2021 Graduates of Bender Leadership Academy

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

And welcome everyone, welcome to the show, to everyone in the United States and around the world. I have to give a special shout out Richard Roberts, my great friend Richard, who I was with in Japan and in South Korea, with Vinyamin from Kazakhstan, from Gang Young from South Korea. Guess what? I was with him twice. He is an awesome person and a great disability rights leader. And Cheryl Harris from Tunisia and Ambassador Norland from Libya, and I'm so excited that I will be talking— I've talked to Austria, and I'll be talking to Nigeria tomorrow, the other countries I went to as an expert on the employment of people with disabilities. And every time I went to a country, I told the State Department, I want to meet young people with disabilities. I want to meet high school students with disabilities. And you're going to see how much I love them, in a moment. But I also have to say hi, Yuzuko Dart, one of the first supporters of the Bender Leadership Academy. She knows, I remember the day I called her and I said, can we use leadership? Because we also have Lead On with all the stuff that we put out there. And if you know why, everyone, right? That's Justin Dart's famous words, "Lead on." And yoshiko, we're leading on. You're going to hear that in a minute. Love you so much. And our sponsor, Highmark, has been our lead sponsor for several years and a giant supporter of the Bender Leadership Academy. Deb Rice, David Holmberg, Love you, Karen, Cindy Hunterfeen. All of you at Highmark are just so awesome. But wait till you hear the rock stars on the show today. So we're gonna start with Scott Hammerstrom, who is the project manager, head honcho, runs the Bender Leadership Academy. And we also will have two award winners, Asher Jordan and Zoe Whitman. But right now we're going to start with Scott. Scott, how about if you share with our listeners a little bit about yourself and what the Bender Leadership Academy is?

Oh, thank you, Joyce, and thank you so much for having me on the radio show today. Uh, yes, my name is Scott Hammerstrom and I am the manager of programs and partnerships for Bender Leadership Academy. And I, I started about a year and a half ago working pretty much full-time at the nonprofit side. But I've been working with you, Joyce, since 2007, and prior to that I was at Bender Consulting with— as a manager of programs— I'm sorry, I was the team lead of talent programs at Bender Consulting. But prior to that, I worked at a few nonprofit organizations. One was the Arthritis Foundation, and another was Best Buddies of Pennsylvania, and focused on disabilities and youth with disabilities. And so I'm so happy to be part of the Bender Leadership Academy, which was started in 2018 and was founded on over 2 decades of commitment serving the disability community. We started as a volunteer mentoring program with a single purpose of helping youth with transitioning into the workforce. And now we're just a multifaceted programming that provides a comprehensive approach addressing barriers to employment. And our focus is basically to provide work readiness competencies that focus on the value and abilities of each person that can contribute to the workforce.

And it is all about those kids. I just want to tell everyone, Scott is just like a great employee, but a great leader. He's a leader, and he loves this. He's so passionate. Running this program. He is one of the most genuine, best people you could know. And yes, one of the last pirate fans in the United States other than me. Uh, but I just love him so much. He loves these young people. I love these young people. They are all so awesome and they just are fabulous. And I'm going to be telling you this off and on throughout the show. You know, it's the end of the year where I know all of you think about, oh, I need to make a donation, where should I make it? I hope you will support these high school students with disabilities who are bullied more than any other group in America and who we don't want to leave out. And too many people leave them out and don't realize the great talent they have. So go to Bender Leadership org, that's benderleadership.org, and make a contribution today. I don't care how small it is. I appreciate any contribution that you would make, uh, but it's worth it, and you're going to see why very shortly. So Scott, we have two great disability rights leaders with us today, and before we hear from Zoe and Asher, how about explaining to everyone about these awards and, you know, how students are selected and, you know, what this means.

