Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
CMCL Interview: Travis Davis
12 Plays4 days ago
In this episode of Changing Minds, Changing Lives, host Julie Sowash sits down with Travis Davis, a speaker, entrepreneur, and disability advocate living with cerebral palsy. Travis shares his journey of advocating for disabilities, from his college days to becoming a TEDx speaker and host of the podcast *Off the Crutch*.
Travis discusses the motivation behind his brand, which aims to help others overcome their mental “crutches,” and his involvement with the Rush Bowls franchise, designed to create job opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Join us for this inspiring conversation that highlights the importance of inclusivity and self-advocacy. Tune in to be empowered and informed!
Changing Minds & Changing Lives is produced by Disability Solutions, a nonprofit consulting firm and job board that partners with global brands to drive inclusive hiring and disability-inclusive talent strategies.
Notes:
Travis Davis is a two-time TEDx speaker and communications consultant who helps mission-driven teams create inclusive and accessible communication strategies. With a background in education, marketing, and ADA coordination, his perspective is influenced by his experience with cerebral palsy. Travis focuses on fostering human-centered environments where everyone can thrive and has helped launch businesses that employ individuals with disabilities, served on workforce development panels, and led disability awareness training.
TEDx Talks:
- Incluse Me: Social Inclusion in Education | Travis Davis | TEDxABQED
- How My Crutch Became My Strength | Travis Davis | TEDxSouth Congress
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction of Hosts and Guests
00:00:06
Speaker
Hi, welcome back to the Changing Minds, Changing Lives podcast. My name is Julie Sowash. I am the strategic advisor and founder of Disability Solutions, also the CEO of Catch-22 Group.
00:00:20
Speaker
And I am so excited to be here yet again with you all. If you didn't catch some of our latest interviews, ah Holly O'Hearn, as usual, blew up the house with her conversation with me on morning and has gotten such amazing feedback on LinkedIn and our on our socials. I highly ah recommend you connect with Holly and also check out that episode.
00:00:43
Speaker
We also just had David Price from the CEO Commission for Disability Employment join us. That was a fantastic conversation.
Travis Davis's Journey with Disability
00:00:51
Speaker
And not to be outdone, we're going to have another one of those fantastic conversations today ah with today's guest, Travis Davis.
00:01:00
Speaker
um Travis is a speaker, entrepreneur, and disability advocate. ah He has a passion for creating inclusive environments. He was born with cerebral palsy. has a BA in English and a master's in adapted physical education. i want to know how we went from English to the adaptive physical education and he also has an ADA certificate or he's an ADA coordinated, lord wo try that again.
00:01:25
Speaker
And he is also ADA coordinator certified. So welcome to Changing Minds, Changing Lives. Travis, ah tell us a little bit about you. Yeah, thank you so much for having me, Julie. So I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
00:01:43
Speaker
I, as you mentioned, i live with cerebral palsy and I've just been advocating for people with disabilities since college when i was in Southern California and got my undergrad in English and i just have really fond memories of connecting with my peers that wanted to help raise awareness of individuals on campus who have disabilities.
00:02:15
Speaker
And just from that moment, everything just snowballed and I continued to and do that same work when I moved back here in Albuquerque.
00:02:28
Speaker
And i've I've done two TEDx talks. One most recently was so last month in Austin, Texas. And I'm just really grateful for opportunities and people like you who bring me onto platforms to share my message and you know talk about the important things regarding disabilities and helping people change their minds about people with disabilities.
Birth of the Podcast 'Off the Crutch' and Brand Expansion
00:02:56
Speaker
so Amazing. So you you kind of stole a little bit of my future thunder. I mean, you are the TEDx speaker, but I do also want to say, you know, you have your own podcast called yes Off the Crutch.
00:03:09
Speaker
You do a ton of speaking. You own a Rush Bulls franchise. You do just and incredible work. And so tell me about the the brand off the crutch. I love the name um and how you got to that place where a podcast and this brand made sense for your life.
