Michigan
Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC)
Many Faces,
One Voice Project
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Faces, One Voice | Our Blog (external
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Digital Stories
Shiawassee Transportation Advocacy Coalition
A class was held with this group in Owosso, MI over the summer of 2008. Seven group members completed stories, which have been added to Michigan Disability Rights Coalition's You Tube Channel "Our Voices" and UPC Michigan's You Tube Channel. The stories include: Pokey's Bad Day, I Ride with Pride, The Mug, Independence, Family, Responsible Rider, and We Can Make it Happen. The Owosso Independent newspaper had a story on storyteller Daniel Burke (We Can Make it Happen), and the Argus Press plans to do a feature story. The storytellers are making presentations to township boards to secure their financial support for the public transportation system. Two townships have already committed based on those presentations. They also meet with the Shiawassee Community Mental Health Consumer Council.
Superior Alliance for Independent Living
A class was held for 4 staff members at the Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL), a Center for Independent Living in Marquette, MI, during July and August of 2008. Of the 4, three are completing stories. The storytellers would love for you to check the link to their story and leave your comments on their Google Video pages!
- The
Birthmark - Tia Van
A short story on physical and underlying appearances.
- Prisoner
to Piss on Pity! - Elicia Herkert
My journey to who I am today. Elicia showed her story at Action Day in Marquette in September of 2008 and was interviewed for a newspaper article about the project which will go to the Mining Journal in Marquette. She was interviewed for the October Disability Nation podcast.
Our First Class
Our first class was held in the Lansing, MI area. We recruited fellow staff members and colleagues to test our materials as it was the first time we used the free software. It was also a first for the captioning tools. Of the 10 people in this class, 7 completed videos and 6 gave us permission to post them here. We are so impressed with the results! A talented group, we hope you enjoy them! We welcome your feedback at mdrc@prosynergy.org.
-
"Becoming Proud
and Powerful" -Alicia R.
About finding the disability rights movement and becoming proud and powerful.
- "Which
Would You Choose?" - Juste
Caro
Self-reflection of experiencing the world through the lens of Attention Deficit Disorder.
- "Will
You Choose to Make a Difference?" - Daniel B.
Story of a disabled boy who overcame the limitations of disability to make a difference in the lives of others through advocacy.
- "Two
Paths" - Laura H.
A story of injustice, of pride, and hope. Laura has shown her video at state level transportation meetings, the Disability Network board meeting, The International Self Determination Conference. She was interviewed for a public radio talk show in the Lansing area and an article about her story was in the Lansing State Journal.
- "The
Sky's the Limit"- Leah M.
A short video about how people with disabilities can live life without limits.
-
"Proud
and Powerful: - Melinda J.
A young womyn's journey to understanding proud and powerful. Melinda has used her story to present to Sparrow Hospital staff, Leadership groups, Self Advocates Becoming Empowered (SABE) conference and the Association of Rural Programs for Independent Living (APRIL). It is also being used in a college course in Iowa.
- "From
Institution to Community" - Nelson G.
One person's role in changing community expectations from institutional living to community living. Nelson has used his video at a statewide conference of housing advocates which was sponsored by the Disability Network/Michigan.
Facilitator Videos
Kathryn's
- "In
the Moment"
My grandfather was ready to die, or was he? How can we know unless we are in that moment? Kathryn Wyeth completed "In the Moment" as an assignment for the 3 day workshop in January 2008. Kathryn used this story when the MDRC board was deciding whether to take a position on physician assisted suicide, back when Jack Kevorkian was active in Michigan. Kathryn showed her story at the Association of Rural Programs for Independent Living (APRIL) conference in Las Vegas.
- "Plowed
Under"
This was was created during the "train the trainer" at the Center for Digital Storytelling. "I lived in Houghton Michigan and used to bike to work. All year. People asked why I did this, I said "for my spirit". It was easier than trying to explain the overwhelming sadness and urge to hibernate. I use a light box now. But miss that spirit!" Kathryn has shown her video at Action Day in Marquette and at the MDRC Fall Open House.
Glenn's
- "The Love
of Music"
Glenn completed this story in the 3 day workshop in January 2008 about reconnecting to his love of music. This story is posted on Overstream.net. - "Life in Focus"
People with disabilities use photos to tell their stories and for advocacy. See why I'm so excited about the project. Glenn's Video about his program at UCP of Michigan was completed during the "train the trainer" at the Center for Digital Storytelling.
- "Grief
is Shared"
Some of my friends who are in Special Olympics showed me how to be there for those you love in times of grief. Wisdom sometimes comes unexpectedly.
About "Many Faces, One Voice"
People with disabilities can take advantage of cutting edge technology to have their voices heard. With the popularity of You Tube, Google Video and other sites, we have a wonderful opportunity to have our compelling stories told in an interactive way.
In order to learn to do this, MDRC and UCP of Michigan submitted a proposal to AT & T's Excelerator Program and learned in November 2007 that we were funded! The first part of the project is to educate ourselves about storytelling and the the use of technology for storytelling.
We attended a 3 day workshop in January 2008 to learn to put together digital stories. In February 2008, we completed a 5 day "Train the Trainer". Both the workshop and the train the trainer are from the Center for Digital Storytelling.
We used this information, and 
our
research into affordable and accessible tools, to create a new curriculum for
digital storytelling, using all free software and including captions. We need
to learn about descriptive video for people who are blind or low vision. An
important aspect of our project is for people with disabilities to control
all aspects of the process, creating their stories themselves, with accommodations
as needed.
We are looking for additional funding and partners now to teach people with disabilities how to tell their stories in a compelling and accessible manner and to use web. We are focusing on those who are working with advocacy groups on issues of importance to Michigan's Disability Community.
To learn of updates, subscribe to or visit MDRC News. You can also visit our Blog!