I would be glad to, Joyce, and we do have two great disability leaders on this show today. I'm very excited about them, and they're both winners of different awards. And the first one I want to talk to you about is the Linda Dickerson Scholarship, which I'm so passionate about, and we started this last school year, and the scholarship was created by the Bender Leadership Academy for students who were positively impacted by attending one of our student leader programs, our Bender Leadership Academy program. And the scholarship is in memory of your good friend Linda Dickerson, who is a leader in the disability community who knew independence and employment were the most important goals for young persons with disabilities. And this scholarship is designed to help students achieve their educational and career goals. And so any student is eligible who participates in one of our programs, either our student leaders or work readiness program. We have a certifications program or a digital access at work. If they complete one of those programs, they are eligible, and all they have to do is complete an application one month after they completed their programs. And the winners will be selected based on the effort they put on to answering their questions, as well as the quality of the content. Then once we get all the applications in, we'll review them with a big panel of business leaders out there in the community. We'll review them and we choose the winners. And last year, we were able to give 10 scholarships of $1,000 out to students. And this year, we are going to increase that and we're going to be giving 15 scholarships of $1,000, which we're so excited about. And the other award, which we are very excited about as well, is the Sam Miller Award. And Sam Miller is presented to an individual with a disability who has shown through action their dedication to advocacy, anti-bullying, and leadership efforts in support of youth with disabilities. And the recipient, recipient of the Sam Miller Award is recognized with a plaque. And a $300 gift card presented by Bender Consulting Services. And we have 2 winners that are on the show today, one who won the Linda Dickerson Scholarship and one who won the Sam Miller Award for this year.

Yes, and I'll tell you, they are both awesome, and you, you will be hearing more about this in a moment, but I just want to tell you that we are selective, so this isn't just easy to get these awards or scholarships, and you've got to go, got to go read more about us at the Bender Leadership website, but I'll tell you more about that in a minute after you hear this person speak. You're going to want to run and make a donation immediately. And Asher, that would be Asher Jordan, who was this year's Sam Miller Award winner, and Asher, I'm going to start start with you. How about telling your story, you know, your background, and why you applied for the award?

Joyce, thank you so much for having me on the show. So I'm Asher Jordan, and I, I have autism, and autism's been a defining point of my life since long before I was diagnosed at almost 20 years old. But when I was a child, I had a lot of struggles with socializing and being able to connect with my peers, and just behaving a little differently than my peers did. And because of that, I was bullied severely through middle school. My family was very worried that my life was in danger. I ended up having to leave the school I was attending and go to a different school. And I was diagnosed with PTSD at around 12 years old. And I— it just lit a fire in me that I never wanted anyone else to feel the way that I did when that was happening. So I have made it a point to emphasize kindness and compassion in my life, and standing up for those that are like me, and for those that aren't like me but still face similar battles. The reason I applied for the Sam Miller Award was actually because Jill Zomp pushed me to apply. She thought that I was deserving of the award. And I don't think— I don't necessarily think that I deserve the award because I believe that advocacy for disabled people and for people who are struggling is just something that we should do as humans. It's just something that we should take upon ourselves to fight for, for equality and for taking care of others. But she pushed me to apply, and I have been so blessed to have her on my side and to have the Bender family on my side. And, you know, with the Sam Miller Award, you know, Sam Miller lost his life to suicide, and suicide Suicide has been a recurring theme in my life and a recurring struggle. So being able to be recognized for my disability advocacy and, you know, fighting for not only myself and for others is a huge honor.

Well, I mean, you certainly deserve it. You deserve it. And Asher, I know You already are a disability rights leader, but I believe this means so much to you, honoring Sam. Am I right?

Yeah, being able to step up and continue the work that Sam Miller had already done, um, that's a huge honor, and that's, that's a huge commitment to take. But I am so ready to fight. I am so ready to advocate for our rights as disabled people. And I just, you know, I owe Sam Miller so much for laying the groundwork for what I'm doing now.

Well, we have to give a special shout-out to Jenny Emerson, Sam's mother, who is— and who Asher has met, but He will be meeting Jenny in person next year at our family picnic because Jenny always comes to the picnics when we give out the awards. And she is so thrilled to have Asher as the award winner this year. She herself also has disabilities and like me with epilepsy. And by the way, Sam, I don't know if I told you this ever, Scott, but Sam was on the COVID of Epilepsy USA magazine when he was a young boy with Tony Qualo.

No, I did not know that.

