One special edition. One big question: what would it take for people with disabilities to build careers instead of settling for the first job that comes along?

Allison sits down with Murray to talk about Rise, Evolve, Thrive, the new vocational rehabilitation methodology Amerability is bringing to state agencies. We talk about the gap between what people believe they have learned and what they can actually do. We also talk about why attending one workshop does not mean someone has mastered a skill, and why individual assessment matters when counselors may only get half an hour with each person on their caseload.

The conversation gets personal, too. Allison was diagnosed with Stargardt's at 14, and she wishes she had been given a wider toolkit, including braille, long before law school. Murray describes how his vision has changed across his life, and he explains why the conversation needs to start at 12, not 17. We get into order of selection, IEP and 504 planning, money management, and an unemployment rate of around 70 percent in the blindness and low vision community.

Show up. Be curious. An interview is a conversation that goes both ways, and every "no" is practice for the right "yes." We also take on one of the questions people ask most often: should you disclose your disability to an employer? Allison's three dogs, who are firmly anti-ableism, add their own commentary along the way.

Don't let anyone tell you what you can't do because of your disability. Low expectations, late starts, and systems that were never built to talk to each other have limited too many people for too long. This episode is about opening the door to careers, passions, and futures well beyond the options people are usually handed.

Share your own vocational rehabilitation experience, and tell us what you want to hear next.

Knowledge is power.

You can also stream this podcast on other platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033tUSVlB9Fz0CL0rgwk9m
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shut-the-f-up/id1896890833
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/61f891eb-e6bc-4b69-84d9-9421ff21cd28/shut-the-f-up

Other Resources
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murrayaelbourn/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@murrayamerability?_r=1&_t=ZP-97LlF79lgCN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-elbourn-69576543?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Amerability Website: https: https://www.amerability.com/
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Amerability

About Amerability:
Amerability was born from a simple but powerful idea: that blind and low vision individuals deserve more than support — they deserve the tools, mentorship, and real-world experiences to build lives on their own terms. Founded by CEO Murray Elbourn, a legally blind leader with more than 25 years of executive experience in disability sports and workforce development across two continents, Amerability combines lived experience with professional expertise to create programs that don't just prepare participants for the world — they prove the world is already theirs to conquer. Murray's journey from captaining Australia's national goalball team and leading Disability Sports Australia as CEO to founding Amerability in the United States gave him a firsthand understanding of what blind and low vision individuals truly need to succeed: not sympathy, but strategy, structure, and someone who has walked the path before them. That philosophy is woven into everything Amerability does, from the way programs are designed to the mentors who deliver them, ensuring that every participant is met with high expectations, practical guidance, and the unwavering belief that their goals are within reach.

Music Credit: @Beacon Hill

Disability advocacy is serious work. But if we never step away and find our fun, we risk burnout, compassion numbness, and leaving our nervous systems with no opportunity to reset.

In this full-length episode of Shut the F Up: Disability Power Podcast, Murray and I talk about why joy, sports, community, and fun are essential parts of sustaining disability advocacy.

We get into fantasy sports leagues from the perspectives of blind people and people with other disabilities. We also discuss the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams playing in Australia, the teams’ very different travel strategies, and the reactions buy some Americans and Australians related to the pregame land acknowledgment.

We also take time to acknowledge September 19, 2023, when Azerbaijan launched its final attack on the ethnic Armenian population of Artsakh following months of blockade. During the blockade, at least 9,000 people with disabilities were among those living without reliable access to essential supplies, medical care, and support. My personal relationships with Armenian friends, including people close to me from Artsakh, and my years of disability rights work in Armenia make this an important moment to recognize.

We also celebrate Murray’s birthday, laugh about our fantasy sports teams, and clear up what I actually said about Ed Sheeran, Macklemore, and the latest conversation surrounding them.

Heavy subjects and lighter moments can exist in the same episode. Disability touches every part of society, and advocacy must be sustainable. Sometimes finding your fun is not stepping away from the work. It is what allows you to keep doing it.

Listen to the full episode of Shut the F Up: Disability Power Podcast, and stay tuned for our separate special-edition episode about Murray’s work with AMERABILITY and vocational rehabilitation.

You can also stream this podcast on other platforms:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033tUSVlB9Fz0CL0rgwk9m
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shut-the-f-up/id1896890833
Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/61f891eb-e6bc-4b69-84d9-9421ff21cd28/shut-the-f-up

Other Resources
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/murrayaelbourn/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@murrayamerability?_r=1&_t=ZP-97LlF79lgCN

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/murray-elbourn-69576543?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=ios_app

Amerability Website: https: https://www.amerability.com/
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Amerability

About Amerability:
Amerability was born from a simple but powerful idea: that blind and low vision individuals deserve more than support — they deserve the tools, mentorship, and real-world experiences to build lives on their own terms. Founded by CEO Murray Elbourn, a legally blind leader with more than 25 years of executive experience in disability sports and workforce development across two continents, Amerability combines lived experience with professional expertise to create programs that don't just prepare participants for the world — they prove the world is already theirs to conquer. Murray's journey from captaining Australia's national goalball team and leading Disability Sports Australia as CEO to founding Amerability in the United States gave him a firsthand understanding of what blind and low vision individuals truly need to succeed: not sympathy, but strategy, structure, and someone who has walked the path before them. That philosophy is woven into everything Amerability does, from the way programs are designed to the mentors who deliver them, ensuring that every participant is met with high expectations, practical guidance, and the unwavering belief that their goals are within reach.

Music Credit: @Beacon Hill