Accessible Travel Consultants. Part of this involves networking with Moroccan service providers to improve the Morocco travel experience. He has been actively involved in advocacy speaking at the first Moroccan Disability Congress as well as adapting restaurants, gas stations and hotels all across Morocco to increase accessibility for tourists and Moroccans alike.
Erik lives in Fes, Morocco with his wife and four kids. They love exploring Morocco together.
Jeremy Jeremy was trained as a doctor of physiotherapy at Regis University in Denver, Colorado. He has 10 years of experience in physiotherapy in the United States including managing an outpatient clinic in Colorado.
As an owner of Morocco Accessible Travel Consultants he advocates for accessibility by assessing and developing services all across Morocco. He consults with many local businesses including hotels, restaurants and suppliers throughout the country to find creative solutions for accessibility. He works to see Morocco become a place where family and friends can explore together in creative ways – regardless of limitations or abilities.
He lives, works and plays in Fes, Morocco with his beautiful wife and 3 kids.
Dana was raised in Granbury, Texas and found great swimming success at a young age under Coach Ron Forrest at the Fort Worth Area Swim Team. At 12 years old she was the youngest swimmer competing at the 2000 US Olympic Trials. In college, under Coach Teri McKeever, Dana won four national titles and played a key role in bringing the University of California Golden Bears their first NCAA national team title in women’s swimming.
Dana’s Olympic career started in 2004 at the Athens Olympics where she won gold as part of the World Record setting 4×200 Meter Freestyle Relay. After a heartbreaking miss of the national team in 2008, she came back in 2012 and won three gold medals while setting two World Records at the London Olympics. Her World Record in the individual 100 Meter Butterfly of 55.98 seconds was the first time a woman swam the event under 56 seconds.
After having her first child in March of 2015, Dana returned to the pool and quickly regained her place among the top swimmers in the world. At the 2016 Rio Olympics she won bronze in the 100 Meter Butterfly, silver and an American Record in the 4×100 Meter Freestyle Relay, and gold in the 4×100 Meter Medley Relay. Her gold in 2016 is USA Swimming’s first-ever gold won by a mother.
Dana is one of the most gold-medaled female USA Olympians of all-time, currently ranked fourth. Throughout her incredible accomplishments she has endured setbacks, injuries, and seven weeks of bedrest during her pregnancy. She draws from these experiences for her own inspiration and also uses them to help motivate others.
El Gibbs is the Director, Media, and Communications at People with Disability Australia, the national disability rights organization. PWDA is run by and for people with disabilities, and El is a proud disabled person. She is also an award-winning writer, focusing on disability and other social issues, and spends too much time on Twitter
Dr. Dinesh Palipana – Medical Care from the Wheelchair: Point of View of a Doctor with a Disability
Dr. Dinesh Palipana was the first quadriplegic medical intern in Queensland, and the second person to graduate medical school with quadriplegia in Australia. Dinesh earned a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), prior to completing his Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the Griffith University. He has completed an Advanced Clerkship in Radiology at the Harvard University. Halfway through medical school, Dinesh was involved in a catastrophic motor vehicle accident that caused a cervical spinal cord injury. As a result of his injury and experiences, Dinesh has been an advocate for inclusivity in medicine and the workplace generally.
He is a founding member of Doctors with Disabilities Australia. Dinesh was the Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service’s Junior Doctor of the Year in 2018. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2019.
We had such a stimulating and informative conversation with Miles O’Brien this morning. Miles is a broadcast news journalist specializing in science, technology, and aerospace. He is the science correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, a producer and director for the PBS science documentary series NOVA, and a correspondent for the PBS documentary series FRONTLINE.
For nearly 17 years in the news business, he worked for CNN as the science, environment and aerospace space correspondent and the anchor of various programs, including American Morning. Miles has traveled the world for the news.
In February of 2014, Miles had an accident where he had to have his left forearm amputated. Miles was stacking cases onto a cart after a reporting trip to Japan and the Philippines, when a case filled with TV equipment fell on his arm, causing compartment syndrome and eventually resulting in the loss of his left arm above the elbow.
Christina Ryan is the CEO and Founder of the Disability Leadership Institute. She has been an active leader in the Australian disability community for over 20 years. Christina pioneered the use of mainstream forums by women with disabilities at the United Nations, and now mentors and teaches effective use of the UN for rights activists globally, while working as a leadership coach for people with disabilities.
After 20 years working in community sector management, Christina realised that the levels of violence and marginalisation experienced by people with disabilities were the direct outcome of inequality, and that to address this we need a growth in disability leadership right across the public domain. So, Christina established the Disability Leadership Institute in 2016. It is the first organisation of its kind globally, run by and for disability leaders.
Just a moment ago, we had the amazing honor of welcoming Senator Maggie Hassan, the junior Senator of New Hampshire to our podcast show. She was a New Hampshire state Senator, then a governor for a couple of terms, and then from there she became a U.S. Senator in 2016 representing the Granite State from the nation’s capital. She is also the proud parent of her son, Ben, who happens to have cerebral palsy.