Yes. They knew Tony and he knew Tony very well. But Sam Miller, Sam Miller loved me and I loved him. And you know, here's a young man at 19 that has been having so much bullying off and on throughout his life, but from when we met, he was all about fighting the fight for, you know, no stigma and for other young people living with disabilities, including mental health disabilities in addition to epilepsy. And Yoshiko, who I know is listening right now, met him and he had a jacket said, "Lead on." And, you know, he just, as Asher said, he took his life. See, people don't realize what they're doing when they're bullying students with disabilities. The way he was bullied was horrific. What can happen? Well, he's lost his life here on Earth, but he is not gone. And Asher will carry that spirit on just the way we do at Bender. And Jenny, you can count on that. Can't wait till Asher meets you in person. And then we have Zoe, Zoe Whitman, with us, another disability rights leader. And Zoe, how about if you tell our listeners your story and what made you apply for the Linda Dickerson Scholarship?

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Zoe Whitman. I am a senior at Gateway High School. I am a student at the Bender Program. Uh, since I have a— I, uh, I am a student at the Bender Program. And I have autism spectrum disorder and bilateral hearing loss as well. This is an opportunity to be able to apply the Linda Dickerson Scholarship, and I'm surprised that I won the scholarship. And to help with my communication skills and my interviewing skills. I struggled with my communication skills at first, but then I got better and better at it. Linda Dickerson has a disability like me, and she is a hard worker like me. First of all, it is such an honor during the call with Mrs. Bender and Mr. Hammerstrom on the virtual call. I felt shocked and surprised that they mentioned that I won the Linda Dickerson Scholarship, and that money is going to be on my savings account because it's for college. I am taking technology in nursing informatics to become a nurse after college.

Wow. Oh, that is so great. Well, let me tell you what, Zoe, you do great with communication. How many people do you think that could get on a radio show and talk the way you just did? Not all of them can do that, and you did, and I just love you, Zoe. I think you are so awesome. Uh, Linda Dickerson was a very, very close friend of mine. I loved her very much, and she was a really well-known in the Pittsburgh community and beyond. She had a magazine She was a consultant. She did event planning, community leader, an advocate for people with disabilities. But a lot of people don't know she was the— she had a very significant disability and it did not stop her. She was the chair of the board of the Pittsburgh Ballet, the National Aviary, and was on the board of Carnegie Mellon. Those are only a few. She won so many awards, you would never be able to list all of the awards that she won. She was just a phenomenal person, and she passed away, uh, June— September— September 26, 2020. And, uh, it seems like just the other day And do you remember, Scott, what, uh, happened or where we were and what happened that day?

I sure do. We were at a video shoot in, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and, uh, and that's when we found out that she passed away. And that's, uh, we decided right then that we were going to name the scholarship after her.

That moment, she was so close to me, I was devastated. Yep, and I looked at Scott and I said, Scott, we're going to have a scholarship in Linda's name. Linda Dickerson, close friend of mine forever and supporter of mine, and Linda had great tenacity. You know, nothing could stop her. She, she was just phenomenal. And so Zoe, you will be someone living up to that name of Linda Dickerson. How's that make you feel, Zoe?

To be honest, Miss Bender, it made me feel like I'm more amazed.

More amazed? Well, you deserve it. Let me just tell you that. You deserve it. You do. You do. You deserve it. Scott, what do you think?

She absolutely does deserve it. She was incredible in the student leaders class and gave some of the best speeches and has a wonderful essay question. I think she even did a video for it and just blew all our panel girls, business leaders in the community, and it was a no-brainer that she deserved this.

Joyce Bender: Yeah, it was a no-brainer. I wonder if you could share with everyone, Scott, a little bit about what we do at the Academy.

