Cara Reedy And Rebecca Cokley On Disability Through A Policy And Media Lens
Always Looking Up
02/03/26
•66m
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In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Reedy and Rebecca Cokley. Cara is a journalist, filmmaker and a sometimes actor/comedian. She is the founder and Executive Director of the Disabled Journalists Association where we are working to make a more equitable industry for Disabled Journalists. Rebecca Cokley is a second generation civil rights activist raising a third. She is a political consultant, philanthropist, writer, and producer and is working on her first book. We discuss the current state of disability from both a policy and media perspective, what disability issues and stories we should all be paying attention to and much, much more. For context, this conversation was recorded on January 30, 2026.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
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Learn More About the Texas v Kennedy Case: https://dredf.org/texas-and-eight-other-states-renew-attack-on-section-504-and-the-right-of-disabled-people-to-live-in-their-communities/
Follow Disabled Journalists Association: Instagram: @disabledjournalists Website: https://discojourno.com
Follow Rebecca Cokley: LinkedIn: Rebecca Cokley
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Community Aid Network MN: https://www.canmn.org
Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:
Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org
List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from @chnge):
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (@chirla_org): https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (@immdef_lawcenter): https://www.immdef.org
Inland Coalition 4 Imm Justice (@ic4ij): https://secure.actblue.com/donate/jornaleros
Previous Episode
Lachi On I Identify As Blind
January 27
•56m
In this week’s episode I sat down with Lachi. Lachi is a world touring recording artist, award winning music executive, Disability Culture champion, host of PBS series Renegades, Recording Academy National Trustee, and producer of a GRAMMY-Nominated album. Born legally blind, Lachi created the U.N.-recognized organization RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities), a consultancy group, collaborating on disability-inclusive solutions with the likes of Netflix, Live Nation and more, while bringing opportunities to its growing global network of professionals with disabilities. We discuss her newly released book I Identify As Blind, out today, and the stories and conversations that have filled its pages, who this book is for and what she hopes her readers take from it, celebrating the disability community and the people in it past, present and future and much, much more.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
Join Always Looking Up on Substack: https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com
Join The Patreon: https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp
Follow Lachi: Instagram: @lachimusic YouTube: Lachi Website: https://www.lachimusic.com/index.html
Follow RAMPD: Instagram: @rampd_up Website: https://rampd.org/
Buy I Identify As Blind: https://lachimusic.com/i-identify-as-blind.html
Shop Glam Canes
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DToHjpeEjbV/
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
Read With Me:
The StoryGraph
Support Minneapolis:
Stand With Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com
MN NOICE: https://mnnoice.com
Community Aid Network MN: https://www.canmn.org
Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:
Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org
List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from @chnge):
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (@chirla_org): https://www.chirla.org/donatenow/
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (@immdef_lawcenter): https://www.immdef.org
Inland Coalition 4 Imm Justice (@ic4ij):
Next Episode
In this week’s episode I sat down with Cara Elizabeth Yar Khan. Cara is a visionary international disability rights advocate whose career has spanned humanitarian action, diplomacy, entrepreneurship, and storytelling. She is also a filmmaker and a passionate force for inclusion in the arts and media, most recently participating, owning and producing the short documentary film, Facing the Falls.
We discuss her incredible career as an activist, the power and impact in seeing disabled people doing humanitarian work, why representation truly matters and much, much more.
This episode was edited and produced by Ben Curwin.
All proceeds from purchasing this episode will be split between City Harvest and Food Bank For NYC.
Join Always Looking Up on Substack: https://jilliancurwin645746.substack.com
Join The Patreon: https://patreon.com/AlwaysLookingUp
Follow Cara: Instagram: @cara_yarkhan LinkedIn: Cara Yar Khan Website: https://carayarkhan.com
Watch "Facing The Falls": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMa86VBidKE&t=1s
Watch Cara's TED Talk, "The beautiful balance between courage and fear": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHgfcA6Vy24
Follow Me: Instagram: @jill_ilana , @alwayslookingup.podcast TikTok: @jillian_ilana Website: https://www.jillianilana.com Email: alwayslookingup227@gmail.com
Read With Me:
Goodreads
The StoryGraph
Support Minneapolis:
Stand With Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com
MN NOICE: https://mnnoice.com
Community Aid Network MN: https://www.canmn.org
Support Those Impacted By The Cutting Of SNAP Benefits:
Feeding America: https://www.feedingamerica.org
World Central Kitchen: https://wck.org
No Kid Hungry: https://www.nokidhungry.org
List Of NYC Food Pantries: https://www.nyc.gov/site/dycd/services/food_pantries.page
Support Immigrant Communities (all links came from @chnge):
The Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (@chirla_org):
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