Tag Archives: Disability Awareness month

NextGen Assistive Technology Introduces LaunchPad: A Low-Risk Path for I/DD Providers to Explore Remote Support and Modernize Care

New 12-week program gives agencies the opportunity to evaluate and build new lines of service with expert guidance and without long-term commitment

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Oct. 22, 2025 (SENDPRESS NEWSWIRE) — NextGen Assistive Technology (NextGen AT) has introduced LaunchPad, a 12-week readiness and strategy program designed to help I/DD and home- and community-based service (HCBS) providers explore and establish remote support operations guided by experts, without long-term contracts or upfront risk.

Image caption: NextGen Assistive Technology (NextGen AT).

As workforce shortages and rising costs continue to challenge the human services sector, LaunchPad offers a practical opportunity for providers to evaluate new service lines, strengthen sustainability, and prepare for modernization with the support of experienced subject matter experts.

“Providers want to innovate, but the complexity and cost of starting something new can feel like a barrier,” said Ken Smith, Chief Experience Officer at NextGen AT. “LaunchPad removes that barrier. It gives agencies the space to explore what’s possible supported by real experts and a proven framework without the pressure of a long-term commitment.”

A SMARTER START TO MODERNIZATION

LaunchPad combines consulting, operational design, and technology planning into a structured, 12-week engagement. Providers receive a comprehensive readiness package including organizational assessment, strategic roadmap, compliance and policy templates, communication tools, and a documented service model giving them everything needed to design, staff, and scale a sustainable remote support operation with confidence.

Once an agency is ready, NextGen AT provides the full-service solution including hardware, software, monitoring, escalation protocols, and compliance support so providers can transition seamlessly from planning to implementation and operate a profitable, person-centered remote support business line.

“Our goal is to make modernization approachable,” Smith added. “Whether an agency is just exploring remote supports or ready to scale, LaunchPad creates a pathway that’s both safe and strategic.”

NATIONWIDE MOMENTUM

NextGen AT is already working with providers from South Dakota to Maryland, helping agencies evaluate readiness, identify funding opportunities, and build person-centered remote support models that reduce workforce strain while enhancing independence for individuals.

As demand for technology-enabled care continues to grow, LaunchPad offers providers the chance to step confidently into the future, with a trusted partner and a clear plan.

ABOUT NEXTGEN ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

NextGen Assistive Technology (NextGen AT) helps I/DD and HCBS providers modernize care delivery through a consultative, readiness-first approach and full-service remote support solutions. The company’s LaunchPad Program provides agencies with a proven, low-risk framework for exploring and building sustainable, compliant, and person-centered technology-enabled care models followed by complete delivery of hardware, software, and operational support.

Learn more at https://www.nextgenat.com/

NEWS SOURCE: NextGen AT

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (NextGen AT), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

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Comedians with Disabilities Act Announces Northern California Tour: Author and Comic Nina G Hosts Comedy Troupe with Four Shows

OAKLAND, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The producers and contributors of the Comedians with Disabilities Act are pleased to announce the upcoming tour of its wildly popular show in October 2022. The comedy troupe is the brainchild of the late comedian Michael O'Connell, who started the group in 2010, and was later joined by Steve Danner and Nina G not long after.

"The Comedians with Disabilities Act is a fabulous collection of comedians with disabilities, both seen and unseen, who bring forth the humor they find in their experiences," says Nina G.

In 2016, O'Connell sadly passed away - but the show he created lives on, spotlighting a variety of Disabled and outrageously funny comedians.

Nina G notes, "The upcoming lineup of shows includes disability representation from the following experiences: stuttering, dyslexia, Dwarfism, amputation, addiction recovery, OCD, depression, anxiety, PTSD, Autism, Tourette's syndrome, spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy, multiple exostoses, hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and blindness."

Learn more: https://comedianswithdisabilitiesact.com/

Disability Awareness Month:

In the troupe's most recent news, the Comedians with Disabilities Act is announcing it will be touring Northern California, featuring four headliners across 4 different venues - just in time for the Disability Awareness Month of October. Author, comedian and Disability advocate Nina G, who has been with the Comedians with Disabilities Act since 2011, will host all four shows.

