ABLE Voices Ep 95: Dr. Deborah "Deb" Amend

We are inviting artists with disabilities to be guest hosts for the Able Voices podcast. Today, our guest host is Tony Memmel.Tony Memmel is a singer, songwriter, speaker, and teacher with unique charisma and creativity. Though he was born with one hand, he taught himself to play the guitar professionally by building a special cast that he designed out of guerrilla tape. He has toured toured 47 of the 50 states, 25 countries, and has worked with 16 countries, virtually sharing his music and his message of hard work, determination, and resilience. His work ranges from visiting schools, hospitals, and churches, to writing and arranging music for children, composing symphonies, performing in historic concert venues, and helping people with hand and limb differences, like his, to develop their adaptive methods that allow them to make music part of their lives. Today, Tony will be speaking to Rion Page.Dr. Deborah “Deb” Amend is an assistant professor of special education at Northern Kentucky University, a pianist, and a passionate advocate for adaptive music education. Inspired by raising three daughters who learned instruments through creative adaptations, she co-founded the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp with violinist Jennifer Petry nearly 15 years ago. What began as a small initiative has grown into the Cincinnati Adaptive Music and Arts Camp, offering inclusive programs in music and visual arts, supported by custom adaptive instruments and tools. Dr. Amend’s work focuses on developing practical teaching methods and training educators to create more inclusive, disability-informed environments, with the goal of helping all students access and participate fully in the arts.Follow Tony on Social Media:Website: https://www.tonymemmel.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonymemmel/Learn more about the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp:https://theadaptiveartsandmusicproject.org/caamc-2026/The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAEFollow us for more weekly updates at:Instagram: @BIAAEFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE