Always Looking Up Jillian Curwin

In this special episode I sat down with Madison Ferris, Danny Gomez, and Laura Winters to talk about the play All of Me, opening Off-Broadway The Pershing Square Signature Center here in New York City on May 14, 2024. All of Me, written by Laura and starring Madison and Danny is a boldly humorous and candid love story exploring class and disability in America today. Let’s get into it.
All About All of Me
Website: https://thenewgroup.org/production/all-of-me/
Buy Tickets Here: https://thenewgroup.org/production/all-of-me/tickets/
Follow The New Group: Instagram: @thenewgroupnyc YouTube: TheNewGroupNYC Twitter: @TheNewGroupNYC Facebook: The New Group
Follow Madison: Instagram: @maddd.hatter
Follow Danny: Instagram: @dannyjgomezofficial Website: https://www.dannyjgomez.com/ 
Follow Laura: Instagram: @laurawinters12 Website: https://www.laura-winters.com/ 
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Dustin Giannelli. Dustin Giannelli is the CEO & Founder of HearsDustin LLC and a DEI and Accessibility focused public speaker and consultant. He shares his lived experiences as someone who is profoundly deaf and has worn hearing aids since the age of 5 as a way to highlight DEI best practices and the importance of accessibility and communication. We discuss the feeling of living in between two different worlds, the message he shares with brands across all industries, and, because it is the third anniversary of Always Looking Up, we highlight some of the incredible people in our community that we look up to, and much, much more.
Follow Dustin: Instagram: @dustingiannelli LinkedIn: Dustin Giannelli Twitter: @DustinGiannelli
Follow HearsDustin: @hearsdustin Website: https://www.hearsdustin.com/ 
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin

In this week’s episode I sat down with Judge Soonhee “Sunny” Bailey. Judge Bailey sits on Nevada’s Eighth Judicial District Court. In 2018 she created the Detention Alternative for Autistic Youth (DAAY) Court, a diversionary court that focuses on providing services aimed to help youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) remain out of the criminal justice system. We discuss how the DAAY court works, how it differs from the traditional juvenile court system, what empowered her to establish the DAAY Court, the future she envisions for it and much, much more.
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com

In this week’s episode I sat down with Medusa. Medusa is a non-binary revenge-pop artist based in New York. They aim to transform stories of queer joy and agony into song “by any means necessary,” and credit their visceral production style to the somatic-emotional crossover specific to autism. We discuss having to mask parts of who we are depending on the situation, the experience of having our identities understood within the disability community,  how music is another language to them how they use it to express emotions, the feelings and the power and the impact of seeing yourself represented in a space for the first time and much, much more.
Listen To Medusa's Music:
Apple Music
Spotify
Follow Medusa: Instagram: @adsume YouTube: Medusa TikTok: @adsume Website: https://medusa-adsume.com/
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com

In this week’s episode I sat down with Lachi. Lachi is a globally touring singer and songwriter, award winning social entrepreneur, GRAMMYs Chapter Board Governor, founder of the UN-recognized organization RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), and host of PBS’ American Masters series ‘Renegades’. Born legally blind, Lachi uses her platform in music, storytelling and fashion to amplify identity pride and Disability Culture. Named a USA Today Woman of the Year, a “new champion in advocacy” by Billboard, and "a foot soldier for Disability Pride'' by Forbes, her cultural activism has landed her spots on national ads and TEDx stages, discussions with the White House, BBC, Good Morning America and The New York Times, and her bejeweled glam canes have popped up everywhere from New York Fashion Week to major LA movie premieres. We discuss the power of community and the importance in recognizing other people’s journeys, the differences between accessibility and disability inclusion, how the music industry transformed her and how she is transforming the music industry and much, much more.
Listen To Lachi:
Spotify
Follow Lachi: Instagram: @lachimusic TikTok: @lachimusic YouTube: Lachi Website: https://www.lachimusic.com/index.html 
Follow RAMPD: Instagram: @rampd_up Website: https://rampd.org/ 
Shop Glam Canes HERE
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com

In this week’s episode I sat down with Isabel Mavrides-Calderón. Isabel is a disability justice activist and organizer. Her work focuses on advocating for policy change, accessibility, and anti-ableism. She has hosted numerous campaigns and protests for disability rights bills with the ACLU, Patients Rising and the Center for Disability Rights and, in 2022, she was celebrated as one of Teen Vogue’s 21 under 21, a list of changemakers, influencers, activists, and artists who have made a substantial impact in both their communities and the world. We discuss the fragility and importance of the ADA, how the ways in which people view us impacts policy, creating a legacy for the next generation and much, much more.
Follow Isabel: Instagam: @powerfullyisa TikTok: @powerfullyisa 
Teen Vogue's 2022 21 under 21
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com/ Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
This podcast was edited and produced by Ben Curwin