San Francisco Bay Area favorite at local clubs, Mean Dave, will headline Santa Cruz's Greater Purpose Brewing as part of the Santa Cruz Comedy Festival. Dave is in his 8th year of recovery from addiction, which he ingeniously weaves into his humor. "Not a lot of people know that being an addict in recovery is covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act," Mean Dave advocates.

Jade Theriault has performed multiple times with the Comedians with Disabilities Act and always brings down the house. As someone with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Jade uses a wheelchair, but that experience isn't the only topic she jokes about. "We came a long way from crawling up steps and hiding away in homes. I do think the mainstream is ready for Disabled comedy. We're too loud for the microphones." Jade adds, "I'm stoked to headline Alameda's wheelchair accessible stage on October 13."

Dan Smith, who headlines the Sacramento Comedy Spot on October 14, sums up why he and so many others on this tour are excited. "Getting to share a stage and headline a show of comedians that represent the humor and the diversity of people in the disability community is the culmination of my comedy career to date. I can NOT wait for this show!"

"We're all comedians first," said Napa native and Sally Tomatoes' headliner on October 29, Steve Danner, who identifies as a Little Person and is one of the show's original founders. "But who says you can't make people laugh and send them home with something to think about too? While our first goal is to have fun and joke around, we also want to send a strong message that, even with a disability, we can reach our goals."

The following is the tour schedule with headliners. Tickets will be on sale soon.

* Saturday, October 1: The 9th Annual Santa Cruz Comedy Festival-Greater Purpose Brewing. Mean Dave headlines with Nina G, Loren Kraut, Jackson McBrayer, and Tut McCulloh

* Thursday, October 13: Alameda Comedy Club. Jade Theriault headlines with Maria Diploudis, Mike Bucci, Nina G, and Mean Dave

* Friday, October 14: Sacramento Comedy Spot. Dan Smith headlines with Willie Travis, Elvin Maglinte, Nina G, Steve Danner and Mean Dave.

* Saturday, October 29: Sally Tomatoes in Rohnert Park. Steve Danner headlines with Logan Farr, Serena Gamboa, Mean Dave, and Nina G.

About Nina G:

In addition to being the Bay Area's only female stuttering stand up comedian, Nina G is also a college and corporate speaker and author of three books. Her memoir, "Stutterer Interrupted: The Comedian Who Almost Didn't Happen," was released to critical acclaim in 2019 and is about realizing her lifelong comedy dream while overcoming internalized stigma. In February 2022, she launched her new book co-authored by OJ Patterson, "Bay Area Stand-Up Comedy: A Humorous History." Nina has performed all over the United States and appeared on many daytime TV talk shows, NPR broadcasts, and podcasts. Learn more: https://www.ninagcomedian.com/.

About Steve Danner:

Steve Danner's comedy career began as an audience member at a comedy club. That night, the comedian on stage started riffing with him and after Danner showcased his own riffing skills, the comic approached Danner after the show and suggested he give comedy a try. He soon began a career as a comedian and producer and has opened for many headliners such as Last Comic Standing Winner Felipe Esparza.

About Mean Dave:

Comedian Mean Dave has opened for many notable comedians like Josh Blue, Big Jay Oakerson, and Jay Mohr, and has performed at colleges across the US. Mean Dave's role in the Comedians with Disabilities Act helps to bring his critical message about addiction and disabilities to audiences around the world.

About Jade Theriault:

Jade Theriault is renowned in the comedy community and has been on SF Sketchfest, The Art of Female Comedy Festival (Wichita, Kansas), Palm Springs International Comedy Festival, and the Westside Comedy Festival in Santa Monica where they were honored for Best Joke of the Night. Jade also starred in Malic Almaya's "RUN!" (2018) and was on an episode of MTV Decoded.

About Dan Smith:

Dan Smith (aka "Dan the Can't Stand Up Comedian") is a Sacramento based comedian who plays clubs throughout California and Nevada including the Sacramento Punch Line and San Francisco's Cobb's Comedy Club. He has been a wheelchair user his entire life and much of his comedy comes from his everyday experiences on wheels!

