We’ll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we’re releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month, we bring you our 14th episode, Accessibility in Florida Prisons. This episode was originally released Read More

We’ll be back in April with new episodes. But until then we’re releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that matter just as much today as they did when they were originally recorded. This month we bring you “The Right to Recovery.” This episode was originally released on February 21, Read More

We’ll be back with new episodes in April, so until then we’ll be releasing encore presentations of several early episodes that still ring true today. This month, we present our fifth episode, titled Supported Decision-Making. This episode was originally published on December 15, 2016, and supported decision-making, or SDM for Read More

In this episode, Jordan Kuveke-Guyton, a Veteran’s Affairs Accredited Attorney with Chad Barr Law, and Ann Siegel, the Legal Director at Disability Rights Florida, discuss options available to veterans with disabilities, many of which you might not be aware of. Not only are there benefits and discounts veterans can qualify for, Read More

In this episode of You First, we talk to Angela Muir Van Etten. Angela just published her third book, Always an Advocate, which is full of both practical advocacy advice and many interesting stories. There will always be a need for advocates and, Always an Advocate offers hope for those Read More

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. In this episode of the You First podcast, we wanted to bring some awareness to a group right here in Florida that created some amazing resources to help people with disabilities find and keep quality employment. To talk much more about that are Read More

In Episode 23 of the You First podcast, we talked about the representation of people with disabilities in the media, how that has evolved over the years, improving in some ways, but more often still faltering with poor and inaccurate portrayals of people with disabilities in popular media. A great Read More

When you hear the word “clubhouse,” what do you think of? For somewhere between 500,000 and 1 million people with mental illness, they think of a clubhouse as a place to gather regularly to reduce isolation, gain important skills and resources, and is an integral part of recovery. My three Read More

In this episode of You First, we talk to Annie Segarra, James Rath, and Rikki Poynter. They discuss the accessibility obstacles they encounter, recount the joys and challenges of sharing vulnerable stories on the internet, and share what disability pride means to them. Links: Annie Segarra's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/theannieelainey James Read More

In this episode of You First, we talk to Disability Rights Florida's Tony DePalma and Olivia Babis to discuss the 2021 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony review a number of important bills that were presented to the legislature, challenges we faced related to the pandemic, and what did and did not Read More

In this episode of You First, we look at COVID-19 through the lens of mental health. Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS) was identified years before the pandemic, along with great strategies to reduce the chances that someone in intensive care would develop complications related to it. But COVID-19 has changed that, Read More

In this episode of You First, let's talk about saving the planet! We can fight climate change by eliminating all single-use plastics and walking to get where you need to go – that will save us all! But will it? Or does thinking like that make you an eco-ableist by Read More

In the fifth episode of the You First podcast, we heard from Michael Lincoln-McCreight about something new in Florida called Supported Decision-Making (SDM). Much has changed with SDM and Mike in the four years since then, and he's back to give us some updates. We also talk to Viviana Bonilla Read More

Our guests on this episode of You First are Beth Haller and Jeff Preston, both of whom are university professors, authors, and experts on disability in the media. They discuss what's been done right and wrong with the portrayal of people with disabilities in film and TV, the impact of Read More

I have experienced weight stigma throughout my life, but had never heard the term or understood exactly how it affected me. After speaking to Shira Collings, I know much more about weight stigma: what it is, where it comes from, and how it can affect mental health. Listen to learn Read More

In this fun episode of You First, we talk to Marika Devin, owner of the Clumsy Girl Travels blog. Marika discusses her experiences traveling with a hidden disability, offers practical travel advice to others, and tells us about the time she ate a lamb's head in Iceland. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply impacted assistive technology (AT) access and training, especially for students with disabilities. In this episode of You First, we talk to Ana Nevares of FAAST and Gerry Altamirano of the University of Florida to learn more about the benefits of AT for students with disabilities, Read More

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and to recognize that, this episode of You First is all about barriers to employment. Disability Rights Florida advocates Wendy Vance, Victor Panoff, Howard Bell, and Allison Klein explore numerous barriers to employment, beginning with school-age issues all the way to challenges Read More

In this special episode of You First, we recognize the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Disability Rights Florida staff members Barb Page, Juli Pack, Curtis Filaroski, Ann Robinson, Andrea Jenkins, and Olivia Babis discuss the impact the ADA has had on them, how things might be different Read More

In the second part of this episode of You First, we conclude our conversation with Disability Rights Florida's Olivia Babis and Tony DePalma as they discuss the 2019 Florida Legislative Session. Olivia and Tony explore several key bills that were presented to the legislature, the outcome of those bills, and their impact on Floridians with Read More