Claiming Disability Podcast
By Erin Kay CEO & Founder of Claiming Disability
Claiming Disability Podcast Apr 03, 2024
The Capitol Crawl of 1990 Disability Icon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins
Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins has spent her life fighting for her right to live a normal life; in school, on the public transit system, and on the steps of the United States Capital building. At age two, she was diagnosed with a condition called cerebral palsy, that left lesions within the motor cortex of her brain.
From an early age, because of her disability, Jennifer was forced to take separate classes (irregardless of her aptitude and ability). impeded by the sheer lack of accessible buildings and transit, and shunned by her peers. Instead of crushing her, it galvanized her fighting spirit.
When Jennifer witnessed her first disability rights protest in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, it changed her life forever. From then on, Jennifer and her mother, Cynthia, joined the disability rights movement and began organizing. At age seven, she and her mother were arrested for protesting peacefully in Montreal, in a moment that shocked North America. At age eight, through iconic footage and photography taken on the steps of the US Capital, she became an icon for the movement to support passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Support Jennifer by purchasing a copy of "All the Way to the Top," at jkclegacy.com
[Image Description: A graphic image of a cement stair case with a blue header with white texts that reads LET'S LEARN ABOUT THE CAPITOL CRAWL OF 1990 with a black bar and yellow texts that reads With Host Erin Noon Kay Claiming Disability with a photo of Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins, a beautiful disabled woman with brown hair smiling next to a black and white photo of Justin Dart Jr., Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins and her mother Cynthia Keelan, Bob Kafka, and Dianne Coleman in a protest line next to a copy of All the Way to the Top with a cartoon Jennifer Keelan-Chaffins with blonde hair and her bandana with a black bar with yellow texts that reads March 12, 2024 @ 1pm cst/2pmest/ 11ampst with a blue footer with white texts that reads only on erin.claiming_disability]
#PrettyDisabledPowerful
#ADA34
#CapitolCrawl
#AccessibilityCreatesRealInclusion
#CerebralPalsyAwarenessMonth
#CerebralPalsy
#InternationalWomensDay
#CapitolCrawl
#ADA
#WomensHistoryMonth
Interview with Michael Spady & Gabriel Gomez from Netflix Dahmer Series
DAHMER-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story just joined Stranger Things Season 4 and Squid Games in surpassing the billion-hour mark in viewing time, making it one of the most watched series on Netflix. The first installment of the anthology series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan is only the third title to hit that milestone in just 60 days, and the second-ever English-language series.
Starring Peters as the notorious serial killer, DAHMER weaves a compelling narrative exploring the institutional failures, systemic racism and pervasive homophobia that enabled Jeffrey Dahmer to murder 17 young men over the course of 13 years. The chilling series also focuses on his many victims, and gives voice to long-overlooked figures in the story such as Glenda Cleveland (Niecy Nash), who repeatedly tried to warn the authorities about her suspicious neighbor.
You will hear Gabriel Gomez signing and interpreting on behalf of Michael Spady. Please be patience with feedback.
Michael Anthony Spady is best known for his lead role in "Hamill" (a movie that received AFI Fest Audience Award for Best Feature Film) and a supporting role in "Sympathy for Delicious" (starring Mark Ruffalo, Juliette Lewis, Orlando Bloom and Laura Linney). Spady is one of the most notable deaf actors currently on screen.Gabriel Gomez is a CODA (child of deaf adult) , and an American Sign Language interpreter based in Los Angeles. He is honored to serve the deaf community.Gabriel has been an ASL Interpreter in the greater Los Angeles area for over 7 years, interpreting in schools, hospitals, concerts, lectures, conferences, award shows, court and more. His educational interpreting experience includes USC, UCLA, Cal State LA, Cal State Long Beach, Long Beach Community College, El Camino College, LA Trade Tech, LAUSD, and TUSD.He found a passion for interpreting in the entertainment industry early in his career, and has the unique skills suited to rigors of on-set, live, and on-camera interpreting. In 2021 he worked on Netflix's upcoming Jeffery Dahmer (Monster) series supporting the deaf actors and coaches during rehearsals and while filming on set. Gabriel has found that working with Daniel Durant and being part of the CODA team has been the highlight of his career so far and is honored to be able to bring access to deaf actors and crew.
