Disability Is Not a Bad Word: Jenna Udenberg on Accessibility, Advocacy, and the Next Right Thing

At seven years old, Jenna Udenberg was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis. Within a year, she was using a wheelchair and beginning a lifelong education in what happens when a person encounters a world that was not designed with them in mind. In this episode of Conversations with a Chiropractor, Dr. Stephanie Wautier talks with Jenna about disability, accessibility, assumptions, identity, and the difference between being accommodated and truly being included. Jenna shares pieces of her journey from growing up on Minnesota's North Shore to becoming a music educator, a 2020 Bush Fellow, an author, and the founder of Above & Beyond With U. Along the way, she challenges the language we use around disability, the assumptions people make about wheelchair users, and the idea that accessibility should stop at the minimum required by law. At the heart of the conversation is a simple philosophy Jenna continues to follow: Do the next right thing. Listener Offer This episode of Conversations with a Chiropractor is supported by Lemongrove Oil. Use code DRSTEPHANIE at checkout for 10% off your order. https://www.lemongroveoil.com/ Featured Wellness Resource: Exodus Strong Explore Exodus Strong, a faith-centered wellness company offering red and near-infrared light therapy products including full-body mats, masks, wands, belts and other at-home devices, along with molecular hydrogen and botanical supplements, frequency-based wellness products, and complete Light Code wellness systems. If you're interested in exploring what Exodus Strong has to offer, please use Dr. Stephanie's link below. Purchases made through this affiliate link help support Conversations with a Chiropractor and allow us to keep bringing you new conversations each week. https://exodusstrong.com?a_aid=drstep... (https://exodusstrong.com/?a_aid=drste...) Learn More About Jenna Udenberg Jenna is an author, disability advocate, accessibility educator, and founder of Above & Beyond With U, an organization working to increase awareness, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging for people experiencing disability. Above & Beyond With U: https://www.aboveandbeyondwithu.org/ Within My Spokes Jenna's memoir, Within My Spokes: A Tapestry of Pain, Growth & Freedom, explores the pain, relationships, perseverance, identity shifts, and experiences that have shaped her life. The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and audiobook, narrated by Jenna herself. Links to purchase are available through the Above & Beyond With U website. Conversations with a Chiropractor YouTube:    / @conversationswithachiro   Facebook:   / wautierwellness   Email: drstephaniewautier@yahoo.com (mailto:drstephaniewautier@yahoo.com) Want to be a guest on Conversations with a Chiropractor? Send Stephanie Wautier a message on PodMatch: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpr... Produced by Brand|Sound Podcasts Laser Secrets is produced by Brand|Sound Podcasts. Learn more about podcast production, development, editing, and support at: https://voiceover.work/brandsound Start your podcast journey: brandsoundpodcasts@gmail.com (mailto:brandsoundpodcasts@gmail.com) Chapters 00:34 Meet Jenna Udenberg 01:25 Diagnosed With Juvenile Arthritis at Seven 06:02 Growing Up With a Wheelchair 08:26 School, Friendship, and Learning to Navigate Difference 12:26 "Disability Is Not a Bad Word" 16:05 Assumptions, Ableism, and Being Seen 18:24 Curiosity Without Intrusion 22:29 Within My Spokes 23:29 Stories, Advocacy, and the Next Right Thing 25:30 Becoming a Bush Fellow 31:04 Music, the Trumpet, and Finding an Equal Playing Field 35:24 When the Space Creates the Disability 40:34 Discrimination, Resentment, and Moving Forward 45:33 The Pandemic and an Unexpected Career Ending 49:53 How Assumptions Become Stories 50:51 Disability as Part of the Human Experience 52:57 Closing Thoughts