Podcasting with a Disability - with Emily Ladau and Kyle Khachadurian

Episode Transcript

Maddie Crowley (00:00):

You're listening to You First: The Disability Rights Florida Podcast. In this episode, we talk with the co-host of The Accessible Stall podcast about their process and experience as disabled podcasters.

(00:30):

Hey everyone, I'm Maddie.

Keith Casebonne (00:31):

And I'm Keith. And we're the host of You First.

Maddie Crowley (00:34):

Keith, listeners, welcome back after a month or so of being off. We have a great episode in store for you today.

Keith Casebonne (00:42):

Yes, welcome back Indeed. Yeah, a great episode. Today we're chatting with the co-host of The Accessible Stall podcast, Emily Ladau and Kyle Khachadurian. These two disabled podcasting stars were some of the first podcasters with disabilities talking about disability when they first got their start in 2016. They're both strong advocates for disability, accessibility and the power of storytelling.

Maddie Crowley (01:05):

As our guests will share, The Accessible Stall is a disability podcast that keeps it real about issues within the disability community. Because both Emily and Kyle have different disabilities and mobility levels, they approach everything they talk about with two unique viewpoints, offering their listeners with a fresh insight into how differences in disability can really color your experiences and perspectives.

Keith Casebonne (01:28):

Yeah. We chat with them about why they began podcasting, what accessibility considerations they make when they're producing a podcast and so much more. So we hope you enjoy.

(01:39):

Hey, thanks so much Kyle and Emily for being here today. We really appreciate it. Just introduce yourselves to our listeners. Tell us a little bit about yourselves and maybe how you got started with the podcasting.

Emily Ladau (01:50):

There's always the question of who goes first, but I guess I will and then I'll pass it off to Kyle. So, hi, I am Emily Ladau, I am one half of The Accessible Stall. I am so excited to be with all of you. I think it's fun and meta that we're going to be podcasting about podcasting a little bit. But I am a disability rights activist, I am the author of a book called Demystifying Disability, and I am just incredibly passionate about communication and storytelling and amplifying perspectives of the disability experience. So that's me.

Kyle Khachadurian (02:29):

This is always like the awkward part, because she's so cool and she's so hard to follow. And what's even more interesting about this time is that since we're all podcasters here, usually what I say is, "Oh, I'm Kyle Khachadurian. I'm the other half of The Accessible Stall. I'm a digital comms person by day and a podcaster by night." But I think we can all say that part. But yeah, that's me in a nutshell

(02:51):

And how we got started on our podcast. I think the joke we like to tell is that our friends just got sick of hearing us argue. But that's true. Because Emily and I both are disabled people and we come at disability from extremely similar thoughts and philosophies and methods, but from different lived experiences. And we have found in the years that we've been doing this show, that makes for some pretty entertaining discussions. So we just thought we'd put them on the internet.

Emily Ladau (03:24):

Yeah. Basically, we just wanted to argue in public, that's all. And we have argued in public, so why not just keep with the theme? But in all sincerity, I could not think of a better person to be the other half of a podcast with. We've been doing it for a very long time. We started in 2016, right around when there was quite a bit of political upheaval, if you will. So it was a really interesting time to be in that world and we're just happy to no longer be some of the only disabled people in the podcasting space. We love that it keeps growing.

Maddie Crowley (04:05):

Yeah, that's awesome. Well, thank you for introducing yourselves to the folks that are listening and for giving a little bit of background about yourselves and how The Accessible Stall got started.

(04:16):

I'm intrigued to learn a little bit more about some of the stories that maybe led to you all creating the podcast. What kind of arguments were so hot topic that your friends were like, put it somewhere? What things-

Keith Casebonne (04:34):

Which of the public arguments did you want to add distribution, like total distribution to?

Maddie Crowley (04:38):

Yeah.

Kyle Khachadurian (04:40):

When you put it that way.

Emily Ladau (04:43):

I think what came up for us so often was that we would see a disability related topic come up on social media and we would just get into a debate about it, and we'd often end up on the same side of the debate, but we would have different pathways of getting there.

