True Tales by Disability Advocates - Awakenings

Awakenings

06/14/22 • 19 min

Full transcripts of all episodes available at https://truetalesbydisabilityadvocates.buzzsprout.com
In this episode, guests Laura Odom and Sheena Walter tell host John Beer about the “Awakenings” in their lives. Laura pushed through doubts brought on by years of narcolepsy to try her hand at a new adventure (“Finally Waking Up”), while Sheena flipped self-consciousness about her PICC line into a new and very public role of “Advocacy, Courage and Self-Compassion.” Both women took a stroke of boldness that ignited newfound lives of advocacy and pride in themselves! Listen in to learn about their victories. Toby Al-Trabulsi produces, Kristen Gooch and Ms. Boye mixing and editing, and Jennifer Howell and Joey Gidseg provide script and production.
HOST
No moss gathers on a rolling wheelchair, and throughout the state of Texas are sightings of John Beer and his travel trailer. With his wife's help, John spotlights the disability side of skydiving, fire evacuations and other topics for New Mobility magazine. You’ll also find him on MS Connections at TheMighty.com – and he's wheelie excited being on the team creating Art Spark Texas' new podcast, True Tales by Disability Advocates. John was a member of our first Virtual Speaking Advocates Training and is one of the storytellers in Episode 2, “Life on Wheels”.

Keep up with John Beer on his blog: Wheelieoutthere.blogspot.com
Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheelieoutthere/
GUEST
Laura Odom is a Tyler, Texas-based advocate primarily for disability and rural causes. She is also the office manager for a locally owned textbook publisher. When she isn’t working, she takes her Australian Shepherd/Border Collie-mix dog for car rides and loves to snuggle with her two black cats. She enjoys writing, playing guitar and cross-stitching. Laura was diagnosed with Narcolepsy Type 1 in January 2021 after pursuing a diagnosis for almost 20 years. She continues to raise awareness about Narcolepsy in hopes that more people won’t have to wait that long to receive treatment.

On social media, you can find her at: Instagram: @ordinarileigh
TikTok: ordinarileigh
Twitter: @lauradoestweet
Facebook: Laura Ashleigh Odom
GUEST
Sheena Walter is an artist at Imagine Art in Austin and also works for Art Spark Texas as a social media influencer. She wants to advocate for a change in how people with disabilities are viewed in our society and make sure we have not just a seat at the table, but a voice as well. Her sources of strength and inspiration are her faith, her friends, her family, her pets and walks in the outdoors.

Find Sheena and her art on Instagram @sheenawalter1

Click here to listen with the full transcript.
For more details about our programs go to Art Spark Texas, True Tales Podcast Page.
Segments of this podcast were read by an automated voice. Inconsistencies in pronunciation and tone may occur.

Find Sheena and her art on Instagram @sheenawalter1

Previous Episode

New Normal

To listen with full transcript, go to https://truetalesbydisabilityadvocates.buzzsprout.com/
In this episode, host Joey Gidseg talks to Jennifer Howell about her story, “From Ally to Self-Advocate.” Jennifer describes going from being the daughter of parents with disabilities to becoming someone with disabilities of her own, and the surprising things she learns along the way. Even for someone long familiar with disabilities, actually becoming a person with a disability of her own was for Jennifer a through-the-looking-glass kind of experience. Her story sparks an impassioned discussion between Jennifer and Joey, edited by Toby Al-Trabulsi and Ms. Boye, with script and production work by Kristen Gooch and John Beer.
Jennifer Howell
Jennifer Howell's lifetime of personal experience with disability – as a caregiver, teacher and person with disabilities herself – has led to her work as an accessibility and creative placemaking consultant. She is a special education teacher, published author, award-winning artist and online instructor to students around the globe, ages 4 to 94. As an Accessible Yoga Ambassador, she has led classes for over a decade for seniors and persons with disabilities. Her other curricula include hand-lettering and cursive handwriting, and sustainable fashion. Jennifer is a member of IAMPETH (International Assoc. of Master Penmen, Engrossers & Teachers of Handwriting) and the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.
Jennifer can be reached at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-howell-3179248/

