August 22, 2024 • 48 mins
Making Connections and Changing Lives
In this episode of the True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast, hosts MsBoye, Jennifer McKinney, and Adam Griebel present stories from disability advocates. The episode includes a reflection on Mesko's early advocacy and a reading of his story "Glen," followed by an interview with advocate Kyle Cox, highlighting the importance of community connections and perseverance. Guest host Toby Al-Trabulsi engages with Kyle about his advocacy journey, emphasizing the need for self-advocacy and the role of supportive relationships.
Podcast logo ID: Bottom left Mesko wearing glasses and a flat cap smiles into the camera. Bottom right Kyle Cox male with short brown hair smiling, seated wearing a light blue button-down shirt, red tie. All above TRUE TALES BY DISABILITY ADVOCATES SEASON 3 Art Spark Texas
Guest Bio
Kyle Cox graduated from Texas A&M in 2018 with a degree in Political Science, then received his Master of Public Administration from the Bush School of Public Service and Government in 2020.
Born in El Paso, Texas with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a progressive muscle disorder that is the leading fatal genetic disorder in children, Kyle has learned to navigate a world not designed for people with disabilities. He has fully immersed himself in both the disability and the “abled” communities and has adopted the mantra “It’s not the disability, it’s the ABILITY” choosing to focus on his abilities.
While at Texas A&M, Kyle was involved in numerous campus organizations including the Diversity Commission, Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX) Christian fraternity, Aggie Adaptive Sports, the Bush School Ambassador's Council, the Symphonic Band, and the Hullabaloo Pep band. He was twice elected to the Student Senate and was elected to the Bush School Ambassador Council. He was also Chairman and Founder of the Disability Subcommission.
Kyle served on the Student Advisory Board for Disability Services and the planning committees for the Student Services Building and the 21st Century Classroom Building. Kyle served as a delegate for the MSC Fall Leadership Conference and the Abbott Family Leadership Conference and has worked with many Texas A&M officials, Disability Services, and the Center on Disability and Development to improve inclusion and accessibility on the A&M campus.
In the Spring of 2018, Kyle received the Gary Grey Accountability, Climate, and Equity (ACE) Award for his work in advocacy, and in the Spring of 2020, the Buck Weirus Award.
Upon graduation, Kyle chose to remain in Aggieland and launched his own consulting company, Cox Consultants, which offers policy consulting and analytics to businesses and agencies.
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/KylesKomrades/
https://kylecoxeportfolio.weebly.com/
https://www.facebook.com/CoxConsultants/
Videos:
https://vimeo.com/269928141/236823631
https://vimeo.com/269928141/269928141
Highlights
00:43 Welcome
01:23 Episode Intro
03:10 Mesko Intro
06:32 Story - "Getting Older" by Mesko
07:44 Hosts & Chris Chat
07:47 Phenomena, not Conclusion
12:15 Toby Welcomes Kyle
14:02 Story - "Advocacy, Education, and Relationships" by Kyle Cox
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
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kristen Gooch (00:09):
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates
Podcast, authentic voices ofpeople thriving with
disabilities, where individualsuse the art of storytelling to
change the world.
John Beer (00:22):
The True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast is
produced by Art Spark Texas,Speaking Advocates Program.
The free virtual training isopen to people of all
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Kamand Alaghehband (00:35):
Keep listening to hear how life's
challenges can spark a desire tospeak out, and Advocate for
yourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:50):
Hello, you're listening to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast.
Changing the world one story ata time.
This is the show where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and develop
empathy in others.
Hello, everyone, I'm MsBoye.
Jennifer (01:09):
I'm Jennifer McKinney,
Adam (01:11):
I'm Adam Griebel,
MsBoye (01:12):
...and we are your hosts for season three.
Jennifer (01:23):
We started season three by looking back at some of
the stories from the early 90s.
Chris Strickling introduced usto a few folks of Actual Lives
Austin through their stories.
Unfortunately, these amazingfolks are no longer with us.
Adam (01:40):
We're going to start this episode with Mesko he was
another storyteller from theearly days of Actual Lives.
MsBoye (01:47):
Then in the second half of the show, we'll meet Karl
Cox.
He's a brilliant young advocatewho shares his story about how
essential it is to makeconnections with If we want to
change the world.
Adam (01:57):
Yes, and our own lives.
Jennifer (02:00):
That's so true, Adam.
I find that when I have healthyrelationships with friends that
give me good feedback and truefeedback, it helps me figure out
what's really going on in mylife.
MsBoye (02:21):
Yeah.
I know that, um, it's the peopleI've been most connected with in
my life that, um, help me createbig changes in my life through
their honesty.
So I'm really grateful for that.
And for somebody like me, who,uh, knows I need friends, but
prefers friends who never callme and don't want me to do
anything, I, I, I have to workvery hard at that.
Adam (02:44):
Adam Laughs! Oh, stop it! Stop it!
Jennifer (02:49):
Laughter!
Adam (02:51):
Laughs.
All right.
Jennifer (02:55):
Yay! I can't wait to hear these stories again.
Adam (02:58):
Well, we better start then!...
MsBoye (03:01):
All right, let's listen to Chris chatting with us about
Mesko and his story,"Glenn."
Chris (03:13):
This is a story by Mesko, which is this man's, uh, kind of
his stage name.
Um, about cowards.
MsBoye (03:21):
That's right.
But it's also about how, when wemake connections with other
people, that can act as acatalyst for change in
ourselves, but it can alsocreate change in the world
around us.
Mesko (03:41):
“Glen”, by Mesko Bullies were a major influence on my
young life, way before I had adisability.
I went to a Catholic gradeschool, the nuns were the enemy
for all of us boys, so I didn'thave to worry about classmates
picking on me.
That changed when I got intopublic junior high.
I was tall, but soft and flabbyand uncoordinated a natural
(04:01):
target for bullies.
I got pushed around a lot, and Iwas always afraid.
I remember one kid in 7th gradechallenged me to a fight after
school, in a local alley.
I showed up at this place with ahost of spectators waiting.
I had no idea what I'd do when Igot there, but luckily the other
kid didn't even show up.
It got worse in 8th grade.
(04:21):
There was this guy named JimHill, a big, ugly, dumb kid who
delighted in pushing me around.
Finally, one day I'd just hadenough and I turned and glared
at him.
Maybe I already had a little bitof the villain's look that I
became known for in my stageplay days.
He backed off.
Most bullies are cowards I was14 when I took up weightlifting.
I was tired of being beat up.
(04:43):
The local bullies, most of them,quit bugging me when I started
pulling weights.
I got my first set of weightsand within a year I'd gained
enough weight and got strongenough that the bullying
stopped.
Finally, even the two biggest,dumbest bullies gave it up they
just quit one day Period.
I didn't know why.
I never got a chance to learn tofistfight, but I know that if I
had gotten lucky, and actuallyconnected with somebody's jaw:
(05:05):
he would have felt it.
My friend Glen Randall was not arocket scientist.
He just wasn’t, and he knew it.
He liked hanging around with me.
Why?
I’d turn him on to things,books, movies and the like He
was more of a physical type thanme.
Much more! Glen was not onlygood at fighting, he liked to
fight! He dies of brain cancerin his late twenties, before I
(05:27):
even know that he was sick.
Many years later, I found outthat Glen had taken each one of
the Bad Boys who were bullyingme, into a back alley and beat
the crap out of them, aftertelling them,“Leave Mesko
Alone!” He had my back, BigTime! I never got to say,"Thank
You" as a teen.
I am saying it now! Glen,"ThankYou!"
Jennifer (05:52):
Sounds like Mesko had some good friends.
Chris (05:55):
He did.
He was a good friend.
He had Multiple Sclerosis, andit, it just, umm...
Went really slow for him.
So....
MsBoye (06:06):
He didn't grow up identifying as disabled because
he wasn't, but as he aged, hewas also experiencing the
progression of the MS, right?
Uh, that must have taken a lotto navigate.
You've got another piece that Ithink talks to that.
Would you be willing to readthat for us now?
I think it's time to hear it...
Chris (06:24):
Here's, here's a piece he wrote a sort of, um, a sort of
thing about time.
Mesko (06:44):
Getting Older by Mesko.
I refuse to get older, thansixteen?! What does getting
older do for you?
It doesn't do anything at all.
Sixteen was the worst and bestyear of my life.
I was physically a man by then.
I was afraid of sex andcommitment.
I was learning more and morethings all the time! Physically,
I was in the best shape of mylife! I never was an athlete,
(07:08):
but I looked like one! I pumpediron and I looked great.
Everyone, looked at me! Dad wasa career Marine.
It was not good at home! Insteadof joining the Marine Corps, I
became an actor! It was, a bigdisappointment for him.
But being an actor, that's oneway to stay young! I'm 60 years
old and I've done over 60 stageplays, but because of my
(07:30):
disease, I can no longer treadthe boards! Luckily, Multiple
Sclerosis has not taken my voiceaway! There is no point, in
getting older, mentally, I feelthe same! Still, no matter how
hard I try, I can't stop thegray!
Adam (07:47):
You know, Chris, I'm so glad we're including that story.
It's important for us to includethe experience of people with an
acquired disability, like me.
MsBoye (08:00):
I agree.
You know, when I'm doingtrainings, I love to point out
that disability is the onlyminority group that anyone can
join at any time, right?
Adam (08:08):
Riiiight!
Jennifer (08:10):
That's a very good point MsBoye.
MsBoye (08:12):
Most people see disability as one big thing,
right?
Adam (08:15):
Yeah.