Judy Woodruff -- An Anchor, for NBC and for her Son with a Disability
Broadcast journalist Judy Woodruff is the anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour. She has covered politics and other news for more than four decades at NBC, CNN and PBS. Judy served as White House correspondent for NBC News from 1977 to 1982, followed by one year as chief Washington correspondent for NBC’s Today Show. She joined PBS in 1983 as chief Washington correspondent for the MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour, and from 1984 to 1990 she anchored PBS’ award-winning documentary series, “Frontline with Judy Woodruff.” After moving to CNN in 1993, she served for 12 years as an anchor and senior correspondent, anchoring the weekday program, “Inside Politics,” among other duties.
She returned to the NewsHour in 2007, and in 2013, she and the late Gwen Ifill were named the first two women to co-anchor a national news broadcast. After Ifill’s death, Woodruff was named sole anchor in 2018. From 2006 to 2013, Judy anchored a monthly program for Bloomberg Television, “Conversations with Judy Woodruff.” In 2006, Judy was a visiting professor at Duke University's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy. In 2005, she was a visiting fellow at Harvard University's Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy. Judy is a founding co-chair of the International Women’s Media Foundation. She serves on the boards of the Freedom Forum, The Duke Endowment, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, Public Radio International, and the National Association to End Homelessness. She is the recipient of more than 25 honorary degrees and numerous awards, most recently the Radcliffe Medal, the Poynter Medal for Lifetime Achievement in Journalism, the Gwen Ifill Press Freedom Award, and the Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism.
She is the author of This is Judy Woodruff at the White House, published in 1982. Judy is a graduate of Duke University, where she is a trustee emerita.
Ms. Catalina Devandas Aguilar of Costa Rica is a lawyer by training and a human rights advocate. She took office as the first Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 1 December 2014. She has worked extensively on disability rights and inclusive development for the past 20 years, including with the World Bank, the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Affairs, and international donor organizations. Ms. Devandas Aguilar was previously part of the disability rights movement at national, regional and international level.
Dr. Jennifer Smith-Merry is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Sydney. Jen is the Director of the Centre for Disability Research and Policy (CDRP). Jen also leads the Mental Health and Disability research in the Faculty. Jen has a Ph.D. in policy from the University of Queensland (2005) and her academic research has focused on policy and service development, primarily in mental health and the study of adverse events. Prior to her current position, she was a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh.
TGOW recently had the pleasure of interviewing John A. Lancaster. John retired as the Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), the oldest disability grassroots organization run by and for people with disabilities. John served as the Treasurer of the Board of Trustees for Handicap International Federation (HI) and serves on the Board of Directors of Handicap International, USA (now called Humanity and Inclusion). He also served as a Board Member of the United States International Council on Disabilities (USICD) as Past President. Furthermore, John served on the Board of the Global Universal Design Commission and the Potsdam (New York) Humane Society. Moreover, In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed and the United States Senate confirmed Mr. Lancaster to the Board of Directors of the United States Institute of Peace. He continues to serve in that capacity.
Lastly, John was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. He commanded a combat infantry platoon in Vietnam where he earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star in 1968. He trained with the Navy during his summer vacations, spending his second one in Little Creek, Va., with Navy SEALs and Marines learning about amphibious warfare. During another summer stint in Corpus Christi, Texas, he learned to fly a T-36 aircraft. He survived boot camp during his final collegiate summer and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps upon graduation.
Right before the holidays, TGOW had the pleasure of interviewing another former boss of mine, Susan Sygall. She is as badass as they come and such a wonderful role model to me. Susan is the CEO and co-founder of Mobility International USA, a wheelchair rider, author, lecturer, and a passionate disability rights activist. She has edited and authored several publications to advance the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. She has received numerous awards and distinctions in recognition of her work, including the prestigious MacArthur Fellowship, an Ashoka Fellowship, a Rotary Scholarship Alumni Award, Jewish Women International’s Women to Watch Award, Kellogg’s Matusak Courageous Leadership Award, the “President’s Award” from the Honorable Bill Clinton and an honorary doctorate from Chapman University. She lives in Eugene, Oregon with her partner, Tom, and her dog, Yumyum.
Website: https://www.traipsingglobal.com/
Born in Guatemala, her academic qualifications include: a pre-graduate degree in Mathematics, a graduate degree in Chemistry, Post-graduate degrees in Social Management and in Gender Studies, and a M.A. in Human Rights.
Silvia joined the International Disability Alliance (IDA) Secretariat in July 2017 and is leading the work of the Secretariat in relation with the UN Treaty Bodies in order to mainstream the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) standards and facilitate the participation of disabled persons organizations (DPOs) in the work of the UN Treaty Bodies, in particular the CRPD Committee. Between 2011 and 2016, Silvia served as an expert in the UN CRPD Committee, and served as Vice-Chairperson during the last two years. Silvia has been engaged in promoting the CRPD since its drafting by the UN Ad Hoc Committee in 2003. Silvia is based in the IDA Geneva Office.
