Adventures in Accessibility

Rocky Mountain ADA Center
  • 5.0 (14)
  • NEWS
  • UPDATED SEMIMONTHLY

Americans living with disabilities are often faced with obstacles when it comes to accessibility. These obstacles can lead to adventures and misadventures alike. Twice per month, an esteemed guest will share their story with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. Whether you want to learn about how to make life more accessible for you or a loved one, this podcast is for you. New episodes come out Wednesdays at 10:30 AM MST. Transcripts are always available in the show notes. 

  1. MAR 19

    Ep. 70 - Gaelynn Lea

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe070 Gaelynn won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest in 2016. Since then, she has captivated audience around the world with her haunting original songs and traditional fiddle tunes. Over the years, she has collaborated and performed with many notable artists such as Michael Stipe from REM, The Decemberists, Wilco, Lowe, and the industrial rock supergroup Pigface. In early 2022, Gaelynn composed and performed the music for Macbeth on Broadway, which starred Daniel Craig. The following year, she wrote a musical fable for the stage called Invisible Fences with the disabled author and playwright Kevin Kling. Music aside, Gaelynn Lea is a sought-after public speaker and disability advocate around the topics of disability culture, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts. In 2021, she co-founded the organization Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities with fellow artist-activist Lachi. In 2024, she was awarded both the Disability Futures Fellowship and the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship for her music and disability advocacy. She is currently finishing up her debut book due out in 2026. Linger in the Sun will be a love letter to everybody, a warm, funny, and deeply felt memoir about disability, music, and the messy creativity of an artist's life. Connect with Gaelynn Lea: GAELYNN LEA – Musician & Public Speaker Creative Living for Every Body with Gaelynn Lea | Substack "I Wait" by Gaelynn Lea Judith Heumann’s Fight for Disability Rights (feat. Ali Stroker) - Drunk History Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    39 min

  2. MAR 5

    Ep. 69 - Sarah Todd Hammer

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe069 Sarah Todd Hammer is a three-time published author, speaker, and disability advocate. After becoming disabled when she was eight years old, she immersed herself in the disability advocacy space. She co-authored and published her first book about her disability journey at age 11, followed by two more books that follow along her life as a disabled teen at ages 14 and 17. Now at age 23, she's a graduate of Davidson College and a disability social media influencer, speaker, and consultant. With a following of over 300,000 collectively, she provides disability education in a fun, positive manner on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. She also speaks to schools and companies about her disability experience and the importance of accessibility. Connect with Sarah Todd: Sarah Todd Hammer Sarah Todd Hammer - YouTube Sarah Todd Hammer (@sarahtoddhammer) • Instagram photos and videos ST Hammer (@sarahtoddhammer) | TikTok Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    32 min

  3. FEB 19

    Ep. 68 - Emmett Lockwood

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe068 Emmett is a disability justice practitioner and student activist passionate about creating disabled, decolonial, and anti-oppressive communities. He's a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, majoring in political science and gender and women's studies, conducting research on how definitions of political personhood intersect with electoral access for disabled voters. They have previously served as an intern for the American Association of People with Disabilities; the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and for the Department of Health Services for the state of Wisconsin. Lockwood helped organize the Disability Cultural Center Coalition at UW-Madison, which successfully established the UW-Madison Disability Cultural Center in 2023, the 13th such center in the United States. Connect with Emmett: Emmett Lockwood (@emmettlockwood.bsky.social) — Bluesky Email: ewlockwood@wisc.edu  Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    32 min
  4. Ep. 67 - Delila Vasquez

    JAN 29

    Ep. 67 - Delila Vasquez

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe067 Delila is a high school senior from Dallas, Texas who was born with a rare genetic disorder called CHARGE syndrome, which can affect a person's eyes, hearing, heart, growth, and more. As a deafblind individual, Delila has limited vision in one eye and relies on a bone anchored hearing auditory implant to hear. She communicates with confidence signing her words to ensure the deaf community feels included. Delila authored a book titled In CHARGE of My Life, a book about her childhood growing up and discovering life through a deafblind lens. In her book, she talks about overcoming many trials and struggles such as shyness, feeling different, not fitting in and low self-esteem. She realizes that she can get help and she's not alone, and that it's okay to have those types of feelings through life's ups and downs. Delila proves herself time and time again with her determination and willpower. Her life experience has helped her mature and become a remarkable person with a huge, caring heart. Delila sees a bright future for herself and wants to encourage other students that are feeling lost or frustrated to be confident and shine Connect with Delila: Delila Vasquez (@delila.incharge) • Instagram photos and videos In CHARGE of My Life: Vasquez, Delila, Sapir, Crystal: 9781630665623: Amazon.com: Books Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    23 min
  5. Ep. 66 - Nicole Cyrille

