No Barriers

Listen to the full episodes referenced in this episode.Episode 110: Determination and Faith with Chris NortonEpisode 113: Embracing Vision with Kyle CoonEpisode 119: Equity in Entertainment with Keely Cat-WellsEpisode 132: Restoring Vision with Geoff TabinEpisode 133: Rebuilding Community & Purpose with Cpt. Dave Inbody, US Army, Ret.

To introduce our guest this week, read you a passage from a recent essay he wrote: “I gaze at her straight charcoal hair, serious blinking eyes and flawless skin. She is only a day old, but already her muscles are tight and when she cries it is high-pitched and she is difficult to console. Her urine is positive for benzodiazepines, amphetamines, cocaine, and opioid derivatives.” These are the words of Benjamin Rattray. He takes care of babies in the neonatal intensive care unit. He walks the path where life and death are regularly held in his hands. He balances clinical science and compassionate care, with the goal infusing his medical practice with empathy and humanism. What does this all mean for us? Have a listen and discover for yourself. NOTE: This is our final episode of the year and our production team is taking a break for the holidays.

David Inbody is the father of three children, two sons and a daughter, and has been married to his wife Tiffany for nineteen years.David was medically retired from the U.S. Army in 2012, after eight years of service. He attained the rank of Captain. He enlisted in 2004 and attended officer candidate school and was commissioned in 2008. He was assigned to Bravo Co, 1st Squadron, 112th Cavalry Regt as a scout platoon leader. He later served as a plans officer and supply officer for the squadron before deploying as a member of an Agricultural Development Team in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan.David was injured by an improvised explosive device while on a patrol on 15 July, 2010. As a result of injuries sustained from the blast he lost his right foot and sustained various other injuries. After two years of rehabilitation at the Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, David medically retired and returned home to College Station, Tx.He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medals as well as the Combat Action Badge and multiple other awards and decorations.

Imagine life if you were unable to see. Could you find the toilet, or leave in an emergency? Now imagine you lived in a place where there are no paved roads, no clean water. In our world, 14 million people, more than the entire population of Canada, are blind, unable to perform the daily tasks of living. Ninety percent of the world's visually impaired live in low-income settings. Eighty-five percent of the blindness on our planet could be cured, or could have been prevented. 20 million people are needlessly blind from treatable cataracts.Now imagine: There exists a surgery that can restore perfect sight to these people in five minutes, for the cost of $25 per surgery. Imagine: We can overcome all the needless blindness in the world. People say it's impossible.Some of Dr. Tabin’s Highlights:Dr. Tabin was also the fourth person to climb the Seven SummitsIn 1994, Dr. Tabin established the Himalayan Cataract Project with his colleague Dr. Sanduk RuiOn an 8-day expedition to Ethiopia covered by National Geographic in 2009, Dr. Tabin and his team completed over 900 surgeries in just eight daysIn 2009, Dr. Tabin was presented with Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award by Dalai LamaHe pioneered the first ascent of the final unclimbed face of Mount Everest, the challenging East Face, and also became the first ophthalmologist to summit Mount Everest.LINKSRecent Project  in EthiopiaCure Blindness  & Himalayan Cataract Project WebsiteVideo - Ted Talk - Eradicating World Blindness - 16 minutes Blind Corners Book

This much is true... no one gets outta here alive.If you had the option of knowing the day you would die and how it would happen, would you want to know?This is Jim.Jim was very much alive when this episode was recorded.Jim was dead 2 months later..Jim has a Stage 4, terminal cancer diagnosis and has ceased all treatment. Two weeks before this episode was recorded he was told he had roughly a month to live.Since his diagnosis, Jim has endured countless rounds of chemo, multiple surgeries and a brief ‘remission’.  He has accepted his fate and has made it his mission to squeeze as much life out of the short time he has left. And along with that, has committed himself to encouraging people to wake the hell up with regards to valuing this one precious life that we each have. To not forget how fleeting and finite it all is. To love those around you and live the best version of your life.We’re grateful to him for that critical reminder that our walk on this planet is brief and that every minute counts. It’s easy to get caught up in the circus that surrounds us. Instead, let’s step outside, breathe, hug, share, appreciate, love. --- Jeff Evans, No Barriers Podcast Host

