The Advocacy Life Podcast & Blog

Author: Kevin Núñez

  • Tokenism

    Tokenism

    Podcast Episode

    Hello friends, and welcome back to The Advocacy Life podcast with Kevin Nuñez! Disability and death are the only two certainties in life, yet society continues to treat disability like an invisible anomaly or a feel-good inspiration reel. In today’s episode, Kevin addresses a heavy, deeply personal question: Are disability advocates tokens for someone else’s products or political agendas?Kevin candidly discusses his time inside New Jersey’s habilitation day programs, the reality of adult daycare, and his personal perspective on the current New Jersey group home camera legislation. He challenges us to “put our shoes on the wrong feet” to understand the discomfort and lack of control that many nonverbal individuals face daily. If you see a token, you project a token. It’s time to break the mold.Highlights:00:00 – Are disability advocates just props?02:15 – The reality of advocacy: No money, no mansions, just purpose.03:30 – Guest of Senator Andy Kim at the State of the Union.04:45 – What “adult daycare” taught me about communication and “behaviors.”07:30 – The problem with the NJ Group Home Camera Bill.09:15 – Trained staffing vs. surveillance cameras.11:00 – Why I keep rolling.

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  • Afraid of Disability

    Afraid of Disability

    podcast episode

    Description:Why does the concept of disability feel so “alien” in American culture? In this episode of The Advocacy Life, we pull back the curtain on the societal fear of disability, the prevalence of ableism in media, and why we need to break out of our comfort zones to build a more inclusive society.From the “inspiration porn” seen in movies like Forrest Gump to the historical landmark moments like the Capitol Crawl that aren’t in your history books—we cover it all.

    Episode Transcripts

    TAL S4 E13 Afraid of DisabilityDownload

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  • RFK Embodies Fear

    RFK Embodies Fear

    “These are kids who will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.” Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

    I want to state from the outset: I don’t hate RFK Jr. I respect and love him as a fellow human walking this earth, despite disagreeing on several key issues. Quotes like these are particularly damaging. They embody the ableism and fear that permeate modern American culture.

    The problem with this perspective is that it ignores the fundamental truth that every person with a disability has their own unique journey, their own growth process, their own setbacks, and their own successes.

    So often, people with disabilities are lumped into boxes by a system that refuses to let them out. We are treated as if our lives are a “nice, comfortable jail cell.” We don’t realize that the door is a cell door until it gets slammed in our faces—and by then, it’s too late to get out.

    RFK Jr.’s comments about dating are a prime example of the dehumanization we face. Just because someone may be non-verbal or have different physical needs does not mean they are unable to consent to or enjoy a loving, caring relationship. There are plenty of non-verbal individuals who have had rich, complex romantic lives—some of them having had more sexual encounters than I will ever have!

    Society often measures our value by our productivity—by whether we pay taxes or hold a traditional job. With the new “Home and Community Based services HCBS” cuts coming to the nation in October 2026, many of us will be forced to choose between our health insurance and our ability to work.

    We are forced to disclose our limitations and decide: Do we stay in poverty to keep our benefits, or do we risk it to earn a little bit of money? It is these societal norms that are damaging us, not our wants or our wills. We want to work—we want to work harder than most other Americans. We just need the real opportunities to do so.

    Quotes like these don’t help anyone; they just hurt. If you want to help someone with a disability, don’t look for what you think they “can’t” do. Make them stronger, and they will make you better.

    Don’t be afraid of us. Thrive with us. Push us. Educate us—because we can educate you in the same way. Together, we can learn from each other. That is what a good society does. That is what a good America does.

    Keep on rolling, keep on living.

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  • The College year

    The College year

    Podcast Episode

    Welcome back to The Advocacy Life Podcast with your host, Kevin Nunez. In this eagerly anticipated and emotionally challenging episode, Kevin tackles a question he receives more often than he can count: Why didn’t you finish college?

    ​The short answer is that it’s a long answer. Join Kevin for a fun, conversational, yet deeply candid reflection on what it was actually like transitioning out of high school as a young man with Cerebral Palsy in the mid-2000s. He dives deep into the realities of navigating a “burden complex,” dealing with extreme transportation barriers, outgrowing a 15-year family housing situation, and hitting systemic red tape across three different higher education institutions.

    ​Ultimately, this episode is about perspective. Kevin shares how missing out on the traditional college experience became a blessing in disguise, leading him to serve on national advocacy boards, visit the White House twice, and become the exact resource leader legislators call on today. If you’ve ever felt stuck, defeated by circumstances, or forced out of your comfort zone, this episode will remind you that your platform is exactly where you stand.

