Enable: The Disability Podcast

Geoff Herbert & Kurt Hower
  • 5.0 (2)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Highlighting amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, sharing stories of their experiences, challenges they've overcome, resources, accessibility, and their careers and passions. Hosted by Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert, who was born with a profound hearing loss, and Kurt Hower, who has ankylosing spondylitis.

  1. Learning disabilities and doubters: 'They couldn't see what I could do' (Enable Podcast)

    2D AGO

    Learning disabilities and doubters: 'They couldn't see what I could do' (Enable Podcast)

    What is a learning disability, and how does it look on the inside? On this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," writer, photographer and para educator Michelle Steiner talks about being diagnosed with dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects numerical processing, mathematics, and spatial awareness (like right vs. left). She also has issues with visual perception and limited hand dexterity, so things like driving and opening doors are especially difficult. Despite being told by teachers and psychiatrists that her career options would be limited, Michelle still overcame her challenges to pursue higher education and work she's passion about -- all with a smile on her face. "They couldn't see what I could do," Michelle says. Read Michelle's blog and see her photography at https://www.michellesmission.com/ “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    19 min
  2. One-legged goose teaches about disabilities, inclusion, acceptance (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    2D AGO

    One-legged goose teaches about disabilities, inclusion, acceptance (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    How can families teach kids about disabilities, inclusion and acceptance? In this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," children's book author Ryan Revere Ritter shares the real-life inspirations for "Fredrick the One Legged Goose," including a young boy with cancer and an actual one-legged goose, and why he decided to include coloring pages in the back of the book. "Fredrick the One Legged Goose" is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Fredrick-Legge... For more, follow @ryanthe_author on Instagram. “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    11 min
  3. Hearing loss, ankylosing spondylitis & things you might not know (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    MAR 25

    Hearing loss, ankylosing spondylitis & things you might not know (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    In this special Q&A episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower answer questions about their own different abilities, including hearing loss, ankylosing spondylitis and OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). They may all be very different conditions, but you'd be surprised at the common threads, the different challenges that can come with each, and other things you might not know. “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Geoff Herbert, who was born with a profound binaural hearing loss, is a reporter, SEO Lead and content supervisor for syracuse.com | The Post-Standard. Despite being mostly deaf in both ears, he’s also worked as a DJ for 25 years, including in radio (as “DeafGeoff”) and as a wedding DJ in Upstate New York, and was inducted into the WJPZ Radio Hall of Fame. He learned how to communicate orally with hearing aids, lipreading and speech therapy, and embraces assistive technology like visual waveforms in music programs, closed captioning/subtitles, and video calls. Kurt Hower, who has worked at Advance Local for over 35 years, is a leader both in the media industry and in the community. He has been actively involved in leading change as the print industry has continued to rapidly evolve, while also serving on a variety of boards including the Central PA Chapter Arthritis Foundation Board of Directors where he was Chairman of Board Development and a member of the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee. Hower has ankylosing spondylitis, a rare disease that causes arthritis of the spine, and encourages others to focus on what they can contribute to society rather than their challenges. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    29 min
  4. 'Believe in yourself': Overcoming challenges to achieve your dreams (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    MAR 18

    'Believe in yourself': Overcoming challenges to achieve your dreams (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    John Eves, a radio and TV broadcasting veteran, was born with a birth defect that he learned decades later was cerebral palsy. In this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," he talks about overcoming those challenges to achieve his dreams, pivoting when certain sports became too difficult, working with big names like Mike Tirico and Ian Eagle, and his unforgettable ski trip with a U.S. president. You can listen to WXHC, the independent radio station Eves launched in 1991 (and now run by his sons) at https://www.wxhc.com/  “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    22 min
  5. Inside Muhammad Ali's battle with Parkinson's disease (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    MAR 11

