Video Transcript

Eric Harris:
Hello, everyone. This is Eric Harris with Disability Rights California and The Game Plan. We are super excited. We are at our one-year anniversary with the show. And, in honor of that, we actually decided to flip the script and have me be the guest. And we had Andy Imparato, our CEO at Disability Rights California, as the person doing the interview. We had a really great time talking about a variety of topics. We talked about advocacy, talked a little bit about why we started, this podcast. And, we hope you all enjoy it. And we're just really grateful, and want to say thank you to everyone who's been tuning in, and sharing out our show. We really appreciate it. And we love all of the feedback. And any additional thoughts that folks have about how we can make this show better. But we really just wanted to thank everyone who has been tuning in to The Game Plan. We really, really appreciate it. And hope you all enjoy this wonderful episode with Andy.

[Upbeat hip hop music]

Andy Imparato:
Eric Harris, good to be here with you turning the tables. Now you get to be interviewed. I know I'm sweating bullets over here. This is, this is going to be great. We're at the one year anniversary of The Game Plan. What made you want to start a podcast?

Eric:
You know, I think the disability movement and Disability Rights California does so many great work. And California is the, in my opinion, you know, the kind of centerpiece for so much of what happens nationally, kind of the direction that the country ends. And we have such amazing people at DRC as staff. We have such amazing people that we're all connected with. I just thought it would be a lot of fun. It's different from what, what we do. Typically a lot of legal, free legal services, free policy work, community advocacy. But it's a little different. It kind of shines a light on that work, but also gets into some other issues that that we really enjoy and care about as well.

Andy:
So you do a decent amount of talking to the press as part of your job as the Associate Executive Director for External Affairs. Does being the host of a podcast make you a better guest?

Eric:
I think so, because I think about the questions a little bit differently. I have to be flexible, based on the responses that I get, I can't just, receive questions or think about questions and just go down a line of questions. I have to be really thoughtful about the direction that guests want to head. Want to go down, what we want as an organization in this case. So I think it all feeds into each other. And, and it's been a fun, just a fun journey, a fun experience.

Andy:
And why did you name it The Game Plan?

Eric:
So, as you know, and, a whole bunch of our, you know, listeners and participants know sports has always been, a big part of my life. And I view a game plan, or strategy as a really important part of sports, an important part of advocacy. It's been a fun kind of question to ask each, each guest what their game plan is for the rest of the year. And, it just gets people to think creatively and think like a coach or think think as if you were a player who's involved in, a competitive sport or in advocacy or just everyday life. So it's it's been a fun kind of part of, of the show naming it the game plan. And I think people have really kind of embraced it.

Andy:
So I remember, staying up late watching the gold medal game in the Paralympics, wheelchair basketball. I can't remember where they were. It might have been France, it might have been before that. Where were they before France?

Eric:
They were in Japan. Oh, yes! They were in Tokyo right? Yes.

Andy:
So I don't remember. Maybe it was Tokyo but you, I remember you had played against a lot of these players. So can you talk about your experience in wheelchair basketball?

Eric:
Yeah. So wheelchair basketball is, is really how I got involved in, in communal disability, like group, advocacy. I started playing the sport when I was in high school, playing in Berkeley. And our team happened to be really, really good. I mean, we they were already a really good team. And then I joined it along with, one of my other good friends. We turned out to be really good and one of the best high school teams in the country right away. So I got to travel all over the place, meet amazing players.

Andy:
And what what does it take to be really good at wheelchair basketball? Do you have to lift a lot of waist? You have to practice a lot? Like, what's involved?

Eric:
So I would say it's a combination of a lot of things. I would say that you have to know your body like that. I feel like in wheelchair sports, that's probably the number one thing to really know your body, know what you need in terms of, you know, strength training or know what you need in terms of your diet. Know what you need in terms of, of, just conditioning. And then I'd say that the skill sets are normally being able to have good hand-eye coordination. So pushing your chair, at catching a basketball, dribbling a basketball, those are kind of basic but helpful tools. And then everything else after that shooting you can practice and strength and conditioning all, you know you can practice. But some of the best early coaches that I had always had me thinking the game, that was always my best asset for many of the teams that I was on. It was was being able to think 1, 2, 3 steps ahead. And when you're on a team with a bunch of guys or people with disabilities, that would be a big part of it because it's different in some ways than able bodied basketball. The position of your chair, and you have to be really on top of not only your position of your chair, but your teammates. And...

