Robbie Kopp and First Sergeant McDaniels discuss their work creating the nation’s first school resource officer/disability policy. The two talk about how the policy works and how can be implemented not just in schools, but throughout our society. First Sergeant McDaniels also shares an impactful story about how his work creating this policy and his personal life intersected. Big announcement at the end of the podcast!     Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us at [email protected]   Episode Transcript: [music] 00:14 Chris: It has been 11,087 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, and you are parked in The Access Aisle.   [music]   00:32 Chris: Welcome back to The Access Aisle, everyone. Thank you for joining us. We have an incredible episode for you today. We continue our interview with Robbie Kopp, and First Sergeant Walter Shawn McDaniels is a 24-year vet of the Richland County Sheriff's Office. We feel really honored to have you here, First Sergeant McDaniels. You bring such a unique perspective to this conversation, one that doesn't usually get brought to this conversation, one that's usually left out, and so to have you here to open up with us and to be vulnerable definitely brings a fresh air to what's a normally stale conversation.   01:15 Chris: Today's interview should be of great interest to any parent, to a child with a disability and any student with a disability, because Robbie Kopp and First Sergeant McDaniels are gonna talk publicly about the work that they've done to create the nation's first school resource officer/disability policy. One of the larger unintended consequences of having police officers in schools is that students with disabilities, especially black students with disabilities, are being referred to the SROs at a higher rate and more often being criminally punished for actions or behaviors for which they normally would not have had to face legal action or consequences prior to SROs being in schools, and so this change has had a dramatic and negative effect on a lot of students with disabilities.   02:15 Chris: So Robbie Kopp and First Sergeant McDaniels, they talk about this collaboration between the Richland County Sheriff's Office and Able South Carolina, how it originated, what the policy says, and how it can be used as a model, and not just in schools and education, but also throughout other institutions that face issues of racial inequity and just the American culture in general. There's some really fascinating stuff here, I hope you enjoy it. Before we start though, last week, I teased a huge surprise announcement. I have it for you, it's burning in my hands right now, but my producers tell me that we have to wait until after the interview. So we have a huge announcement, it's going to happen, we're gonna give you this announcement, but we're gonna do it right after the interview. So without further ado, Robbie Kopp and First Sergeant McDaniels.   03:10 Robbie Kopp: I wanna talk a little bit about the work that we did... This is not not our first conversation. [chuckle] The work that we did with Richland County around student resource officers a few years ago. It started maybe not the way that you would have liked. [laughter] Do you wanna set the stage for how we met?   03:30 First Sergeant Walter Shawn McDaniels: Sure. Sure, I can. So back in 2015, May of 2015, the United States Department of Justice received a two-prong complaint against the Richland County Sher

The summer of 2020 was a time when America experienced a heightened awareness of the racial inequities in policing in our country due to the high profile murders of several Black Americans including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. Though racial inequities in policing have always existed, serious conversations about the matter exploded into the public discourse. In this episode of the Access Aisle we talk with someone who experiences both sides of the issue, First Sgt. Walter Shawn McDaniel. First Sgt. McDaniel is a 25 year officer with the Richland County Sheriff’s office and a Black American. He shares his unique perspective about healing the racial divide in our country as well as how the police and disadvantaged communities can work together to earn trust back and develop more of an understanding of each other.   Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us at [email protected]   Episode Transcript: 00:14 Chris Sparrow: It has been 11,059 days since the ADA was passed, and you are parked in the Access Aisle.   [music]   00:30 CS: I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Chris Sparrow, but you can just call me Sparrow, and I am your new host of The Access Aisle. Today, we have an incredible interview with Robbie Cop and First Sergeant Walter Shawn McDaniel, and stay tuned 'cause afterwards, we got some exciting news for you. So Robbie, go ahead and take us away.   00:56 Robbie Kopp: Today on the Access Aisle, I'm joined by my guest, Walter Shawn McDaniel. He is currently a First Sergeant with Richland County Sheriff's office, and we have had the good fortune of being able to work together on some law enforcement and disability interaction policy with Richland County Sheriff's Department a few years ago. So welcome. Good to see you over Zoom, Shawn.   