KPFA - Pushing Limits

Welcome back to Trump’s America and another round of attacks against people with disabilities. In the past week we saw Trump try to blame our community for the crash of American Eagle Flight 534. Trump’s comments came less than 48 hours after his administration tried to freeze federal funding for many disability organizations, as well as programs like Medi-Cal and Section 8. With all this chaos, it’s understandable if you want to hide in the bedroom watching reality television for the next four years. Nieta Greene However, this Friday at 2:30 PM, Nieta Greene has another idea! She’ll be encouraging people with disabilities to resist Trump‘s policies on KPFA’s Pushing Limits program. Green is the founder and CEO of Disability Community for Democracy. She works to get organizations and policymakers to consider the needs of persons with disabilities. This new organization is dedicated to preserving, protecting, and defending liberal democracy and disability rights. On March 1st, the group will host a protest on zoom to push back against Trump’s policies. Additionally, the organization advocates alongside public officials to do a better job at encouraging voters with disabilities to run for public office. Plus, we will hear from the next generation of truth-tellers as Josh Elwood interviews people with disabilities who are learning how to produce radio through a KPFA internship program. Thanks to grant support from Berkeley City College, Clayton Pedersen and Jess Hutcheson are gaining valuable work experience in the fields they would like to pursue – music and talk radio. Tune in to hear more! This episode of Pushing Limits is written and produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton and Josh Elwood. It is hosted and voiced by Denny Daughters. Editing by Dominick Trevethan and Denny Daughters. Relevant Resources: Link to Disability Community for Democracy Also, look for them on Facebook, Instagram, and Bluesky. PSA: The recent devastation of the Southern California wildfires has shown us how important emergency/disaster preparedness is…and we’ve got some answers! Join Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL) and CIL’s Emergency Preparedness and Resilience program for a special Emergency Preparedness 101 specifically for Blind/Low Vision Communities, led by CIL’s Emergency Preparedness Coordinator, Sheela Gunn. This workshop will be held as a hybrid, both virtually over Zoom and in-person at the Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, 94703, in the Osher Room. When: Thursday, February 13th, 2025, from 1:00 – 4:00 PM. Where: Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline Street, Berkeley, 94703, in the Osher Room and via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82594949995 What: A workshop for people who are Blind or Low Vision that live in the San Francisco Bay Area to learn, then apply, the basics of emergency/disaster preparedness. Who: The Center for Independent Living (CIL), serving northern Alameda County, and Community Resources for Independent Living (CRIL), serving southern Alameda County. Accessibility: The Ed Roberts Campus is a wheelchair-accessible space. Masks required for in-person attendees. Wayfinding support available. Other accommodations available upon request. Register at: https://bit.ly/EP101BLIND1 The post Disability Resistance in the Age of Trump – Pushing Limits – February 7, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

When tough times fall on us, we often learn who is really in our corner. However, if Dominick & Uriel push came to shove, would you trust your friend to help you use the restroom? Would they even be willing to do so? On this program of Pushing Limits, one of our very own producers shares his experiences in this exact situation along with his IHSS provider and best-friend. Join us as Dominick Trevethan and Uriel Ruelas discuss their unique friendship. They will be sharing all of the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) that Dominick needs help with, how they navigate the nuances of a friendship and work-dynamic, as well as their thoughts on the current state of IHSS. Should family members be paid nearly minimum wage to care for loved ones? Tune in to hear Dominick and Uriel’s thoughts. This program was hosted and produced by Dominick Trevethan. The post The Provider-Recipient Dynamic: An Inside Angle – Pushing Limits – January 31, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

January is a month often filled with new gym membership, NFL playoffs, and even snow. Before COVID, we didn’t associate it with debilitating and devastating illnesses, but COVID-19 changed that. In January of 2020, “Joyful” Joni Gold was the fourth person in her small community to get covid and, for her, this month will never be the same. Living in Los Osos, California with a population of 14,485, Joni faced life-threatening challenges. In a community with few medical providers, she needed quality care. As someone in a nation with little understanding of the disease, she needed advice and support. Now, living with long covid, Joni talks about her experience and how her spirituality helps her live with her disability. On top of hearing from jovial Joni, we have a commentary from Pushing Limits collective member Adrienne Lauby on COVID, unity, and Mr. Trump. Stay tuned! This episode of Pushing Limits is written and produced by Jacob Lesner-Buxton. It is hosted and edited by Denny Daughters. Joni Gold The post Long Covid in a Small Town – Pushing Limits – January 24, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

On this week’s program, Pushing Limits is diving into the heart of the Bay Area disability community with two local guests who are making a mighty impact. First, we’ll hear from Scott Simpson, President of the Board of Directors for KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now) San Francisco. KEEN empowers children with disabilities through swimming and a variety of other adaptive sports. Learn how this innovative program builds confidence, fosters friendships, and inspires joy for kids and their families. Dr. Emily Beitiks Next, we welcome back Emily Beitiks, Interim Director of the Paul Longmore Institute at San Francisco State University. Emily will provide an update on the Institute’s latest initiatives, including its work in disability history, culture, and advocacy. From groundbreaking research to upcoming events, find out how the Longmore Institute continues to amplify the voices of disabled people in the Bay Area and beyond. This program is produced and hosted by Eddie Ytuarte. Relevant Resources: KEEN – San Francisco San Francisco State University – Paul Longmore Institute on Disability The post Bay Area Disability Happenings – Pushing Limits – January 17, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to take care of someone else with major physical needs? Just like any relationship, the caregiver-patient relationship is a two-way street. Usually we bring you the voice of the “patient” on our program, but today we’re mixing it up. During the interview, Dean talks about his clients. Some of them have different mobility disabilities; others have diseases like Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, and various injuries. One younger client hadn’t had a regular bath or shower in several years, but Dean made this problem disappear. Find out how by tuning in! This program was produced and hosted by Denny Daughters. The post The Caregiver’s Perspective: Dean Starmer – Pushing Limits – January 10, 2025 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 – January 3, 2025 appeared first on KPFA.

As Bugs Bunny once said, “tha-that’s all folks!” 2024 has come to a close, and the Pushing Limits gang is looking forward to making next year even better. As we get ready to turn a new leaf, we invite you to join the crew as we look back at what we learned and appreciated about this year as we plan our goals out for next year. In this holiday special, host and producer Denny Daughters interviews all your favorite Pushing Limits producers, editors, script writers, and hosts. Plus, there’s a year-end montage and blooper reel that’s sure to send you laughing into 2025! See ya next year! The post 2024 in Review – Pushing Limits – December 27, 2024 appeared first on KPFA.

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.

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