KPFA - Pushing Limits

Victor McConnell Life is full of inconveniences, and it’s up to us as individuals to respond to those inconveniences. That’s how Victor McConnell looks at life anyways. Despite being born and orphaned in Russia without his entire left arm and shoulder, he is a successful IT consultant, photographer, and musician. On today’s program, we learn what it’s like to experience life without an arm. Plus, we get a taste of Victor’s optimism and spunk. Don’t miss the finale—where Victor lets his music do the talking. This interview has been edited from an episode of The Disability Myth. If you would like to hear the longer program, check out the podcast, The Disability Myth. This program is hosted and produced by Dominick Trevethan. Relevant Resources: Victor’s Website Victor’s Youtube Channel The post One-Handing Life – Pushing Limits – December 20, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

A half-hour radio show providing critical coverage of disability issues and bringing the insight of the grassroots disability movement to the general public. The post Pushing Limits – December 13, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

A half-hour radio show providing critical coverage of disability issues and bringing the insight of the grassroots disability movement to the general public. The post Pushing Limits – December 6, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Self-advocacy by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities has become a big part of the disability movement’s approach to this part of our community. Essentially it means that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can and should be supported to speak for themselves, help make policy, serve on boards, and more. Sadly, too often organizations use the term “Self Advocate” simply to get grants or “street cred”. Today’s guest, Brittanie Hernandez-Wilson, helped make Self-Advocacy more than a “buzz word” when she was the Equity and Justice Director, at the ARC Minnesota. Hear her explain what it takes to transform disability organizations into places that are truly representative of and accountable to the communities they serve. This program was produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton, hosted by Shelley Berman, and edited by Denny Daughters and Dominick Trevethan. Brittanie Hernandez-Wilson The post Beyond the Buzzword: Self-Advocacy in Action – Pushing Limits – November 29, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Did you know some of the most iconic musicians in history lived with disabilities? Beethoven composed masterpieces despite losing his hearing. Stevie Wonder, blind from infancy, redefined soul music. Rick Allen of Def Leppard turned a tragedy into triumph, playing the drums with one arm after a car accident. Accordingly, this Friday, November 22, Pushing Limits brings you a unique musical journey spotlighting incredible artists from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Explore how their creativity and resilience shaped their music—and the world. Host Denny Daughters dives into his rich collection to share hits from artists living with blindness, dyslexia, Stiff Person Syndrome, and amputation and more. Whether you’re a lifelong music lover or simply curious, this half-hour promises unforgettable tunes. This show was hosted, edited, and produced by Denny Daughters. But wait, there’s more! For an uncut version of this program, alongside the programs predecessor, visit this episode of The Flashback Podcast. The post Musicians With All Types Of Disabilities – Pushing Limits – November 22, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Erin Nguyen Neff You may be fortunate enough to live somewhere where strong advocacy by tenant groups has taken away a landlord’s ability to throw you out of your home for any reason whatsoever. It’s called “Just Cause Protection.” Sonoma County and Antioch recently adopted Just Cause ordinances and Alameda County has had Just Cause protection for many years. But, even with this protection, evictions still happen. Someday you may be the person who wakes up to a three-day eviction notice tacked to your door. If that happens, we want you to be prepared. That’s why, today, we’re covering the procedure known as an Unlawful Detainer. That’s another piece of paper that may land on your door. This one offers you a day in court after you get a 3-day eviction notice. Our guest, Erin Neff, is an expert in these court hearings. They have defended families at risk of eviction from some of the worst landlords in New York City. They are an experienced attorney in housing law in support of the disability community, and they work for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund, known as DREDF. Erin Neff will explain what it means for a person with a disability to have their day in court. And, we’ll also spend some time exploring the legal situation for someone with a Section 8 voucher. This program is hosted and produced by Eddie Ytuarte. More about Erin Nguyen Neff: As a Senior Staff Attorney at DREDF, Erin Nguyen Neff primarily focuses on civil rights cases, impact litigation, and policy advocacy for people with disabilities. They began their career as a tenant lawyer for the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn. Erin has also worked at California Rural Legal Assistance and the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, where she was the Lead Policy Attorney for their Housing Program. With housing rights and policy as a predominant focus throughout Erin’s career, they believe housing is a human right – and the decommodification of housing is necessary to uphold that right. They completed their undergraduate degree in psychology at George Mason University and their law degree at the American University, Washington College of Law, where they were an editor for the Journal of Gender, Social Policy, and the Law. Erin is licensed to practice law in both the state of New York and California. The post Eviction: Your Day in Court – Pushing Limits – November 15, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

