Enable: The Disability Podcast

Geoff Herbert & Kurt Hower
  • 5.0 (3)
  • 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. 2d ago

    IEP: What questions should parents ask about their child? (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What is an IEP or 504 plan? What kinds of questions should parents of children with disabilities or special needs ask about their children's Individualized Education Program? Dr. Desirie Skeete speaks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower about IEPs, behavior consulting, ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) therapy, and how her own child's speech struggles inspired her work. "During the IEP meeting, you're going through the behavioral needs for the child... at the top of that IEP, you're going to see the services that the school district is giving you. You must make sure that those services is all that you need. Sometimes you're getting a one-to-one in school. Do you need a one-to-one at home? And if so, ask that question. Are you getting ABA, parent training, speech, occupational therapy?" Dr. Skeete says. "And if you don't see the services that you need, you should be asking why. And not only why, you should be asking about the data that supports the reason as to why or why not, why you're not getting what you need." Dr. Skeete is a behavior consultant and mental health advocate who founded NESS Cares and NESS Behavioral Consulting. For more information, visit https://www.nessbehaviorconsulting.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

    IEP: What questions should parents ask about their child? (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  2. Sep 3

    PTSD from military service, and how to TAP in for help (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What kind of mental health challenges do veterans face after military service? Marc Migala, a board member at Veterans Outreach of Pennsylvania and director of veterans care services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, speaks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower about PTSD, depression, substance abuse and other struggles that can occur after leaving military service. "Diagnosing PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) requires a clinical diagnosis. You can suffer from it, you can have it. We will know you've got it. But until you truly seek help and drill down to what you really are struggling with, PTSD can come from normal things," Migala explained. "And that can be any one singular traumatic incident that you went through... Now you compound that to a military-related service, whether it be incoming fire, whether it be mortar rounds, whether it be just something impactful, a car bomb, a vehicle-borne IED, all of these things create a response within ourselves that becomes a fight or flight. And it reverts us back to the very basic nature of, my gosh, I'm back in this instance. It's creating that same anxiety inside of me. My response is the same. My heart rate is the same, cold panic, sweats, anger, anxiety, reluctance to engage." "PTSD (in the most non-clinical person nutshell) is the response to traumatic events that we carry with us that unfortunately, in many instances, we have not been dealing with properly," he continued. "And there are resources that we have that we can use and tap into as veterans when we leave the military that are truly impactful for us and our family members." Migala also shared information on how to TAP in for help -- as in the U.S. Army Transition Assistance Program (TAP) -- plus additional resources to help vets:  https://va.gov (U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)  https://maketheconnection.net (Make the Connection)  https://mentalhealth.va.gov (Mental Health Services at the VA)  https://veteransoutreachofpa.org (Veterans Outreach of PA)  https://hiringourheroes.org (Hiring Our Heroes)  https://skillbridge.mil (Skillbridge at Dept of War)  https://orhusa.org (Operation Restore Hope) “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

    PTSD from military service, and how to TAP in for help (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  3. Aug 26

    Learning not to hide disabilities: 'I would make up crazy stories' - Ryan Minic (Enable Podcast)

    Should you hide a disability on dating apps or when meeting new people? Ryan Minic speaks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower about his experiences with cerebral palsy, the lies he would sometimes tell, and realizing that you'll never know what people are capable of until you try -- such as learning jiu jitsu. "Growing up, I never told people that I had cerebral palsy. I would make up all kinds of crazy stories about it. And my thinking was that it's nobody's business," Ryan explains. "So I would make up crazy stories like I got in a helicopter crash or I got in a fight... and I started to realize that you're doing a disservice to yourself." Ryan Minic is a content creator and e-commerce entrepreneur based in California. For more information, visit https://www.ryanminic.com/ or watch his videos on YouTube:  @ryanminic. “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

    Learning not to hide disabilities: 'I would make up crazy stories' - Ryan Minic (Enable Podcast)

  4. Aug 20

    How ankylosing spondylitis led to hip replacement surgery (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What is ankylosing spondylitis and how can it lead to hip replacement surgery? "Enable: The Disability Podcast" co-hosts Geoff "DeafGeoff" Herbert and Kurt Hower talk about Kurt's recent procedure related to AS that aims to improve his quality of life, including simple tasks like walking, driving and getting dressed. We also discuss whether his new hip will set off metal detectors, how soon he can dance like Elvis or Shakira, and what the surgery was actually like. 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. “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