(05:03):

And so our first episode, and Kyle, I'm sure you can weigh in on this too, was about pre-peeled fruit. And it would tell the fact that environmentalists were coming after the disability community for needing pre-peeled items and packaged items and saying that the disability community was responsible for climate change and resource waste. And so that wasn't an argument between us so much as it was, we have a lot to say about this because it is a very frustrating topic. And so rather than just have a heated conversation amongst ourselves, we wanted to invite other people into the conversation. And you might think pre-peeled fur to the silly topic, but we went at it hard because we had a lot of strong feelings.

Kyle Khachadurian (05:59):

We did, and we didn't know it at the time, but we would then go on to podcast about much sillier things. But the pre peeled fruit was interesting because I think the consensus that we came to was that you have to pick your battles, which is something that no matter how long we keep doing the show, it always, not always, but a lot of the time it always comes back to remember pre-peeled fruit, is this what we want to do? Is this worth getting into it about? And sometimes the answer is yes, if only to have fun with a friend on the internet.

Keith Casebonne (06:32):

Yeah, for sure.

Maddie Crowley (06:34):

Yeah, that's interesting. Literally the other day I had bought pre-cut onions because meal prep is really exhausting for me as someone who also has a variety of disabilities. And it's like an onions like 50 cents, but the cutup onion in a package is like $4. And we could go down a whole, this is not what this podcast is about, it's not about environmental ableism, all that stuff. But I think it's really interesting that's how your podcast got started and uplifting some of those important conversations that frankly, I feel like weren't as public until 2015, 2016 when you all got started with your podcast. So that's really cool. I appreciate you sharing that.

Keith Casebonne (07:20):

Yeah, it reminds me of the plastic straw. Same thing like. Oh my gosh, plastic straws. Well, that's it. You're just responsible for destroying the environment. When I forget what this stat is, but it's like a quarter of a percentage or something of the waste. Like relax. Everyone, relax.

Emily Ladau (07:36):

Yeah. And we just wanted a platform to have those conversations. And even if our takes are a little bit controversial to non-disabled people, so often it's really about making disabled people feel less alone because while you're out there on the internet being attacked for needing pre-peeled food so that you can survive, you are feeling like this scapegoat and you are feeling alone in these conversations. And we just wanted to do our small part to contribute to the conversation and say, "No, you're not alone. Lots of people need resources like this. You're not a bad person. Let's have a real conversation about it."

Keith Casebonne (08:20):

Yeah, it's isolating, it's depressing, and it's still factors to that. So it's funny how on paper, pre-peeled fruit sounds like a silly topic, but it really is just indicative of so many other issues that really are important. And that's great. It's good to have people talking about that, and I think that's a great first episode. I think it's a great way to kick off a podcast if you ask me.

(08:41):

Well, another thing important with disability in general is accessibility. So how does accessibility come into play when you're podcasting, recording it, producing it, what do you all do? What are some of your solutions for making sure your content is as accessible as you can make it?

Kyle Khachadurian (08:57):

On our side, we make sure that every episode is transcribed. We also use a tool much like this one that allows for remote podcasting. In our social posts, we do video descriptions. In the Instagram clips that we take from those episodes we do captions and subtitles.

(09:15):

And then there are things that are accessibility things that at least when we started doing them, I didn't think of them as accessibility things, but they totally are. Because we don't show our face in our podcasts, and so whenever we gesture to each other or if we make a face or something like that, we audio describe them. And obviously everyone who knows what audio description is knows that it's an accessibility thing, but we, or at least I didn't see it that way while we were doing it. And it turns out there's a lot of little things like that when we would describe to our audience exactly what we're doing, even if it isn't particularly relevant to what we were saying.

Emily Ladau (09:50):

Yeah, I think it just adds a little bit of our personalities to the episodes. And also, another thing that always comes up with accessibility in terms of transcribing especially is access conflicts in the sense that yes, people need transcripts, however, transcribing can be cost prohibitive for some people, and if you do it yourself, it can certainly be physically taxing. And so in the beginning, that was a conversation that we had to have where we wanted our podcast to be accessible to everybody, especially people who have hearing disabilities and auditory processing disabilities. And I have a hearing disability, so I really do benefit from transcripts and from captions, but it was an expense consideration and we are just two people doing it by ourselves. We didn't have the backing of an organization behind us. So luckily now we are able to at least be sustaining through Patreon, but it's something that comes up all the time in the podcasting space of transcripts or just an extra expense and why do we need them? And it's not fair to put that expense on us. But ultimately, we've come to see it as a benefit to have it.