Andy:
So is the thinking role kind of like a play caller?

Eric:
Yes, it's like a play caller and anticipation. So it's certainly a play caller in the sense of like knowing where you want to be and where your teammates should and will be, but also anticipating where the other players are going to be. I think all of that is really helpful.

Andy:
So were you kind of like a Magic Johnson?

Eric:
I would say so. I think that's a good kind of, initial, obviously, you know, Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, anybody who's in the same sentence. But but I would say so in terms of just like being able to read the game, know what should happen, know where players should be, and know where I should be. And of course, the interesting thing about adaptive sports, including wheelchair basketball, is your disability indicates a point system. There's a a point system from one up to 4.5. And depending on that point system, a lot of times your ability to do x, y, z, can dictate like how good you are, how...

Andy:
But but if you have a lot of points, that means you're less disabled. Is that right?

Eric:
Correct.

Andy:
So were you like a three and a half? Four?

Eric:
I was a three and a half. And it was funny. I was like bounced back and forth between a three and a half and a four. Most of the time I'd be a three and a half, though. And that's actually what my official, classification is. But I had to get used to playing with ones and some of the best ones and and their abilities. You just have to figure out what their best assets are in the games and how you can enhance their skill set, how they can enhance your skill set. And it would just be a fascinating kind of chess game, in addition to just kind of regular basketball.

Andy:
So I know one of the groups that connected you with the opportunity was Bay Area Outreach and Recreation Program, otherwise known as BORP. And they have an office in our Berkeley, Ed Roberts campus building. So we were neighbors with them.

Eric:
Yeah.

Andy:
Can you talk about your experience with BORP?

Eric:
Yeah. So BORP was a game changer for me. Life changing opportunity for me. They're based in Berkeley, as you said. I got to practice in Berkeley. They're the only, one of the only major sports programs for kids and adults with physical disabilities, in Northern California. And my dad found them online when I was a kid, after I had frustration, frustrating experiences with, able bodied sports for the first time in my life, BORP gave me an opportunity to meet other kids with disabilities, get coached, go on trips, go on camps.

Andy:
And you were doing all this while you lived in Sacramento?

Eric:
I did all this while living in Sacramento.

Andy:
So you had to schlep back and forth a lot?

Eric:
I took, I got very used to taking Amtrak. I took Amtrak at about the age of 14. My parents were like, if you really want to do this, we're happy to support you. But you got to figure out your way to get to and from. And I looked up the schedule in Amtrak. It's Saturday mornings. I had to wake up really early and get on the train and get out there. But it was by far the kind of most game changing, life changing experience that and decision, that I made because it led to, you know, disability advocacy and led to me competing at a high level in high school and college. It gave me opportunities to travel all over the world and meet a whole bunch of people. And so it was, it was a fabulous, experience.

Andy:
So I know growing up, you were exposed to a lot of political leaders, a lot of kind of high profile leaders through your parents. And my understanding is as a child, you went to the White House and obviously that wasn't the last time you went to the White House. But can you talk about your early brushes with politics through your father?

Eric:
Yeah. So, my parents, my dad in particular was, a staffer early on, before I, way before I was born in the state capitol, and built a career, and policy at the local level in Northern California, at the state level at the federal level. He worked for the commerce secretary during the Clinton administration, Ron Brown. And his commute, during many of the 90s, during the Clinton administration was from California to D.C. And there were times where as a family, we would go out to visit, and, I don't even remember, like, it happened and we were so young. I had to be, you know, under ten. I was in elementary school, but had opportunities to meet all types of leaders, and, and it was just the norm for us. We would have conversations with them. We would go to political events, fundraising events, learn from leaders like the former mayor of Oakland, Elihu Harris, the current mayor of Oakland, Barbara Lee, the former mayor of Sacramento, Kevin Johnson, and all types of incredible minds leaders. And we would, you know, kind of have personal relationships, not just talking strategy or not just talking about politics and policy, but also families and travel and growth and all of those things as well. So it was an amazing experience.