Dana Bolles began her 24-year career with NASA in Florida, at the world’s only spaceport, the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). The first 13 years of her career were spent in regulatory compliance, from payload safety to environmental protection, and she worked at 3 different NASA centers: Kennedy Space Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and Ames Research Center. Dana’s diverse work experience has given her an appreciation not only for the programs and projects side of NASA, but also for the mission support functions.
Her current role has her working in science communication for exploring life beyond Earth. She is responsible for a web resource to help others learn about the search and also developing a roadmap for NASA to use in preparation for any potential future announcements.
In addition to her official duties, Dana volunteers for employee resource groups (ERGs) for women, people with disabilities, and LGBT communities. She is a firm believer of the value of diversity and is committed to raising awareness, especially of the unique challenges people with disabilities face in their daily lives.
Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo is the Global Disability Advisor for the World Bank Group. As Disability Advisor, she supports operational teams across the institution to ensure that Bank policies, programs and projects are disability inclusive. In 2011 as a well-respected human rights lawyer in disability and child rights advocate, she was appointed by President Obama to led USAID’s work on disability inclusive development. Earlier in her career, she was appointed by President Nelson Mandela as a Commissioner to the South African Human Rights Commission focusing on social and economic rights, disability rights and child rights. Charlotte holds Law Degrees in Public International Law and Administration from the University of Warsaw, Poland and Cornell Law School.
Dr. Piers Gooding – A Renowned Research Fellow specializing in Disability Law & Mental Health
Dr. Piers Gooding is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Social Equity Institute and the University of Melbourne Law School. His work focuses on disability law and mental health politics. He is the author of 'A New Era for Mental Health Law and Policy: Supported Decision-Making and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' (2017. Piers has worked with a range of international organisations and agencies, including the UN Special Rapporteur for the Rights of People with Disabilities, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of the Asia Pacific.
Piers was previously a research fellow at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Piers holds degrees from the University of Melbourne and Monash University. He has received a Discovery Early Career Research Award from the Australian Research Council, and was awarded a Menzies Australian Bicentennial Fellowship to serve at Kings College London.
Born profoundly deaf, Commissioner Alastair McEwin demonstrated from a young age a determination that would see him seek opportunities that would progress his desire to advocate for people with disability. For over 25 years now, Commissioner McEwin has worked across the private, government and non-government sectors, having held roles such as management consultant with Accenture, Manager of the Australian Centre for Disability Law, CEO of People with Disability Australia and Executive Director of Community Legal Centres NSW. He also spent five years as the President of the Deaf Society of NSW and was the Chairperson of the Disability Council NSW – the official advisory board to the New South Wales Government on disability issues.
Commissioner McEwin is a long-term disability advocate whose systemic advocacy and policy work has seen him put his name to countless professional and personal endeavors, including his most recent role as Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner from 2016 to 2019. In the Queen’s Birthday Honours list for June 2019, Commissioner McEwin was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to people with disability, and as a human rights advocate.
Karen L. Braitmayer, FAIA is the founder and managing principal of Studio Pacifica. She provides the unusual combination of personal experience as a registered Architect and a member of the disabled community. She has made accessibility consulting and design services her focus area since 1990. She provides consulting services to local governments, school districts, architects, engineers, companies and individuals concerned with complying with Federal laws and State codes, as well as simply creating spaces that work for the unique needs of individual users.
We are so happy we had the honor ot interview Jill Moore yesterday. She works with the Landscape Structures team to aid in product development and promote the importance of inclusive play. During her college career at the University of Illinois, Jill competed on two occasions representing the United States on the world stage in Track and Field doing wheelchair racing. Through an active life, Jill constantly strives to not only employ a lifetime of experience, but to promote the importance of play as it truly shapes us all, and allows us to overcome some truly incredible things.
We had the tremendous honor of welcoming Grace Jun onto our show this morning. She is the Executive Director of Open Style Lab (OSL) and Assistant Professor at the School of Fashion in Parsons School of Design, the New School, where she teaches undergraduate and graduate students. Grace's work has received nation-wide attention and has been featured at the White House Fashion Show Celebrating Inclusive Design, Assistive Technology, and Prosthetics, CNBC, Business of Fashion, Vogue, Forbes, and the NYTIMES Style. She has been asked to speak about disability and design in numerous settings from Design Indaba to SXSW.
Open Style Lab started at MIT as a public service project. It is an annual 10-week summer program. Grace organized the first showcase at MIT in 2014, and has worked on developing clothing for people with autism, impaired vision, cerebral palsy, and many other disabilities.
As a designer, professor and social entrepreneur, Grace equips her community with best practices to challenge quality of life for aging and people with disabilities. From designing graphic interfaces for smart phones and wearables, to constructing accessible blazers for women with breast cancer, she has achieved incredible results.