(11:09):

And if nothing else, if you're really not going to care about accessibility, then I tell people at least care about it from a technological standpoint and a search engine optimization standpoint, you really shouldn't be so selfish as to not care about accessibility, but it's also just great for actually cataloging what's been said on your podcast. But that was a big conversation that we had at the beginning about how to make it financially sustainable. And now we joke, just $1 a month makes every episode of The Accessible Stall accessible. But it's true, and we're grateful that we've grown to that point.

Maddie Crowley (11:47):

I'm resonating with what you both are saying. And what I think can be sometimes so frustrating, like you said, you all don't have an organization to fund and support and purchase and pay for captioning to be done by a third party or whatever it might be. And I think sometimes when I get so frustrated, and this is one of the hills that I will die on, is why do you not care about accessibility? But also with that, the podcasts and the shows that have on their website, email us for transcript. I'm like, "Okay, if you're already making the transcript, just post it with the episode," but you're just outing yourself as not making a transcript for every episode. I feel like the way you say that.

(12:29):

And again with search optimization and other things, there's just really no reason to not do it, I think. And I don't necessarily understand, but I just think that goes to the level of engagement that other podcasts think that their reach has or does not have within the disability community. There's people that just don't even think that people who are deaf or have hearing disabilities or auditory processing disabilities even enjoy podcasts, when that is not even remotely true.

(13:01):

 So I think there is a level of frustration that is incredibly valid. And then as you all know, an education piece there too, to let people know that actually this is a huge part of your demographic you could be reaching, it's just that you're unable to because you're setting limits on yourself because you're not including accessibility in mind as you're planning. So just resonating a lot with what you're saying and some of the frustrations there.

Keith Casebonne (13:30):

It is, and I'll throw one more thing out there too about transcripts and captions and whatnot. It's even easier to get now there's AI transcription tools and they're not perfect, but for pennies compared to what you would pay for a human transcription, you can get that and then you have to edit it, certainly needs work, but it's better than doing it from scratch. There's so many options now is the point. I don't know why. It's just so resisted by so many people.

Maddie Crowley (13:52):

Yeah, I appreciate that. And I think the note about audio describing and transcripts, I think that's even something that we can hold ourselves accountable for. I know we include audio descriptive like notes in our transcripts, but I'm sure there's always room to grow when it comes to including more about the tone of a conversation or the emotions going on. So I think that's something that I'm definitely going to take away from this conversation and encourage other folks to do as well. So I know when we got started, we were talking a little bit about your story and how you got started with podcasting.

(14:31):

And I know Emily, you mentioned that disabled storytelling is a big thing that moves you and drives you. And I've read your book. I think it's phenomenal. I think it's like a perfect primer to introducing people into disability advocacy writ large. I've recommended it so many times. So definitely wonderful job. You're a wonderful storyteller. You both are. But I'm curious how storytelling plays a part in the work that you do with The Accessible Stall. How does it move you as creators, and what does it mean to you to be doing your own storytelling within the disability community? And how has podcasting given you that outlet to do something like that?

Emily Ladau (15:17):

Thank you, first of all for letting me know that my book has served as a resource. And also while we are on the topic of audio describing things, we both have matching water bottles. We have the same brand of water bottle. I have a blue one when Maddie has a, what is it, A whitish one?

Kyle Khachadurian (15:34):

A chicken colored one?

Maddie Crowley (15:36):

Yeah, It's like a teal.

Kyle Khachadurian (15:36):

It looked white from back there.

Keith Casebonne (15:36):

It did.

Kyle Khachadurian (15:36):

It's a teal chicken.

Emily Ladau (15:46):

It's such a cool water bottle, because it has a lock on it, and then it also has a button on it when you open it. And now I'm just playing with it. But anyway, so yeah, just wanted to describe that moment because I noticed it as Maddie was picking up the water bottle. Back on track now though.

