We're back this week with guest Joyce Bender! Joyce Bender is the Founder and CEO of Bender Consulting Services, Inc., and the Bender Leadership Academy, located in Pittsburgh, PA. Her focus for both organizations is employment for people with disabilities. As a woman living with epilepsy and hard of hearing, she dedicated her life to a crusade for youth and adults to gain the dream of competitive employment. She works tirelessly to break down the barriers and stigma that exist for people with disabilities. In 1985, Joyce had a life-threatening accident due to epilepsy that caused a cerebral hemorrhage requiring subsequent brain surgery. Against all odds, Joyce recovered from this accident that left her with a 70 percent hearing loss in one ear and a realization that she had epilepsy. This accident changed the trajectory of her life and led to the founding of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. in 1995. She serves as the Chair of the Epilepsy Association of Western and Central PA, the Vice-Chair of the American Association of People with Disabilities, on the President’s Advisory Board for Carlow University, as a Trustee for The Bazelon Center on Mental Health Law. She is a board member of the World Institute on Disability (WID), and Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera (CLO). Joyce is an Advisor for the FDR Memorial Legacy Committee, Business of Health Ambassador for Pitt’s School of Business Ambassador Program, and an Epilepsy Alliance America Representative for the National Plan for Epilepsy Committee (NPEC). Joyce has served as a disability employment expert for the U.S. State Department in Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Panama, Kazakhstan, Tunisia, Libya, and Nigeria. She conducted training for female entrepreneurs in business for Austria. She has been featured in periodicals including Reader's Digest, New York Times, Investor’s Business Daily, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and Chicago Tribune. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Geneva College, and hosts the show, Disability Matters with Joyce Bender, on voiceamerica.com for over twenty years. Follow us on instagram @nothingwithoutuspod Learn more at lakeshore.org