Alycia Anderson chats with Robin Wearley, an entrepreneur and innovator behind ADAPTS, a portable manual sling that helps wheelchair users evacuate safely during emergencies. Robin shares her journey from identifying real evacuation gaps to building a lifesaving product, overcoming challenges in design and market entry, and expanding ADAPTS beyond airlines into broader disaster-preparedness solutions.
Read the transcript of Alycia Anderson talking with Robin Wearley, founder of the ADAPTS evacuation sling. Robin describes identifying a life-critical gap in emergency wheelchair evacuation, prototyping and testing solutions, and navigating regulatory and market challenges to bring ADAPTS to users worldwide. Their conversation highlights inclusive design, personal motivation rooted in lived experience, and why accessible disaster preparedness saves lives and preserves dignity for disabled communities.
In Episode 123 – Victor Griggs: Changing Perspectives with Poetry and Purpose, Alycia Anderson welcomes poet, author, and advocate Victor Griggs, who shares insights from his collection Rolling Through Life: Thoughts About Life Told Through Poetry & Prose. Victor reflects on living with cerebral palsy, the intersection of art and identity, and the resilience required to chase dreams despite society’s stigma. His work and story underscore courage, creativity, and the power of perspective.
In Episode 123: Victor Griggs — Changing Perspectives with Poetry and Purpose, poet and disability advocate Victor Griggs discusses how his cerebral palsy informs his art, identity, and worldview. Through verses and prose, Victor explores resilience, joy, struggle, and community. He and Alycia reflect on the transformative power of storytelling, how poetry can challenge assumptions about disability, and why purpose often grows from unexpected places and deep inner clarity.
In Episode 122: Embracing 2026, Alycia Anderson ushers listeners into the new year with intention, reflection, and hope. She explores lessons learned in 2025, practices for grounding joy and resilience, and ways to shape 2026 with purpose—both personally and across the disability community. This episode blends gratitude, visionary goals, and accessible strategies for growth. Whether you’re planning, healing, or transforming, Alycia offers an inclusive guide to begin the year with heart.
In Episode 122: Embracing 2026 — A Reflective New Year’s Episode, Alycia and Marty Anderson kick off the new year with intention, honesty, and hope. They celebrate reaching over 120 episodes, reflect on 2025’s growth, challenges, and personal journeys, and share goals for community impact, leadership, and connection. With heartfelt conversation and practical reflections, this episode invites listeners to enter 2026 with purpose, resilience, and shared belief in collective progress.
In Episode 121: Closing the Year with Joy, Grace, and Holiday Intention, Alycia Anderson reflects on the year’s milestones, community stories, and personal growth. She explores how intentional celebration, rest, and meaning-making enrich the holiday season for people with disabilities. Alycia shares gratitude for lived-experience voices, lessons learned, and practical ways to craft holiday intention—inviting listeners to embrace joy, grace, resilience, and connection as they close the year together.
In Episode 121: Closing the Year with Joy, Grace, and Holiday Intention, Alycia Anderson shares heartfelt reflections on 2025. She highlights community wins, personal growth moments, and the power of choosing joy and grace—even amid challenges. Alycia offers intentional holiday guidance: slow celebrations, authentic connections, pacing for wellbeing, accessibility tips for gatherings, and gratitude practices that honor disabled experiences. It’s an inclusive, uplifting finale to the year’s conversations.
Marty and I closed out the year traveling to Kansas City for my keynote at SETWorks, a SaaS company building AI-powered tools with disability inclusion at the core. What unfolded was more than a speaking engagement. It was a full-circle moment sparked by relationships, challenged by travel realities, grounded in partnership, and fueled by the belief that inclusion works best when it is built in, not added later.
In Episode 120 – A New Era of Inclusion: Lilly Grossman’s Mission, Alycia Anderson chats with disability advocate Lilly Grossman, tracing her path from social work classrooms to policy boardrooms and lived-experience leadership. Lilly reflects on navigating systemic barriers in education and employment, the realities of dual-disability relationships, and launching Beyond The Box Advocacy to help others overcome structural exclusion. They discuss the power of storytelling, equity-driven change, and building access-centered futures.
