ABLE Voices Podcast

Dr. Rhoda Bernard, founder and managing director of the Berklee Institute for Arts Education and Special Needs is proud to present and host our debut episode of the ABLE Voices podcast, featuring artists and arts educators with disabilities. We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Our first guest is Matt Savage, who will be our guest host in upcoming episodes.

Savage is a pianist, composer, bandleader, and music educator on the autism spectrum who has played professionally since childhood. He has performed and recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz, including Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, and Chaka Khan. He has recorded more than a dozen albums and teaches at colleges in Boston and New Hampshire.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 1 - Matt Savage [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guest hosts for the ABLE Voices podcast. Our first guest podcast host is Matt Savage, a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and music educator on the autism spectrum. In Episode 2, Savage will be interviewing Wayne Pearcy, a trumpeter, cornet player, and Berklee alumnus who has been blind from birth. A professional composer and performer, Pearcy records and performs in both jazz and classical music idioms.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 2 - Wayne Pearcy [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guest hosts for the ABLE Voices podcast and our first guest podcast host is Matt Savage, a jazz pianist, composer, bandleader, and music educator on the autism spectrum. For episode 3, Savage will be speaking with Nick Guzman, a singer-songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist on the autism spectrum. Guzman has performed and collaborated with a number of high-profile artists, including Stephen Stills, Elliot Easton, and Syd Straw.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 3 - Nick Guzman [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our next guest is Sophia Grech, who will also be our next featured guest host on upcoming episode releases. Grech is an internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano on the autism spectrum. She has performed at leading concert halls, opera houses, and international festivals worldwide and has given master classes around the world. She graduated from the Royal College of Music in 1995. In 2015, Grech was diagnosed with autism and is now a leading ambassador on behalf of associated organizations in addition to her performing career.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 4 - Sophia Grech [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Sophia Grech. For today's episode, Grech will be talking with Tony Rudd, a British radio host, impressionist, actor, and author with autism.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 5 - Tony Rudd [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Sophia Grech. For today's episode, Grech will be talking with Mark Beer, a renowned British actor of stage and screen who was born with cerebral palsy.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 6 - Mark Beer [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano, Sophia Grech. For today's episode, Grech will be talking with Lucy McCarthy, a British professional photographer and disability rights advocate with several invisible disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 7 - Lucy McCarthy [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our first next guest is Precious Perez, who will also be our next featured guest host on upcoming episode releases. Perez is a vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, published children's author, and a disability rights advocate. Perez is a classically trained pop, R&B, and Latin vocalist and has a double bachelor's degree in music education and vocal performance from Berklee College of Music. Perez is blind and her goal is to demonstrate that visually impaired and disabled individuals are as capable as anyone else in achieving their dreams.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 8 - Precious Perez [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is Precious Perez, a blind vocalist, songwriter, and disability rights advocate. For today's episode, Perez will be talking with Dan Romero (Label) and Isaac Malik Wilson (Question), both blind producers, musicians, and rappers. They both currently write and produce music for their collaboration, "Blind and Famous."

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 9 - Dan Romero and Isaac Malik Wilson [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is Precious Perez, a blind vocalist, songwriter, and disability rights advocate. For today's episode, Perez will be talking with Shane Lowe, percussionist, host of the Talking Head Podcast and founder of Venom, a network of original media, streaming, radio, and podcasting.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 10 - Shane Lowe [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and our current guest host is Precious Perez, a blind vocalist, songwriter, and disability rights advocate. For today's episode, Perez will be talking with John Dowling Jr., a blind country singer, songwriter, and multi -instrumentalist.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 11 - John Dowling [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and today's guest, Adrian Anantawan, will also be our next guest host. Anantawan is a world-renowned violinist, music educator, and disabilities advocate and was born without a right hand.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 12 - Adrian Anantawan [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and today's guest host is Adrian Anantawan. Anantawan is a world-renowned violinist, music educator, and disabilities advocate and was born without a right hand. Today's guest is Ellice Patterson, the founder and executive and artistic director of Abilities Dance, a Boston-based dance company that welcomes artists across the nation with and without disabilities.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 13 - Ellice Patterson [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and today's guest, Noah Britton, will also be our next guest host. Britton is diagnosed with autism and is a comedian, cofounder of the comedy troupe Asperger's Are Us, psychology professor, and musician.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 14 - Noah Britton [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and today's host is Noah Britton. Britton is diagnosed with autism and is a comedian, cofounder of the comedy troupe Asperger's Are Us, psychology professor, and musician. Our guest for today's episode is Robert Jensen. Robert is a visual artist of various capacities, a sculpture maker, metal worker, jewelry designer, and music venue owner. Jensen is paraplegic and lost use of his legs following an accidental spinal injury.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 15 - Robert Jensen [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices and today's host is Noah Britton. Britton is diagnosed with autism and is a comedian, cofounder of the comedy troupe Asperger's Are Us, psychology professor, and musician. Our guest for today's episode is Glen Maganzini. Maganzini was diagnosed with autism and is the founder of the Boston-based musical group G. Gordon Gritty, guitarist of Johnny and the Foodmasters, and cofounder of record label and festival Kids Like You and Me (KLYAM).

