About

FREED started producing the Disability Rap radio show in 1987 on community radio station KVMR Nevada City, CA, as a way to lift up the stories and voices of people with disabilities in our community. The show has been on the air ever since, covering current and emerging issues we face as people with disabilities. Today, the show is hosted and produced by Carl Sigmond and Lindsey Wells, two FREED staff members who have cerebral palsy. It still airs on KVMR and is also available on the Disability Rap podcast and here on the Disability Rap website.

New episodes drop each second Wednesday of the month, shortly after 7 p.m. Pacific Time, United States.

About the Hosts

Carl Sigmond

Co-Host and Producer

Carl Sigmond is the Operations Manager at FREED and Co-host and Co-producer of the Disability Rap radio show and podcast. As Operations Manager, Carl ensures that FREED's digital infrastructure runs smoothly, assists with grant writing and reporting, and coordinates FREED's Advocacy Program. In addition to his role at FREED, Carl is a Research Engineer in the Speech Disorders and Technology Lab at The University of Texas at Austin, where he works to improve speech recognition algorithms for people with speech disabilities. Before becoming FREED's Operations Manager, Carl was FREED’s Disability Community Advocate in 2017 and then again from 2020 to 2021. Carl has a degree in Computer Science from Haverford College, where he also studied nonviolent direct action theory and documentary filmmaking.

Lindsey Wells

Co-Host and Producer

Lindsey Wells is the Disability Community Advocate at FREED and Co-host and Co-producer of the Disability Rap radio show and podcast. In her role as FREED's Disability Community Advocate, Lindsey advocates with and for people with disabilities and seniors to exercise their Civil Rights on a local, state, and national level. Lindsey was born with Cerebral Palsy and grew up in Modesto, CA. She graduated from Beyer High School in 2001 and received her Associates of Science in Early Childhood Education from Yuba College. She is passionate about transportation and housing needs of the people FREED serves. In her free time, she enjoys reading and watching movies.

Courtney Williams

Production Assistant

Bio coming soon

Carly Pacheco

Co-Host and Executive Director of FREED

Bio coming soon