All Episodes

October 8, 2024 58 mins

On today's episode of Access Denied, I am joined by Rachel Bender. Rachel is a content creator who shares her life as a disabled and chronically ill nursing student.

In this engaging conversation, Rachel Bender and host, Jessica Jordan share their journeys as young advocates for the disability community. They both discuss what it was like growing up with a disability in the US Education System. The dialogue explores the importance of representation, the challenges faced by disabled individuals in various sectors, and the impact of climate change on marginalized communities. They emphasize the need for self-advocacy, community support, and the normalization of accessibility in all aspects of life.

Follow Rachel!

https://www.tiktok.com/@rachcutiepie

https://www.instagram.com/rachcutiepie/


Climate Action Fund!

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/support-inaugural-federal-climate-superfund-bill?source=direct_link&

Follow Access Denied on socials!

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/accessdeniedpod/⁠⁠⁠

TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@accessdeniedpod⁠⁠⁠


Follow host Jessica Jordan on socials!

Website - ⁠⁠⁠https://therollingexplorer.com/

⁠⁠⁠Instagram - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therollingexplorer/⁠⁠⁠

TikTok - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@therollingexplorer⁠⁠⁠

YouTube - ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@therollingexplorer


Intro and Outro Music Production by JP Warner Sound:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jpwarnersound.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/jpwarnersound/⁠


Takeaways: Rachel started her advocacy journey during the pandemic.

Invisible disabilities often go unnoticed, leading to a lack of support.

Nursing is a calling for Rachel, inspired by her experiences in healthcare.

Community and representation are vital in the disability space.

Education is crucial for self-advocacy and understanding rights.

Microaggressions can have a significant impact on disabled individuals.

Climate change disproportionately affects marginalized communities.

Accessibility services should be available in all educational settings.

It's important to normalize asking for help and using accessibility services.

Rachel's mom has been a strong advocate and support throughout her journey.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Connection

02:00 - Rachel's Journey into Advocacy

07:57 - Balancing Nursing and Influencing

16:57 - Navigating Education as a Disabled Student

23:59 - Facing Microaggressions and Advocacy

31:01 - The Importance of Representation

41:49 - Climate Change and Disability

49:05

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Therapy Gecko

Therapy Gecko

An unlicensed lizard psychologist travels the universe talking to strangers about absolutely nothing. TO CALL THE GECKO: follow me on https://www.twitch.tv/lyleforever to get a notification for when I am taking calls. I am usually live Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays but lately a lot of other times too. I am a gecko.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.