Sunday, December 21, 2008

The world of disability podcasts

This is a roundup of some of the audio and video podcasts that exist on the Internet. They were found through a search on iTunes and Google. Please let me know if you know of others. All the descriptions are from each podcast's Web site.


  • The Disability Law Lowdown Podcast, Brought to you by nationally recognized leaders in the field of disability law, the Disability Law Lowdown Podcast delivers the latest in disability rights information every other week. You can subscribe for free and have shows automatically delivered, or you can listen to the show and read the transcripts from this site.

  • AutismPodcast.org interviews educators, psychologists, and parents who work with youngsters plagued by Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The interviews are conducted by Michael Boll, a certified teacher and father of an autistic boy.

  • Assistive Media works to heighten the educational, cultural, and quality-of-living standards for people with disabilities by providing free, copyright-approved, high-caliber audio literary works to the world-wide disability community. The Internet enables Assistive Media to distribute audio effectively, inexpensively, and efficiently.

  • Presented by Seonaid Dunne, Outside the Box shines a spotlight on issues of broad concern to disabled people in Ireland, their families and representative organisations. The show confronts issues head on and is not afraid to challenge commonly held assumptions about disabled people and the disability sector. With an estimated 300,000 people in Ireland touched by some sort of physical, sensory or intellectual disability, the relevance of Outside the Box stretches far beyond the disabled community to industry, policymakers and the general public.

  • Disability411 (logo is pictured) provides audio workshops, interviews and information on disability-related topics for those who work with individuals with disabilities, including college disability counselors, rehabilitation counselors, K-12 special education teachers, employers, or anyone who works in the disability field. Information is also of interest for individuals with disabilities and their families. Hosted by Beth Case, a disability counselor with more than 12 years of experience in post-secondary disability services.

  • Disability News Radio wants to be a voice that will build and maintain a leadership position in the media for people with disabilities as we promote awareness, educate and inspire. To build bridges between people with disabilities and people without, as well as entertain and break down the mental and physical barriers and to realize the unique gifts and talents each human being has.

  • DisabilityNation has a new episode featuring the latest news from around the disability community, an encore of an interview focusing on the Adaptive Sports Association, an update on future episodes of the show and some new features that are now part of the DisabilityNation phone portal.

  • "The Assistive Technology Show,” part of the Assistive Technology Services of Maine, is a weekly round table-style forum to discuss all things assistive technology, or technology related. Whether you have a question, want to talk about technology you’re finding useful, or just want to learn something new, the Assistive Technology Show is for you. The program is very informal with users generally helping one another. Guest speakers join the program to present new products and services; however, there is ample time during each show for questions and discussions. If you’re unable to take part in the show, or would just like to hear it later, feel free to check out our archives, or feel free to subscribe to our podcast.

  • Ouch! is a Web site from the BBC that reflects the lives and experiences of disabled people. It has articles, blogs, a very busy message board and an award-winning downloadable radio show - The Ouch Podcast). It's aimed at those with a stakehold in disability: family, friends, professionals and, rather importantly, disabled people themselves - without whom all this would be a bit meaningless.

  • Exploring the Frontiers of Assistive Technology from AssistiveWare in Amsterdam, Netherlands in a video podcast showing how people use assistive technology to communicate, express their creativity, play games and make so much more out of life. These videos show that there is no reason why people with physical, vision, speech or language impairments cannot use the same creative and educational software as every other Mac OS X user. There are a few episodes per year, each starring a different person.

  • "The Yvonne Pierre Show" on HYH Radio is a free podcast that covers topics that uplift, inspire, and inform women, parents, and the disabled community. Zyonair's Media Corp. is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to creating, published, and producing media outlets that promote empowerment to women from all walks of life and promoting awareness for the special needs community.

One-time video or audio shows on disability topics:



  • "Legitimizing The Unthinkable: A Disability Rights Perspective On Nazi Medicine With Harriet McBryde Johnson" from the U.S. Holocaust Museum. Nazi science and medicine focused on eliminating both physical and mental impairments, real and perceived, as part of the path to "racial purity." Eugenics-based sterilization policies in Germany and throughout the world as well as the Nazis' so-called "euthanasia" program were often justified by physicians and scientists as relieving individual suffering while contributing to the "greater good." Renowned author, advocate, and attorney Harriet McBryde Johnson brought a disability rights perspective to bear on issues raised by the Museum's Deadly Medicine exhibition.

  • "A.B.L.E. Tech: Achieving Better Life Experiences for People With Injury, Disability, and Aging Challenges Through 21st Century Technologies" from June 6, 2007 at MIT. Within a decade, the number of Americans requiring continual managed care for chronic conditions could reach 100 million. Explore the entrepreneurial opportunities that technology, engineering, and life sciences can have on the quality of every day life for the aging and disabled. "A.B.L.E. Tech" spotlights: The vast entrepreneurial opportunities that technology, engineering, and life sciences can have on the quality of every day life for the aging and disabled; Cutting-edge advances being developed today; How to prevent a looming crisis by focusing on managed vs. acute medical care. The featured panel is moderated by NBC News correspondent and MIT Media Lab Distinguished Fellow, John Hockenberry, and features MIT Media Lab Professor Hugh Herr, and noted inventor, entrepreneur and president of DEKA Research, Dean Kamen.

  • "PA Inside Out: Disability Rights" on WPSU Radio. Michael Berube, co-director of the Disabilities Program at Penn State, discusses the law, meaning and accommodation of disability, as well as his experiences and insights as the parent of a child with Down Syndrome.

  • "The Hand That Feeds: Charity Telethons & Disability Activism," a public lecture by Paul K. Longmore, Professor Of History and Director of The Institute on Disability at San Francisco State University, November 11, 2005 at Ryerson University's RBC Foundation Institute for Disability Studies Research and Education in Canada.