Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / OneLegUpAlex Adapts With Above and Beyond With U Founder Jenna Udenberg During Disability Employment Awareness Month 10-8-25

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OneLegUpAlex Adapts With Above and Beyond With U Founder Jenna Udenberg During Disability Employment Awareness Month 10-8-25 · OneLegUpAlex Media

0:05
Speaker 1: Here's your host, Alex Garrett. All right, well we're back
0:12
Speaker 1: here on one leg up Alex Network, and with us
0:15
Speaker 1: again from Above and Beyond with You is Jenna Utenberg.
0:18
Speaker 1: And Jenna, it's a very special month. I keyed it
0:21
Speaker 1: off last week, but I wanted to develop the conversation
0:24
Speaker 1: about disabil Employment Awareness Month and I understand Above and
0:28
Speaker 1: Beyond with You is involved with that as well this month.
0:32
Speaker 2: Yeah, we're just trying to increase the awareness, kind of
0:34
Speaker 2: have a campaign going of sharing the work of others,
0:37
Speaker 2: which is super important in what we're doing, and then
0:40
Speaker 2: have some other speaking engagements that are kind of tied
0:42
Speaker 2: into it. But we're definitely making it up all a
0:44
Speaker 2: part of the process and the awareness.
0:47
Speaker 1: All Right, I have asking this because you're an entrepreneur,
0:49
Speaker 1: right you built all this up basically from the ground up.
0:52
Speaker 1: I feel like that's part of the employment awareness in
0:54
Speaker 1: this is you can build your own brand, right.
0:57
Speaker 2: Right, And I think it's really important that yes, letting
1:00
Speaker 2: that be known out there, Like you know, we can
1:03
Speaker 2: create the space that we need, and there should be
1:06
Speaker 2: opportunities in the standard industries for us to also function
1:10
Speaker 2: and have the employment that we are seeking.
1:13
Speaker 1: Well, the dol does say we have a two point
1:16
Speaker 1: uh you know uptick from last year and hiring which
1:18
Speaker 1: is pretty good from forty to forty two percent, but
1:21
Speaker 1: where can we improve on that? I mean, we want
1:23
Speaker 1: to have more than fifty percent hired, right right?
1:27
Speaker 2: You know, that's I think it's just continuing to have
1:30
Speaker 2: those conversations and for those of us that you know,
1:34
Speaker 2: feel confident in sharing our story, you know, the good,
1:36
Speaker 2: the bad, and the ugly, and just really being in
1:39
Speaker 2: those boardrooms. The more that disability community and culture is
1:42
Speaker 2: represented in all facets of life, the more it's just
1:46
Speaker 2: going to become a natural part of everything instead of
1:50
Speaker 2: you know, the history of our country and of the
1:52
Speaker 2: world really you know, segregating and separating and all those
1:57
Speaker 2: horrific things, and making sure we don't go back to that, right, like,
2:01
Speaker 2: continue that forward motion, continuing having difficult conversations, curious conversations,
2:07
Speaker 2: and more importantly, like than what so I think sometimes
2:11
Speaker 2: it's so hard with awareness campaigns. So it's like, yeah,
2:13
Speaker 2: we're bringing this forward, We're bringing this forward, and then
2:15
Speaker 2: it's like, but what's the policy change, what's the procedure change,
2:18
Speaker 2: what's the hiring changes?
2:20
Speaker 1: Or bringing this forward? Then the conversation just kind of stops.
2:22
Speaker 1: I agree with you there, Like let's say on July
2:24
Speaker 1: twenty six, right with Ada Day, that's where the conversation is.
2:27
Speaker 1: Then do we have anything else after that? Even with
2:29
Speaker 1: the politicians? Not really, That's where you and others step
2:32
Speaker 1: in and say, now we're going to continue that conversation.
2:35
Speaker 2: Right, And sometimes you always feel like you're that squeaky
2:37
Speaker 2: wheel or the fish swimming upstream. Right, So making sure
2:41
Speaker 2: we're always encouraging those folks that are that are doing
2:44
Speaker 2: this work and are being that mouth piece, but also
2:47
Speaker 2: that you know, we also make sure that we are
2:51
Speaker 2: bringing every along everyone along with us. Right. It's not
2:54
Speaker 2: just Jenna's story that being shared, it's not just Alex's
2:57
Speaker 2: story that's being shared, but it's everybody, whether they're new friends,
3:01
Speaker 2: yet to be friends, or you know, people we've known
3:04
Speaker 2: for a long time. And I think the biggest thing
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Speaker 2: for a lot of folks is just remembering that anybody
3:10
Speaker 2: can acquire their disability at any moment. And so we
3:12
Speaker 2: are the most diverse minority group out there, and so
3:16
Speaker 2: I'm excited for the more that we become connected, the
3:21
Speaker 2: more that we keep speaking up, the more that we
3:23
Speaker 2: create community within our community because because the sky's the limit, right.
3:29
Speaker 1: So the last time we talked, I was on transportation
3:32
Speaker 1: for you. How's those goals bins as we last talked.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean in the current situation that our federal
3:40
Speaker 2: government finds itself, almost all projects have stopped. So that's
3:45
Speaker 2: very unfortunate. But I keep still having those conversations, you know,
3:50
Speaker 2: and I'm connecting with other disability activists throughout the country.
3:53
Speaker 2: So it was awesome being a part of Nico's Disability
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Speaker 2: Pride Month activity segment stuff that he did in Philadelphia
4:03
Speaker 2: and following him, and so I think just the more
4:04
Speaker 2: that we can be encouraged. And I felt bad with
4:07
Speaker 2: the whole like, you know, don't drive your car week
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Speaker 2: last week and all the things we're like, well in
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Speaker 2: rural Minnesota that yeah, I kind of got to use
4:14
Speaker 2: my van, Like so I would you.
4:18
Speaker 1: Drive or do you have do you drive the van yourself?
4:21
Speaker 1: Very yeah? Yeah, you know, so many people I have
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Speaker 1: adaptive cars, and I think that's the thing to bring
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Speaker 1: a worriers about. If you're afraid to drive, you can
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Speaker 1: get your car adapted. Do you think there's not enough
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Speaker 1: wareness about.
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Speaker 2: That for sure, and I also think it's a financial burden, right,
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Speaker 2: And so you know, I've been very privileged to you know,
4:41
Speaker 2: have the career that I've had, being a music educator,
4:44
Speaker 2: getting my masters, you know, all those things that I
4:46
Speaker 2: know not everyone is afforded, and having a supportive family.
4:51
Speaker 2: You know, my dad helped me with many of my
4:53
Speaker 2: first cars and down payments and all the things because
4:56
Speaker 2: we just can't collect that much. And then also because
4:59
Speaker 2: I get peace the services and Caddie Waiver and all
5:01
Speaker 2: those different things, you know, with asset limits and all
5:04
Speaker 2: the stuff. Right, So there's so many different parts to
5:07
Speaker 2: navigate on the financial front to make that happen. And
5:11
Speaker 2: so it's interesting because in Minnesota we have a great
5:13
Speaker 2: company and one of their owners was like, all right, Jenna,
5:17
Speaker 2: your ban is about ten years old. Have you considered
5:19
Speaker 2: a trade in? And It's like, no, I've never been
5:22
Speaker 2: able to do that. It's been like a run into
5:24
Speaker 2: the ground, you know type of situation. And I was like, oh, well,
5:27
Speaker 2: this is a way for me also to continue to
5:30
Speaker 2: give back to my community because you know, it's still
5:33
Speaker 2: a great band, it still does all the things, and
5:34
Speaker 2: I'm sure someone else could, you know, Beat it into
5:36
Speaker 2: the ground, sure, and have some reliable transportation. So I'm
5:41
Speaker 2: hoping to be able to do that this you know
5:43
Speaker 2: spring as I take care of different things. But again,
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Speaker 2: who knows what's going to happen at the federal level
5:48
Speaker 2: and all the stuff.