MsBoye (08:16):
I think it's important for us to, um, share that.
Jennifer (08:20):
Okay.
I totally agree with thisbecause.
Um, most people think that youjust sort of either have a
disability or you don't.
They don't think about acquireddisabilities.
Like, I've been in a doctor'soffice before, and people have
had accidents.
And they've lost an eye and it'stheir first time visiting with
(08:42):
this particular prostheticdoctor, the eye prosthetic
doctor.
I have a prosthetic eye, but Ihave for a very long time, since
I was two weeks old.
Totally different, but it helpsthem to know that other people
are going through what they'regoing through.
So this is vital.
Thank you for bringing this up.
MsBoye (09:02):
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
I think, thank you.
I mean, it's definitely.
Uh, really highlights that theterm disability or disability
community is, you know, it'smuch more complicated than just
everybody all in one box.
Adam (09:21):
Yep, there are many, many, many, many, many boxes.
Jennifer (09:24):
So true.
MsBoye (09:25):
Exactly! There are many boxes.
Like they say, once you've metone person with autism, you've
met one person with autism.
And that applies to alldisabilities, I think.
Adam (09:36):
Um, for the most part.
I mean, there, there are somesimilarities.
And characteristics of typical"behaviors, but...
Yeah.
MsBoye (09:44):
Yeah
Adam (09:45):
You know, when, when, when thinking about who I was before
my injury, I was, I was youngerbefore my injury.
That's it.
MsBoye (09:55):
Right.
And for you, You're kind of inthe middle ground, you know, you
didn't, um, grow up with yourdisability, but you also did
grow up with your disability,because you were only a
teenager, right?
So, you're, you're totally,you're probably a different man
than you would have been,without it.
Adam (10:17):
Oh, yeah.
But fortunately, I, I, I wasgiven the impetus to make the
decisions that I did makedespite my head injury or
because of my head injury orit's just life
MsBoye (10:33):
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
Jennifer (10:35):
I agree.
Adam (10:36):
Wow! Reality, reality is not necessarily a constant.
MsBoye (10:44):
Right it's not.
We do it all the time, actually,it's not just about people with
disabilities.
It's like, human nature, we havethis thing where we need to make
the sense of things, and we'renot comfortable with the idea of
experiencing people as aphenomena, you know?
We always like to makeconclusions about everybody.
Even if we hate it, if someoneputs us in a box, you know, it's
just how our brain makes senseof the world.
Adam (11:07):
Oh yeah.
Jennifer (11:08):
That's true.
That's really true, because Ifeel like I've been in a box my
whole life, off and on,depending on who I'm around.
So I totally get that.
I try to teach them in a way,and sometimes it's successful.
(11:29):
Most of the time, it feels likeit's maybe not, but that's
irrelevant.
I'm just sort of rambling.
Sorry.
Adam (11:40):
No, you were fine.
All right, where to now?
MsBoye (11:43):
That's a perfect segue into our second guests for this
episode, Kyle Cox.
For this story,"Advocacy,Education, and Relationships,"
we welcome back TobyAl-Trabulsi, he was a host from
seasons one and two, and he'sgoing to chat with Kyle about
his story and his life.
What do you think Jennifer, arewe ready for Kyle's story,
Jennifer (12:06):
Sounds good
Toby (12:15):
I'm host Toby Al Trabulsi.
I'm here with Kyle Cox, who willbe sharing their story"Advocacy,
Education, and Relationships."Hi, Kyle.
Welcome.
I'm thrilled you agreed to joinus.
I know you're a busy man.
Kyle (12:29):
Thank you.
I'm excited to be here.
Toby (12:31):
It's great to have you on the podcast.
Your story highlights theimportance of community
connections and disabilityadvocacy.
You were in grad school when youwere writing this.
Um, I'm interested to find outwhat it was like for you to make
the shift from writingacademically to writing a more
first person narrative.
(12:52):
Those are two very differentstyles.
Kyle (12:56):
Yes, um, they are very two different styles.
It was quite a shift going fromacademics to having a more
personal story and living lifein the community.
Uh, from an academic standpoint,I just saw all the issues and I
was being supported by myparents and other people, so I
(13:18):
didn't really get to see thewhole other side of things to
deal with outside of theacademic world.
And then once I completelyshifted to being in the
community, that's when I reallystarted to really share my
story.
Toby (13:36):
Oh, I think that's so cool and it's an immensely hard thing
to do.
And I think that's wonderfulthat you were able to, to do
that and, and you made yourlife's work out of it.
I'm super excited for you toshare your story with us and
then see what you have in store.
Please stay tuned for Kyle'sstory.
Kyle (14:02):
I'm Kyle Cox, and this is my story,"Advocacy, Education,
and Relationships".
Being a disability advocate canbe hard, but educating people
and building relationships havehelped me persevere in this
struggle.
Not only am I trying to make adifference in the lives of
people with disabilities, ButI'm also trying to change other
(14:22):
people's perceptions of them andintroduce them to ideas about
disability that differs fromtheir long held biases,
prejudices, and experiences.
I've been in many situationswhere places have closed their
doors or where people closedtheir minds to people with
disabilities.
(14:43):
One experience in my life waswhen I was talking to a
Diversity Office about doing atraining on disability.
I was unable to convince them todo the training and why it was
important for disability to be apart of diversity.
I left the meeting feelingdiscounted, unwelcomed, that I
was just not worth the effort.
(15:05):
I just had a sense that theywere not open to the idea that
inclusion for us is more thancompliance with the ADA, that
disability is much part ofdiversity and intersectionality
as race, class, gender, andculture.
When someone makes assumptionsthat us as a disability
community and did not listenwhen we offered to tell them
(15:27):
what is important to us, what weneed and the right way to do
things, they contribute to theproblem of closing doors to
people with disabilities.
I believe that educating peoplewhat it is like to live with a
disability is key to openingminds.
Throughout my collegeexperience, that was my whole
goal when advocating for peoplewith disabilities.
(15:50):
I worked on buildingrelationships with leaders on
campus, constantly puttingmyself in positions to
continually advocate for myselfand my community with relentless
persistence.
I had hoped to form thecommittee to advocate for
students of all disabilities.
The first few attempts wereunsuccessful due to not having
(16:11):
the right people who werecommitted, or not having people
at the table who could make adifference.
It was a lot of work, and whenone attempt failed, I tried to
do it a different way, and thenanother.
Until finally, I was successful.
It took many years, and what Ilearned was that it was all
about forming relationships withpeople.
(16:33):
I couldn't do it alone.
I needed to bring other peopleto the table who could truly
make an impact.
Only then was I able to make adifference.
When I started buildingrelationships with other people,
I realized that it wasn't thatpeople were ignorant or
unsympathetic towards peoplewith disabilities, but that they
were just simply unaware andtruly wanted to learn.
(16:57):
I've been blessed to have greatfriends throughout my college
life.
These have grown into genuinerelationships, and I can be
myself when I'm around them.
I can just be one of the guys.
My junior year of college, myfive best friends surprised me
by taking me on a road trip fora week.
We went through Texas, Colorado,and New Mexico, stopping at
(17:20):
various destinations along theway.
It was one of the first roadtrips I've ever taken with just
friends and not my parents.
It truly made me feel like I wasjust one of the guys and not
that friend in a wheelchair.
On the trip, we were able tojoke around, make fun of each
other, and just have a goodtime.
Not once did I feel like I hadto prove myself.
They just accepted me for who Iwas.
(17:43):
It was one of the most inclusiveexperiences in my life.
Most of the time, I mustnavigate a world not designed
for me.
And so when someone opens theirdoor to me and my friends with
disabilities, it shows me thatthey truly care.
It shows me that they want toknow me for who I am as a
person.
And that they value me as anequal.
(18:05):
It gives me hope that there willbe a world that considers and
includes us in the blueprint ofany design, and not simply as an
afterthought or an add on.
Until then, I will continue toeducate and create one
relationship at a time.
Thank you.
Toby (18:32):
What I love about this is you knew what you wanted, your
confidence and determinationand, and the support that you
made yourself open to I knowfor, for myself that it's not
always easy to ask for what youwant, especially, especially
when you know what you need, butyou don't always know how to get
(18:56):
it.
Where did you learn the skillsto be confident enough to
advocate for for what you need?
Kyle (19:03):
I really learned my, those skills from my mother.
Especially when I got tocollege.
She told me that I just need tolearn to advocate for myself and
put myself out there and ask forpeople for help and she kind of
just made me do it the hard way.
I started asking her for help atleast during my freshman year
(19:28):
and she would just tell me askyour roommate or ask your friend
to help you and eventually thatjust, I started getting more and
more confident with askingpeople for help and that really
put me out there.
During my freshman year ofcollege, I didn't really join
anything.
I didn't put myself out there.
I didn't quite know how toadvocate for myself.
(19:50):
And so, it, it came with thelearning experience.
And so I...
as I put myself in moresituations where I needed help,
I started getting more and moreconfident.
And at the end of the day,people want to help you, they
just don't know how.
And I know I can relate to thatwhen it comes to other
(20:10):
disabilities.
For example, I mean, I'm in awheelchair, and so I know what
my needs are, but a lot of timesI don't know what someone with a
different disability.
Sometimes I don't know whatother people with other
disabilities need, like, beingvisibly impaired.
I don't know what they mightneed help with, and so, and
(20:32):
unless they tell me, I, I don'tknow.
Toby (20:35):
About your mother, uh, she was an advocate in her own
right, right?
Kyle (20:39):
Yes, she was.