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 16 - Glen Maganzini [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Renata Da Costa, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Da Costa is a Brazilian is a children's author, actor, teacher, photographer, artisan, and writer. Da Costa is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 17 - Renata Da Costa [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Our guest host for today is Renata Da Costa. Da Costa is a Brazilian children's author, actor, teacher, photographer, artisan, and writer. Da Costa is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult. For today's episode, Da Costa will be interviewing Beatris Hoffmann, a Brazilian author, screenwriter, ghost writer, journalist, actor, and visual artist. Hoffmann has a condition called nystagmus.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 18 - Beatris Hoffmann [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Grace Everett, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Everett is an award-winning playwright, actress, and singer. Everett is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult. 

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 19 - Grace Everett [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Grace Everett, an award-winning playwright, actress, and singer. Everett is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult. For today's episode, Everett will be interviewing Meredith Aleigha Wells, a queer and disabled performer, writer, creator, and educator based in Chicago. Wells is best known for their performance as Punky Who in How the Grinch Stole Christmas the Musical, marking the first performance by a wheelchair user in a Broadway national tour.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 20 - Meredith Aleigha Wells [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Grace Everett, an award-winning playwright, actress, and singer. Everett is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult. For today's episode, Everett will be interviewing Grace Douglas. Douglas is a blind freshman studying at the University of Souther Illinois to obtain a B.F.A. in musical theater. Douglas is a musical theater performer and dancer with an interest in sound design.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 21 - Grace Douglas [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Grace Everett, an award-winning playwright, actress, and singer. Everett is a disabilities advocate and was diagnosed with autism as an adult. For today's episode, Everett will be interviewing Autumn Best. Best is a TV, film, and stage actress, as well as a singer and writer based out of New York. Best, who has a limb difference, has been performing on stage since she was 4 and is excited for others to see someone who looks like them on screen. She wants to be a role model for those who have a disability looking to pursue their dreams.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 22 - Autumn Best Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Megan Bent, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Megan Bent is a lens-based artist interested in the malleability of photography and the ways image-making can happen beyond using a traditional camera. This interest started to occur after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness. She is drawn to image-making processes that reflect and embrace her disabled experience, especially interdependence, impermanence, care, and slowness.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 23 - Megan Bent Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Megan Bent. Bent is a lens-based artist interested in the malleability of photography and the ways image-making can happen beyond using a traditional camera. This interest started to occur after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness. She is drawn to image-making processes that reflect and embrace her disabled experience, especially interdependence, impermanence, care, and slowness. For today's episode, Bent will be interviewing Moira Williams. Williams (they/them) is a disabled Indigenous artist, cross-disability cultural activist, and access doula; they cocreate and weave disability justice together with crip celebratory resistance and environmental justice. Williams believes in access as art and “access intimacy” as an attitude needed to push beyond the limitations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 24 - Moira Williams Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Megan Bent. Bent is a lens-based artist interested in the malleability of photography and the ways image-making can happen beyond using a traditional camera. This interest started to occur after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness. She is drawn to image-making processes that reflect and embrace her disabled experience, especially interdependence, impermanence, care, and slowness. For today's episode, Bent will be interviewing Jeff Kasper. Kasper is an interdisciplinary artist, writer, and educator working in public art, design, and social engagement. He creates pedagogical tools, text-based projects, social spaces, publications, games, exhibitions, community education, and workshops, often in partnership with organizations. Much of his recent work examines the dynamics of social support, proximity, and safety, with a focus on how people practice care and collaboration, especially in times of conflict and crisis.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 25 - Jeff Kasper Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Megan Bent. Bent is a lens-based artist interested in the malleability of photography and the ways image-making can happen beyond using a traditional camera. This interest started to occur after the diagnosis of a progressive chronic illness. She is drawn to image-making processes that reflect and embrace her disabled experience—especially interdependence, impermanence, care, and slowness. Bent will be interviewing Whitney Mashburn, a Boston-based independent curator and writer, working at the intersection of contemporary art curation and accessibility activism. Her current project, a living archive entitled "Holding Space," bears witness to the lived experiences of those marginalized by chronic illness, through community interviews, art works, and manifestos. The project received an inaugural Sustaining Practice grant from the Collective Futures Fund for 2021–2022 and 2022–2023. She is the 2021–2022 Curator for Art Beyond Sight's Art + Disability Residency. Since 2016, she has been actively collaborating with Vancouver-based social practice artist Carmen Papalia on the tactile aesthetics project, "Let's Keep in Touch" (2016–present), setting precedents for haptic criticism in contemporary art. Her current research investigates tactile aesthetics, chronic illness, social accessibility, disability activism in curating, meaningful inclusion, environmental justice, and the role of dialogue in social practice and institutional critique.