Transcript: https://bit.ly/AIAe058 Erik Weihenmayer is one of the most celebrated and accomplished athletes in the world. In 2001, he became the only blind person in history to climb Mount Everest. When he stood on top of Carstensz pyramid in 2008, he completed his quest to climb all of the seven summits, the tallest peak on each of the seven continents.  Erik is the author of the bestselling memoir, Touch the top of the world, which was made into a feature film as well as the Adversity Advantage, which shows readers how to turn everyday struggles into everyday greatness. His latest book, No Barriers, A Blind Man's Journey to kayak The Grand Canyon is more than an adventure story. It illuminates how we move forward in our lives towards growth and purpose, despite the barriers that get in our way. He is an internationally recognized speaker and brings his message of living a no-barriers life to audiences around the world. In September, 2014, Erik and blinded Navy veteran Lonnie Bedwell kayaked the entire 277 miles of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River, considered one of the most formidable whitewater adventures in the world. Erik continually seeks out new adventures, focusing his efforts on empowering people traditionally swept to the sidelines of life. He founded an organization called No Barriers, which helps people with challenges tap into the human spirit, break through barriers, and contribute to the world. Connect with Erik: https://erikweihenmayer.com/ https://nobarriersusa.org/ https://www.instagram.com/erikweihenmayer/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/AIAe057 Sommer is a 29 year old mental health advocate in the Denver area and the owner of Discreet Journal. She was diagnosed with severe obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and speaks out about her challenges and opportunities with mental health. Connect with Sommer: https://discreetjournal.com/ https://www.facebook.com/discreetjournal/ https://www.instagram.com/discreetjournal/ https://www.pinterest.com/DiscreetJournal/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/AIAe056 After being diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of two, Cory Lee’s thirst for adventure never ceased. He has traveled across all seven continents in his powered wheelchair while managing to run his travel blog CurbFreeWithCoryLee.com, where he shares his accessible — and sometimes not so accessible — travel adventures with others. Cory also does annual group trips, where his followers can join him in international destinations, and in 2022, he launched The Curb Free Foundation. This nonprofit provides wheelchair users with travel grants to go on their dream trip. As always, Cory’s goal is to inspire other wheelchair users to roll out of their comfort zones and see all of the beauty our world has to offer. Connect with Cory: https://curbfreewithcorylee.com/ https://www.instagram.com/curbfreecorylee/ https://www.thecurbfreefoundation.com/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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: https://pva.org/ https://pva.org Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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. https://voloresband.com/ https://www.instagram.com/voloresband/ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/volores/1650690648 https://www.youtube.com/@VOLORES https://www.instagram.com/nathenmaxwell/ https://www.floggingmolly.com/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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 https://www.instagram.com/gofastmurph/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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: - https://stokeforlife.org/ - https://usopenadaptivesurfingchampionships.com/ - https://adaptivesurfingprofessionals.com/ - https://www.instagram.com/stokeforlife/ - https://www.instagram.com/adaptivesurfingprofessionals/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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 https://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. https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/ disability.services@disneyparks.com Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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/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: - https://USOPC.org - https://TeamUSA.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julieoneilldussliere/ Connect with the Rocky Mountain ADA Center at https://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!