We are a Radio Show that airs on Groovy 105.7FM every Saturday at 9:00am and Sunday at 4:00pm. After it airs live on the radio, we release the full show onto our Podcast platforms at the beginning of every week. We’re currently on Spotify, Apple, and iHeart Radio Podcasts!

“The Hidden Workforce” is about the positive impact that people who live with different abilities make to the workforce and the world around them.

On our show, you will hear:

• Stories from people who live with a massive variety of different abilities who are breaking stigmas and shattering the glass ceilings placed over them. We have had CEOs, business owners, actors, actresses, authors, community contributors, survivors, and more who live with disabilities of all types and severities on our show sharing their stories and how they are where they are today.

• Leaders from nonprofits all over the state of Oklahoma, Nationwide, and Worldwide who are serving people who live with disabilities.

• Representatives from State agencies such as DRS, DDS, and more on the programs and services they offer to serve people with disabilities.

• Service Providers and Provider Agencies.

• Inclusive Employers and Employees Ready to Work for Inclusive Employers

• and so much more!

What Did We Hear Last Week?

Last week, we continued our series of shows from the NABIS Live collaborative podcast series hearing from Dr. Roger Zemek! In this episode, Dr. Zemek shared with us about the North American and Canadian Concussion Care guidelines- with a focus in pediatrics, his 5 P study, Transcendent, and more!

“Roger Zemek, MD, is a Pediatric Emergency Physician practicing at the Children’s Hospital of Ontario (CHEO) and a Senior Scientist in the CHEO Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He is a Full Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine and holds a Tier-1 Clinical Research Chair in Pediatric Concussion at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Zemek’s national research program on pediatric concussion includes leading the largest pediatric concussion study to-date examining the predictors for Persistent Post-Concussion Symptoms in children (5P study). He also has led studies to optimize return to physical activity (PedCARE), return to school, and screentime. He leads the international Living Guideline for Pediatric Concussion that provides up-to-date best available evidence recommendations for health care professionals providing care for pediatric patients with a suspected concussion and information for patients, families, teachers and coaches. Dr. Zemek is the lead of TRANSCENDENT – Transforming Research by Assessing Neuroinformatics across the Spectrum of Concussion by Embedding iNterdisciplinary Data collection to Enable Novel Treatments...” (https://braininjurysummit2026.org/speaker/roger-zemek/)

Check out this episode on Spotify, Apple, or iHeart Radio to listen to it anytime you need a podcast fix!

What is Slated for This Week’s Show?

This week, we’re pausing our NABIS Live series to chat with our guest who sure knows how to get a crowded room on their feet singing, dancing, and laughing on Episode 233 of The Hidden Workforce!

Welcome Peter Leidy!

We first got the chance to meet Peter and see his incredible work first-hand at the OK-APSE conference!

Peter Leidy is a Wisconsin-based motivational speaker, consultant, and singer-songwriter who specializes in the disability rights and human services fields. He is nationally known for his interactive presentations that advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities, healthy relationships, and rethinking the way society views “challenging” behaviors.

Peter speaks (and sings) at conferences and provides workshops throughout the United States and Canada, and also consults with families, organizations, and state counties on personalized supports, self-determination, and employee retention. He is also famously known for writing personalized songs for special events and occasions from experiences in “human serviceland.”

You do not want to miss this show!

Tune in this weekend on Groovy 105.7 Saturday at 9:00am or Sunday at 4:00pm, or tune in to hear the show on Spotify, Apple, or iHeart Radio.

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc.

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit offering a customized approach to giving people with disabilities a voice and skill-building opportunity through various disciplines of media education training, enabling and empowering them to learn how to manage their social media, create content, and share their stories through radio, video, social media, professional production experiences, podcasting, and more. 

Open Ears Open Opportunities, Inc.’s Mission is to transform perceptions of people with different abilities through media representation.

OEOO’s Vision is to see a community and world where people with different abilities’ stories are heard, equitable opportunity and access are given to them in media and the workforce, and for inclusion to be a first response, not a last resort.

The Hidden Workforce is produced by members of OEOO, so we are advocating for inclusion in the workforce while an inclusive workforce makes our radio show and podcast happen!

To learn more about OEOO’s programs visit: https://openearsopenopportunities.org/

If you or someone you know would like to get involved with OEOO, please email [email protected].

If you would like to donate, click the button below!

Our Podcast is a Resource!

If you are searching for answers on a resource to help serve you, your child, or loved one who lives with a different ability- if you are a parent or caregiver- if you are a service provider or provider agency- if you need community… Chances are, there is an answer in one of our shows!!

So What are You Waiting for?!

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