Latest / OneLegUpAlex Media / One Leg Up With Devon Wieters, Host of 'Wheel With It' Podcast Powered By Podmatch 6-9-25

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One Leg Up With Devon Wieters, Host of 'Wheel With It' Podcast Powered By Podmatch 6-9-25 · OneLegUpAlex Media

0:00
Speaker 1: All right, Well back here on the one loog Up Network,
0:02
Speaker 1: I'm Alex Scarrett and I've got a very special guest
0:06
Speaker 1: featured from Podmatch. You know, our connection with pod Match
0:10
Speaker 1: continued and our partnership pod Match continues, and they've connected
0:13
Speaker 1: me with an awesome person I could tell already we've
0:15
Speaker 1: just met today, but Devin Wheers, we've been talking about
0:18
Speaker 1: this for finally getting this on the books and then recorded.
0:22
Speaker 1: Thanks for joining the one log Up Network today, Devin.
0:25
Speaker 2: Thank you for having me. I've been like looking forward
0:28
Speaker 2: to this one for ever, so thank you for having me.
0:33
Speaker 1: Of course, and you are based in Virginia, if I
0:36
Speaker 1: may say so, We're we're having an East coast connection here.
0:39
Speaker 1: But talk to me about what you do. I know
0:42
Speaker 1: you have the podcast we Ope me and you're very
0:44
Speaker 1: much an advocate for those disabilities because you yourself have
0:49
Speaker 1: I believe CP if I'm not mistaken, right, yes, and
0:54
Speaker 1: thinking that and turn it into an advocacy project as well.
0:57
Speaker 1: So where do you want to start?
1:00
Speaker 2: Like you said, I had the podcast deal with It
1:02
Speaker 2: where I talked to basically anybody that has had like
1:06
Speaker 2: a fascinating or inspiring life and obviously people with disabilities
1:11
Speaker 2: are soken is fascinating people. We all conversations so as
1:17
Speaker 2: you can probably tough on that, we talked with anybody
1:20
Speaker 2: that's had a fascinating, inspiring life that we can learn from,
1:24
Speaker 2: and it's been really fun. Some of the notable guests
1:28
Speaker 2: I've had were in Moriarty for forty eight hours and
1:31
Speaker 2: she was so amazing and nice, Oh my gosh. And
1:37
Speaker 2: I've loved the show Survivor, so I had a Survivor
1:40
Speaker 2: journalist that is covered Survivor and Jeff Pope's career extensively,
1:47
Speaker 2: and she was also amazing. So I've had the privilege
1:50
Speaker 2: of hosting those I also had the director and producer
1:54
Speaker 2: of something called Patrese the movie, which we will talk
1:58
Speaker 2: about much more later in the show, and they were
2:05
Speaker 2: amazing and the advocacy work that they're doing is amazing.
2:09
Speaker 2: So I've had the priviginal to host a lot of
2:13
Speaker 2: those people, and it's been, like I still pinch myself,
2:17
Speaker 2: it's been. It's been crazy.
2:20
Speaker 1: About when you started this whole podcast idea and what
2:23
Speaker 1: inspired you to start it?
2:25
Speaker 2: So what inspired me to start it is two things.
2:31
Speaker 2: I've always loved the show Survivor and basically I've wanted
2:37
Speaker 2: to be in this industry since I was about entertainment
2:41
Speaker 2: and production industry, because I was about eight years old.
2:45
Speaker 2: Because I saw Jeff Copes said I thought he were
2:47
Speaker 2: just the coolest dude ever, So I wanted to do
2:51
Speaker 2: whatever he did. So so that's one reason. And two
2:55
Speaker 2: I was listening to If you like the rd TV,
2:58
Speaker 2: you must listen to this POT because they analyze, you know,
3:02
Speaker 2: every new episode of survivor every new episode of Big Brother,
3:06
Speaker 2: and they talk about the strategy and they're also hilarious.
3:10
Speaker 2: Rob has a podcast, and I thought I could do that.
3:15
Speaker 2: How hard could it be? And the answer is very
3:19
Speaker 2: And so that's basically how I got started. It started
3:24
Speaker 2: as a Survivor recap podcast, and to make a long
3:29
Speaker 2: story short, it kind of morphed into this after a while.
3:32
Speaker 1: Well, I love that we say you're a podcaster and
3:34
Speaker 1: a writer who just happens out of CP and that
3:37
Speaker 1: means to me, you don't let it define you. And
3:39
Speaker 1: I feel like that it is a message that we
3:42
Speaker 1: have to get out there. More is that we cannot
3:44
Speaker 1: let our disability define us, right.
3:47
Speaker 2: Right, So yeah, I feel like society tends to let
3:51
Speaker 2: it define us. A little bit, but I try not
3:56
Speaker 2: to let it define me Sundays a better than others.
3:59
Speaker 2: And but you know, I'm trying to define me.
4:03
Speaker 1: So and now have you been able to get all
4:05
Speaker 1: these great people on your show? It sounds like you've
4:07
Speaker 1: been growing connections through this podcast.