01:23 Walter Shawn McDaniel: Good to be here, thank you for having me.   01:25 RK: Absolutely, thank you for taking this time. We're really living in a unique moment right now as we see the interactions of law enforcement under increased scrutiny, as we see lives lost like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, and many, many more, presumably as a result of bias from law enforcement and risk to folks of color and people with disabilities. And what we're hoping to cover a little bit is a time to hear your perspective from law enforcement and as a person who's Black, and hear the interaction of where things are now and where things really could be and should be with acknowledging difference, and also making sure that we're looking out for each other and protecting each other. So with that, I'm gonna open up pretty broadly and let you share a little bit, what's the perspective that you've gotten? What are some of the things that you've been seeing inside law enforcement as we navigate and have a larger conversation around race?   02:35 WM: Sure. So, the narrative of racial indifference is not a new narrative, to be honest with you, it is not a new phenomenon that we're just discovering. And so I get a chance to speak from both perspectives, if you will, of 24 years of experience in law enforcement, working in different areas such as major crimes, armed robbery, aggravated assaults. You get a chance to see society from a different space, if you will, and trying to understand human behavior. It forces you to rely on instinct and to rely on your training, which is a key factor that hopefully this conversation will lead in that direction, 'cause at the end of the day, it

In this episode of the Access Aisle, Able SC's Advocacy Coordinator Tiffany Namey, teams up with the League of Women Voters of South Carolina's Lynn Teague to share the specifics of how to participate in real-life advocacy. In this primer episode, the co-hosts share the many outlets for making your voice heard to decision-makers and how to make your message clear and effective. Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact us at [email protected] Episode Transcript: [music] 00:14 Tiffany Namey: It has been 10,799 days since the ADA was passed, and you are parked in The Access Aisle. [music] 00:34 TN: My name is Tiffany Namey and I will be your host for today's episode. We have a guest today, Ms. Lynn Teague, joining us from the League of Women Voters of South Carolina. For those who have not met me yet, I am Able South Carolina's new advocacy coordinator. That allows me to serve as an advocate for persons with disabilities and help create a community that advocates for disability rights, both here within our organization and outside in the community at large. 01:05 TN: We are going to start out for the first half of this podcast and talk about the basics of advocacy, what it is, why you do it, and very lightly touch on tips of how you do it. In the second half of the podcast, we are going to talk about how to find out about issues you may wanna advocate for in the disability community and getting involved in social justice organizations. So Lynn, can you tell us briefly, what is the League of Women Voters and what is your role? 01:34 Lynn Teague: The League of Women Voters is an organization of women and men, 100 years old. We came out of the Women's Suffrage Movement, and once women had the right to vote, it was felt that it was important that women help others register and vote and also be educated voters, informed voters. 01:56 LT: So also, we have an advocacy arm. So we are basically involved in both voter services, which is not my department of the league, and advocacy, which is my area in the league. I'm the vice president for issues and action for the South Carolina League and that translates among other things, to being lobbyists at the State House for the league. 02:20 TN: Wonderful. So let's get started on today's topic, "Advocacy." Advocacy is central to the Center for Independent Living's mission and that's what Able South Carolina is. There are a couple of kinds of advocacy. Today we are talking about systems advocacy, which is a fancy way of saying "advocacy in social or political change." 02:45 TN: And specifically today, we are talking about advocacy for disability rights, which is done when we work to create positive and meaningful change to bring awareness to barriers for persons with disabilities. So those are barriers that people with disabilities face in the community and we work to remove those barriers, but you can be an advocate for any kind of injustice you see. So just because you're a person with a disability, it doesn't mean you have to advocate for disability rights issues. Lynn, how do you define being an advocate? 03:26 LT: For me, an advocate is any citizen who wants to make their voice heard on their own behalf or on behalf of an organization that they're part of. You can either speak simply for yourself or you can become involved in an organization addressing a particular area. The League of Women Voters for example, has a very broad area of interest, but we focus very much on the government acc