Scott Pestridge: Oh, absolutely. So we have different programs. So one of the programs that we have is called the Bender Student Leaders. And these are typically youth between juniors, seniors, and people who are continuing their education in 13th and above. Up to 21 years of age. And we teach them leadership skills. And they're talking in front of their peers, doing speeches every week. We're talking about what to do for job interviews and just to get them ready for the world of work. And we've been doing these virtually last year and this year. And we have host sites. So we have great host sites like Covestro, Kellogg Caravan, Highmark, and Peoples Gas. And where they come in and they'll have a a speaker each week and they talk a little bit about their companies and what they do and you get to learn a little bit about the businesses and the different types of jobs that you have and what made them successful. And, you know, it doesn't have to be— we talk about the soft skills as far as, you know, being a hard worker, being on time, having a smile on your face, those types of things. So that's one of the great programs that we have and we have another program called the Work Readiness Program. That's a program typically we have in the summer. And I would say it's for more of the people who are not ready for student leaders, younger group, maybe 9th and 10th graders, maybe somebody with a little bit more of a severe disability. But we teach them like how to build a resume because they probably haven't created a resume yet. And we have speakers that come into that program as well just to get them thinking about, you know, what they want to do after school. They have to do this vision board and think about about their future, which is a wonderful program. Joyce Bender, what's amazing is for the student leaders, there's like 7 classes that they go to once a month. From class number 1 to class number 7, how they blossom from their speeches and their confidence is just amazing. Same thing with our work readiness program. As they continue on with that program,— it's a 4-week program typically— that you could just see them blossoming and learning so much. And we also have a certifications program where they can learn customer service and computer skills. And we have a Digital Access at Work program that we had last summer. We're going to continue on doing this summer, which teaches people to learn digital accessibility for, you know, computer or websites or cell phones and to make sure that they're accessible, but also gives them to be advocates to people who learn this, because if they're going on to school and something's not accessible, they'll know what needs to be done to make things accessible. So we have a lot of wonderful programs throughout the school year and summer, all year round.

It's so exciting. Vendorleadership.org. I just want to mention before we go to break about Linda. Linda, at an early age, was diagnosed with Werdning-Hoffmann. That is a neuromuscular disease, and she had to use a wheelchair most of her life. But this disability that she had never stopped Linda, never, ever, ever. You know, she wasn't one of these feel sorry for me. She did so many things. You know, she had that, uh, company 501, and they did strategy and fundraising for nonprofits and for-profit companies. And she also did a lot of things pro bono throughout her life. She did, she did so much for so many people, including me. She just had an indefatigable spirit. You know that nothing could stop her. She was a little on the stubborn side, but she was brilliant, and I like that part about her being on the stubborn side. So as you can see, Zoe, it's quite an honor to receive that award in her name, and as I said, you deserve it. And Asher, you deserve the Sam Miller Award. I love you also. So with that, we're going to go to break. Hey, If you just tuned in, we're talking to Scott Hammerstrom, the project manager for the Vendor Leadership Academy, Asher Jordan, Sam Miller Award winner, and Zoe Whitman, Linda Dickerson Scholarship Award winner. We're gonna go to break, but we'll be right back. Don't go away.

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Since 1985, Bender Consulting Services has served as a national leader in advancing employment of people with disabilities, including veterans with disabilities, with private sector companies and federal government agencies. Bender assists customers with achieving their diversity and workforce inclusion initiatives by tapping into a talent pool of individuals seeking professional positions, including those in the STEM fields. In addition, Bender Services include disability employment consulting, training, and technology accessibility through their high-tech line of service. For more information, please visit www.benderconsult.com.

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Welcome back everyone, welcome to the show. We are talking today, in case you just joined us, to my great leader and employee Scott Hammerstrom, who is the project manager of the Bender Leadership Academy, Asher Jordan, Asher, who is a Sam Miller Award winner and also does work for me. How about that? And Zoe Whitman, Linda Dickerson Scholarship Award winner. And so awesome, Asher and Zoe are both disability rights leaders. I really want you to take it seriously when you're listening to the show. If you haven't heard it, go back. The show is on demand. So if you're hearing this and you're thinking, oh, I know this principal at a school or this parent would love to know about this program, it's on demand. Either go to Spotify and subscribe to the show Disability Matters with Joyce Bender on voiceamerica.com or go to benderconsult.com. Or voiceamerica.com. You can hear the shows and all the shows, but you got to tell them about this show. So Scott, people listening right now, I'm going to give different groups here. First, starting with parents, if they are listening to the show right now and they're thinking, oh, how can I get my child in this program? What do they do?

First thing they could do is go to our website. There's a lot of information about our programs there, which is vendorleadership.org. Or feel free to give me a call or email me. My email address is shammerstrom@vendorleadership.org, and we'll be glad to answer any questions right now. The, the one thing right now with everything being virtual So they don't have to be located right in Pittsburgh. They could be elsewhere in Pennsylvania or across the country. And if they're interested, if they're a child or a student with— in high school, ages between 16 and 21, and you think you'd be a good fit for this program, give us a call. We'll be glad to interview and talk to you and see if you're a good fit for any of our programs.