00:03:29
Speaker
Sure. So I started the podcast about five years ago and it was right around when the pandemic was starting. And I was just, it was out of boredom, but also out of my interest in audio recording. I've done that since I was like 18, 19 years old. And so this wasn't kind new territory.
00:03:53
Speaker
um Back then I was using more like hardware and now everything's gone digital. So that's kind of how long the, ah I've been kind of going at it. And so originally I was like, well, what if I call it off the cuff?
00:04:09
Speaker
um Because my forum crutches have the cuff and I'm like, well, what about just like off the crutch? And so that was just how it came to be.
00:04:21
Speaker
And then I started interviewing people in ah just my friend group, because I think when you're starting out with a podcast, like I didn't know what I was doing in terms of getting the word out there about who I was. i'm like, well, maybe people should listen to see, like get to hear about me.
00:04:40
Speaker
And then it started to escalate to people on my LinkedIn network, and it just grew out of that. And then see, I'd say it's been about a year, year and a half where I really thought about expanding off the crutch from the podcast to do more of like coaching and consulting and helping people or organizations get off their quote unquote crutches, how we have, you know,
00:05:11
Speaker
We all may not have physical crutches like I do, but we all have like mental crutches that prevent us from getting to point A to point B. And so, um, that's kind of how that came to be. And so now I'm trying to make that brand, um, not just about me, but helping other people.
00:05:33
Speaker
and it was just really. The pieces fell into place last month when I was writing my TEDx talk and to be able to share that message that coincides with my podcast, um it just happened to work out because that wasn't the original angle that I was going with my talk.
00:05:57
Speaker
Okay. So you have the podcast and then you have the TEDx talks. Tell me about the um the Rush Bowls franchise and what that is.
00:06:09
Speaker
Yeah.
Advocacy in Employment and Experiences of Bias
00:06:10
Speaker
So the Rush Bowls franchise started last well, about two years ago, two of my friends came to me. and So they actually are the owners of um the franchise. They have a four-year-old daughter with Down syndrome and they came to me because they saw a need to provide more, um, employment opportunities for people with disabilities that just go beyond maybe the stereotypical, uh, jobs that you see.
00:06:42
Speaker
And they just see their daughter as you being able to do anything that anybody can. And that's what they see with, um,
00:06:54
Speaker
people with other and disabilities. And so when they approached me, I was open to the idea and you know I was the go-between between the my friends, the owners, and the contractor and and all the people up until it opened up last year.
00:07:14
Speaker
and them i I departed and then just decided to focus on my own thing with the podcast and the brand and and all of that. just...
00:07:27
Speaker
i ah just the you know The franchise, one of the unique things about it is it goes um beyond just what the minimum required requirements are for ADA. eight And I think that was one of the reasons that they brought me on because of my ADA certification and just my lived experience with a disability.
00:07:54
Speaker
think they wanted that perspective. So I'm really grateful for both of them for bringing me in and learning how to open up a business because it's really hard work.
00:08:06
Speaker
And, you know, I got to do some of the hiring and put together some of the, the I'd say,
00:08:18
Speaker
ways in which the staff can feel most comfortable around people, like they're um their peers with disabilities, which sounds like so weird to have to create like cards or anything of that nature, ah because it should just be like common sense. Like everybody should just be, you know, kind to everybody and have that knowledge, but you know, we don't,
00:08:46
Speaker
I guess we don't live in a common sense world or we don't live in this ideal world that I think about it in in my head. So, which is good in the sense that there's always going to be education for people like you and people like me to um educate people.
00:09:05
Speaker
other people around employment and in those things. so um Quote of the podcast, we don't live in a common sense world. you yeah like We can wrap up now because that's it.