4:10
Speaker 2: Email. I had this service called Signal Hire. It is expensive,
4:14
Speaker 2: but if you want to get the big guns, it's
4:19
Speaker 2: worth it because it will show you anybody's email if
4:24
Speaker 2: they have a LinkedIn, whether it's on the publicly, on
4:27
Speaker 2: the LinkedIn or not. So all you do is go
4:30
Speaker 2: to their LinkedIn page, you open up the little Signal
4:33
Speaker 2: Higher app. Once you're on the LinkedIn page, it's a
4:37
Speaker 2: web app, and then and then it'll display their emails.
4:41
Speaker 2: And that's how I've been able to get most of
4:43
Speaker 2: these people. Devin.
4:46
Speaker 1: Any real life experiences that you have had that inspired
4:50
Speaker 1: you to not only write but do the podcast as well.
4:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think just like living with a disability and
4:57
Speaker 2: seeing the improvement it that's needed in the not just
5:04
Speaker 2: petting things, but you know, reforming things as a whole.
5:11
Speaker 2: I think that's pretty much what inspired me to start,
5:14
Speaker 2: uh this podcast as it is now.
5:18
Speaker 1: And when you're not interviewing guests. Do you do your
5:21
Speaker 1: own monologues on different issues? You tackle a lot of
5:23
Speaker 1: different things. I know you talk about criminal justice and
5:26
Speaker 1: and yes, Medicaid are those highlights and and really things
5:30
Speaker 1: you doubled down on on your podcast.
5:32
Speaker 2: I don't do a lot of SOOL episodes, but yes,
5:35
Speaker 2: we've done a lot of issues on you know, Medicaid
5:39
Speaker 2: Purchased the movie is one of those. And then we
5:49
Speaker 2: we did Aaron Moriarty was a specific case that I'm
5:53
Speaker 2: following of a guy named Crawsley Green, who I believe
5:57
Speaker 2: was once we convicted of murder in Florida nineteen ninety
6:01
Speaker 2: and so, and that episode with Aaron Moriarty was about
6:09
Speaker 2: that case. So, you know, we've done episodes on it.
6:12
Speaker 2: I don't do a lot of so episodes. I do some,
6:16
Speaker 2: but like when there's a stretch like we we don't
6:19
Speaker 2: have a guest for three or four weeks, like I'll
6:21
Speaker 2: do one SO episode just to like let people know,
6:25
Speaker 2: like I'm still here, but you know, we have plenty
6:28
Speaker 2: of material recorded.
6:30
Speaker 1: Now I got to talk about how this podcast you
6:34
Speaker 1: do make to does it make you feel less isolated?
6:37
Speaker 1: I mean it sounds like you're all about town. But
6:40
Speaker 1: does the podcast help you feel like you're part of
6:42
Speaker 1: this community and a community?
6:44
Speaker 2: Yes, it does, and it makes me feel like, you know,
6:50
Speaker 2: I'm hoping to change stuff and so you know, I
6:58
Speaker 2: like doing it.
7:00
Speaker 1: Do you feel like your podcast helps inspire others as well?
7:03
Speaker 1: I feel like that's another thing you're trying to do
7:05
Speaker 1: here right.
7:06
Speaker 2: Yes, I hope it does. I mean, I don't know,
7:10
Speaker 2: but I hope it does.
7:13
Speaker 1: I got to get into the Social Security because we're
7:14
Speaker 1: talking about the right time, because medicaid is undergoing a
7:17
Speaker 1: lot of what I find, it's under threat for a
7:21
Speaker 1: lot of people, and I'm sure you're following it closely.
7:24
Speaker 1: So how do you hope weal with it can bring
7:26
Speaker 1: that awareness about Well, we're.
7:30
Speaker 2: Not talking about I don't talk about whether we need
7:33
Speaker 2: to cut people or I just talk about the federal
7:37
Speaker 2: regulations that make it almost impossible for people that need
7:41
Speaker 2: to help to get the help. So, for example, right now,
7:46
Speaker 2: you can only have if you're a single person, you
7:48
Speaker 2: can only have two thousand dollars and assets, and two
7:52
Speaker 2: thousand dollars if you're a couple. And those regulations have
7:56
Speaker 2: not been updated since nineteen eighty nine and social Security,
8:03
Speaker 2: which is tied to Medicaid in Medicare because you have
8:06
Speaker 2: to get Social Security to qualify for those things. Also
8:10
Speaker 2: as holding out penalty, which means, with the exception of
8:15
Speaker 2: like a handful of states that I found a work around,
8:18
Speaker 2: you can't live with your partner without even if you're
8:22
Speaker 2: not legally married, without their income being counted against you.
8:27
Speaker 2: So basically, if you get married or have a full
8:31
Speaker 2: time job, then unless it's like an exorbitant SALI, which
8:36
Speaker 2: most of them aren't when you start out, then you
8:41
Speaker 2: will be making too much money to qualify for the services,
8:44
Speaker 2: but not enough to pay for it out of pocket.
8:47
Speaker 2: So that's where we're at right now.
8:50
Speaker 1: And you're find because as someone who has been disabled
8:52
Speaker 1: community in my whole life and been part of the
8:54
Speaker 1: Ascarti School, which is obviously a school for computal disabilities,
8:58
Speaker 1: I find that the American dream isn't always is there,
9:00
Speaker 1: and we need voices like yours to say, hey, make
9:03
Speaker 1: it more open for those visabilities.
