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Disability Tangent Podcast

Lend Fellows: Hannah Brandt & Cydney Liebenberg

Project Directors: Christy Bloemendaal & Rocco Castrone

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Mission & Vision

We are a podcast seeking to connect, educate, and raise awareness around disability, accessibility, and related concerns.�

Our goal is not just to discuss these issues but to inspire actionable conversations, challenging societal norms and fostering a more inclusive and equitable future for all. By addressing these systemic challenges head-on, we believe we can work towards a more just and accessible society for people of all abilities.

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Methods

Each episode:�

  • Talk about current issues affecting communities, while supporting people with disabilities.�
  • Interviewing advocate, organization, leaders and people with lived experiences through research, community connections to challenge their perceptions of people with disabilities and promote a more inclusive world.

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Key Activities

Podcast Episode Planning

Find topic of interest and/or guest if applicable

Conduct research and list of questions to make up episode

Record and interview guest

Create related social media to promote episode

Release episode

Edit episode and transcript

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Introductory Episode- Rocco and Christy

Rocco Castrone:

  • Variety of learning disabilities
  • PhD in rehabilitation sciences from Southern Illinois University
  • Professor - Chicago School of Professional psychology
  • Runs a lab that focuses on understanding what disability stigma is, how that shows up in clinical work, through behavior analysis, psychological services, social work, medical services
  • Does trainings with hospitals and local organizations on how to realize disability stigma and address it

Christy Bloemendaal:

  • Disabled women
  • Started a business - New Moonrise; coaching, public speaking and educational therapeutic pieces.
  • Certificate in ABA therapy
  • Gain Coalition

Reason for the podcast:

  • Change views on disability has a whole, reduce stigma and othering, challenge systems and societal norms.
  • Contribute to change and connect people and/or organization together.

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Episode 1- Gavin Neate

WelcoME

Bio:

  • creator of WelcoME
  • past career with Guide Dogs
  • 30 + years as a disability advocate
  • socially engaged entrepreneur

WelcoME:

  • person centered tool for them to find accessible places
  • creates positive and seamless face-to-face connection between people and business owners

Quotes from Episode:�

“And that was the start of welcome, which is a way of communicating directly with the staff member you're going to be meeting prior to walking through the door for anybody with any disability. Improving how the staff member interacts with a disabled person. And we launched it in 2017. beta version in 2017, 2018 was the launch and lo and behold, I was the first person in the world to ever do this.”�

“However, with the best will in the world, if we train somebody in a massive load of information over the period of a day or two days, if we expect them to remember that, And recall it instantly when they need it, two years later, or even six months later, we're fooling ourselves. They're not going to remember it.”�

“Sadly, when it comes to interacting with disabled people. If you say, I'll get it wrong 50 times in a row, you're going to be hurting a lot of people in doing that. You've got to learn a lot quicker. and you need to be able to learn very, very quickly because people's lives can be made a misery if you discriminate against them.”

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Episode 2- Catarina Rivera

Hidden Cost of Travel

Bio:

  • CPACC certified DEIA consultant
  • Content creator - @Blindish Latina
  • TEDx speaker
  • LinkedIn top voice in disability advocacy
  • Featured in NASDAQ and authority magainzie

Quotes from episode:

“I think the conversation about disability and travel is happening more often than before, but still not often enough on a global scale. We need every hotel, accommodation, tour operator, airline destination, et cetera, to really prioritize accessibility in their infrastructure, their digital communications operations, their customer experience.”�

“It took me over 15 years since my blindness diagnosis to come to a place of disability pride and to become a public advocate. So please know that wherever you are in your journey is okay. You are not alone. And if you're non-disabled, then please commit to accessibility. Learn about accessibility, learn about disability, learn from disabled voices, and be a part of creating a more inclusive world with me.”

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Fab Fellows Episode- Cydney + Hannah

LEND Fellow Interview

Bio:

  • Cydney
    • Graduated from UIC in 2022 with BS in Rehabilitation Science and minors in Psychology and Disability and Human Development
    • Current DPT student at UIC, graduating in 2025, interest in the Pediatric/ Neuro population �
  • Hannah
    • Graduated from IU in 2017 with BS in Exercise Science and minor in Nutrition
    • Current DPT student at UIC, graduating in 2025
    • Interest in neuro population

Quotes from episode:

“ A big part of what I learnt through LEND and the research behind all the podcast episodes is the language being used around those with disabilities or without disability and how we’re approaching our future patients and our future patient families. In the PT program they really emphasize the therapeutic alliance, forming a bond with you patient in order for them to have the best outcomes and buy into therapy is really important” - Hannah

“I think LEND is such an amazing way to see the world outside of your own, to see what other people are going through that you might not be aware of and you can learn from their situations ... it's such a safe & controlled environment to be able to learn more about topics you might not be familiar with” -Cydney

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Social Media

Used to promote the podcast and gain traction

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What’s next…

  • Upcoming Podcasts:
    • Deana Herrman: use of language in medicine
    • Jae Jin
    • OKC Airport: supporting disabilities and hidden disabilities within the airport
    • Guide Dog Association
    • Alexandra and Robin: Disabled Professionals Perceptions
    • 2 doc students: sex-ed and disability

  • Coalition:
    • GAIN: Global Accessibility and Inclusion Network