Toby (20:40):
Um, do you mind, uh, talking about that a little bit?
She, she was also on the boardfor CTD.
Kyle (20:49):
Yes, she was on the Board for the Texas Council for
Developmental and Disabilitiesfor twelve years.
And she, she started, before shecame on the board, she did Texas
Policy and Partners inPolicymaking.
And that's when she reallystarted to learn about
(21:12):
disability and being adisability advocate and really
what people with disabilitieswanted.
When I was in elementary school,uh, I used to get pulled out for
physical therapy, occupationaltherapy, and speech therapy.
And after she took thattraining, Partners in
(21:32):
Policymaking, she came back andasked me what I wanted.
And I told her I didn't want, Ididn't like being pulled out of
class for all those therapies.
And so she listened to me andshe decided to pull out all
therapies in school and starteddoing them at home so I wouldn't
(21:52):
be pulled out.
So my mom just really has beenmy biggest advocate and she
listens to what I want, what Ineed, and she goes out there and
is my my best supporter.
Toby (22:09):
That's great.
So To have that kind of in homedirect support to advocate for
you and, and champion yourvoice, but also encourage yours
as well.
Kyle (22:22):
Yeah, exactly...
Toby (22:23):
That Is really vital for your, your growth.
So it helped you become anexpert in your own life, that
kind of firsthand experience.
That kind of thing can be reallyexhausting.
Uh, most people I know are justexhausted by advocating, laughs)
they're just very drained fromfighting for their personal
(22:48):
needs.
They don't have that kind ofsupport, or they learn bits and
pieces of it through their dailylife.
And so, that can be a verydraining thing, um, so, I wonder
how did you make the shift fromfighting for your personal needs
(23:08):
to, community advocacy?
Kyle (23:11):
Yeah.
Toby (23:11):
Why is it so important to you?
Kyle (23:13):
Yeah, um, I recognize that there is a need here in the
community, and I gotta thinkabout this for a second.
Can you repeat the question?
Toby (23:26):
Sure.
So, I have friends that don'thave similar supports.
I mean, I, I actually have...
my mom wasn't on the board ofCTD.
She wasn't on any board, but shewas my champion as well.
So I actually have similarexperiences, I'm not very
politically engaged, but I willsay that it is very taxing to
(23:50):
have to advocate for yourselfconstantly day in and day out.
Let alone be encouraged to getinto the political arena.
What made you want to shift inthat way, from yourself to for
others?
Because that could, that's a lotof energy.
That's just...
could take it out of you, butyou seem to do it effortlessly,
(24:13):
and you derive enjoyment out ofit, which is great.
Kyle (24:18):
Well, I know that advocating for yourself can be
exhausting.
I advocated for myself during mycollege years, and I tried to
get a disability committeestarted, and I tried one way,
and it, it failed.
Toby (24:37):
What was it for?
Kyle (24:39):
It was to advocate for people with disabilities.
Toby (24:42):
Hmmm, ok.
Kyle (24:42):
And it failed the first time I tried to get it going.
And then it took five yearsbefore I got another one
started.
So it can be taxing, it can be,it can be time consuming, and
you just gotta keep pushing andpushing.
And you mentioned earlier that,you know, I had that support
(25:05):
system, and one of the modelsthat I follow is the Maslow
Hierarchy of Needs.
And...
Toby (25:15):
Yes!
Kyle (25:15):
...So, you know, when your basic needs are met, only then
can you be successful.
And so I believe that peoplewith disabilities have a lot of
potential, but if their basicneeds cannot be met, then they
can't achieve what their...
what they wanna do, what theirdreams.
And people with disabilitieshave dreams and goals as well,
(25:39):
but we, if they can't meet theirbasic needs, then they can't get
there.
So it's time consuming, but Irecognize that a lot of people
with disabilities may have nothad...
been as fortunate to have aparent or a someone there to
help guide them.
And so that's why we need morepeople out there advocating for
(26:03):
us.
And so I recognize that and Irecognize that knowing how to
advocate for myself, there areother people that don't.
And so I need to be out thereand putting my best foot
forward.
Toby (26:16):
Um, so what I'm hearing is that being of service to others
is, is vitally important to you.
Not just to reflect the the needthat is there in the disability
community, but to show that itis possible, and to make those
connections.
Kyle (26:36):
Yeah, definitely.
Toby (26:38):
Err, I agree, 100%.
Laughs, Uh...Laughs! Sorry, I'mreading two things at once,
Kyle.
Kyle (26:54):
It's alright, take your time.
Toby (26:56):
Okay.
Um, Where, where does that comefrom in you, need to connect on
a communal level?
Were you always interested incommunity engagement?
And what does, what do acts ofservice mean to you?
Kyle (27:13):
You know, I was not always interested in community
engagement.
My mom really pushed me in highschool to get involved and I
just simply didn't have aninterest at the time.
But she didn't force me to getinvolved, she didn't push me
(27:34):
more than I needed to be pushed.
She knew that eventually my timewould come and I would learn
that I needed to get out thereand advocate for myself.
And sure enough, that time didcome.
After my freshman, err...
freshman year of college, afterI figured out the ropes of
college, and all my needs beganto be met.
(27:56):
Then I started becoming anadvocate for other people and,
and getting involved in thecommunity.
I didn't just join organizationsthat only had people with
disabilities.
I joined other organizations aswell, such as Student Senate,
uh, Men's Christian Fraternityand a bunch of other
(28:20):
organizations.
And so I, that really openedother doors to getting to know
people outside of the disabilityrealm.
And once they knew who I was andwhat my story was, and they knew
what I was passionate about,which was advocating for people
with disability.
They began to ask me questionsand questions they probably
(28:44):
wouldn't ask just anyone becausethey knew I wouldn't judge them
for who they were, justgenuinely wanting to know and
just not knowing how to ask orwhen the right time was to ask
or stuff like that.
So it's just a...
it's just a slow process, butyou just take one step at a
time, and you do it, do whatyou're comfortable with, and
(29:08):
recognize that there's room togrow, but it's not gonna happen
all at once.
Toby (29:14):
That's so true.
It's a journey, not a, not arace, and you get there at your
own pace, and you have to meetpeople where they're at.
Um, so, you brought up aninteresting point, Kyle.
I just wanna, um, touch on itreally quick, and And, uh, if
you don't mind exploring it.
Uh, you brought up that youwent, uh, to Texas Christian,
(29:37):
uh, was it a fraternity, yousaid?
Kyle (29:39):
Yeah, I got involved in a Christian fraternity.
Toby (29:44):
Great.
Um, I wonder, were you always,um, what was your religious
upbringing like?
Was that pretty significantly,positively impactful for you?
Did that have a lot to helpshape you, in like, in the way
of your acts of service, ofgiving back to people and
(30:07):
connecting with them on thecommunal level?
Kyle (30:10):
Yes, I think my, my belief in, in God and and Jesus and
just having a religious...
coming from a religiousbackground really helped shape
my belief.
You know, it, it, it gives me,gives me a perspective that
there's other people that, thatmight not have the same
(30:30):
blessings that I have, and thatsomeone needs to be out there
helping other people withdisabilities.
And so I, it really had a bigimpact in the way I, I view the
world and viewing it in apositive light and seeing that
there is hope in the end.
And so, um, I always talk to myparents about this and I say,
(30:55):
one of the reasons why I thinkI'm doing so well considering
with my, with my disability isbecause I, I believe in, in
Jesus and in God.
And so that really plays a bigpart of my life.
Most boys with my disease, theydon't live to see past 20 and
very few of them uh, are doingas well as I am at this age.
(31:22):
And so I think I'm reallyblessed in that way, because of
that.
Toby (31:27):
Well, that's great.
Uh, I love that.
A positive outlook on, um, apositive outlook is always good,
especially when you're helping,helping others.
You mentioned a road trip, andyour five best friends, um, is
(31:48):
the fraternity, where you metthese, these road trip buddies?
Kyle (31:53):
No, it actually isn't where I, I met them.
I went to college at Texas A.
and M.
and before, coming to Texas A&M, there was a Christian retreat
called Impact Camp.
Where you go and you get anintroduction to Texas A& M,
and...
(32:13):
and you meet other Christians inthe community, and you get
introduced to A& M.
And that's where I met my nowbest friend, Tug White.
He just came up to me.
I was playing games at the gametables, and he just was like,
I'm Tug Wyatt, and do you wannato play checkers or something?"
(32:34):
And from being a person with adisability, I was a little
skeptical at first, because I'vehad many people that are just
coming out of an, er approach ofsympathy and, you know, doing
something for someone with adisability.
Toby (32:52):
I know.
It feels different for me whenpeople approach me with empathy
versus my experiences beingpitied.
Kyle (32:59):
Yeah, um, and I didn't get that sense from him.
And today we still keep up, andhe lived in my community too,
and so we still meet up at leastonce or twice a week.
But that's where I reallystarted to meet him, and from
there he introduced me to someof his other friends, and we
became good friends, and, and sothose developed into my five
(33:24):
best friends, and one of themwas actually my roommate during
my undergrad.
He was my roommate and attendantfor all four years of my
undergrad.
But anyway, they got togetherand decided to surprise me with
a road trip called,"Kyle Goes toProm".
(33:47):
And initially the, the trip, wewere supposed to go out East and
explore all the differentbarbecue joints because they
know that I like barbecue.
And so while they were planningall of it, a good friend of mine
from El Passo, asked me if,asked me to her prom, and she
(34:09):
went to my prom my senior year,and so I, having no idea about
the road trip, I said"Yes".
