We are inviting artists with disabilities to be guest hosts for the Able Voices podcast. Today, our guest host is Tony Memmel.

Tony Memmel is a singer, songwriter, speaker, and teacher with unique charisma and creativity. Though he was born with one hand, he taught himself to play the guitar professionally by building a special cast that he designed out of guerrilla tape. He has toured toured 47 of the 50 states, 25 countries, and has worked with 16 countries, virtually sharing his music and his message of hard work, determination, and resilience. His work ranges from visiting schools, hospitals, and churches, to writing and arranging music for children, composing symphonies, performing in historic concert venues, and helping people with hand and limb differences, like his, to develop their adaptive methods that allow them to make music part of their lives. Today, Tony will be speaking to Rion Page.

Dr. Deborah “Deb” Amend is an assistant professor of special education at Northern Kentucky University, a pianist, and a passionate advocate for adaptive music education. Inspired by raising three daughters who learned instruments through creative adaptations, she co-founded the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp with violinist Jennifer Petry nearly 15 years ago. What began as a small initiative has grown into the Cincinnati Adaptive Music and Arts Camp, offering inclusive programs in music and visual arts, supported by custom adaptive instruments and tools. Dr. Amend’s work focuses on developing practical teaching methods and training educators to create more inclusive, disability-informed environments, with the goal of helping all students access and participate fully in the arts.



Follow Tony on Social Media:

Website: https://www.tonymemmel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonymemmel/



Learn more about the Cincinnati Adaptive Music Camp:

https://theadaptiveartsandmusicproject.org/caamc-2026/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:

Instagram: @BIAAE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 95: Dr. Deborah “Deb” Amend

We are inviting artists with disabilities to be guest hosts for the Able Voices podcast. Today, our guest host is Tony Memmel.

Tony Memmel is a singer, songwriter, speaker, and teacher with unique charisma and creativity. Though he was born with one hand, he taught himself to play the guitar professionally by building a special cast that he designed out of guerrilla tape. He has toured toured 47 of the 50 states, 25 countries, and has worked with 16 countries, virtually sharing his music and his message of hard work, determination, and resilience. His work ranges from visiting schools, hospitals, and churches, to writing and arranging music for children, composing symphonies, performing in historic concert venues, and helping people with hand and limb differences, like his, to develop their adaptive methods that allow them to make music part of their lives. Today, Tony will be speaking to Rion Page.

Rion Paige Thompson is an American country singer from Jacksonville, Florida who finished in 5th place on season 3 of the X Factor USA. She was a part of the Girls catagory, mentored by Demi Lovato. Rion, who has a rare condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita which has caused permanent damage to her arms, resulting in her hands being in a fixed bent position.

Follow Tony on Social Media:

Website: https://www.tonymemmel.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonymemmel/

Follow Rion Page on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohrionpaige/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ohrionpaige/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:
Instagram: @BIAAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 94: Rion Paige

We are inviting artists with disabilities to be guest hosts for the Able Voices podcast. Today, you'll meet our next guest host, Tony Memmel. Tony Memmel is a singer, songwriter, speaker, and teacher with unique charisma and creativity. Though he was born with one hand, he taught himself to play the guitar professionally by building a special cast that he designed out of guerrilla tape. He has toured toured 47 of the 50 states, 25 countries, and has worked with 16 countries, virtually sharing his music and his message of hard work, determination, and resilience. His work ranges from visiting schools, hospitals, and churches, to writing and arranging music for children, composing symphonies, performing in historic concert venues, and helping people with hand and limb differences, like his, to develop their adaptive methods that allow them to make music part of their lives.

Follow Tony on Social Media:

Website: https://www.tonymemmel.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonymemmel/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:

Instagram: @BIAAE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices EP 93: Tony Memmel

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Carly "Car" Reigger.

Carly “Car” Riegger is a chronically ill and disabled artist, writer, curator, and advocate from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. They utilize porcelain and installation artworks to express inner feelings and narratives of disability. Riegger has organized several important exhibitions for artists with disabilities through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) including #CripClay in Cincinnati, OH in 2023, and Outpour in Detroit, MI in 2026. Riegger is also the recipient of the 2024 Midwest Artists with Disabilities Award. They hold an MA in Disability Studies from The City University of New York and are currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Riegger’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the arts communities work with artists with disabilities and how disability communities utilize art to express complex disabled ideas. Today, Car will be speaking to Amanda Barr. 

Amanda Barr is an artist, educator, and writer, and activist, currently working as an adjunct professor in Iowa, teaching ceramics and art history. In a former life, she was a Spanish professor. For an epileptic kid with HEDS and undiagnosed AuDHD who wasn't supposed to finish high school, she's done all right. Three master's degrees, shown own art around the world, lived on three continents, and published in two languages

Follow Car on Social Media:

Website: www.carlyriegger.com

Instagram: @carlyriegger 

Follow Amanda on Social Media:

Website:https://www.amandambarr.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amandambarr/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:

Instagram: @BIAAE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices  Ep 92: Amanda Barr

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Carly "Car" Reigger.

