Podcasts Feature Our CEO, Nona Yehia
Podcasts are a booming business nowadays, lending insight and introspection on topics far and wide. Nona Yehia, our co-founder and CEO, has been a popular guest recently on programs as diverse as The Evolving Digital Self, which explores conscientious use of technology, to Soul of a Leader, which explores leadership styles that uplift and embrace people.
Evolving Digital Self Podcast
In her conversation with Dr Heidi Forbes Oste of The Evolving Digital Self, Nona discussed the power of architecture to be a vehicle for social change, and shared why providing a career path to community members with disabilities is vital to Vertical Harvest’s mission. “The disabled community is the largest in the nation, and one that anyone could become a part of in the blink of an eye,” she said.
Oste heralded the work of the Vertical Harvest team as, “not just using technology in a cool way, but using it in a way that looks at the full systemic perspective of what it can do.” Nona agreed that while technology makes life easier for most people, for those in the disabled community, it truly makes life possible.
Listen to this fascinating conversion here, or download from your favorite podcast player.
![We sat down to talk with disability advocate, civil rights lawyer and entrepreneur, Gina Kline. Here is what we learned!
🔍What is Social Security Income?
"The Social security system was conceived during a time with great economic inequality in this country. It is part of the very important fabric of the Public Safety Net in the United States and many of the folks that are qualified for Social Security are among the most economically vulnerable Americans and have the most sort of obvious or material unmet needs in terms of healthcare as well."
🗝What are the eligibility requirements of benefits?
"The Social Security eligibility is really a means tested program. Which means that folks that folks are eligible or below a certain income threshold and also have medical needs. There's a medical documentation part of it and a income documentation part of but on balance what it means is that you have not access to a certain level of income and you have disability needs."
💡What are the current issues that individuals face when receiving SSI benefits?
"For a while there is a low current threshold on the amount of savings that people Americans with Disabilities can have at any given time. I believe it hasn't been updated since the 19 early 1980s so that's how it's not it's not chained to the current cost of living with a disability. So, what we have is a community that is searching for viable upward mobility, meaningful work in a world in which so often people are given a Hobson's choice between being able to save and save for a rainy day and being able to access health care and needed benefits and support from these programs."
Watch the full video on youtube linked in our bio!
[Video Description: Female with hair to the side talking to the camera with caption in the forefront that reads "What is Social Security Income?" "Read the caption!"]
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