Dialogue on Disability

Gateways Radio • WXXI-Classical • Tuesdays at 8pm

The annual Gateways Music Festival presents a brand new 13-week series of programs highlighting music from its festivals and other musicians of African descent.

Gateways Radio airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on WXXI Classical.

The Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is a 125+ member ensemble of musicians of African descent under the leadership of conductor Anthony Parnther. The Orchestra made its stunning Carnegie Hall debut on April 24, 2022 as the first all-Black orchestra to be presented by the famed venue.

Gateways Radio features exceptional compositions and exquisite performances, celebrating the Gateways Music Festival’s mission of connecting and supporting classical musicians of African descent and serving as a source of inspiration, enlightenment, and engagement for communities—especially communities underrepresented in classical music. Garrett McQueen hosts.

To learn more about the series and the episodes, visit WXXIClassical.org.

A Wider World • WXXI-TV

A trusted source of information for individuals, their families, and loved ones with disabilities.

A Wider World airs Saturday, January 27 at 9:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV.

This series focuses on inspirational tales, stigma busting, cutting edge treatment options and assisting technology, veterans issues, sports, and other stories that celebrate the resilience of the human spirit and the abilities of all. In this episode, we learn about the importance of wearing a helmet when participating in winter sports.

This children’s program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 22 through January 28, 2024.

WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.

Hero Elementary: Looking Super /Schmubble Trouble • WXXI-TV

When a self-flying cape escapes from the store selling it, Sparks’ Crew teams up with the famous hero, Hail Caesar, to search for it. But, it isn’t easy, since the cape is very good at hiding. It will take super observation skills to find it.

Hero Elementary: Looking Super /Schmubble Trouble airs Tuesday, January 25 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Then in the second half of the episode, Benny has a case of the “Schmubbles,” a bubble cold that causes bubbles to shoot out of his hands uncontrollably. When AJ, Lucita, and Sara get caught in Schmubble Bubbles, they must make their way through Citytown inside of bubbles they can’t pop.

This children’s program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 22 through January 28, 2024.

American Masters – Oliver Sacks: His Own Life • On-Demand

Filmmaker Ric Burns tells the inspirational story of the famed neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks.

The two-hour film explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that embraced his work only decades after the fact. Drawing on these profoundly moving reflections, American Masters—Oliver Sacks: His Own Lifealso features nearly two dozen deeply revealing and personal interviews with family members, colleagues, patients and close friends, including Jonathan Miller, Robert Silvers, Temple Grandin, Christof Koch, Robert Krulwich, Lawrence Weschler, Atul Gawande, Roberto Calasso, Paul Theroux, Isabelle Rapin, Bill Hayes, Kate Edgar, Mark Homonoff, Jonathan Sacks, Steve Silberman, Shane Fistell, and Lowell Handler, among others.

This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 22 through January 28, 2024.

Photo: Oliver writing on porch, 2015 • Courtesy of Bill Hayes

POV: Fire Through Dry Grass • On-Demand

In Fire Through Dry Grass, these young, Black and brown disabled artists document their lives on lockdown during COVID, their rhymes underscoring the danger and imprisonment they feel. In the face of institutional neglect, they refuse to be abused, confined, and erased.

Photo: Reality Poets Vince, Jay, Tito, Pete, and Var • Credit: Elias Williams

Connections with Evan Dawson • WXXI News

Throughout the week, Evan Dawson will host several conversations with guests who provide expert and personal insights about policies, programs, and community issues related to disabilities.

Connections with Evan Dawson airs weekdays from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on WXXI News.

Dialogue on Disability episodes include:

On Monday, January 22 at 1 p.m., Evan previews the docuseries Inside Our Autistic Minds with local young people. In the two-part series that will air on WXXI-TV, host Chris Packham – who has autism – helps other people with autism demonstrate how their minds work. In the program, Packham says, “I think that the wider world still doesn’t understand what it means to be autistic. And this is a problem for those of us who already feel excluded, different, like we don’t fit it….I felt completely misunderstood; like no one understood what was going on inside my head.” Connections’ guests include artists, musicians, and creators who help us see the world – and their art – through their eyes.

On Wednesday, January 24 at 1 p.m., Courtney Davis is our guest. When Courtney became ill with a rare condition, she learned almost overnight what the disability community has to contend with. One of the challenges was simply convincing her property manager to remove snow from sidewalks and walkways. During this conversation, she talks about the sometimes overlooked daily obstacles, and how to advocate for change.

Thursday, January 25 at 1 p.m. – Recently on Connections, Evan talked with a local teenager who said, “A lot of people base me off my epilepsy, like…he’s that one epileptic kid. That’s what I’m known as at my school. I just want to be known as a person, not that one epileptic kid.” Award-winning multimedia journalist Emyle Watkins has a passion for helping to break down the kinds of stigma and stereotypes experienced by that local teen. Watkins identifies as disabled and neurodivergent. She covers the disability community for WBFO in Buffalo and leads training sessions for communities across the country. She joins Connections for a conversation about language, so-called “inspiration porn,” and how to help all people become more inclusive communicators. Click here to listen to the episode with the local teenager Geoffrey Batterby, who talks about living with epilepsy.

These episodes of Connections are presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 22 through January 28, 2024.

Photo: Evan Dawson • Provided by WXXI

The Inclusion Desk • WXXI News

The Inclusion Desk is a multi-platform reporting effort by WXXI News to inform and transform attitudes and behavior about inclusion.

Read the latest stories.

Stories featured this week are part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 22 through January 28, 2024.

Illustration: Shutterstock

POV: Eat Your Catfish • WXXI-WORLD

A brutally frank and darkly humorous portrait of a family teetering on the brink, grappling with the daily demands of disability and in-home caregiving.

POV: Eat Your Catfish airs Sunday, October 27 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Kathryn’s ALS diagnosis has left Kathryn paralyzed and needing 24-hour care, communicating only by pointing out letters with her eyes on a special keyboard. It has also put incredible strain on her relationship with her husband who has a hard time looking at her and has been difficult for many nurses and aides. Yet, her desire to be with her children and to see her daughter’s wedding drives Kathryn’s persistence in surviving, and her critical and humorous spirit remains unbroken. Filmed almost entirely from Kathryn’s point of view, filmmakers Adam Isenberg, Senem Tuzen, and Noah Arjomand – Kathryn’s son – put together Eat Your Catfish from over 900 hours of recordings.

This documentary is presented as part of WXXI and the Golisano Foundation’s Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Kathryn’s son and husband • Courtesy of Eat Your Catfish