Carly “Car” Riegger is a chronically ill and disabled artist, writer, curator, and advocate from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. They utilize porcelain and installation artworks to express inner feelings and narratives of disability. Riegger has organized several important exhibitions for artists with disabilities through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) including #CripClay in Cincinnati, OH in 2023, and Outpour in Detroit, MI in 2026. Riegger is also the recipient of the 2024 Midwest Artists with Disabilities Award. They hold an MA in Disability Studies from The City University of New York and are currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Riegger’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the arts communities work with artists with disabilities and how disability communities utilize art to express complex disabled ideas. Today, Car will be speaking to Mollly Green.

Molly Green is a ceramic sculptor and art educator currently in the MFA program at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She received her Bachelors of Science in Art from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, in December 2023. While in Ohio, she taught ceramics at Queen City Clay in Cincinnati. Her practice ruminates on the context around acute and complex trauma, chronic illness and disability, and political social commentary.

Follow Car on Social Media:

Website: www.carlyriegger.com
Instagram: @carlyriegger

Follow Molly on Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mollygreenware/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:
Instagram: @BIAAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 91: Molly Green

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Carly "Car" Reigger.

"Carly “Car” Riegger is a chronically ill and disabled artist, writer, curator, and advocate from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. They utilize porcelain and installation artworks to express inner feelings and narratives of disability. Riegger has organized several important exhibitions for artists with disabilities through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) including #CripClay in Cincinnati, OH in 2023, and Outpour in Detroit, MI in 2026. Riegger is also the recipient of the 2024 Midwest Artists with Disabilities Award. They hold an MA in Disability Studies from The City University of New York and are currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Riegger’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the arts communities work with artists with disabilities and how disability communities utilize art to express complex disabled ideas. Today, Car will be speaking to Victoria "V" Walton.

V Walton is a Maryland-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. Walton creates sculpture, installation, and video work centered on Black embodiment and ecology. V draws from her own life: reflecting on the intersection of his identities, their chronic illness-disability,  and queerness. Their work illustrates the societal and interpersonal dynamics that build and break us down simultaneously, making multi-layered connections between clay[terra], nature, and the body. They are part time faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art.

Follow Car on Social Media:

Website: www.carlyriegger.com
Instagram: @carlyriegger

Follow V on Social Media:

Website: https://www.victoriawaltonstudio.com/
Instagram: @victoriawaltonstudio


The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:
Instagram: @BIAAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 90: V Walt

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host is Carly "Car" Reigger.

"Carly “Car” Riegger is a chronically ill and disabled artist, writer, curator, and advocate from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. They utilize porcelain and installation artworks to express inner feelings and narratives of disability. Riegger has organized several important exhibitions for artists with disabilities through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) including #CripClay in Cincinnati, OH in 2023, and Outpour in Detroit, MI in 2026. Riegger is also the recipient of the 2024 Midwest Artists with Disabilities Award. They hold an MA in Disability Studies from The City University of New York and are currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Riegger’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the arts communities work with artists with disabilities and how disability communities utilize art to express complex disabled ideas. Today, Car will be speaking to Sorrel Stone.

Sorrel Stone is a sculptor who grew up in Connecticut’s dairy farming region and currently lives between Toledo, Ohio, and Syracuse, New York. Their work engages with identity politics rooted in the colonization of land and bodies throughout the Americas. Currently a professor at the University of Toledo, Stone holds an MFA from Syracuse University and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Stone is a co-founder of the Trans Inclusive Ceramics Collective, an awardee of The Center for Craft's Teaching Artist Cohort and Grant, and a Regina Brown Fellow through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.Their work has been exhibited widely across North America, from the Archie Bray Foundation to Art Basel Miami. In 2024, Stone was a Yasha Young Sculpture Award Finalist for the Beautiful Bizarre Art Prize. They have been recognized as one of the "Top 20 Sculptors to Follow" by Art is My Career, and one of “12 Contemporary Ceramic Artists Breathing New Life Into an Age-Old Tradition” by Munchies Art Club Magazine.

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:
Instagram: @BIAAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 89: Sorrel Stone

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest, and our next guest host, is Carly Riegger.