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Speaker 1: So you know, it's interesting about JOT pradition. It's it's October,
5:53
Speaker 1: which means Minnesota's going to get a very Is it
5:55
Speaker 1: a plan for an early winter or what's the planet
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Speaker 1: there for? Weatherwise?
6:00
Speaker 2: Last week on this day it was eighty degrees on
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Speaker 2: like Superior. Today it was forty three.
6:07
Speaker 1: So it's gonna it's gonna change, and uh, yeah, I'm
6:09
Speaker 1: sure you're ready for that as an experienced Minnesota but no,
6:13
Speaker 1: my point being is that how do you adjust and
6:15
Speaker 1: when you talk about it a little bit last time,
6:17
Speaker 1: but for those just tuning in for the first time,
6:19
Speaker 1: how do you adjust to that? As someone who drives
6:21
Speaker 1: adopted vane and then you got to deal with the
6:23
Speaker 1: snow and then you know the everything about Minnesota weather.
6:27
Speaker 2: Yeah, and it is no small feat for sure. You know,
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Speaker 2: I do a lot of awareness campaigns and a lot
6:35
Speaker 2: of connections with local agencies and businesses and you know,
6:42
Speaker 2: all of that bathole sector because it's like your snow
6:45
Speaker 2: removal policy and plan can't be like, oh, we only
6:48
Speaker 2: clean it when there's four inches right, Like exercise, sidewalks,
6:52
Speaker 2: getting in and out. All the things need to be
6:54
Speaker 2: you know, taken care of. And to be honest, a
6:57
Speaker 2: lot of times I just take a different an approach
7:00
Speaker 2: to winter like summer and in minute northern Minnesota, we
7:04
Speaker 2: don't get a lot of fall, and we don't get
7:05
Speaker 2: a lot of spring. We're kind of extremists up here
7:08
Speaker 2: and in the weather. That is.
7:13
Speaker 1: Just to clarify, that's funny, you know, Jenna. And by
7:15
Speaker 1: the way you are by Parson, you do work with
7:17
Speaker 1: both sides they out, which is very important to note
7:19
Speaker 1: because you know, it's good to know that you have
7:22
Speaker 1: both sides ears if you will. But you know what,
7:24
Speaker 1: I realized we're going to post it on YouTube and
7:26
Speaker 1: we didn't do that the last time. So oh, give
7:29
Speaker 1: my audience who's seen this for the first time, insight
7:31
Speaker 1: into beyond, you know, above and beyond with you. Yeah.
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Speaker 2: So, we are a nonprofit located up in northern Minnesota.
7:38
Speaker 2: I'm Beautiful Lake Superior. Our tagline is that we are
7:42
Speaker 2: to increase accessibility and inclusion along the north Shore and beyond.
7:46
Speaker 2: And so we've been in existence for three years and
7:49
Speaker 2: our goal is to not just to raise awareness but
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Speaker 2: really come alongside entities, agencies, individuals, small businesses, large businesses.
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Speaker 2: And the whole meaning of above and beyond with you
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Speaker 2: is above and beyond stands for that EIGHTYA code is
8:02
Speaker 2: just the floor, it is not the ceiling. So we
8:04
Speaker 2: can go above and beyond. And in that disability, culture
8:08
Speaker 2: and community should be represented as stakeholders and their boys
8:10
Speaker 2: should be heard and respected and actually acted upon. And
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Speaker 2: the way with you is a nod to our board.
8:17
Speaker 2: Almost all of our board members have some connection to education.
8:20
Speaker 2: I am a former music teacher, and so with is
8:23
Speaker 2: not just like hey, just hire us for a consultation
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Speaker 2: and call it good.
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Speaker 1: Nope, we want and specifically the you because it's utenberg
8:29
Speaker 1: so you know it it all works now, as you mentioned,
8:32
Speaker 1: I remember now our first conversation, I was really hammering
8:34
Speaker 1: home the point that we don't have to sue every
8:36
Speaker 1: business that is excessble. We have to work with them
8:39
Speaker 1: instead of sue then right.
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Speaker 2: Right, yeah, the system is just so messed up in
8:43
Speaker 2: the way that it's situated. You know, with Ada being
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Speaker 2: the greatest unfunded mandate of the American federal governments. But yeah,
8:51
Speaker 2: you can get way, in my experience, you can get
8:53
Speaker 2: way more action and traction with honey than with vinegar.
8:57
Speaker 2: And at some point sometimes you do have to throw
8:59
Speaker 2: the vinegar to clean some things up and to you know,
9:01
Speaker 2: handle things professionally in business like, but I'd much rather
9:05
Speaker 2: have conversations with business owners and figuring out how to
9:08
Speaker 2: you know, raise funds to make things happen and to
9:11
Speaker 2: change their business plan. That's ultimately it, right, Like I
9:13
Speaker 2: get probably requests almost every month or actually almost every
9:18
Speaker 2: week depending on the season of hey, above and beyond
9:21
Speaker 2: with you, do you got money for us? And it's like, no,
9:23
Speaker 2: that's not how it works. Your business plan needs to
9:25
Speaker 2: also include accessibility, also include accommodations for your disabled workers.
9:30
Speaker 1: Do they want you to fund the project is what
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Speaker 1: you're saying.
9:33
Speaker 2: Right, or create connections so that they can get their
9:37
Speaker 2: the resources and revenue to do what they what they
9:40
Speaker 2: want to do. And so it's just that educational piece.
9:44
Speaker 2: It's that time of you know, again creating that relationship
9:47
Speaker 2: of like, yeah, we don't have all this money. I
9:50
Speaker 2: would love to like that's my ultimate dream right to
9:53
Speaker 2: be like, let's do some fifty to fifty match grants,
9:55
Speaker 2: let's let's do this work together. But we're just not
9:58
Speaker 2: there yet. But hopefully.
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Speaker 1: I don't know I asked this last time, but the conversion, right,
10:04
Speaker 1: have you been able to convert businesses into ADA through this?
10:08
Speaker 1: You know, through this business? How many business have been
10:11
Speaker 1: converted into ADA visibility through you?
10:14
Speaker 2: Wow, that's a great question. We need to track that data.
10:21
Speaker 2: And a lot of it has been more like, hey, great,
10:24
Speaker 2: you're here, but now have you thought about this population
10:26
Speaker 2: of disability? Or hey, you built the ramp last year
10:30
Speaker 2: before we even we're connected, but now let's talk about
10:32
Speaker 2: your parking, or hey you got us in the door,
10:35
Speaker 2: but now I can't use your restroom. So you know,
10:39
Speaker 2: I think a lot of it is just that we're
10:40
Speaker 2: still in the journey, right, So I don't know that
10:43
Speaker 2: I could say like, hey, this is the above and
10:45
Speaker 2: beyond with you stamp because it's one hundred percent, and
10:48
Speaker 2: you and I know that nothing's one hundred percent because
10:49
Speaker 2: we're all uniquely created and uniquely needing accommodations.