00:09:18
Speaker
But it is. and it's It's important because people don't have our lived experiences. And i think sometimes they are cruel out of Ignorance, and that's not an excuse, but it's an avoidance tactic. And anytime we get the opportunity to educate and help someone understand just, I hate the word normalization, but I still say it all the time, the normalization of having people with different lived experiences all around us.
00:09:49
Speaker
It is so impactful, not just for the people who are participating, but I assume also impactful for your soul as well, like it is mine. um And so when I was prepping for for the interview, I was talking to Ashley, our director of marketing, who you have been chatting with.
00:10:07
Speaker
And she said, I have to ask you about your interview story.
00:10:13
Speaker
Oh, yes. Oh, yes. i had ah um I had to think about that for a second. Yeah. um So last year, i applied for a job at this organization. And I'm going to be very delicate about how I describe the the situation out of respect for them. But yeah.
00:10:39
Speaker
So I up applied to this organization and,
00:10:47
Speaker
you know, I've become pretty jaded about applying for jobs. And I think part of that is just because of the experience that people with disabilities go through.
00:11:01
Speaker
Now, it's just not isolated to ah the people with disabilities. It's, you know, everybody goes through, you know, crappy interviews. But um I think it's heightened because of just living with a disability. So um I go to this interview and they were using this AI tool to record and rate the interview. so
00:11:34
Speaker
You know, I had to click on a button to consent to be an interview, being used that, using that tool. And was like, yeah, whatever. So no problem. So I get on and, you know, I didn't have my my best interview. It was like a 15 minute like screening. And actually knew somebody that was on the the panel of four.
00:11:59
Speaker
And so... so Yeah, I mean, i didn't have the best interview. i own it. um But afterwards, um about two hours later, i get an email saying, oh, your report is ready.
00:12:17
Speaker
And so I'm like, okay, so like i click it and ah open it up and it has our interview and it has what, you know, how I was rated, you know, whatever.
00:12:29
Speaker
but it also had everything they said about me afterwards. Stop. Are you serious? Yes. Oh God. Okay.
00:12:39
Speaker
Go on.
00:12:44
Speaker
Now, ah i
00:12:50
Speaker
I was so curious and some of the comments that they had made was about know my poor interview and you know why I might have interviewed the way that I did.
00:13:08
Speaker
Somebody had mentioned like, well, you know i know people with disabilities have to sometimes interview to stay with their benefits and Yeah. He's like, yeah. And I think he's in a wheelchair. Like I'm laughing about it because it is so, um,
00:13:31
Speaker
yeah, it's just so unbelievable now to hear it back again, almost a year later. um Yeah. And so, and then the person that I knew who was on the call was like, well, you know, it's like too bad that we only have this to judge and about it. And so, so yeah, I'm like, I watch it and then I'm like dumbfounded.
00:14:02
Speaker
now now see
00:14:06
Speaker
I went to ah dinner and wasn't really upset at the time. it was more like, well, no, I want a second chance.
00:14:20
Speaker
So I found all their email addresses. And I emailed them and I wrote like a long, i don't know if this could be on video, but I wrote a long email back to like refute some of the things that they were saying, right?
00:14:36
Speaker
And I was like, you know, if you give me a second chance, I, you know, it like wouldn't happen again. Now, I shouldn't have taken that approach. I should have like went scorched earth on them and been like, but but I didn't because again, i think when you have a disability and you, well, I'm generalizing, but you're not necessarily in a position of power, right? And especially when you're even applying for a job, you're not in a position of power. So um I was taking more of a desperate stance, which in retrospect, I shouldn't have.
00:15:20
Speaker
So emailed them, nothing happens. Five days later, ah the person that was in the interview that I knew emailed me back. It was like, hey, Travis, thanks for reaching out Congratulations.
00:15:36
Speaker
You've made it to the second round.
00:15:41
Speaker
Now, on. go go on so
00:15:49
Speaker
So that didn't make sense because they were talking about how they only had the interview to go off of. And so I'm like, well, they're just covering themselves. And so I declined.