LEARN MORE:

https://www.comedianswithdisabilitiesact.com/

https://www.ninagcomedian.com/

MULTIMEDIA:

VIDEO (YouTube) SFW: https://youtu.be/fEU9M-Y-NXk

The producers and contributors of the Comedians with Disabilities Act are pleased to announce the upcoming tour of its wildly popular show in October 2022. The comedy troupe is the brainchild of the late comedian Michael O'Connell, who started the group in 2010, and was later joined by Steve Danner and Nina G not long after.

Related link: https://www.ninagcomedian.com/

Comedian is Challenging How People Think About Stuttering

OAKLAND, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- What do you do when you are professionally funny for a living AND use your own experience as a person with disabilities to crush stigma and change attitudes? Well, for stuttering comedian Nina G, you take it on the road in a series of presentations that are both funny and profound. Much like Hannah Gadsby's breakout Netflix special "Nannette," Nina G blends her comedy "material" with her real life experiences for a unique tour you can see live!

Nina G connects with audiences from a variety of backgrounds across the nation, from comedy clubs to university conferences and within the pages of her books. Fall 2018 Nina G is taking her show nation-wide to celebrate Disability Awareness month in October. Be sure to catch her live or book her for your event!

DATES:
* Sept 16: San Francisco Comedy Day, Golden Gate Park-Robin Williams Meadow.
* Sept 28: All Out Comedy Theater, Oakland.
* Oct 6: Dyslexia Awareness and Education: Community Center at the Market Place, Tustin, Calif.
* Oct 11: Central Michigan University - Stutterer Interrupted.
* Oct 19: Pre-conference workshop for the California Association of Postsecondary Education and Disability: Learning Ramps-Teaching with Universal Design.
* Oct: 25: Disability Awareness Celebration: Mt. San Jacinto College.

October 22 is international stuttering awareness day:
To celebrate, Nina G is taking her message of acceptance and awareness on the road! She will be appearing in colleges and comedy shows all around the country talking about the experience of stuttering, having a learning disability, and learning to accept and overcome attitudes to educate people about her Disability experience.

Additional facts on stuttering:
* Stuttering impacts 1 percent of the adult population.
* 3 million Americans are Stutterers.
* 1 in 4 people who stutter are female.
* There's no known cure for stuttering.
* Many people who stutter still experience discrimination.

About Nina G:

Comedian - Nina G was the only woman who stuttered in the stand-up comedy world when she started eight years ago. Now there are a few other women who stutter venturing on stage to tell their stories and make people laugh.

She produced the Comedians with Disabilities Act, a national touring comedy show featuring exclusively comedians with disabilities. She also went on to produce the first compilation album to feature, as the album title suggests, "Disabled Comedy Only." Nina G's brand of comedy reflects the experiences of many with disabilities: the problem is not the people with disabilities but a society that isn't always accessible or inclusive.

Author - Nina G's first book, "Once Upon An Accommodation: A Book About Learning Disabilities," helps both children and adults understand how to advocate for needed school-related accommodations. The book is inspired from her own childhood experience of having learning disabilities, stuttering, and being denied accommodations in her own education.

For more information about "Once Upon an Accommodation" visit: https://www.ninagcomedian.com/the-book.

For more information on "Stutterer Interrupted: The Making of a Stuttering Stand Up Comedian" visit: https://www.stuttererinterrupted.com/.

Professional Speaker - Nina G tours the country as a conference keynote speaker. In addition to her Tedx Talk at San Jose State University she has presented at: the Montana Youth in Transition Conference, the Oregon Association on Higher Education and Disability, the Kansas Youth Leadership Forum, and various college campuses for Disability Acceptance Week/Disability Awareness Month including seminars on Universal Design in teaching and training.

For booking: https://www.ninagcomedian.com/ / Ninagbooking@gmail.com / 510-922-0179

*VIDEO (YouTube):
https://youtu.be/pkNE6ZQ-l8w

What do you do when you are professionally funny for a living AND use your own experience as a person with disabilities to crush stigma and change attitudes? Well, for stuttering comedian Nina G, you take it on the road in a series of presentations that are both funny and profound.

Related link: https://www.ninagcomedian.com/