When you think of professional athletes, some of the names that come to mind may include the likes of LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Tom Brady. However, athletes living with disabilities can be just as impressive as their able-bodied counterparts, yet they don’t seem to get the same level of attention. So in an effort to change this, on today’s program we are talking with a national power soccer champion. Ulices Arreola is a twenty-year-old who starts at wing for the LA Galaxy Power Soccer Club. Last year, he was invited to join the national team in Indiana, where him and his team went on to win the tournament. Accordingly, this program explores the state of the sport of power soccer, what it’s like to go to nationals, as well as address the stigma that differentiates adaptive sports from more typical sports. GOOOOOOOOAL! This program was produced and hosted by Dominick Trevethan. Relevant Resources If you’d like to learn more about power soccer or even find a team near you, you can do so here And be sure to follow LA Galaxy P.S.C. on Instagram Ulices Arreola The post Power Soccer Programming – Pushing Limits – November 8, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

The rise of right-wing power in the U.S. is the culmination of a 50 year plan to seize the reins of government power in the U.S. It has succeeded in the Supreme Court and, who knows, could take the Presidency and both House and Senate at Tuesday’s election. As the plan becomes actualized, the Heritage Foundation has gifted us with the next step – a plan for a radical restructuring of our legal and regulatory bodies written in a document called Project 2025. Unless you are inclined to policy wonky-ness, it’s hard to tell how the Project 2025 changes could affect people with disabilities. Fortunately for us, our guest for this program has the knowledge and experience to translate these bureaucratic maneuvers into the devilish details that are set to make our lives much more difficult. Claudia Center is the Legal Director of Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF). She litigates cases that increase civil rights and civil liberties for persons with disabilities, and represents the disability community in legislative, policy, amicus, and appellate work. Claudia Center Project 2025 lays out drastic cuts to Medi-Caid (MediCal), the end of equity in K-12 schooling for disabled kids, less eligible injuries for Veteran services, and so much more. Halloween will be over by the time this program airs but it’s not too late to be very scared. Want to know more? Our community members are working to make it easy for you: 1. Claudia Center’s analysis with page numbers in the Project 2025 document.so you can read what it says yourself. 2. Instragram post by DREDF. 3. Lainey Feingold’s great hub with all the Project 2025 content from a disability perspective. Produced and hosted by Adrienne Lauby. Audio Editing by Adrienne Lauby and Denny Daughters. Production assistance by Tina Pinedo. The post Project 2025 & Disabled People – Pushing Limits – November 1, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

When we think of disability, we often associate it with stereotypical signifiers such as wheelchairs, handicap placards, and walking canes. We see these things when we are in public and they communicate to us that the person these things belong to lives with a disability. But, what happens when we don’t see these signifiers That is exactly what we’re going to get into on this week’s program. Our guest this week is Theresa Rodgers and she lives with three invisible disabilities. They include Epstein-Barr Virus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and a MTHFR Gene mutation. She will explain how each of these disabilities impact her in ways that nobody sees, including her work as a writer. Theresa also touches on how society treats those with invisible disabilities as though they are able bodied. This program was produced and hosted by Jacob Stanton with editing assistance from Denny Daughters and Dominick Trevethan. Relevant Resources: Epstein-Barr virus Chronic Fatigue Syndrome MTHFR Gene mutation Theresa Rodgers The post Invisible Disabilities – Pushing Limits – October 25, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