Joe Strechay is a Producer and Consultant for film, television, theatre, and literary works. He consults on accessibility, disability, and blindness to assure respectful and accessible work environments and portrayals. He has worked on AppleTV+’s SEE, Netflix’s The OA, and Marvel’s Daredevil. Joe has supervised services for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania; managed a web program; instructed in services for individuals who are blind or have low vision; advised states and countries on services, and mentored numerous people with disabilities. He has consulted for the American Printing House for the Blind specific to CareerConnect and their National Transition Conversation. Joe did his graduate work at Florida State University and his undergraduate at East Carolina University. He speaks around the United States about employment, transition, accessibility, and inclusion in entertainment, and his experiences. He and his wife, Jen, live in Pennsylvania.  LINKSJoe on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL3qga2wIqrtstBLMXQAwag/videosInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/joestrechay/Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-strechay-67724243/

In this episode get up close and personal as this Olympian shares her triumphs, challenges (physical & mental), blunders here and there, and where her life is headed now. Growing up in Vermont, Sarah Will was a natural on the slopes. She competed on the nationally-ranked ski team at Green Mountain College. Her skiing career took an unexpected turn in 1988, when a skiing accident left her paralyzed from the waist down. She did not give up. 4 years later she went to the 1992 Paralympic Winter Games winning gold medals in the downhill and super-G. 10 years after, and back to back appearances at every winter olympics she had racked up 12 golds and 1 silver. Will is one of the most decorated athletes in U.S. ski team history.

16-year-old Alex Knoll is a tech founder and international speaker with a passion for helping others. He has been featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, BBC, Irish Times, NBC Nightly News, Sky News & many more.Alex developed Ability App, a global crowd-sourced web app that helps people with cognitive, hearing, vision, and/or mobility disabilities and caregivers search for specific accessible and inclusive features at locations around the world. Ability App launched globally on May 1, 2020. Please visit the Ability App website for more information at TheAbilityApp.com.Most recently, Alex was awarded The Diana Award, given out by the charity of the same name with the support of The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex, and was created to honor Princess Diana’s work while inspiring others to action.Special thanks to Wells Fargo for their sponsorship of today’s podcast in a series featuring folks who are breaking barriers in the business and the workplace.Resources:Visit the Ability App Website: https://theabilityapp.com/Watch Alex on EllenHow Ability App Works

Faith Malton is a natural-born engineer.  She was born missing her right arm and thus, grew up problem-solving and adapting to her environment through innovation.  More importantly, she engineered her mental aptitude and psyche to be rooted in a growth mindset.  A student ambassador, she found herself inquisitive on how other cultures worked and how culture determines the perception of disability. Her curiosity led her to places like Antarctica, India, and Tanzania. Every trip was an awakening and revealed to her how the built environment shapes the way in which humans experience the world.  She now works at Walter P. Moore, an international civil engineering firm, doing site design. She believes design teams have a responsibility for their designs to be universally accessible, inspire the human spirit, and nurture a connection to the natural world.Malton also works to help others break through mental barriers and navigate the world with limb differences through her YouTube channel, One Arm Wonder.Resources:YouTube: One Arm WonderInstagram: @theonearmwonderrrTEDx Talk:  From Victim to Creator 

Amy Rusiecki is the owner of Beast Coast Trail Running and the Race Director for the Vermont 100 mile race, Seven Sisters Trail Race, Chesterfield Gorge Ultra Event, and Mount Tobey 50k, as well as a winning endurance athlete herself. Amy is a true barrier-breaker in the ultra community. She successfully petitioned for the Vermont 100 to be the first ultra race in the country to recognize AWDs (athletes with disabilities) in their own division and has taken the Vermont 100 partnership with Vermont Adaptive to new heights. Since becoming the race director seven years ago she has helped raise close to $1M for the adaptive sports organization. She has made bold moves to push past gender barriers, creating non-binary divisions in all of her events and she has led conversations nationwide about how to better manage gender equality within the race industry. Amy has been coaching for 18 years, working with High School and College running and XC ski teams, named ‘Coach of the Year’ three times. Amy herself fell in love with trail running and ultras. She has three times represented the USA at World Trail Championships, her best finish was at the 2013 World Trail Champs, where she was the top American and 15th female. Amy has raced up and down the East Coast and ultimately enjoys running regardless of distance, terrain, or location.Special thanks to the Winnebago Industries Foundation for their support of this podcast and their advocacy for accessibility in outdoor spaces.Resources:Vermont 100: https://vermont100.com/ Facebook, Instagram, TwitterBeast Coast Trail Running: https://www.facebook.com/beastcoasttrails/Vermont Adaptive: https://www.vermontadaptive.org/