Two Time Emmy Winning Director Paris Barclay Talks with Producer Erin Noon-Kay and Guest Host Verton
Interview with Nic Novicki Easterseals Disability Film Challenge 🎥 & Director Zach Mecham
His television credits include: Boardwalk Empire, The Sopranos, AXS Gotham Comedy Live, Jack and Triumph, The Neighbors, Austin and Alley, Private Practice and Drop Dead Diva. He has appeared in several movies, such as Life Happens, November Rule, The Last 5 Years, Boston Girls and Breaking Wind and will soon be seen in the upcoming Dead Ant.
Nic has produced several feature films, television pilots and web series for companies including Sony, CBS, Air China, Maxim and Universal and is an active member in the Producers Guild of America’s Diversity Committee. Nic wrote for the CBS Diversity Showcase and has also written and directed several short films including A Little Broke, which was acquired by the TV station Shorts HD.
As a stand up comedian, Nic has toured all over the world, including several tours for the troops overseas through Armed Forces Entertainment. He has performed stand up on AXS Gotham Comedy Live.
He is the founder and Director of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge.
Easterseals Disability Film Challenge with Imani Barbarin & Cast (2021 Chat)
#SponsoredContent FriendlyLikeMe We Believe in Accessibility
To prevent the awkward or embarrassing situations that arise when a place is “not a good fit,” people want to know before they go if a place is suitable. But that information is often scarce, subjective, and hard to find. Friendly Like Me is designed to conquer this problem with objective, fact-based reviews completed by people with first-hand experience.
Because when the preparation needed to enjoy a night out is combined with the uncertainty of whether accommodations can be made, many people avoid participating in activities and situations they would otherwise welcome.
We really want to change that by making accessibility information easier to find, and by teaming up with businesses to create more friendly places.
We find that business owners are very open to hearing how they can cater to our communities. But we must work together to tell them what we need.
Get started by reviewing places, the single best way to help! Share your reviews on social media and tag us @friendlylikeme to help get the word out. Every new user of Friendly Like Me helps build our shared understanding of available accommodations. Join in and download the app, today!
Valentines Day Nolu More than Just a Dating App #Sponsored
Our mission is to promote equal access to emotional living: We are proud to be now available on Appstore specially with the Guidelines that labels dating app as a saturated category and that Nolu was recognized as being more than a “dating app” . Nolu’s greater mission is addressing the needs of an underserved and deserving community. Apple acknowledged that Nolu provides “a unique, high-quality experience to its users” and approved the application. We do things differently, in the last two years we have organized outreach and awareness activities and brought the issue and importance of emotional inclusion for people living with disability to now thousands of non-profit organizations and health care professionals here in North America and Europe. The social/dating application is a portal, the main tool to allow “participation” of people with disability to meet and date and expand their network of friends. Inclusion is what society does to allow people with disability to participate but without safe and welcoming space people with disability cannot participate that’s what Nolu is offering. We are a fully inclusive community making disclosing a disability not the main issue in dating Inclusive Open to diversity / Onboarding already includes agender selection Man/woman/ non-binary person we wanted to create a place where having a disability would not be a disadvantage and where anyone could be free to be who they are We introduced the Android prototype in November 2020 to support our first crowdfunding campaign and to our big amazement we had an influx of users even at that stage. We have greatly improved the model, here are some distinct features Onboarding process and profile set up allows users to select what disability defines them best only if you want or not because you can always choose “other” You can select Open to all disabilities default setting or choose which one you think would complement you in a relationship best Virtual Interview Module to create video profile while being guided using a karaoke module that prompts questions not lyrics Dating features: Core features includes Explore – Like – Chat Advanced features coming soon (March): To add to the standard dating activities in the app, Nolu is working on the last details of a new in-app video conferencing feature to improve the connection between users and provide a safe meeting space where people can get to know each other even before getting together. About the use of Avatar on Nolu and catfishing : the difference and why and how to apply See profiles with pictures and video only. Pilot project with Utopia Analytics for content moderation and protection of users against spam and fraud Introduction of dating professionals to Nolu’s platform in the summer: Dating professionals will be added soon and will provide on Nolu live consultations (matchmakers, sex therapist and life coaches) It is proven this is a subject rarely discussed with other health professionals and uncomfortable for family and friends this will be a great opportunity Before being able to give consultations they will have to be trained and learn about the specific issues around emotional inclusion as it applies to the wide variety of disabilities three sections of module and the professionals need to complete the course and be Nolu certified before offering their services.
