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Connections

Coming up on Connections: Friday, October 25

First hour: Previewing the Seneca Park Zoo Society's 2019 Environmental Innovation Awards

Second hour: Disability rights activist Stephanie Woodward on disability pride

The Seneca Park Zoo Society is gearing up for its second annual Environmental Innovation Awards and Symposium. The event celebrates leadership in environmental stewardship, and honors companies that are creating innovative solutions to complex environmental problems. This year's keynote speaker, Brett Howell, is an environmental entrepreneur whose work focuses on plastic pollution prevention. He joins us to discuss his recent projects, and our guests from the Zoo Society share updates related to sustainability, green technology, and conservation education in the Rochester and Finger Lakes area. Our guests:

  • Pamela Reed Sanchez, president and CEO of the Seneca Park Zoo Society
  • Suzanne Hunt, member of the board of trustees for the Seneca Park Zoo Society, and president of Hunt Green, LLC
  • Brett Howell, environmental entrepreneur 

Then in our second hour, local disability rights activist Stephanie Woodward recently wrote an opinion piece for the Spina Bifida Association about why she loves her disability. Woodward was born with spina bifida and has been an outspoken advocate for disability rights and disability pride. In her piece, she writes, "Because I love my disability identity, I have never seen my disability as a problem. And because I have never seen my disability as a problem, I have never supported curing spina bifida or even preventing it. In fact, when I hear someone say 'I think the world would be a better place if we could prevent babies from having your disability in the future,' what I hear is 'I think the world would be a better place without people like you.'" Many people praised Woodward's comments, while others pushed back. Woodward joins us for the hour to discuss her perspective and disability pride. In studio:

  • Stephanie Woodward, victims of crime attorney at Empire Justice Center

This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk

Connections
Evan Dawson is the host of "Connections with Evan Dawson." He joined WXXI in January 2014 after working at 13WHAM-TV, where he served as morning news anchor. He was hired as a reporter for 13WHAM-TV in 2003 before being promoted to anchor in 2007.
Megan Mack is the executive producer of "Connections with Evan Dawson" and live/televised engagement programming.