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 26 - Whitney Mashburn Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Jay Manuel, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Manuel is a full-time music producer, content creator, and actor. He has worked with companies such as Coca Cola and Snapchat and his beats have been used by thousands of recording artists worldwide. Despite being hard of hearing and living with a rare brittle bone condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta type 3 and autism, Manuel has dedicated his career to breaking barriers and representing young professionals with disabilities in the music and industry.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 27 - Jay Manuel [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jay Manuel, a full-time music producer, content creator, and actor. He has worked with companies such as Coca Cola and Snapchat and his beats have been used by thousands of recording artists worldwide. Despite being hard of hearing and living with a rare brittle bone condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta type 3 and autism, Manuel has dedicated his career to breaking barriers and representing young professionals with disabilities in the music and industry. Our guest for today is Tyler Roy. Roy, also known as 902 Beats, is a producer, sound designer, and mixer out of Nova Scotia who was born with dystonia. Roy has been creating music, collaborating, and networking with various musicians through social media and is an advocate for musicians and artists with disabilities.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 28- Tyler Roy [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jay Manuel, a full-time music producer, content creator, and actor. He has worked with companies such as Coca Cola and Snapchat and his beats have been used by thousands of recording artists worldwide. Despite being hard of hearing and living with a rare brittle bone condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta type 3 and autism, Manuel has dedicated his career to breaking barriers and representing young professionals with disabilities in the music and industry. Our guest for today is Sabeerah Najee, a DJ originally from Long Beach, California, and an experienced performer and recording artist. A power wheelchair user, Najee lives with spina bifida and is a self-professed accidental advocate for disabilities rights. Najee is also a program producer at Accessible +, an immersion opportunity for BIPOC people with disabilities to experience the Coachella Festival, build community, and come together to discuss festival accessibility and learn about professional opportunities in the live event industry.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 29 - Sabeerah Najee [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jay Manuel, a full-time music producer, content creator, and actor. He has worked with companies such as Coca Cola and Snapchat and his beats have been used by thousands of recording artists worldwide. Despite being hard of hearing and living with a rare brittle bone condition known as osteogenesis imperfecta type 3 and autism, Manuel has dedicated his career to breaking barriers and representing young professionals with disabilities in the music and industry. Our guest for today is Danny Spivak. Also known by his stage name "Ditch the Ego," Spivak is a producer, engineer, recording artist, entrepreneur, and mental health advocate. He has lived with PTSD, depression, and anxiety disorders and has used music as a platform to heal, inspire, and connect with others.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 30 - Danny Spivak [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Alex James Kennedy, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Kennedy is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher from the northeast of England. Kennedy suffers from a rare muscle wasting condition known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), but turns this into a positive, channeling his pain into writing music. Kennedy is also the singer for the world's first DMD-fronted alternative rock band known as Alex James, challenging the preconceptions of rock music, bringing wheelchairs onto the stage and advocating for change in the music industry.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 31 - Alex James Kennedy [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is U.K.-based musician Alex James Kennedy. Kennedy is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher from the northeast of England. Kennedy lives with a rare genetic muscle wasting condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). For today's episode, Kennedy will be speaking with Miss Jacqui, a poet, songwriter, spoken word artist, and facilitator. An experienced performer and recording artist, Miss Jacqui believes music is a universal language and knows a great deal about working with the cards that you are dealt. She is someone who always tries to challenge societal perceptions, like what it actually means to be a black woman with a disability. A wheelchair user herself, Miss Jacqui wants her poetry and music to help her listeners see the world differently, and to inspire others to feel confident in being themselves.