Host
Joey Gidseg

Joey Gidseg is an enthusiast of podcasts and disability policy who works to close the gaps in Access to Justice for disabled Texans. As chair of a statewide disability caucus and former multimedia producer, Joey is thrilled to collaborate with other disabled creators on Art Spark Texas’ podcast, True Tales by Disability Advocates.
You can connect or keep up with Joey on their Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin:
https://www.facebook.com/joeygidsegfortexas/https://twitter.com/joeyinatxhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joeygidseg/Learn more about closing the justice gap at https://www.justiceinreach.org/

Next Episode

Independence

For Disability Pride Month, Kaye Love chats to Tanya Winters and Kamand Alaghehband about their stories “Pediacrisis” and “Kamand’s View: No More Prejudice”. Stories about how they navigate the predictable and unexpected barriers they meet daily. We hope your day is enriched by listening to “Independence”. Full transcript available.
World Health Organization on Disability

Guest: Tanya Winters - A Chicago native, Tanya fell in love with Austin after a weekend trip. She loves creating and enjoys pushing the boundaries of arts and disability! Tanya's career as an artist began in theatre in 2005 and shifted to dance in 2007 thanks to a wooden chair and the desire to tell her story. As a student of Austin Community College, she gained an extensive background in improvisation and choreography. She has learned from some of the dance world’s top artists like Alito Alessi Nina Martin, Heidi Latsky, Sandra Paola Lopez, and Stephan Koplowitz. Tanya started making work of her own and became a certified DanceAbility instructor in 2011. Currently, she is a member of the Body Shift Collective, where she loves dancing, teaching, creating and collaborating with other dancers with and without disabilities. Tanya is the co-choreographer of Together and Apart an ongoing duet that explores the relationship between movement, environment, and the art of human interaction. She hopes that her work will motivate other dancers to think outside the box and erase the line between ability and disability. Tanya also has a solid background in Social Work, grant reporting, and case management. She possesses excellent communication and organizational skills which help her deal with the complex regulations governing social services. Walk & Roll: https://youtu.be/1IQ6W2NybfA
Constable Pct. 5's Disabled Parking Awareness Video: https://youtu.be/LR0XoXb_w-g
Together & Apart: https://vimeo.com/183923919 And You See Me: https://youtu.be/RSB_WFRbEEI

Guest: Kamand Alaghehband - My name is Kamand Alaghehband. I was born in Austin Texas, and I have autism. In 2020 the CDC reported approximately 1 in 54 children in U.S. diagnosed with autism is more than all cancer patients combined. But what about us? what happens to our future? What kind of jobs and lifestyle is available to support us. All my life I tried to support not only me but all generations with disabilities. I am me, I am Kamand. I love Special Olympics. My favorite sports are swimming, basketball, and Track. I am a member of the executive committee of special Olympics athletes leadership in Texas. I created podcasts, TikTok, video games and a variety of health activities during a pandemic to keep the athlete's minds occupied in a healthy way. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to maintain some of those activities cause was costing me money. My mission with my population is to bring peace for today and create a vision for tomorrow for disabled population. I feel grateful for what I have. I choose to be thankful. I choose to be happy. Gratitude turns what I have into enough and more. My Instagram info is ka.special . My TikTok account is KAspecialglobal.

Host: Kaye Love - Kaye has over eight years of experience working with individuals with developmental

True Tales by Disability Advocates - Awakenings

Transcript

Kamand00:00:10.013

Welcome to The True Tales by Disability Advocates, authentic voices of people. thriving with disabilities. Where individuals use the art of storytelling to change the world. The True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast is produced by Art Spark Texas, Speaking Advocates Program. Keep listening to hear how life's challenges can spark a desire to speak out and advocate for yourselves and others.

MsBoye00:00:50.878

You