(16:01):

In terms of storytelling, I think for me, I have always looked for myself in the media that I consume. And I don't mean myself specifically, it's not about me, but what I mean is that I want to see some version of something that I can relate to or someone that I can relate to reflected back at me. And that has largely been missing in so many spaces for me. But back in 2016 when we were starting out, it was very much missing in the podcast space. And I'm not necessarily saying that we were the first disabled podcasters because there were other disabled people who were also podcasting well before us, but no one was coming together around podcasting as an art form, as a way to share stories. That community aspect of it wasn't really there yet.

(17:00):

And so for me, I see podcasting as a way to just communicate person to person without any pretenses, without feeling like there's a disconnect, without feeling like you're coming to people from up on high. It was literally just let's have a conversation and put it on the internet. And those are the types of podcasts that I resonate with too. I also listen to people just having a conversation and putting it on the internet, because it feels like you are just listening to a couple of friends. And that's exactly what Kyle and I are, we've been friends for over a decade now. When I turned 30, we had also been friends for 10 years and he gave me, it was a trophy for my birthday. And it says, "30 years of you, 10 years of friendship." So we've known each other a long time.

Maddie Crowley (18:01):

That's so cute. Sorry, I just had to jump in and say that.

Emily Ladau (18:06):

It was a adorable. I love it so much. It's on my headboard now above my bed. But anyway, so I got really sidetracked there. But I guess that in and of itself is the point of storytelling. It's just whatever feels personal and whatever comes up in the moment and it allows you to connect with people. Sometimes we have whole episodes that are just episodes where we tell stories to each other and catch up on life and happen to be doing it for an audience. But it's all about that sense of I'm not alone in these day-to-day things that sometimes I feel alone in. And Kyle, I'll let you weigh into because I just went all over the place there.

Kyle Khachadurian (18:47):

I mean, I couldn't agree with you more obviously. I think also one of the things that sets us apart, or at least did at the time, is that we are so casual. Emily and I really are friends in real life, and when you listen to us, we don't want anyone who listens to us to feel like we're talking down to them or at them or anything. I want someone to feel like when they listen to an episode, they have accidentally walked into a conversation that they've been missing.

(19:21):

And we've had that feedback from fans and listeners to say like, "Oh, I talked back to my Alexa." And we aim for that because podcasting is personal. It's a lot different than watching something or even listening to something like not in your ears. When you're listening to us in your ears or even in your car, it's very easy to put yourself in our shoes. And I think we make people feel safe in that way, and that's something that we aim for.

(19:54):

And as far as storytelling, I'm not a very creative person and I wasn't a professional writer, and I'm still not, but I know Emily was, so I know that at least she got some creativity out that way. But for me, this is like it was my personal creative awakening this whole show.

Keith Casebonne (20:08):

I know the people who got into podcastings in the same way, looking for that outlet to share things that they may not even realize that they had to share. But when the right conversation, talking to the right people, next thing you know, their creative juices start flowing and next thing, another episode, another episode. So I think that's really great, and it's just an organic thing. We've had that friendship for years long before the podcast started, and so as you mentioned before, you've had these conversations, so why not share them with others? I think it's wonderful.

(20:40):

And so the idea of spreading awareness about disability and maybe even advocating for yourselves and other people with disabilities, it's why we do the podcast. I think it's one of the main reasons you guys do the podcast. So how do you think that podcasting really helps to serve as a good platform for that disability awareness and advocating?

Emily Ladau (21:03):

I think there is an ethos that drives what we both do, which is this idea of making disability feel more approachable and accessible. And my goal in all of the work that I do is to meet people where they're at and not to make them feel judged or alienated. And that's not always popular because it's also exhausting when you think about the fact that we are 30 plus years post passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and we're still having basic conversations about access, for example. But at the same time, I have come to realize that I will catch more flies with honey than with vinegar in a lot of ways. And believe me, there's a lot of vinegar coming from me. I can be very bitter and acidic and frustrated about what's going on, but sometimes I also just want people to feel like even though they're going to get no nonsense from us, that they're also welcome to listen to the conversation and that we're not pushing them away.

(22:24):

We want people to be invited in. And I think that is for us, how we use our podcast as an advocacy platform. If there's an issue that we care about, if there's an issue that we want to educate people about, we're going to give you our strong opinions, but we're going to do so in a way that hopefully feels like it's a friend calling you in and taking you aside and saying, "Hey, let's chat about this." Not like we are screaming at you from the internet because you are wrong. There's so much more nuance to these conversations. And I think that is what drives all that we do.

