On today's episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, we are joined by singer, songwriter, composer, director, actress, and advocate Anita Hollander. Get to Know Our Guest Anita Hollander has worked throughout Europe, Asia, Russia and America as an actress, singer, composer, lyricist, director, producer, and teacher. She has premiered new works of composers and playwrights at Carnegie Hall, Playwrights Horizons, and New York Shakespeare Festival, where she sang original work of Phil...

On The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, we are celebrating Thanksgiving! It has been a year, and life has been LIFING! But we want to give thanks that we are still thriving despite what life throws at us! I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving! Our guests on today's episode are an amazing married couple and dedicated advocates. Cole and Charisma Sydnor or as you may know them from their popular YouTube channel, Roll with Cole and Charisma. After years of following their story and adventures on YouTu...

On today's episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, we are closing out Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Month by speaking with Elizabeth Vander Kamp and Suzanne Costello about the Write to Heal study, a program Elizabeth facilitated during the pandemic for individuals with spinal cord injuries as part of a nationwide telehealth research study. Click here for more about the study. As a participant of the study, I am excited to be sharing some of my writing in a follow up stage performance, From Where...

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are talking about love and relationships with documentary filmmaker, Benjamin Duffy. Take a Look at this Heart is an open and honest conversation with people living with disabilities about their love lives and their searches for love. We go in depth about his experiences with the subjects of the film and discuss perceptions about disability, sex and intimacy. Watch the trailer here. Ramp. It. Up! Get to know our Guest Ben Duffy, a 34-year...

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, I have some good news. Your favorite podcast host Rhonel, is officially a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). Check out the IAAP Website for my information on the certification. Also, joining me for the episode is Natalia Mendez, Founder and Executive Director of Women on Wheels. She shares how she turned her experiences post-SCI led to her advocacy. Ramp. It. Up! Get to Know our Guest Natalia Mendez is ...

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, avid traveler, and certified travel agent, Spencer Blomquist joins me to talk about traveling and his recovery journey. Planning a vacation can be a hassle and exponentially more so when traveling as a wheelchair user. Spencer specializes in coordinating travel for people with disabilities and shares a few tips during the interview. Ramp. It. Up! Get to know our Guest Spencer Blomquist is a dedicated disability advocate and accomplishe...

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are highlighting fathers. Carlton Brown, podcaster, dedicated husband, loving father, and C5-C7 quadriplegic, joins me on the podcast to share his injury story and life as a dad after acquiring a spinal cord injury. We discuss mental health, parenting, and his "Wheelchair Chronicles" podcast. Ramp. It. Up! Get to know our guest YouTube: youtube.com/@WheelchairChronicles Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wheelchair_chronicle...

On this episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, husband, father and motivational speaker Felton Brown joins me to talk about his recovery journey and fatherhood. Ramp. It. Up! Get to know our guest Felton Brown is a dynamic, ambitious, and faith-driven individual from the great city of Opa-Locka, Florida. he is an inspiring motivational speaker and a thriving small business entrepreneur, and most importantly a devoted husband to Joi Brown, and loving father to their remarkable daught...

On today's episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast I am recapping my recent trip to Las Vegas to attend the United Spinal Association's Strong Wheeled Together Conference. Ramp. It. Up! Stay Connected to the Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ramp.it.up.podcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZoeOnWheelz/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZAnH8I6sGEf7SJ9OKw8dEA Email: rampituppodcast@gmail.com We want to hear from you! Support the show

On this episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are chatting with Lesly St. Louis. October is Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Lesly, a fellow wheelchair user, is the Director of the Pathways to Employment program at the United Spinal Association. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest Lesly St. Louis is grateful to have the opportunity to facilitate people with disabilities obtaining gainful employment, and to replace fear and prejudice against people with disabi...

On this episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, Ian Ruder joins the show for SCI Awareness Month. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guests Ian Ruder is the Editor-in-Chief of New Mobility, the longest-running, most-trusted magazine and web site for active wheelchair users (newmobility.com). A quadriplegic himself, Ruder joined the New Mobility team in 2011 when the magazine was purchased by United Spinal Association, a non-profit focused on mobility-related disability. Prior to working for New...

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. In the month of September we are observing Spinal Cord Injury Awareness month. My guest for this episode is attorney, advocate, and father, Joshua Basile. He shares how he dedicated his life to advocacy after acquiring his SCI. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guests Meet Josh Basile a C4-5 quadriplegic, power wheelchair user, disability rights advocate, trial attorney, inventor, and proud father. In 2004 at the age of 18, Josh...

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. In the month of June we celebrate Father’s Day and men’s mental health, so today’s episode is dedicated to the gentleman! Author, podcast host, educator and motivational speaker, Coach David Cooks joins us to share about his life experiences. At the age of 15, a spinal aneurysm rudely interrupted his high school basketball aspirations. Not allowing that to slow him down, David dedicated his life to pursuing his education, as ...

On today's episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, Dr. David W. McMillan joins me again. On his last visit we talked about nutrition and eating right during the holidays (Season 1 Episode 13: What's on your plate?). This time around we talk about Hurricane season and emergency preparedness. Dr. David is a part of the Subtropical Climate & Health Hub (STiCHH), a collective of researchers sharing reliable information about (sub)tropical climate and health, with an emphasis on sub—or marginali...

We are back with another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. On today's episode we are closing out the month of May with some updates and good news for the wheelchair user community. Ramp. It. Up! GAAD May 18,2023 https://unitedspinal.org/adaptive-technology-equals-independence-for-the-disability-community/https://unitedspinal.org/five-ways-you-can-promote-global-accessibility-awareness-day/ CMS Seat Elevation https://unitedspinal.org/disability-community-celebrates-newly-expand...

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. On this episode I am joined by Fouzan Alam and Bliss Chapman from Neuralink, a neurotechnology company founded by Elon Musk. Neuralink is currently developing implantable brain–computer interfaces: building devices now that have the potential to help people with paralysis. Fouzan is a project manager on their clinical team and Bliss is a software engineer on the brain-computer interfaces team. We discuss where the company is in th...

On today's episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are wrapping up Women’s History Month with a good friend of mine, Erin Taylor. Get To Know Our Guest For more than 15 years, Erin Taylor has dedicated herself to advocating for health equity and promoting wellness by helping eliminate barriers and health disparities for disabled people throughout Oregon. She does this by interweaving equity, inclusion, and accessibility throughout her work and being intentional in her commitment to divers...

On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast, in honor of Women's History Month, I am joined by Jean L. Minkel, PT, ATP. We chat about her early years as a Physical Therapist, her influence on early assistive technology, and her crusade to effect insurance policy change. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest Ms. Minkel is a physical therapist and master clinician well recognized for her work in Assistive Technology. Jean has a passion for ensuring that people with a mobilit...

Welcome back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. It's that time of year again, Valentines Day! But before you go out and buy flowers and chocolates, you have to find yourself a date! Ryan DeRoche, peer mentor, United Spinal Association member and the host of After Dark: for men with SCI, joins me on the podcast to talk about dating after SCI from the male perspective. Ramp. It. Up! Question of the day: What was your best/worst date experience post SCI? Get To Know Ou...

Welcome back for another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. Accessibility is an important and frequent topic of concern for wheelchair users and people with disabilities as a whole. This episode we cover some of the pain points of "accessible" transportation and what can be done to improve them. Ramp. It. Up! Question of the day: What was your worst/best experience with accessible transportation? Click here to learn how to report transportation issues. Resources: Retired Veter...