Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & Martyn Sibley

Mai Ling and James are bringing a great interview for you this week. Our guest is professional American Sign Language interpreter and coach, Lanette Pinkard, who grew up as a child of deaf adults (CODA). Lanette has been the lead interpreter of teams for high-profile events all over the world and is the founder of My Hands Your Heart, LLC, a team of master interpreters specializing in customized ASL services for all types of organizations. Lanette talks with James about her experiences as a CODA, how they inspired her to pursue ASL as a career, how she launched her coaching services, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about this inspiring journey!

In this packed episode, Mai Ling and James share some exciting updates and tidbits about what is happening in the disability space and then James has a great conversation with today’s guest. Gareth Walkom is subject matter expert on using virtual reality as a therapy for speech disability or difference and has spoken at events around the world on the topic. He is the founder of withVR, a company that develops custom VR environments specifically for speech therapy. He talks about what VR is, explains VR exposure therapy, and describes how users interact with these programs in this insightful interview.

Our guest today is Joe Devon, the co-founder of the Global Accessibility Awareness Day and a co-founder of Diamond, an inclusive digital agency specializing in assisting clients to develop and implement accessible products. Joe talks with Mai Ling and shares some highlights from Diamond’s annual State of Accessibility Report, tells how his father was the inspiration for his accessibility work, and why accessibility online is so vital. 

We kick off this episode with Mai Ling and James both sharing about events they recently participated in and the takeaways from them. Then James has a great conversation with speech-language pathologist and author, Jeannette Roberes. She has extensive experience working with dyslexic learners and consults with tech companies on dyslexia inclusivity. Jeannette shares about her work running the disability inclusion think tank, Bearly Articulating, and why she's made it her mission to educate the tech community about the unique value neurodiverse people can bring to the table.

Mai Ling sits down with Katrina Martin, PhD, the founder of Bridges Learning System, to chat about her work in curriculum development. Katrina has focused on designing curriculum for disabled youth that supports and empowers neurodivergent individuals. Katrina shares why it’s so important for both students and educators to have educational tools designed with this in mind.

In our first episode of 2022, we kick off Season 4 of the show with a new co-host! James Berges joins the Xceptional Leaders podcast for the first time, so Mai Ling takes this opportunity to introduce him to you. James is a speech-language pathologist and copywriter who uses his diverse skillset to support and enable SLPs and other clinicians as they work toward their individual goals. Through his SLP Transitions project, he also assists SLPs who are looking to expand their horizons by providing information, tools, and case studies to facilitate their journey. We’re thrilled to have him on the team!

In this final episode for 2021, Martyn and Mai Ling bring you up to speed with all that’s going on in their respective worlds and share about what’s in store for the show in the future. Martyn then shares his conversation with strategic marketing expert and podcaster, Anna Price. Anna talks about what it’s like living with ADHD, the experience of being diagnosed as an adult, and how she’s used it as a tool to build a career in marketing. She also talks about the unique skills that neurodiverse people possess and the value they can bring to a company.

Mai Ling kicks off this edition of the show with a few updates for the Xceptional Leaders community and then she introduces this episode’s guest, Chris Klein. As the vice president of Impact Voices and a writer and speaker about AAC communication, Chris is equipping the next generation of AAC users with insights on AAC communication and other things that relate to overcoming the barriers of a disability. As an AAC user himself, he is passionate about making sure that the voices of the users are being heard and that they are involved in the conversations around this technology.

Attending live events can be stressful and challenging for people with disabilities so that’s why we’re so excited about what today’s guest is doing! Today Mai Ling chats with Austin Whitney, an accessibility consultant for event producers, about how event planners can make their events accessible to everyone. Through his various organizations, Austin is working to make more events accessible, educate folks with special needs about how to attend and enjoy live entertainment, and a whole lot more. As a wheelchair user himself, Austin is using his lived experiences to make a huge difference in the world of festivals, concerts, and other live events.

Mai Ling and Martyn kick off this episode with a chat about disability and health related awareness days and how to everage them. Mai Ling also shares an update on the next book in the Xceptional Leaders series. Then Martyn shares an interview with Isaac Harvey. He is the president of Wheels and Wheelchairs, an organization which pairs up wheelchair users with roller skaters to experience fun outdoor adventures together. Isaac talks about his story as a wheelchair user, how he first got involved with Wheels and Wheelchairs, and some of the other projects he’s working on.