    ​Key Takeaways:

    • ​Understanding the emotional toll of the “burden complex” on disabled youth.
    • ​The reality of bureaucratic barriers in state vocational rehab and college credit transfers in the early 2000s.
    • ​Why “not going to college” became a vehicle for a historic advocacy career.
    • ​A look into Kevin’s upcoming national initiatives with TASH and the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities

    Episode Transcript

    TAL S4 E12 The College YearDownload

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  • Future Love

    Future Love

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  • Barriers to the Ballot

    Barriers to the Ballot

    A Community Blog

    While the integrity of our elections is a goal we can all respect, it should never come at the cost of disenfranchising a significant portion of our population. The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act (H.R. 8281) creates functional barriers that strike at the heart of our democratic principles: the idea that every voice—and every vote—matters.

    For many in the disability community, the SAVE Act introduces “limbo” in the form of administrative The Act requires documentary proof of citizenship (like a passport or birth certificate) to register to vote. Millions of Americans lack these documents readily at hand, and for those with mobility or transportation challenges, the process of obtaining them can be nearly impossible.including

    the AAPD, have noted that these requirements disproportionately impact people with disabilities, students, and low-income individuals who may not have the means to navigate complex bureaucratic systems.

    By adding these layers, the Act undermines the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), which was designed to make it easier—not harder—for all citizens to participate in their government.Excluding a population from the polls is against the very spirit of our nation. True election integrity comes from ensuring that every eligible citizen, regardless of their physical or cognitive ability, has a clear path to the ballot box.

    More information here

    AAPD Response to the SAVE Act Center for Public Representation: The SAVE Act Will Harm People with Disabilities

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  • Pitfalls

    Pitfalls

    Podcast Episode

    As summer approaches, host Kevin Nunez marks a major milestone—his 20th high school reunion. Looking back at his time as a young man with a visible disability navigating a mainstream public school of 2,700 students, Kevin reflects on the literal and metaphorical pitfalls he fell into.From accidentally steering his wheelchair into a bush to avoid crowded school hallways, to facing down an intimidating intake officer at the Social Security office at age 18, Kevin shares the raw, unvarnished realities of growing up disabled. He breaks down why we need to move past “inspiration porn” on social media and focus on genuine peer mentoring, building thick skin, and embracing failures as catalysts for major success (like getting a standing ovation at his high school talent show!).This episode is a must-listen for disabled youth (ages 18–25), parents, transition coordinators, and anyone ready to look past the stereotypes and bridge the gaps together.”Disability and death are the only two strategies in life. There is a misconception in our world that disability will not affect anyone, when the fact is, it affects all of us.” — Kevin Nunez

    Episode Transcript

    TAL S4 E11 PitfallsDownload

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  • Dignity V. Grief

    Dignity V. Grief

    Missing two weeks of blogging and podcasting is never ideal, but I am officially back, and new content is on the way.

    An article from Disability Scoop regarding a flag flown at the US Capitol to honor a 22-year-old who tragically died at a day program hits incredibly close to home. I spent over 10 years attending a series of disability day programs. Because I have the physical ability to speak clearly, I would often find myself stepping up to be the voice for my peers who were non-verbal. When tragedies like this happen, lawmakers rush to find legislative fixes, but we need to talk about what actually works.I

    I strongly agree that more oversight is needed to protect vulnerable individuals, and we absolutely need higher standards in training our staff. However, some of the specific legislation being proposed—like mandating surveillance cameras everywhere—is deeply flawed. Cameras and surveillance systems cannot prevent tragedies.

    Not all individuals are the same, and blanketing communal spaces with constant surveillance will deny us our dignity and privacy without due process. This article hits home on a painfully personal level. During my time in the system, I attended far too many funerals for my fellow brothers and sisters from day programs and group home settings. Tragically, sometimes there is no one there at those services besides the other residents.During

    During the pandemic in 2020, so many of these individuals passed away in isolation. To the general public, they weren’t seen as people with lives, stories, and friends—they were just numbers going up on a screen.We

    We must do better to honor their lives, protect their privacy, and raise the standards of the care they receive.

    sources:

    https://share.google/EQgO4hdQdOFVkCjoT

  • A Message for RFK

    A Message for RFK

    Podcast Episode

    In this powerful episode of The Advocacy Life, Kevin G. Nunez addresses recent alarming statements made by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., regarding Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS). Kevin breaks down why the suggestion to eliminate pay for family caregivers is not only dangerous but a step toward “building smaller prisons” instead of true community inclusion.

    In this episode, we discuss:

    • The Reality of Care: Kevin shares his personal experience living with Cerebral Palsy, requiring total care, and the necessity of support for daily living.
    • A History Lesson: Remembering how RFK’s own father exposed the “snake pits” of institutions like Willowbrook in 1975.
    • The Economic Argument: Why HCBS is more cost-effective for society than institutionalization.
    • Human Rights over Fraud Prevention: Why punishing millions of families to catch “waste” is a “short-sighted” policy that robs Americans of their right to dream.

    “Don’t lock the doors from the inside. Everyone deserves the chance to walk through.

    Show Notes

    RFK Jr. Takes Issue With Medicaid Paying Family Caregivers

    Transcript

    TAL S4 E10 A Message for RFKDownload
  • Running for office?

    Running for office?

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