You First: The Disability Rights Florida Podcast

We’ll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we’re releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month, we bring you our 14th episode, Accessibility in Florida Prisons. This episode was originally released on November 21, 2017, when Disability Rights Florida was suing the Florida Department of Corrections over an enforcement of a settlement agreement signed in summer of that year. That settlement agreement was intended to ensure that individuals with disabilities in prisons were having their rights vindicated under the Americans with Disabilities Act, but over the years, we learned that many of these provisions were not being enforced, which led to the lawsuit. Since that time, the two parties have settled with stronger language and oversight, but the struggle for the rights of individuals with disabilities in prisons continues. The prison population not only has a larger proportion of individuals with d

We’ll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we’re releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month we bring you “The Right to Recovery.” This episode was originally released on February 21, 2017. Since then, we’ve done two more episodes on related topics: episode 10 on Peer Support and episode 29 on Clubhouses. Links to those are below, but for now please enjoy this encore episode of You First. Links Original Presentation of Episode 7: The Right to Recovery Episode 10: Peer Support Episode 29: Creating Community with Clubhouses

We’ll be back with new episodes in April, so until then we’ll be releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that still ring true today. This month, we present our fifth episode, titled Supported Decision-Making. This episode was originally published on December 15, 2016, and supported decision-making, or SDM for short, is now going strong in Florida and many other parts of the US. Our guest for this episode, Michael Lincoln-McCreight, is currently the co-chair of the SDM4FL Coalition (and you can hear more from him in Episode 24: SDM4FL in 2021). As always, more work needs to be done to make SDM the preferred option in Florida over more restrictive options such as guardianship. Michael and others are currently working to formalize SDM into Florida law, so please enjoy this encore episode of You First. Links Original Presentation of Episode 5: Supported Decision-Making Episode 24: SDM4FL: Supported Decision-Making in 2021 SDM4FL Coalition Website Disability Rights Florida Supported Decision-Ma

In this episode, Jordan Kuveke-Guyton, a Veteran’s Affairs Accredited Attorney with Chad Barr Law, and Ann Siegel, the Legal Director at Disability Rights Florida, discuss options available to veterans with disabilities, many of which you might not be aware of. Not only are there benefits and discounts veterans can qualify for, but there are a number of services and rights protections that can provide veterans with a successful transition to civilian life. Links: ProtectingVets.com Find Your State's P&A

In this episode of You First, we talk to Angela Muir Van Etten. Angela just published her third book, Always an Advocate, which is full of both practical advocacy advice and many interesting stories. There will always be a need for advocates and, Always an Advocate offers hope for those who are skeptical about changing the discriminatory treatment of people with disabilities. Links: Angela's books on Amazon.com Angela's website and blog

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In this episode of the You First podcast, we wanted to bring some awareness to a group right here in Florida that created some amazing resources to help people with disabilities find and keep quality employment. To talk much more about that are my guests: Danielle McGill, the founder of Empower Possibilities and a disability consultant, advocate, and public speaker; and Wendy Vance, an Advocate-Investigator at Disability Rights Florida. Resources: A copy of the white paper will be posted soon on the Employment First Florida website.  The presentation, Looking Beyond the Pandemic: Ways to Facilitate Growth and Opportunities for Individuals with Disabilities Seeking or Retaining Employment, will be posted soon on the Florida Center for Inclusive Communities website.

In Episode 23 of the You First podcast, we talked about the representation of people with disabilities in the media, how that has evolved over the years, improving in some ways, but more often still faltering with poor and inaccurate portrayals of people with disabilities in popular media. A great point that was brought up was one of the best ways to combat these issues was for people with disabilities to create their own content, to control the narrative, and help to create platforms where their stories, in their words, can be shared. My guests today, Elizabeth Wright and Jennifer Price, are doing just that!  Elizabeth is a writer, activist, keynote and TEDx speaker, and an Australian Paralympic Medalist. She is also the founder and editor of Conscious Being Magazine, a publication for disabled women by disabled women, and the editor of Disability Review Magazine. Jennifer is a special education and disability rights attorney, and author of EmpowerEd: Using Real Case Examples to Look Deeper into IEP Managem

When you hear the word “clubhouse,” what do you think of? For somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million people with mental illness, they think of a clubhouse as a place to gather regularly to reduce isolation, gain important skills and resources, and is an integral part of recovery. My three guests today will tell us more. They are Debra Webb, Executive Director of the Key Clubhouse of South Florida; Amy McClellan, President of the Board of Directors of the Key Clubhouse; and Alexander Lasa, a long-time member of the Key Clubhouse. Resources: Key Clubhouse of South Florida Clubhouse International

In this episode of You First, we talk to Annie Segarra, James Rath, and Rikki Poynter. They discuss the accessibility obstacles they encounter, recount the joys and challenges of sharing vulnerable stories on the internet, and share what disability pride means to them. Links: Annie Segarra's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/theannieelainey James Rath's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/jamesrath Rikki Poynter's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/rikkipoynter

In this episode of You First, we talk to Disability Rights Florida's Tony DePalma and Olivia Babis to discuss the 2021 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony review a number of important bills that were presented to the legislature, challenges we faced related to the pandemic, and what did and did not pass this session. NOTE: at the time of recording this episode, Governor Ron DeSantis had not signed or vetoed some of the items discussed. Visit our 2021 Florida Legislative Outcomes blog post for an updated list of all legislation that passed and was signed by the governor.