And so my mom had to call Tugand be like,"You either have to
change the destination of theroad trip or plan for another
day." By that time, they werewell into planning it, so they
(34:31):
had to, uh, change thedestination.
So we, instead of going east,we'd go out to Colorado and, and
get to El Paso in time for prom.
That's why the movie got calledKyle Goes to Prom.
Toby (34:44):
Well, that's really fun.
Laughs! Uh, love some goodbarbecue.
Laughs!
Kyle (34:49):
Yeah, yeah!
Toby (34:50):
And, uh.
I think that's really cool,really sweet.
Kyle (34:54):
Yes.
Toby (34:55):
I'm curious about the different places you went to in
your road trip.
Kyle (34:59):
Yeah, we went to a bunch of different places.
We went to Amarillo where we didthe Big Texas Steak Challenge.
Toby (35:08):
Oh my gosh! Chuckles!
Kyle (35:10):
Then we went to, um, Colorado where we did Adaptive
Whitewater Rafting.
Toby (35:16):
Oh yeah.
Kyle (35:17):
And then, we went, we went to the mountains in New Mexico,
and, um, they got me out of theRV and we started going up this,
this hill, mountain type thing,to.
Up, up the mountain, and, uh,what they did is, they left the
(35:39):
base of my wheelchair at the RV,and they just took the top part,
and, And four of my friends,they got in each corner of the
chair, and they put me on theirshoulders, and we just started
going up the mountain.
We got to the top of themountain, just started making up
our own ghost stories, andmaking up stuff being, you know,
(35:59):
talking about aliens and stuff.
we're in New Mexico, of course,we had to talk about that.
And so, that was just a funtime.
You know, it, it wasn't the, thebig parts of the road trip...
Toby (36:12):
mm-Hmm.
Kyle (36:13):
...sometimes it was just the little things.
Um, you know, I remember wealways had a driver and a
wingman, because the RV wasalways moving even throughout
the night.
So, out of the five or six daysthere was only one night that
the RV was actually still.
Other than that, we were justmoving, there would always be a
(36:34):
driver and a wingman.
But one memory I have on thatroad trip is driving up the
mountain in Colorado and it was,the snow was coming out down
hard and it was 1:00 AM and Iwas the wingman and we were just
talking about life and talkingabout some of the issues of life
with the disability and andstuff....and...
(36:55):
having meaningful conversations.
Toby (37:00):
The way you describe your, uh, your road trip with your
friends.
Um, that's not very, that's nota very common experience for,
uh, guys in chairs, like us.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
Some of the places y'all wentto, uh, there's some pretty high
altitudes.
Hope nobody got sick oranything.
Kyle (37:21):
We were all good!
Toby (37:22):
You mentioned that, uh, y'all made a, a documentary out
of that experience.
Kyle (37:27):
Yeah, so we did make a documentary about it.
Uh, we released a trailer for itto er, try to raise more money
for the film.
Unfortunately, when the producerwas in Dallas, the film footage
got stolen out of the back ofhis car.
(37:48):
And so they stole all thefootage, the computer, the the
backup hard drive.
The producer spent the next fewdays looking for it, checking
all the pawn shops, checkingeverywhere that they could and
all the dumpsters.
And they actually got asnapchat, er, of the person that
(38:09):
sold the footage.
He was wearing red shoes and hada and it had a hoodie.
We were hoping that someonewould be able to spot him.
So we lost a lot of footage, soall we have right now is just
the trailer,"Kyle Goes to Prom,"and the memories.
So we've all just kind of, we'rea little bummed about that, but
(38:32):
you know, we started talking andsaid, you know, we still have
the memories of the trip.
We can still share bits andpieces of the trip and so we we
put together a 20 minute kind offilm each of us telling about
different parts of the trip.
(38:53):
There's a link to that on my, onmy portfolio that I have online,
so...
But at the end of the day, it'sthe memories that count.
We still have all the memoriesand we can joke and laugh about
all the good times we had on thetrip.
Toby (39:10):
Oh man, that really sucks, but I'm, I'm, I'm glad y'all got
to spend that time together.
That's a time y'all willtreasure together forever.
Kyle (39:19):
Yeah, me, me too.
But, you know, I will say this,looking back, I would have never
met those guys if I didn't, if Ididn't come out of my comfort
zone and decided to, to talk topeople.
Um, you know, get out there inthe community and figure out
(39:40):
what I'm passionate about.
Just really be out there andadvocating for people with
disabilities and, you know, justputting myself out there.
So looking back, seeing how Icame from being a shy person to
getting way out of my comfortzone, now I'm not afraid to talk
to anyone about anythingdisability related or, or life
(40:04):
related.
But it started with just gettingout there.
Toby (40:07):
Well, that's great.
I love that.
While doing some research forthe interview, I think what
surprises me most, I discoveredthat you like to dance.
That's really cool! I just Ididn't see it coming(laughs).
(40:30):
It was surprising, will you tellus about that?
Kyle (40:33):
Yeah, so, um, me and my mom, we, we always watched a
show called,"Dancing with theStars" growing up, and, you
know, before I stopped walkingat age 11, I was, I loved to
dance.
That was just my thing, and Ijust had this knack for
choreographing.
So, um, my mom started takingdance studio lessons, and one
(40:59):
thing led to the next that ledto the next, and before I knew
it, I was, I was choreographingthis dance that I danced to.
Um, the, the person that sheworked out to arrange this
dance, actually had a son withAutism, and so, she knew all
about disability.
And so, um, that's how that cameabout.
(41:20):
So, I choreographed that wholedance and picked a song and, you
know, the song is,"NeverEnough".
So it was the idea that, youknow, I was never enough for,
for someone.
Never enough to be out there inthe community.
Uh, just, just never enough! Andnow, I just overcame that.
Toby (41:41):
Yes! I know for, for myself that sometimes like when
I'm doing something physical,like in a movement based piece
where I'm feel the emotionmoving me and feels like I'm
connected with the people andthings around me.
Then I feel like I'm, I'mmoving, like I'm in the piece
(42:03):
and space, like I'm in tune withwhat I'm trying to do.
And it's fun.
It's fun to, to move like that.
And it's fun to be in that spaceand to have that experience.
And it's fun to create thatenergy and to share it with
everybody.
Kyle (42:16):
Awesome!.
Toby (42:17):
Yeah, right, right! I also noticed lots of pictures of you
with your dogs Everybody loves agood dog story.
Will you tell us, uh, aboutthem?
Are they service dogs?
Kyle (42:28):
Oh, yes, they are.
Yeah, so I have service dog.
Um, I've had a service dog since2005, so, 17 years.
And so my first service dog, hername was Bethany, I had her, she
worked for me for eight years,and I had her for nine years,
until she passed away at 11.
(42:50):
And then I got another servicedog, August, and he, he's still
around today.
He's working less and lessbecause he's getting old and so
he, he'll probably be gettingready to retire soon.
But about a year after I gotAugust, we decided to get
another golden retriever puppyand just for the fun of it and
(43:15):
she ended up being really smartand so we thought, why not make
her a service dog too?
So we, we trained her up and uh,she's a trained service dog too,
that that, we train, we,,we knewhow to train service dogs from
my previous two service dogs.
And so, um, yeah, they goeverywhere with us.
(43:37):
They, they can pick up things.
They can open and close certaindoors.
Uh, they can turn on and offlights.
They can put my laundry in thehamper.
Um, the biggest thing I use themfor is, is, uh, picking up
stuff.
Yeah, they're great to have.
Toby (43:57):
Kyle, um, I think we're running out of time.
Um, Uh, but what's one thingthat you hope people take away
from hearing your story?
Kyle (44:09):
As I said earlier, you know, you've got to get out
there in the community and, andlearn how to advocate for
yourself.
If you don't have someone thatcan, that can do that and help
you, there's lots of Mentorsthat would more than willing to
help you advocate for yourself.
There's resources and there'sother people in the disability
(44:33):
community that would gladly takeyou under the wing.
So just learn how to get outthere in the community.
Don't be shy.
It might be, might be weird atfirst and, and difficult at
first, but what I learned is I,I got to take initiative.
I can either sit back in my siloand, and not do anything and not
(44:56):
take initiative or learn how totake initiative and eventually
it will become a two way street.
But, you know, we live in acommunity and a world not
designed for us.
So we got to figure it out howto navigate it.
It will get easier.
It's not always gonna be astruggle.
(45:16):
Once you find the right peopleto have at your side and, and
how to advocate for yourself, itdoes get easier.
It does get better andeventually you just become this
great person that you're meantto be.
Toby (45:28):
That's true, people can show you the path, but it's
yours to walk it alone.
And don't be afraid to be atrailblazer, sometimes.
I feel like Life, it does get alittle bit better or at least a
little bit tolerable.
Giggles it's not...
Life isn't half as obnoxious asyou think it's going to be.
Kyle (45:49):
Exactly.
Toby (45:52):
Thank you, Kyle, we really appreciate your story.
If our listeners relate to yourstory and want to connect with
you, what's the best way forthem to reach out, to you?
Kyle (46:03):
I'm available on all social platforms, Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, andLinkedIn.
The best way to get in touchwith me through those avenues is
Facebook or Instagram, but notget in touch with me, um, via
email too.
Toby (46:24):
Kyle's information can be found at Cox hyphen Consulting
dot com.
Thanks so much for being ourguest, Kyle, and for being a
part of the podcast thisepisode.
Kyle (46:35):
Thank you.
It was, er, fun being here.