Eric Lipp, Founder and Executive Director of the Open Doors Organization started the organization after personally experiencing the restrictions that people with disabilities face in everyday life. This experience was the catalyst in encouraging Eric to found the Open Doors Organization (ODO). ODO works as Part 382 US Air Carrier Access Act experts across the globe, working with over 40 foreign carriers. Eric is also an expert in civil aviation laws in many parts of the world, including Europe and South America. ODO also recently started work training 10,000+ Amtrak Frontline employees on accessibility. He also recently received the Community Support Award from the US Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration. ODO also acts as the Centralized Dispatch for all 334 wheelchair Accessible Taxi’s in Chicago. Allowing people with disabilities to have “on-demand” transportation, unlike anywhere on the globe.
Lucy Jones is the founder and CEO of FFORA. She worked as a “Social Innovator” at Eileen Fisher in collaboration with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) and studied Fashion Design at Parsons School of Design, winning the prestigious Womenswear Designer of the Year Award in 2015. She has since earned several accolades including the Kering ‘Empowering Imagination’ Award and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 List in 2016.
Lucy has exhibited work in the Museum of Art and Design (MAD) and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where her "Seated Pantyhose" work was recently acquired into the permanent collection. FFORA was recently recognized by the CFDA, winning the lead prize in the inaugural CFDA x Accessories Council Elaine Gold Launch Pad Award. Currently, Lucy is the founder of FFORA. FFORA is a new fashion lifestyle brand dedicated to designing for people who have disabilities.
We recently had the pleasure of welcoming the fabulous Debra Ruh to our TGOW podcast show. She is the CEO of Ruh Global Communications (RGC), a technology, strategic communications, and digital marketing firm helping corporations strategically include people with disabilities. The firm allows organizations to connect with and integrate the community of people with disabilities, their families, and other stakeholders, including Wounded Warriors and baby boomers who are acquiring disabilities for the first time in their lives.
Debra Ruh is a recognized market influencer and advocate for the rights of persons with disabilities, a leader, a published author, a successful entrepreneur and a fantastic mother. She has created a path to empowerment and success for those with disabilities. Debra is the co-founder of #AXSchat, the second largest Tweet Chat in the world and her podcast Human Potential at Work with weekly listeners in more than 84 countries.
She is a contributor to the Huffington Post, and her catalyst for starting RGC was her daughter Sara born with Down syndrome. Her work has been featured on many news outlets, and she has been granted many awards.
For more information, please visit our website: https://www.traipsingglobal.com/
We are absolutely bursting with excitement to share the latest conversation on our TGOW podcast show. We welcomed the accomplished Noorain Khan recently. She is a director in the Ford foundation’s Office of the President where she oversees grantmaking from the foundation’s Reserves Fund and leads cross-foundation strategic projects and initiatives that emerge from the president’s priorities.
Before joining Ford in 2015, Noorain was chief of staff to Wendy Kopp, CEO, and co-founder of Teach for All and the founder of Teach for America. Noorain has received the George Parkin Service Award for outstanding contributions to the Rhodes Trust and was honored by Rice University’s Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality with its Distinguished Alumna Award. She appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Law and Policy in 2014 and is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Noorain earned a Juris Doctor degree from Yale Law School, where she was a PD Soros Fellow; an MPhil in migration studies from Oxford, where she was a Rhodes Scholar; and her bachelor’s degree from Rice University.
Devon Palermo – Adaptive Fitness Specialist and Health Inclusivity at its Finest
Devon Palermo is the director and adaptive fitness specialist for Definitive Progression Ignited (DPI) Adaptive Fitness. He is the Founder and Principal director of DPI Adaptive Fitness. In their own words, DPI Adaptive Fitness is Adaptive Fitness for Everyone at ANY level of Ability. It is safe and effective programming to improve functional strength, balance, speed, endurance, mood and overall wellness. In addition to being a personal trainer for individuals with disabilities seeking to be fit, Devon is also the author of the “DisAbility Fitness Handbook”, the “Never Give Up” blog and numerous fitness, nutrition, sports publications.
Devon is said to be a leading authority on Adaptive Fitness for those living with or recovering from a disability. With over 15 years of experience in both fitness and rehab, He is the go to resource for clients, therapists, and doctors looking to maximize the benefits of Adaptive exercise to improve strength, balance, function and abilities. He has worked as a strength and conditioning trainer for the DC Wheelchair Quad Rugby Team, the Capital Punishers in their first two years as a division 1 team in 2016 when they went 6th overall and 2017 when they went 3rd overall in the nation! Devon regularly presents on adaptive fitness to local area hospitals, support groups, Walk n rolls, and expo's.
Amy Currotto is a recent law graduate from the University District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law in Washington DC, where she specialized in international investment law. During her time in law school, Amy work at the World Bank at the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID). Amy also spent time working at the United States Congress in the House of Representatives. Amy has lectured on international topics across the country relating to international business, human rights, and dispute resolution.