    Inside Muhammad Ali's battle with Parkinson's disease (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    Rasheda Ali Walsh, a Parkinson's advocate, author and the daughter of boxing legend Muhammad Ali, talks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about her dad's 30-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Rasheda discusses the importance of exercise to slow the neurological disease's progression, her role as a caregiver (or "care partner"), and one of her favorite memories with her dad (involving Peter Jackson's 2005 movie "King Kong"). Rasheda will also be speaking at an Empower Parkinson event on March 25 at The Oncenter in Syracuse, N.Y. Tickets and additional info are available at https://empowerparkinson.org/events  “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    14 min
  6. Paralympics: Inside adaptive sports with Team USA sled hockey (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    MAR 4

    Paralympics: Inside adaptive sports with Team USA sled hockey (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    Malik Jones, a member of Team USA's sled hockey team at the 2026 Paralympics in Italy, talks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about adaptive sports and the differences between traditional hockey and sled hockey. Jones, who was born without shinbones and had both legs amputated at 10 months old, previously became the second Black athlete to represent the U.S. in sled hockey and won a gold medal at the Paralympics in Beijing. (Fun fact: The "para" in Paralympics stands for "parallel," not paralyzed, because the Games are parallel to the Olympics.) “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    13 min
  7. ASL rock stars! Sign language interpreters at music concerts (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    FEB 25

    ASL rock stars! Sign language interpreters at music concerts (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    How do deaf people enjoy concerts? ASL rock stars Amber Galloway and Julian Ortiz are sign language interpreters for live music events like the New York State Fair, Lollapalooza, and the Super Bowl. Through Amber G Productions, they convey singers' lyrics to deaf and hard-of-hearing audience members; add emotion, energy and tone to the music; and interpret different genres differently, even for instrumental sections in rock, hip-hop, EDM and country songs. "It's actually linguistically sound language that we are showing that is based on the roots of ASL," Amber explained, noting that a simple "air guitar" doesn't have linguistic information. "What we do is we use our non-manual signals [to express] the different levels of sound... I can look at the guitar player, but I'm not going to know the tone if I'm profoundly deaf." Julian, who did sign language for "America the Beautiful" at the 2026 Super Bowl and helped with Bad Bunny's halftime show, also explains some of the differences between American Sign Language (ASL) and Puerto Rican sign language, plus the "scary" experience of performing in front of millions. For more information, visit https://www.ambergproductions.com/. “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    25 min
  8. Dating while Disabled, romantic gestures, and removing shame (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    FEB 18

    Dating while Disabled, romantic gestures, and removing shame (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    We all know dating can be tough, but what's it like for people with disabilities? Liz McCormick and Lauren Ennis, organizers of EmpowHer Capital's "Dating while Disabled" event in Upstate New York, share their experiences, advice for meeting people, how to talk about special needs on dates and dating apps, and the importance of finding support groups. "As a disabled person, it does definitely come up. And, I know in the past and my relationships, my disability has been a source of contention a little bit, especially when I'm dating able-bodied people," said Lauren, who has an autoimmune disease that affects her vision and also has hearing loss. "It's just ten times harder for disabled people and especially disabled women," added Liz, a wheelchair user. "I noticed that the times where I removed my disability from my dating profiles were times where I was feeling shame... I think being direct and open about my disability, removes that shame. It makes me feel proud of my disabled identity." Liz also shared advice for people dating someone with a disability, and how it can be a "romantic" gesture to ensure a date setting is accessible: "I think it is really an act of love to make sure that everything is accessible for someone. And obviously I'm willing to do that work. And, you know, I know how to scope out to see if a place is accessible or not, which someone else may not have as much skill in. But to be able to show that I care, and I want to take this burden off you that you usually have to do yourself. I think that's romantic.”  For more info about EmpowHer Capital and the Disability EmpowHer Network, visit https://www.disabilityempowhernetwork.org/empowher-capital  “Enable: The Disability Podcast,” which highlights amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, releases new episodes weekly on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Follow facebook.com/enablepodcast or @enablepodcast on Instagram and TikTok for more. Note: Views expressed in this podcast do not necessarily reflect the views of Advance Local. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    27 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Highlighting amazing people with disabilities and different abilities, sharing stories of their experiences, challenges they've overcome, resources, accessibility, and their careers and passions. Hosted by Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert, who was born with a profound hearing loss, and Kurt Hower, who has ankylosing spondylitis.

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