9:05
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, yeah, I mean I think we do need
9:12
Speaker 2: to cut like there are a lot of people that
9:15
Speaker 2: are abusing medicaid, but and we need to cut the
9:20
Speaker 2: waste down a medicaid. But that's not where we stop.
9:22
Speaker 2: After we cut the waste, we need to make it
9:25
Speaker 2: easier for the people that actually need it to work
9:28
Speaker 2: and be productive and get their services. That's the same.
9:31
Speaker 1: You know, why don't more people have your approach of
9:34
Speaker 1: all right, yes, we have to cut where we need
9:36
Speaker 1: to cut, but they all forget about the cutting and
9:39
Speaker 1: don't think about what happens to make it more accessible.
9:42
Speaker 2: Right, yeah, So, and I don't like to force powit
9:51
Speaker 2: has on anything. So you could cut this out if
9:54
Speaker 2: it's But if you read JD. Vance's book Kilbury Energy.
10:00
Speaker 2: I know most of you have seen the movie, but
10:01
Speaker 2: please read the book because he talks about the welfare
10:07
Speaker 2: and how these very issues and how and the audiobook
10:13
Speaker 2: does not read the last four pages because it was
10:16
Speaker 2: added when the second edition came out after the movie.
10:20
Speaker 2: So please, if you have a chance, read the last
10:24
Speaker 2: four pages at the very least, because throughout the book
10:28
Speaker 2: he reads to it. But in the last four pages,
10:31
Speaker 2: especially in the afterward, he talks about these very issues
10:36
Speaker 2: and how we need to reform these services to help
10:40
Speaker 2: people be productive and keep their services at the same time.
10:43
Speaker 1: So how do we help people from melting down over
10:46
Speaker 1: every news story. I feel like there's a meltdown every
10:48
Speaker 1: news story in the same community. I feel like you're saying, no,
10:51
Speaker 1: let's have a level even keel about things, right.
10:54
Speaker 2: Yeah, So people have no idea how medicaid actually work
11:00
Speaker 2: unless they work with the day to day like for
11:03
Speaker 2: a job like a social worker or something, or they're
11:06
Speaker 2: on it, like, they have no idea how to actually worry.
11:10
Speaker 1: H where to graduate school? I'm curiouscause you're a college
11:13
Speaker 1: graduate writer.
11:14
Speaker 2: Tell us about that, chrispher Newport Go captains. It was.
11:19
Speaker 2: It was very It was a very good experience. I
11:23
Speaker 2: love my professors, so that's very awesome.
11:26
Speaker 1: So you say you look forward to this podcast, So
11:28
Speaker 1: what kind of message you want to bring onto the
11:30
Speaker 1: show and help people have one leg up in life.
11:33
Speaker 2: So first of all, they need to go to Real
11:36
Speaker 2: with It dot com so I actually form to learn
11:40
Speaker 2: about the legislation that's before congo's to reform these things.
11:44
Speaker 2: And then I would just say that please look into
11:55
Speaker 2: how government services actually work instead of freaking out over
12:01
Speaker 2: every news story.
12:03
Speaker 1: No, I love that message because I do feel like
12:07
Speaker 1: if you're gonna forgot about it, get involved, and you're
12:09
Speaker 1: getting involved in the cause. Now you're by Virginia, So
12:12
Speaker 1: have you ever gone to DC to advocate or done
12:15
Speaker 1: anything like that?
12:17
Speaker 2: That's in the plans to go to DC. And what
12:23
Speaker 2: I would say to you for yours as well is
12:26
Speaker 2: there's a lot of room and a lot of states
12:28
Speaker 2: for improvement at a state level with their medicaid waivers,
12:32
Speaker 2: because how it works is each state can run their
12:36
Speaker 2: Medicaid and Medicaid waivers, which is what helps you get
12:40
Speaker 2: personal assistants that are paid to the state, equipment, stuff
12:43
Speaker 2: like that as they see fit, as long as they
12:47
Speaker 2: follow the federal guidelines. So thankfully, where I am in
12:51
Speaker 2: Virginia is very far advanced and does not have much
12:54
Speaker 2: room for improvement at all because literally they're almost like
13:00
Speaker 2: the ideal waiver. I mean, there are feudal things, but
13:02
Speaker 2: they're mostly the ideal what waiver. But with a lot
13:06
Speaker 2: of these things, there's improvements at the state level. So
13:10
Speaker 2: please talk to your state legislature before you go up
13:14
Speaker 2: and advocate for federal.
13:17
Speaker 1: How accessible is your state? Like I find that New
13:20
Speaker 1: York can be improved with accessibility. I mean it is accessible,
13:24
Speaker 1: but there are many improvements. Is Virginia accessible for you
13:27
Speaker 1: to wheel around and if you don't mind me.
13:28
Speaker 2: Asking, well, I've never been in Virginia anywhere but where
13:35
Speaker 2: I live, so I mean, yeah, that's it's pretty accessible here.
13:43
Speaker 1: That's awesome.
13:44
Speaker 2: I don't know about any other parts.
13:47
Speaker 1: So you have felt like the need to go into
13:48
Speaker 1: your local you know, congress legislatures and hey, make these
13:52
Speaker 1: streets accessible for me in Virginia.