Andy Arias advocates in the entertainment industry by creating visible pathways as an actor and stand-up comedian. As an actor, Andy has had the pleasure of working with Tom Hanks, Mark Ruffalo and Hilary Swank on projects. He is often asked to consult with producers and directors in creating greater media visibility of people with disabilities. He has also produced several small projects that have brought attention to persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ to community.
Andy has been an advocacy professional for over seven years. He has worked as a System Change Advocate and Program Manager for Orange County & Los Angeles. He is member of many boards and commissions related to creating greater visibility and advancement for diverse communities, especially the disability community.
Andy's experience and leadership gave him skills to develop and implement a youth programs that served over 150 young adults in Southern California helping them reach their dreams for independence. The curriculum for this program utilized today by specific County agencies. Andy excels in teaching students that nothing can get in the way of their dreams, as long as they use their disabilities as an asset.
Andy’s expertise extends to Federal government and corporate levels. His goal is to marry his policy work with his work in the entertainment industry to create a systemic lasting change.
She grew up in Chicago, and began studying Russian in College. In 1989 she travelled to Moscow to coordinate student exchange programs and has been living in Russia since. In 1997, together with Russian colleagues from the disability rights movement, Denise set up a Russian disability NGO, Perspektiva, to support people with disabilities to lead full, active, independent lives. As Executive Director of Perspektiva, Denise oversees the development and implementation of programs, which promote youth empowerment, equal access to education, employment and sports.
The conversation with Denise was rich, insightful, and poignant.
We had the honor of welcoming Denis Vasilevich onto our podcast show recently. Denis is a disability rights advocate from Minks, Belarus. He grew up with both parents that have a disability. This inspired him to devote his whole life to fighting stigma and increasing opportunities for people with disabilities, especially in the realm of providing fun and accessible recreational sports activities. Denis is actually up for a Sustainable Development Goal award for his work in this arena. We are very honored to be able to introduce him to you today!
We had the amazing honor to welcome Brittany Déjean onto the TGOW podcast show recently. She is founder and CEO of AbleThrive, a platform for people with paralysis and their families. Brittany's father was paralyzed in a car accident when she was 12 years old and after seeing it's possible to live well with a disability, she dedicated her life to making it possible for others. A 2008 Harvard University graduate, Brittany has worked with disability communities in five countries, giving her a sense of the common challenges faced globally. She also works to challenge negative perceptions of disability to foster a more inclusive society. She specializes in debunking misconceptions associated with disability to develop the population of disability allies. She is a 2014 Echoing Green Global Fellow, a 2017 Global Good Fund Fellow and was named on the 2017 SE Enablers Top 100 Social Entrepreneurs.
We had the opportunity to host the happy Vincenzo Piscopo onto our TGOW podcast show recently. Vincenzo works as a Community and Stakeholder Relations director for The Coca-Cola Company where he manages the relationships with disability, veterans and Hispanic organizations as well as United Way and Hands-On Atlanta. Vincenzo has worked for The Coca-Cola Company for the last 23 years in different areas of the organization.
He is the president and founder member of the This-ABILITY BRG for The Coca-Cola Company and the founder and president of the “Wheels of Happiness Foundation” where he uses his expertise to help people with motor disabilities in disadvantaged areas of the world.
He was born and grew up in Venezuela. He is married and has 4 kids. In his free time, he plays wheelchair tennis, teaches Sunday School in his local church and spends time with his wife and kids.
I had the amazing pleasure of being introduced to Justin Pines recently. His positive attitude, love for the outdoors, and his insatiable appetite for adventure is contagious. At around 30 years old, Justin was injured on April 9, 2016 while he was skiing up in the mountains in Tahoe. To be able to bounce back to a million adaptive sports, and still love skiing (the sport that forever changes his life) is beyond courageous. My brother Sage and I are proud to know such a fabulous individual. Fun fact, it turns out my brother Sage and Justin competed in some track and field races together when my brother was going to school at Cornell University and when Justin was pursuing his philosophy degree at Princeton University.
Do you have the BackBones to listen to this podcast? We recently had the honor of speaking to Reveca Torres, founder and Executive Director of the non-profit, BackBones. Reveca was injured and paralyzed in a car accident at the age of 13. After completing degrees in fashion design and theater arts, Reveca simultaneously worked as a costume designer and with various organizations doing disability work in the realms of health and fitness, transitioning, recreation, education, and peer support. She started a nonprofit called BACKBONES in 2009 after realizing that years of interaction and friendship with others living with spinal injuries (SCI) had made a significant impact on her self-image, confidence, and drive to succeed. Reveca wanted to ensure that others, especially those newly injured, had access to resources, information, and the same type of peer support she has had. She is the director of ReelAbilities Film Festival Chicago and has curated touring photography and art exhibitions that showcase the work of people with disabilities and bring awareness to disability rights. Reveca uses painting, illustration, photography, film, movement, and other media as forms of expression and tools for advocacy and social justice.
