You First: The Disability Rights Florida Podcast

Welcome to Part 2 of a conversation with Heather Watkins and Dom Evans about marriage inequity, disabled relationships in the media, and disabled parenting!  Please check out our show notes from part 1 for more background information and relevant links mentioned in the episode.

In February, we created a blog post on disability marriage inequality. We knew people would be interested in the topic, but were taken aback by the immense engagement and shock felt by our audience. Because of that, we wanted to create a podcast episode talking with disabled folks about disability marriage inequality, parenting, and more.  On the show today we have two fantastic guests, Heather Watkins and Dom Evans. Heather Watkins (she/her) is a disability advocate, author, blogger, mother, and graduate of Emerson College with a B.S. in Mass Communications. Born with Muscular Dystrophy, loves reading, daydreaming, chocolate, and serves on a handful of disability-related boards. Her blog Slow Walkers See More includes reflections and insight from her life with disability. Dom Evans (they/he) is a director/writer, activist, Twitch streamer, and consultant with a BFA in Film. He fights for inclusion in media, marriage equality, gaming, and reproductive rights. Dom founded #FilmDis, to better understand Disabil

On March 4th, 2023, the world was shaken by the passing of the legendary disability rights activist and leader Judith (Judy) Heumann. She is considered “The Mother of the Disability Rights Movement” and is frankly a badass. Judy was essential to disability rights advocacy and progress. It is because of her advocacy that our organization can do the work we do today. We are indebted to her and her work, and we will continue her fight for disability rights in her honor. To honor her, we wanted to record a special tribute about Judy, her advocacy, and the long-lasting impact that her presence will have on the disability community and the world. Relevant links and topics mentioned in the episode: Crip Camp & Camp Jened Heumann v Board of Ed of the City of New York Disabled in Action Rehabilitation Act Protests in NYC Berkeley Center for Independent Living The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 504 Sit in World Institute on Disability Judy's memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disabi

Medicaid Unwinding in Florida starts on April 1, 2023. With information coming from various Florida agencies and organizations, it can be hard to get clear information about what is happening with Medicaid eligibility. The Medicaid Unwinding process can feel overwhelming, but we hope our show today will provide you with important clarifying information you need to be ready and prepared for the process.  In this bonus episode, we talk with our co-worker from the Public Policy team, Laura Minutello, who will provide information and resources about Medicaid Unwinding. 

In this episode of You First, we chat with Alan Herbert, a Kenyan journalist, social inclusion advocate, and behavior change communications professional. He brings on a wealth of experience in inclusive media practices, leadership, and advocacy. Alan currently serves as a prime-time TV host at Signs TV Kenya and is a founding member and Chief Executive Officer of Black Albinism, Kenya.  Alan is also an inclusive communications consultant who has worked with organizations to develop inclusive employment learning modules. He has also worked on a documentary about the Kenyan government’s plan and commitments to the disability community at the inaugural Global Disability Summit.  We connected with Alan last year when he was in the states for his disability fellowship program and we’ve stayed connected ever since. We’re excited to share the interview, and we hope you enjoy it!

Our first episode of the new year focuses on our legislative priorities for 2023. Florida's legislative session starts in March, and Disability Rights Florida has been following the conversations around what bills and topics will be featured. Many of these issues can greatly impact the disability community in Florida. That's why we're here to give you the inside scoop on what we have on our radar this session. We spoke to our friend and coworker, DRF Public Policy Analyst Caitlyn Clibbon. She is one of our staff members who is closely watching what's happening with the Florida legislative session and considering the impact these laws will have on people with disabilities. Caitlyn offers some insight into what topics we, as an organization, are focusing on and keeping a close watch on.

Let's talk about Accessible In-Person Voting in the sixth and final episode of our new series, "Your Voice, Your Vote!" It’s almost Election Day - and you have the right to vote in person with accessible options. On this episode of "Your Voice, Your Vote!" we’re grateful to have Sarah Goldman, the Director of Administration and Youth Initiatives at the Florida Independent Living Council, and Alex Mosca, a Public Information Specialist at the Leon County Supervisor of Elections office. Tune in to learn about your in-person voting rights, the guests’ experiences with in-person voting, and how we can all continue to make voting more accessible and inclusive for all voters.

Let's talk about Running for Office with a Disability in the fifth episode of our new series, "Your Voice, Your Vote!" On today’s episode, we’re excited to have guests Sarah Blahovec, Olivia Babis, Karolyn Campbell, and Sabrina Cohen. These four individuals have run for office as folks with disabilities, advocated for inclusive campaigning strategies, and educated potential disabled candidates about how to run for office effectively. The conversation illuminates barriers to civic engagement and political disabled representation that you may not realize. Links: Elevate: Campaign Training for People with Disabilities The A-Z of Effective, Inclusive Campaigns

Let's talk about Understanding the Disability Vote in the fourth episode of our new series, "Your Voice, Your Vote!" In this two-part episode, we talk about the disability community, their access to voting, what barriers are up against the disability community’s civic involvement, what trends we see in disabled voters, and what efforts are being made to make elections more accessible for all. First, you will hear from guests Lisa Schur and Doug Kruse from Rutgers University who do disability voting research. After that, you will get insight from Commissioner Tom Hicks from the Elections Assistance Commission. Links mentioned during the episode: Rutgers Program for Disability Research Doug Kruse's email address Lisa Schur's email address EAC email address to request copies of their pocket guide for voters with disabilities

Let's talk about Voting and Intersectionality in the third episode of our new series, "Your Voice, Your Vote!" In this episode, we talk to Jazlyn Gallego from Vote Riders about intersectionality and how marginalized voters are impacted in the election process. Jazlyn is Voter Riders’ Florida State Outreach Director and Florida Voter ID Coalition Coordinator. She talks about how inaccessible voting practices impact all voters, and she shares helpful information about Voter ID requirements and election resources.