Andy:
So the first time that I had a chance to meet you, you were in D.C. doing an internship with the American Association of People with Disabilities. I had just left that organization, was working for Senator Harkin on the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. But can you talk about kind of how your perspective on disability rights law has evolved since you were an intern at AAPD?

Eric:
Yes. So when I first joined AAPD, it was my first real experience with cross disability work.

Andy:
So the BORP experience was more physical disability.

Eric:
It was physical disabilities. You know, of course I knew I knew people who were blind or I knew people who were deaf, but I didn't really understand the cross sections and really didn't understand some of the leaders in some of those spaces. It was my first real opportunity to get to know folks who were deaf and hard of hearing in a real, meaningful way and understand some of their experiences, get to know some people with mental health disabilities and really know their experiences. So ever since then, I have viewed disability advocacy as needing to be cross disability. That it is necessary. Of course it needs to be intersectional and of course it needs to be kind of, all encompassing. But the cross disability piece really began for me at AAPD. And then I learned meeting a whole bunch of folks during that process. Moving forward, other leaders in the disability movement, who also think cross disability. So that was a real kind of great experience for me, starting back, at AAPD and then moving all the way up to to now at DRC.

Andy:
You know, I think there are people in the intellectual and developmental disability community, people in the deaf community, other communities who might say cross disability approaches don't always speak to their needs. And I'm wondering if you can address kind of how you try to pay attention to the fact that it's hard to meet everybody's needs when you're taking a cross disability approach.

Eric:
Yeah. Yeah. So I think that the best thing we can do as advocates is to listen to and work with authentic leaders in that community. So the deaf and hard of hearing example, is helpful and has been really helpful for me, especially navigating deaf education. I, you know, before really meeting other deaf leaders and really working with them, I just assumed that as disabled people, we all want to be included in inclusive settings, and we don't want to be segregated at all and just operated with that as, as a thought, and it wasn't until I met other D/deaf leaders who said, actually, for us, Eric, we would appreciate, you know, for the educational purposes and for other purposes at times being, among other deaf folks so that we can communicate with each other. And I think when we take the time to, you know, really pay attention to what folks are saying, it makes a huge difference, not assuming that we know what all people with IDD want and all circumstances or or knowing what all deaf folks want in all circumstances, but actually paying attention to individual cases or paying attention to the leaders of those communities. And I think we're always learning like we should never go in thinking that, you know, we know all or that our way is the best way or the way that it's always been is the best way. So that's what's been most helpful when it comes to both of those.

Andy:
I think, you know, on the deaf education issue, there are deaf advocates who would say putting a deaf child in a classroom where they're the only deaf child is not inclusive,

Eric:
Right.

Andy:
and that they need to be able to use sign language and be able to sign with other people. So sometimes that's how we define inclusion and really understanding what's going to work for different people.

Eric:
And you know what's interesting about the like, it makes total sense because of course, as a Black student, I would never want to be forced into situations where I'm taken out of settings with all Black students or mostly Black students, or mostly students of color, and forced into schools with all white students. And I'm the only Black student, just because some like policy person or some other advocate says we want inclusivity. And I think, you know, it's been shown that students who are able to be in settings with other like-minded students or similarly experienced students can communicate with each other, feel more confident, all of those other things. So it makes total sense to me. And I could see it not only for deaf students or black students, but immigrant students or, students from certain communities like it just it makes a lot of sense when you really think about it.

Andy:
So, we are, recording this podcast at a time where there's some high profile sports events happening. What have you been following recently?

Eric:
I cannot stop watching the World Cup. I, I've always appreciated the World Cup and I really I'd say probably over the last 15 years or so. So last however many four World Cups or whatever it is, have really gotten into them where I'm not only following them during the four year period or during the every fourth year when the World Cup is around. But I actually enjoy waking up early on those weekends to watch European soccer, English Premier League and others. So international football is is really fun and interesting, and that's something I'm really paying a lot of attention to. This summer has been really great, though for sports fan because basketball was really exciting, especially for New Yorkers, because they got to celebrate, the New York Knicks winning a championship for the first time in most of our lifetimes. The tennis, like international tennis, has been fantastic. Of course, you know, baseball is still continuing. So sports has been just really fun interesting.

Andy:
And don't don't forget the ice skater from Oakland.