We had the pleasure of hosting Jeff Meer on the Traipsin’ Global on Wheels podcast hour recently. Jeff is the Executive Director of the U.S. office of Humanity and Inclusion (formerly known as Handicap International). Humanity and Inclusion (HI) was awarded part of a Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for their work on the international campaign to ban landmines. Jeff comes to HI from PHI (Public Health Institute), where he served as the Special Advisor for Global Health Policy and Development, coordinating 18 global health programs, conducting congressional and administration advocacy for global health, and creating new global health initiatives, including a focus on non-communicable disease prevention. Prior his public health work, Jeff entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1986, with overseas postings in Guangzhou, China, and Frankfurt, Germany. Back home in Washington, D.C., he specialized in human rights and humanitarian issues. Jeff then became the founding program officer for peace and security at the United Nations Foundation. Later he became Executive Director of the U.S. Association for UNHCR, where for five years he led efforts to raise awareness and funds on behalf of the UN Refugee Agency.
Kanya Sesser was born without legs but that hasn’t stopped her from learning to skateboard, model for the likes of Nike, Billabong and Rip Curl Girl, and also begin training for the 2018 Paralympics. The 26-year-old celebrity is determined to lead an ordinary life. Instead of a wheelchair, Kanya, whose motto is “No Legs, No Limits”, uses a skateboard to get around and also walks on her hands. Her talents include sports, acting, modelling and serving as a motivational speaker. She is a professional skateboarder and surfer and has appeared in “Hawaii Five-0”, “Walking Dead” and “The Fear of The Walking Dead.” She also models lingerie and sportswear.
We had the tremendous honor of interviewing Tiana Tozer earlier this week. After a career in public relations Tiana moved to Iraq to become a humanitarian aid worker. In Iraq she implemented an innovative program that taught people with disabilities how to advocate for themselves and become social change agents. In Sudan, she was the State Director in Southern Kordofan running a program to build government capacity to deliver services, before she was extracted from the civil war. Since being injured by an intoxicated driver at the age of 20, Tiana has worked to change attitudes about people with disabilities, she lobbied for the ADA, sat on the board of the National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH, now SourceAmerica) most recently she ran an employment program for people with disabilities. A two-time Paralympic medalist, bringing home bronze and silver, Tiana was a member of the USA Women’s Wheelchair Basketball Team for five years. She has been featured on NBC Nighly News, NPR’s Here and Now and The Takeaway.
Kings Floyd – Disability Rights Advocate & Human Rights Advocate, a Writer with more than Ink on Paper.
Kings Floyd is a disability rights activist, advocate and writer based in Washington, DC. She works to combine her unwavering passion for disability rights, healthcare, and mental health and wellness with intersectional communities. She graduated with a Bachelors in English Writing, with concentrations on Language, Education and Disability Studies from High Point University.
Volunteer projects include working on the Women's March, the DC Pride March, and other civil rights demonstrations. Kings is also the co-chair of DC- Metro ADAPT.
Steph Aiello – Beauty and the Disability. Cosmetology & Normalcy of Daily Activities of Persons with Disabilities
As written on Bustle: “In 2010, one day before she was supposed to start cosmetology school, Steph Aiello was involved in a car crash that left her paralyzed from the waist down with limited ability to move her hands and one of her closest friends dead. She would spend the next several months in rehab, gaining sensation in half of her back, but battling major anxiety and depression. A few months later, she found herself in another accident when a drunk driver crashed into the car her family was in, just one block from the hospital. Aiello was also diagnosed with cancer shortly after. And yet, in the face of such adversity, Aiello's courage and resilience not only helped her beat cancer and become stronger, it also motivated her to pursue her love of makeup.”
Steph has also learned she can dance. She has became the co captain of the Rollettes Wheelchair Dance Team based out of Southern California. Teen Vogue wrote, “Steph is a professional makeup artist with over 100 thousand followers on Instagram, an ambassador for Wings For Life World Run — a charity dedicated to finding a cure for spinal injuries — and is singlehandedly proving that disabilities don't have to keep you from following your dreams. In fact, they can be the driving force behind them.”
We had the honor of welcoming Senator Thomas Richard Harkin onto our TGOW podcast show this morning. Sen. Tom Harkin is from Cumming, Iowa. He is the son of a coal miner and a Slovenian immigrant. His mom immigrated to the U.S. through an arranged marriage. Sen. Harkin served 10 years in the House of Representatives and 30 years in the U.S. Senate. He is the chief co-sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
For this episode, I had the honor of interviewing my former boss, Shantha Rau Barriga. We worked together a few years ago when I was living in New York City and interned at the Human Rights Watch. She is the founding director of the disability rights division at Human Rights Watch. She leads research and advocacy on human rights abuses against persons with disabilities worldwide.
Shantha is a founding member of the International Network of Women with Disabilities, member of the Amnesty International Advisory Group on Disability Rights, expert advisor to the Catalyst for Inclusive Education Initiative and a senior advisor to the Global Campaign for Mental Health. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Shantha participated in the UN negotiations toward the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, working as part of a global coalition to advocate for strong protections on non-discrimination, accessibility, education, legal capacity, independent living and international monitoring.