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 32 - Miss Jacqui [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Alex James Kennedy. Kennedy is a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher from the northeast of England. Kennedy suffers from a rare muscle wasting condition known as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), but turns this into a positive, channeling his pain into writing music. Kennedy is also the singer for the world's first DMD-fronted alternative rock band known as Alex James, challenging the preconceptions of rock music, bringing wheelchairs onto the stage and advocating for change in the music industry. Today, Kennedy will be interviewing Sanjeev Mann, also known by his stage name, Supermann on da Beat. Mann is a Scottish and South Asian music producer, hip-hop artist, content creator, and disability advocate. Like Kennedy, Mann also lives with DMD. Mann works as a freelancer with various companies, including Drake Music Scotland and BBC Social, and also runs Hip Hop Scotland, a platform for local hip-hop artists.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 33 - Sanjeev Mann [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is UK-based musician Alex James Kennedy, a singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and teacher from the northeast of England. Kennedy lives with a rare genetic muscle wasting condition called Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). For today's episode, he will be speaking with Taylor Grace, a vocalist of UK-based hard rock band "Not Now Norman." Having lived with disabilities since childhood, Grace transforms her pain into songwriting, singing, and performing on stage. An advocate for artists with disabilities, Grace has been diagnosed with autism and lives with a condition called hereditary multiple exostoses.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 34 - Taylor Grace [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Laurence Clark, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Clark is an award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, a performer, screenwriter, and playwright who is based in the UK. He is also the chair of Triple C, a community interest company led by disabled artists. Triple C aims to drive up the role of disabled people in the performing arts, and the role of the performing arts in the lives of disabled people. Triple C also runs the disabled artists network community (DANC) project, which provides an extensive program of networking events, mentoring, and masterclasses for disabled artists and other artists.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 35 - Laurence Clark [Full Transcript]

Laurence Clark is an award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, performer, screenwriter, and playwright based in the U.K. Clark is also the chair of Triple C, a community interest company led by disabled artists. Triple C aims to drive up the role of disabled people in the performing arts, and the role of the performing arts in the lives of disabled people. Triple C also runs the disabled artists network community (DANC) project, which provides an extensive program of networking events, mentoring, and master classes for disabled artists and other artists. Today, Clark will be interviewing Annalisa Dinella, a British film and TV writer, most notably for the shows Sex Education, Ralph and Katie, and The Break. Dinella is visually impaired and lives with a rare inherited degenerative condition called retinitis pigmentosis, which leads to vision loss.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 36 - Annalisa Dinella [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Laurence Clark, an award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, performer, screenwriter, and playwright based in the U.K. Clark is also the chair of Triple C, a community interest company led by disabled artists. Triple C aims to drive up the role of disabled people in the performing arts, and the role of the performing arts in the lives of disabled people. Triple C also runs the disabled artists network community (DANC) project, which provides an extensive program of networking events, mentoring, and master classes for disabled artists and other artists. Today, Clark will be interviewing Melissa Johns, a British actress best known for her roles in Coronation Street, Life, and Grantchester. She is also the cocreator of Triple C, an organization that supports disabled people accessing the performing arts. Johns was born without her right forearm and hand.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 37 - Melissa Johns [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Laurence Clark, an award-winning stand-up comedian, actor, performer, screenwriter, and playwright who is based in the U.K. Clark is also the chair of Triple C, a community interest company led by disabled artists. Triple C aims to drive up the role of disabled people in the performing arts, and the role of the performing arts in the lives of disabled people. Triple C also runs the disabled artists network community (DANC) project, which provides an extensive program of networking events, mentoring, and master classes for disabled artists and other artists. Today, Clark will be interviewing Cherylee Houston, a British actress known for her roles as Izzy Armstrong in BBC’s Coronation Street, Britain's longest-running soap series, and as Maz, a character in Houston’s BBC Radio 4 comedy series Tinsel Girl. Houston is a self-professed accidental advocate and activist for neurodivergent and disabled artists and works to raise awareness for accessibility issues. At 23, Houston was diagnosed with the rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Type II hypermobility type. She has used a wheelchair ever since.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 38 - Cherylee Houston [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest is Anna Cowley Ford. Anna Cowley Ford is a post-disciplinary artist from rural West Texas. Using her experiences living with chronic health conditions as a touchstone, Ford explores the often bizarre world of living with chronic pain and disabilities. Along with manifesting sensory experiences, her artwork conveys the social and domestic impacts of health conditions on a chronic scale. Ford's practice includes but is not limited to functional and sculptural ceramics, textiles, large-scale installations, video, and accumulated medical objects and documents. Today, Ford will be interviewing Finnegan Shannon, an American multidisciplinary artist located in Brooklyn, New York. Working primarily on increasing perceptions of accessibility, Shannon's practice focuses on disability culture in inaccessible spaces. Shannon is most known for their protest pieces, such as art gallery benches criticizing lack of seating and lounges for those who cannot access stairs.