This Saturday, the longest running disability film festival in the world begins. Whether online or in person, you’re sure to see diverse, unabashed and engaging cinema. In the two decades of Pushing Limits, we’ve watched the ethos of disability organizing from the 1970s be embraced by a new generation of disabled cultural workers and organizations. Superfest’s parent, the Longmore Institute at S.F. State, with its new disability cultural center is one keeper of these flames. Our guest this week, Dr. Emily Beitiks, interim director for the Longmore Institute, has seen these happy developments close and personal. Eddie Ytuarte hosts. SUPERFEST Superfest Disability Film Festival is coming October 17-20, and whether you are joining in person in the Bay Area or online anywhere in the world, you need to be a part of it! Superfest is the longest running disability film festival in the world. Since 1970, it has celebrated cinema that portrays disability through a diverse, unabashed and engaging lens, and we can’t wait to come together as a community to take in this much-loved disability cultural event for its 38th festival, hybrid for the second year, with new levels of access. EMILY BEITIKS: Emily Beitiks received a Ph.D. in American Studies with a focus in Disability Studies at the University of Minnesota. She has served as adjunct faculty at five universities, centering disability studies in her curriculum. Dr. Emily Beitiks From 2012 to the present, she has worked at the Longmore Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, serving as Interim Director for three years. While there, she developed her praxis as a scholar-activist of disability to promote creative forms of access for the arts and generate spaces that promote disability culture, serving as project director for a touring exhibition “Patient No More,” and serving as co-director of Superfest Disability Film Festival. She exists in this world because her mother’s sudden disability diagnosis prompted her to have a child, and her first-hand experiences of disability have grown throughout her 20 years of experience working in the disability community. 2024 Superfest Disability Film Festival Flyer The post Superfest & The Longmore Institute – Pushing Limits – October 18, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Project 2025 calls for massive changes in our government, and as usual, massive change would bring massive problems for people with disabilities. We talk about the hidden, and not so hidden, effect of this plan on our community. Project 2025, created by the Heritage Foundation has been called the blueprint for the next Trump administration. Within the document’s 900+ pages are calls for banning abortion, dismantling Medicare, taking down the Department of Education and giving the president the power to fire government employees who aren’t loyal to him. Gianna Lacofano Today we will hear perspectives on Project 2025 from four people with disabilities. Gianna Lacofano and Amanda Harrinauth will discuss the plan’s possible impact on people with autism, such as themselves. Donna Regal and Judy Jackon will also discuss the document from the perspective of an older adult with chronic health conditions. Additionally, Pushing Limits collective members will discuss what Project 2025 says about people with disabilities. This program was produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton, edited by Denny Daughters, and hosted by Talia Thompson-Mariano. Links to information featured on today’s program: California Alliance for Retired Americans: CARA Copy of Project 2025 Register to vote in California Ca easy voter guide Website of Amanda Harrinauth The post Project 2025 – Disability Issues, Pushing Limits – October 11, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

How would you live your life if you knew you were going to die by the time you were 30? Would that affect the choices you make, the relationships you have, the way you look at every day? Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is a degenerative neuromuscular condition that is the number one genetic killer of babies. It is extremely rare and the probability of being born with it is about 0.0001. On today’s program, we’re going to learn all about this disease that until recently was not even being tested for. Joining us is a 25-year-old entrepreneur and social media influencer, Victor Guerra. Victor lives with type two SMA and has made it his life’s mission to be a successful entrepreneur and SMA advocate. We will be talking with him about what it’s like to live knowing you won’t live a “normal life” and that you probably will not live past 30 years old. Want to learn more about SMA? You can do so here This program is hosted and produced by Dominick Trevethan with editing assistance from Denny Daughters. Links to Victor’s work: SMA Victor – Youtube Channel Victor’s Instagram account Victor’s website Victor Guerra The post SMA: A Deep Dive – Pushing Limits – October 4, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Please donate online at kpfa.org or by calling 1800-439-5732 The post Special Fund Drive Programming – September 27, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Today’s episode of Pushing Limits is preempted by fall 2024 special fund drive programming. The post Special Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

Today’s episode of Pushing Limits is preempted by a 2024 fall fund drive special. The post Special Fall Fund Drive Programming appeared first on KPFA.