In this episode of You First, we look at COVID-19 through the lens of mental health. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) was identified years before the pandemic, along with great strategies to reduce the chances that someone in intensive care would develop complications related to it. But COVID-19 has changed that, as ICUs became overcrowded and staff overtaxed. Our guest is Dr. Megan Hosey from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Megan explains what PICS is, how the pandemic has affected its prevalence, and what new strategies are being developed to deal with it. Resources: Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) Disability Rights Florida COVID-19 Resources POPPI Study Five Wishes The Conversation Project After the ICU (THRIVE)

In this episode of You First, let's talk about saving the planet! We can fight climate change by eliminating all single-use plastics and walking to get where you need to go – that will save us all! But will it? Or does thinking like that make you an eco-ableist by not considering the needs of people with disabilities? Our first guest is Elizabeth Wright, a writer, activist, keynote and TEDx speaker, and an Australian Paralympic Medalist. She is also the founder and editor of Conscious Being, a publication for disabled women by disabled women, and the editor of Disability Review Magazine. Liz gives us a global perspective on disability and climate change, and explains why people with disabilities need a seat at the table to help us think more creatively when planning how to combat it. Our second guest is writer and activist Syren Nagakyrie. They are the founder and director of Disabled Hikers, which advocates for accessibility and inclusion in the outdoors. Syren explains why the outdoors are not always as acc

In the fifth episode of the You First podcast, we heard from Michael Lincoln-McCreight about something new in Florida called Supported Decision-Making (SDM). Much has changed with SDM and Mike in the four years since then, and he's back to give us some updates. We also talk to Viviana Bonilla López and Tyler Burns. Viviana is an attorney at Disability Rights Florida who coordinates the SDM project and co-chairs the SDM4FL Coalition with Mike. And Tyler is a client of Viviana who is signing his SDM agreement within days of this recording. Relevant Links: SDM4FL Coalition Website Disability Rights Florida Supported Decision-Making Disability Topic

Our guests on this episode of You First are Beth Haller and Jeff Preston, both of whom are university professors, authors, and experts on disability in the media. They discuss what's been done right and wrong with the portrayal of people with disabilities in film and TV, the impact of streaming platforms on the movement, and why Sia's new movie, "Music," is a disaster. Referenced in the episode: Routledge Companion to Disability and Media Representing Disability in an Ableist World: Essays on Mass Media The Fantasy of Disability: Images of Loss in Popular Culture Disability and Social Media: Global Perspectives Salon: Sia's directorial debut "Music" is a baffling and patronizing cringefest of ableist minstrelsy LISTEN: Film by CommunicationFIRST NeuroTribes: The Legacy of Autism and the Future of Neurodiversity News: We are now on Feedspot's Top 15 Disability Podcasts to Follow in 2021!

I have experienced weight stigma throughout my life, but had never heard the term or understood exactly how it affected me. After speaking to Shira Collings, I know much more about weight stigma: what it is, where it comes from, and how it can affect mental health. Listen to learn more, and register for our upcoming free webinar on weight stigma. Resources: Food Psych podcast Body Respect book The F*ck-It Diet book/podcast Also, Feedspot added You First to their list of Top 10 Social Security Disability Podcasts! Check out their list for other great podcasts.

In this fun episode of You First, we talk to Marika Devin, owner of the Clumsy Girl Travels blog. Marika discusses her experiences traveling with a hidden disability, offers practical travel advice to others, and tells us about the time she ate a lamb's head in Iceland. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted assistive technology (AT) access and training, especially for students with disabilities. In this episode of You First, we talk to Ana Nevares of FAAST and Gerry Altamirano of the University of Florida to learn more about the benefits of AT for students with disabilities, how COVID-19 has impacted AT, and what students and parents can do to overcome it.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and to recognize that, this episode of You First is all about barriers to employment. Disability Rights Florida advocates Wendy Vance, Victor Panoff, Howard Bell, and Allison Klein explore numerous barriers to employment, beginning with school-age issues all the way to challenges in the workplace, and how they can each be overcome.

In this special episode of You First, we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disability Rights Florida staff members Barb Page, Juli Pack, Curtis Filaroski, Ann Robinson, Andrea Jenkins, and Olivia Babis discuss the impact the ADA has had on them, how things might be different without the ADA, and what still needs to be accomplished even 30 years later.

In the second part of this episode of You First, we conclude our conversation with Disability Rights Florida's Olivia Babis and Tony DePalma as they discuss the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony explore several key bills that were presented to the legislature, the outcome of those bills, and their impact on Floridians with disabilities. For more information about the 2019 Legislative Session, visit www.disabilityrightsflorida.org/legislation.