124. Travelling as a wheelchair user and disability advocacy, with Heather C Markham

When you hear the word “equity,” most of us will think of gender, race, and ethnicity. But oftentimes, disabilities are left out of the conversation—and that needs to change. That’s why I’m thrilled to welcome this week’s podcast guest, Heather Markham, a woman on a mission to show businesses how to make their space warm, welcoming, and accessible to the more than 1 billion persons with a disability. With her background in electronic warfare and assistive technologies, she has honed her engineering skills and an eye for otherwise unseen details. Heather has fifteen years of experience as a power wheelchair user, and she taught me so much in this episode! In it, we discuss: Heather’s life-changing diagnosis of progressive muscular dystrophy at age 34 How she leaned into a life of adventure and focuses on what she can control How she’s created a community around her and how listeners can build their own community Challenges she faces while traveling as a power wheelchair user How businesses can become more accessible, both in physical locations and online Why she wrote her memoir and what her writing process was like Heather is an inspiring woman who embodies her personal belief: the one thing she can absolutely control every single day is how she chooses to react to things. She expresses herself creatively through her memoir Rough Waters: From Surviving to Thriving with a Progressive Muscular Dystrophy and fine art photography. This is an important, inspiring, and practical episode—don’t miss it! Learn more about Heather: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Rough Waters: From Surviving to Thriving with a Progressive Muscular Dystrophy Show notes: This Little Miggy Instagram Disability Reframed Instagram Follow me on: Instagram @stacyennis Facebook @stacyenniscreative LinkedIn Youtube @stacyennisauthor To submit a question, email [email protected] or visit www.stacyennis.com/contact and fill out the form on the page.