13:56
Speaker 2: No, I have not gone because where I live is
14:00
Speaker 2: pretty accessible.
14:01
Speaker 1: But you know, I see you're on these all these
14:07
Speaker 1: other platforms. What was it like getting on these different
14:10
Speaker 1: platforms with your voice? It must have been kind of exciting, right,
14:14
Speaker 1: I mean, yeah.
14:14
Speaker 2: Like people can listen to it everywhere. I use Spotify
14:19
Speaker 2: for podcasters as you probably do, and make cit easier
14:23
Speaker 2: to upload.
14:24
Speaker 3: And yeah, So I want to like the social justice
14:30
Speaker 3: because I wonder if you're you're covering that in the
14:32
Speaker 3: disabled community as well as you know, maybe those who
14:35
Speaker 3: are wrongfully convicted.
14:39
Speaker 2: I mean, any social cause I like. But you know,
14:42
Speaker 2: I find that if you advocate for everything like it
14:47
Speaker 2: overwhelms you. So just the case in Florida a little bit,
14:51
Speaker 2: because we're at a point where we can't really do
14:53
Speaker 2: much about that right now, and the medicaid before it
14:59
Speaker 2: are the two main things.
15:01
Speaker 1: Yeah, No, medicaid is definitely now your journey. Obviously, Sorry
15:08
Speaker 1: this podcast and all that, I have to ask, if
15:13
Speaker 1: you don't mind me asking, did you have a lot
15:14
Speaker 1: of you know, and I know you got your interviewing
15:16
Speaker 1: technique FM drift proach, but talk about the speech therapy
15:18
Speaker 1: that you might have had growing up. Did that help
15:20
Speaker 1: you get to where you are right now?
15:22
Speaker 2: So I went through speech therapy mostly through my school.
15:27
Speaker 2: I got outside p G and OG, but the speech
15:29
Speaker 2: was through school an enemy and all through middle school,
15:35
Speaker 2: and yeah, it definitely helped. The middle school speech therapist
15:41
Speaker 2: was very tough on me, but it definitely helped.
15:45
Speaker 1: So now you just mentioned you were in public school
15:50
Speaker 1: growing up, Yes, how was that experience?
15:55
Speaker 2: It was good. I hated high school with the exception
15:59
Speaker 2: of my senior year and a couple of teachers. There
16:04
Speaker 2: was some getchy stuff happening at the high school. But
16:10
Speaker 2: you know, I had an aid that was amazing, so
16:15
Speaker 2: that made it better. I was never boyed or anything,
16:20
Speaker 2: but there was you know, get stuff happening at the
16:24
Speaker 2: high school. But I loved intermediate.
16:28
Speaker 1: Any stigmas that you like to so I like the
16:31
Speaker 1: term smashing stigmas because I feel like people with disabilities
16:34
Speaker 1: are sort of stereotype. We can only do this, that
16:36
Speaker 1: and the other, and yet here we are smashing stigmas
16:38
Speaker 1: on the daily. Any kind of smashing stigmas that you
16:41
Speaker 1: like to smash on your podcast just by interviewing people too.
16:47
Speaker 2: Basically, what bigues do I would well, one that we
16:57
Speaker 2: don't want romantic love like the rest of you. I mean,
17:01
Speaker 2: of course we do. But and two that all people
17:07
Speaker 2: that are like in wheelchairs, have a cognitive disability. Those
17:16
Speaker 2: are the two main ones that I see dating.
17:22
Speaker 1: I know you mentioned you've been in the day life.
17:24
Speaker 1: Has that always been fun? Challenging? What's that been like
17:27
Speaker 1: for you?
17:28
Speaker 2: That's been that's been I haven't dated in years. That's
17:32
Speaker 2: been challenging just because of like transportation and everything. And
17:40
Speaker 2: like I said, I had my recent reagionship and by
17:43
Speaker 2: recent I mean like a few years ago didn't end
17:46
Speaker 2: very well. So it's been challenging.
17:50
Speaker 1: But you know, Devin, I love the term wiel with
17:54
Speaker 1: it because I feel like it just shows you're not
17:55
Speaker 1: letting anything stop you. Is that a message you try
17:58
Speaker 1: and convey on your podcast? There's literally real that no
18:00
Speaker 1: matter what you're going through.
18:02
Speaker 2: Yes, actually that that's that's very that's very good. I've
18:07
Speaker 2: never thought about that, but yes, that's grey.
18:10
Speaker 1: No, I could I could tell that that's that's part
18:12
Speaker 1: of your drive. Now when I talked when I think
18:15
Speaker 1: of advocates, I think of someone that's out there on
18:18
Speaker 1: the front lines. Have you ever I would say a
18:20
Speaker 1: tender protest? But have you ever been on the front
18:22
Speaker 1: lines of any kind of you know, advocacy.
18:26
Speaker 2: Work, Uh, front lines? I would say, Well, the closest
18:30
Speaker 2: I've gotten front lines is that case in Florida. But honestly, like,
18:34
Speaker 2: I've never gotten to a protest or anything like that.
18:38
Speaker 1: But well, and I asked that because do you feel
18:41
Speaker 1: like this kind of medium of podcasts is better to
18:43
Speaker 1: get the word out than literally storming, you know, anywhere?
