Human Potential At Work

This episode features an interview with David James Boyd & Chad Kessler, co-creators of the play Stepchild, along with producer Kori Rushton and associate producer Shelly Guy.

Rob Neuhauser, EVP and Global Head of Seimens People and Leadership, joins the program to discuss the challenges and opportunities that come with leading 5 generations in their workforce, and the work that they have done around unconscious bias. 

Kirk Adams, American Foundation for the Blind's President and CEO, joins the program to discuss how they are expanding possibilities for people with vision loss. He reveals the shift away from a medical model of serving people who are blind and vision impaired, and how their efforts fit into the larger conversation about inclusion in the workforce. Discover the benefits of developing a diverse talent pool. 

Stephane Leblois, Manager of Program Innovations at The Arc's national office and Jonathan Lucus, Managing Director of The Arc@Work at The Arc of the United States, join the program to discuss how they support disability inclusion in the workforce. They reveal both national and global efforts, and what inclusive employment looks like. 

John Macko, Director of the Center on Employment, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, joins the program to discuss the value that persons who are deaf or hard-of-hearing bring to the workplace, and how the National Technical Institute prepares their students for the jobs of tomorrow, and connects students to employers

Ignar Rip joins the program to discuss how to help people with dementia to live their lives to the fullest. He also reveals the role that music can play in retrieving memories and why playing music is especially important with early onset dementia. 

Debra is joined by her producer, Doug Foresta, as they discuss the issue of representation- who should represent the disability community and other communities? Do you have to be a member of a community to speak for that community? And how can we lend our platform to others so that they can share their stories? Debra and Doug discuss all this and more in this episode. 

Ketan Kapoor B, TEDx Speaker and Co-Founder & Principal Consultant at Career At Top Consultancy Services, joins the program to discuss the work that he does connecting talent to meaningful work. 

Dr. Blanck is University Professor at Syracuse University, which is the highest faculty rank granted to eight prior individuals in the history of the University. He is Chairman of the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University.  Dr. Blanck joins the program to discuss the benefits of universal design for all, the non-monolothic nature of the disability community, and the role that artificial intelligence, IOT and robotics can play in uplifting humanity. 

This episode features an interview with Kip Henderson, a 2018 VSA Emerging Young Artist, Victoria Dugger, first prize recipient for the 2016 VSA Emerging Young Artist and Betty Siegel, Director of VSA & Accessibility at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Kip and Victoria discuss how their experiences have influenced their work and their vision as artists.

This episode features an interview with MMA Fighter Garrett Holeve and his father Mitch Holeve, as they discuss Garrett's battle to be allowed to compete as an athlete with Down Syndrome. Discover the work they are doing to help people of all abilities to be healthier and more fit. 

Brendan Roach, Senior Disability Consultant at Business Disability Forum, joins the program to discuss global disability accessibiliity and  how he is working with business and government in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to improve business disability confidence. 

In this episode, you'll hear from Minda Dentler, as she shares her inspiring story of becoming the first female wheelchair athlete to complete the Ironman World Championship. Minda shares tips for developing the proper mindset for success, and how to set goals, get past fear and conquer your own "personal Ironman." 

Judy Heumann, internationally recognized leader in the disability community, joins the program to discuss her journey of advocating for accessibility for disabled persons and the need to broaden the conversation towards a human rights model that ensures that all  people are able to access the help they need to reach their full human potential. 

Al Levin joins the program to discuss the need to have open conversations about depression, and how to overcome stigma. Al shares his own journey of recovering from major depressive disorder and how he helps others, including hosting his own podcast, The Depression Files. Discover the changes that need to happen in order to ensure that everyone has access to treatment.