Understanding Selective Mutism with Elisa Shipon-Blum
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Release Date: 06/05/2023
The Best of 2023 Disability Leadership with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Don’t miss the final episode of the Xceptional Leaders podcast for 2023! Our hosts, Mai Ling and James, share some valuable information as they look back over this past year. They talk about the strides that were made in the area of disability in 2023, highlights from some of this year’s guests, and success stories from around the world. They also share some areas that still need improvement as well as a look at what’s coming down the road too. Join us for this special wrap-up of 2023!
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Embracing ADHD and Neurodiversity as an Adult with Julia Ovcharenko
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Our guest today is neurodivergent Ukrainian entrepreneur and mental health enthusiast, Julia Ovcharenko. She talks with Mai Ling about the stigma around ADHD and adjusting to ADHD and neurodiversity diagnoses as an adult, which is a very personal topic for Mai Ling, as she shares in the introduction segment before the interview. As the CEO and Founder of Numo ADHD, a new app for adults with ADHD, Julia is dedicated to creating a thriving community and vital resources for those with ADHD. The app has productivity aids, support groups, and many other features to assist users and help them...
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AAC and the Journey to Ms. Wheelchair Arizona with Brooke Brown
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
James and Mai Ling kick off the episode with some updates and top takeaways from the conversation with today’s guest. AAC user and disability advocate Brooke Brown speaks with Mai Ling about her experience as Ms. Wheelchair Arizona 2022 and the Arizona State Coordinator for Ms. Wheelchair America, her journey to achieving the title and position, and the role AAC played in the process. Brooke also shares her thoughts on the word “inspire” in the context of people with disabilities and more in this International AAC Awareness Month episode.
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Valuable Resources for Disability Entrepreneurs with Nikki Powis
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Mai Ling chats with Nikki Powis about some fantastic resources for disability entrepreneurs in today’s episode. Nikki is the Director of the National Disability Institute and she shares how she started at NDI and some of the top challenges for entrepreneurs based on her over three decades of experience in this space. She also gives some tips for investor pitches and speaks about how the social impact of business ventures is an integral element of successful businesses.
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A Digital Accessibility Deep Dive with Tanner Gers
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Today Mai Ling has a chat with the founder of AccessAbility Officer, Tanner Gers. AccessAbility Officer’s aim is to make work and the web better through the services they offer, including digital accessibility training and certification, as well as staffing and recruiting. Tanner shares with us his journey to founding this organization, starting with how life changed when he became blind, what true ADA-compliant digital/online accessibility means for companies, and how the certification program works and the benefits it provides. Join us for this deep dive into the important topic of online...
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Observing Without Eyesight with Dr. Mona Minkara
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Dr. Mona Minkara chats with James in today’s episode about how to use other senses beyond eyesight to observe scientifically. Mona is a blind assistant professor of Bioengineering at Northeastern University and a travel vlogger who lives by the maxim that vision is more than sight. In this fascinating conversation with James, she talks about her interest in science at an early age, how she uses other senses in her scientific work, and how curiosity is an integral part of her personality. She also shares her passion for traveling the world and thoughts on overcoming the doubts that so many of...
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Creative Marketing & Careers for the Neurodivergent with Merlee Jayme
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
In today’s packed interview, James chats with Merlee Jayme, Chairmom® and Founder of the Misfits Camp. Merlee shares some of her backstory, including some experiences in her early, formative years which had a profound impact on her life and her approach to marketing and creativity. She also talks about her passion for creating careers for the neurodivergent which led to the formation of the Misfits Camp and why she’s not averse to the term “misfit”.
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Becoming an Exceptional Leader with Michael Zalle
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Mai Ling sits down with founder and CEO of YellowBird, Michael Zalle, to talk about being a successful leader as a person with a disability. As a veteran tech entrepreneur, Michael pulls from his extensive experience in the business world to share about when it might be advantageous to disclose a disability to potential investors. He also talks about embracing your own story and using it to your advantage and he also shares some thoughts on the role of authenticity in business. This is a value-packed episode!
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Making Sports Events More Accessible with Victor Ocando Finol
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
In our opening segment, Mai Ling and James talk about the importance of networking in your local area, in addition to building a national or international network. This valuable discussion is followed by Mai Ling’s interview with founder and CEO of Adapt the Game, Victor Ocando Finol. Victor talks about his experience as a sports fan with limited mobility due to cerebral palsy and the challenges of attending live sporting events. He created the Adapt the Game mobile app to help sports fans who were in a similar situation to himself by addressing accessibility issues with the sports venues...
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AI and AAC Technology with Alan Vu
Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges
Today we’re featuring an informative conversation between James and fellow speech-language pathologist, Alan Vu. As an SLP and an AAC specialist, Alan was able to leverage his professional background and his personal experience as a person who stutters to help create a new app that combines AI with AAC, called Flexspeak. James and Alan talk about what Flexspeak does and what Alan and his team are working on, as well as why many other AAC systems are being abandoned users.
info_outlineOur guest today is Elisa Shipon-Blum, or Dr. E, as her patients call her. She is the President and Director of the Selective Mutism Anxiety and Related Disorders Treatment Center (SMart Center). Dr E is an expert on Selective Mutism (SM) and has helped to treat thousands of patients over the past three decades. She speaks with Mai Ling about how she started her work in the area of SM, the genesis of the Selective Mutism Association and the SMart Center, as well as various treatment methods. She also answers the question, Is alternative communication an option for individuals with Selective Mutism?