Pathways Newsletter
Life in Focus - Video Stories Boost Awareness
Elicia Herkert of Trenary was 12 years old when doctors told her parents that because she had cerebral palsy, the best place for her was in a state mental hospital. She lived there for a year before escaping to life on the streets. The teenager began using drugs and became addicted.
Herkert recently told her story using a video advocacy program, “Many Faces, One Voice,” which helps people with disabilities create change in their communities. Herkert eventually got her life on track. Ultimately, she raised a family and earned an associates degree in computer technology while two of her daughters earned bachelor’s degrees. Now she is an advocate for people with disabilities at Superior Alliance for Independent Living (SAIL) in Marquette.
“When I started making the video it was hard to put the words with the pictures,” says Herkert. “It’s a story that had been inside of me for a long time. I just hope that it changes people’s perspectives and inspires others.”
UCP Michigan and Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (MDRC) distribute the videos to policymakers. “It’s a new way for people with disabilities to illustrate the impact of public policy on individual lives and to advocate for change,” says Glenn Ashley, project coordinator for UCP Michigan.
The first videos were completed in 2008 with 10 participants from Lansing, St. Johns, Grand Rapids and Owosso. Several of the videos, including Herkert’s, are posted online at www.copwer.org/manyfacesonevoice.htm.
The program’s development was funded by a $24,795 grant from AT&T’s Excelerator program. Since 2002, AT&T has given more than 2,500 technology grants worth more than $47 million to provide technology, education and work force development.
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