00:16:04
Speaker
Now, after a couple conversations with my retired, um, ah lawyer, special education lawyer, she advised me to continue and pursue this.
00:16:19
Speaker
And so i called that organization's um
00:16:26
Speaker
HR department. to let them know about it. And the lady's response was, went something like this.
00:16:39
Speaker
um She's like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry you know if that happened to you. you know It's a bummer when ten technology doesn't work the way that we want it to.
00:16:51
Speaker
Yeah, that's what it was. So I'm like, okay, so she didn't acknowledge the fact that this like happened and your employees were, well, I received the feedback after the fact and the things that they said about me.
00:17:14
Speaker
so i It's like, okay, I need to take a different approach because I'm not getting the answers that I want. So i go and um I track down the person that is overseas that department, which so like ironically, that person that I tracked down was also in the interview that I had the year prior.
00:17:43
Speaker
So I had interviewed with her for a different role, but she had switched roles to become the head of the department that I had that I was interviewing for. So it's not like she didn't know who I was. So I tracked her down and we had a good conversation on the phone.
00:18:02
Speaker
And then um
00:18:07
Speaker
we landed up having a ah Zoom chat with her and the head of HR. And at that point, I took a different approach
00:18:19
Speaker
Instead of like, I'm going to sue you, can you help understand can communicate
00:18:27
Speaker
understand
00:18:30
Speaker
how i can communicate this type of situation to other people in HR so other people like me don't have to go through that. So basically it was like using them to help me help other people versus I'm going to put you on blast on the news and you know you're not going to like me and I'll be excommunicated from that organization. so You know, I took a different approach than i think many people would.
00:19:02
Speaker
um That's just like my nature. But i think at that point, that was like the turning point to me of, yeah, I'm going to do my own thing and i'm I'm going to show, you know,
00:19:22
Speaker
those people and and other people that doubt me or have these perceptions that like they're wrong. Yeah, yeah. I mean, a I find it, there's so much running through my head right now that I could say. And one, you are a better human than I am because scorched earth was the only thing i was thinking at first.
00:19:47
Speaker
So good for you. um Two, I can't believe that only happened a year ago. And that to me, I'm like, oh, this is probably like 2018, 2017. You know, it it was no, no, no, it wasn't.
00:20:02
Speaker
um Which tells us how far we still have to go. And, you know, also, you know...
00:20:13
Speaker
why What kind of culture is this organization, right? What what kind of business um environment would you potentially have been working in if you had gone forward, if you had gotten hired, if you'd done those things, if if the...
00:20:31
Speaker
Room where it happens, the you know, behind closed doors, people are open to speaking with each other in that way. um you know, that what do you think that says, I guess, about the the organization itself and the culture that they've built?
00:20:48
Speaker
It's, um, it's very sad. Um, again, I'm being very kind to them right now by not sharing more about who they are, even though it's been a year and, um, I i don't have ill will. Um, I think definitely, uh, they gave me content.
00:21:12
Speaker
Um, and um and Yeah, I could have really lit the match. And um because I am, wouldn't say that I'm like a prominent figure in my in my community, but i people know who I am and I could use my platform to really um like, I don't know, take them down. It's not like, that's like extreme, but yeah. But it's, yeah that was the other thing. It's like, well, if I got this job, do I really want to be around people that already have those thoughts?
00:21:52
Speaker
And it's just, know and then i think educating other businesses around it is like you know that's like the thing and and now
00:22:09
Speaker
as i learned or like lean into well learn more about myself and leaned into this idea of getting off the crutch um i think there's like this full circle moment about the biases and things that hold us back. And it's like, well, that's like the perfect perfect example.
00:22:29
Speaker
um and again, like throughout the process, I ah even admitted in the email, like I didn't have the best interview. So like I own it. i don't I didn't go in there thinking I was gonna just like light the world on fire in the interview. So it's it's not, I tend to be pretty self-aware, but Yeah, it was a pretty ah pretty crazy time. Yeah.