Today Mai Ling and Martyn take a few minutes to celebrate 100 episodes of the show before introducing our guest. Martyn brings us a great conversation with YouTuber and Instagrammer, Gem Hubbard. Gem talks about her journey of being disabled as a child, the dark times after becoming disabled, and how she was able to persevere. She also recounts how she went from working a retail job to launching into the world of social media and becoming an online content creator and disability influencer through her Instagram and YouTube outlets.

Our guest today is Steven Woodgate. Steven chats with Martyn about his personal experiences with dyslexia and how he turned those challenges into his superpowers. He also shares about using his unique perspective on problem solving in the business world, using technology advancements to your advantage, and overcoming obstacles as a neurodiverse person.

Charlie Randell and Georgina Twelftree are a couple in an interabled relationship and in this conversation with Martyn they open up about the challenges they face with accessibility and overcoming misconceptions and stereotypes. Charlie has cerebral palsy and depends on mobility aids to get around and they have decided to share their experiences and candid, real-life situations to help educate and inform others who are in similar situations. Through their blog, YouTube videos, and social media content, Charlie and Gina are sharing valuable information with the world.

Martyn and Mai Ling are back with another great episode and they share some important updates at the top of the broadcast. Then Mai Ling has an insightful conversation with speaker, blogger, and business consultant Sheri Byrne-Haber. As a subject matter expert in the fields of disability and accessibility, Sheri is a prominent and sought-after voice in the disability community. Using her knowledge and personal experience, Sheri consults with Fortune 200 companies and government agencies and she shares some of her wisdom and information for those working in the disability space.

In this episode, Mai Ling talks with CEO of the XR Association (XRA), Elizabeth Hyman, about the benefits of using immersive technology in ways to empower persons with disabilities. XRA is the trade association representing the technology manufacturers that power the virtual, augmented, and mixed reality industries. Elizabeth helps to define the terminology and explain the work XRA is doing to integrate these powerful technologies in innovative ways by creating industry best practices and working directly with developers. This conversation is full of information on this exciting emerging technology.

Our guest this episode is the founder of The Disability Union in the United Kingdom, George Baker. George founded the first union by and for disabled people and carers because he believes that “the only way to further disability rights and increase inclusion is for all disabled people to work together and support each other.” He shares with Martyn the impetus for the union, how it operates, and the benefit it brings to members.

After a few episode hiatus, Martyn is back to share what he’s been up to the past few weeks. Mai Ling also shares some updates before welcoming this week’s guest, Ruchi Kapila. Ruchi is a Bay Area-based speech-language pathologist, vocologist, presenter, and soprano with experience in acute care and acute rehabilitation hospital settings. They provide gender affirmative voice services privately and is licensed in California and Texas. Ruchi is also co-creator/co-host of the podcast The Hyndsyte Project, an interview series with BIPOC Trans and Gender Nonconforming activists.

Our Xceptional Leader guest today is the founder of The Informed SLP, Meredith Harold. Mai Ling Chan chats with the fellow SLP about her path to creating the business, juggling motherhood and her career, and where things are today. Meredith also serves on multiple boards and committees in the SLP field and is a co-host of the Evidence & Argument podcast which explores the science of speech–language pathology. You don’t want to miss this conversation on the inner workings of a successful business.

Martyn and Mai Ling bring our regular updates today and then in our interview segment we welcome special guests Sarah Berkovich, Henry Evans, and Henry’s wife Jane. Sarah is a filmmaker who made a VR film about Henry and his life as a quadriplegic and how he uses augmented reality technology to enrich his life every day. Mai Ling talks with them about the making of the film, how Henry integrates tech into his life, and what effect it all has on his wife and family. Listen to the end for some bonus audio!

Our featured guest for today’s episode is blogger and podcaster Rob Gorski, The Autism Dad. Rob has built an online community for families with autistic kids starting with his blog over a decade ago. He chats with Mai Ling about the origins of his online efforts, specific struggles he’s faced with his own kids, and some of the challenges that come along with sharing such personal information in a public forum.