Listen Now

Joyce welcomes Joshua Verdi, Labor and Employment Counsel at Highmark Health to the show. Mr. Verdi will share the reasons the organization places emphasis on maintaining a diverse workforce that includes people with disabilities within their corporate culture. He will also talk about living with his own mental health disability and the importance of ending the stigma associated with having a mental health disability.

The newly appointed CEO of Disability Rights Advocates, Kathy Martinez, will be Joyce’s guest. Kathy Martinez is a nationally known and admired disability rights leader in our country. She served as the Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy during the Obama administration. Her work continues to improve and protect the rights of Americans with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Neil Romano, former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. He is a disability rights leader and board member of the National Council on Disability (NDC) and former chairman. First established as an advisory Council within the Department of Education in 1978, NCD became an independent federal agency in 1984. In 1986, NCD recommended enactment of an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and drafted the first version of the bill, which was introduced in the House and Senate in 1988. Since enactment of the ADA in 1990, NCD has continued to play a leading role in crafting disability policy, and advising the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policies, programs, and practices. Mr. Romano will talk about his accomplishments as chairman, and how he sees the direction of the organization going under current chairman Andres J. Gallegos. .

Joyce welcomes Susan M. Dooha, J.D., national disability rights leader and executive director of the Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY) to the show. CIDNY is a well-respected disability civil rights organization in New York City and nationally. It is an organization run by and for people with disabilities. CIDNY empowers people with disabilities with the skills and advocacy they need to achieve goals that will improve their lives, develop their knowledge and self-advocacy skills. Ms. Dooha will further explain this mission and its various programs and services to the community which it serves. Bender Consulting is working with Susan to help find her replacement because after more than 20 years leading CIDNY Susan is ready to move on to other endeavors that we are all waiting to hear about.

Exciting news! On March 16th, Joyce will have diplomats and other guests from the U.S. Embassy in Tunisia on the radio show to discuss their commitment to progress in the area of employment of people with disabilities. U.S. Embassy delegate Cheryl Harris, who is a leader committed to people with disabilities will be a guest on the show. The other guests joining Cheryl are Manel Bargaou, a teacher of English and the first teacher of English to use Tunisian sign language and Amine Dridi, a special education teacher for children with Down Syndrome. Do not miss this one!

Joyce welcomes Diane Coleman, the president and founder of Not Dead Yet. This organization, is a national disability rights group, that gives a voice opposing assisted suicide and euthanasia. Diane will discuss the mission of this organization in depth, as well as her leadership and policies in place now. She is a well-known writer and speaker on assisted suicide and euthanasia.

Joyce welcomes Andres Gallegos, newly appointed chairman of the National Council on Disability (NCD) to the show. President Biden appointed Mr. Gallegos on January 20, 2021. The NCD is an independent, nonpartisan federal agency that advises the President, Congress and other federal agencies on disability policy. Mr. Gallegos will discuss his vision for the Council during his tenure.

In recognition of February as Black History Month, Joyce welcomes, Robert A. James, the new Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer for Highmark Health to the show. Mr. James will explain the commitment of diversity and inclusion at Highmark Health. Mr. James is known nationally for including all marginalized groups including people with disabilities.

Joyce welcomes Greg Weinstein, Jennifer Mazza-Cagliuso, Jennifer Trich Kremer, and Alina Bengert-Lombardi to the show. They are organizers of the World Information Architecture (IA) Day Pittsburgh 2021. The nonprofit World IA Day provides the foundation for learning about information architecture, a discipline devoted to the understanding of how information is structured and understood. World IA Day is the one day a year the community gets together for a global conference, curated and organized by volunteers around the world. They have plans to conduct collaborative research and mentoring projects to address change in culture and society. Joyce's guests will explain Pittsburgh's efforts to commemorate this annual event virtually, Monday, February 27, 2021.

Joyce welcomes Jo Clark, chair of the board of the Homeless Children Education Fund (HCEF) and vice president Value based care at Highmark Health to the show. Ms. Clark will discuss the organization’s commitment to support the HCEF in Pittsburgh. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization was established in 1999 to support the educational needs of children experiencing homelessness in Allegheny County. Over the years, HCEF's role in the community has developed and expanded to meet these needs. HCEF relies on support from community foundations, corporations, and individuals and receives no governmental funding.

