Disability Beat

Disability Beat is a weekly public affairs radio program heard live every Wednesday afternoon from 5:30 to 6:00 pm Central time on WEFT Champaign, 90.1 FM in east central Illinois.
Disability Beat is about and for people with all types of disabilities with a slant toward social justice, community supports, inclusion, accessibility, freedom and choice.

If you have problems opening the podcast files- and sometimes it takes a while - right click on the link and save the file to your desktop or somewhere else where you can find it. Then, all you have to do is click on the saved file. It should open up immediately.

Listen to live episodes of Disability Beat at www.weft.org Wednesdays at 5:30 PM Central time.

Disability Beat Podcasts

6.17.09 Tony Records has worked on a national level for 35 years in an effort to close institutions and promote self-determination and respect for people with disabilities. He talks about the national trend toward community supports. Listen

6.10.09 Tony Paulauski, Executive Director of the Arc of Illinois discusses the potentially devastating impact of budget cuts to Human Services in Illinois.

6.3.09 Barry Taylor, Attorney for Equip for Equality, discusses the events and implications of the proposed Ligas Consent Decree, which, if approved forces the state to provide community options for people with developmental disabilities.

5.27.09 Kris Kazian of the Lexi Kazian Foundation talks about their equipment loan program and efforts toward building accessible playgrounds. Listen

5.20.09 Susan Barnhart of Managing the Art of Living gives details on The Gathering, a statewide conference to link and strengthen Microboards and Cooperatives in Illinois, June 12-13, 2009 in Bloomington. Listen

5.13.09 Mike Lyons, a parent who uses a wheelchair has dealt with the inaccessibility of the Chicago schools for ten years, missing many events, including his daughter's solo performance and parent-teacher conferences to name a few. Mike and his wife Chris, along with Equip for Equality Attorneys, Alan Goldstein and Amy Peterson, talk about the results of their advocacy. Listen

5.6.09 Stamatis Agiovlasitis is a post doctoral researcher in kineseology and public health at the University of Illinois. His interview has two components. First he explains a study involving participants with Down Syndrome, and secondly, talks about his effort to help the university and disability communities work more closely together. Listen

4.29.09 Online listeners can preview the show to air this week! Sarah Wilds, co-founder of the Central Illinois Food Allergy Network talks about the disabling impact of severe food allergies.This week and next are the WEFT pledge drive. Please support community radio that brings you Disability Beat each and every week! Listen

4.22.09 Sheila Ferguson, CEO of the Champaign County Mental Health Center and member of the Anti-Stigma Alliance discusses the details and purpose of the free showing of the movie, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, in conjunction with EbertFest, 2009. Listen

4.15.09 Sarah Castle of the Campaign for Real Choice in Illinois talks about the Freedom Quest, a civil rights event for people with disabilities culminating in Springfield, IL on May 21, 2009. Listen

4.8.09 Jack Pearpoint and Lynda Kahn are internationally known authors and experts in community building and person centered planning for individuals with disabilities. They will be presenting a three day training on their PATH process in Mt. Vernon on April 29-30 and May 1. Listen

4.1.09 Wendy Partridge, parent and regional organizer for Managing the Art of Living, talks about her son's Microboard, and how it has improved the quality of his life. Listen

3.25.09 The sponsor of Club Access of Parkland College, Evelyn Brown, talks about an upcoming event, the Wheelathon, and the activities of the Club. Listen

3.18.09 LEAP, Linking Educators and Parents, is a group in the Champaign-Urbana Area that provides information on supports and strategies for students with learning disabilities. Marilyn Kay of LEAP talks about Dyslexia. Listen Comment

3.11.09 Dinah Federer, author of Chasing Normal: A Guide for the Newly Disabled and for Those Who Love Them. Listen

3.3.09 Sally Mustered, Assistant Coordinator of the Champaign-Urbana Autism Network talks about the upcoming C-U Autism Walk on Sunday, April 5, 2009, intended to raise awareness about Autism and raise funds for the Network.? Listen

2.18.09 Matthew Cohen, author of A guide to Special Education Advocacy: What Parents, Clinicians and Advocates Need to Know. Listen

2.11.09 The Next Chapter Book Clubs were developed at Ohio State University by Thomas Fish of the Nisonger Center. Dr. Fish discusses the goals and outcomes of this community and literature based activity for adults with developmental disabilities. Listen

2.4.09? Susan Barnhart, parent and Regional Organizer for Managing the Art of Living talks about the creative approaches used in building a high quality life for her son. Listen

1.28.09 Jim Mayer, co-chair of the Champaign County Transition Planning Committee talks about the upcoming Transition conference to be held Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2009. Listen

1.21.09 Tony Paulauski of the ARC of IL talks about the new Obama Administration and the politics of the pending closure of Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park. Listen

1.14.09? Illinois Voices Advocate and Motivational Speaker, Lisa Cecal. Listen

1.7.09 Robert Drew, fellow WEFT airshifter, advocate, educator, and person with a disability shares his story. Listen