“Hola, mi nombre es Nohemy y hoy seré su intérprete”, or “Hello, my name is Nohemy and I’ll be your interpreter today”. That’s what Nohemy says to her clients as an interpreter for her local court system. Nohemy 1 On this week’s program, she will be sharing with us how she found this career path despite living with a rare neuromuscular condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. We will also be discussing how it has affected her ability to work over her lengthy and diverse career given the fact that SMA is a degenerative disease, which until recently, had no treatment. If you’d like to learn more about SMA, you can do so here. This program was produced and hosted by Dominick Trevethan with editing assistance by Denny Daughters. Nohemy 2 The post Interpreting Life With SMA – Pushing Limits – September 6, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Sometimes, the best way to get ready is to stay ready. Those of us in the disability community know especially well how life can throw us curveballs, and we’ve got to be ready for anything. On that note, join us this Friday, August 30th, as we talk about emergency preparedness. Denny Daughters will interview Sheela Gunn who is an Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at The Center For Independent Living here in Berkely. They talk about the differences between an emergency and a disaster. If it seems overwhelming to you, it doesn’t need to be. There are little things you can do to prepare for an emergency. They’ll discuss what to bring with you to an emergency shelter and share how to build a 72-hour emergency preparedness kit. Additionally, the lists that Denny uses can be found here. More Resources To get in touch with The Center For Independent Living, their website is www.thecil.org Their main phone number is (510) 841-4776 Sheela Gunn’s work number is (510) 422-5068 To email the emergency preparedness team: disasterhelp@thecil.org This show was hosted, edited and produced by Denny Daughters. The post Emergency Preparedness – Pushing Limits – August 30, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Spoiler alert: the world is inaccessible. Often, those in the disability community and with access needs struggle to go where they want to when they want to. We often have our entire days planned out around our needs. Additionally, it’s difficult to decide to go somewhere if you don’t know how accessible it is. Our guest today is making an effort to fix this problem by using technology. Elysia Everett Elysia Everett is a technologist and founder of the free to use app and website, Friendly Like Me. Her app is review-based; it is similar to yelp, but specifically designed for people with access needs to use to rate and review businesses based on their accessibility. With a career in technology and law in her back pocket, she feels she is uniquely qualified to tackle this issue with the disability community. Listen in as she describes her inspiration for starting Friendly Like Me, as well as the conversations that she has one on one with business owners. As she says, the biggest issue that she comes across is a lack of understanding, whether it be on an airline or within the walls of a brick-and-mortar building. Additionally, if you would like to hear the full conversation after this program, feel free to listen to it on the podcast, The Disability Myth. This program is hosted and produced by Dominick Trevethan. The post Friendly Like Me – Pushing Limits – August 23, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Well, it’s time to dust off the old philosophy of ethics textbook. This week’s program takes a look at the Eugenics movement in the United States with Michael Rembis, Director of the Center for Disabilities at the University at Buffalo. Michael Rembis According to his profile on the University at Buffalo’s website, “Rembis’ research interests include the history of institutionalization, mad people’s history, and the history of eugenics. He has also studied and written about contemporary issues concerning mental health and mental illness and mass incarceration.” Eugenicists frequently posed people with disabilities and non-white people as inferior, with devastating consequences including incarceration in institutions, and forced sterilization. Even ‘Progressive’ individuals backed various forms of the Eugenics movement. The Nazi regime under Hitler was influenced by American Eugenicists. Additionally, although Eugenics still has continuing effects, this week’s program will explore how the disability community has mobilized in combating this destructive movement. This program is hosted by Edward Ytuarte. The post Disability & Eugenics – Pushing Limits – August 16, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

Becoming a lawyer is probably one of the most difficult professions one could choose to pursue. For example, one must overcome a character and fitness exam as well as the notorious BAR exam. Now, imagine dedicating countless hours to studying law, fueled by a passion for justice and a dream of becoming an attorney, all while knowing that an unseen barrier could shatter that dream. This Friday, join us for a compelling and eye-opening program featuring Val U Baul French, a law student from Kansas who identifies as neurodivergent. Val U Baul French Val will share their journey through the demanding world of law school, shedding light on the unique challenges and instances of aversive ableism they face as a student with a disability. Tune in as Val discusses the very real possibility that, despite their hard work and dedication, their path to becoming a lawyer could be blocked if the bar association questions their mental competence. Don’t miss this important conversation about resilience, advocacy, and the fight for inclusivity in the legal profession. This program is hosted by Talia Thompson-Mariano, produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton, and edited by Dominick Trevethan and Denny Daughters. The post Val VS The Bar – Pushing Limits – August 9, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.