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 39 - Anna Cowley Ford [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Anna Cowley Ford, a post-disciplinary artist from rural West Texas. Using her experiences living with chronic health conditions as a touchstone, Ford explores the often bizarre world of living with chronic pain and disabilities. Along with manifesting sensory experiences, her artwork conveys the social and domestic impacts of health conditions on a chronic scale. Ford's practice includes but is not limited to functional and sculptural ceramics, textiles, large-scale installations, video, and accumulated medical objects and documents. Today, Ford will be interviewing Finnegan Shannon, an American multidisciplinary artist located in Brooklyn, New York. Working primarily on increasing perceptions of accessibility, Shannon's practice focuses on disability culture in inaccessible spaces. Shannon is most known for their protest pieces, such as art gallery benches criticizing lack of seating and lounges for those who cannot access stairs.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 40 - Finnegan Shannon [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Anna Cowley Ford, a post-disciplinary artist from rural West Texas. Using her experiences living with chronic health conditions as a touchstone, Ford explores the often bizarre world of living with chronic pain and disabilities. Along with manifesting sensory experiences, her artwork conveys the social and domestic impacts of health conditions on a chronic scale. Ford's practice includes but is not limited to functional and sculptural ceramics, textiles, large-scale installations, video, and accumulated medical objects and documents. Today, Ford will be interviewing May Ling Kopecky. Kopecky's work is influenced by her experiences with pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS). Kopecky was diagnosed with MS in 2010 at the age of 15; due to her young age and the “invisible” nature of MS, she was often met with skepticism while talking about her illness. In response, her work visualizes how she navigates the world with MS, focusing on her relationship with healthcare, the physical evidence of her symptoms in MRI scans, and how she and others perceive the world when struggling with MS symptoms. Using art as a means of communication, Kopecky spreads MS awareness and advocates for people with invisible illnesses.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 41 -  May Ling Kopecky [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Anna Cowley Ford, a post-disciplinary artist from rural West Texas. Using her experiences living with chronic health conditions as a touchstone, Ford explores the often bizarre world of living with chronic pain and disabilities. Along with manifesting sensory experiences, her artwork conveys the social and domestic impacts of health conditions on a chronic scale. Ford's practice includes but is not limited to functional and sculptural ceramics, textiles, large-scale installations, video, and accumulated medical objects and documents. Today, Ford will be interviewing Emma Maclean, a textile artist living and working in Minneapolis, Minnesota. MacLean's quilts combine quilting cottons with secondhand materials, such as old clothes or bed sheets, and often feature handwork through embroidery and hand quilting. She is interested in how textiles can make the invisible visible. Much of her work focuses around pain, time, and learning to be soft. She is working on a series called It Only Hurts, creating a quilted piece for each word in the McGill Pain Questionnaire.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 42 -  Emma MacLean [Full Transcript]

Today's guest is Jennifer Msumba, an autistic filmmaker, author and award-winning solo musician originally from Boston. Msumba has become a prolific writer of both story and song. As author of the memoir Shouting at Leaves, she uses her pen to express those feelings that we all share but often find hard to express. Her work is positive, fun, and upbeat, while weaving a baseline of grit and strength born through adversity. It is worth noting that she is a member of American Mensa and is a Sundance Institute Fellow.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 43-  Jennifer Msumba [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Ella Bouvard, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Bouvard is a paraathlete and musician. Bouvard's main sports are triathalon, wheelchair rugby, and rugby. An active gigging musician, Bouvard is a self-taught guitarist and singer and often performs at pub shows and summer festivals.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 44 -  Ella Bouvard [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is, Ella Bouvard. Bouvard is a para-athlete whose main sports are triathlon, wheelchair rugby, and rugby. An active gigging musician, she is a self-taught guitarist and singer and often performs at pub shows and summer festivals. Today, she will be interviewing Larli Davies, an Australian musician currently studying at the Royal College of Music in London. As a recorder player, Davies enjoys exploring music of all styles of history as well as modern music. As a wheelchair user, she has a particular passion for exploring the role of disability in music.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 45 -  Larli Davies  [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Alexis Neumann, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Neumann is an installation and research artist and disabilities advocate. Neumann's work focuses on drawing attention to the complexities of the human experience while engaging disabilities studies, theology, cultural studies, and intersectionality. She lives with multiple invisible disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mental illness. 