And then what happens if the school is not participating, do you then go to the school and talk to them, or does the parent? What happens there?

We, we, everything. We'll, we'll, we'll talk to, um, you know, an OVR counselor or connection within the school. We'll talk to the schools directly, uh, to get them involved. But, uh, the last 2 years we've had, uh, so many school districts in Western Pennsylvania that were interested in participating. And a majority of these schools know about Bender Leadership Academy through another program that we have, which is called Disability Mentoring Day. So, like, mostly all the school districts in the Western PA know about that or participate in that program. But, so, yeah, if you let us know, we more likely have a connection with the school district, and we can contact them, see if we can get it— get them into one of our programs.

Yeah, and you know, I want to make sure, because I know I— when I get so excited about the Academy, I want to make sure you know the website is benderleadership.org, not benderleadershipacademy.org.

Bender leadership.

I'm talking about me, Scott. You never make the mistake. Benderleadership.org. You know, go to that site. You can read about this, but you've heard these wonderful young people speaking. I hope you will make a donation today. Here we are. Next week is the Christmas holiday, and I know it's also year-end where people think, oh, where can I make that year-end donation? Benderleadership.org. And if you're thinking, wow, I've never heard Joyce so passionate talking about this because as you also know, I own Bender Consulting Services, a for-profit company for 26 years. And I, I don't get on there and say, hey, you know, you need to give us business right now. I don't do that. But with these kids, hey, I will. Bender Leadership .org today. I have a question for you, Asher. What would you say to high school students or college students with disabilities listening to the show right now that are being brutally bullied the way Sam was? What advice would you have for them?

Don't give up. Never let yourself give up. Don't ever let yourself fall so low that you think it's the end, because no matter how deep that pit is, no matter how low you feel or how much it feels like nobody's there for you, you are there for you. You are your own protector. You are your own fighter. You climb and you climb until it hurts and One day you will find yourself somewhere where you are supported and loved, and everything in life just fits in pieces. But don't you dare ever let yourself give up.

Wow, I love that. You have to be your own protector, supporter. Yeah, and guess what? He's right. Asher's right. You have to fight the fight for yourself. Never give up. Never. There isn't anyone on earth that is worth hurting you so much that you don't want to be here. And if you're a young person listening to this show, don't ever do that. You're valuable. You just heard what Asher said. Asher, am I right that your life changed even over the past year and a half, right? You wouldn't have known, you know, all of this was going to happen if you had given up.

When I was working my last job, I made it 2 days in before my anxiety and anxiety from post-traumatic stress disorder got so bad that I was so sick that I had to quit. And I thought, I am never going to be able to work a job again. I'm never going to be able to support myself. And my mom met Mary Brocker And she helped me get a job with Bender Consulting Services. And I never, I never would have guessed, I never would have known if at any point before that I had just given up.

Yeah, well, thank goodness you didn't because you're going to help change the world, young man. You're going to be a changer, and you already are. So that brings me to Mary Brooker. Mary Brooker, we lost this year, August 10th. The worst thing that ever happened to me in my life, ever. I will never ever forget Mary, and I will— every day, almost every day, something happens where I shed tears thinking about Mary. I love her. So much. Did you know, say, love her? She may not be here with us, but I know she's with us. I know she is. I know she's up there in heaven cheering us on and listening right now. But in honor of Mary— Mary lived a life dealing with clinical depression. Oh my God, she was such a hero, such a hero. I mean, she fought it every day. She'd say, no matter what, I choose joy. She was just a champion, and by the way, about to be appointed by President Biden to the Access Board. She traveled the world with me. She is known around the world and in the United States. And you know, when this happened, when we lost Mary to a tragic hiking accident, I said, "Oh, but Mary's mission will never leave." And this is why At the Bender Leadership Academy, we have the Mary Brooker Mental Health Initiative, and we have a great campaign. Scott, do you want to talk about that? Because we're focusing on high school students with mental health disabilities to support them and be behind them the way Mary would want us to be. Scott?

