March is Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a long-term disease that causes breakdown of the protective covering of nerves in the brain and spinal cord. This breakdown in the protective covering makes it harder for messages from the brain to travel to other parts of the body. MS affects each person who has it differently, and the severity of the symptoms varies widely. People with MS may have chronic fatigue, have trouble seeing, feel numbness, or have difficulty walking. There is no cure, but treatments can help reduce symptoms and slow the progression of the condition.

We’re joined today by two guests who have multiple sclerosis. Kelley Hartman is a retired occupational therapist, joining us from outside of Denver, Colorado. And from Steuben, Maine, Mary Pancoast is with us. Mary is an artist and retired Montessori teacher. Kelley and Mary share with us their experiences of life with multiple sclerosis and the physical, mental, and financial realities - from retirement to relocation and rearranging life priorities.

It’s February, and we have a tradition here on Disability Rap of doing a show focused on love and relationships at this time of year. This year, we’re joined today by Jackie Armstrong and Eric Loeffler, who have been together since 2024. They tell us how they met and fell in love, and they share how their disabilities have enriched their relationship.

Jackie is the president of the disability self-advocacy group Sacramento United People First and is a board member of Alta California Regional Center. She works at the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and Progressive Employment Concepts.

Eric moved to California from Oregon in 2024 to be with Jackie. He works at Katadyn Foods in Rocklin, California. In his spare time, he enjoys video games, music, and movies. Eric and Jackie also participate in a community choir together.

As we begin the new year, many high school seniors are receiving college acceptance letters. For many people with disabilities, especially significant physical disabilities, selecting a college and then attending that college comes with added complexities. They are often faced with having to advocate for themselves and their access needs in a whole new way, while also discovering what their needs are as disabled young adults. And all this while going to classes and having the college experience.

For more on all this, we’re joined by two guests. Jessica Roeckl-Navazio is a senior at Sacramento State University, studying sociology. Gus Albertsen attended Santa Barbara City College and California State University at Monterey Bay, majoring in Environmental Science. He graduated in 2023.

Each summer, California’s Youth Leadership Forum brings high school students with disabilities from across the state to Sacramento for a week of learning and fun. The students stay on campus at Sacramento State University, gaining a taste of college dorm life. Often, this is their first time away from their families and support systems. They learn about self-advocacy, independent living, and life after high school from mentors who themselves have disabilities. Our new co-host, Alexa Guerrero, has participated in YLF as a disabled mentor to the high school students for a number of years.

For more on the Youth Leadership Forum and disabled youth engagement more broadly, we’re joined by two guests. Matt Baker is the Project Manager for YLF at the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. We’re also joined by Dani Anderson, Disability Access Manager for the Ventura County here in California.

It’s November, and we just had a special election here in California. We’re spending today’s show talking about the voting process for people with disabilities, how voting is made accessible, and the importance of voting as a way to engage in the political process.

We’re joined by three guests. From right here in Nevada County, Corey O’Hayre is with us. Corey has been the Assistant Registrar of Voters for Nevada County since August 2023 and served as Acting Registrar of Voters from June to October of this year. Donna Johnston is also with us. Donna is the Registrar of Voters for Sutter County. She has served in county government since 1990 and has been the Sutter County Registrar of Voters since 2008.

And from outside of Sacramento, Peter Mendoza is with us. Peter is currently a Community Program Specialist at the Sacramento Regional Office of the California State Council on Developmental Disabilities. He is also a member of the Sutter County Voter Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Today, we’re joined by the incoming Executive Director of the California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, Lisa Hayes. Lisa has had a long career in health and disability policy, leadership, and advocacy. For the past 7 years, she has served as the Executive Director of Rolling Start, Inc., an independent living center in southern California. She also serves as an appointed commissioner of the California State Independent Living Council and a board member of the National Council on Independent Living. Prior to her service in the nonprofit sector, Lisa worked for more than two decades in healthcare operations and contracting.

The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers, or CFILC, is a membership organization comprised of twenty-four independent living centers across the state. CFILC’s mission is to increase the capacity of independent living centers to support community living and independence for Californians with disabilities by providing advocacy, training, and resources. Lisa will officially assume her role as CFILC Executive Director on November 3.

This month, FREED is celebrating our 40th anniversary. We were founded in 1985 through the efforts of people with disabilities in Nevada County and the Nevada County Committee on the Disabled. This was a natural outgrowth of the Independent Living Movement, which grew out of Berkeley in the 1970s. FREED was one of California’s first rural independent living centers.

To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we’re hosting a fun-filled night of music and storytelling at the Gold Miners Inn in downtown Grass Valley on Saturday, September 27, from 5 to 9 p.m.. More about that event later in the show. But today, we’re joined by a very special roundtable of guests. Tony Sauer was the Executive Director of FREED from 1995 to 2001. He went on to be the Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation.

Ana Acton is also with us. Ana started at FREED in 2004 as the Disability Community Advocate and then was Executive Director of FREED for 11 years. She then went on to lead the Independent Living division at the California Department of Rehabilitation. She’s now with the California Department of Aging. Our Co-host Carl Sigmond spoke with Tony and Ana on Monday.

As we head into fire season here in the Sierra Nevada Foothills of Northern California, we decided to check back in with Brian Snyder, FREED’s own Emergency Preparedness Coordinator. Brian supports people with disabilities to develop plans for what they will do during wildfires and other widespread emergencies. In addition, Brian runs FREED’s program that supports people who have life-sustaining medical devices - such as power wheelchairs or oxygen machines - during public safety power shut-off events and other natural disasters.