Toby (46:38):
Oh, excellent! I love that.
Thanks we wish you the best, inall your endeavors!
Kyle (46:43):
Awesome.
If you need me for anything elseor to record anything, I, I
don't mind doing that, too.
Alright thanks y'all! Bye
MsBoye (46:54):
Dear friends, thank you for listening to this episode.
Do you know that...
do you know that sharingpodcasts is a great way to build
relationships with your friendsand family, and a wonderful way
to connect with new people?
So, just think, if you sharethis episode with your friends
and family, or talk about us onsocial media, not only are you
(47:15):
going to strengthen yourrelationships, you're going to
be changing the world at thesame time.
Thank you.
Bye.
Toby (47:24):
I'm Toby Al Trabulsi, and you've been listening to True
Tales by Disability Advocates.
Special thanks to our guests forsharing their time and their
stories.
Kamand Alaghehband (47:37):
All episodes of The True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast, are free onApple Podcasts, Spotify, and
anywhere you get your podcasts.
John Beer (47:48):
The program is funded in part by a grant from the
Texas State Independent LivingCouncil, the Administration for
Community Living, andindividuals like you.
Kristen Gooch (47:58):
To learn more about The Speaking Advocates
Program, sign up for ournewsletter at artspark T X dot
org.
That's A R T S P A R K T X dot OR G.
Welcome to True Tales by Disability Advocates
Podcast, authentic voices ofpeople thriving with
disabilities, where individualsuse the art of storytelling to
change the world.
John Beer (00:22):
The True Tales by Disability Advocates Podcast is
produced by Art Spark Texas,Speaking Advocates Program.
The free virtual training isopen to people of all
disabilities, no matter whereyou live.
Kamand Alaghehband (00:35):
Keep listening to hear how life's
challenges can spark a desire tospeak out, and Advocate for
yourselves and others.
MsBoye (00:50):
Hello, you're listening to The True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast.
Changing the world one story ata time.
This is the show where advocatesharness the power of
storytelling to build communitywith their peers and develop
empathy in others.
Hello, everyone, I'm MsBoye.
Jennifer (01:09):
I'm Jennifer McKinney,
Adam (01:11):
I'm Adam Griebel,
MsBoye (01:12):
...and we are your hosts for season three.
Jennifer (01:23):
We started season three by looking back at some of
the stories from the early 90s.
Chris Strickling introduced usto a few folks of Actual Lives
Austin through their stories.
Unfortunately, these amazingfolks are no longer with us.
Adam (01:40):
We're going to start this episode with Mesko he was
another storyteller from theearly days of Actual Lives.
MsBoye (01:47):
Then in the second half of the show, we'll meet Karl
Cox.
He's a brilliant young advocatewho shares his story about how
essential it is to makeconnections with If we want to
change the world.
Adam (01:57):
Yes, and our own lives.
Jennifer (02:00):
That's so true, Adam.
I find that when I have healthyrelationships with friends that
give me good feedback and truefeedback, it helps me figure out
what's really going on in mylife.
MsBoye (02:21):
Yeah.
I know that, um, it's the peopleI've been most connected with in
my life that, um, help me createbig changes in my life through
their honesty.
So I'm really grateful for that.
And for somebody like me, who,uh, knows I need friends, but
prefers friends who never callme and don't want me to do
anything, I, I, I have to workvery hard at that.
Adam (02:44):
Adam Laughs! Oh, stop it! Stop it!
Jennifer (02:49):
Laughter!
Adam (02:51):
Laughs.
All right.
Jennifer (02:55):
Yay! I can't wait to hear these stories again.
Adam (02:58):
Well, we better start then!...
MsBoye (03:01):
All right, let's listen to Chris chatting with us about
Mesko and his story,"Glenn."
Chris (03:13):
This is a story by Mesko, which is this man's, uh, kind of
his stage name.
Um, about cowards.
MsBoye (03:21):
That's right.
But it's also about how, when wemake connections with other
people, that can act as acatalyst for change in
ourselves, but it can alsocreate change in the world
around us.
Mesko (03:41):
“Glen”, by Mesko Bullies were a major influence on my
young life, way before I had adisability.
I went to a Catholic gradeschool, the nuns were the enemy
for all of us boys, so I didn'thave to worry about classmates
picking on me.
That changed when I got intopublic junior high.
I was tall, but soft and flabbyand uncoordinated a natural
(04:01):
target for bullies.
I got pushed around a lot, and Iwas always afraid.
I remember one kid in 7th gradechallenged me to a fight after
school, in a local alley.
I showed up at this place with ahost of spectators waiting.
I had no idea what I'd do when Igot there, but luckily the other
kid didn't even show up.
It got worse in 8th grade.
(04:21):
There was this guy named JimHill, a big, ugly, dumb kid who
delighted in pushing me around.
Finally, one day I'd just hadenough and I turned and glared
at him.
Maybe I already had a little bitof the villain's look that I
became known for in my stageplay days.
He backed off.
Most bullies are cowards I was14 when I took up weightlifting.
I was tired of being beat up.
(04:43):
The local bullies, most of them,quit bugging me when I started
pulling weights.
I got my first set of weightsand within a year I'd gained
enough weight and got strongenough that the bullying
stopped.
Finally, even the two biggest,dumbest bullies gave it up they
just quit one day Period.
I didn't know why.
I never got a chance to learn tofistfight, but I know that if I
had gotten lucky, and actuallyconnected with somebody's jaw:
(05:05):
he would have felt it.
My friend Glen Randall was not arocket scientist.
He just wasn’t, and he knew it.
He liked hanging around with me.
Why?
I’d turn him on to things,books, movies and the like He
was more of a physical type thanme.
Much more! Glen was not onlygood at fighting, he liked to
fight! He dies of brain cancerin his late twenties, before I
(05:27):
even know that he was sick.
Many years later, I found outthat Glen had taken each one of
the Bad Boys who were bullyingme, into a back alley and beat
the crap out of them, aftertelling them,“Leave Mesko
Alone!” He had my back, BigTime! I never got to say,"Thank
You" as a teen.
I am saying it now! Glen,"ThankYou!"
Jennifer (05:52):
Sounds like Mesko had some good friends.
Chris (05:55):
He did.
He was a good friend.
He had Multiple Sclerosis, andit, it just, umm...
Went really slow for him.
So....
MsBoye (06:06):
He didn't grow up identifying as disabled because
he wasn't, but as he aged, hewas also experiencing the
progression of the MS, right?
Uh, that must have taken a lotto navigate.
You've got another piece that Ithink talks to that.
Would you be willing to readthat for us now?
I think it's time to hear it...
Chris (06:24):
Here's, here's a piece he wrote a sort of, um, a sort of
thing about time.
Mesko (06:44):
Getting Older by Mesko.
I refuse to get older, thansixteen?! What does getting
older do for you?
It doesn't do anything at all.
Sixteen was the worst and bestyear of my life.
I was physically a man by then.
I was afraid of sex andcommitment.
I was learning more and morethings all the time! Physically,
I was in the best shape of mylife! I never was an athlete,
(07:08):
but I looked like one! I pumpediron and I looked great.
Everyone, looked at me! Dad wasa career Marine.
It was not good at home! Insteadof joining the Marine Corps, I
became an actor! It was, a bigdisappointment for him.
But being an actor, that's oneway to stay young! I'm 60 years
old and I've done over 60 stageplays, but because of my
(07:30):
disease, I can no longer treadthe boards! Luckily, Multiple
Sclerosis has not taken my voiceaway! There is no point, in
getting older, mentally, I feelthe same! Still, no matter how
hard I try, I can't stop thegray!
Adam (07:47):
You know, Chris, I'm so glad we're including that story.
It's important for us to includethe experience of people with an
acquired disability, like me.
MsBoye (08:00):
I agree.
You know, when I'm doingtrainings, I love to point out
that disability is the onlyminority group that anyone can
join at any time, right?
Adam (08:08):
Riiiight!
Jennifer (08:10):
That's a very good point MsBoye.
MsBoye (08:12):
Most people see disability as one big thing,
right?
Adam (08:15):
Yeah.
MsBoye (08:16):
I think it's important for us to, um, share that.
Jennifer (08:20):
Okay.
I totally agree with thisbecause.
Um, most people think that youjust sort of either have a
disability or you don't.
They don't think about acquireddisabilities.
Like, I've been in a doctor'soffice before, and people have
had accidents.
And they've lost an eye and it'stheir first time visiting with
(08:42):
this particular prostheticdoctor, the eye prosthetic
doctor.
I have a prosthetic eye, but Ihave for a very long time, since
I was two weeks old.
Totally different, but it helpsthem to know that other people
are going through what they'regoing through.
So this is vital.
Thank you for bringing this up.
MsBoye (09:02):
Yeah, yeah, I think so.
I think, thank you.
I mean, it's definitely.
Uh, really highlights that theterm disability or disability
community is, you know, it'smuch more complicated than just
everybody all in one box.
Adam (09:21):
Yep, there are many, many, many, many, many boxes.
Jennifer (09:24):
So true.
MsBoye (09:25):
Exactly! There are many boxes.
Like they say, once you've metone person with autism, you've
met one person with autism.
And that applies to alldisabilities, I think.
Adam (09:36):
Um, for the most part.
I mean, there, there are somesimilarities.
And characteristics of typical"behaviors, but...
Yeah.
MsBoye (09:44):
Yeah
Adam (09:45):
You know, when, when, when thinking about who I was before
my injury, I was, I was youngerbefore my injury.
That's it.