00:22:58
Speaker
And I mean, in my you know my takeaway, and this is something that we hear so often in our community is that people with disabilities are more likely to go open their own businesses because of the way that they've been treated by organizations, by hiring managers, by, you know, people in their lives that would otherwise greatly benefit from the talent that they bring to the table. So not only did these people make absolute fools of themselves, they they showed,
00:23:34
Speaker
their own bias, but they also lost now someone who's a business owner, who has a platform, who has a brand, who's done not one, but two TEDx talks.
00:23:46
Speaker
And had they been able to see beyond the fact that you might use a wheelchair or you might X, Y, z um What an asset you could have been to that organization. and And I think that this is just such a profound example of how our biases lead us down the the the road that we're on and and make us lead us to make decisions that impact other people, especially around employment so dramatically.
00:24:23
Speaker
and have absolutely no idea of the impact, both good and bad, that they have on people. And it's not just people with disabilities. Like you said, getting a job is hard, and everybody's been through a crappy interview.
00:24:38
Speaker
But then to... add to your crappy interview, then this extra layer of biases is really impactful. and you know I hope that if if you don't mind, I would love for you to talk about the the TEDx talk with the the crutch, the C-R-U-T-C-H, and how you know you turn something that could be perceived as negative into something that now is
CRUTCH Framework and Advocacy Advice
00:25:09
Speaker
your brand.
00:25:09
Speaker
it It is who you are. It always has been who you are, but you take it to that next level and you show people how to get off the crutch. Sure. Yeah. So, know, it's just really interesting growing up with forearm crutches and ah can't believe it took me this long to think about what those symbolizes, like that what they symbolize for me, and what they could symbolize for other people.
00:25:43
Speaker
And i just thought, because I've been in therapy for like, 10 years now. And so I'm really big on self improvements and trying to look at the blind spots and all the things that
00:26:02
Speaker
I've dealt with and deal with. And so coming up with this crutch framework, I think it, I put it in action as somebody who has been creative, been resilient, have understanding with other people.
00:26:27
Speaker
um you know i think a big part as you watch the talk was my journey to Austin, Texas that I took like six trips. And I'm going to be going back there if I'm not fully moved.
00:26:41
Speaker
I'll be going back there in September. So that'll make it seven trips. So, you know, I had a lot of trust in going into a place that I had never visited before.
00:26:53
Speaker
and you know having the confidence and then having the heart to do it. And that's the the crux of, well, that is the framework.
00:27:04
Speaker
And I believe that if organizations and people can see the creativity, resilience, understanding, trust, confidence, and heart, that they could be better humans. I think we're not, there's not a finite, perfect human.
00:27:33
Speaker
So we're all gonna strive, we're all hopefully, not everybody strives to be better. um But I think that framework can be a tool.
00:27:43
Speaker
And, you know, I filter, some so Sometimes I filter some ideas through like my my therapist and she really liked the this framework and the fact that it's like strength-based. And so um I tend to get feedback from people that I trust. And then if, if there's like a handful that are like, oh yeah, this is great. Then i' was like, oh, okay. Then I think I have something, but I think at the end of the day, it has to come from the person of, of that confidence. I'm like, yeah.
00:28:21
Speaker
And I think I took that first a step in creating the product podcast. And i think, you know, I was born with a hole in my heart and, know, doctors didn't think that I was going to um make it. And incorporating that into my talk and the heart was like, yeah, I, you know, there is this of um
00:28:52
Speaker
sense of we can really do whatever we can, you know, whatever we put our minds to, if we lead with heart, put our egos aside, um and just, you know, help one another.
00:29:11
Speaker
Yeah. And I think that is too often lost in business, of course, but in talent acquisition and human resources, we we need more transparency, provide the ability to trust, and and certainly don't see often enough um people in our world leading with their heart.
