Disability Empowerment Now
Welcome to a place where disability voices get heard and where they are able to tell their stories, whether it be personal or professional.
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In this powerful and honest episode of Disability Empowerment Now, Wes and Keith reflect on their experiences at The Meadows and what it meant to step away from their everyday lives to focus on healing and growth. They discuss the difficult experience of having their belongings taken away upon arrival, the loss of independence and control that came with entering a treatment environment, and the emotions that came with being separated from the lives they knew.
In this heartwarming and candid episode, Keith reconnects with Derek Almasch, whom he met during his transformative time at The Meadows mental health retreat. Derek opens up about his unique life as a father to 17 children, sharing the incredible joys, chaotic realities, and inevitable ups and downs that come with raising a massive family.
Keith connects with Gregg Hayes—an Accessibility Tech Specialist, blind father, and the dad of Keith's good friend, whom he originally met through connection at The Meadows. Gregg shares his unique perspective on navigating fatherhood without sight and dives into the rapidly evolving world of artificial intelligence
What is DEN?
Now in its third year with over 13,000 listens worldwide, Disability Empowerment Now was founded on a simple yet powerful mission: to give the disability community an authentic platform to share their true, unedited experiences. Host Keith Murfee-Deconcini connects with guests from across the globe, creating a space where serious advocacy meets shared laughter.
From industry leaders like Temple Grandin, Kurt Yaeger, Danny Woodburn, and Ben Mattlin to close allies like Kat Stratford and Andrew Gurza, no topic is off-limits. The podcast explores everything from complex legal rights to the humor of dating with a disability, and it is precisely this broad range of perspectives that fuels Keith's passion for the show.
A recipient of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Under 40 award and a Marquis Who’s Who honoree, Keith remains steadfast in his mission. He plans to take his vision even further through public speaking and authorial work, continuing to raise awareness and fight for accessibility everywhere.
"Disability rights has always been my passion, even when I wasn’t consciously aware of the term. Born into a disabled body due to premature birth, my mind was always fueled by an inner determination for curious exploration. As a child, I began to write before I could speak. As a student in my formative years, I was blissfully unaware (for the most part) of my educational needs being any different than those of my peers, despite having a speech impediment." Host Keith Murfee DeConcini
Disability rights has always been my passion, even when I wasn’t consciously aware of the term.
Born into a disabled body due to premature birth, my mind was always fueled by an inner determination for curious exploration. As a child, I began to write before I could speak. As a student in my formative years, I was blissfully unaware (for the most part) of my educational needs being any different than those of my peers, despite having a speech impediment.
Growing up disabled made me realize that people very often fear what they don’t understand, yet it was only recently that I began to study those services and the complex histories behind them.
As an adult, I learned to use my speech impediment as a tool for uncovering social injustice and discrimination, hence propelling my career ambition as a Disability Advocate. Obtaining a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Arizona with a concentration in Disability Advocacy led me to a Master’s degree in Disability Studies from the City University of New York (CUNY), School of Professional Studies.
Professionally, my past experience includes advocating through public speaking and creating advocacy content for unique organizations, ie: Young Adult Institute of New York (YAI), Santa Fe Trails of New Mexico, The National Office of United Cerebral Palsy (UCP). At YAI, I created advocacy content for a weekly article entitled “Voices” for the YAI web site, three of which were later published in the Huffington Post.
In addition to being a disability advocate and writer, I am also an actor. Occasionally performing in theater and small productions, most recently, I participated in Theater Breaking Through Barriers‘ virtual production of “Teacher’s Pet” (2020), “Mended” (2021), “Strength in Numbers” (2021), and “Epidermis” (2022). I was inspired to pursue the opportunity to work with the organization after seeing a performance of an actress with cerebral palsy on stage. This theater production experience further expanded my professional efforts to advocate for disability rights through various performance mediums as I previously appeared in a New York MTA’s 2019 employee training video. By authentically partnering with organizations that advocate for disability rights, I discovered the ability to use my unique voice to further educate and advocate.
All of my successes would have not been possible without the tireless support of not only my family members, but also of the efforts of the disability advocates who fought for a better future for individuals with disabilities before me. Being disabled from birth makes me more aware of the sense of empathy that should be innate in the human experience. Making the world a more accessible place now, both professionally and interpersonally, benefits both the present and the future of humanity.
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