Walk and Roll Live-Disability Stories

In the latest episode of Walk and Roll Live, hosts Doug and Addie welcome members of the Workpower team—Angel, Brandi, Linda, and Neshama—for the debut of Workpower Leadership & Communication Strategies for Employers. Developed as part of Kidpower International and supported by Ability Central, this free online resource is designed to help employers and workplace leaders strengthen communication, inclusion, and leadership for p...

In September, 1973, President Richard Nixon signed the Rehabilitation Act into law. While much of the Act focused on vocational training and services, one section—Section 504—quietly broke new ground. It became the first U.S. civil rights law to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in federally funded programs.

In this week’s episode of Walk and Roll Live – This Week in Disability History, we explore the origins...

In this powerful episode of Walk and Roll Live, we sit down with Bob Millsap to hear his incredible story of perseverance through unimaginable challenges. From losing his fiancée at a young age, to building a life and family with his wife Shelly, to navigating career highs and devastating setbacks, Bob’s journey is one of resilience and faith. After nearly losing Shelly to a freak explosion, becoming her caregiver, and later surviv...

September, 1971, Steamboat Springs, Colorado, became the stage for the very first Special Olympics Winter Games. With 500 athletes from the U.S. and Canada, this groundbreaking event showcased the talent, joy, and determination of people with intellectual disabilities in skiing, skating, and other winter sports.

This week on Walk and Roll Live – This Week in Disability History, We explore how the Games not only transformed public p...

At just three years old, Kat’s life was forever changed by a car accident that left her a quadriplegic and full of unanswered questions. For nearly three decades, she carried the weight of what she didn’t know—until she began searching for the missing pieces of her story. What she uncovered not only reshaped her understanding of survival but also gave her the courage to live boldly.

Now at 31, Kat is rewriting her life on her own t...

In September, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) into law. This landmark legislation provided federal funding to schools serving low-income students and laid the foundation for later reforms that extended educational rights to students with disabilities.

In this second episode of our new series, This Week in Disability History, we explore how the ESEA opened doors for inclusiv...

On this episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, we sit down with Jose “Junior” Dominguez, who was diagnosed at just five years old with dermatomyositis, a rare autoimmune disease that mostly affects older adults but can be especially dangerous in children. Now, 38 years later, Jose shares his journey of growing up with this condition, the challenges and victories along the way, and how love from his girlfriend, his daug...

This episode marks the launch of our new series, This Week in Disability History. Each week, we’ll revisit a milestone that shaped the path toward equality and access for people with disabilities. On September 4, 1957, nine courageous Black students—known as the Little Rock Nine—integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their bravery, and the national battle that followed, reshaped the civil rights landscape and open...

In this brand new episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, hosts Doug Vincent and Addie Rich sit down with Gilmar Arana, a 25-year-old athlete and advocate who was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus in Guatemala City. At just eight years old, Gilmar moved to the United States and discovered adaptive sports through Rancho Los Amigos.

From his early days under Coach Rick Tirambulo to competing at the Division 3 Wheel...

Jeff Whittle spent years behind the microphone as a DJ, newsman, and sportscaster. Today, he’s traded in the airwaves for dumbbells and resistance bands. As the founder of Silver Strong Fitness, Jeff helps older adults and people with disabilities regain their strength, restore mobility, and stay active—whether in his gym or through online sessions around the world. In this episode of Walk and Roll Live, Doug reconnects with his fo...

In this episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, we welcome back Jen Larios to continue her powerful conversation about living with multiple sclerosis. The first time Jen joined us, she shared her two-year struggle to get an M.S. diagnosis and what it was like living with an invisible disability. Now, as she spends more time using a wheelchair, Jen opens up about how her life has changed — from how people see her to how ...

On this episode of Walk and Roll Live, we welcome back Brandi and introduce Neshama as we continue our deep dive into invisible disabilities. Neshama opens up about living with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Panic Disorder, and Sensory Processing Disorder, while Brandi shares her experiences with a rare nerve disease, being Hard of Hearing, fibromyalgia, and learning disabilities.

Both women reveal the daily challenges they face—often i...

In this episode of Walk and Roll Live, we continue our exploration of invisible disabilities with guest Therese Adjivon-Theodore, who shares her journey living with Sickle Cell Anemia. From her earliest memories to the challenges she faces each day, Therese opens up about the physical, emotional, and social realities of a condition that often goes unseen. She also educates us on what Sickle Cell is, how it’s managed, and what she w...

This week on a special bonus episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, we shift the spotlight to the siblings. Addie, who lives with a disability, has been featured on our show before—but this time, we hear from someone just as close to the journey: her sister.

She offers an honest, heartfelt perspective on what it’s like growing up with a sister with a disability—the joys, the challenges, the quiet strength, and the deep...

In this open & honest episode of Walk and Roll Live, we kick off Invisible Disabilities Month with guest Randy Schlecht, a traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor. Randy opens up about his early life, the event that changed everything, and his long path to recovery. Unlike visible disabilities, Randy’s challenges aren’t always obvious to others—and that leads to misunderstanding, misjudgment, and stigma.

He shares what it’s like ...

This week on Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, we sit down with Liv Kneller, a courageous young woman whose life took an unexpected turn from an active, healthy childhood in the UK to navigating the complexities of chronic illness. Liv opens up about the long road to receiving her diagnosis of POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), dysautonomia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other overlapping health conditions.

Fr...

In this uplifting episode of Walk and Roll Live – Disability Stories, we meet Derrick “Dee” Smith, a first-time author whose imagination created a world where pirates, dragons, and time travel collide. The Adventures of Duke and Tom: The Lost Treasure of Panic Island is more than just a thrilling tale—it’s the result of Dee’s resilience in the face of childhood illness, bullying, depression, and learning disabilities.

From crafting...

Join us on Walk and Roll Live as our hosts Doug Vincent and Addie Rich sit down with Vivian as she tells her story of growing up with a disability and experiencing a spinal cord injury at the age of 13. In this episode we discuss the challenges of finding the right care and challenges within the medical industry.  

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At age 20, Juan Garibay survived a spinal cord injury that changed the course of his life. Once involved in gang activity and serving time in prison, Juan emerged from tragedy with a new sense of purpose. Today, he is a Research Assistant and Program Manager at the Rancho Research Institute, where he helps shape groundbreaking rehabilitation programs and spinal cord injury research.

In this inspiring episode of Walk and Roll Live –...