Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Accessible Voting, Women in STEM and Medical Marijuana: Innovation Friday

Ericka Jones - Systems Advocate at Center for Disability Rights talks with Innovation Trail reporter Sasha-Ann Simons
Center for Disability Rights
Ericka Jones - Systems Advocate at Center for Disability Rights talks with Innovation Trail reporter Sasha-Ann Simons

One of the things that the Obama Whitehouse and the First Lady Michelle Obama jumped on was the challenge of getting more Women and Girls into Science, Technology, Engineering and Math or STEM. Less than 2 percent of women make it into the IT workforce, despite the fact that about 12 percent graduate with IT degrees.

Minority communities are also underrepresented in science fields according to the National Science Foundation. In our first hour we’ll talk with a graduate of the StepITUpAmerica initiative, a Rochester woman who’s out to make waves in the IT field.

In the second hour of Innovation Friday, we’ll sit down with the CEO of Columbia Care, the medical Marijuana Company that’ll be working out of the Eastman Business Park. We’ll hear about their business model and the regulatory hoops that regulate medical marijuana.

And before that,  while Boards of Elections put technology into polling places to enable people with disabilities to vast their vote, enrollment amongst that part of our community is still very low. The Center for Disability Rights is out to change that by setting up the New York Disability Vote Network.

Ericka Jones and Stephanie Woodward will be in the studio with us to talk about it, and if you’re a person living with a disability and have a story to share about your experiences voting we’d like to hear from you. 

Be part of the program with questions or comments by phone - 1-844-295-TALK (8255), emailFacebook or Twitter

Guests in Hour One

  • Alexandria Kelley – past graduate of the Rochester STEM training Program
  • Dan Weber is Vice President Technology for UST Global – mentored Alexandria
  • BG Moore - Chief of Staff UST Global

Guests in Hour Two

  • Ericka Jones - Systems Advocate at Center for Disability Rights
  • Stephanie Woodward - Director of Advocacy at Center for Disability Rights.
  • Nick Vita - CEO Columbia Care
Related Content