10:54
Speaker 1: So I want to get people a geographical kind of
10:56
Speaker 1: difference here because New York has all these buildings which
10:58
Speaker 1: should be ada. I mean, we're New York City sometimes
11:01
Speaker 1: or not, but I imagine rural Minnesota, and Minnesota has
11:04
Speaker 1: a lot more older buildings. So how do you work
11:06
Speaker 1: on making sure the older buildings are eighty eight? Because
11:09
Speaker 1: I've seen resistance to the older buildings wanting to be coded,
11:13
Speaker 1: if that makes sense. They don't They don't know how
11:15
Speaker 1: they can do it, so they kind of just don't
11:16
Speaker 1: do it.
11:17
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, I mean even in my small town generally,
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Speaker 2: I think we have like five or six hair salons
11:25
Speaker 2: and barbershops, and I can physically get into one that
11:29
Speaker 2: was built in the last five years and on ground
11:32
Speaker 2: level and one that had a ramp put onto it,
11:35
Speaker 2: you know, early on, but thankfully they had the space
11:37
Speaker 2: to do a one to twelve or a one to
11:39
Speaker 2: twenty ramp. But so many are in buildings that were
11:42
Speaker 2: created in the nineteen fifties or even earlier. And a
11:46
Speaker 2: lot of it comes down to, you know, what are
11:51
Speaker 2: all the other codes? And that's what I always ask
11:53
Speaker 2: when I'm with a city and county and state officials,
11:56
Speaker 2: like what code trumps a different code? You know? Is
12:00
Speaker 2: is it the water runoff that determines the slope of
12:03
Speaker 2: the sidewalk. But then you forget about ADA or you
12:06
Speaker 2: know what I mean. So there's so many things. And
12:08
Speaker 2: then because there's some of the caveats within ADA, you know, oh,
12:12
Speaker 2: we're grandfathered in. Well no you're not. People love to
12:16
Speaker 2: say that, but that's not truly how you read the law. So,
12:20
Speaker 2: you know, I think a lot of it is like
12:22
Speaker 2: I get so tired of having to come at it
12:23
Speaker 2: from the head perspective and from the financial perspective. It's like,
12:28
Speaker 2: you have to get people at the heart of it.
12:31
Speaker 2: When they think of your business of X y Z,
12:33
Speaker 2: do they want to think that you're only catering to
12:35
Speaker 2: non disabled people or white people or affluent people or
12:39
Speaker 2: you know what I mean? Like what what are you
12:42
Speaker 2: truly putting out as your front face and what do
12:45
Speaker 2: you really mean for that front face to be?
12:48
Speaker 1: And for those who may not know your story because
12:50
Speaker 1: we're we only did the audio portion last time, tell
12:53
Speaker 1: us you Jenna Unenberger's Oh good question.
12:57
Speaker 2: I am a passionate community leader. I have been blessed
13:03
Speaker 2: with being a Bland and Community Leader member, which is
13:07
Speaker 2: a local foundation up here in northern Minnesota. I am
13:10
Speaker 2: a twenty twenty Bush Fellow, and I'm also a twenty
13:12
Speaker 2: twenty five Shannon Leadership Institute cohort member, and so finding
13:18
Speaker 2: that voice, finding my story. I'm a published author. Within
13:21
Speaker 2: my spokes is my memoir that all proceeds go straight
13:24
Speaker 2: to my work with Above and Beyond with You. And
13:28
Speaker 2: I also write a column called Local View from four
13:30
Speaker 2: foot two that you can find on our website Above
13:33
Speaker 2: and Beyond with You dot org. It's published in our
13:36
Speaker 2: local paper at the Lake County Press. And so you know,
13:40
Speaker 2: when I'm not doing all these things, I'm hanging out
13:42
Speaker 2: with friends. I am enjoying local coffee shops. I am
13:46
Speaker 2: playing board games and card games. And I'm out on
13:48
Speaker 2: my real mobility firefly on any paved or gravel trail
13:52
Speaker 2: that lets me be me with my friends and other
13:56
Speaker 2: cyclists and bicyclists, So me in a nutshell. I'm also
14:00
Speaker 2: a retired music teacher, a nineteen year career that got
14:04
Speaker 2: ended kind of abruptly during the COVID nineteen pandemic because
14:07
Speaker 2: my school district wasn't interested in accommodating my work from
14:11
Speaker 2: home orders. So lots of pivoting within my career and
14:15
Speaker 2: pivoting into the nonprofit world and during my free time haha,
14:19
Speaker 2: I also coached the Lego Robotics team, the Robo dweebs and.
14:22
Speaker 1: Yes, you love the robots. Yes, the robotics, that's that's right.
14:26
Speaker 1: Well yeah, that's a minute as well, and the Lego
14:29
Speaker 1: thing as well. But I also want to I brought
14:32
Speaker 1: you on because we did not get a chance to
14:34
Speaker 1: talk about ADA Day twenty twenty five. What did you
14:37
Speaker 1: guys do above and beyond with you were there? I
14:39
Speaker 1: know you mentioned you were in a real of sorts,
14:42
Speaker 1: but tell us how you guys, you know, made your
14:44
Speaker 1: mark this eightya twenty to thirty five, I give it
14:47
Speaker 1: thirty five years already, right, you know, we.
14:52
Speaker 2: Went and supported a local Disability Pride Day that happened regionally,
14:58
Speaker 2: and that's really cool because that that has only been
15:00
Speaker 2: in existence. I think this is our second maybe third year,
15:06
Speaker 2: and so yeah, I mean just a month of just
15:09
Speaker 2: uplifting other voices and making sure that you know, people
15:11
Speaker 2: that follow us, other also follow other content creators, awareness
15:16
Speaker 2: people and the activists that are really doing the hard work.
15:21
Speaker 2: So yeah, but it feels like forever ago with how
15:26
Speaker 2: much change has happened.
15:27
Speaker 1: Right, I know what, and I was going to ask
15:29
Speaker 1: you this. So obviously we're now in the shutdown, and
15:32
Speaker 1: I feel like where we're a group above and beyond
15:34
Speaker 1: with you can come in about as possibility is navigating
15:38
Speaker 1: now this fear that Medicaid and all this stuff is
15:41
Speaker 1: shut down. Are you getting a lot of calls about
15:43
Speaker 1: this right now?
15:45
Speaker 2: We aren't getting those kinds of calls because that's not
15:48
Speaker 2: necessarily our wheelhouse of things. You know, maybe people sharing
15:52
Speaker 2: their frustration or their concern and when we do, you know,
15:57
Speaker 2: get maybe questions of like what are reliable resources? Of
16:00
Speaker 2: course we share that, you know, based on region and
16:02
Speaker 2: county and all the stuff. And yet you know, me
16:07
Speaker 2: and my president, you know, we're both disabled, so we
16:10
Speaker 2: also are making sure that we're taking self care time
16:12
Speaker 2: and that we're actually taking care of ourselves too, because
16:16
Speaker 2: this is it's hard to live it for yourself, live
16:22
Speaker 2: it with and for others, and you know, just stay
16:26
Speaker 2: positive in this whole process.
16:29
Speaker 1: Yep. But I think you do have a job that
16:30
Speaker 1: and obviously your guest everywhere, which which is great, and
16:34
Speaker 1: we of course met through pod match. Have you been
16:36
Speaker 1: connecting more through there as well?
