Ep. 04 - Yomi Wrong

Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe055

Tom Wheaton grew up in the suburbs of Minneapolis. He decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy for many reasons, the most notable being that his grandfathers and dad served during World War II and the Vietnam War, respectively.

Wheaton began serving in the U.S. Navy in 1986 and is a plank owner (original crew member) of the USS Fort McHenry. In 1988, while on active duty in Perth, Australia, he sustained a spinal cord injury. After his initial treatment at the Royal Perth Rehabilitation Hospital, he was transferred to the Milwaukee VA Spinal Cord Injury Center.

In 1989, Wheaton became a member of the North Central Chapter of PVA in Sioux Falls, SD. In 1993, he became a member of the new Minnesota Chapter of PVA, where Wheaton was the chapter’s first director of sports and recreation, and also served as chapter treasurer. After moving to Golden, CO, Wheaton served on a regional basis as sports director, treasurer, hospital liaison, and executive director of the Mountain States Chapter of PVA. He also served as first vice president of the United Veterans Committee of Colorado.

For the last 24 years, Wheaton has served on PVA’s Executive Committee in various capacities, including as the organization’s senior vice president and parliamentarian. Serving alongside many dedicated leaders on the Executive Committee has had a profound effect on his life. Wheaton says, “Journeying together to determine how we can best assist in enhancing the lives of our nation’s heroes has been extremely rewarding.”

Wheaton was re-elected national treasurer of PVA in May 2022 during the organization’s 76th Annual Convention, to begin a new, one-year term on July 1, 2022. He wants people to know that “this is a significant time for us to continue to push forward and prove just how unstoppable we are.”

In addition to his responsibilities at PVA, Wheaton has served on various national veterans and disability advisory committees, including the National Spinal Cord Injury Association. Whenever he has spare time, Wheaton enjoys doing puzzles because they are a metaphor for facing life’s challenges and overcoming them. Within his community, he is an elder of Hillside Community Church and co-leads its children’s ministries with his wife, Angela. The Wheatons have been married for 21 years and are proud parents of two school-age children.

Connect with Tom:

Paralyzed Veterans of America
twheaton@pva.org

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Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe054-1

VOLORES’ debut album, AGES, explores universal themes of life, love, and death through dark indie rock, stylish post-punk motifs, and disarmingly frank lyricism. The Colorado-based couple – Flogging Molly bassist Nathen Maxwell and his singer-songwriter wife Shelby – lightheartedly dub their singular sound “mountain goth.”

Organic, haunting, and relentlessly authentic, VOLORES’ broad appeal lies in its raw channeling of the mortal condition, including mental health struggles, that they’ve not only experienced, but experienced together. Simple, yet effortlessly beautiful, AGES celebrates the shared musical passions that brought the Maxwells together – from Leonard Cohen and Elliot Smith to The Cure and Interpol – through unfiltered expressions that cast deeply personal shadows in plain sight, coated only in intuitive melody and elegant songcraft.

VOLORES (voloresband.com)
𝗩𝗢𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗦 (@voloresband) • Instagram photos and videos
‎VOLORES - Apple Music
VOLORES - YouTube
Nathen Maxwell (@nathenmaxwell) • Instagram photos and videos
Flogging Molly

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Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe053-01

Today’s guest is our very own Chris Murphy. Chris grew up having a disability but not understanding that it was a disability. He wasn’t allowed to participate in sports as a child, but was able to pursue music, taking up the trombone at age 12.

Chris majored in trombone performance at California State University Fullerton and earned a Bachelors of Music in 2002. He lived as a freelance musician in Southern California, having the opportunity to perform in multiple genres of music, including being a musician at Disneyland between 2007-2012. It was during this period that Chris began riding a bike as a commuter and began finding enjoyment in exercise.

He inadvertently learned about Paracycling while researching symptoms of overuse he began having on his unaffected arm. At this time, Chris began to understand that the medical condition he had all his life was a disability. Chris pursued Paracycling, which brought him to Colorado to train at the Olympic and Paralympic Training Center, eventually participating in 2 Paralympic Games, earning 9 world-level medals including 2 gold medals, breaking a word record two times, and winning around 30 national championships in a 10-year period.