Disability PSA: Voter Registration 2020 Join Dori Tempio and Sydney Arsenault, our hosts, as they discuss how to register to vote and why voting is so darn important. Register to vote now at scvotes.org where you can also find other helpful voter information.   Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Able South Carolina interns, board members, and staff are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Able South Carolina or any of its funders. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact Able SC.    Transcript [music] 00:13 Sydney Arsenault: It's been 11016 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. 00:19 Dori Tempio: And you are parked in the Access Aisle. [music] 00:32 SA: Welcome everyone. My name is Sydney Arsenault, I'm a Master's level Social work intern with AbleSC. 00:39 DT: Hi, I'm Dori Tempio. I am the director of Community Outreach and consumer rights for Able South Carolina. 00:49 SA: Dori, I'm so excited to be here with you today because we're talking about something we both really care about, which is registering to vote, we're in the middle of an election year, so it's important that we're all registered and ready to make our voices heard on November 4th, the election day. 01:04 DT: You got it Sydney, I have been a proud voter for years, and I am so excited about the opportunity for people with disabilities to register to vote. It's extremely important for people with disabilities to get out and vote so they can have a say in the legislative decisions that affect their lives. People like you and me, people with disabilities, we elect officials from the president and senators, on down to our local towns council people and judges. It's important because we have the opportunity to either support or block improvements in disability policy with the way we cast our votes. So whether it's benefits and employment, health insurance, home care, criminal justice, equal pay, accessibility and more. When we get out and register to vote and then cast our vote, we have opportunities to participate in the community. As a person with a disability, I have been voting for years. As a disabled voter, I have been using many different methods to vote over the years, I have used in-person voting, absentee ballot, and curbside voting. With each of these methods of voting, I have used what we call reasonable accommodations, and all people with disabilities have access to those tools and supports, they need to cast their vote. 02:44 DT: So if you wanna learn more about reasonable accommodations or ask questions about support you may need to vote, please don't hesitate to ask us at Able South Carolina, and we are happy to support you in any way that we can. 03:00 SA: That's exactly right. And thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. We wanna make sure that everyone is out there fighting for the issues they care about, and one of those ways is by voting. And there are a few requirements we should keep in mind while preparing to register to vote. You need to be at least 18 years old before the next election, you need to be a United States citizen, as well as a resident of South Carolina in the county and precinct in which you are registering, you cannot be under a court order declaring you mentally incompetent, you cannot be confined in any public prison resulting from the conviction of a crime, and you can not have a conviction of a felony or offense against the election laws. Or if you do have a previous conviction

LGBTQ+ Pride Month Panel  In this episode on the Access Aisle, Able South Carolina’s Asha Jones celebrates LGBTQ+ Pride Month with panelists Dr. Julie Edwards and Effy Francis who are members of both the disability and LGBTQ+ communities. Asha, Effy, and Julie discuss the importance of community, ways to improve access, and give personal perspectives on life as a person who identifies as a member of multiple and sometimes conflicting communities.  'The Access Aisle' is a production of Able South Carolina.   Panelists Asha Jones is an EQUIP leader at Able SC who is a non-binary lesbian. Asha is passionate about disability education because she wants other people with disabilities to take pride in and advocate for themselves. She also wants to make society more accepting and accessible as a whole.  Dr. Julie Edwards is a queer and disabled activist raised in Columbia, SC. Julie earned her doctorate in Pharmacy from the University of South Carolina College of Pharmacy. Her activism focuses on rooting out inequities in the healthcare system. She looks forward to continuing to build community and solidarity locally so that more disabled and/or LGBTQIA+ individuals will run for and be elected office.  