Listener advisory: In this episode we discusses some difficult subject matter relating to human rights abuses and sexual assault.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
end credit music: 'The Two Worlds' by Brigid Mae Power (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
We recently had the absolute honor to welcome Dr. Cheri Blauwet onto our Traipsin' Global On Wheels Podcast Hour. Dr. Blauwet is a Stanford medical graduate, an assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School, an attending physician at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital director of the Kelley Adaptive Sports Research Institute. She is a three-time Paralympian, seven-time Paralympic medalist and two-time winner of the wheelchair divisions of the Boston Marathon and the New York City Marathon. She serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Olympic Committee and as chair of the International Paralympic Committee Medical Committee. Needless to say, she is a busy lady!
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
This week's episode is sponsored by ChiBiBio: 'It's the little things in life that matter most.' You can learn more about their mission and see their entire line of nature-themed products at www.chibibio.com.
end credit music: 'Who' by Seth Power (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
I had a blast interviewing my superstar friend, Anastasia Somoza. She began her advocacy work in 1993, when, at the age of 9, she had the opportunity to ask President Bill Clinton to help mainstream her twin sister Alba into the New York City public school system. Anastasia is now leading the inclusion revolution as a human rights defender, speaker, and consultant. On the first night of the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she gave a moving speech about her relationship with Hillary Clinton and Americans with disabilities.
Anastasia’s international advocacy has brought her to China, where she works to eliminate the abandonment of babies and children with disabilities. The goal of this work is to open a Parent Education and Resource Center that teaches parents in China about children with disabilities and how to care for, nurture, and love them. She also joined the company of 'Addy & Uno'—off-Broadway's first family musical comedy to celebrate disability, friendship, and kindness—as the show's Consulting Producer.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
end credit music: 'You Can Do It' by Evie Sands (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Our ninth TGOW episode features our interview with Bruce Curtis. Bruce is an activist, dance teacher and performer who uses a wheelchair. As a disability advocate, Bruce worked for the World Institute on Disability for twenty-two years and served as International Program Director until June 2014. From 1992 to 2004, he worked in Russia and other post-Soviet countries. From 2004 to 2017, he built the capacity of the Coalition for Independent Living in the Republic of Georgia and managed a USAID five-year project, focused on creating a factory producing Roughrider wheelchairs, training occupational therapist to provide postural support seating services, and conducting a public education campaign to promote a barrier-free environment. He is currently the Chair of Whirlwind Wheelchair International. As a dancer, he has taught and performed Contact Improvisation in integrated workshops all around the world.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
end credit music: 'Leave Your Dancing Until Then' by Samuel Vas Y (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
TGOW was absolutely delighted to have hosted Dr. David Younger on the 8th episode of our podcast series. Dr. Younger was diagnosed with FacioScapuloHumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) when he was around 4, at the same time that his mother and grandmother were diagnosed. Dr. Younger is a licensed psychologist in Texas and New York with a private practice that is web and phone-based with clients from all over the world. He has been married to his wife for 15 years and they have a 13-year-old son and a 4-year-old-daughter. Dr. Younger provided some rich information on relationships, how to overcome shame, communication and online dating...topics that are very relevant for people both with and without disabilities.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates. Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. You really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
end credit music: 'Shame on Me' by Jeffrey Philip Nelson (CC BY 4.0)
We have a new email! Please send your feedback and stories to: tgowpodcast@gmail.com. We really want to hear from YOU, our listeners!
The world-renowned disability rights activist, Judy Heumann graced us with her presence on the Traipsin' Global on Wheels podcast series. She is a lifelong advocate for the rights of disabled people. Like me, she contracted polio at an young age. Judy began to experience discrimination at 5 years old when she was denied the right to attend school because she was a "fire hazard." Judy determined that she, working in collaboration with other disabled people, had to play an increasing advocacy role as she and others experienced continuous discrimination because of their disabilities. She is now an internationally recognized leader in the disability rights community and a lifelong civil rights advocate.
From June 2002- 2006, Judy served as the World Bank's first Adviser on Disability and Development. In this position, she led the World Bank's disability work to expand the Bank’s knowledge and capability to work with governments and civil society on including disability in the global conversation. From 1993 to 2001, Judy served in the Clinton Administration as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in the Department of Education.
President Obama appointed Judy as the first Special Advisor for International Disability Rights at the U.S. Department of State, where she served from 2010-2017.
Today, Judy is a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation. She is currently working to help advance the inclusion of disability in the Foundation’s work and is leading a project to advance the inclusion of disabled people in the media.
Quick note: This interview was originally recorded and published in October, right before the November mid-terms. Special thanks to all of you who voted in this election!