18:46
Speaker 2: Yes, definitely, it's much less confrontational. So I don't really
18:54
Speaker 2: like confrontation until we absolutely have to do that.
19:00
Speaker 1: And do you feel like your podcast is in existence
19:02
Speaker 1: because you want to educate people? I feel like, well,
19:04
Speaker 1: you're just wanted the state breakdown of Medicaid. Not many
19:07
Speaker 1: people may know about that. It's a state's thing, not
19:10
Speaker 1: really a federal thing. That they have to go to
19:11
Speaker 1: their state.
19:12
Speaker 2: Birds. Yeah, most people didn't know it was a state thing.
19:20
Speaker 2: Until I got on Medicaid. I didn't know what a
19:23
Speaker 2: state thing. But it's mostly a state thing. So yes,
19:27
Speaker 2: education is a huge part of what we do now.
19:30
Speaker 1: When you say again on a lot of people disabilities,
19:33
Speaker 1: kids with disabilities are on it from a very young age.
19:35
Speaker 1: When did you start it and when did you get
19:37
Speaker 1: awareness of you know, what medicaid was.
19:40
Speaker 2: Was well, I started at sixteme on the Medicaid waiver.
19:48
Speaker 2: My parents were very hesitant to ask for any kind
19:51
Speaker 2: of help from the government, but then we saw the
19:55
Speaker 2: price of the new power wheelchair trying to get I mean,
19:59
Speaker 2: I had one, but we needed another one because they
20:01
Speaker 2: don't last forever. And they saw the price and they
20:05
Speaker 2: were like, okay, yeah, we need help. So then we
20:09
Speaker 2: got on the Medicaid. And then when I.
20:15
Speaker 4: Really realized what was going on is after I got
20:20
Speaker 4: out of the college, I started applying for jobs, knowing
20:23
Speaker 4: that the SURI limit in Virginia the SALI limit very
20:27
Speaker 4: sweetly by state, but the asset.
20:29
Speaker 2: Limit is vital and the SALLY limit in Virginia is
20:35
Speaker 2: like thirty six thousand dollars, like give or take of
20:39
Speaker 2: like a few hundred dollars, and so I was like, okay, perfect,
20:45
Speaker 2: Like that's just starting salari right. And I was looking
20:49
Speaker 2: at jobs and it was like forty two and I
20:52
Speaker 2: was like, okay, I can't do that one. That's too
20:55
Speaker 2: much funey. And then I got to the next one
20:57
Speaker 2: it was like forty four and I was like, that's
21:00
Speaker 2: too much money.
21:01
Speaker 1: I feel like if people are gonna get aid, they
21:03
Speaker 1: should also be able to pursue their career, get that job.
21:07
Speaker 2: That's yeah.
21:09
Speaker 1: So is that one of your missions is to change
21:11
Speaker 1: that the the conditions, if you will, of these different things.
21:15
Speaker 2: Yes, my mission, My main mission is to change the
21:23
Speaker 2: federal regulations because I know I just said start with state,
21:27
Speaker 2: but Virginia is good on a state level, so I
21:31
Speaker 2: have to go straight to federal, which I do not
21:35
Speaker 2: like because federal government is crazy. And so my mission
21:45
Speaker 2: is to get the SSI Restoration and or SSI Saving
21:50
Speaker 2: spinozi Uh Elimination Act passed. And yeah, that's pretty much
22:03
Speaker 2: my that's pretty much my main mission at this point.
22:07
Speaker 1: I want to switch the ADA because I feel like
22:11
Speaker 1: we're on the same wavelength here that people tend to
22:16
Speaker 1: weaponize the ADA, and I feel like, am I right
22:20
Speaker 1: on that?
22:22
Speaker 2: Yeah? People are ignorant as to what the ADA doesn't do.
22:27
Speaker 1: And as a research re you kind of duved into
22:29
Speaker 1: that research as well. Of the ADA. Yes, a little bit.
22:36
Speaker 2: It needs to be updated in certain respects. The bathroom
22:41
Speaker 2: stalls to be considered. ADA need to be rider because
22:45
Speaker 2: the power chairs are now riders, so those and then
22:51
Speaker 2: people need to realize that the ADA is different from
22:54
Speaker 2: the medicaid that people used to get services that they
22:58
Speaker 2: need to survive.
22:59
Speaker 1: So do you feel like sping of survived? Do you
23:07
Speaker 1: feel like you watched the show because you feel like
23:10
Speaker 1: a survivor yourself through everything or is it just a show?
23:13
Speaker 2: You like it's just a show? I like, I mean,
23:16
Speaker 2: I just I just fell in love with UH, with
23:20
Speaker 2: with UH, with Jeff. And two for those of you
23:27
Speaker 2: wondering I had about the well some of the same
23:33
Speaker 2: thoughts about the survivor of fifty cast as you are do. So,
23:37
Speaker 2: I mean, I don't think everything's perfect, but you know,
23:41
Speaker 2: I still love the show and I still love Jeff
23:43
Speaker 2: and he's one of my dream podcast guests to interview.
23:48
Speaker 1: Well, I was gonna say it sounds like he's a
23:50
Speaker 1: big fish you want to get on the show.