Eric:
The ice skater [Eric laughs] Yes, Alyssa Liu. She's fantastic. I actually, was in Oakland this past weekend and saw her mural. And and I think it's, it's in Oakland off of Telegraph. It's fantastic. But yes, she has been wonderful. And hopefully we can connect with her, from DRC's perspective because she's been very vocal and wonderful about her, her journey as a mental health leader as well.

Andy:
So we've got the Olympics and the Paralympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028. Yeah, I know there's mixed feelings in Los Angeles about what that's actually going to mean for the city, but I think if you take, you know, kind of a statewide perspective and think about the opportunities for people with disabilities around those games.

Eric:
Yeah.

Andy:
Kind of, what are you looking forward to?

Eric:
You know, I think that it is really exciting. There's going to be a lot of attention from all over the world on California. And we've seen examples where cities have taken advantage of that and have done really well, and we've seen examples where cities have not taken advantage of that. And it's turned out, unsuccessful, London being the best example of a city that was really prepared going in, really promoted the Paralympics, as a monumental global achievement and celebration. And followed up with great accessibility for folks who visit and folks who live in London and throughout England and the greater area. And so I see it as a real opportunity. I mean, of course, as you point out, there are plenty of, issues, concerns, how the City of Los Angeles addresses, homeless people in, the greater Los Angeles area, how they've been addressing, those folks and what they do from now until then.

Andy:
I think there's a lot of concerns about transportation accessibility, too. If we have a lot of disabled people coming from all over the world.

Eric:
Yeah.

Andy:
Are we ready to help them with accessible transportation? Get where they're going?

Eric:
Yeah, yeah. That's right. And I think that, that's going to be a real problem. You know, it's it's two years away. And we can try, you know, to limit the amount of travel in terms of, we being, you know the state of California or Los Angeles, it can try to limit the, distances that folks have to travel, but it's going to be really difficult because travel is really difficult in California and in Los Angeles specifically. And I've been fortunate enough to be all over the world and experience public transportation. Public transportation can be successful. It can be accessible, it can be available. And you just have to as a society or as a community, commit to it. And so far, I'd say we have some ways to go, but this should be viewed as an opportunity to really move that forward in a major way. So I'm hopeful that the right folks are in good positions to make good decisions. And, you know, we can we can have really high levels of accessible public transportation leading up to the games and then after the games as well.

Andy:
So we're in the middle of a gubernatorial race in California. We've had Gavin Newsom as our governor since before I started at DRC six and a half years ago. What's one thing you're hoping the next governor does on behalf of people with disabilities?

Eric:
I would say the the easiest thing is to just meet with us and talk to us and get to know us. I feel like the best leaders at all levels of government that I've seen have done that, and are willing to be criticized.

Andy:
Can you give an example of a leader you're excited about right now?

Eric:
So I would say that a leader that I'm really excited about, is Congresswoman Lateefah Simon. She has gone above and beyond and in my kind of time working with elected officials, of meeting with disabled people, giving direct access to herself and her staff, and also being held accountable, like if we've disagreed with her or if we've had issues with, you know, the way that she or her staff have expressed something, she has no problem kind of having a conversation about that.

Andy:
She's also prioritized hiring staff with disabilities.

Eric:
Yeah. That's right. And that that is really important as well. And it shows, it shows that it's a priority. It shows that the issue is a priority not just as a woman, a black woman with a disability, with lived experience, but also, she wants people who reach out to her office to feel comfortable. So I'm still I'm really, really excited about her. I know we've had wonderful experiences with Congressman Mark DeSaulnier of Northern California as well. In Congress, both of them have really shown the effort to go above and beyond when it comes to our community. Even when it's kind of nontraditional or kind of out of, the specific lane of, you know, what, what their job might require. So, so that's been really exciting and really fun.

Andy:
Last question. What's your game plan for the rest of the year?

Eric:
So my game plan is finishing out this legislative session in California. But being able to pivot towards the new, the new leadership in California, a new governor, in the next several months, will get elected and then, will will be in office in January. So I really want our team, DRC, our community, to start shifting towards, new leadership, what that looks like, what role we play, and how, you know, we can be of service to the broader disability community in California.

Andy:
Sounds good.

Eric:
Cool.

Andy:
Thanks for doing the podcast, and thanks for letting me turn the table. [Upbeat hip hop music plays] Thank you so much.