Chris has worked at the RMADAC as an information specialist since 2017 and is now full-time, taking on a new role as a knowledge translation specialist.

Contact Chris: chris.muphy@unco.edu
Chris Murphy (@gofastmurph) • Instagram

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Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe052

Today’s guest is Charles Webb, founder of the Stoke for Life Foundation. The main goal of the Stoke for Life Foundation is to bring awareness to the rehabilitative benefits of adaptive water sports through clinics and education.

Charles Webb is a T 7-8 incomplete paraplegic, Charles is the first paraplegic to compete in an open water paddle race (2013 Battle of the Paddle). Charles is also the two time Western Surfing Association Adaptive Surfing Champion winning back to back titles in 2015 and 2016. He placed 2nd overall in the Surfing America 2016 U.S. National Adaptive Surfing Championship in his division.

Charles Webb is an experienced inspirational speaker on many levels, from motivational corporate presentations to inspirational speeches at the collegiate, high school, or elementary level, Charles has shared the stoke whenever possible. Charles has also written numerous published articles in various magazines telling the stories of everyday people that continue to overcome and achieve despite high level disabilities or ailments. Through adaptive competition, motivational speaking, and inspirational writing Charles has found avenues to bring awareness to the adaptive watersports movement.

Connect with Charles:

• Stoke for Life | SPREADING THE ALOHA SPIRIT THROUGH ADAPTIVE WATERSPORTS
• US Open Adaptive Surfing | Elite World Class Adaptive Surfing
• Adaptive Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour
• Stoke for Life (@stokeforlife) • Instagram photos and videos
• AASP (@adaptivesurfingprofessionals) • Instagram photos and videos

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Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe051

Hoskie Benally Jr., is a Member of the Navajo Nation and is Legally Blind. He is currently employed with the Native American Disability Law Center as the Community and Government Liaison engaged in Disability Systems Advocacy with the Navajo Nation and other Native American Tribes. Benally is also involved with the National Congress of American Indians, Disability Sub-Committee. Prior to joining the Law Center, Benally was the CEO of a Residential Treatment Center for Native American Youth that successfully integrated Navajo culture into western-based mental health treatment. Benally is the current President of the Navajo Nation Advisory Council on Disabilities, a former Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor, and a former Member of the New Mexico Developmental Disability Planning Council. Grounded in Navajo tradition and fluent in Navajo, Benally is an experienced cultural instructor. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University.

For more than three decades, Joseph Ray has advocated for disability services in tribal communities, with a focus on independent living, elder care, and vocational rehabilitation services. Based in Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico, he is the Board Chair of the National Congress of American Indians Disability Subcommittee, one of the oldest advocacy organizations for native populations in the country. Joseph is also on the Board of Directors of Uniting Nursing Homes in Tribal Excellence (UNITE), and a member of the Pueblo People with Disabilities group. He has a special interest in strengthening support services for individuals with spinal cord injuries, particularly tribal youth, and is active in adaptative sports and long-term care programs.

Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe050

As the only hearing child born to Deaf parents (a CODA), Mark Jones was signing before he was speaking. In his 25th year working and now leading the Accessibility & Services for Guests with Disabilities team at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Mark uses his passion, skills, and background to create and support memorable experiences for Guests with disabilities visiting the from around the world. Mark holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Tennessee and is nationally certified as a professional Sign Language interpreter. In addition to his role, Mark also serves as the co-lead of the Enabled Florida Business Employee Resource Group which includes the Walt Disney World Resort and other Disney divisions based in Florida.

DisneyWorld.com
disability.services@disneyparks.com

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Transcript: bit.ly/AIAe049

Julie (O’Neill) Dussliere currently serves as the Chief of Paralympics & Internally Managed Sports for the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. In this position, Dussliere oversees the high-performance planning, strategy, support processes and sport development projects for all 28 Paralympic sports. In addition, she leads Paralympic international relations efforts and serves as a key member of the USOPC’s leadership team. Dussliere also directs the day-to-day operations for the 10 Olympic and Paralympic sports managed by the USOPC.