Created by Erin Noon Kay CEO and Founder of Claiming Disability LLC
Steve Way Star of Hulu's Ramy
Steve has been performing stand up for over 8 years with his first set at the Comedy Charity Explosion in his hometown of Rutherford, NJ. He has performed at the 2011 Bamboozle music festival and was the co-host of The Lockdown, a monthly stand up show at the People's Improv Theatre in New York City.
Andy advocates in the entertainment industry by creating visible pathways as an actor and stand-up comedian. As an actor, Andy has had the pleasure of working with Tom Hanks, Mark Ruffalo and Hilary Swank on projects. He is often asked to consult with producers and directors in create greater media visibility of people with disabilities. He has also produced several small projects that have brought attention to persons with disabilities and the LGBTQ to community.
Jim LeBrecht & Nicole Newnham Directors & Executive Producers of Crip Camp
Jim LeBrecht has over 35 years of experience as a film and theater sound designer and mixer, author and disability rights activist. Jim began his career in theater, working as the resident sound designer at the Berkeley Repertory Theater for 10 years. His film credits include The Island President, The Waiting Room, The Kill Team and Audry and Daisy. A complete list of his film credits (over 145) can be viewed at IMDB. Jim co-authored Sound and Music for the Theater: the art and technique of design. Now in its 4th edition, the book is used as a textbook all over the world. Jim’s work as an activist began in high school and continued at UC, San Diego, where he helped found the Disabled Students Union. Jim is currently a board member of the Disability Education and Defense Fund, which works for the rights of the disabled through education,legislation, and litigation.
James LeBrecht. (January 8, 2018). A Place at the Table: Doc Filmmakers with Disabilities on Building Careers and Disproving Stereotypes. Documentary Magazine
Nicole Newnham, Director/Producer
Nicole Newnham is an Emmy-winning documentary producer and director, Sundance Film Festival alumnus and five-time Emmy-nominee. She has recently produced two virtual reality films with the Australian artist / director Lynette Wallworth:the breakthrough VR work Collisions, which won the 2017 Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches to Documentary, and Awavena, featured this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos and at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Previously she co-directed The Revolutionary Optimists, winner of the Sundance Hilton Sustainability Award, Nicole also instigated, co-produced and directed the acclaimed documentary The Rape of Europa, about the Nazi war on European culture, which was nominated for a WGA award and shortlisted for the Academy Award. With Pulitzer-prize winning photographer Brian Lanker, she produced They Drew Fire, about the Combat Artists of WWII, and co-wrote the companion book, distributed by Harper Collins. A 1997 graduate of the Stanford Documentary Film Program, Nicole lives in Oakland with her husband Tom, and two sons, Finn and Blaine.
To watch Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, please subscribe to Netflix
Emmy Award Winning Music & Lyricist Keith Jones from the Netflix Documentary Rising Phoenix
Claiming Disability LLC meets Actor/Model/ Advocate Lolo Spencer 🖤
Lolo is a disability lifestyle influencer, a Film Independent Spirit Awards nominated actress, model, public speaker, and content creator with a YouTube channel titled “Sitting Pretty.”
Lolo Sitting Pretty is a series she created to showcase her life as a woman in a wheelchair. Her vlogs showcase a range of topics from disability fashion tutorials, everyday challenges dealing with society, dating, and her new diagnosis journey.
She stars as Tracy Holmes in the John Cassavetes Award Winning film Give Me Liberty The film premiered both at Sundance Film Festival and Festival de Cannes . Her performance was listed as one of the top performances of Sundance Film Festival 2019 by RogerEbert.com.
She has been featured in popular media outlets like CNN , The New Yorker HuffPost BuzzFeed and more.
Tatiana A Lee & Verton Banks & Guest Host Andy Arias Black, Disabled Voices are Powerful in Hollywood!
Claiming Disability Meets Actually Autistic Actor George Steeves
Women with Cerebral Palsy in the Non-Profit Sector w/ Coordinator of the CP Conference Nicole Luongo
Nicole is also a writer and a disability advocate dedicated to raising awareness for selective dorsal rhizotomy (SDR), a life-changing surgery for adults and children with cerebral palsy. She’s proud to be the Cerebral Palsy Conference Coordinator and the host of the exclusive companion podcast Cerebral Palsy Conversations.
In 2019, Nicole created the Go Green for CP campaign, and she became the first person ever (this was a solo endeavor) to secure at least one building, landmark, etc. in almost all 50 states to light up in green on National Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day (March 25) and on World CP Day (October 6), with lightings in three different countries.