Kyle Khachadurian (23:03):

And I think one of the other important aspects when it comes to things like awareness and advocacy, and this related to what we just came off of with storytelling is that when you hear Emily and I, and when we tell you stories about inaccessibility or daily dose of ableism or pre-peeled fruit, it takes these things that you may have heard of or you may not. Ableism even if you know what it is, it's a very complex, nuanced topic. But if Emily gives you an example or if I give you an example of ableism in our day-to-day life, well now all of a sudden you have this anchor that can contextualize what that might mean in your daily life. And I think that audio has this quality about it that even, I love video too, but there's something very personal, like I said before about having somebody in your ear. And I think it humanizes things like awareness. We're not just a T-shirt. Everyone sells T-shirts that say cerebral palsy awareness. And I think they're great, but I also think that when you hear about the struggles of somebody with it or the life of somebody with it, then that's a different avenue that you might not have been aware of. And I'm not saying one's better, I'm just saying now it gives you these tools and resources that you can use to hopefully become a more aware person in your day-to-day life.

Emily Ladau (24:34):

We're going to have to do an episode on these awareness, because I know for a fact you don't actually like them that much.

Kyle Khachadurian (24:36):

I think they're fine. I have no problem with T-shirts.

Maddie Crowley (24:45):

I will say, I looked up, I have a rare genetic condition. I looked up the name of the condition with T-shirts one time. The stuff that people put on T-shirts sometimes is quite comical. People have a field day, wear what you want. If you want to wear that, that's awesome. But I just think I resonate. It's funny. Anyways, that was the whole side comment.

(25:11):

But I think the one thing that's really sticking out to me and what you're both saying is really a tenant of accessibility that I wish more people in the disability community paid closer attention to with this language accessibility and plain language and just general readability, things like that. Because a lot of the times people just maybe don't have the language to name how they're feeling or what they're experiencing. And I think you can't blame somebody for that. Whatever their experience is up until that point, there's a reason that they don't have the language to name what they're feeling.

(26:05):

And in the same way too, by making conversations inaccessible to so many people, especially about disability related topics, you're reinforcing ableism, you're reinforcing barriers that not you as the four of us, but the general you, are trying or in efforts to bring down. So I think just the whole taking a step back and really meeting people where they're at and taking a moment to connect over shared understandings is a great way to move forward. And why I really, again, I don't want to hype up your book so much, but I really just think it's such a wonderful way to really lay the foundation because a lot of people, because they just don't know what they don't know. And that doesn't mean that it's any bad intent or anything like that. They just don't have the words to be a part of the conversation.

Emily Ladau (27:04):

And also, we don't know what we don't know. Kyle and I will freely admit all the time that we are learning and we invite people to send us messages to let us know if we are wrong about something or if they have a different opinion about something. And people have taken us up on that. I think it's important to recognize that if you're putting yourself out there and having that conversation, that it is actually a two-way street. And that we can't proclaim that we're experts on disabilities. We can only say that we're experts on our own experiences.

Maddie Crowley (27:39):

I think that accountability piece is really important, especially in our current political and social climate where things have become very divisive. And if you have differing opinions with someone, like it's viewed as you are polar opposites on the political spectrum or that you're unable to ever see eye to eye in the future. And there is some validity to that with some individual people's experiences. But I think what you're saying, just a little bit of humbleness and intention to connect and make sure everybody's on the same page about what we're actually talking about, and ensure that we're listening to listen and not listening to respond to what folks are sharing, I think is the main takeaway.

Keith Casebonne (28:26):

I like to go into it thinking that most people probably don't mean to be harmful. They probably mean well enough, but they just don't know. And so if we can educate and inform, hopefully a lot of, "Oh, I didn't know that. I had no idea. So thanks for letting me know." Now, it doesn't always work out that way, but I like to at least start with that. And so yeah, going back to that idea of they know what they know, we know we know, and let's just try to meet somewhere in the middle and then we'll argue about it later if we have to.

