Archive:
- SoundCloud ADA Live! Episode 64: The Movement 4 Improvement: 4 Wheel City
Link: soundcloud.com/adalive/episode-64-the-movement-4-improvement-4-wheel-city?si=ee4217ae897241adba42ea36cb52d171
Description
This episode of ADA Live! features hip-hop artists and disability rights advocates, Namel “Tapwaterz” Norris and Ricardo “Rickfire” Velasquez of 4 Wheel City: The Movement 4 Improvement, an entertainment and musical group. Their mission is to use hip-hop music and culture to create more opportunities for people with disabilities and inspire people not to give up on life. 4 Wheel City performs original music as well as motivational speaking at hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers, fundraisers, and events, all over the world. Additionally, Mr. Norris and Mr. Velasquez, wheelchair riders as the result of gun violence, strive to demonstrate to the world that people with disabilities have talents, dreams, and deserve equality.
Learn about 4 Wheel City
Features hip-hop artists and disability rights advocates:
- Namel “Tapwaterz” Norris
- Ricardo “Rickfire” Velasquez
Check out their music, videos, tour, events, and two community outreach programs
– Welcome 2 Reality and Rap Therapy.
- 4 Wheel City: The Movement 4 Improvement
Link: 4wheelcity.com - Facebook: 4 Wheel City
Link: facebook.com/4wheelcity/
Featured Lyrics & Music Videos
The three songs featured in the ADA Live! Episode 64 followed by their lyrics:
- The Movement
In Honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 4 Wheel City released this empowering music video for their song, “The Movement,” to raises awareness and advocate for accessibility for people with disabilities.
Lyrics – The Movement & Welcome to Reality [Google Doc]
Link: docs.google.com/document/d/1uceGAs8oxNYqDTss_-pB48h59kTfspBCj_0JWAteG7c/
Video: The Movement (Captioned) [YouTube, 4:55 min.]
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=A2ZB9dpDik0 - Leaders of the New World
This music video shows highlights from the 4 Wheel City performance at the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Lyrics – Leaders of the New World by 4 Wheel City [Google Doc]
Link: docs.google.com/document/d/1FEnJYgJ36pzawm9-k–Vgfnt3oOoPoMKJr0GIdtRaxM/
Video: Leaders of the New World [YouTube, 4:54 min.]
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=lI5iPTneG6o - Disabled Lives Matter
Lyrics – Disabled Lives Matter [Google Doc]
Link: docs.google.com/document/d/1ZReNqUNRPhY0zMSErAqra7Y5CG8JZ0WsIjKqcm82CLE
Video: Disabled Lives Matter [YouTube, 4:35 min.]
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=yQ2B481tAWY
More 4 Wheel City Music & Videos
- Music of 4 Wheel City: The Movement for Improvement
Link: 4wheelcity.com/pages/music/ - Videos: Top Tracks 4 Wheel City [YouTube, 40 videos]
Link: youtube.com/watch?v=waL1uaCXUbc&list=PLmgdfH1VnEFTUi0E97WlUyFTEDfUQrKnf - 4 Wheel City Album, “Spiritual”
Note: “Disabled Lives Matter” is song number #10- SoundCloud – “Spiritual” Album by 4 Wheel City
Link: soundcloud.com/4-wheelz-ent/sets/spiritual-4-wheel-city - iTunes – “Spiritual” Album by 4 Wheel City
Link: itunes.apple.com/us/album/spiritual/1409486343
- SoundCloud – “Spiritual” Album by 4 Wheel City
Articles and Media featuring 4 Wheel City
- Can – Do – Musos: Profile of 4 Wheel City
Source: Can-Do-Musos
Link: candomusos.com/profile-4-wheel-city.php - 4 Wheel City: Rapping Rehab
Source: New Mobility
Link: newmobility.com/2014/07/4-wheel-city/ - New York Rap Duo 4 Wheel City Turn Shooting Tragedies into a Positive Mission
Source: The Guardian
Link: theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/17/new-york-rap-duo-4-wheel-city-guns-shootings - Blog Post: Hip-Hop Duo Pushes to Get More Americans with Disabilities into the “Mainstream”
Source: National Disability Institute (NDI)
Link: realeconomicimpact.tumblr.com/post/134865024135/hip-hop-duo-pushes-to-get-more-americans-with - Talkzone.com Internet Talk Radio with 4 Wheel City
Listen or download the MP3 file.
Source: Talkzone
Link: talkzone.com/episodes/200/BHF050216.html
Related Information on Topics Discussed in this ADA Live! Episode 64
- United Spinal Cord Association (USCA) – New York City Chapter
Link: nycspinalcord.org - USCA partnership with 4 Wheel City to teach school kids about gun violence
Link: nycspinalcord.org/welcome-to-reality-tour/ - Fact Sheet: Recent Trends in Causes of Spinal Cord Injury [PDF file]
Source: National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC)
This data sheet summarizes the causes of injury for persons admitted to the SCI Model Systems of Care between September 2005 and March 2015. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, violence is the third leading cause of spinal cord injury and more than 13% of those injuries are caused by gunshot wounds. The New York City SCI Association (NYCSCIA) has partnered with Namel Norris and Ricardo Velasquez [4 Wheel City] to try and do something about this by launching a new initiative to reach out to school kids through music called The Welcome to Reality Tour.
Link: nycspinalcord.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Recent-trends-in-causes-of-SCI-2015.pdf
- Gun Violence and Spinal Cord Injury
Source: Miami Heat Wheels Basketball
Every year, an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 new spinal cord injuries occur in the United States. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, over a quarter of these injuries are caused by “violent encounters, often involving guns and knives.”
Link: miamiheatwheels.com/gun-violence-and-spinal-cord-injury/
- 10th Anniversary of the Adoption of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)
Source: United Nations
An overview of the progress that has been made in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities in society and development around the world.
Link: un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities/the-10th-anniversary-of-the-adoption-of-convention-on-the-rights-of-persons-with-disabilities-crpd-crpd-10.html
Emergency Preparedness
Namel Norris wrote: The song ‘Disabled Lives Matter’ to “bring awareness to the needs of people with [d]isabilities in emergencies like natural disasters. We team[ed] up with The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies organization to make it and performed [the song] at their conference in [Washington,] DC back in May.”
In this ADA Live! Episode 64, Namel spoke about attending this conference and working with Marcie (Roth), who is CEO for the Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies. The Partnership works on expanding its shared commitment to achieving and sustaining disability inclusive whole community emergency preparedness, community resilience, response, recovery and mitigation before, during, and after disasters.
- Emergency Preparedness & Management Resources
Link: adasoutheast.org/publications/emergency-storm-resources.php - Emergency Preparedness – ADA Fact Sheets & Publications
Link: adata.org/topic/emergency-preparedness - ADA Live! Podcasts & Resources – Emergency Preparedness
Link: adalive.org