Pushing Limits is a radio program by, for and about people with disabilities. It airs at 2:30 pm every Friday on KPFA 94.1fm and is produced by an independent collective of radio journalists with disabilities.
Pushing Limits provides critical on-going media coverage of people with disabilities and bring the insights of the grassroots disability movement to the general public. We are a proud part of the disability rights movement and approach our programming from the left side of the political dial. The guests are almost exclusively people with disabilities and include everyone from individuals who have just become disabled to long-term movement activists.
Topics range from personal stories about individual disabilities to national/ international political and policy questions. We analyze the problems, put forth the solutions, voice our communal outrage, celebrate our strength, and spend a fair amount of time laughing.
Pushing Limits programs have included: “Spoken Word by Writers, Musicians and Radio Artists with Disabilities,” “Sally Zinman on Forced Treatment of People with Mental Disabilities,” “Police Violence and Disabilities” and “Eliminate Disability? We train a limited number of people with disabilities in radio skills.
Pushing Limits began broadcasting on KPFA in October of 2003. The program received a Certificate of Recognition from the Oakland Mayor’s Commission on Persons with Disabilities in 2006. To hear earlier programs, search the KPFA archives or look on the website at PushingLimits.i941.net. We’re on Facebook as Pushing Limits Radio. Contact us. (510) 848-6767 ext. 636, [email protected]
Pushing Limits Staff:
As a (Summa Cum Laude) graduate of Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science in Communications, Dominick Trevethan combines his academic background with lived experience as a person with Spinal Muscular Atrophy to create compelling content. He is the host of The Disability Myth, a podcast that sheds light on disability-related issues, personal experiences, and advocacy. Through the content he produces, Dominick aims to dismantle stereotypes and foster a greater understanding of the diverse experiences within the disabled community. When he’s not producing content, Dominick enjoys watching the San Francisco 49ers and playing video games like Madden, Minecraft, and Ark: Survival Ascended.
Denny Daughters is completely blind. He went through the radio classes at Chabot College in Hayward CA and was one of their on-air DJs for a few years. During this time, Denny learned how to do digital editing on a PC and has been doing it for almost 25 years now. Over the years, he’s honed his editing and radio production skills. He has even produced his own podcast since 2006. Additionally, in 2020, Denny started to edit and produce a religious music show for a friend. In 2022, he put together the music and voiceover work for a Living Nativity at church. He’s been with Pushing Limits since September of 2023.
Talia Thompson Mariano is a passionate new voice in the Pushing Limits collective currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting, Media, and Communications at Santa Barbara City College. Diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) at the age of 13, Talia has dedicated herself to advocating for disability rights, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and broader social issues. Her love for journalism and storytelling emerged at a young age, and she thrives on in-depth research and sharing meaningful stories with the public. When she’s not recording or digging into a new topic, Talia enjoys reading, collecting vinyl records, and spending time with her two beloved dogs, Joie and Tennenbaum. For inquiries or to connect with Talia, you can reach her at [email protected]
Jacob Stanton is one of Pushing Limits’ newest members. He is a college student majoring in English who aims to be a professor of Literature. His disabilities are Fibromyalgia and De Quervain’s disease; these ailments have impacted his ability to play guitar and produce music, however, he retained what he learned from those hobbies and carried over the skills he learned from them to produce segments for the show. Upon having to say goodbye to his love for making music Jacob rediscovered his love for reading and writing, particularly genre fiction, which he studies in his spare time. In addition to this, Jacob love’s astrophotography and hiking. Jacob strives to live by the Buddhist concept that “pain is inevitable but suffering is a choice”.
Jacob Lesner-Buxton is the System Change Coordinator for the Independent Living Resource Center. He started working at ILRC in 2013. Working at ILRC has has given Jacob the confidence and sense of empowerment to make change and hopefully encourage others to do so. Besides working at ILRC, Jacob is also a producer on KPFA’s Pushing Limits, one of the only disability-themed radio shows in the USA. He also loves doing yoga and blogging on Facebook.
Adrienne Lauby is a founding member of the Pushing Limits collective. She is a bisexual feminist who became disabled by severe asthma in her mid-thirties. The oldest daughter in a farm family of ten children, she graduated from Creighton University and earned a masters degree in English/Creative Writing from Sonoma State University. Her journalistic work began in college and with Women’s Press, an alternative women’s newspaper in Eugene, Oregon in the mid 1970s. She is current active in homeless issues in Sonoma County where she resides. Adrienne received the “Russ and Mary Jorgensen Courage of Commitment Award” from the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center in 2014. Contact her at: [email protected]
Bonnie Elliott has been on board for about a year or so. She is really enjoying being part of such a creative team. She looks forward to learning and contributing more in the future. Bonnie has 11 years of experience with video production and directing from a Santa Barbara TV station. In her free time, she enjoys knitting and binge watching British Crime Dramas.
Eddie Ytuarte is a 69 year old community activist who has lived in the Bay Area since the mid-1970’s. Currently he is involved in Oakland tenants rights. Mr. Ytuarte began his career as an activist in 1970 while studying to become a public school teacher. His introduction to progressive and Chicano politics deterred him from that pursuit. In forty plus years of activism, he has been involved with cultural arts promotion, working with the United Farm Workers Union, the development of a news service for Latino community newspapers. His work has included poetry, biligual/bicultural health care, perinatal health services, and tenant and disability rights. He can be contacted at [email protected]
KPFA has been home to Josh Elwood for many years and he considers his work colleagues extended family members. The station relies on Josh to ensure the mail room and recycling run smoothly and efficiently. Following the tradition of his father, Phil Elwood, who produced jazz programming for four decades, Josh began working at KPFA as an intern and, long ago, became an integral part of the team. His work with Pushing Limits includes live hosting during fund drives and for musical programs, pre-recorded essays and regular voicing of the lead-in station i.d.
Shelley Berman (pictured with her emotional service dog, Sparky.) has been part of the Pushing Limits collective for the past decade. Shelley started behind the scenes, doing audio editing, and progressed to the big time, taking over the microphone and beaming out our massive 59,000 watts to the masses. “My disability is depression. Sometimes I just can’t get up outta bed. Sometimes I can’t get myself to bed at night. Sometimes life seems like (only) the thorns on a bed of roses. All roads seem to lead to bed, so I’ll quit writing and go back to my comfort zone.” Humor: Intact.
Thanks for listening to Pushing Limits, and see you on the radio!