Spotlighting Uniqueness with Kendra Gottsleben
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Release Date: 03/23/2020
Cultural Diversity in the Speech-Language Pathology Space with Dr. Li-Rong Cheng
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
In the introduction to this episode’s interview, Mai Ling shares an exciting announcement about an upcoming project that she’ll be working on. Then we jump into a conversation between Mai Ling and Dr. Li-Rong “Lilly” Cheng, who is the Director of the Chinese Cultural Center at San Diego State University. Dr. Cheng was the founder of the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus of ASHA and she talks about her early days as a diversity advocate and the unique perspectives of Asian culture on discussing diversity, inclusion, and sensitive matters. They also discuss the progress that has been made on...
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Comedy, Disability, and Self-deprecating Humor with Greg Roque
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Comedian and screenwriter Greg Roque joins the show today for an insightful conversation with James. As a teen, Greg had a spinal injury which paralyzed him and he brings his unique perspective on life as a disabled person to his comedy. He shares with us a little about his approach to comedy, where the line is for comedy about disability, and the accessibility challenges he’s faced as a comic in a wheelchair.
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Artificial Intelligence in the Disability Space with Yonah Welker
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Before we introduce our guest in this episode, Mai Ling shares a major update about a new venture that she is embarking on that has a connection to our guest. And that guest is technology explorer, evaluator, and reviewer, Yonah Welker, who has a mission to reshape how nations, cities and ecosystems embrace human-centered algorithms, environments, policy and emerging technology – specifically addressing human capability, wellbeing, experiences and beyond. Yonah and Mai Ling chat about the role of technology in the disability space with an emphasis on artificial intelligence.
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Disability Language Awareness and Inclusivity with Michael Grimmett
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Our guest today is UK-based, Disability Inclusion Specialist Michael Grimmett. Michael talks with James about an inaccessibility incident at his local pizza restaurant that he was able to use to shine light on accessibility issues. As a wheelchair user and disability advocate, Michael’s personal experiences have given him a platform to talk about the terminology and language around disability and those who have disabilities and he shares those perspectives in this conversation. In addition, he shares his thoughts on the difference between accessibility and inclusion.
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Disability in the Entertainment Business with Sawsan Zakaria
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some important updates on what is going on in their respective careers before we dive into a discussion with our guest. Sawsan Zakaria chats with Mai Ling about her participation in the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge on multiple occasions. As an actress and model with a neuromuscular disease called spinal muscular atrophy, Sawsan talks about her experiences as an actress with a disability in LA, recounting some of the highs and lows. She also shares her thoughts on how the collective preconceptions about disability are slowly shifting in the...
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Social Entrepreneurship and Neurodiversity with Vanessa Castañeda Gill
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Today, we welcome to the show Vanessa Castañeda Gill, the Co-Founder and CEO of Social Cipher, a game-based, social-emotional learning platform for neurodiverse youth. Social Cipher launched their first game called Ava, and Vanessa shares the story of its development and the impact it’s made on the target audience. She also talks about growing up with ADHD and Autism, how that has affected who she is today, and exactly why she chose a video game as the vehicle to make a difference in the lives of neurodiverse young people.
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The Intersection of Midlife, Disability, and Fashion with Sandie Roberts
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Just a few years ago, our guest Sandie Roberts, suddenly found herself at the intersection of being a middle-aged woman and a full-time wheelchair user. Unable to find adequate fashion options to suit both her new situation and her personal tastes, Sandie decided to do something about it. Sandie sits down with Mai Ling to talk about these unique experiences that led her to launch Roll With Style, a new venture that aims to assist wheelchair users with stylish and fashionable clothing options. They also discuss Sandie’s biggest growing pains during the process and how important clothing is...
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Disability Education in Developing Countries with Sandy Dorsey
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Speech-language pathologist and educator, Sandy Dorsey, is our guest this week on the show. As a global advocate for children with special needs, Sandy talks with James about how disability is viewed in developing countries and what she’s doing to overcome stigmas about disability and educate the public. She’s also the founder of the non-profit organization, Smiles for Speech, which provides access to developmentally appropriate resources to support children with disabilities. So she also shares how the organization got started, the impetus for it, and some of the services she and her team...
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Operating a Disability-Focused Health Care Center with Chanda Hinton
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
As we kick off the first episode of the new year, Mai Ling and James share their thoughts on new year’s resolutions. Then Mai Ling sits down with Chanda Hinton, Executive Director of the Chanda Center for Health and Chanda Plan Foundation, to talk about her journey of founding and running the health care center. They also discuss proactive and preventive health care options, the stigma around not-for-profit organizations, how the Chanda Center for Health differs from traditional health care offerings, and a lot more.
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2022 Spotlight on Disability-Focused Businesses and Online Accessibility
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
For our Xceptional Leaders 2022 finale episode, Mai Ling and James share some thoughts and observations on the new National Disability Institute report, Small Business Ownership by People with Disabilities: Challenges and Opportunities. They also share some highlights from past podcast guests that pertain to some of the points addressed in the NDI report. We think you’ll enjoy this part retrospective, part state-of-the-industry discussion as we cap off the year and look forward to 2023.
info_outlineOur guest on this edition of the show is author Kendra Gottsleben. Kendra has a rare disorder known as MPS VI and is a wheelchair user, yet she has not allowed this to prevent her from doing incredible things. She is not only an author but also a speaker and disability advocate. Listen in as she shares her story of becoming a published author and gives her tips to help you achieve your goals.