00:29:35
Speaker
So amazing. and And I really appreciated the ah transparency that you've had here, um but also in your your TED Talk, it's sometimes really easy to hold that part of your story back, I think.
00:29:52
Speaker
um And it's really powerful when people who do have a platform trust their audience enough to share some of the the most intimate details of of our existence.
00:30:07
Speaker
um And so with that, A couple of questions ah that I always love to wrap this show with. um If you could tell an employer, maybe someone you interviewed with, um one thing to change their mind about bringing talent with disability into their organization, what would you tell them?
00:30:28
Speaker
Well, um I want to give you some recent news that I received. so So I recently got selected to speak at another event in Austin and it's for this conference called Disrupt HR.
00:30:46
Speaker
I don't know you've heard of Disrupt HR. So um I will be talking about what's happening why companies should hire people with disabilities and the strengths that they have.
00:31:01
Speaker
And if you are not um looking at them as a potential employee, then you're leaving really valuable people um on the table. So I would tell them to ah watch my talk when i give it in September.
00:31:23
Speaker
ah but And it just, it just, it's so interesting because of what happened last year. And now I'm going to be having a platform about HR.
00:31:37
Speaker
So, um but I think if I could give um some advice, it would just to be to listen, to listen and to understand who the person that you're interviewing is and really think about, okay, how can we make this experience the best for that individual?
00:32:08
Speaker
So they have every tool that they can to succeed in the interview, not Not give them the job because they have a disability, but how can we set that person up for success?
00:32:26
Speaker
Because that starts, like, that's the first impression. As I've shared, that organization was not kind to me, and that was only the interview.
00:32:43
Speaker
So if we can have more empathy in our interviews and lead with the same level of respect that you would like an able-bodied individual, then that's ah that's a good start.
00:32:59
Speaker
Yeah, and I think it's the bare minimum that that we should expect from from the professionals in our world. And we obviously still have some way to go. So one other question.
Acknowledgments and Connections
00:33:11
Speaker
What is one thing that someone did for you that changed your life?
00:33:19
Speaker
maybe Maybe the same person. Yeah.
00:33:24
Speaker
um
00:33:29
Speaker
I mean, there's a lot of people. And I think, I mean, I think the cliche, maybe not cliche. I don't know. Again, I'm generalizing because I've had a ah really great experience.
00:33:42
Speaker
upbringing with my family, my parents. I mean, think my go-to answer could be my parents, but I think I would say like the doctors that didn't stop operating on me when I was born because they like literally saved my life.
00:34:03
Speaker
And without them, because doctors had stopped operating on me. So without the other doctors, um then I wouldn't be here.
00:34:14
Speaker
And pitch just, I feel like I am playing with like house money every day because i you they fixed the hole in my heart, but I have cerebral palsy and living with a disability daily is difficult on top of having a difficult life as a human. And, but yeah, doctors.
00:34:41
Speaker
Yeah. those doctors are now helping you change lives for people who need and want to get to work and who deserve a better experience. So thank you so much.
00:34:53
Speaker
This has been so fun. I love hearing stories. You are very good at telling the stories. Tell me how or tell our audience because we're already connected. But how do people find you um and how do they get a hold of you?
00:35:10
Speaker
Sure. So they can follow me on Instagram, Travis M. Davis. That's also the handle for Facebook, also the handle for LinkedIn.
00:35:23
Speaker
They can go to offthecrutch.com. That is also the name of the podcast. They can go to travisdavis.net and they can get a hold of me either way.
00:35:38
Speaker
Great. So we will, in the show notes, we will put your original TED Talk and please share your next two now, new TED Talk and Disrupt HR ah with Ashley and I so we can also share them with our network.
00:35:53
Speaker
um Travis, thank you so much for joining us. This has been an amazing conversation. Everyone, this is another episode of Changing Minds, Changing Lives. so We hope we'll ah catch you again here in a few days. Thanks.
00:36:12
Speaker
you