MsBoye (09:55):
Right.
And for you, You're kind of inthe middle ground, you know, you
didn't, um, grow up with yourdisability, but you also did
grow up with your disability,because you were only a
teenager, right?
So, you're, you're totally,you're probably a different man
than you would have been,without it.
Adam (10:17):
Oh, yeah.
But fortunately, I, I, I wasgiven the impetus to make the
decisions that I did makedespite my head injury or
because of my head injury orit's just life
MsBoye (10:33):
Yeah, yeah, that's true.
Jennifer (10:35):
I agree.
Adam (10:36):
Wow! Reality, reality is not necessarily a constant.
MsBoye (10:44):
Right it's not.
We do it all the time, actually,it's not just about people with
disabilities.
It's like, human nature, we havethis thing where we need to make
the sense of things, and we'renot comfortable with the idea of
experiencing people as aphenomena, you know?
We always like to makeconclusions about everybody.
Even if we hate it, if someoneputs us in a box, you know, it's
just how our brain makes senseof the world.
Adam (11:07):
Oh yeah.
Jennifer (11:08):
That's true.
That's really true, because Ifeel like I've been in a box my
whole life, off and on,depending on who I'm around.
So I totally get that.
I try to teach them in a way,and sometimes it's successful.
(11:29):
Most of the time, it feels likeit's maybe not, but that's
irrelevant.
I'm just sort of rambling.
Sorry.
Adam (11:40):
No, you were fine.
All right, where to now?
MsBoye (11:43):
That's a perfect segue into our second guests for this
episode, Kyle Cox.
For this story,"Advocacy,Education, and Relationships,"
we welcome back TobyAl-Trabulsi, he was a host from
seasons one and two, and he'sgoing to chat with Kyle about
his story and his life.
What do you think Jennifer, arewe ready for Kyle's story,
Jennifer (12:06):
Sounds good
Toby (12:15):
I'm host Toby Al Trabulsi.
I'm here with Kyle Cox, who willbe sharing their story"Advocacy,
Education, and Relationships."Hi, Kyle.
Welcome.
I'm thrilled you agreed to joinus.
I know you're a busy man.
Kyle (12:29):
Thank you.
I'm excited to be here.
Toby (12:31):
It's great to have you on the podcast.
Your story highlights theimportance of community
connections and disabilityadvocacy.
You were in grad school when youwere writing this.
Um, I'm interested to find outwhat it was like for you to make
the shift from writingacademically to writing a more
first person narrative.
(12:52):
Those are two very differentstyles.
Kyle (12:56):
Yes, um, they are very two different styles.
It was quite a shift going fromacademics to having a more
personal story and living lifein the community.
Uh, from an academic standpoint,I just saw all the issues and I
was being supported by myparents and other people, so I
(13:18):
didn't really get to see thewhole other side of things to
deal with outside of theacademic world.
And then once I completelyshifted to being in the
community, that's when I reallystarted to really share my
story.
Toby (13:36):
Oh, I think that's so cool and it's an immensely hard thing
to do.
And I think that's wonderfulthat you were able to, to do
that and, and you made yourlife's work out of it.
I'm super excited for you toshare your story with us and
then see what you have in store.
Please stay tuned for Kyle'sstory.
Kyle (14:02):
I'm Kyle Cox, and this is my story,"Advocacy, Education,
and Relationships".
Being a disability advocate canbe hard, but educating people
and building relationships havehelped me persevere in this
struggle.
Not only am I trying to make adifference in the lives of
people with disabilities, ButI'm also trying to change other
(14:22):
people's perceptions of them andintroduce them to ideas about
disability that differs fromtheir long held biases,
prejudices, and experiences.
I've been in many situationswhere places have closed their
doors or where people closedtheir minds to people with
disabilities.
(14:43):
One experience in my life waswhen I was talking to a
Diversity Office about doing atraining on disability.
I was unable to convince them todo the training and why it was
important for disability to be apart of diversity.
I left the meeting feelingdiscounted, unwelcomed, that I
was just not worth the effort.
(15:05):
I just had a sense that theywere not open to the idea that
inclusion for us is more thancompliance with the ADA, that
disability is much part ofdiversity and intersectionality
as race, class, gender, andculture.
When someone makes assumptionsthat us as a disability
community and did not listenwhen we offered to tell them
(15:27):
what is important to us, what weneed and the right way to do
things, they contribute to theproblem of closing doors to
people with disabilities.
I believe that educating peoplewhat it is like to live with a
disability is key to openingminds.
Throughout my collegeexperience, that was my whole
goal when advocating for peoplewith disabilities.
(15:50):
I worked on buildingrelationships with leaders on
campus, constantly puttingmyself in positions to
continually advocate for myselfand my community with relentless
persistence.
I had hoped to form thecommittee to advocate for
students of all disabilities.
The first few attempts wereunsuccessful due to not having
(16:11):
the right people who werecommitted, or not having people
at the table who could make adifference.
It was a lot of work, and whenone attempt failed, I tried to
do it a different way, and thenanother.
Until finally, I was successful.
It took many years, and what Ilearned was that it was all
about forming relationships withpeople.
(16:33):
I couldn't do it alone.
I needed to bring other peopleto the table who could truly
make an impact.
Only then was I able to make adifference.
When I started buildingrelationships with other people,
I realized that it wasn't thatpeople were ignorant or
unsympathetic towards peoplewith disabilities, but that they
were just simply unaware andtruly wanted to learn.
(16:57):
I've been blessed to have greatfriends throughout my college
life.
These have grown into genuinerelationships, and I can be
myself when I'm around them.
I can just be one of the guys.
My junior year of college, myfive best friends surprised me
by taking me on a road trip fora week.
We went through Texas, Colorado,and New Mexico, stopping at
(17:20):
various destinations along theway.
It was one of the first roadtrips I've ever taken with just
friends and not my parents.
It truly made me feel like I wasjust one of the guys and not
that friend in a wheelchair.
On the trip, we were able tojoke around, make fun of each
other, and just have a goodtime.
Not once did I feel like I hadto prove myself.
They just accepted me for who Iwas.
(17:43):
It was one of the most inclusiveexperiences in my life.
Most of the time, I mustnavigate a world not designed
for me.
And so when someone opens theirdoor to me and my friends with
disabilities, it shows me thatthey truly care.
It shows me that they want toknow me for who I am as a
person.
And that they value me as anequal.
(18:05):
It gives me hope that there willbe a world that considers and
includes us in the blueprint ofany design, and not simply as an
afterthought or an add on.
Until then, I will continue toeducate and create one
relationship at a time.
Thank you.
Toby (18:32):
What I love about this is you knew what you wanted, your
confidence and determinationand, and the support that you
made yourself open to I knowfor, for myself that it's not
always easy to ask for what youwant, especially, especially
when you know what you need, butyou don't always know how to get
(18:56):
it.
Where did you learn the skillsto be confident enough to
advocate for for what you need?
Kyle (19:03):
I really learned my, those skills from my mother.
Especially when I got tocollege.
She told me that I just need tolearn to advocate for myself and
put myself out there and ask forpeople for help and she kind of
just made me do it the hard way.
I started asking her for help atleast during my freshman year
(19:28):
and she would just tell me askyour roommate or ask your friend
to help you and eventually thatjust, I started getting more and
more confident with askingpeople for help and that really
put me out there.
During my freshman year ofcollege, I didn't really join
anything.
I didn't put myself out there.
I didn't quite know how toadvocate for myself.
(19:50):
And so, it, it came with thelearning experience.
And so I...
as I put myself in moresituations where I needed help,
I started getting more and moreconfident.
And at the end of the day,people want to help you, they
just don't know how.
And I know I can relate to thatwhen it comes to other
(20:10):
disabilities.
For example, I mean, I'm in awheelchair, and so I know what
my needs are, but a lot of timesI don't know what someone with a
different disability.
Sometimes I don't know whatother people with other
disabilities need, like, beingvisibly impaired.
I don't know what they mightneed help with, and so, and
(20:32):
unless they tell me, I, I don'tknow.
Toby (20:35):
About your mother, uh, she was an advocate in her own
right, right?
Kyle (20:39):
Yes, she was.
Toby (20:40):
Um, do you mind, uh, talking about that a little bit?
She, she was also on the boardfor CTD.
Kyle (20:49):
Yes, she was on the Board for the Texas Council for
Developmental and Disabilitiesfor twelve years.
And she, she started, before shecame on the board, she did Texas
Policy and Partners inPolicymaking.
And that's when she reallystarted to learn about
(21:12):
disability and being adisability advocate and really
what people with disabilitieswanted.
When I was in elementary school,uh, I used to get pulled out for
physical therapy, occupationaltherapy, and speech therapy.
And after she took thattraining, Partners in
(21:32):
Policymaking, she came back andasked me what I wanted.
And I told her I didn't want, Ididn't like being pulled out of
class for all those therapies.
And so she listened to me andshe decided to pull out all
therapies in school and starteddoing them at home so I wouldn't
(21:52):
be pulled out.
So my mom just really has beenmy biggest advocate and she
listens to what I want, what Ineed, and she goes out there and
is my my best supporter.
Toby (22:09):
That's great.
So To have that kind of in homedirect support to advocate for
you and, and champion yourvoice, but also encourage yours
as well.
Kyle (22:22):
Yeah, exactly...
Toby (22:23):
That Is really vital for your, your growth.
So it helped you become anexpert in your own life, that
kind of firsthand experience.
That kind of thing can be reallyexhausting.
