"What can I do today to help other people?" - Disability, advocacy, and scholarship
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In this week\'s episode, Kait and Jess chat with Derek Zike (@derekzike). Derek and Jess met at UWM when they were working towards their sport psychology related PhDs. At age 16, Derek experienced a spinal cord injury during a hockey game that left him paralyzed from the chest down. His own experiences living with and adjusting to an acquired disability led Derek to further study the psychosocial impact of spinal cord injury, as well as the lived experiences of leaving able-bodied sport (e.g., athlete identity, adapting to new life challenges). We talk more about his research, his media appearances (#MTVTrueLife), his dream career post-PhD, why "normalcy" is a trap, and the importance of understanding disability from a social justice lens. The episode concludes with our typical "ranting about rants" segment, where we rant about car shelf trash, curb cuts on the sidewalk, and 2000s fashion making a comeback. Stay tuned for a second BONUS episode with Derek about our best pranks and our shared love of live music to be released next week, as we really got to chatting! Small business shout-out: Bushel and Peck Confections (@bushelandpeckconfections on Instagram; bushelandpeckcreations@gmail.com): "your friendly local bakery... making homemade desserts for the DMV" (AKA the DC, Maryland, Virginia area... not the place where they give you a driver\'s license, Kait!).
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