First hour: Assemblymember Josh Jensen on the 2024 New York State of the State and state budget
Second hour: Dialogue on Disability — Journalist Emyle Watkins on the language surrounding disability
We continue our series of conversations with local state lawmakers about the 2024 New York State of the State and the state budget. This hour, we sit down with Assemblymember Josh Jensen. He shares his take on a number of subjects, including early intervention funding, education, public safety, and more. Our guest:
- Assemblymember Josh Jensen (R), District 134
Then in our second hour, recently on Connections, we talked with a local teenager who said, “A lot of people base me off my epilepsy, like…he’s that one epileptic kid. That’s what I’m known as at my school. I just want to be known as a person, not that one epileptic kid.” Award-winning multimedia journalist Emyle Watkins has a passion for helping to break down the kinds of stigma and stereotypes experienced by that local teen. Watkins identifies as disabled and neurodivergent. She covers the disability community for WBFO in Buffalo and leads training sessions for communities across the country. She joins us for a conversation about language, so-called “inspiration porn,” and how to help all people become more inclusive communicators. Our guest:
- Emyle Watkins, lead Disabilities Desk reporter at WBFO
This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk and is part of Dialogue on Disability Week — a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies — in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series.