Uh, most people I know are justexhausted by advocating, laughs)
they're just very drained fromfighting for their personal
(22:48):
needs.
They don't have that kind ofsupport, or they learn bits and
pieces of it through their dailylife.
And so, that can be a verydraining thing, um, so, I wonder
how did you make the shift fromfighting for your personal needs
(23:08):
to, community advocacy?
Kyle (23:11):
Yeah.
Toby (23:11):
Why is it so important to you?
Kyle (23:13):
Yeah, um, I recognize that there is a need here in the
community, and I gotta thinkabout this for a second.
Can you repeat the question?
Toby (23:26):
Sure.
So, I have friends that don'thave similar supports.
I mean, I, I actually have...
my mom wasn't on the board ofCTD.
She wasn't on any board, but shewas my champion as well.
So I actually have similarexperiences, I'm not very
politically engaged, but I willsay that it is very taxing to
(23:50):
have to advocate for yourselfconstantly day in and day out.
Let alone be encouraged to getinto the political arena.
What made you want to shift inthat way, from yourself to for
others?
Because that could, that's a lotof energy.
That's just...
could take it out of you, butyou seem to do it effortlessly,
(24:13):
and you derive enjoyment out ofit, which is great.
Kyle (24:18):
Well, I know that advocating for yourself can be
exhausting.
I advocated for myself during mycollege years, and I tried to
get a disability committeestarted, and I tried one way,
and it, it failed.
Toby (24:37):
What was it for?
Kyle (24:39):
It was to advocate for people with disabilities.
Toby (24:42):
Hmmm, ok.
Kyle (24:42):
And it failed the first time I tried to get it going.
And then it took five yearsbefore I got another one
started.
So it can be taxing, it can be,it can be time consuming, and
you just gotta keep pushing andpushing.
And you mentioned earlier that,you know, I had that support
(25:05):
system, and one of the modelsthat I follow is the Maslow
Hierarchy of Needs.
And...
Toby (25:15):
Yes!
Kyle (25:15):
...So, you know, when your basic needs are met, only then
can you be successful.
And so I believe that peoplewith disabilities have a lot of
potential, but if their basicneeds cannot be met, then they
can't achieve what their...
what they wanna do, what theirdreams.
And people with disabilitieshave dreams and goals as well,
(25:39):
but we, if they can't meet theirbasic needs, then they can't get
there.
So it's time consuming, but Irecognize that a lot of people
with disabilities may have nothad...
been as fortunate to have aparent or a someone there to
help guide them.
And so that's why we need morepeople out there advocating for
(26:03):
us.
And so I recognize that and Irecognize that knowing how to
advocate for myself, there areother people that don't.
And so I need to be out thereand putting my best foot
forward.
Toby (26:16):
Um, so what I'm hearing is that being of service to others
is, is vitally important to you.
Not just to reflect the the needthat is there in the disability
community, but to show that itis possible, and to make those
connections.
Kyle (26:36):
Yeah, definitely.
Toby (26:38):
Err, I agree, 100%.
Laughs, Uh...Laughs! Sorry, I'mreading two things at once,
Kyle.
Kyle (26:54):
It's alright, take your time.
Toby (26:56):
Okay.
Um, Where, where does that comefrom in you, need to connect on
a communal level?
Were you always interested incommunity engagement?
And what does, what do acts ofservice mean to you?
Kyle (27:13):
You know, I was not always interested in community
engagement.
My mom really pushed me in highschool to get involved and I
just simply didn't have aninterest at the time.
But she didn't force me to getinvolved, she didn't push me
(27:34):
more than I needed to be pushed.
She knew that eventually my timewould come and I would learn
that I needed to get out thereand advocate for myself.
And sure enough, that time didcome.
After my freshman, err...
freshman year of college, afterI figured out the ropes of
college, and all my needs beganto be met.
(27:56):
Then I started becoming anadvocate for other people and,
and getting involved in thecommunity.
I didn't just join organizationsthat only had people with
disabilities.
I joined other organizations aswell, such as Student Senate,
uh, Men's Christian Fraternityand a bunch of other
(28:20):
organizations.
And so I, that really openedother doors to getting to know
people outside of the disabilityrealm.
And once they knew who I was andwhat my story was, and they knew
what I was passionate about,which was advocating for people
with disability.
They began to ask me questionsand questions they probably
(28:44):
wouldn't ask just anyone becausethey knew I wouldn't judge them
for who they were, justgenuinely wanting to know and
just not knowing how to ask orwhen the right time was to ask
or stuff like that.
So it's just a...
it's just a slow process, butyou just take one step at a
time, and you do it, do whatyou're comfortable with, and
(29:08):
recognize that there's room togrow, but it's not gonna happen
all at once.
Toby (29:14):
That's so true.
It's a journey, not a, not arace, and you get there at your
own pace, and you have to meetpeople where they're at.
Um, so, you brought up aninteresting point, Kyle.
I just wanna, um, touch on itreally quick, and And, uh, if
you don't mind exploring it.
Uh, you brought up that youwent, uh, to Texas Christian,
(29:37):
uh, was it a fraternity, yousaid?
Kyle (29:39):
Yeah, I got involved in a Christian fraternity.
Toby (29:44):
Great.
Um, I wonder, were you always,um, what was your religious
upbringing like?
Was that pretty significantly,positively impactful for you?
Did that have a lot to helpshape you, in like, in the way
of your acts of service, ofgiving back to people and
(30:07):
connecting with them on thecommunal level?
Kyle (30:10):
Yes, I think my, my belief in, in God and and Jesus and
just having a religious...
coming from a religiousbackground really helped shape
my belief.
You know, it, it, it gives me,gives me a perspective that
there's other people that, thatmight not have the same
(30:30):
blessings that I have, and thatsomeone needs to be out there
helping other people withdisabilities.
And so I, it really had a bigimpact in the way I, I view the
world and viewing it in apositive light and seeing that
there is hope in the end.
And so, um, I always talk to myparents about this and I say,
(30:55):
one of the reasons why I thinkI'm doing so well considering
with my, with my disability isbecause I, I believe in, in
Jesus and in God.
And so that really plays a bigpart of my life.
Most boys with my disease, theydon't live to see past 20 and
very few of them uh, are doingas well as I am at this age.
(31:22):
And so I think I'm reallyblessed in that way, because of
that.
Toby (31:27):
Well, that's great.
Uh, I love that.
A positive outlook on, um, apositive outlook is always good,
especially when you're helping,helping others.
You mentioned a road trip, andyour five best friends, um, is
(31:48):
the fraternity, where you metthese, these road trip buddies?
Kyle (31:53):
No, it actually isn't where I, I met them.
I went to college at Texas A.
and M.
and before, coming to Texas A&M, there was a Christian retreat
called Impact Camp.
Where you go and you get anintroduction to Texas A& M,
and...
(32:13):
and you meet other Christians inthe community, and you get
introduced to A& M.
And that's where I met my nowbest friend, Tug White.
He just came up to me.
I was playing games at the gametables, and he just was like,
I'm Tug Wyatt, and do you wannato play checkers or something?"
(32:34):
And from being a person with adisability, I was a little
skeptical at first, because I'vehad many people that are just
coming out of an, er approach ofsympathy and, you know, doing
something for someone with adisability.
Toby (32:52):
I know.
It feels different for me whenpeople approach me with empathy
versus my experiences beingpitied.
Kyle (32:59):
Yeah, um, and I didn't get that sense from him.
And today we still keep up, andhe lived in my community too,
and so we still meet up at leastonce or twice a week.
But that's where I reallystarted to meet him, and from
there he introduced me to someof his other friends, and we
became good friends, and, and sothose developed into my five
(33:24):
best friends, and one of themwas actually my roommate during
my undergrad.
He was my roommate and attendantfor all four years of my
undergrad.
But anyway, they got togetherand decided to surprise me with
a road trip called,"Kyle Goes toProm".
(33:47):
And initially the, the trip, wewere supposed to go out East and
explore all the differentbarbecue joints because they
know that I like barbecue.
And so while they were planningall of it, a good friend of mine
from El Passo, asked me if,asked me to her prom, and she
(34:09):
went to my prom my senior year,and so I, having no idea about
the road trip, I said"Yes".
And so my mom had to call Tugand be like,"You either have to
change the destination of theroad trip or plan for another
day." By that time, they werewell into planning it, so they
(34:31):
had to, uh, change thedestination.
So we, instead of going east,we'd go out to Colorado and, and
get to El Paso in time for prom.
That's why the movie got calledKyle Goes to Prom.
Toby (34:44):
Well, that's really fun.
Laughs! Uh, love some goodbarbecue.
Laughs!
Kyle (34:49):
Yeah, yeah!
Toby (34:50):
And, uh.
I think that's really cool,really sweet.
Kyle (34:54):
Yes.
Toby (34:55):
I'm curious about the different places you went to in
your road trip.
Kyle (34:59):
Yeah, we went to a bunch of different places.
We went to Amarillo where we didthe Big Texas Steak Challenge.
Toby (35:08):
Oh my gosh! Chuckles!
Kyle (35:10):
Then we went to, um, Colorado where we did Adaptive
Whitewater Rafting.
Toby (35:16):
Oh yeah.
Kyle (35:17):
And then, we went, we went to the mountains in New Mexico,
and, um, they got me out of theRV and we started going up this,
this hill, mountain type thing,to.
Up, up the mountain, and, uh,what they did is, they left the
(35:39):
base of my wheelchair at the RV,and they just took the top part,
and, And four of my friends,they got in each corner of the
chair, and they put me on theirshoulders, and we just started
going up the mountain.