23:52
Speaker 2: Yes, he is the big fish to me, Well.
23:58
Speaker 1: We maybe, well, maybe we'll tack Jack and make it
24:00
Speaker 1: happen for you. Who knows, right, who knows? Would you
24:04
Speaker 1: yourself an influencer in the disability space and the adaptive
24:07
Speaker 1: space or are you working to get there?
24:10
Speaker 2: Oh gosh, we don't have very many listeners yet, so
24:13
Speaker 2: I would. I wouldn't think I'm an influencer, but I
24:15
Speaker 2: would love to be.
24:18
Speaker 1: And because I do feel like this community, adaptive community,
24:23
Speaker 1: Same Community is a niche podcast that a lot of
24:27
Speaker 1: people can can benefit from, and I feel like you're
24:29
Speaker 1: trying to get into that space even more here.
24:35
Speaker 2: Yes, I hope people can benefit from it, and I
24:39
Speaker 2: hope they aren't too bored or are bummed out by
24:45
Speaker 2: listening to it. I hope it's fun.
24:51
Speaker 1: And you said you know you want to do this
24:52
Speaker 1: when you were seven? Is that right?
24:54
Speaker 2: Eight? Yeah?
24:56
Speaker 1: Me too. Around that age, I was like, I want
24:58
Speaker 1: to do this for a living, and here we are
25:00
Speaker 1: living it out.
25:03
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's crazy.
25:04
Speaker 1: So was traveling? Do you get to travel a lot, Devin?
25:08
Speaker 3: Or not?
25:08
Speaker 1: Really?
25:12
Speaker 2: Not really, because you know it's hard with the but
25:16
Speaker 2: hopefully I'll get a chance to, like, you know, travel
25:20
Speaker 2: some more too.
25:21
Speaker 1: So No, it is fun. I just want to know
25:25
Speaker 1: if you ever had any airplane experience they want to
25:26
Speaker 1: talk about or something like that.
25:27
Speaker 2: Oh, I've had airplane. I've been on it, like we
25:30
Speaker 2: traveled before.
25:31
Speaker 1: But only reason I asked this is I feel like
25:34
Speaker 1: that show, your show will be perfect to talk about
25:36
Speaker 1: those experiences, ay, to make few people less alone in
25:39
Speaker 1: their experiences and be to raise even more well just
25:42
Speaker 1: awareness like hey Delta, hey so and so do better.
25:46
Speaker 2: Yeah. So, luckily I've never had any nightmare chair experiences
25:53
Speaker 2: because we mostly fly Southwest and the cool thing about
25:57
Speaker 2: Southwest is there their headquarters are in the same place
26:05
Speaker 2: the company. I get my power wheelchair from their headquarters,
26:09
Speaker 2: so they're trained in how to handle the chairs.
26:13
Speaker 1: So well, I got to ask you. This is Virginia,
26:20
Speaker 1: Like you have a disabled community of disabled community in Virginia.
26:25
Speaker 1: I mean, are you closed? Do you have friends that
26:27
Speaker 1: are disabled in Virginia or Yeah?
26:30
Speaker 2: I have one friend, her name is Amani that's disabled
26:35
Speaker 2: and so like, I don't go to like an act
26:39
Speaker 2: group or something, but I do have friends that are
26:42
Speaker 2: you know.
26:42
Speaker 1: I only ask if the New Yorkers may not understand that,
26:45
Speaker 1: you know, there are populations not only in New York
26:47
Speaker 1: that have people in there's millings. That's why I'm just curious.
26:51
Speaker 1: Let me ask you this, Aside from the Jeff Probes
26:54
Speaker 1: of the world, do you hope to have other adaptive
26:57
Speaker 1: advocates on and people disabilities on to tell their stories?
27:02
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean anybody who's welcome. I mean, we've had
27:06
Speaker 2: a parent Olympian. She was awesome. Anybody's welcome.
27:13
Speaker 1: So and I think that because you're fairly new, you'll
27:16
Speaker 1: find that the show is going to open doors. Just
27:18
Speaker 1: the title alone, wheel with that's going to help you
27:19
Speaker 1: open doors. And I know you got a different name,
27:22
Speaker 1: So what made you change the name?
27:25
Speaker 2: Well, it used to be called Real Talk, and uh,
27:30
Speaker 2: when we were doing research, we found out that me
27:37
Speaker 2: and my ex boyfriend who didn't end well but when
27:41
Speaker 2: we were good, we were doing research and we found
27:47
Speaker 2: out that they were like five hundred Real Talk podcasts.
27:51
Speaker 2: So I was like, okay, we need to change the
27:53
Speaker 2: name and make it stand out.
27:55
Speaker 1: So and your name alone is probably helped stand out also.
28:02
Speaker 1: All right, well, weal with it. We're looking forward to
28:04
Speaker 1: more episodes and as you developed a comeback and tell
28:07
Speaker 1: me how things are going, how the advocacy works going
28:10
Speaker 1: on the show. I feel like that's one of your
28:11
Speaker 1: main goals to be an advocate.
28:13
Speaker 2: Yeah, it is.
28:16
Speaker 1: Have you been to get in touch with Crosley's team,
28:19
Speaker 1: I mean defense team and all that.