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 46 -  Alexis Neumann [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Alexis Neumann, an installation and research artist and disabilities advocate. Neumann's work focuses on the drawing attention to the complexities of the human experience while engaging disabilities studies, theology, cultural studies, and intersectionality. She lives with multiple invisible disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mental illness. Marie Conner is a Portland-based sculptor and mixed-media artist, arts leader, and nonfiction writer. She has exhibited and published throughout Oregon, and gained immeasurable experience as director of the Littman and White student-run professional contemporary art galleries at Portland State University. Conner loves listening to and retelling stories through her art practices as a way of creating a stronger cultural and global community.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 47 -  Marie Conner [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Alexis Neumann, an installation and research artist and disabilities advocate. Neumann's work focuses on drawing attention to the complexities of the human experience while engaging disabilities studies, theology, cultural studies, and intersectionality. She lives with multiple invisible disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mental illness. Today, Neumann will be speaking with Torea Frey, a Portland-based collage and mixed-media artist creating contemporary works using found and gleaned materials to explore language, identity, and memory.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 48 - Torea Frey [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Alexis Neumann, an installation and research artist and disabilities advocate. Neumann’s work focuses on drawing attention to the complexities of the human experience while engaging disabilities studies, theology, cultural studies, and intersectionality. She lives with multiple invisible disabilities, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and mental illness. Today, Neumann will be interviewing Lindsey Holcomb, a self-taught interdisciplinary artist, speaker, and the founder of the #colorsofMS project. Holcomb holds a BA from the University of Oregon in Japanese and Asian studies, with a certificate in intercultural business communication and is represented by the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery and ArtLifting. When not creating in the studio, Holcomb enjoys writing and chaos gardening—all while trying to keep up with her daughters and a small herd of dogs.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 49 - Lindsey Holcomb [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, Kace Valentine, will also be our next upcoming guest host. Valentine is an autistic artist and influential voice in the alternative music and fashion world and a disability advocate. Valentine's social media content covers a wide variety of topics, including autism, music, fashion, and comedy.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 50 - Kace Valentine [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kace Valentine, an autistic artist and influential voice in the alternative music and fashion world and a disability advocate. Valentine's social media content covers a wide variety of topics, including autism, music, fashion, and comedy. For today's episode, Valentine will be interviewing Jessica Ansell, a vocalist and disability advocate from the U.K. and member of the alternative rock band Mallavora. Living with chronic illness, Mallorva's lived experience with her disability has become an important inspiration for her lyric writing and advocacy.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 51 - Jessica Ansell [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kace Valentine, an autistic artist and influential voice in the alternative music and fashion world and a disability advocate. Valentine's social media content covers a wide variety of topics, including autism, music, fashion, and comedy. For today's episode, Valentine will be interviewing Matt Graham, a California-based multi-instrumentalist and recording artist who is also autistic. Graham is also known by his stage name, Mattstagraham, a humorous play on words of his name and the social media platform Instagram. Graham often injects comedy into his music and has used his platform to spread advocacy for mental health and disability advocacy.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 52 - Matt Graham [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kace Valentine, an autistic artist and influential voice in the alternative music and fashion world and a disability advocate. Valentine's social media content covers a wide variety of topics, including autism, music, fashion, and comedy. For today's episode, Valentine will be interviewing Rae Brazill, a songwriter, designer, and director from Leeds, U.K. Brazill is the front-person of alt-rock quartet Artio, which writes compelling and breakneck music. With their debut album, Babyface, alongside a four-part gangster-inspired music video saga, they explore the experience of being a queer and neurodivergent artist, addressing both personal and social issues.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 53 - Rae Brazill Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest and our next guest host is Kellie Martin, a queer, non-binary, deaf artist. Martin has worked with arts, culture, and theater organizations for over eight years and loves to collaborate with other disabled artists. Currently working with Deaf Spotlight, Martin is the art and design program director. Deaf Spotlight supports deaf artists by helping them raise their professional level and helping them transition into the creative arts world.