Joyce welcomes Larry Kleinman, executive vice president, chief human resources officer at Highmark Health to the show. Mr. Kleinman will share his perspective on the success of Highmark Health’s 2020 30/30 initiative to hire 30 people last year in honor of 2020 being the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr. Kleinman played a key role in the 30/30 hiring initiative. Also discussed will be Highmark Health’s ongoing commitment to hire people with disabilities in 2021 and beyond.

Joyce welcomes Holly O’Donnell, president and CEO, and Harvey Rosenthal, member of the board of trustees for the Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law. The Center has advocates for the civil rights, full inclusion and equality of adults and children with mental disabilities and has been pivotal in expanding the civil rights movement to include fighting discrimination against, and segregation of, people with mental disabilities. Ms. O’Donnell and Mr. Rosenthal will discuss the services offered and the mission of the Bazelon Center.

Joyce welcomes Marcie Roth, the new executive director and CEO of World Institute on Disability (WID) to the show. Ms. Roth will talk about the plans for WID in 2021 and her background in the disability rights community. The World Institute on Disability (WID) was established in 1983 as one of the first global disability rights organizations founded and lead by people with disabilities. WID works to advance the rights of over one billion people with disabilities worldwide.

Joyce welcomes Morgan K. O’Brien, chairman of the board of Watt Fuel Cell Corporation since 2018, to the show. WATT Fuel Cell Corporation is a manufacturer and developer of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell stacks and systems that operate on common, readily available fuels such as propane and natural gas. WATT's proprietary patented additive manufacturing process (AMP) has allowed them to produce commercially viable SOFC products for small scale and remote power applications. Mr. O’Brien will discuss the company’s commitment to serve its customers, while maintaining a diverse workforce including people with disabilities.

Joyce is so excited to start 2021 with a champion of competitive employment for Americans with disabilities. David Holmberg, president and CEO of Highmark Health will be her guest. Mr. Holmberg launched an initiative in 2020 to hire 30 people with disabilities from Bender Consulting Services to honor the 30th anniversary of the signing of the ADA, called the Highmark 30/30. Even during the pandemic, Highmark was able to achieve the goal becoming a national example. During the show, David will talk about the initiative and how it happened. Highmark Health is a $19 Billion-dollar integrated health care delivery organization with headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA.

Joyce welcomes back two disability leaders, Maria Town, president and CEO of American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Kelly Buckland, executive director of the National Council on Independent Living to the show. The guests will discuss issues, accomplishments, and trends in the community to keep Joyce's listeners apprised of what is happening on a national basis in the area of disability. They will reflect on the past COVID-19 year of 2020 and what to look forward to in 2021.

Joyce welcomes back, Charlie LaVallee, CEO of Variety the Children’s Charity to the show. Variety – the Children’s Charity is a non-profit organization that strives to enable children with disabilities to live life to the fullest with a focus on mobility, communication, and social interaction / inclusion throughout 71 counties in PA and WV. They will discuss the programs and services of this non-profit organization, and the importance of giving to this cause during the holiday season.

Joyce welcomes Judith Heumann, internationally recognized leader in the disability rights independent living movement, back to the show. Judy has worked with a wide-range of activist organizations (including the Berkeley Center for Independent Living and the American Association of People with Disabilities), NGOs, and governments since the 1970s and has contributed greatly to the development of human rights legislation and policy benefiting disabled people. Judy will discuss her new book, Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, which was published in February 2020.

Joyce welcomes Andy Imparato, executive director of Disability Rights CA ( DRC) to the show. Andy is a highly respected disability rights advocate known nationally and internationally. He served as the CEO of AAPD and CEO of AUCD and worked closely with Senator Harkin. Disability Rights of California is a federally funded legal services agency that serves Californians with all disabilities across the age spectrum. Andy will further explain the mission of the organization and issues that people with disabilities face today, including dealing with COVID-19.

Joyce welcomes Samantha Evans, certification manager, for the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP); Christopher Lee, managing director, IAAP; and Jay Wyant, member of IAAP Global Leadership Council to the show. IAAP’s mission is to define, promote and improve the accessibility profession globally through certification, education and networking in order to enable the creation of accessible products, content and services. The guests will discuss the importance of IAAP’s commitment to promote vendor responsibilities with respect to digital accessibility for those with disabilities.