Maddie Crowley (28:58):

Now that you have done podcasting for quite some time now, and you both have had experiences podcasting in person, virtually probably like you mentioned, developing your own understanding of financials with transcripts and other accessibility considerations, is there any advice or information that you wish you knew before you got started or that you would give to somebody with a disability or without a disability who's considering starting a podcast or exploring the idea of it?

Kyle Khachadurian (29:34):

That is such a hard question, I think. So there's advice, you should go for it. You should be creative and you should do it. And that's all true. But then there's also the practical advice. It's not free. And if you're going to do it right, there is an expense. Now, it's not a large expense, but it is there. So if money's tight, perhaps not.

(29:58):

But I also think that if you really want to podcast, there is no reason that you shouldn't. There are a million podcasts about one thing, and in every sector of everything. How many comedy podcasts and movie podcasts are out there? If you have a unique perspective on disability and you want to start your own podcast, you should. And the advice that I would give to someone who is brand new to the hobby is just to not rush things. We have in our years thrown out perfectly good episodes because they weren't up to the standards that we hold ourselves to. I'm not saying that, but you can't put out whatever you want. I'm saying that make stuff you would listen to. Would be what if I had to sum it up in one line.

Emily Ladau (30:52):

Yeah, I totally echo that. And I also think the other thing that I have learned over the years is that you don't owe anyone anything. And I don't mean that in a selfish way. I mean to say you are in control of your story, you're in control of your narrative. You decide what you put out there into the world, and you get to choose how you communicate things about yourself to your listeners. So there are definitely times where we've both gotten more personal on the podcast and there are times where we've been a little bit more vague about things, and that's all very intentional, especially because sometimes the stories that we tell might also invoke other people in our lives, and we want to be respectful to them too. So I think it just comes down to being mindful of how you're putting yourself out there in the world. And also, remember that your story has value. When you are sharing something, when you are doing the work to share it. Even if a podcast is just a hobby, you are still doing work to put yourself out there. And I think that is something that is worth respecting yourself for, and that is worth recognizing that you are giving a part of yourself to somebody else. And so it's up to you to decide what feels comfortable and what feels right for you.

Keith Casebonne (32:29):

Yeah, I think that's really good advice, and it makes a lot of sense. Don't force it. Do what's natural. If you have a unique outlook on something and you want to share it, that's great. Don't podcast just because you want a podcast. I think I've listened to a few podcasts where I think that was all their criteria was, "I'm going to podcast." Great. I feel so informed. But I think that's wonderful and I think that's really good advice.

(32:53):

And I'd like to add too, that just before we started doing this podcast, I know we started late 2016, you mentioned you guys started in 2016. I think you guys started a little bit ahead of us, and I was looking for other disability theme podcasts, and I think yours was the only one I found, but I was thrilled to find it. And so I can say you all were an early influence on me as a podcaster, so I really appreciate that and wanted to share that with you guys. So I could say maybe you partly got me into it.

(33:26):

So let's talk about what's coming up next for you guys. Do you have any collaborations, projects, really great episodes in the works, anything particularly excited about want to share, tease for others?

Emily Ladau (33:39):

I will be super honest and say that in the vein of not owing anyone anything, we have decided to allow the podcast to work with our schedule. So sometimes that means that it's not as frequent as we would like, but we definitely have an episode that we recorded a while back that I think we've been holding onto to release. And I know it was one of those ones where after we had the conversation we were like, oh yeah, that was a really good one. But I'll be darned if I remember what it is right now because I've got some brain fog today, but-

Kyle Khachadurian (34:13):

Oh, I'll never tell with a tease like that. You just have to wait and hear it.

Emily Ladau (34:18):

Yeah, no, I'm looking forward to the next episode that we put out. And as for what's coming down the pipeline, I think that's a little bit of a question mark for us too, but in a good way. We like to follow oftentimes what is going on current event wise or news wise or what the current dialogue on Twitter is. And we wait and we bite our time and we engage based on what's going on in the world or what's going on in our lives. Yeah. And there's always some cool advertising collabs and things like that that we're looking ahead to, but for right now, there's just a nice ebb and flow I would say. Did I miss anything?

Kyle Khachadurian (35:05):

No, that's about perfect. But that one that's coming up is a pretty good one.

Maddie Crowley (35:10):

I'm on the edge of my seat.