28:21
Speaker 2: I mean, yes, I've I've emailed their PR about they
28:27
Speaker 2: are representing him pro bono and to find out more
28:34
Speaker 2: about the case, you can go to Wheel with It
28:35
Speaker 2: dot com, slash Green and so. Yes, I have been
28:44
Speaker 2: in contact with the PR department.
28:46
Speaker 1: And you know what, when you wrote social justice, I
28:50
Speaker 1: was like, Okay, I wonder if she's the type that
28:52
Speaker 1: wants everybody freed and all that, But You're I feel
28:55
Speaker 1: like that's not the message. Here's Oh god, no.
28:59
Speaker 2: There are some people that really deserves to be in jail,
29:02
Speaker 2: and I would like to keep them there, but there
29:05
Speaker 2: are some people that don't.
29:06
Speaker 1: So do you feel like you're you're thinking is outside
29:10
Speaker 1: the box of just disabled community? Like I always think, Yeah,
29:14
Speaker 1: we can think within the community, but we gotta think
29:16
Speaker 1: of America on the whole and protecting all of us,
29:19
Speaker 1: not just disabled community. Right.
29:21
Speaker 2: Yeah, So, I mean it's not gonna last if it's
29:25
Speaker 2: like only good for the disabled community, and it puts
29:29
Speaker 2: like the able body community like in debt without enough
29:34
Speaker 2: body to put food on their table, Like that's not statable.
29:40
Speaker 1: So bringing your message with the able body community though,
29:43
Speaker 1: you know, does that make you feel good? I have
29:45
Speaker 1: to imagine it does, right, it does.
29:48
Speaker 2: I mean it makes me feel good when people are like,
29:51
Speaker 2: oh my gosh, I didn't even know that was the issue.
29:54
Speaker 2: I'm like and thank you for informing me. And I'm like,
29:59
Speaker 2: you welcome, So so's it's it's uh, that's probably the
30:07
Speaker 2: most awarding thing is people were like, oh my gosh,
30:10
Speaker 2: I wasn't even a word that that was the thing.
30:12
Speaker 2: Thank you.
30:15
Speaker 1: You know you mentioned the fraud. And I do feel
30:17
Speaker 1: like the medicaid fraud gives people really need this medicaid
30:21
Speaker 1: a bad name or whatever. It jeopardizes everybody. So how
30:26
Speaker 1: would you advise, say the local government, federal government to
30:31
Speaker 1: weed out those who are committing fraud, but keep the
30:35
Speaker 1: keep it for those who need it.
30:37
Speaker 2: So this has been talked about at a recent hearing
30:41
Speaker 2: which I have to go and get and put on
30:46
Speaker 2: my website at were with it dot com. Slash Reform
30:49
Speaker 2: but I don't know if people are gonna want to
30:52
Speaker 2: watch like the whole like two hours of it, but
30:55
Speaker 2: I'll put it up there just But but what would.
30:58
Speaker 1: Your advice be, I mean, what would you hear inside?
31:03
Speaker 1: What would you suggest?
31:07
Speaker 2: Like I said, I got sidechecked but this uh so
31:10
Speaker 2: she was mentioned at the hearing something called front end ID,
31:15
Speaker 2: which is where when you apply for a benefit you
31:18
Speaker 2: have to Most of these devices now have like touch
31:22
Speaker 2: or face ID, so when you apply for benefits, you
31:25
Speaker 2: have to use touch ID to apply, and then when
31:28
Speaker 2: you log into the accounts to either check something or
31:32
Speaker 2: apply for more benefits, you would have to confirm yourself
31:37
Speaker 2: with touch ID to ensure that it's not somebody else
31:41
Speaker 2: trying to apply in your day. And of course that
31:47
Speaker 2: they would have to be or a coovery system in case,
31:50
Speaker 2: you know, people got a new computer and you know,
31:54
Speaker 2: or lost the ability to do touch ID somehow. But
31:59
Speaker 2: that would be one thing that we could do immediately prevents.
32:04
Speaker 1: Well, that's that's interesting. Now there's real ID. Also, by
32:07
Speaker 1: the way, spring of ID. Is that going to help
32:10
Speaker 1: or hurt the disabled community?
32:11
Speaker 2: Do you think? I don't think it's going to do
32:13
Speaker 2: anything with like the medicaid.
32:15
Speaker 1: So do you think it's needed though, I don't even
32:19
Speaker 1: know why real idea is needed, but I guess it
32:22
Speaker 1: makes I.
32:23
Speaker 2: Mean, I don't know. I mean maybe maybe not. I
32:27
Speaker 2: guess to see, but I don't think we are idea
32:32
Speaker 2: is going to effect medicaid, Devin.
32:34
Speaker 1: When you crack open the mic for Wheel with It,
32:36
Speaker 1: what fires you up?
32:37
Speaker 2: Like?
32:38
Speaker 1: What what really brings you to the microphone each and
32:41
Speaker 1: every time?
32:42
Speaker 2: Getting to talk with people like you You've been awesome?
32:47
Speaker 2: Uh and yeah, just so hearing these really like inspiring
32:53
Speaker 2: stories and impactful stories and being like, I don't know
32:57
Speaker 2: how you got out of bed every day, Like what
33:01
Speaker 2: I complain about is miniscule compared to you, Uh, committed
33:08
Speaker 2: what others are going through?