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 54 - Kellie Martin [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kellie Martin, a queer, non-binary, deaf artist. Martin has worked with arts, culture, and theater organizations for over eight years and loves to collaborate with other disabled artists. Currently working with Deaf Spotlight, Martin is the art and design program director. Deaf Spotlight supports deaf artists by helping them raise their professional level and helping them transition into the creative arts world. Today, Martin will be interviewing Jennifer Harris. Harris is an architectural designer at Johnson Oaklief Architecture Planning, which specializes in marina, residential, commercial, industrial, historical preservation, and master planning. She currently works on several projects, including mid-rise apartment, clinic, industrial, and small-scale projects. She has experience working with the architectural team in master planning. Some of her experience includes working on renovations, proposals, expansion projects, educational projects, and providing consultation to a design team regarding Deaf Space.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 55 - Jennifer Harris [Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kellie Martin, a queer, non-binary, deaf artist. Martin has worked with arts, culture, and theater organizations for over eight years and loves to collaborate with other disabled artists. Currently working with Deaf Spotlight, Martin is the art and design program director. Deaf Spotlight supports deaf artists by helping them raise their professional level and helping them transition into the creative arts world. Today, Martin will be interviewing Patty Liang, the executive director of Deaf Spotlight, which oversees artistic and cultural programming to support deaf artists and their work. Throughout her career, Liang has pursued opportunities that encourage deaf community to embrace and celebrate the arts. She has a BFA in ceramics from the University of Washington, and an MA in nonprofit management for the arts from New York University. She believes that everyone has the ability to create and express their story through the arts.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 56 - Patty Liang Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Kellie Martin, a queer, non-binary, deaf artist. Martin has worked with arts, culture, and theater organizations for over eight years and loves to collaborate with other disabled artists. Currently working with Deaf Spotlight, Martin is the art and design program director. Deaf Spotlight supports deaf artists by helping them raise their professional level and help them transition into the creative arts world. Today, she will be interviewing Tabitha Jacques, who is the director of placemaking at Gaulladet University and is also deaf. She previously worked as the former director of the Dyer Arts Center at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, an exhibit curator for the Gallaudet University Museum Project, and was a special projects coordinator for the National Postal Museum at the Smithsonian Institution. Her curatorial work continues to help provide opportunities for artists within and outside the deaf community to share their stories and bring their artistic visions to life.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 57 - Tabitha Jacques Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest is Jeremy Andrew Davis, who will also be our next guest host. Davis is a multi-hyphenate writer and film director, disability activist and representation consultant, entrepreneur, and social media content creator. His mission is to transform disability representation, shaping the cultures of tomorrow through the stories told today. He works to create and educate through nuance, weaving humor and joy through the sharing of adversities people with disabilities face.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 58 - Jeremy Andrew Davis Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jeremy Andrew Davis. Davis is a multi-hyphenate writer and film director, disability activist and representation consultant, entrepreneur, and social media content creator. Davis’s mission is to transform disability representation, shaping the cultures of tomorrow through the stories told today. He works to create and educate through nuance, weaving humor and joy through the sharing of adversities people with disabilities face. Today, he will be speaking with Miles Levin, a filmmaker and public speaker living with epilepsy. Through film and storytelling, Levin has advocated for epilepsy representation on the screen, first through his original short film "Under the Lights." Following the success of his short film, Levin has just finished a full-length production of the film, which he hopes will help shed some light on the experience of living with epilepsy and encourage others to open up about their disabilities.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 59 - Miles Levin Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jeremy Andrew Davis, a multi-hyphenate writer and film director, disability activist and representation consultant, entrepreneur, and social media content creator. Davis’s mission is to transform disability representation, shaping the cultures of tomorrow through the stories told today. He works to create and educate through nuance, weaving humor and joy through the sharing of adversities people with disabilities face. Today Davis will be speaking with Jeremy Hsing, a humanistic sci-fi writer, mental health advocate, and second-generation Taiwanese immigrant based in LA. He specializes in using his psychology background (BA in psychology and double minor in art history and film from UCLA) to construct elaborate worlds in which his characters are forced to experience an internal reckoning and question their morality in the pursuit of an emotional catharsis. He currently is directing a short documentary for PBS's American Masters. Past roles include the seasonal episodic lab coordinator at the Sundance Institute, AAPI student lead at the Center for Scholars & Storytellers, a public engagement intern at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a development intern at Film Independent, and a DEI intern at Warner Discovery.