Connect with Julie:

1. USOPC.org
2. TeamUSA.com
3. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieoneilldussliere/

Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

Transcript: https://bit.ly/AIAe048

JOHNNY AGAR, 29 years old from Rockford, MI, gained international attention when he walked a mile in his church’s annual 5k. That sounds like an odd reason for fame, except for the reality of Johnny’s severe cerebral palsy. Even with a lifetime of physical therapy, before the 5k the longest distance he’d ever been able to walk was twenty-three steps! Since that incredible feat, Johnny and his father, Jeff, have partnered in hundreds of races, including the infamous Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, which was chronicled by NBC. Johnny has been featured on The Today Show, Inside Edition, People, USA Today, NBC Nightly News, Huffington Post, and ESPN’s Sportscenter. His tenacity and indelible spirit have caught the attention of Olympic swimming great Michael Phelps and the sports apparel company Under Armour—so much so that UA placed him in two of their commercials, one with Phelps and one with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Now Johnny gives motivational speeches to inspire others to overcome their challenges and chase their dreams. Among his other roles, Johnny serves as Athletic Ambassador for the Cerebral Palsy Foundation. He’s proud to have earned a dual major BA in Sports Management and Business Administration from Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

JEFF AGAR, more commonly referred to as “Johnny’s Dad”, was never an endurance athlete and only 12 or so years ago had never completed a 5K race. His main goal is helping Johnny achieve his dreams. Jeff is married to Becki and together they have three children: Johnny, Annie & Gracy.

BECKI AGAR fundraises and advocates for organizations that have been instrumental in helping special needs children be as independent as possible on their journeys through life. But she will tell you, her proudest accomplishment is being the mother to her three beautiful children, Johnny, Annie, and Gracy.

Read the book:
The Impossible Mile: The Power in Living Life One Step at a Time

Check out Johnny's Pass: Johnny's Pass (johnnyspass.com)

Connect with the Agars:
JOHNNY:
WEBSITE: TeamAgar.com
TWITTER: @agar_john
INSTAGRAM: @officialjohn_agar
FACEBOOK: Johnny Agar

JEFF:
WEBSITE: TeamAgar.com
TWITTER: @JeffAgar
INSTAGRAM: @agarjeff
FACEBOOK: Jeff Agar

BECKI:
WEBSITE: TeamAgar.com
TWITTER: @agarbecki
INSTAGRAM: @beckiagar
FACEBOOK: Becki Agar

Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!

Transcript: https://bit.ly/AIAe047

Dr. Lionel Wolberger, is the Chief Compliance and Operating Officer of UserWay, the market leader in web accessibility technology.

With a prominent role in The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), he passionately advocates for the disability community. He contributes to W3C's Accessible Platforms Architectures Working Group, developing current and future digital accessibility standards.

Additionally, he is a Privacy by Design ambassador, Cisco Security Ninja, and a seasoned presenter both on stage and TV. Wolberger's expertise extends to global standards such as Verifiable Credentials and DID, with patents to his name.

Holding a PhD in ethnomusicology, he combines his diverse background to present on accessibility, Agile development, AI/ML systems, and blockchain. As a partner at TLV Startup Hub, Lionel advises and connects founders with investors and corporate partnerships.

His management and deployment of multi-million dollar systems for Fortune 100 companies have benefitted tens of millions worldwide. Dr. Wolberger earned his BS from Cornell University and his PhD from Wesleyan University.

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Transcript: bit.ly/3M6wtSy

Ali Thompson is a national speaker presenting continuing education training on numerous specialized investigation techniques and First Responder Interactions with People with Disabilities. Thompson served over 25 years in the field of Law Enforcement as a dispatcher, patrol officer, and a detective, focusing on crimes against at-risk individuals. In 2013, Thompson became a Criminal Investigator with the State of Colorado and later worked at the Attorney General’s Office where she investigated allegations of abuse and neglect of at-risk persons. In 2020, she started Pulse Line Collaborative Training and trains first responders on Interacting with People with Disabilities.

Thompson is also the proud mother of two children with significant disabilities. She is a coach with Colorado Special Olympics, and, in 2019, Colorado Governor Jared Polis appointed Thompson to the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council where she also serves on the Legislative and Public Policy Committee.

Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at RockyMountainADA.org or find us on social media. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, or anywhere else you get your podcasts!