In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman sits down with adaptive sports pioneer, inventor, coach, and ordained minister Ross Lilley to explore how access, innovation, and community can transform lives through sport.

Ross has been adapting and teaching high-challenge sports since 1983, with roots in personal training and coaching that date back to the late 1970s. Recognized as the foremost authority on adaptive windsurfing in the United States. His work has always been driven by a deeper mission, creating inclusive spaces that overcome disparity and discrimination.

The conversation dives into the personal story that sparked a movement. In 1986, Ross’s son Josh was born with cerebral palsy and spastic quadriplegia. When Josh was four years old, father and son began windsurfing together—an experience that became the catalyst for Access Sport America, with Josh continuing to serve as the organization’s “Chief Test Pilot.”

Together, Alexander and Ross discuss how innovation, adaptive design, and inclusive training programs empower athletes to achieve higher function, improved fitness, better health, and a true sense of belonging. They also explore Ross’s journey from the pulpit to full-time advocacy, the role of invention in accessibility, and why community and hope are just as essential as physical achievement.

https://goaccess.org

Find out about my documentary “My Own Normal” at https://myownnormalmovie.com, and consider working with me on a feature film by visiting my production company Outcast Productions LLC at https://www.outcast-productions.com.

Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

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In this episode of Remaking Normal, Alexander Freeman sits down with disability advocate, educator, and storyteller Andrew Gurza to explore the complex intersections of disability, sexuality, and queer identity.

Andrew is a powerful voice within the disability and LGBTQ+ communities, known for his candid work around dismantling stigma, challenging ableist misconceptions, and helping people reclaim their bodies and desires with pride. Through his advocacy, writing, and public speaking, Andrew highlights the lived truths that often go unspoken: that disabled people are sexual beings, that queer identity and disability coexist in dynamic and vibrant ways, and that embracing these realities requires both personal courage and societal change.

His work has been featured on BBC, CBC, Daily Xtra, Gay Times UK, Huffington Post, The Advocate, Everyday Feminism, Mashable, Out.com, and several anthologies. He was the subject of an award-winning National Film Board of Canada Documentary “Picture This." Andrew has guested on a number of podcasts including Dan Savage’s Savage Love and Cameron Esposito’s Queery. He has spoken all over the world on sex, disability and what it means to be a Queer Cripple.

Together, Alexander and Andrew dive into what it means to live at the crossroads of disability, sexuality, and queerness — discussing his experience with intimacy with sex workers, running a sex party for the disabled community in 2015 in Toronto, and starting the disabled sex toy company, Bump’n.

https://www.andrewgarza.com

Find out about my documentary "My Own Normal" at https://myownnormalmovie.com and consider working with me on a feature film by visiting my production company Outcast Productions LLC at https://www.outcast-productions.com. Subscribe to the Outcast Productions LLC YouTube Channel @OUTCASTPRODUCTIONSCo and follow @realalexanderfreeman on Instagram.

Support the show