A full transcript of the episode is available to read here: ABLE Voices Episode 60- Jeremy Hsing Full Transcript]

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jeremy Andrew Davis, a multi-hyphenate writer and film director, disability activist and representation consultant, entrepreneur, and social media content creator. Davis’s mission is to transform disability representation, shaping the cultures of tomorrow through the stories told today. He works to create and educate through nuance, weaving humor and joy through the sharing of adversities people with disabilities face. Today, he will be speaking with Cashmere Jasmine, a first-generation disabled Afro-Caribbean writer and director from South Florida. She crafts genre-bending media that revolve around taboos and the complexities of identity seen through lenses of class, race, sexuality, and even criminality, deconstructing perceptions with her real-life experiences with dark humor featuring antiheros that you’ll love to hate. Jasmine continues to imagine new ways to tell disability-inclusive stories and continues to represent those perspectives in the writer’s room. She recently completed the Disney Launchpad program and directed a short film on Disney+.

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Jeremy Andrew Davis, a multi-hyphenate writer and film director, disability activist and representation consultant, entrepreneur, and social media content creator. Davis’s mission is to transform disability representation, shaping the cultures of tomorrow through the stories told today. He works to create and educate through nuance, weaving humor and joy through the sharing of adversities people with disabilities face. Today, Davis will be speaking with Kaedyn Nedopak. Nedopak, known as Trans Faerie Prince on social media, is an award-winning queer transgender producer, author, podcast host, speaker, and creative activist who uses his art to inspire others and activate social change. With over three decades of experience as a digital creator, storyteller, and online personality, Nedopak's credits include several award-winning viral series, such as Late to the Game, which earned him the International Academy of Web Television's Best Host award, beating out Larry King and Wil Wheaton. Nedopak has been a frequent guest host for Good Day Sacramento, Mark at the Movies, The Nerd Machine, Think Hero TV, San Diego Comic-Con, and many other popular news and talk shows, as well as the master of ceremonies for large-scale festivals, such as Faerieworlds.

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest is John Bramblitt, who will also be our next guest host. Bramblitt is an artist living in Denton, Texas. His art has been sold in over 120 countries, and he has appeared internationally in print, TV, and radio. He has appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC, NBC, FOX, Discovery Channel, and BBC Radio and TV, to name a few outlets, and he's been featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today, as well as designed the artwork for numerous magazine covers and even the artwork for major film productions. He's the subject of the award-winning documentary shorts, Line of Sight and Bramblitt. His work has received much recognition, including the Most Inspirational Video of 2008 from YouTube and three Presidential Service Awards for his innovative art workshops. And John is blind.

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is John Bramblitt, an artist living in Denton, Texas. His art has been sold in over 120 countries, and he has appeared internationally in print, TV, and radio. He has appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC, NBC, FOX, Discovery Channel, and BBC Radio and TV, to name a few outlets, and he's been featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today, as well as designed the artwork for numerous magazine covers and even the artwork for major film productions. He's the subject of the award-winning documentary shorts Line of Sight and Bramblitt. His work has received much recognition, including the Most Inspirational Video of 2008 from YouTube and three Presidential Service Awards for his innovative art workshops. And John is blind. Today, John will be speaking to Krista Webb, a wood burning artist based out of Texas. Webb was born with Usher syndrome, type 2, a genetic cause of combined deaf-blindness. Webb uses Instagram to connect with other deaf-blind people all over the world. She loves creating art and educating people about how blindness is a spectrum.