Breaking Barriers & Building a Life Without Limits with Jo Elizabeth Pinto Artwork

The Different Ability® Podcast

Why am I different? Why do things have to be so difficult? Am I dumb? Why am I scared? Will it be this hard forever? Will I ever find the help I need to succeed? When will being different be accepted? Welcome to The Different Ability® Podcast where we will answer all of these questions and a whole lot more! Each week host Katey Fortun brings you tips and tricks on how to navigate being different, along with inspiring stories of guests that are living an amazing life having Different Abilities of their own. Parents and Educators of kids with Different Abilities share their stories to encourage others that they are not alone and we can all get through this together! Katey, who has dyslexia, shares her personal Different Ability stories to show you that being different is a gift, being different is amazing and using your Different Abilities, you too can create and live the life you have always dreamed about! Katey believes that everyone has Different Abilities and it's time to let our Different Abilities shine bright! You are amazing, you are important, you are strong, you are smart and the world needs you just the way you were made! Are you ready to be inspired and encouraged to be the person you were made to be, Different Abilities and all? We know you're ready, so come along, we are all in this together! "You can do anything you put your mind to, with a lot of hard work, determination and never giving up! It's not your disability, it's your Different Ability®!" - Katey

All Episodes

The Different Ability® Podcast

Breaking Barriers & Building a Life Without Limits with Jo Elizabeth Pinto

April 01, 2026 • Katey Fortun • Season 7 • Episode 281

0:00 | 24:43

Send us Fan Mail

What happens when you refuse to accept the limits others place on you?

In today’s episode, I sit down with Jo Elizabeth Pinto for a powerful conversation about inclusion, advocacy, and navigating a world that doesn’t always know how to support you.

We talk about the importance of having people who believe in you, discovering how you learn best, and building confidence and independence along the way.

This conversation is a reminder that inclusion and advocacy can change everything and that sometimes, all it takes is someone saying, “you belong here.”

Note: There are a few audio difficulties, but the message is absolutely worth the listen.

Jo Elizabeth's Bio

Jo Elizabeth Pinto was among the first blind students to integrate the public schools in the 1970’s when federal laws allowed disabled children to be educated with their peers. She has two college degrees, one in Human Services from the University of Northern Colorado and one in Nonprofit Organization Management from the Metropolitan State College of Denver. She freelances these days as an editor and a braille proofreader.

As an author, Pinto entertains her readers while giving them food for thought. In her fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, she draws on personal experience to illustrate that hope is always an action away.

Pinto lives in Colorado with her husband and their teenage daughter. Their family also includes Pinto’s guide dog Spreckles, a poodle/Maltese mix called Leo, three birds, and an aging family cat who answers to the name Sam-I-Am when he feels like it.

Connect with Jo Elizabeth: Website

Grab a copy of her books below! Bright Side of Darkness, Apples of Gold, Daddy Won't Let Mom Drive the Car, Dancing with the Seasons, Braided Love,

Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
Sign Up Here!

Shop new products here!

Places you can reach me at:
Website:
https://kateyfortun.com/
https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/