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

    3D AGO

    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
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 'If you are struggling, you are not alone': MS and chronic illness (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    FEB 11

    'If you are struggling, you are not alone': MS and chronic illness (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    Nicole Pedra is a disability advocate, influencer, actress and model who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at age 10, but chose to keep it private for two decades. In this episode of "Enable: The Disability Podcast," she talks about MS treatments, wanting to live a "normal" life (including in college at Syracuse University), the spoon theory, and the healing power of finally sharing her chronic illness journey. "I want everyone to know that if you are struggling, you are not alone," Pedra said. "I know how isolating it can feel when you're struggling, and that there's people out there who are and aren't relating and whatnot, but there are people there." "You don't know what it's like to be in someone else's body and you have to acknowledge the difficulties that you're going through, right?" Pedra added. "You're not weak, and what you're dealing with is hard. Being diagnosed with a disease and not being able to do maybe what you used to do is not a case of failure. You are not failing. You can still have the life you wanted. It's just going to look a little different." For more, visit https://nicolepedra.com/ or follow @nicolepedra on Instagram and @thenicolepedra on TikTok. “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

    28 min
  6. 'Don't give up': Advocating for college students with disabilities (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    FEB 4

    'Don't give up': Advocating for college students with disabilities (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    *Note: The audio version of this podcast episode features an AI voice for guest Helena Schmidt's answers exactly as she wrote them. A video version of her interview appears on the YouTube version of "Enable: The Disability Podcast" with her voice and subtitles.* What challenges do college students with physical disabilities face? Helena Schmidt, who was born with cerebral palsy, speaks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about her experiences with CP, becoming an advocate for herself and others with special needs, and making efforts to improve accessibility on campus. "Advocating is not easy, but it is super important to help bring about change for yourself and others. You have to be confident in yourself and believe in yourself," Helena said. "You can't let others tell you that you are wrong, or that you should give up, or that it will never work. There are people who are on your side; you just have to find them and work together. Having support from others is vital. Try not to over-extend yourself. Get in touch with your emotions because your emotions will actually help you to keep fighting. Be nice to yourself and give yourself grace, and don't give up. Even small victories can have a huge impact." "I hope more people learn NOT to judge others just because they look different, move differently, or speak differently," she added. “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

    9 min
  7. Tourette's is a daily 'adventure' for comedian Pamela Rae Schuller (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    JAN 28

    Tourette's is a daily 'adventure' for comedian Pamela Rae Schuller (Enable: The Disability Podcast)

    What is Tourette Syndrome really like? It's often misrepresented in the media with people simply shouting bad words, but the neurological disorder can include involuntary physical movements, vocal tics, chronic pain, and awkward social interactions. But comedian Pamela Rae Schuller sees the humor in sharing her experiences, calling it a daily "adventure." "Tourette's is what we call an umbrella disorder because most of us have a grab bag of other fun things, from ADHD to sleeping challenges, right?" noted Schuller, who also has obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and anxiety. "They often work together. I joke that they're best friends. Sometimes I'll do something from Tourette's and then OCD will be like, 'Did you think you were done? Make it even!' (laughs) And then I'm doing it not because of Tourette's but because OCD is at the wheel." Schuller is a stand-up comedian and a disability and mental health advocate who turns neurological chaos into messages of inclusion. For tour dates and more info, visit https://pamelacomedy.com/ or follow  ⁨@PamelaComedy⁩ on YouTube and social media. “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

    18 min
  8. ABLE accounts: How to save money for people with disabilities, special needs trusts

    JAN 21

    ABLE accounts: How to save money for people with disabilities, special needs trusts

    What are ABLE accounts? Special needs trust attorney Ellen Cookman talks with "Enable: The Disability Podcast" about 529 ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts, a tax-advantaged savings program for eligible people with disabilities (designated beneficiaries). Distributions are tax-free if used for qualified disability expenses. Cookman, whose son has autism, also spoke about estate planning with a special needs trust, the importance of a durable power of attorney, and how to avoid losing SSI or SSDI benefits if they're working a job. "I think that estate planning and special needs planning is (like learning) a new language. So I just want to encourage everybody to be patient with yourself," Cookman says. "There's a lot to learn. Even though it seems like it's in English, it's not really (laughs)... so definitely equip yourself with knowledge." For more info, visit https://cookmanlaw.com/ or follow @ellencookman-EstatePlanningSNT on YouTube. You can also learn more about ABLE accounts on the IRS website: https://www.irs.gov/government-entities/federal-state-local-governments/able-accounts-tax-benefit-for-people-with-disabilities  “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
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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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