2024: Recapping a Year of Exceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & James Berges

Mai Ling Chan 00:01 
All right, so recording our last intro for 2024. Me, me, me, me. 

James Berges 00:05 
All right. 

Mai Ling Chan 00:11 
Welcome to the Exceptional Leaders Podcast. I'm Mai Ling Chan, and together with James Berges, we're getting you top tips and resources for building and scaling your disability-focused offerings straight from the forefront of disability advocacy and leadership. 

James Berges 00:30 
Welcome to our final episode of 2024. I'm James. 

Mai Ling Chan 00:34 
And I'm Mai Ling and what a milestone year it's been, James. Let's start out with our nomination for AAC Podcast of the Year, which was such an honor. And then on top of that, we also had the privilege of bringing disability perspectives to global audiences like India and Dubai. 

James Berges 00:49 
Yeah. And while Mai Ling was halfway around the world presenting on tech integration, I was working remotely in Greece, Portugal, and Spain. And something that really struck me on an everyday level was watching older adults confidently navigating, you know, these winding cobblestone streets using accessible public transit, and it wasn't just impressive.

It was eye-opening coming from LA where you have to drive just about everywhere. And it just showed me that infrastructure and work-life balance aren't just conveniences. They're really keys to independence and dignity. 

Mai Ling Chan 01:22 
Yeah, absolutely. Transformation hit closer to home for me too this year, James. I launched my fourth book, Becoming an Exceptional API Leader, and it featured 15 powerful stories of resilience and leadership at the intersection of Asian heritage and disability. And I'll admit it's been a whirlwind since then. 

James Berges 01:39 
Oh yeah, you've been up to a lot, and you know me, transformation really was the heartbeat of 2024. 

Mai Ling Chan 01:46 
Absolutely. From making space exploration inclusive to reimagining special education, our guests this year just didn't talk about innovation. They lived it. 

James Berges 01:54 
And what's fascinating is how often these breakthroughs started with personal challenges, as they often do. Meier Goldblum Haigh from the Disability Culture Lab put it perfectly. Every form of oppression is disabling. That idea anchored so much of what we explored this year. And speaking of breaking barriers, here's a striking fact.

Despite Americans with Disabilities Act being over 30 years old, nearly 70% of working age people with disabilities remain unemployed. That's a huge gap, and our guests this year refused to accept it. 

Mai Ling Chan 02:27 
Exactly. Like Anna Volker, who's opening space exploration to people with disabilities through Astro Access. Did you know NASA discovered in the 1960s that deaf astronauts don't get motion sickness? So cool. 

James Berges 02:38 
so long ago. 

Mai Ling Chan 02:39 
Yeah and now it's only now that zero gravity is actually becoming accessible and Anna painted a future where space belongs to everyone. 

James Berges 02:46 
I love that. Or take Professor Mark Cook's work on epilepsy. He said, imagine your brain is a sports car that randomly shuts down several times a week without warning. It was a good analogy to realize like your brain is this powerful machine.

But if you have these electrical signals that aren't quite timing correctly, it can affect everything from seizures to stuttering, which was another thing we explored. But Mark's Fitbit for the brain, as he called it, is changing how millions of people predict and manage seizures. 

Mai Ling Chan 03:16 
Yes. And those personal experiences driving innovation were a recurring theme this year, like Elizabeth Orem, who saw special education teachers drowning in paperwork like 60 to 70 hours a week. And she thought, what if technology could handle this? And so now her platform, creatively focused, serves over 100 schools, giving teachers their time and sanity back. 

James Berges 03:37 
Then there's Nicole Cuervo. She started Spring Rose after watching her grandmother struggle to dress independently. Nicole told us, it's not enough to solve the need. People should feel excited to use what you create. That insight fueled a movement in adaptive fashion. 

Mai Ling Chan 03:53 
Yes, and let's not forget the dateability sisters who reimagined dating apps to create a space where listing your disability isn't a burden, it's an empowering choice. 

James Berges 04:02 
Yeah, it's all about shaping perception through small changes shaped by often personal experiences. But another theme this year was that technology can serve humanity, believe it or not, and not the other way around. 

Mai Ling Chan 04:16 
Exactly. And across several episodes, we explored how AI can revolutionize healthcare and education. And the big takeaway is, AI should take on the mundane, like paperwork or data crunching, so we can focus on being human. 

James Berges 04:29 
Yeah, the hope is that AI can make us feel more human, even though currently it's making beautiful artwork and expressions of soul that I hope won't replace us. But I won't focus on that.

I wanna talk about Eric Reicher of Say It Labs who produced an amazing gaming platform for stuttering therapy, where he makes practicing your vocal tonality and stuttering with confidence feel like play and not work. Or you have Mark Cook's epilepsy monitor, which turns medical challenges into manageable routines using AI. 

Mai Ling Chan 05:01 
Yes, and these innovations are creating cultural shifts too. Maya reminded us that only 0.1% of philanthropic funding actually goes to disability initiatives, but their work is reshaping narratives from fear and pity to solidarity and liberation. 

James Berges 05:16 
And Peter Fisher shared a small but profound example. He described waiting for an accessible restroom only to find able-bodied people using it for their convenience. It's a stark reminder that accessibility isn't optional, it's dignity. Also, it goes the other way around.

When your culture isn't represented, you can make the change you want to see, as in the case with Anthony Kong, who saw a gap with aphasia treatment and education for Mandarin speakers. And he filled that gap from his own experience. 

Mai Ling Chan 05:45 
Yes. And Ruchi Kapila reminded us that our voice is our second skin. And by helping people match their voice to their identity, they are empowered. And let's talk about the area that I love, entrepreneurship. Diego Mariscal's Accelerator Together International has helped over 80 startups raise $70 million in funding. And his perspective is managing a disability is, in essence, entrepreneurship. 

James Berges 06:09 
Yeah, if you have a problem and you need to solve it, that's the essence of being an entrepreneur. And geez, I mean, if there's any theme, it's that there's so many problems or things that we can make easier for people with disabilities. And that entrepreneurial spirit kept showing up this year.

So even as policies threaten accessibility funding, our guests proved resilience and creativity are unstoppable forces. 

Mai Ling Chan 06:33 
Absolutely. And David D'Arcangelo's words stick with me today, which is, somewhere in that pool of people with disabilities, not in the labor force, is the cure for cancer, the next great app, or a game-changing invention. 

James Berges 06:45 
Whoa, yeah, absolutely. So to our listeners, whether you're an advocate, educator, or entrepreneur, you are a part of this transformation. Together, we're building a world where disability isn't a limitation, but a source of strength. 

Mai Ling Chan 06:59 
because that's what exceptional leaders is all about, individual actions creating systemic change. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us. 

James Berges 07:07 
Yes. Thank you, dear listeners, for being on this journey with us in 2024 and special shout outs to our rockstar audio engineer, producer extraordinaire, JD Sutter, he makes all these episodes possible. So thank you, JD. And we'll see you all in 2025 where we'll keep breaking barriers and building bridges together. 

Mai Ling Chan 07:28 
We hope you enjoyed this episode and invite you to leave us a review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and share the show with people you think will find value from it. This helps the show a lot. Or have a great guest referral, reach out to us at xleaders at gmail.com. 

James Berges 07:44 
And if you want exclusive tips on becoming an exceptional leader, deliver straight to your inbox, just go to XceptionalLeaders.com and sign up for our mailing list. Thanks for listening. 

Mai Ling Chan 08:01 
That was awesome!