Carly “Car” Riegger is a chronically ill and disabled artist, writer, curator, and advocate from Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. They utilize porcelain and installation artworks to express inner feelings and narratives of disability. Riegger has organized several important exhibitions for artists with disabilities through the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) including #CripClay in Cincinnati, OH in 2023, and Outpour in Detroit, MI in 2026. Riegger is also the recipient of the 2024 Midwest Artists with Disabilities Award. They hold an MA in Disability Studies from The City University of New York and are currently pursuing an MFA in Studio Art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Both Riegger’s artwork and career goals involve disability inclusion and rights. They are working to expand how the arts communities work with artists with disabilities and how disability communities utilize art to express complex disabled ideas.

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:

Instagram: @BIAAE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAEWe are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. 

ABLE Voices Ep 88: Carly "Car" Riegger

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host, is Tara Allen.

Tara Allen (she/her) identifies as a queer, neurodivergent, and disabled music psychologist, music educator, advocate, and bass clarinetist. She holds a BM in instrumental music education with concentrations in instrumental wind band and bass clarinet from the Crane School of Music (2021), and an MA in psychology of music from the University of Sheffield (2022). Her master’s thesis, “The Bees Are Too Loud!: ADHD’ers Sound Preferences as an Aid Daily Task Completion"" focused on how ADHD’ers used sound and/or music to help cope with completion of mundane tasks, and the combined social hardships. Her research areas of interest are: neurodivergence and music perception/cognition, learning, processing, behavior, and accessible music education. She has been advocating for neurodivergent and disabled musicians through a variety of platforms since 2020. She has a podcast, Breaking the Third Wall in Music, that invites disabled and/or neurodivergent musicians to discuss disability topics in the music scene. She has also spoken on the The Brave New Sound and Marching Arts Education. She has also given talks at universities, conferences, and organizations about neurodivergence. Lastly, she is a bass clarinetist and active performer in a variety of contemporary, classical, and popular music ensembles. Today, Tara will be speaking to Andrew Dell'Antonio.

Andrew Dell’Antonio is Distinguished Teaching Professor in, and Head of, the Musicology/Ethnomusicology Division of the Butler School of Music in the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin. He is Co-Editor with William Cheng of the series Music and Social Justice (University of Michigan Press). His collected edition Beyond Structural Listening? Postmodern Modes of Hearing and monograph Listening as Spiritual Practice in early Modern Italy are both published by University of California Press. He blogs at The Avid Listener and is co-author of The Enjoyment of Music, both from W W Norton. He has recently turned his focus to Universal Design for Learning and related approaches to anti-racism, anti-ableism, and intersectional equity / inclusion in higher education music.  His commitment to UDL comes partly from his personal experience of neurodivergence.

Follow Andrew online:
Website: https://www.adellantonio.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adellantonio/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:
Instagram: @BIAAE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 87: Andrew Dell'Antonio

We are inviting disabled artists and arts educators to be guests and guest hosts on ABLE Voices. Today's guest host, is Tara Allen.

Tara Allen (she/her) identifies as a queer, neurodivergent, and disabled music psychologist, music educator, advocate, and bass clarinetist. She holds a BM in instrumental music education with concentrations in instrumental wind band and bass clarinet from the Crane School of Music (2021), and an MA in psychology of music from the University of Sheffield (2022). Her master’s thesis, “The Bees Are Too Loud!: ADHD’ers Sound Preferences as an Aid Daily Task Completion"" focused on how ADHD’ers used sound and/or music to help cope with completion of mundane tasks, and the combined social hardships. Her research areas of interest are: neurodivergence and music perception/cognition, learning, processing, behavior, and accessible music education. She has been advocating for neurodivergent and disabled musicians through a variety of platforms since 2020. She has a podcast, Breaking the Third Wall in Music, that invites disabled and/or neurodivergent musicians to discuss disability topics in the music scene. She has also spoken on the The Brave New Sound and Marching Arts Education. She has also given talks at universities, conferences, and organizations about neurodivergence. Lastly, she is a bass clarinetist and active performer in a variety of contemporary, classical, and popular music ensembles. Today, Tara will be speaking to Andrew Wang.

Andrew Wang, also known as “Mr. Hip Hop” is an international speaker, music educator, and pioneer in exploring hip hop and neurodivergence in the 914 aka Westchester County, New York. Andrew is writing a memoir associated with hip hop and neurodivergence and has been an outspoken advocate for the transformative and therapeutic effects of using hip hop in the music education curriculum.

Follow Andrew online:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/misterwang2692/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/andrew.wang.594976/

The ABLE Voices podcast is produced and edited by BIAAE Operations Coordinator, Daniel Martinez del Campo. The introduction music was written by Kai Levin and the ending song was written by Sebastian Batista. Kai and Sebastian are students in the Arts Education Programs at the Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education.

For more information about our programs visit us at https://college.berklee.edu/BIAAE

Follow us for more weekly updates at:

Instagram: @BIAAE

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BIAAE

ABLE Voices Ep 86: Andrew Wang

ABLE Voices is a podcast featuring disabled artists and art educators.