Effy Alece Francis is a queer, non-binary trans person with physical and psychiatric disabilities, working, living & advocating in the south. Licensed as an esthetician and professional makeup artist, when they are not working in the beauty & wellness industry they are pushing for equity, inclusion and social justice in every aspect of life.   Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Able South Carolina interns, board members, and staff are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Able South Carolina or any of its funders. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access.   Transcript [music] 00:14 Asha Jones: It has been 10,911 days since the Americans With Disabilities Act was passed and you are Parked in The Access Aisle. June is Pride Month, a time where the LGBTQ+ community celebrates our various identities, histories, and our resilience and resistance. Members of the LGBTQ+ community come from various backgrounds and many of us are also people with disabilities. It is estimated that over one-third of LGBTQ+ people are also people with disabilities. I have two panelists here today who are members of both communities. Would you all go ahead and introduce yourselves with your name, pronoun, and a little bit about yourself? My name is Aja Jones and I use she/her/hers and they/them/their pronouns. I am a non-binary lesbian. I am an EQUIP leader at ABLE South Carolina, and a fun fact is that I'm currently watching She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. 01:07 Julie Edwards: My name is Julie Edwards. I use she/her/hers pronouns. I'm your local bi-pan queer cat lady. I have three cats and a dog who acts like a cat. I am an activist, I've done work with Indivisible Midlands as well as other local organizations. And excited to be here. 01:23 Effy Francis: And my name is Effy Francis. My pronouns are they/them/theirs. I'm a non-binary transgender as well as pansexual person. As far as work goes, I'm a licensed esthetician and make-up artist by trade, so love to beat me some faces, make 'em look cute, working on skincare, [chuckle] do it for all my friends. And then I am also a queer and disabled activist on every day that ends with Y. 01:50 AJ: Awesome, thank you so much. The first question I have for you

In this episode of the Access Aisle, Able SC’s Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement, Robbie Kopp, and Advocacy Coordinator Tiffany Namey team up with Assistant Regional Census Manager Marilyn Stephens to bust some myths and share some facts about the U.S. Census. In this episode, the hosts discuss why it is important for people with disabilities to be counted, how the 2020 Census is the most accessible census in history, how the current pandemic has impacted the census, and much more. Episode Guest: Marilyn Stephens: Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region Marilyn Stephens is one of the most requested Census Bureau speakers. The Miami, Florida native earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing. Marilyn currently serves the Census Bureau as the Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region which is responsible for census operations in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina and South Carolina. In this capacity, she manages the community engagement and partnership program throughout the region. Moreover, she meets with and serves as the agency’s liaison to the region’s seven governors.  In November 2003, she received the Bronze Medal Award, the highest meritorious honor given by the U.S. Census Bureau. Also, she is the chairperson of the South Florida Federal Executive Board. The Federal Executive Board system was the creation of President John F. Kennedy (reauthorization is granted by each subsequent President).   Credits: 'Access Aisle' is produced by Robbie Kopp, Tiffany Namey, and Sarah Nichols. Our editor is Robbie Kopp. Able South Carolina.   Disclaimer: Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Views and opinions expressed by Able South Carolina interns, board members, and staff are those of the individual and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Able South Carolina or any of its funders. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access.   Transcript: [music] 00:14 Tiffany Namey: It has been 10,875 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. 00:22 Robbie Kopp: And you are parked in the Access Aisle. [music] 00:32 RK: My name is Robbie Kopp, the Director of Advocacy and Community Access at Able South Carolina. 00:37 TN: And I am Tiffany Namey, the Advocacy Coordinator for Able South Carolina. 