Yes, Joyce Bender. We created the Barry Barker Mental Health Initiative, and it's like 3 steps. There's one, we're going to focus on curriculum, and we're going to be putting a lot of mental health aspects into our programs and student leaders and our work readiness programs. We're going to do a big advocacy campaign as well. And the third thing that we're going to do is we're going to be creating a campaign called Not Ashamed. And we are going to be getting some celebrities and getting some videos and student leaders together and doing these videos and just to get the word out there to be not ashamed. And we are very excited and about this. And we are going to be kicking off a lot of these initiatives from Mary Brocker in 2022.

Yeah, look out. You be ready for that launch. #NotAshamed. You're going to see celebrities, you're going to see high school students, you're going to see football players, you're going to see every— saying, "I live with whatever the disability, mental health disability is, not ashamed." Do you know why? You need never to be ashamed. And that's why, Asher, I'm going to start with you. Would you mind sharing with our listeners how you plan to be a disability rights leader and how you're going to help other people with disabilities? And while I'm at it, I know how proud Mary is of you. She may not be able to—

Thank you. That means so much to hear.

She is. She's proud of you. But Asher, how do you feel about that campaign, Not Ashamed?

I would love to be a part of it because as I said before, you know, I've lived with mental health disabilities. I've lived with suicide and, you know, dancing the edge of life. And I want others to know that no matter what you've gone through, no matter No matter what you suffer with, no matter what you've done to yourself, you know, you can always step up. You can always get yourself into a better place. The only end that there is is the end that you let write itself.

That's right. Well, what are you going to do? What are you going to do to be this— Sam Miller Award winner? What are some of your ideas of what you're going to do?

I've always believed that we are all interconnected, you know, that the whole earth, that every person on earth is just a matter of connections, and that, you know, there's somebody across the world that I have no clue exists, but somehow I'm still connected to them because of the way that us people are connected. So what I really want to focus on in my life is starting with the people around me and changing their minds and letting them see, you know, just how amazing people with disabilities can be and changing their outlooks and then having them go out and change other people's outlooks. I think that everything starts with you. And if you are willing to branch out around yourself and you're willing to spread kindness and compassion and advocacy, then others will pick that up and continue your mission. I also really want to be able to speak out about intersectionality with disabilities because I myself am a queer person. I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community.— and that has certainly impacted the way that my disability has impacted my life. And I think it's so important that we recognize that things like race and ethnicities and sexual orientation and gender orientation, all these things connect and change the way the way that we go about and interact with the world, and they change the way that we're perceived as people with disabilities. But I always want to be a voice for those that can't use their voice, that feel that they don't have anywhere to speak or the right words to say what they need to say. I always, always, wherever I go, whatever I do, I want to be able to help other people.

Wow, what do you think about that, Scott?

Yeah, that, that was amazing, Asher, and, um, and this shows what a wonderful person you are and how well deserved you are to win that Sam Miller Award. And, uh, we know you're going to be doing great things in the future.

And Asher, I'm telling you right now You are a disability rights leader, but you're going to do so much more. I am so excited about you and everything you're doing, and I know Yoshiko is right now saying, "There we go, lead on, Asher." I know you're saying it, "Lead on, Zoe." But Asher, you are just getting started. And how proud I am to know you're part of the Bender family. And I guess I have to also give a special shout out to Jill Zomp, because Jill so much believes in Asher. And as you said, encouraged you so much. And you know, I always say, someone's watching you. One person, someone's looking up to you. And you can be the difference maker. And Jill, I'm proud of you for mentoring Asher. Scott, by the way, don't you— before I have Zoe speak next, we didn't give you the opportunity to talk about your two assistants.

Oh, I have many assistants. It takes a village with me, Joyce Bender. I could not do this job without many people. So Bonnie Rubens, she's our senior program manager, and she does a lot with our student leaders and work readiness programs, and she teaches, does an amazing job. Carol Ross, she's our program associate and assists me with all functions of what I do and makes me make sure I get to every meeting and needs to I get to do what I need to get done, and she makes that all things happen. And she is just a wonderful, wonderful person, and she is just so wonderful with the students as well, so great with the students, and they love her as well. And also a shout out to Jill and Bethany who helped me coordinate Disability Mentoring Day, which is a massive undertaking, and those two are great as well. So I have a wonderful wonderful team, very honored to have them part of this.

