Boldly Challenging Ableism
Sundays 2-2:30 PM
Boldly Challenging Ableism exposes ableism and dismantles myths that marginalize people with disabilities. Host Katrina Simons uses her life-long disability and her experiences in advocacy at the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration to boldly, irreverently go where everyone has gone before -- to issues like employment, housing, justice, education and culture -- but she brings along enough humor and an approachable style that you'll be thinking anew about what community inclusion really means.
This week we feature Rob Wudlick, an industrial engineer and dedicated advocate for spinal cord injury research. Rob joins Katrina Simon to share the frustrating reality of air travel for wheelchair users, from the nightmare of having a custom chair mangled by an airline to the constant battle for better accessibility standards. It’s a candid…
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Starting off season two, Katrina chats with her friend Haley Brunelle about her journey as a “medical mom” to her incredible eight-year-old son, Felix. They dive into the world of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), the daily hurdles of navigating healthcare systems, and why Haley is so passionate about giving Felix the best shot at…
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Michael Sack talks to us about his work with the city of Minneapolis in getting and keeping the community accessible. Then a conversation with disability advocate Ed Bartz.
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On this episode of Boldly Challenging Ableism, host Katrina Simons speaks with artist and self-advocate Thomas Robinson. Thomas shares his journey as a leader in disability advocacy and how art plays a role in amplifying his voice. Their conversation highlights the power of self-advocacy and the importance of challenging ableism in everyday life.
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Renata Ticha is a research associate at the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. Renata talks with Katrina about her research work around transitioning to adult services from the pediatric space.
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Episode Description: BJ Stasio, Advocate for the New York Office for People with Developmental Disabilities. Activist BJ talks to us about his life of advocacy work- and about being a rebel.
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Amy Hewitt joins us to discuss the direct support care crisis and why it’s an “everyone” problem.
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This episode originally aired June 15, 2025: Host Katrina Simons is joined by Brian Begin for a conversation about Section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act—a provision that allows employers to pay subminimum wages to workers with disabilities under specific federal certification. Brian breaks down how this law impacts workers today and shares insight…
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Katrina is joined by Jen Sommerness, a research associate at the TIES Center at the Institute on Community Integration. She discusses ableism in schools and making education meaningful for every student.
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Katherine McLaughlin joins us to talk about sex and disability. She also shares why involving people living with disabilities in Sex Education is important.
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