16:38
Speaker 2: Yeah? I actually went through a medical leave for a
16:41
Speaker 2: little bit, and I have a new knee replacement in July,
16:44
Speaker 2: so I had to take a couple months off. But
16:46
Speaker 2: now I'm definitely back and I'm going, Wow, I need
16:48
Speaker 2: to like figure out how to balance all this stuff
16:52
Speaker 2: because I love, you know, having these conversations, getting to
16:55
Speaker 2: know more the hosts and the different shows and that
16:57
Speaker 2: kind of stuff as well. But yeah, podmetch has definitely
17:00
Speaker 2: been an amazing tool and an amazing group of folks
17:04
Speaker 2: that are really all about spreading the message and bringing awareness.
17:07
Speaker 1: I don't you know, the Accessible Stall, but they're also
17:09
Speaker 1: in this space of podcast. I got to connect you
17:11
Speaker 1: with them because of my childhood friends since since Kindergarten
17:16
Speaker 1: runs the show with the UH with someone who's doing
17:19
Speaker 1: editing work for the Able newspaper here in New York.
17:21
Speaker 1: So I got to connect you guys, and you know,
17:23
Speaker 1: that's what I'm doing, and I connect with you the
17:25
Speaker 1: Eric of Tripper because I'm like accessibility transportation.
17:28
Speaker 2: Boom, you know, right, Yeah, and I.
17:30
Speaker 1: Hope that one has been growing as well. But you
17:34
Speaker 1: also said something interest the last we're going to pitch
17:36
Speaker 1: you the idea to come on, and you said, yeah,
17:38
Speaker 1: we have counselors that can help you out find jobs,
17:41
Speaker 1: and I feel like that's an arm that doesn't exist everywhere,
17:47
Speaker 1: you know what I mean, Like there's be more of
17:48
Speaker 1: that kind of outreach and maybe you're breaking round with that.
17:52
Speaker 2: Yeah, I wouldn't say that we are. Necessarily that's the
17:55
Speaker 2: career of my president of Above and Beyond with you.
17:59
Speaker 2: So she's done a lot of disability benefits counseling for
18:03
Speaker 2: probably the last two decades of her world. Started out
18:06
Speaker 2: in the outdoor camp recreation world and then came into
18:11
Speaker 2: the benefits world. So she is definitely my go to
18:14
Speaker 2: person for myself and for others. But I feel like
18:19
Speaker 2: that maybe is an area that needs way more.
18:25
Speaker 1: Well. I think we need to encourage people to get
18:27
Speaker 1: up and work. I mean, that's the whole thing is
18:28
Speaker 1: sometimes they're afraid and look the other fury as well.
18:31
Speaker 1: I'm on benefits, yet how can I work also so
18:34
Speaker 1: I don't lose the benefits And it's tough to be
18:36
Speaker 1: kepped out a certain amount you can make a month
18:39
Speaker 1: with the fear of losing your benefits. Is there a legislation?
18:43
Speaker 1: Is there? Activism? Is there? You know, advocacy that can
18:46
Speaker 1: be done to fix that.
18:49
Speaker 2: Yes and right, it's getting connected to those legislative activists,
18:55
Speaker 2: the lobbyists, you know, and then figuring out like what
18:58
Speaker 2: is a state issue and what is a federal issue,
19:01
Speaker 2: what is a local issue? And I think the hard
19:04
Speaker 2: part is is like you never bring all the entities together.
19:07
Speaker 2: So you know, SSDI makes one call, Medicare or health
19:11
Speaker 2: insurances make another call, Caddie waivers and county level services
19:15
Speaker 2: make a different call. So it's just frustrating when you're
19:20
Speaker 2: stuck between all the different systems. And then it's like, oh,
19:23
Speaker 2: and by the way, I have to take care of
19:24
Speaker 2: my health or my medical conditions or I just need
19:27
Speaker 2: to like live a healthy life. So I get the frustration.
19:30
Speaker 2: And yet sometimes it's so hard because it feels like
19:34
Speaker 2: not everybody has the same access to the resources, or
19:37
Speaker 2: you have to like find this magical beginning of your
19:40
Speaker 2: choose your own adventure instead of like, hey, everyone who
19:45
Speaker 2: identifies as disabled or has these conditions that you know
19:48
Speaker 2: need accommodations. Here's all the information you ever need to
19:51
Speaker 2: know in all of the different connectivities to make it happen.
19:56
Speaker 2: And so I think that's a part of our frustration
20:01
Speaker 2: as well, Like even this Even last night, I was
20:04
Speaker 2: talking to somebody about, you know, local housing practices. I'm like, okay,
20:08
Speaker 2: so when does above and beyond with you get to
20:10
Speaker 2: come and talk with this new upcoming hotel. When do
20:12
Speaker 2: we get to come and talk with the people that
20:14
Speaker 2: are creating this new housing project. And they're like, oh,
20:18
Speaker 2: we need to figure out this project management style, because
20:20
Speaker 2: I'm like, right it, we're always.
20:22
Speaker 1: New architects too in the process, I guess, right, right.
20:26
Speaker 2: And then what I've noticed in the last three years
20:28
Speaker 2: of doing this work too is like you can be
20:30
Speaker 2: at the beginning of the idea. You can meet with
20:32
Speaker 2: the architects, and the architects can be amazing. You can
20:35
Speaker 2: meet with the contractors and they can be amazing. But
20:37
Speaker 2: what I found is it's that last paid, least paid
20:42
Speaker 2: contracted nobody's around on the last friday of the day
20:45
Speaker 2: for a holiday weekend, and that one choice that that
20:49
Speaker 2: laborer makes and where they put the bars or where
20:51
Speaker 2: they put dispensers or where they do whatever made all
20:55
Speaker 2: this work from the very beginning completely noll and void
20:59
Speaker 2: because of that one choice. So it's just figuring out
21:03
Speaker 2: the workflows of all the different ways in which we
21:06
Speaker 2: create spaces, and we maintain spaces, and we retrofit spaces
21:11
Speaker 2: to make sure we're always thinking about accessibility.
21:14
Speaker 1: So now here in New York, we're always building new things.
21:17
Speaker 1: I feel like everything there's construction that's all over is
21:20
Speaker 1: do you see that in Minnesota that there are up
21:22
Speaker 1: and coming construction program projects that we may not know
21:25
Speaker 1: about that we can support. Maybe in the Ada space, I.
21:31
Speaker 2: Would say like yes, more in our metro area, rural
21:34
Speaker 2: takes a lot longer to get new things, Like I
21:38
Speaker 2: currently live in one of the newest high rises that
21:41
Speaker 2: was built in nineteen sixty eight.
21:43
Speaker 1: Wow.
21:45
Speaker 2: So yeah.
21:46
Speaker 1: You know what's cool about your role though, is you
21:50
Speaker 1: are advocacy. You're activists because you deal with the legislation
21:54
Speaker 1: part of it, but then you're also consult Do you
21:56
Speaker 1: consider yourself a consultant as well? I feel like you
21:58
Speaker 1: have that title, you.
21:59
Speaker 2: Know, Yeah, And that's where I love being making those relationships, right,
22:04
Speaker 2: That's where I love flipping the script. That's where I
22:06
Speaker 2: love seeing those aha moments. So it's that teacher in
22:08
Speaker 2: me that's like, yes, that's why I'm an accessibility educator.