00:41 RK: Today, we are gonna take on your questions about the census and make sure you are comfortable, confident and ready to get your census questionnaire in and done. Joining us today is Marilyn Stephens, Assistant Regional Census Manager for the Atlanta Region of the United States Census Bureau. We're gonna be asking Marilyn your questions that you share here with us and make sure that you have everything you need in order to stand up and be counted for the 2020 US Census. So Marilyn, welcome, so glad to have you with us. 01:10 Marilyn Stephens: It's my absolute pleasure. Thank you for inviting me. 01:13 RK: Yeah, absolutely. So we're gonna start with a really easy question, hopefully, but Marilyn, tell us what is the census and why does it matter? 01:21 MS: Based on Article One, Section Two of the United States Constitution, every 10 years, and really, we are sitting in zero, the Census Bureau is tasked with counting the entire population of the United States. The purpose of the census is for apportionment to determine how many seats each state gets in Congress, and that really determines that state's voice. So the more seats you have, the bigger your voice. Well, Congress has c

In this Disability Service Announcement episode of the Access Aisle, our hosts, Megan Wagner and Robbie Kopp, share information about social distancing and how to protect yourself, your family, and the community from COVID-19. The CDC, SC DHEC, State and Local Governments are the best sources for new information.  Able South Carolina has a great listing of COVID-19 resources available here: https://www.able-sc.org/covid-19/ Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access at [email protected]   Episode Transcript [music]  00:15 Megan: It has been 10,865 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act has been passed.  00:20 RK: And you are parked in the Access Aisle.  [music]  00:32 Megan: Welcome. My name is Megan and I am a current social work intern at Able South Carolina, studying to get my master's degree at the University of South Carolina. With me today is my amazing supervisor and mentor in disability advocacy, Robbie Kopp.  00:46 RK: Thanks, Megan. Like she said, I'm Robbie Kopp, and I am the Director of Advocacy and Community Access here at Able South Carolina. We are here today to talk with you about COVID-19 and how to better prepare yourself as we see this thing roll out over the next few months.  01:02 Megan: Well, I wish I could say we're in the homestretch of this Robbie, but it seems like everything is just getting started. So, to help all of our listeners sort of navigate this unprecedented pandemic, we have compiled a list of advice that is sent down from the CDC. Before we get into all that, though, I just wanted to take a second and say thank you to all the people out there working on the front lines to keep us safe: Healthcare workers, grocery store employees, garbage collectors, public service agents, and all of you hard working people giving their all so the rest of us can stay safe inside our homes. We cannot thank you enough.  01:36 RK: And it's so important that all of us do our part to help relieve some of the workload for these dedicated workers and make sure that we are staying at home the way that we are ordered to and that we're limiting the spread. The fewer folks that this ends up touching, the less risk there's gonna be in the community.  01:54 Megan: Right, and because there is no current vaccine or medical way to prevent someone from getting COVID-19, the CDC recommends that we all stay inside our house and away from other people until this is kind of all over. There still seems to be some confusion on what exactly social distancing is and is not. Robbie, could you tell us a little bit more about what social distancing is, what it means to do it, and who should be doing it?  02:17 RK: For sure. And first, I really wanna start out by saying who social distancing is for. If you are not sick and you don't have any reason to believe that you've been exposed, you haven't been around someone who has symptoms, of COVID-19, then social distancing is for you. If you think there's any realistic chance that you may have gotten it, then this next part where we talk about social distancing doesn't really pertain to you because you should be completely quarantining or self-isolated. We will talk about what that means.   02:50 Megan: So Robbie, what if I have to leave my house? How should I protect myself from the people around me?  02:54 RK: First, we should not be leaving the house at all unless we need to get supplies that that'll help us stay alive, not just, "I