Keith Casebonne (35:11):

I know, right?

Emily Ladau (35:11):

Hope we didn't oversell it.

Maddie Crowley (35:16):

You guys are going to have everybody go into your page on Spotify or Apple Music, wherever they're listening as they're listening to this to make sure they're subscribed to you so they get that episode when it drops, because that's what I'd be doing if I was listening right now.

Keith Casebonne (35:30):

Yeah, same.

Maddie Crowley (35:31):

But yeah, it is really exciting and I appreciate the transparency about your workflow and how you approach things and just acknowledging that life is life and that things come up and this is a part of your process. It's not indicative of what you have going on or you're not planning your life around it. And I think that is really good, and I think some people could benefit from taking a step back and slowing down and really just appreciating the work that they've already put out. And the labor and love that they've already put into something, because sometimes that is just rejuvenating in and of itself rather than releasing something new.

(36:14):

So yeah, I am so grateful that you both were able to come on the show and talk. We are honored. Like Keith said, you all are some of the OG disabled podcasters. It's really cool to have you on here. Keith and I are fangirling. Yeah.

Emily Ladau (36:32):

We love what you all are doing, so people are like, oh, we listen to your podcast. And it's like, really?

Kyle Khachadurian (36:39):

Yeah. Why? Who does that? Nice. Appreciate it.

Maddie Crowley (36:46):

Yeah, it's always cool to connect and get to meet some folks that you've been looking up to for a long while. So I appreciate you all taking the time.

(36:55):

So final thoughts. Where can listeners find you social media, listen to your podcast, support your work, what do you all have going on that you'd like to put out there as we close out the show?

Emily Ladau (37:10):

I would say just check us out at theaccessiblestall.com. You can also find us on Instagram and Twitter and Facebook. We do have a Patreon. We're pretty easily reachable by email and we would love to hear from people and we would love to have you tune in. So thank you so much for having us.

Keith Casebonne (37:33):

Thank you guys so much for being here. We really appreciate it. And yeah, let's hopefully connect again and good luck continuing on with you all's podcast and we can't wait to hear-

Emily Ladau (37:43):

You too.

Keith Casebonne (37:43):

Thank you. Thank you. We can't wait to hear that next episode.

Emily Ladau (37:45):

Yeah.

Maddie Crowley (37:46):

Thanks you all.

Keith Casebonne (37:48):

Thanks again, Emily and Kyle for being on today's episode. It was really awesome to meet you both and geek out about disability podcasting together.

Maddie Crowley (37:56):

Definitely. We will link their show in the show notes for anyone who's interested in tuning into their podcast.

Keith Casebonne (38:02):

And we will be back in two weeks with a special Halloween episode discussing disability, ableism and why Halloween fanatics may want to reconsider what they're wearing and celebrating.

Maddie Crowley (38:12):

Yes, I cannot wait for this episode. We've been talking about it for a few months now, and especially as a lover of everything fall or autumn, Halloween and all things creepy. I know it's going to really be one that listeners will enjoy.

Keith Casebonne (38:28):

Yeah, it's definitely going to be a good one, so you don't want to miss it or other episodes. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you get notifications about new episodes and stay up to date with the show. And we're on all the podcast platforms, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon. We're also on YouTube and many more. So you can also find us on our website at disabilityrightsflorida.org.podcast.

Maddie Crowley (38:51):

You can also find us on social media through Disability Rights Florida's accounts, and on our You First podcast TikTok account. We really appreciate you listening and tuning into the podcast today or reading the transcript online, which you can find on our website at disabilityrightsflorida.org/podcast. And please take time and email us any feedback, questions, or ideas about the show to podcast@disabilityrightsflorida.org.

Announcer (39:18):

The You First podcast is produced by Disability Rights Florida, a not-for-profit corporation working to protect in advance the rights of Floridians with disabilities through advocacy and education. If you or a family member has a disability and feel that your rights have been violated in any way, please contact Disability Rights Florida. You can learn more about the services we provide, explore a vast array of resources on a variety of disability related topics, and complete an online intake on our website at disabilityrightsflorida.org. You can also call us at 1-800-342-0823. Thank you for listening to You First: The Disability Rights Florida Podcast.