22:12
Speaker 2: Let's have these conversations. And also as somebody who's been
22:15
Speaker 2: in a wheelchair for thirty eight years since age eight.
22:18
Speaker 2: It's like, there's really nothing that you're gonna ask trying
22:21
Speaker 2: to be inclusive or trying to be politically correct. That's
22:24
Speaker 2: gonna throw me off because when you've done this for
22:27
Speaker 2: so long, it's like, yep, let's talk about the language
22:30
Speaker 2: you used.
22:31
Speaker 1: Well and maybe people listen to our first comminiess. I'm
22:33
Speaker 1: gonna repeat some of the questions that I remember. Now.
22:36
Speaker 1: You were diagnosed with juvenile arthritis as a kid, I
22:39
Speaker 1: mean eight years old, and I remember asking you, I'm
22:42
Speaker 1: doing this for the YouTube because they may I've seen this,
22:44
Speaker 1: heard this before, but you're you're an eight year old,
22:46
Speaker 1: you jump around right, your vibrant and then does it
22:50
Speaker 1: feel like the world stops for you? And then you
22:51
Speaker 1: had to really adapt?
22:52
Speaker 2: What was that moment, like, yeah, you know a lot
22:58
Speaker 2: of my memories have kind of been washed away in
23:01
Speaker 2: a good way, right, and it's a healthy, healing way.
23:05
Speaker 2: But yeah, life was very different. I mean I was
23:07
Speaker 2: this tom tom boy that went hunting and fishing and
23:11
Speaker 2: doing all the outdoor things with my dad and brother
23:13
Speaker 2: and grandpa and all the stuff, and then life really
23:16
Speaker 2: turned medical and then my life turned really like into adults,
23:19
Speaker 2: Like I would say, you know, one to one when
23:21
Speaker 2: you have different paras in the school setting, and then
23:24
Speaker 2: you go to pet's and OT's and doctors and nurses
23:27
Speaker 2: and people with sharp objects and you know, doing out
23:31
Speaker 2: the tortuous things to you in the medical world. It
23:34
Speaker 2: just shapes you differently. And so I've always said that
23:36
Speaker 2: I'm very thankful that I acquired my disability at a
23:38
Speaker 2: young age because I didn't know any different. I mean,
23:41
Speaker 2: you've only lived so much life by age seven or eight, right,
23:44
Speaker 2: so then everything else has been shaped.
23:48
Speaker 1: And and you have a strong faith in God. I
23:50
Speaker 1: think we talk about that last time, So I know
23:52
Speaker 1: that that has gotten you through a lot of these
23:54
Speaker 1: last thirty plus years now.
23:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, absolutely, Like and I've gone through depressions, I've gone
24:00
Speaker 2: through you know, really hard stuff, and yeah, for me,
24:03
Speaker 2: it's been my faith that's always brought me back and
24:07
Speaker 2: my chosen family, you know, plus my biological family of course.
24:10
Speaker 2: But the larger the support system one can have the
24:14
Speaker 2: better off in the long run. You can you know,
24:17
Speaker 2: hopefully be supported and get those healthy spots.
24:21
Speaker 1: I want to ask you this though, because I feel
24:23
Speaker 1: like were there signs, because I only asked us that
24:26
Speaker 1: maybe people who have kids at that age now and like,
24:30
Speaker 1: are there signs people have to look out for.
24:34
Speaker 2: Yes and no. Like my story is we were out
24:38
Speaker 2: skating and supposedly I fell and so then that's when
24:40
Speaker 2: my knee was twice the size in the bathtub the
24:43
Speaker 2: next morning. So a lot of times it comes down
24:46
Speaker 2: to swelling, it comes down to heat. Some versions of
24:50
Speaker 2: JI have rashes. So there's lots of different ways that
24:55
Speaker 2: arthritis can be triggered in kids. And I believe you
24:58
Speaker 2: can be all the way up to like age and
25:00
Speaker 2: you can still be considered to have juvenile at your
25:03
Speaker 2: onset age. So it's just interesting. And like another podcaster
25:08
Speaker 2: last week is like, so juvenile, I'm like, yeah, the
25:11
Speaker 2: doctors try to take away that name like eight years ago,
25:15
Speaker 2: and I was like, no, in the medical world, you
25:17
Speaker 2: need to see like, yes, Jenna's forty five right now,
25:19
Speaker 2: but Jenna's been dealing with this for thirty eight years,
25:22
Speaker 2: not just like, oh she got it at age forty two.
25:25
Speaker 2: This is three years of a disease cycle. So always advocating,
25:29
Speaker 2: I always fighting for yourself and for your rights and
25:31
Speaker 2: to make sure that people are knowing all of Jenna,
25:36
Speaker 2: not just individual parts of Jenna.
25:38
Speaker 1: And you know, of course, my healthcare. I'm thinking about healthcare.
25:42
Speaker 1: Do you hope to have more tentacles? If you will, right, Like,
25:46
Speaker 1: you're gonna deal with healthcare abbacy, then you're gonna deal
25:48
Speaker 1: with transportation and accessibility, and then all these tentacles will
25:51
Speaker 1: lead to a force of nature in the eighty community.
25:57
Speaker 1: Ever do you ever think like that?
25:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, I try to break into the medical world, especially locally, right,
26:04
Speaker 2: like think globally, act locally. And I've had so many
26:07
Speaker 2: just near really bad calls in different situations by well
26:11
Speaker 2: intending providers and well intending you know, X ray texts
26:14
Speaker 2: and that kind of stuff. But then in the same respect,
26:17
Speaker 2: I always like bring it back, you know, like when
26:20
Speaker 2: I go get X rays, especially for my lower limbs,
26:22
Speaker 2: or always like, oh it's a standing X ray, can
26:25
Speaker 2: you stand? And I'm like, well yes and no, right,
26:30
Speaker 2: And so then I'm always advocating like, hey, yep, I've
26:33
Speaker 2: been doing this for thirty eight years. But if you
26:34
Speaker 2: have somebody who comes in as a newly diagnosed person
26:37
Speaker 2: or a new injury, that would be horrific to them
26:40
Speaker 2: on their recovery to say, hey, you need to stand
26:42
Speaker 2: for this X ray. So there's just so.
26:44
Speaker 1: Much education cruelty actually.
26:47
Speaker 2: Oh for sure, right, and so I'm just like, can
26:50
Speaker 2: we not do that? You know? Like I don't know.
26:53
Speaker 2: So there just has to be so much more education
26:55
Speaker 2: and opportunities. And I understand it from the other side,
26:59
Speaker 2: especially as being an educator, right, like, we don't know
27:01
Speaker 2: what we don't know, but then once we know, we
27:03
Speaker 2: need to do better. But if you don't have a
27:05
Speaker 2: safe place for you to practice and know that, you're
27:09
Speaker 2: gonna make mistakes, because that's a whole educational cycle. Like
27:12
Speaker 2: you know, just you know, fall asleep one night and
27:15
Speaker 2: go ooh, I'm never gonna say a bad thing ever again.
27:17
Speaker 2: Right right, We're human. We're gonna make mistakes.
27:21
Speaker 1: You have me intrigue right now. Because you know music,
27:25
Speaker 1: You're obviously gonna play instruments. What instrument did you like
27:29
Speaker 1: to play growing up? How'd you get into the music world,
27:31
Speaker 1: you know, music therapy world and then or a music
27:33
Speaker 1: teaching world, I should say, yeah. And then as the
27:36
Speaker 1: years went on, did you find playing yet to adapt
27:40
Speaker 1: to the way you played because the arthritis? Was there
27:42
Speaker 1: something there with that.