Yes, you do, and you have a wonderful, wonderful board that is really dedicated to you and everything you're doing. However, I can't— I have to go back now to our other superstar, Zoe. What do you plan on doing, Zoe, to fulfill the Linda Dickerson Scholarship and to help other young kids living with disabilities?

Can you repeat that question again?

Sure. What do you plan on doing to be a leader and help other kids with disabilities?

Well, my good advice is that to, you know, just always try your best to communicate. As long as you're talking, you are awesome. And don't let others humiliate you and hurt your feelings by your communication and your skills. As me, as a disability, I have autism spectrum disorder and hearing loss. And it really impacted me with my speeches. And some kids made fun of me when I try to like speak. And I'm like, "You know what? Just keep talking what you're talking and you're an awesome person, you know?" You are an awesome person.

I told everyone, I told you too, Zoe, when someone says something to you that is off the field, that isn't nice, turn the station, turn that TV station. In other words, in your mind, change the channel. You don't have time for that. Any of you listening, change the station in your mind. You know why? You have to take care of you. You don't have time. You have to remember every day how awesome you are. How awesome you are. That's why you have to focus on you moving forward. And what Zoe just said, I loved it. You keep talking. Hey, Asher, what do you think about what Zoe said about how they would make fun of her when she would talk, but she just keeps talking?

It's, it's a brilliant approach. I wish that I knew that when I was in middle school.

Yeah, right, right. And what do you think about Zoe here as the Sam Miller Award winner? What words of encouragement do you have for Zoe?

Keep on keeping on. Keep leading. Don't let anybody put that fire out. You just keep keep going and you will get so far without even realizing it.

And you know what, Zoe, you're not ashamed you have disabilities, are you?

No, not really.

That's right, because I remember when you told me that, that you used to not— you used to not even talk about this, but now, hey, That's just part of who you are, such as with me. Epilepsy is just part of who I am. And Scott, how about you? What words of encouragement do you have for Zoe?

Keep being yourself, Zoe. You are awesome. And it's just amazing to watch you blossom throughout this school year, last school year. And stay confident and just keep being yourself and you're going to be just fine.

And how about for Asher?

Asher is an incredible person and a fighter. And I think Asher is going to be a wonderful advocate out there and help other people who are going through the same things. And I am so glad that Asher is open to talk about this and could help other people along the way, which is great.

Yes, that's right. And I know that there are young people listening that are going to be so impressed with Asher Jordan and Zoe Whitman and Scott Hammerstrom. Scott, what message do you want to leave with our listeners?

Lead on. You know, we have incredible students who are learning the value of work and how to be successful at a job. And if there's employers out there, give people with disabilities an opportunity to work. You will not regret it.

That is so true. Yeah, you know what, here I see everyone out there where they're hiring young people saying, oh, we can't find people, we can't find people. Last night I was on KDKA radio, and the radio announcer Rob Pratt said, if you have all these openings where you're saying you can't find people, are you including people with disabilities? And when you are hiring interns or, you know, or summer jobs or jobs right now, are you including young people living with disabilities? You know, here we are, we want to work, but you have to give us a chance. You have to open the door. And I also want to say in closing, benderleadership.org. Benderleadership.org. If you haven't been moved by these two dynamos today, I don't know what it would take. Benderleadership.org. Make a contribution today. And we always end with a quote. And today that quote is, If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If they can't walk, then crawl. But keep moving. Which is sort of like what both of you were talking about today. And do you know who said that? Martin Luther King Jr. Keep Moving no matter what. Thank you so much, Scott, Zoe, and Asher, for being on the show today. It was a pleasure having you.

Thank you, Joyce. Thank you, Joyce.

Thank you, Miss Bender.

You're welcome. I loved having you on. Now, you are— no, this show is heard around the world. With listeners in 17 countries. So now you can tell everyone you're talking to that you were on an international radio show, and yes, you were heard around the world. And with that, I'm going to close the show. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at Voice America. Joy.com. And in Mary's words, choose joy.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. Voice America America.com.