    How ankylosing spondylitis led to hip replacement surgery (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  5. Aug 6

    Human augmentation, bionic art, & how AI can help with disabilities (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What does the future of human bodies look like? Viktoria Modesta, a bionic artist, model, singer, innovator and Future Fellow at Georgetown’s Evermay, spoke with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about how human augmentation can help people achieve more, prosthetics as art, and the potential of AI in new developments for people with disabilities. "Human augmentation is the ability to extend human capacity beyond biological limits. So some of the helpful examples that I like to think about is the way that a prosthetic or a spacesuit is a type of technology that transforms what we can do," said Viktoria, who underwent a below-the-knee amputation of her left leg at age 20 after a severe birth injury and multiple surgeries. "For the first time in history, we're able to manipulate our biological destiny," she added. "In my earlier life, back in Latvia, there was still an echo of eugenics, which is really the primary way of how we think about when we think about augmenting biology. But the big shift that's happening now is that the power is going back to the people and individuals all around the world are thinking about what are the ways that they're going to address their physical and mental capacity. And it's much more than just a physical shift as well, you know, because this is a way where sci-fi reality is kind of becoming real." For more about Viktoria Modesta, visit https://viktoriamodesta.com/ or follow @viktoriamodesta on social media. Learn more about Evermay at https://evermay.org/  “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

    Human augmentation, bionic art, & how AI can help with disabilities (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  6. Jul 15

    Service dogs: How they help, costs, and why you shouldn't pet them (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What do service dogs do? And how much do they cost? Spann Cordle, a disability advocate with cerebral palsy, pioneered Walmart’s first associate service dog team, leading to more jobs for people with disabilities. In this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," Spann shares how his service dog Finn helped him with everything from opening doors to doing laundry, as well as a very good reason why others shouldn't pet service dogs. For more about Spann and his public speaking, visit https://www.spannsworld.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

    Service dogs: How they help, costs, and why you shouldn't pet them (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  7. Jul 9

    Helen Keller a deaf-blind hero, but also 'just like all of us' (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What was Helen Keller like? The deaf-blind hero, best known as a pioneer for disability rights as chronicled in "The Miracle Worker," achieved many things in her life: She was the first deaf-blind woman to graduate from college, was a Goodwill Ambassador for peace after World War II, a labor rights advocate, a suffragist, and much more. “She was very much just like all of us too,” says Tony Stephens of the American Foundation for the Blind. “She loved to take long walks on Coney Island on the boardwalk with her best friend and teacher Ann and later Polly and loved a good hot dog... Coney Island dog down on the boardwalk. And, you know, she was like all of us, right? She had her ups and her downs and her challenges and her sad days and her happy days. And and so I think that’s the thing that impresses me the most is just how significant she was on the world stage [when] at the same time, she wasn’t that much different than you and I.” Stephens and the AFB are producers for "Possibilities," a new documentary celebrating the legacy of Keller. It's the first feature length film created by blind and low-vision filmmakers and the first to fully integrate open audio description. For more information about the movie and streaming options, visit https://afb.org/possibilities  “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

    Helen Keller a deaf-blind hero, but also 'just like all of us' (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

  8. Jul 1

    Neurodivergence at work, tips for social anxiety, and more (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What do employers and others get wrong about neurodivergent people? Laura McAnulty, executive director of the Neurodiversity Employment Network of Philadelphia, spoke with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about being diagnosed as neurodivergent later in life, tips for job interviews, disclosure options, and social anxiety."I think that that's a big misnomer with autistic people or neurodivergent people: They don't like being social. There's a lot of social anxiety that comes up from struggling to understand the expectations in a social situation. And so it becomes overwhelming," McAnulty explains. "And people read this as 'Oh, they don't like social stuff. They don't want to be around people. They're antisocial.' And that's just not true."For more information, visit https://neurodiversityemploymentnetwork.org/ “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

    Neurodivergence at work, tips for social anxiety, and more (Enable: The Disability Podcast)
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5
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3 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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