27:44
Speaker 2: Yeah for sure. So I my first love is trumpet playing,
27:48
Speaker 2: and my oldest sister played the cornet, which is like
27:50
Speaker 2: a smaller version of a trumpet. So my other sister
27:53
Speaker 2: played the flute. Now it was just too girly for me,
27:55
Speaker 2: too small, too delicate, not my bag. And so I
27:59
Speaker 2: had an amazing middle school band teacher and she really inspired
28:02
Speaker 2: me because she saw me as a whole person. She
28:04
Speaker 2: inspired me to become that. And so that's sort of
28:08
Speaker 2: my journey of becoming a music educator. And for me,
28:11
Speaker 2: when I was the lead trumpet player of the high
28:13
Speaker 2: school jazz band and of concert band and all that
28:15
Speaker 2: stuff like, that's where I found my voice. That that
28:18
Speaker 2: was my even playing field with my non disabled peers.
28:21
Speaker 2: That was also a great healing space for me because
28:23
Speaker 2: when I was in a lot of pain, it was
28:25
Speaker 2: like this sucks, right, you know, and just playing higher
28:28
Speaker 2: and faster and louder and doing all the things. And
28:32
Speaker 2: then when I became a music educator, my greatest part
28:34
Speaker 2: of my career was starting an adaptive music program, like
28:37
Speaker 2: let's give all of our students equal access, which means
28:41
Speaker 2: some of our kiddos need you know, the ability of
28:45
Speaker 2: visual schedules, and then I brought that into my general
28:48
Speaker 2: ed classroom and so then having non disabled kiddos using
28:51
Speaker 2: that tool that device was like, oh, and it took
28:55
Speaker 2: away the anxiety of other kiddos, you know, like, so
28:58
Speaker 2: you don't have to be on an I or A five.
29:00
Speaker 2: All four have this diagnosis to benefit from accommodations that
29:04
Speaker 2: other people who really need those things. And so that's
29:09
Speaker 2: my biggest thing now. And I love disability communities.
29:12
Speaker 1: I did you mentioned the adapted music before? Have you
29:14
Speaker 1: implemented that program elsewhere? I've been able to do that
29:17
Speaker 1: through above and beyond with you or even in your
29:19
Speaker 1: own side hustle if you will.
29:22
Speaker 2: No, not yet. I actually got a speaking engagement last
29:26
Speaker 2: month around that, which shocked me because I haven't done
29:29
Speaker 2: it in five years of my retirement. But you know,
29:33
Speaker 2: reconnecting with the speech language pathologists that I teamed with
29:36
Speaker 2: and the rest of the team, they're like, we need
29:38
Speaker 2: to we need to revive this because now they've had
29:40
Speaker 2: you know, different retirements and different staff and all the stuff.
29:43
Speaker 2: So that's just the hardest part, you know, like when
29:48
Speaker 2: staff is changing, administration is changing, you know, and and
29:51
Speaker 2: throughout all of disability history, right, we get the activists,
29:55
Speaker 2: you know, Alex is doing the podcast thing, Jenna's doing
29:57
Speaker 2: Above and Beyond with you think, and then it's like, oh, well,
30:00
Speaker 2: now Alex or Jena got sick or Alex or Jenna
30:02
Speaker 2: have x y Z and then it's like our work stops.
30:05
Speaker 2: And that's been my thing since day one with Above
30:08
Speaker 2: and Beyond with You is like I want the movers
30:11
Speaker 2: and shakers, I want the educating part of it. I
30:14
Speaker 2: want the people that are in continue this on because
30:17
Speaker 2: it's not about Jenna, right, And so whether I get
30:23
Speaker 2: taken out because I have to have a knee replaced,
30:25
Speaker 2: or whether I get taken out because it's just not
30:26
Speaker 2: my season to be a part of it anymore, or
30:28
Speaker 2: I get literally taken out forever, like the work still
30:32
Speaker 2: should should move forward, And that's that's what I'm trying
30:36
Speaker 2: to create and trying to always make sure we're there,
30:39
Speaker 2: and like you said earlier, with all the different tentacles,
30:42
Speaker 2: like that's the hard part is like there's so much
30:45
Speaker 2: education to do, there's so much change that needs to happen,
30:50
Speaker 2: and yet finding that finding those spaces where your energy
30:54
Speaker 2: is being used and people are actually coming at it
30:58
Speaker 2: in the right time, in the right way. And so
31:00
Speaker 2: you know a lot of my friends are always like, wow,
31:02
Speaker 2: you were just you're like killing yourself over this, and
31:05
Speaker 2: it's like, well, right, But if a business comes to
31:07
Speaker 2: us and says, hey, I have this money right now
31:11
Speaker 2: with this initiative, I have to throw you know what.
31:15
Speaker 2: I have to make time and make space for that,
31:17
Speaker 2: because I can't be like, well, let me look at
31:19
Speaker 2: my calendar. Oh, in six months, on this Wednesday, for
31:23
Speaker 2: this hour, I'll get to you. You know. So that's
31:27
Speaker 2: a struggle.
31:28
Speaker 1: Is any project too daunting? Do you ever look at
31:30
Speaker 1: this and say, oh my god, I don't know if
31:31
Speaker 1: this is possible? Or do you find do you look
31:33
Speaker 1: at it as any building can be fixed up? I mean,
31:39
Speaker 1: what's your approach to all of that?
31:41
Speaker 2: Yeah, I would say double yes, right, Like I try
31:47
Speaker 2: not to let it out of my face because it's
31:49
Speaker 2: not my voice that usually gives it away. It's always
31:51
Speaker 2: my face of like, that is danting, That is overwhelming.
31:55
Speaker 2: Not sure we're going to be able to get there right,
31:58
Speaker 2: But I'm always confident that we can think outside the box.
32:00
Speaker 2: But so often we just get lip service, Oh yeah,
32:04
Speaker 2: this would be great, and then they dream big, and
32:06
Speaker 2: they want big, but then the right yeah, and so
32:12
Speaker 2: then that's the struggle of like do you let them
32:15
Speaker 2: dream big, do you let them see how inclusive and
32:17
Speaker 2: accessible the world truly can be, or do you realistically
32:22
Speaker 2: come in And I don't ever want to be that
32:24
Speaker 2: wet blanket because it's like no. But then there's all
32:27
Speaker 2: you know, there's so many broken scripts that are out
32:30
Speaker 2: there that we're trying to fight of. You know, well
32:33
Speaker 2: it's more expensive, Well yes in some ways, but not
32:37
Speaker 2: really because retrofitting is more expensive losing the income or
32:41
Speaker 2: the you know, the revenue that you be getting as
32:43
Speaker 2: a small business because you're not accessible or you don't
32:46
Speaker 2: have accessible parking, or you don't have accessible point of.
32:48
Speaker 1: Saying, that's a great point. They don't realize that not
32:51
Speaker 1: be accessible shuts out a whole sector of people that
32:54
Speaker 1: will benefit their business. And then, you know, I find
32:57
Speaker 1: we are community, right, So the more people that use
32:59
Speaker 1: a business, they're gonna to say to their friends, hey,
33:01
Speaker 1: come on in. You know it. It just naturally works
33:03
Speaker 1: like that. And that's funny you mentioned because I was
33:05
Speaker 1: in a not in a fight, but I had seen
33:08
Speaker 1: that they wanted one million dollars to fix up or
33:11
Speaker 1: do something with the met Opera elevator, right, one million dollars.
