It took Mike Patterson 15 years after he was paralyzed by gun violence to learn the power of sharing his story. Now, he runs a program that supports others.

In his work and in his life, Mike has seen how housing can be one of the biggest challenges people face. Accessible units are scarce, and affordable options are limited. And without stable housing, everything else becomes harder: managing your health, finding a job, even maintaining your mental well-being.

In this conversation, Mike talks about how he has used his own experience to inform how he helps others. He also addresses how stigma against those paralyzed by gun violence can affect their access to resources.

This episode explores:

• Discovering self-advocacy 15 years after becoming paralyzed
• Stigma against gun violence survivors from within the healthcare system
• Rehab, relief & restoration: Adjusting to life after paralysis
• “Accessibility isn’t just dignity, it’s economic participation”
• Barriers to accessible housing: Wait lists, location & affordability
• Structural inequalities that contribute to gun violence in BIPOC communities

Move To Include is a national partnership of WXXI and the Golisano Foundation, to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Additional support for the Move to Include Podcast is provided by Mary Cariola Center and the URMC Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities.

This is the final episode of this season of the Move to Include Podcast.

Jeiri Flores learned early on that being understood in a doctor’s office isn’t guaranteed.

As a woman with cerebral palsy, her healthcare experience has meant constantly navigating Medicaid limits, confusing private insurance, and providers who don’t have experience with disabled bodies.

In this conversation, Jeiri shares her journey and what she learned by speaking up for herself, over and over. She talks about advocating for your needs, and why telling your story matters.

This episode explores:

• How translating for her mother in a doctor's office led to advocacy
• The medical cliff and the reality of aging out of pediatric care
• Encountering ableism in the medical system
• Obstacles to accessing women’s health care

Move To Include is a national partnership of WXXI and the Golisano Foundation, to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Additional support for the Move to Include Podcast is provided by Mary Cariola Center and the URMC Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities.

New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Before Conan Gillis was a mathematician or an advocate, he was an eight‑year‑old kid who just wanted to use his local library. But the aisles weren’t wide enough for his wheelchair, and the building simply wasn’t designed with him in mind.

That experience – and many others like it – sparked a lifelong practice of self‑advocacy, supported by his family.

Today, Conan is a PhD candidate who has navigated a wide range of educational systems, from K through twelve classrooms with formal support plans to the much more self‑directed world of higher education.

Along the way, those experiences shaped how he understands disability: not as a problem of individuals, but as a reflection of the environments and systems we build.

This episode explores:

• Learning self‑advocacy at a young age
• Transitioning from structured support to higher education
• The role of family in navigating disability and education
• Disability as an environmental and systemic issue

Move To Include is a national partnership of WXXI and the Golisano Foundation, to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Additional support for the Move to Include Podcast is provided by Mary Cariola Center and the URMC Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities.

New episodes drop monthly. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.