    JAN 8

    Ep. 66 - Nicole Cyrille

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe066 Nicole Cyrille is an actor, voice-over artist, and disability advocate focused on fostering inclusion and authentic representation in entertainment. With a diverse background on stage and screen, Nicole brings powerful performances to life across genres. As a voice-over artist, she lends her voice to characters and narrations with versatility and emotional depth. She also performs Audio Description for shows like Grey’s Anatomy and provides live Audio Description for high-profile events such as the Grammys and Tonys, making content more accessible to everyone. Beyond her craft, Nicole is a committed advocate for breaking down barriers for performers with disabilities. She champions authentic casting, accessible production spaces, and fair treatment for disabled artists. Recognized for her leadership, Nicole collaborates with industry professionals to promote inclusion and expand opportunities for disabled talent. Through her art and advocacy, Nicole is reshaping narratives around disability and proving that diverse representation enhances storytelling for all. Connect with Nicole: Nicole Cyrille (@nicole.cyrille) • Instagram photos and videos Nicole Cyrille (@nicole.cyrille) • Threads, Say more Nicole Cyrille (@nicolecyrille.bsky.social) — Bluesky Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    41 min
  6. Ep. 65 - Rebecca Rosenberg

    12/11/2024

    Ep. 65 - Rebecca Rosenberg

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe065 Rebecca Rosenberg is an engineer, entrepreneur, speaker, and a person with albinism. Growing up she struggled to find assistive technologies that supported her needs as a person with moderate vision impairment. In 2019, Rebecca founded ReBokeh to develop assistive technologies specifically for the albinism and moderate low vision communities. After receiving her bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from Bucknell University, Rebecca began coursework at the Johns Hopkins Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design (CBID) where she received her Master’s degree of the same title. Following her masters, she was awarded an Abell Foundation Fellowship to assist in developing and teaching the Biodesign curriculum to first year masters students. She also served as the project lead for VectorCam, a global health initiative aimed at using artificial intelligence to combat malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Rebecca now devotes her full time to ReBokeh: having deployed the technology to a growing base of users in over 70 countries worldwide and speaking to various groups on the unique challenges of the moderate low vision community. Connect with Rebecca: Website: Home | ReBokeh ReBokeh Vision Technologies, Inc. | LinkedIn ReBokeh • Vision Assist Technology 📱 (@rebokehvision) • Instagram photos and videos Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    28 min
  7. Ep. 64 - Katherine Beattie

    10/23/2024

    Ep. 64 - Katherine Beattie

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe064 Katherine Beattie is a Los Angeles born television writer/producer and action sports enthusiast. While she has spent most of her professional career writing police procedurals, she considers herself a comedian at heart. But regardless of what she’s writing, Katherine is a champion for authentic and nuanced portrayals of Disabled People and other historically excluded communities on screen, and for their inclusion behind the scenes. As one of the pioneers of wheelchair motocross (WCMX), Katherine was the first woman in the world to land a backflip on a wheelchair. She competes on the Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Tour, and is a member of USA Surfing’s parasurfing national team. She will represent Team USA at her 4th ISA World Parasurfing Championships this November in Huntington Beach. Connect with Katherine: Katherine Beattie (@ktbeattie) • Instagram photos and videos Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    31 min
  8. Ep. 63 - Kelly Twichel

    10/09/2024

    Ep. 63 - Kelly Twichel

    Transcript: rmad.ac/AIAe063 Kelly Twichel is an occupational therapist and CEO of the award-winning accessibility startup Access Trax. At 12 years old, Kelly made the commitment to pursue a career in healthcare; her mom had suffered a massive stroke and she wanted to help others like those who helped her mom. Her journey to entrepreneurship began in 2016 at grad school. As an occupational therapy student at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, Kelly was inspired by local SoCal adaptive surfers to co-invent portable mats that empower people with physical disabilities to easily traverse outdoor terrain like sand at the beach. In 2018, Kelly launched Access Trax which has since served families, nonprofits and governments across 18 countries. Kelly enjoys volunteering at adaptive sport events and encouraging the next generation of social impact entrepreneurs. Connect with Kelly: Access Trax - Access for Life (accesstraxsd.com) Access Trax (@accesstrax) • Instagram photos and videos Access Trax | LinkedIn Email: kelly@accesstraxsd.com Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

    24 min
See All (71)

    Ratings & Reviews

    5
    out of 5
    14 Ratings

    About

    Americans living with disabilities are often faced with obstacles when it comes to accessibility. These obstacles can lead to adventures and misadventures alike. Twice per month, an esteemed guest will share their story with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. Whether you want to learn about how to make life more accessible for you or a loved one, this podcast is for you. New episodes come out Wednesdays at 10:30 AM MST. Transcripts are always available in the show notes. 

    Information

    • Creator
      Rocky Mountain ADA Center
    • Years Active
      2019 - 2025
    • Episodes
      71
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © Copyright Rocky Mountain ADA Center
    • Show Website
      Adventures in Accessibility

    Content Restricted

    This episode can’t be played on the web in your country or region.

    To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

    Stay up to date with this show

    Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
    Select a country or region

    Africa, Middle East, and India

    Asia Pacific

    Europe

    Latin America and the Caribbean

    The United States and Canada