33:17
Speaker 1: And I said, this is tough because I want the
33:18
Speaker 1: pledge to we ad accessible. But do I want one
33:21
Speaker 1: million dollars of my you know, of the government or
33:23
Speaker 1: should the private sector? Should the met Opera do this
33:26
Speaker 1: on their own? Right? But in that sense, I do
33:29
Speaker 1: think if they on the capital, they should lean on
33:31
Speaker 1: the government in that way.
33:32
Speaker 2: Right, Yeah, yeah, you know, there's there's got to be
33:36
Speaker 2: some magical equation, some some better way to go through
33:41
Speaker 2: this to fund things. And like I said, you know,
33:47
Speaker 2: it's just it's all that negative those negative scripts of
33:50
Speaker 2: how we should or shouldn't do this. Or another new
33:54
Speaker 2: one that came to us a couple months ago was well,
33:57
Speaker 2: I know that sometimes if you make it better for
33:59
Speaker 2: this segment of disability, culture and community, then you're inhibiting
34:04
Speaker 2: that segment. And I loved it because my president was like, well,
34:10
Speaker 2: not if you do it right, right, not if you
34:12
Speaker 2: use universal design, not if you involve the people that
34:16
Speaker 2: are being impasted.
34:17
Speaker 1: By the way. Right, So the garden is accessible and
34:19
Speaker 1: Messageburg Garden is pretty accessible. I think they have a
34:21
Speaker 1: nice section, but then they took it a step furthers
34:23
Speaker 1: that we're going to give sensory you know, uh devices
34:27
Speaker 1: for people who need that sensory as well. And I
34:29
Speaker 1: thought that was a great inclusionary movement right there, is
34:31
Speaker 1: to put the sensory devices in and that just adds
34:34
Speaker 1: another layer to their accessibility.
34:37
Speaker 2: Yeah. Absolutely, And the reality, like you know, I'm not
34:41
Speaker 2: being ageist or anything like that, but I'm so intrigued
34:44
Speaker 2: to continue to watch the baby boomers as the age
34:47
Speaker 2: because disability is just a natural process of life as well,
34:51
Speaker 2: doesn't always have to be catastrophic. Things that happen are tragic,
34:54
Speaker 2: even though I don't like using those words, but you know,
34:58
Speaker 2: and so it's just it's just intriguing because it's like, oh,
35:01
Speaker 2: and I've even gotten some flack like hey, so and
35:03
Speaker 2: so as a baby boomer and they just became disabled
35:05
Speaker 2: like last month. But look at all the cool things
35:07
Speaker 2: they're doing at Target Center and they're doing it excel
35:09
Speaker 2: energy and they're making happen to the Vikings Football Stadium.
35:13
Speaker 2: What's wrong with you, Jennah. You've been doing this for
35:14
Speaker 2: thirty eight years. How come you're not? And it's like, well,
35:19
Speaker 2: I've been doing this for thirty eight years and I
35:21
Speaker 2: haven't been to those spaces. So number one, that's part
35:23
Speaker 2: of why I didn't do.
35:24
Speaker 1: I mean, why aren't you the Twins, the Vikings, the
35:27
Speaker 1: wolves in other words, right, like, why don't.
35:29
Speaker 2: You go after these big places? And I was like that,
35:31
Speaker 2: that's not my colleague in my chapter, and that's no.
35:34
Speaker 1: The whole point is the small businesses and that's what
35:36
Speaker 1: needs to be improved more because right the bigger projects
35:39
Speaker 1: will handle themselves like that's just they they have the
35:42
Speaker 1: capital firstly to do that. They can they can do that.
35:44
Speaker 1: But when you have a mom and pop stores, it
35:47
Speaker 1: also could alleviate the fear that they're going to be shooting.
35:49
Speaker 2: You know.
35:50
Speaker 1: I had to go back to that. But that's just
35:51
Speaker 1: how it feels like. If you're working alongside the small businesses,
35:54
Speaker 1: then they'll feel a little more comfortable. Hey, we have
35:56
Speaker 1: an ally here. We have someone that gets it, you know,
35:59
Speaker 1: and not just that says, well, I'm going to go
36:01
Speaker 1: to twenty thousand different places, make all the points isn't
36:04
Speaker 1: accessible and suite them like I don't know, I just
36:07
Speaker 1: it bothers me to know when that the ADA gets
36:09
Speaker 1: weaponized like that. But I think you're changing the tune
36:12
Speaker 1: on that now. As you're talking, I'm thinking to myself,
36:16
Speaker 1: all right, So let's say a project gets on the ground,
36:19
Speaker 1: going off the ground, I should say, and all of
36:21
Speaker 1: a sudden, you're looking for outside the architects contract. How
36:26
Speaker 1: does that work? Do you have people on standby that say, yes,
36:28
Speaker 1: we'll come in and fix this building right away.
36:32
Speaker 2: I wish that's our goal. We do have some connections
36:36
Speaker 2: to local contractors that have done amazing work, like in
36:38
Speaker 2: our public library. And you know, our small town of
36:42
Speaker 2: less than four thousand people is the first community to
36:45
Speaker 2: have a public adjustable adult changing table. And I was like,
36:51
Speaker 2: our bigger, larger city that has like eighty thousand people
36:55
Speaker 2: twenty six miles away from us doesn't even have one anywhere.
36:59
Speaker 2: It's like, oh, but our little town of thirty eight
37:01
Speaker 2: hundred has this accommodation and this thought process. So it's
37:05
Speaker 2: some of those little things that I love being a
37:07
Speaker 2: part of those those things and then blowing other people's minds.
37:10
Speaker 1: Like, oh they locally. It becomes a national campaign after that, Right,
37:15
Speaker 1: you guys are local. And then it branched out because
37:17
Speaker 1: I think you just said you were. You have seen
37:19
Speaker 1: different states sort of interacting with you about this, right, yeah.
37:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, and for all of us to just learn from
37:26
Speaker 2: other ones, right and especially if you can get that
37:27
Speaker 2: like state to state rivalry. You know, us on the
37:31
Speaker 2: Midwest we have that. I'm sure we have it on
37:32
Speaker 2: the East coast too.
37:33
Speaker 1: But it's like Minnesota like more accessible than Massachusetts kind
37:37
Speaker 1: of stuff right there.
37:38
Speaker 2: So right, don't don't tell Minnesota that Wisconsin's doing something
37:41
Speaker 2: better or I always doing something better. It's like, wait, wait,
37:44
Speaker 2: what how about.
37:46
Speaker 1: The airplane travel? Have you been working in that space yet,
37:49
Speaker 1: like to make sure that can be more accessible or
37:51
Speaker 1: is that not not there yet?
37:54
Speaker 2: We support like wheels up media and or wheels Up
37:58
Speaker 2: can't remember the next word of their organization and like
38:01
Speaker 2: some of those campaigns that other entities do, I myself
38:05
Speaker 2: have never flown because of chairs getting you know, over
38:08
Speaker 2: one hundred chairs getting destroyed every day.