World CP Day was the first to feature her campaign in Cerebral Palsy is Lighting Up the World. Go Green for CP was also featured nationally on ABC6 in Rhode Island, on news station’s websites in different states, and in newspapers around the country.
In addition to being featured on NBC6 Miami, Nicole has been in myriad media including cerebralpalsy.org’s One Woman’s Cerebral Palsy Story Should Encourage Sharing Your Own, DISABILITIES by Daniel J. Vance — the nation’s best-read weekly newspaper column about people with disabilities — Good News Network, the Sun-Sentinel, and more.
Her HuffPost article SDR: Life-Changing Surgery for Cerebral Palsy is referenced on numerous blogs and websites. Her work has also been published in The Mighty, Yahoo, and YooCan. She’s also featured on Feedspot’s “10 Cerebral Palsy Youtube Channels To Follow in 2020.” Nicole has contributed to World CP Day’s blog, and she’s been a member of the World Cerebral Palsy Day Committee since 2016.
Nicole created the What CP Looks Like Facebook page and hashtag #whatCPlookslike to change perceptions, raise awareness for cerebral palsy and give a voice to people thriving with disabilities, many of whom often feel invisible.
Claiming Disability Meets Political Activist and Executive Director Ola Owejumi
As a public speaker, she has worked with MoveOn.org, Planned Parenthood, and Healthcare Voter. Her advocacy topics include equal access to affordable healthcare and opposing the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). A young political powerhouse herself, Ola has given speeches alongside politicos such as House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senator Cory Booker, House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer, Senator Menendez, and more. As a political commentator, she has frequently appeared on PBS and Democracy Now to fight for the rights of women, people of color, and the disabled.
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- pablo picasso
Ola and her advocacy work have been praised by The Clinton Global Initiative, MTV, Intel, Glamour Magazine, and The Huffington Post. Her writing has also been published by CNN, The Huffington Post, Marie Claire, Glamour, and SELF. In addition, she has served on boards for nonprofits founded by General Colin Powell and musician Lady Gaga. Ola is available for bookings as a writer, speaker, and consultant, specializing in the intersections of gender, race, and disability.
The Entrepreneurial Spirit & Disability w/ Elizabeth Tikoyan CE0 & Founder of the Riley App (Endorsed by Gary Varyernuck)
Disability Representation in the Entertainment Industry with New Talk Show Host Dr. Truett Vaigneur & Director Andy Arias
This past November I did my first movie review of Hulu Thriller 'Run' back in November featuring disabled actress @kierajallen.
Since then there's been some very cool disabled representation in in the movies these days including Christmas Ever After on Lifetime featuring Tony Winning Disabilities Advocate Ali Stroker . For this discussion of disabled representation in Hollywood I need my Hollywood pals to join me this Saturday at 1pm CST for this critical discussion on representation. Join my friends Director/Producer/ @andyswheelz & New York Talk Show host Dr. Truett Vaigneur of Disabilities Redefined with Dr. Vaigneur for this critical discussion
Disabled Representation in the discussion mentioned: Crip Camp Dani's Twins Film Push Girls Sex and the City
[Image Description: A picture of Erin Noon Kay CEO and Founder of Claiming Disability Inc with Dr. Truett Vaigneur from Disabilities Redefined and Andy Arias Director of The Unicorn Closet (Produced by Claiming Disability Inc.) an independent film featured in the Disability Easterseals Challenge.
Tedx Speaker/ Author Jessica Carson of "Wired this Way," *Available on Amazon!
Art Activism by Marie D.L.: Changing the Disabled Conversation through Art
Claiming Disability Meets THE ANDREW GURZA! & Heather Morrison CEO & Founder of @thatshandi
Handi was founded by disability consultant and activist Andrew Gurza and innovation strategist Heather Morrison from a simple and shocking fact: hundreds of millions of people around the world can’t masturbate due to hand limitations (pain, immobility, lack of dexterity, weakness etc).
In fact, our research showed that over 50% of physically disabled people surveyed struggle to achieve sexual pleasure on their own. And shockingly, no products have been designed with them in mind, despite over 90% of those surveyed telling us they wanted one.
This puts people in an awkward position (and not the kind we like) of asking someone for help, paying someone every time you want to have a release, or not getting off at all – which isn’t really an option is it? What’s worse, the topic is still terribly taboo and off limits. Or it was - until now…