Emyle Watkins

1 week ago | wamc.org | Emyle Watkins

Last week, we brought you a live, exclusive interview with Maria Perrin, the president of Public Partnerships LLC, or PPL, the company now in charge of New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance program, or CDPAP. In this interview - we were able to ask some of your most pressing questions about how the state’s move from 600 companies administering the program, to only one, will impact our community.

2 weeks ago | wamc.org | Emyle Watkins

Today at noon, BTPM's Disability Reporter Emyle Watkins will host a live interview with Maria Perrin, the president of PPL, the new single statewide fiscal intermediary (FI) for the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). They will discuss what CDPAP is, the move from 600 FIs to PPL being the only FI in New York, and the process of transitioning the hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their care workers to this company.

2 weeks ago | btpm.org | Emyle Watkins

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to announce the 2026 State Budget Monday evening from the Red Room at the State Capitol. You can watch live here:

3 weeks ago | wamc.org | Emyle Watkins

This week on the Disabilities Beat, BTPM NPR's Emyle Watkins talks with Western New York Independent Living's Douglas Usiak about concerns over the Erie County Sheriff's "Handle With Care" Registry. The registry is meant to collect detailed personal information about disabled people, but Usiak worries it could put disabled people at risk if the information is added without their permission. He says disabled people should have full control over whether and how they are listed in any registry.

3 weeks ago | btpm.org | Emyle Watkins

On Monday, April 21, Pope Francis, born Jorge Bergoglio, died in his residence at the Vatican. He was 88 years old. He was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, making him the first pope from the global south. He was also the first Jesuit pope — a connection that has been felt deeply in Western New York's Jesuit institutions since the news of his passing. “He was a Jesuit who knew and loved Jesus deeply,” said Canisius High School President Fr. David Ciancimino, S.J. in a statement from the school.