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 YouTube, ...
Nov 27, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 5Ep. 7
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 I...
Sep 29, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 5Ep. 6
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-old from ...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 5Ep. 5
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 Founder and Exec...
Aug 30, 2024•54 min•Season 5Ep. 4
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 accomplished professional ...
Aug 01, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Season 5Ep. 3
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_chronicles Facebook: https://ww...
Jul 18, 2024•59 min•Season 5Ep. 2
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 daughter, Nia. At th...
Jul 03, 2024•55 min•Season 5Ep. 1
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...
Oct 29, 2023•35 min•Season 4Ep. 13
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 disabilities with mutual unders...
Oct 14, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 12
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 Mobilit...
Sep 25, 2023•43 min•Season 4Ep. 11
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 was para...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 4Ep. 10
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 insisted...
Jun 23, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 9
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 marginaliz...
Jun 14, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 8
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-expanded-medicare-be...
May 29, 2023•24 min•Season 4Ep. 7
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 the p...
May 12, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 4Ep. 6
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 diversifying ...
Mar 23, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 5
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 mobility disability have access...
Mar 09, 2023•1 hr 15 min•Season 4Ep. 4
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 Our Guest In 2011...
Feb 15, 2023•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 3
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 Veterans of America (...
Jan 29, 2023•31 min•Season 4Ep. 2
And we are back with a brand new season of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast! It's been amazing sharing my story and the stories of others with you all these past three seasons. Season four, there will be many more stories, we will talk about advocacy and accessibility, and I will share some of my adventures along the way! On this episode join me as I recap some of my favorite moments from the first three seasons. Ramp. It. Up! HAPPY NEW YEAR from the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast. History of Haitian Independen...
Jan 16, 2023•40 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Only two days left 'til Christmas, and since you all have been so nice this year, Santa has brought you another episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast! Its been about two weeks since the end of the Artemis 1 Mission and my visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. It was an overall amazing experience and I was blessed to be a part of it. On this trip I recall the experience flying for the first time since my SCI six years ago and interacting with Alexa in SPACE! Ramp. It. Up! ...
Dec 23, 2022•37 min•Season 3Ep. 21
After a long hiatus, we are back for another episode of the Ramp. It. Up! Podcast! I know I have been gone for a long time but you have to listen to this episode to find out what's been going on! No hints! No previews! I know it's a long episode but definitely worth a listen! (Ok one hint...its my 6 year SCI anniversary and a couple friends join me on the show) Ramp it up! Click the link below to register for the United Spinal Association's TechTalks https://unitedspinal.org/events/techtalks/ St...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 38 min•Season 3Ep. 20
The Abilities Expo is FINALLY COMING TO MIAMI! Lew Shomer, chairman of the expo joins me on the podcast to share his experience working as an equal employment advocate and then his work bringing the Abilities Expo to a city near you. Ramp. It. Up! Podcast Click Here to Register for the Abilities Expo in Miami Website: https://www.abilities.com/miami/ Email: info@abilities.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abilities_expo/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/lshomer https://twitter.com/AbilitiesEx...
Oct 17, 2022•43 min•Season 3Ep. 19
September is just about over and to close out SCI Awareness Month, Brandon Winfield joins me on the podcast to talk about his app, iAccess Life, an app that allows the user to rate the accessibility of different restaurants, venues, and other locations worldwide. He also shares his injury and recovery story and about living life in the fast lane… literally! Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest In 2008, Brandon Winfield (he/him) was injured in a motocross accident that left him with a thoracic spi...
Sep 28, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 18
On this week’s episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast I am joined by Dr. Guy Romain, physical therapist and owner of NeuroFit 360. We talk about his work with spinal cord injury patients, his passion for activity based therapy, and his vision for the future of the field. Ramp. It. Up! Get To Know Our Guest Dr. Guy Romain earned his B.S in Health Science From Montclair State University in 1995. His career started as a health educator for at risk youth at the Englewood's Health Department in New Jer...
Sep 19, 2022•48 min•Season 3Ep. 17
The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast is back! After a brief yet painful hiatus, we are back with a lot to talk about! A lot of things happened in August and we must catch up and ROCKET headfirst into September. I've got big news to share. In fact you can say the news is METEORIC! Some would say we got lucky but I say the PLANETS aligned perfectly! I really hope you guys are grasping the GRAVITY of the announcement I have to share! I'm sure the suspense is killing you so let's go ahead and LAUNCH into the e...
Sep 05, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 16
On today's episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are talking about Recreational Therapy. An often overlooked and underappreciated branch of the rehabilitation process, recreational therapy has been instrumental in my recovery and the recovery of countless others. My friend and long time recreational therapist, Laura Ridler joins me on the show to share about her more than 30 years experience as a Rec Therapist. Her career has taken her to Hawaii, back to the mainland and all over the states as...
Jul 26, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 3Ep. 15
On this episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are talking about Hurricane/Disaster Preparedness. June 1 through November 30 is officially hurricane season. Natural disasters are dangerous enough, but being a wheelchair user can further complicate them. As a veteran of many hurricane seasons, five of them post spinal cord injury, I've learned a thing or two about getting prepared. Listen and share this episode to make sure that you and your family are prepared for this hurricane season! Ramp. I...
Jul 05, 2022•44 min•Season 3Ep. 14
On today's episode of The Ramp. It. Up! Podcast we are talking about being a dad! With Father's Day coming up this weekend we wanted to honor the fathers and father figures! Luis Amaro, peer mentor, athlete, motivational speaker, and Vice President of the Spinal Cord Injury Support Group Miami chapter, is one of those fathers. During our conversation he shares his spinal cord injury story and his experience as a father. Ramp. It. Up! The Spinal Cord Injury Support Group (SCISG) Resources https:/...
Jun 15, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 13
On today's episode of the podcast we are discussing the topic of Gun Violence. June 3 is Wear Orange Day and kicks off Gun Violence Awareness Weekend. As a nation, we are plagued by gun violence and mass shootings. The topic of guns is very divisive and often times politicized. Tune in for more information on gun violence awareness and how we can get involved. Ramp. It. Up! Wear Orange About Wear Orange/Gun Violence Awareness Weekend Ways to Participate Resources School Shootings Since Columbine...
Jun 03, 2022•21 min•Season 3Ep. 12