People who live with psychiatric disabilities are often misunderstood, unseen, and dismissed. In this episode of The Access Aisle, MSW Intern Laura Browning and Advocacy Coordinator Tiffany Namey investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disabilities, speak on the difficulty and necessity of disability pride, and dispel some widely-held myths about people who live with these disabilities every day. Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access at [email protected] Episode Transcript: [music] 00:15 Laura: It has been 10,840 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed and you are part in the Access Aisle. 00:24 Tiffany: And you are part in the Access Aisle. 00:25 Laura: Welcome, my name is Laura, I'm an intern here at Able South Carolina, I'm studying Social Work, and I'm going to be a future therapist. 00:34 Tiffany: My name is Tiffany Namey, I am the Advocacy Coordinator here at Able South Carolina. I just wanna make a quick statement. When we were deciding whether or not to disclose our specific diagnoses for this podcast, Laura and I talked a lot about the lack of disclosure and if that meant we had a lack of disability pride, and we have decided not to disclose our specific psychiatric disabilities, which will be the topic of this podcast. We want everyone out there to know that you cannot disclose your diagnosis, whether it be a psychiatric disability or a physical disability, and still have disability pride. You can be proud of all of the evolving you have done and the adapting you have done and the person that you are and the unique skill sets that you have and just being you, and the fact that your disability is part of who you are and still not disclose to anyone you don't wanna disclose to. And that was something that we struggled with yesterday, but that is what we decided and so we wanted to share that decision with you. [chuckle] 02:11 Laura: Absolutely, Tiffany and I, we're both really excited to be here and hosting this episode and we do both live with psychiatric disabilities. And disclosure is power, to be perfectly honest. No one needs to know about your disability diagnosis, except for you, your doctor and your boss, if you're looking for accommodations. 02:28 Tiffany: Yeah. 02:29 Laura: Well, in case you haven't guessed, our topic for today is psychiatric disabilities. We're so glad that you're listening today, and I hope you'll check out our previous episodes and our content from 2019. Make sure you subscribe to the Access Aisle, so you can get updates and podcast episodes as we release them. This topic really stuck out to us, because so-called mental illness is often not considered a disability by society at large. For instance, I really didn't know that that "mental illness" was a psychiatric disability until about a year ago. I didn't grow up hearing that terminology ever and I knew I needed accommodations, but I didn't know that's what they were and that you could even go about asking for those things. 03:10 Tiffany: I have multiple disabilities, I also have physical disabilities as well, and all of the disabilities I have are invisible disabilities, every single one of them, and I didn't realize as a person with invisible disabilities that any of my disabilities were disabilities until much later in life, because all of my disabilities manifested in our lessons and I have struggled a lot with recognizing that I need accommodation, so I think tha

New year, new plans for disability rights! Our co-hosts for this episode, Robbie Kopp and Sarah Nichols, review some of the highlights from 2019 and drive home the ways to get plugged in and participate in disability rights in 2020. It's going to be a big year for the disability community in South Carolina as we celebrate 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act, further competitive and integrated employment, and so much more! To take action: bit.ly/ablescaction Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access at [email protected] Episode Transcript: 00:00 Robbie Kopp: It's been 10,777 days since the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed. 00:06 Sarah Nichols: And you are parked in the Access Aisle! 00:09 RK: My name is Robbie Kopp. 00:11 SN: And my name is Sarah Nichols, and we are your co-hosts for this episode of The Access Aisle. 00:16 RK: Welcome everyone, and happy 2020. This is our first episode of the year, hope that you'll go back and check out our content from 2019, and that you'll subscribe and get updates as we release them for The Access Aisle. 00:29 SN: Yeah, we've got a lot of good stuff on there. So today we're gonna be taking a look back at 2019, and we'll be looking forward into the new year. 2020 is a very big year for a lot of different reasons. We have the census, we have the presidential elections and we have this 30th anniversary of the ADA. Can I get a woop woop? 00:49 RK: Woop woop. 00:50 SN: And we have very ambitious goals for this year. Right Robbie? 00:53 RK: Absolutely. So right at the start of the year we released our legislative agenda, we're introducing several bills with our state legislators and senators, and we can't wait to get you listeners involved. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, let's look back at the highlights of 2019. 01:14 SN: Well, what would you say were some of the highlights from this year? 01:19 RK: I don't know, there were so many things that were a really big deal. 01:23 SN: I was hired. So obviously, that's a big one. But maybe more importantly, some might say, Able South Carolina celebrated its 25th anniversary. So we've been empowering independence for people with disability since 1994. 01:39 RK: That was a long time ago, and what a half century it's been. 2019 alone, so just one year, provided 11,880 services to individuals with disabilities. 