Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/DoefSSe9QW0

Hosts Keith and Jodi interview the married writing team behind the pen name Sebastian Grey about their debut novel, "Merry Band of Misfits," a heist story centering disabled characters as protagonists, including Vinnie, a man with Down syndrome, and his chosen family planning a bank heist to protect their home. They discuss their film/TV background, their goal to counter "inspirational side character" tropes, and why the heist genre highlights capability, moral ambiguity, and agency. The authors describe barriers in Hollywood and why they created their indie press, Bastion House, to control the message. They detail a Kirkus Review they call an "erasure" for centering the non-disabled brother Nicholas and mislabeling or omitting key disabilities, prompting them to speak publicly. In the "Deep Cut" segment, the hosts analyze the book's themes of autonomy, caregiving, ableism, community living, humor, and low expectations.

• Sebastian Grey: https://sebastiangreytheauthor.substack.com/
• Bastian House Publishing: https://bastianhousepublishing.com/
• Purchase "Merry Band of Misfits": https://books2read.com/merry-band-of-misfits

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/s_hsDxHf4gQ

Hosts Keith and Jodi interview Stephanie Woodward, CEO of Disability EmpowHer Network, an organization run by and for disabled girls and women to build leadership skills and confidence. Stephanie consults businesses on inclusion and shares disability-parenting misconceptions through social media while raising six kids, including one-year-old triplets. Woodward discusses disability rights protest as part of an advocacy cycle—"asking did not work"—and explains founding Disability EmpowHer Network after lacking disabled women role models and seeing barriers in education, employment, and leadership, emphasizing mentorship, community, and broader definitions of leadership (including self-advocacy in medical settings). In the Deep Cut, the hosts discuss CODA's portrayal of a Deaf family, Ruby's heavy burden of interpreting, access as a community responsibility, and the film's strengths and complications in centering a hearing protagonist.

• Disability EmpowHER Network: https://www.disabilityempowhernetwork.org/
• Instagram: @disabilityempowhernetwork and @wctriplets
• TikTok: @disability_empowher and @wctriplets
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/disability-empowher-network

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mSumRVieRjc

Hosts Keith and Jodi interview Nila Morton, a Black disabled woman, content creator, social worker, and disability advocate, about visibility, fashion, desire, sex education, and how ableism and racism shape who is seen as desirable or fully adult; she describes pushback for discussing relationships and sex, the need to normalize disability in public, and how she sets boundaries while educating others. The episode's Deep Cut reviews the documentary "Patrice: The Movie," about Patrice Jetter and Garry Wickham facing benefits rules that penalize marriage and cohabitation, including the SSI $2,000 savings limit, loss of benefits tied to fundraising, accessible transportation barriers, and the looming threat of institutionalization. The hosts connect the story to policy efforts like the Marriage Equality for Disabled Adults Act and related SSI reforms.

• Find Nila online: https://linktr.ee/NilaNMorton

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/y6Jck3rU5FI

On this episode of Disability Deep Dive, hosts Jodi and Keith interview Mark Miller, founder and CEO of Inclusion Impact Accessibility and a contributor to the W3C Accessibility Maturity Model, about what it means for state and local governments to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA and the implications of the DOJ Title II rule with an (now extended) April 24, 2027, deadline for entities serving 50,000+ people. Mark explains WCAG, common barriers across websites, documents, apps, videos, and kiosks; the inefficiency of retrofitting versus building accessibility into design, development, QA, and governance; and why overlays don't deliver "full compliance." The episode also discusses media representation, including CODA, Bridgerton, The Pitt, and a Deep Cut analysis of Todd Browning's 1932 film Freaks, weighing its historical visibility of disabled performers against harmful language, exploitation, and horror framing.

• Inclusion Impact Accessibility: https://inclusionimpact.co/
• Mark Miller: https://inclusionimpact.co/mark-miller/

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/CdAXtUnGIeg

On this episode of Disability Deep Dive, hosts Keith and Jodi speak with Jhónelle Bean, a disability advocate and ASL interpreter with Tourette syndrome, about the BAFTA Film Awards incident in which John Davidson involuntarily shouted the N-word onstage and how the public response split between denying Tourette's realities and dismissing Black harm; Jhónelle explains common misconceptions, describes Tourette's as a neurological tic disorder with a spectrum of motor and vocal tics (including but not limited to coprolalia), and discusses intersectionality, including added risks for Black people with Tourette's around policing and disbelief. The conversation emphasizes listening to lived experience, empathy, and accountability for media decisions, including reported editing choices. In the Deep Cut segment, they revisit "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," noting outdated stereotypes and body-shaming, and discuss the film's shallow treatment of caregiving, grief, Arnie's disability portrayal, and Bonnie's dignity, including the ending's "convenient" resolution.

Jhónelle's social media:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/Jhonelle_bean
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@Jhonelle_bean
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Jhonelle_Bean

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/vXbGfHYwW1k

In the first episode of Season 3 of Disability Deep Dive, hosts Keith and Jodi speak with Spencer West—author, motivational speaker, advocate, and content creator—about his book "Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself" and the pressures of external approval, anxiety, self-doubt, and authenticity. West shares how college and coming out as gay challenged the "North American Dream," how therapy, meditation, and life experience help him stay grounded online, and why disabled people don't have to be constant educators, emphasizing boundaries and consent. The conversation addresses ableism, access barriers, and harmful "inspiration" framing, along with navigating disability and dating. In the Deep Cut segment, Keith and Jodi discuss why "Breaking Free" is a practical, conversational memoir-guide with prompts, focused on small changes, redefining purpose, asking for help, community care, and celebrating simple joys.

• Spencer West's website - https://www.spencer2thewest.com
• Breaking Free: Stop Following Expectations and Start Following Yourself - https://www.spencer2thewest.com/books

Hi again, it's Jodi and Keith, hosts of Disability Deep Dive, a podcast from Disability Rights Florida.

We are thrilled to announce that Season Three premieres on May 7th, featuring our special guest Spencer West. And this season we're not skimming the surface. We're digging into digital accessibility, desire and visibility, self-doubt, advocacy, protest, and the dangerous politics surrounding assisted dying. These are conversations about power, culture, justice, and what changes when disabled people lead the story themselves. Because disability isn't a single story. It's part of every story.

So get ready for Disability Deep Dive Season Three out on May 7th. Watch us on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts. Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss what's next.

Watch the video version on YouTube: https://youtu.be/OAR134W1TGM

In the final episode of season two of Disability Deep Dive, hosts Keith and Jodi delve into the intersection of music, language access, and interpretation with renowned ASL interpreter Amber Galloway. Amber shares insights on her 25-year career making music performances accessible and visually expressive for Deaf and hard of hearing audiences. The episode also discusses broader issues of accessibility at concerts, educational advocacy, and Amber's latest project—a fully accessible retreat center called Soulful Spaces. The episode concludes with a "Deep Cut" segment analyzing an episode of Only Murders in the Building that offers a Deaf perspective, highlighting the importance of access tools in storytelling.

• Amber's website: https://www.ambergproductions.com
• Amber's TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/speakers/amber_galloway_gallego