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Protest Song' by Derek Clegg (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
We had the opportunity to host the fabulous Kelley Brooks Simoneaux on the 6th episode of our podcast! She is a civil litigation attorney and disability advocate living in Washington, D.C. She is also an adjunct professor at Penn State University. Kelley is not only an attorney and a disability advocate, but also a wife and a mother of two adorable children. She shared some great insights about giving birth and being a mother to a son and a daughter as a wheelchair user.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Rest, Child' by Ayla Nereo (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
We welcomed Kristin Duquette to our 5th TGOW podcast episode! She has worked for President Barack Obama, spoken at United Nations Headquarters, and represented the United States on the US Paralympic Swim Team. Kristin is a five-time American Paralympic Record Holder, three-time Junior National Record Holder, and the former Captain of the US Paralympic Swim Team for the 2010 Greek Open.
In 2014, Kristin was named the Disability Mentor for global initiatives under the Clinton Global Initiative University and her analysis of United Nations policies have been archived in the Academic Council on the United Nations System. From December 2015 to March 2017, Kristin was the Confidential Assistant to the Chief of Staff for the National Endowment for the Arts under the Obama Administration. Kristin is currently an Analyst inside FEMA’s Transit Security Grant Program with its mission to prevent and mitigate terrorist attacks for transit systems. In addition, Kristin is the Director of Diversity and Inclusion for FEMA’s Women’s Forum. In December of 2017, Kristin was appointed by DC Mayor Bowser to serve as the Chairwoman to the first Multimodal Accessibility Advisory Council.
In May 2018, Kristin spoke at the Parsons School of Design's 'Women in Innovation Forum.' In her talk Kristin stated, “I’m sitting here today to say that there is inherent power in being a disabled woman in this world. Owning your space and femininity while influencing belief systems and the course of events in a world that constantly wants to undermine your natural design and human experience. That’s what I call power; your influence is your power.”
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Swim Out' by The Toothaches (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
I had the opportunity to chat with the joyful, warm and welcoming Ralf Hotchkiss for our fourth podcast. Ralf is an electrical engineer, physicist, inventor, and designer, as well as the co-founder of Whirlwind Wheelchair International. He was also an instructor at MIT for about a decade.
Ralf became disabled when he got into a motorcycle accident during his junior year at Oberlin University. But instead of his disability slowing him down, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise for so many people with mobility disabilities in the developing world. His company, Whirlwind Wheelchair International, is devoted to improving the lives of disabled people in the developing world by providing low-cost and high quality wheelchairs to individuals with mobility disabilities. Their mission is to "make it possible for every person in the developing world who needs a wheelchair to obtain one that will lead to maximum personal independence and integration into society." Whirlwind Wheelchair International has provided thousands of wheelchairs over nearly three decades.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Revolution Now' by Josh Woodward (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
Our third podcast is with Craig Blanchette, a former Paralympian in wheelchair racing. I met Craig while I was an undergraduate at the University of Oregon and doing wheelchair racing there. Craig's coach, Kevin Hansen, was also my coach at the time.
Craig was born with a birth defect called Proximal femoral focal deficiency (PFFD. He was also born with the desire to compete and to get the most out of every experience. Craig was part of Team USA during the 1980s and ‘90s and competed in wheelchair racing at the Paralympics Games. In the process he became a world-class champion, setting 21 world records and earning 8 World Champion titles. His athletic accomplishments and winning attitude landed him a full Nike sponsorship that lasted 8 years, and today he coaches others to be their best.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'In The Moment' by Elephant Funeral (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Traipsin' Global on Wheels had the opportunity to have a conversation with Chris Waddell, a seasoned Paralympian in mono-skiing.
In 1988, Chris was in a ski accident at the age of 20 that took away his ability to walk. But less than two months later he was back in college, less than one year later he started mono-skiing, and around two years later, he was named to the US Disabled Ski Team. He competed in four Winter Paralympics, winning 12 medals and three Summer Paralympics, winning a silver medal in the 200 meters in Sydney. In September of 2009 Waddell became the first nearly unassisted paraplegic to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro. After his skiing career, Chris founded the ONE REVOLUTION FOUNDATION where he shares the belief that, “It’s not what happens to you. It’s what you do with what happens to you.”
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Fighting A Mountain' by Handmade Moments (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
Our second guest for the TGOW Podcast Series is Dana Mathewson. I had the honor of meeting Dana in June of 2014 while I was playing tennis at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in NYC. We’ve stayed in touch ever since via social media. I’ve been fan-girling Dana since that first tennis match I saw her playing in NYC. It’s been so much fun watching Dana grow not only academically, but also athletically. Dana went to Rio de Janeiro for the Paralympics in the summer of 2016. She recently also finished competing in the US Open in NYC. Dana is currently pursuing a master’s in audiology at the University College London.
Traipsin’ Global on Wheels is focused on sharing resources and insights into disability advocacy, fitness and health, and accessible travel. Our mission is to build a community of healthy, worldly, and informed advocates.
end credit music: 'Rolling On' by Duncan Reid and the Big Heads (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)