01:50 SN: And we hope to increase that number in 2020. And so looking for a more national perspective, I know one bill that received some attention was the Raise the Wage Act. It received a lot of attention for its potential to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. But it would also do something very important for people with disabilities, and that is ending subminimum wage. Robbie, do you wanna explain what that is for our listeners? 02:17 RK: Absolutely. I think what's really interesting is Raise the Wage Act, when it first came through. The House got a lot of attention but didn't really get a whole lot of attention for the huge impact that would have on subminimum wage. So taking a step back towards what subminimum wage is, right now as the rules are written, it is allowable for organizations that get a special certificate to pay people with disabilities less than the minimum wage. So Sarah I'm gonna put you on the spot, how old do you think these rules are? 02:47 SN: I would guess, 75 years. 02:50 RK: 75 years, you were pretty close. 02:52 SN: Nice. 02:52 RK: Really stinki

Veterans have paved the way for generations of disability rights advocates. In this episode, Boris is joined by his good friend, US Army Staff Sergeant Andrew Lanman as we try to give back to our vets by talking about the services available for service disabled veterans and veterans transitioning back into civilian life.  Disclaimer Able South Carolina is providing this podcast as a public service, but it is neither a legal interpretation nor a statement of local, state, or federal legislation or policy. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by Able South Carolina. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an Able South Carolina endorsement of them or any entity they represent. If you have any questions about this disclaimer, please contact our Director of Advocacy and Community Access at [email protected] Transcript  Boris Klaric: Good morning, everybody. Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Access Aisle. As always, my name is Boris Klaric, and joining with me today is US Army Staff Sergeant Andrew Lanman. How are you doing today, buddy?   Andrew Lanman: Good.   BK: Well, thanks for joining us today. We are observing Veterans Day, and all the work that veterans have done not just for our country but especially in the realm of disability rights and disability advocacy. Can you tell me a little bit about what it is that you do, and the kind of things that you experienced working with the veterans with disabilities?   AL: I originally went into the Army Reserve as an MP. I was 18. I wanted to do law enforcement, at least I thought I did. That's a hard job. I joined at 18 in 2006, 2005, somewhere in there.   BK: Right out of high school.   AL: Pretty much right out of high school, yeah. I took a year off. I was adamant I did not wanna join the military, but I was told that I can either join the military. If I wanted to go to college, I'd have to figure out how to pay for it, and so I joined the military. That was the only way I was gonna pay for school. I joined the military 2006, 18 years old, 'cause it was the only way I could be in law enforcement and not be 21, 'cause you have to be 21 to do civilian law enforcement 'cause of the whole firearms laws. After seven years, I decided I didn't wanna do it anymore, and I switched over to psychological operations which is like, in my opinion, the best MOS the Army has. We work a lot with civilian populations in other countries and things like that. We do a lot of... It's marketing and advertising, and it's trying to get them to stop doing or to do an action that's beneficial to them.   BK: Got you.   AL: Graduated from Limestone College in 2015, with my Bachelor's Degree in Social Work. And then I went to University of South Carolina, graduated with a Master's Degree in Social Work. And it took me a little while. I applied here, there, and everywhere. And I knew ultimately I wanted to work at the VA, and I never imagined that I'd get it right out of the gate. Actually today is my two-year anniversary there.   BK: Nice. Congratulations. AL: Mostly what my work deals with is the disability claims that they put in. It's not so much like a disability paycheck, when you think about it in terms of that goes, like a Social Security Disability or something like that. It's actually... And this was something that I learned when I first started working there, is it's more... It's compensation. If you think about it, you have 100% healthy body or 100% able body, when you get that disability rating from the VA, let's say you're 30%, 40%, whatever you are, that's 40% of time that you would otherwise have to, if you were able-bodied, give to an employer, that 40% of time, that compensation that those benefits are supposed to go towards making up for that pay gap. That would be time that you would normally be at work, you're spending at doctor's appointments and