33:09
Speaker 1: No, absolutely, that is so true. Yeah, I roll play
33:12
Speaker 1: around New York, so I definitely feel like I get
33:15
Speaker 1: a bit of that Wheel with It vibe for sure.
33:18
Speaker 1: And you know, it's interesting because in New York you
33:21
Speaker 1: got to deal with all the accessibility and making sure
33:24
Speaker 1: elevators are working on all that. Have you had people
33:28
Speaker 1: from other states talk about their experiences yet?
33:33
Speaker 2: Yeah, I've had people from all kinds of states on
33:38
Speaker 2: I haven't gotten into the weeds about how they're medicaidd
33:43
Speaker 2: down there because I don't when we live down there,
33:47
Speaker 2: so there's nothing I can do about it, But you
33:53
Speaker 2: know your The only.
33:54
Speaker 1: Thing I want to talk about before we go is
33:55
Speaker 1: this SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act, which is also UH
34:00
Speaker 1: important for those who want to marry.
34:04
Speaker 2: Yes, I prefer the SSI Restoration Act, but I think
34:09
Speaker 2: we need to pass both the SSI Restoration Act and
34:12
Speaker 2: the SSI.
34:15
Speaker 1: Excuse me, I broke I sneeze there, Sorry about that.
34:21
Speaker 2: Sorry, and the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. The SSI
34:31
Speaker 2: Restoration Act UH removes the marriage penalty, which means that
34:41
Speaker 2: your spouse's income won't be counted against you, and it
34:45
Speaker 2: exempts among other things, and it also exempts the things
34:54
Speaker 2: like retirement accounts and being counted as income or assets
34:58
Speaker 2: when you apply for a bit of it. And it
35:01
Speaker 2: raises the asset limit for a single person to ten
35:05
Speaker 2: thousand dollars and for couples to twenty thousand.
35:09
Speaker 1: So wow, all right, I gotta say in your in
35:13
Speaker 1: your pitch, Also, which I loved is that you feel
35:17
Speaker 1: like you've your life has afforded you a unique as
35:22
Speaker 1: you right a unique opportunity to explore subjects with great
35:26
Speaker 1: interest and passion. Tell us how this life you have
35:30
Speaker 1: has opened doors for you?
35:33
Speaker 2: Well, I think, uh, I think not many people would
35:39
Speaker 2: know or be talking about the Medicaid if it wasn't
35:44
Speaker 2: for people with they're already you know, getting out there
35:48
Speaker 2: and saying, hey, like we need to change this here.
35:55
Speaker 2: And yeah, so I think I have a unique perspective
36:05
Speaker 2: on things like Medicaid.
36:08
Speaker 1: Well, because you're living, and I think that's so important
36:10
Speaker 1: to know, is that you're in this experience. Although I
36:13
Speaker 1: love that you also want to work. That's pretty awesome too.
36:16
Speaker 1: You know I once got told why don't just go
36:20
Speaker 1: on disability? I don't have a game of violence, but
36:23
Speaker 1: I definitely wanted to punch that guy out, just just
36:25
Speaker 1: just off the record.
36:26
Speaker 2: Yeah, the whole just get on disaparity thing. I'm like,
36:33
Speaker 2: it's not like a free handout. They have so many
36:37
Speaker 2: restrictions that you have to go through.
36:41
Speaker 1: Do you want to encourage more people to join the
36:43
Speaker 1: workforce if you have disability? Is that one of your
36:45
Speaker 1: goals to.
36:46
Speaker 2: More people with disabarities? Yes?
36:50
Speaker 1: And how maybe you get the Department of Labor on
36:52
Speaker 1: how would you want to achieve.
36:53
Speaker 2: That more like were my positions, like letting more people
37:00
Speaker 2: work remotely. I know that it's not like a popular
37:06
Speaker 2: thing with employers right now for understandable reasons, but you know,
37:12
Speaker 2: sometimes that's the only thing that we can do. So
37:18
Speaker 2: I think the biggest thing besides using the shway and
37:21
Speaker 2: asset limits is at the federal level for the medicaid
37:27
Speaker 2: is letting more people work remotely.
37:30
Speaker 1: So well, we can go and I want to have
37:34
Speaker 1: you on for another conversation because we can go and
37:36
Speaker 1: talk for hours about all of this, because I feel
37:40
Speaker 1: like we're talking about here about forwarding people opportunities and
37:44
Speaker 1: really the government affording us opportunities also, So I want
37:47
Speaker 1: to pick this up on another conversation and get more
37:50
Speaker 1: of your perspective as your podcast continues to grow.
37:53
Speaker 2: Also, yes, and you're welcome to be on my podcast.
37:57
Speaker 2: I will send you the scheduling link.
38:00
Speaker 1: Would love that, all right, Devin. Awesome, first conversation of
38:03
Speaker 1: many and we will be talking with you soon on
38:06
Speaker 1: the one that up network.
38:08
Speaker 2: Okay, thank you for having it.
38:10
Speaker 1: I love all right, talk to you soon, Devin. Thank
38:13
Speaker 1: you