Let's talk about Accessible Vote by Mail in the second episode of our new series, "Your Voice, Your Vote!" In this episode, we talk with Doug Hall and Marsha Bukala, two Floridians with disabilities who have fought for and now utilize Accessible Vote by Mail. They discuss the history of accessible elections in Florida, how they advocated for accessible voting options, and what insights they have about casting a ballot as a voter with a disability.

Let’s talk about disability voting laws in the first episode of our new series: "Your Voice, Your Vote"! In today's episode, we talk with Michelle Bishop, the National Disability Rights Network’s Voter Access and Engagement Manager. She has extensive academic and embodied knowledge about laws protecting disabled voters, voting accessibility, barriers set up against disabled voters, and where the current state of voting is for the disability community.

Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’ve seen huge repercussions for people’s safety, health, access to medical care, and more.  And we know that the overruling impacts people differently, depending on who you are. If you have marginalized identities, you experience more barriers to health care and, therefore, more barriers to accessing abortion and other reproductive-related health care. To dive deep into how the overturning affects one marginalized community--the disability community--we invited four disabled activists on the You First podcast to discuss how this ruling affects them, the disability community as a whole, and other marginalized groups, especially in ways that you may not have ever considered. It’s important to bring an intersectional lens to these conversations in order to fully grasp what the repercussions look like after a ruling like this. We talked with Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Rebecca Cokley, Keith Jones, and Heather Watkins about what this ruling means to and for the disability communit

Today on the podcast we have guest Neil Romano, a member and former chair of the National Council on Disabilities where he is serving his second three-year term. A former Communications Director at the White House, Neil was nominated by President George W. Bush to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy where he developed a series of outreach programs to help Americans and businesses understand the value of people with disabilities in the workplace. He also served as a member of the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, the United States Access Board and the Committee for Purchase from People Who are Blind or Severely Disabled. We're thrilled to have Neil on today, and we will talk about employment for people with disabilities and the barriers, options, and hopes of employees with disabilities.  Before we get started, we want to review a few important terms relevant to this podcast: Sheltered workshop work centers: A segregated place where only people with

The sixth and final episode of our "Accessibility Outside the Box" series is about Research. We are excited to have Rua Mae Williams on the podcast to talk about accessible research. They are an academic researcher who studies how technology design, computing research practices, and Disability Justice interact. They touch on a variety of concepts like: how to do accessible and inclusive outreach to communities of study, how we can offer other data collection options so people can fully and authentically participate, and how we can see the future of research in a different light. Links: Rua Mae Williams' website

The fifth episode of our "Accessibility Outside the Box" series is about Video Gaming. We chat with James Rath, a legally blind film director, accessibility advocate, and speaker. In his accessibility efforts, he provides video game and console accessibility reviews, acts as an accessibility consultant for video game companies, and drives the future of gaming in a positive direction. In this episode, we talk all about accessible gaming, where accessible gaming was "back in the day" with the first consoles, where it is now, and the future of accessible gaming. Links: Can I Play That? James Rath's YouTube Channel James Rath's website

The fourth episode of our "Accessibility Outside the Box" series is about Recreation. Today we have two guests on the podcast to talk about various aspects of recreation, and how we can make recreation more accessible for all, including people with disabilities. First, we talk with Ashley Richmond from Help Us Gather, or HUG for short, about their organization, beach accessibility, and how to make recreational events accessible. Then we chat with Stacy Busch from No Divide KC, an arts and music organization in Kansas City that strives to make all of its events and performances accessible and inclusive, no matter who you are. Links Help Us Gather: Accessible Beaches Help Us Gather: Mobility Mats We Include No Divide KC Stacy Busch

The third episode of our "Accessibility Outside the Box" series is about Fashion. We’ve all struggled to find clothes that fit well, we feel good in, or are just right for the occasion we are going to. However, these are everyday struggles when you’re an individual with a disability. Our guest for this episode is Kathy D Woods. She is the first African American little person to create a clothing line designed by and for little people. She’s leading the way in accessible fashion and pushing the fashion industry to be more inclusive. Links:  Kathy D Woods fashion line website

The second episode of our "Accessibility Outside the Box" series is about City Planning. We interviewed Nora Libertun, a global leading expert on urban planning and design, sustainability, and social inclusion. Her work revolves around making everything in a city more accessible, including the layout, transportation, and recreation. She spoke about how cities need to be designed for everyone to utilize, especially people with disabilities. Links: Nora's book, "Cities as Spaces for Opportunities for All: Building Public Spaces for People with Disabilities, Children and Elders" Nora's Blogs: How to Plan Accessible Cities? What does it mean to design an inclusive city?

Welcome to the first episode of "Accessibility Outside the Box!" Today we talk about Travel and Vacationing.  We spoke to Olivia Shivas and Rebecca Dubber to learn more about this topic. They host a great podcast called What’s Wrong With You? where they recorded an episode during a trip they took, recounting all the challenges they faced along the way. They shared with us what they learned about accessible travel and vacationing. Links: What's Wrong With You? Podcast