We got to the top of themountain, just started making up
our own ghost stories, andmaking up stuff being, you know,
(35:59):
talking about aliens and stuff.
we're in New Mexico, of course,we had to talk about that.
And so, that was just a funtime.
You know, it, it wasn't the, thebig parts of the road trip...
Toby (36:12):
mm-Hmm.
Kyle (36:13):
...sometimes it was just the little things.
Um, you know, I remember wealways had a driver and a
wingman, because the RV wasalways moving even throughout
the night.
So, out of the five or six daysthere was only one night that
the RV was actually still.
Other than that, we were justmoving, there would always be a
(36:34):
driver and a wingman.
But one memory I have on thatroad trip is driving up the
mountain in Colorado and it was,the snow was coming out down
hard and it was 1:00 AM and Iwas the wingman and we were just
talking about life and talkingabout some of the issues of life
with the disability and andstuff....and...
(36:55):
having meaningful conversations.
Toby (37:00):
The way you describe your, uh, your road trip with your
friends.
Um, that's not very, that's nota very common experience for,
uh, guys in chairs, like us.
That sounds like a lot of fun.
Some of the places y'all wentto, uh, there's some pretty high
altitudes.
Hope nobody got sick oranything.
Kyle (37:21):
We were all good!
Toby (37:22):
You mentioned that, uh, y'all made a, a documentary out
of that experience.
Kyle (37:27):
Yeah, so we did make a documentary about it.
Uh, we released a trailer for itto er, try to raise more money
for the film.
Unfortunately, when the producerwas in Dallas, the film footage
got stolen out of the back ofhis car.
(37:48):
And so they stole all thefootage, the computer, the the
backup hard drive.
The producer spent the next fewdays looking for it, checking
all the pawn shops, checkingeverywhere that they could and
all the dumpsters.
And they actually got asnapchat, er, of the person that
(38:09):
sold the footage.
He was wearing red shoes and hada and it had a hoodie.
We were hoping that someonewould be able to spot him.
So we lost a lot of footage, soall we have right now is just
the trailer,"Kyle Goes to Prom,"and the memories.
So we've all just kind of, we'rea little bummed about that, but
(38:32):
you know, we started talking andsaid, you know, we still have
the memories of the trip.
We can still share bits andpieces of the trip and so we we
put together a 20 minute kind offilm each of us telling about
different parts of the trip.
(38:53):
There's a link to that on my, onmy portfolio that I have online,
so...
But at the end of the day, it'sthe memories that count.
We still have all the memoriesand we can joke and laugh about
all the good times we had on thetrip.
Toby (39:10):
Oh man, that really sucks, but I'm, I'm, I'm glad y'all got
to spend that time together.
That's a time y'all willtreasure together forever.
Kyle (39:19):
Yeah, me, me too.
But, you know, I will say this,looking back, I would have never
met those guys if I didn't, if Ididn't come out of my comfort
zone and decided to, to talk topeople.
Um, you know, get out there inthe community and figure out
(39:40):
what I'm passionate about.
Just really be out there andadvocating for people with
disabilities and, you know, justputting myself out there.
So looking back, seeing how Icame from being a shy person to
getting way out of my comfortzone, now I'm not afraid to talk
to anyone about anythingdisability related or, or life
(40:04):
related.
But it started with just gettingout there.
Toby (40:07):
Well, that's great.
I love that.
While doing some research forthe interview, I think what
surprises me most, I discoveredthat you like to dance.
That's really cool! I just Ididn't see it coming(laughs).
(40:30):
It was surprising, will you tellus about that?
Kyle (40:33):
Yeah, so, um, me and my mom, we, we always watched a
show called,"Dancing with theStars" growing up, and, you
know, before I stopped walkingat age 11, I was, I loved to
dance.
That was just my thing, and Ijust had this knack for
choreographing.
So, um, my mom started takingdance studio lessons, and one
(40:59):
thing led to the next that ledto the next, and before I knew
it, I was, I was choreographingthis dance that I danced to.
Um, the, the person that sheworked out to arrange this
dance, actually had a son withAutism, and so, she knew all
about disability.
And so, um, that's how that cameabout.
(41:20):
So, I choreographed that wholedance and picked a song and, you
know, the song is,"NeverEnough".
So it was the idea that, youknow, I was never enough for,
for someone.
Never enough to be out there inthe community.
Uh, just, just never enough! Andnow, I just overcame that.
Toby (41:41):
Yes! I know for, for myself that sometimes like when
I'm doing something physical,like in a movement based piece
where I'm feel the emotionmoving me and feels like I'm
connected with the people andthings around me.
Then I feel like I'm, I'mmoving, like I'm in the piece
(42:03):
and space, like I'm in tune withwhat I'm trying to do.
And it's fun.
It's fun to, to move like that.
And it's fun to be in that spaceand to have that experience.
And it's fun to create thatenergy and to share it with
everybody.
Kyle (42:16):
Awesome!.
Toby (42:17):
Yeah, right, right! I also noticed lots of pictures of you
with your dogs Everybody loves agood dog story.
Will you tell us, uh, aboutthem?
Are they service dogs?
Kyle (42:28):
Oh, yes, they are.
Yeah, so I have service dog.
Um, I've had a service dog since2005, so, 17 years.
And so my first service dog, hername was Bethany, I had her, she
worked for me for eight years,and I had her for nine years,
until she passed away at 11.
(42:50):
And then I got another servicedog, August, and he, he's still
around today.
He's working less and lessbecause he's getting old and so
he, he'll probably be gettingready to retire soon.
But about a year after I gotAugust, we decided to get
another golden retriever puppyand just for the fun of it and
(43:15):
she ended up being really smartand so we thought, why not make
her a service dog too?
So we, we trained her up and uh,she's a trained service dog too,
that that, we train, we,,we knewhow to train service dogs from
my previous two service dogs.
And so, um, yeah, they goeverywhere with us.
(43:37):
They, they can pick up things.
They can open and close certaindoors.
Uh, they can turn on and offlights.
They can put my laundry in thehamper.
Um, the biggest thing I use themfor is, is, uh, picking up
stuff.
Yeah, they're great to have.
Toby (43:57):
Kyle, um, I think we're running out of time.
Um, Uh, but what's one thingthat you hope people take away
from hearing your story?
Kyle (44:09):
As I said earlier, you know, you've got to get out
there in the community and, andlearn how to advocate for
yourself.
If you don't have someone thatcan, that can do that and help
you, there's lots of Mentorsthat would more than willing to
help you advocate for yourself.
There's resources and there'sother people in the disability
(44:33):
community that would gladly takeyou under the wing.
So just learn how to get outthere in the community.
Don't be shy.
It might be, might be weird atfirst and, and difficult at
first, but what I learned is I,I got to take initiative.
I can either sit back in my siloand, and not do anything and not
(44:56):
take initiative or learn how totake initiative and eventually
it will become a two way street.
But, you know, we live in acommunity and a world not
designed for us.
So we got to figure it out howto navigate it.
It will get easier.
It's not always gonna be astruggle.
(45:16):
Once you find the right peopleto have at your side and, and
how to advocate for yourself, itdoes get easier.
It does get better andeventually you just become this
great person that you're meantto be.
Toby (45:28):
That's true, people can show you the path, but it's
yours to walk it alone.
And don't be afraid to be atrailblazer, sometimes.
I feel like Life, it does get alittle bit better or at least a
little bit tolerable.
Giggles it's not...
Life isn't half as obnoxious asyou think it's going to be.
Kyle (45:49):
Exactly.
Toby (45:52):
Thank you, Kyle, we really appreciate your story.
If our listeners relate to yourstory and want to connect with
you, what's the best way forthem to reach out, to you?
Kyle (46:03):
I'm available on all social platforms, Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter, andLinkedIn.
The best way to get in touchwith me through those avenues is
Facebook or Instagram, but notget in touch with me, um, via
email too.
Toby (46:24):
Kyle's information can be found at Cox hyphen Consulting
dot com.
Thanks so much for being ourguest, Kyle, and for being a
part of the podcast thisepisode.
Kyle (46:35):
Thank you.
It was, er, fun being here.
Toby (46:38):
Oh, excellent! I love that.
Thanks we wish you the best, inall your endeavors!
Kyle (46:43):
Awesome.
If you need me for anything elseor to record anything, I, I
don't mind doing that, too.
Alright thanks y'all! Bye
MsBoye (46:54):
Dear friends, thank you for listening to this episode.
Do you know that...
do you know that sharingpodcasts is a great way to build
relationships with your friendsand family, and a wonderful way
to connect with new people?
So, just think, if you sharethis episode with your friends
and family, or talk about us onsocial media, not only are you
(47:15):
going to strengthen yourrelationships, you're going to
be changing the world at thesame time.
Thank you.
Bye.
Toby (47:24):
I'm Toby Al Trabulsi, and you've been listening to True
Tales by Disability Advocates.
Special thanks to our guests forsharing their time and their
stories.
Kamand Alaghehband (47:37):
All episodes of The True Tales by Disability
Advocates Podcast, are free onApple Podcasts, Spotify, and
anywhere you get your podcasts.
John Beer (47:48):
The program is funded in part by a grant from the
Texas State Independent LivingCouncil, the Administration for
Community Living, andindividuals like you.
Kristen Gooch (47:58):
To learn more about The Speaking Advocates
Program, sign up for ournewsletter at artspark T X dot
org.
That's A R T S P A R K T X dot OR G.
Popular Podcasts
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
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
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.