38:10
Speaker 1: Oh I saw versethand my ex and I went to
38:13
Speaker 1: Texas and they came back. We came back, the chair
38:15
Speaker 1: was just all mangled, and it was like what the heck?
38:18
Speaker 1: And it's almost like they just throw these things down
38:20
Speaker 1: the ramp and not give a crap about it.
38:22
Speaker 2: So Oh yeah, you're can watch on YouTube with you know,
38:25
Speaker 2: chairs not having breaks on and people just chucking them,
38:27
Speaker 2: and it's like, really, I'm in an eight thousand dollars
38:29
Speaker 2: manual chair from Canada that I had to wait months
38:32
Speaker 2: and months for to get through customs. So let's not
38:36
Speaker 2: do that. Yeah, And so you know, I follow people
38:40
Speaker 2: like Kurve Free with Corey Lee and Spin the Globe like,
38:42
Speaker 2: and I support and you know, lift up their their
38:45
Speaker 2: voice and their work a lot. And I think that's
38:47
Speaker 2: I think that's good, right, because we can't be everything
38:51
Speaker 2: to everyone, so we kind of have to find our
38:53
Speaker 2: a niche of like where are we being called? Where
38:56
Speaker 2: are we passionate? Where are we being successful? And then
38:59
Speaker 2: you know, know, not try to fight every single fight
39:02
Speaker 2: because you're not gonna you're not gonna make enough head
39:05
Speaker 2: a way. So finding those spaces where you're truly passionate,
39:08
Speaker 2: you've got the support, you have the allies, and just
39:12
Speaker 2: keep keep doing the thing.
39:15
Speaker 1: All right. I think this all ties into the employment awareness,
39:18
Speaker 1: which we are where we started, because the more accessible
39:21
Speaker 1: people find it, the more they're going to want to
39:23
Speaker 1: apply to jobs knowing the workspace is accessible. So that's
39:27
Speaker 1: got to be the next step also is okay, job
39:30
Speaker 1: you say you want to hire disabled people because of
39:32
Speaker 1: EO Equal operatuity, employer, then put your money over your
39:36
Speaker 1: mouth there to make it accessible, make it more inviting
39:39
Speaker 1: for someone to apply. Is that another issue we're running into.
39:42
Speaker 2: Too, Oh for sure. And I think a lot of
39:44
Speaker 2: times people only think of people coming into their establishment.
39:49
Speaker 2: You don't think of somebody behind your point of sale.
39:51
Speaker 2: You don't think of the bar needing to be accessible
39:54
Speaker 2: for your bartender, and or they think, well, none of
39:57
Speaker 2: my people are disabled. It's like, statistically, I know every
40:00
Speaker 2: single business will have at least one unless it's mom
40:02
Speaker 2: and pop and they're not disabled. But any more workers
40:06
Speaker 2: when one in feign Americans, you know, identify as disabled,
40:10
Speaker 2: well that also means that there's way more than that,
40:13
Speaker 2: because not everybody wants to identify is disabled because it's
40:16
Speaker 2: such a negative stigma. And then even if they do identify,
40:19
Speaker 2: many times you're not going to tell your employer I
40:22
Speaker 2: had to because here I come wheeling in your space.
40:25
Speaker 2: You know they knew that. But I also know very
40:27
Speaker 2: well that I probably wouldn't have gotten my first public
40:30
Speaker 2: school job had that person not advocated for me because
40:34
Speaker 2: I was the best option of the people that they
40:38
Speaker 2: you know, interviewed. But I knew that administration would be
40:41
Speaker 2: looking and going, oh, but with Jenna comes all these
40:44
Speaker 2: other things. What if we went with so and so
40:47
Speaker 2: they don't have all these other things. It's like, well
40:50
Speaker 2: they do, they're just not obvious because all humans come
40:54
Speaker 2: with stuff, right, It's.
40:55
Speaker 1: True, that's very true. Well, I'm glad that you're what
41:00
Speaker 1: you did in the classroom and expanding into this national
41:04
Speaker 1: I mean, I know you're thinking local, but it's also
41:05
Speaker 1: becoming national because you've been on so many shows already.
41:08
Speaker 1: It's like becoming a national movement you got going on.
41:11
Speaker 1: But that's the next question. Where can people find you, guys?
41:13
Speaker 1: And also is there a newsletter? Do you do webinars?
41:16
Speaker 1: Are there events that you guys put on that we
41:18
Speaker 1: could know about.
41:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, so Above and Beyond with you dot org and
41:23
Speaker 2: the you is the letter you and so you can
41:25
Speaker 2: find us on socials LinkedIn Instagram and Facebook. Okay, I
41:30
Speaker 2: always forget one of them. And you can have access
41:33
Speaker 2: to my book and our consulting opportunities and training opportunities
41:37
Speaker 2: and all that through our website. Also all the local
41:40
Speaker 2: view from four foot two columns of this year are
41:42
Speaker 2: getting updated on the website. We are going to be
41:46
Speaker 2: launching the audio version of my book hopefully later in October.
41:51
Speaker 2: Just just waiting on some audio files to finally convert
41:53
Speaker 2: and do all that kind of stuff. But we'll keep
41:56
Speaker 2: you updated on that. And yes, I told really like
42:00
Speaker 2: my next step. I would love to get into webinars
42:02
Speaker 2: and and all the things, but just trying to finish
42:04
Speaker 2: up some bigger projects and finished up some contracts before
42:08
Speaker 2: diving into the next step of above and beyond with you.
42:11
Speaker 1: All right? So you said the book is called within
42:13
Speaker 1: my Spokes, right, that's the book.
42:15
Speaker 2: Yep.
42:16
Speaker 1: I don't want to ask you that because I feel
42:17
Speaker 1: like what you said a few minutes ago about how
42:20
Speaker 1: you were so excited to show your able body peers. Hey,
42:24
Speaker 1: I could do it too. Let me tell you, as
42:26
Speaker 1: an adaptive athlete and someone who's competitive like that and
42:29
Speaker 1: all that, I love showing able body people we can
42:32
Speaker 1: kick ass as well. I don't know, I feel like
42:34
Speaker 1: we're on the same way plank there, right.
42:37
Speaker 2: I always tease one of my pets. I had a
42:39
Speaker 2: PCA several years ago, and she's like Johnnah's kind of
42:42
Speaker 2: weak and my PT looked at her and she's like, nope,
42:44
Speaker 2: come here, and it's like nope. Once you're in my
42:47
Speaker 2: little wheel house, I could do some damage, but you
42:49
Speaker 2: have to come to where I can get you. But yeah,
42:53
Speaker 2: so you know there's a fighting spirit.
42:55
Speaker 1: In everything, smashing stigmas. You know. I think we're all
42:58
Speaker 1: out here every day trying to smash the stigma, right,
43:01
Speaker 1: I like that. All right, Jenna, thank you so much.
43:03
Speaker 1: And you won't believe this, but this whole month, Tripper
43:06
Speaker 1: is sponsoring the show, so we got him on board
43:08
Speaker 1: as a sponsor for Employment Awareness Month, and I just
43:11
Speaker 1: want to give them a shout out today. Of course,
43:13
Speaker 1: Trippercorp dot net is sponsoring this whole month. Thank you
43:17
Speaker 1: so much, and I love you guys connected too as well.
43:20
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's great, all.
43:22
Speaker 1: Right, Jenna Unenberger above and be on with you. Thanks
43:24
Speaker 1: so much.
43:24
Speaker 2: Thank you, Alex