Mission of ACHIEVA and Marsha Blanco's Life-Long Advocacy for those with intellectual disabilities

March 24, 2015
Hosted by Joyce Bender

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Episode Description

Joyce welcomes Marsha Blanco, president and CEO of ACHIEVA. ACHIEVA is the only agency of its type in southwestern Pennsylvania that provides lifelong supports. From early intervention therapies, in-home support, to older adult protective services for medically fragile senior citizens, ACHIEVA provides services through the entire life-span. ACHIEVA is a nonprofit parent organization that has comprehensive services and supports and serves more than 14,500 individuals with disabilities and their families. Ms. Blanco will discuss the programs and services of ACHIEVA and her life-long calling as an advocate for those with intellectual disabilities.

Disability Matters

Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific Time on VoiceAmerica Variety Channel

Competitive employment and empowerment for people with disabilities is the emphasis of this show. Broadcast live and captioned in real-time for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing, we discuss how people with disabilities can secure career opportunities, and how employers, organizations and individuals can support employment and empowerment of people with disabilities.

Joyce Bender

Joyce A. Bender is the CEO and president of Bender Consulting Services, Inc. Bender Consulting recruits and hires individuals with disabilities, across the United States and Canada for competitive career opportunities in the public and private sectors. In 1985, Joyce survived a life-threatening accident caused by a misdiagnosis of epilepsy. Due to her personal experience living with both epilepsy and a hearing disability, she founded Bender Consulting Services, Inc. in 1995.

Joyce is the past-chair of both the board of the American Association of People with Disabilities and the national Epilepsy Foundation. She has received awards from both the Bush and Clinton administrations.

Joyce speaks across the United States and internationally representing the State Department on informational exchanges related to disability employment best practices. She has represented the State Department in programming with Panama, South Korea, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Libya, and Tunisia.

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