A former high school theater kid and aerobics instructor paralyzed in 1990, Katie Rodriguez Banister has been living life as a C5-6 quadriplegic for over 33 years. Post-injury, she found a passion for speaking and writing about SCI issues like managing/finding caregivers, and during Covid she decided to turn her autobiography into a play with the help of a friend. The end result "ROLL WITH IT! (film) disability, humor, hope and F-bombs" went on to be a hit in the St. Louis theater scene and was nominated for "Best New Play" and Katie also acts in it. The play shares her life's ups and downs a ..read more

A former high school theater kid and aerobics instructor paralyzed in 1990, Katie Rodriguez Banister has been living life as a C5-6 quadriplegic for over 33 years. Post-injury, she found a passion for speaking and writing about SCI issues like managing/finding caregivers, and during Covid she decided to turn her autobiography into a play with the help of a friend. The end result "ROLL WITH IT! (film) disability, humor, hope and F-bombs" went on to be a hit in the St. Louis theater scene and was nominated for "Best New Play" and Katie also acts in it. The play shares her life's ups and downs a ..read more

In episode 47, we share a conversation with Gabe Trujillo, a longtime digital producer at 12 News, NBC-affiliate in Phoenix. Gabe became paralyzed at the age of 14 by a rare form of polio, induced by an extreme asthma attack. After finally getting a diagnosis years after his injury, Gabe settled into his new life as a quadriplegic (with arm movement; no hand or leg mobility), and he decided to put all his energy into his studies. Gabe chose journalism as his career path, and the rest as they say is history. Listen in as he shares the interesting odd jobs he had before landing his dream job, an ..read more

In episode 46, we chatted with musical phenom Amy Wang-Hiller, the only professional violinist in the US who uses a wheelchair full-time. She is new to using a wheelchair due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a condition that affects the collagen in the body and can cause spinal cord injuries. Originally from Shanghai, China, Wang-Hiller moved to the US to pursue her musical studies and now holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts, is a violin teacher and she's a regular orchestra violinist. And after meeting her husband upon moving to the US, Wang-Hiller is also married and lives in Denton, Texas.  ..read more

A quadriplegic, husband, father and community health worker, Casey Moore from Medford, Oregon shares his story. Paralyzed in 2000 in a diving accident, he was unsure of what life held for him, but he did his best to focus on the positive and pushed ahead, going on to marry the love of his life, having a son without the need of IVF and then finding a purposeful career - helping others with spinal cord injuries by becoming a community health worker. He also shares the awesome activities available at the Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection for those with paralysis living in the area. — Follow Ca ..read more

In our second disability employment success story for National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2022, meet Candis Welch. A lifelong resident of Los Angeles, California with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, she began her career as an Executive Assistant with Issa Rae Productions after graduating with a degree in Journalism. She then pivoted to the public sector, eventually becoming a Procurement Analyst for the Los Angeles Homeless Service Authority (LAHSA) and now works in her current position as LAHSA's internal DEI Coordinator.  — Visit Candis' site — Follow Candis on IG ..read more

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and this year we will be highlighting a variety of disability employment success stories. Brandon Winfield, founder of the accessibility review app iAccessLife, is first up in our series. Paralyzed at the age of 14 in a motocross accident, he went on to become a self taught QA analyst and an app creator. His app, iAccessLife, lets people review the accessibility of any establishment they visit and is used in 35 countries. — Follow Brandon on IG ..read more

Is Zumba a good workout for wheelchair-users? In this episode, we speak with wheelchair Zumba instructor Tennille Houston from Idaho who fills us in on why Zumba is a great workout for those who can't walk. Also married with two teenagers, she became a wheelchair-user over 14 years ago due to pregnancy complications and went on to become a Zumba certified instructor after her injury.  Tennille shares her wheelchair Zumba classes on various platforms. She teaches online classes 3 times a week via Zumba's official site and she has over 150 Zumba workouts for wheelchair-users available on he ..read more

Tim Taylor, a C5 quadriplegic from Pennsylvania, has experienced a lot since his injury nearly 20 years ago, and he has a lot to share in this episode. We talk with him about his car accident that resulted in the death of two individuals, how he made it through the depression that followed afterwards and how he ultimately found his calling since he was no longer able to pursue his previous career. From making money on his YouTube channel to flipping vintage items he finds at thrift restores and reselling them on eBay, he has used his business mind to keep himself afloat financially. Tim also s ..read more

We're excited to have Jason Thurston, a C5-6 quadriplegic, back on the show. A wheelchair camping expert who camped alone 4 times last year, he's now the Outreach Coordinator for International Paper John Dillon Park, a free and fully inclusive campground located in New York state in the Adirondack mountains. Injured in 2004 in a diving accident, this former chef had to pivot his professional life and ended up rediscovering his love of the outdoors, something that was important to him as a young man. In this episode, Jason shares the multiple accessible amenities that are available at John Dill ..read more