Helpful Links

Upcoming Events

• Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy
  To be held in October 2009; a specific day to be determined.
  This is a true story about two life-long friends who have made their home in Springfield, Illinois.

  Diana Braun, who has Down syndrome, and Kathy Conour, who has cerebral palsy, met three decades ago and vowed to fight to live independent lives. Fearful of being shut away in a nursing home or forced into a state-run institution, Diana and Kathy broke the rules, escaped the system, and modeled a grand experiment in independent living.

  Diana drives, cooks, shops, and has been Kathy's personal assistant and friend for the past 35 years. Remarkably, Diana has Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that gives her one extra chromosome and a lower IQ. Kathy on the other hand is 61, has a degree in English, but is non-verbal, and has had cerebral palsy since her birth. As part of their ongoing activist efforts to demystify disability, Diana and Kathy invited Alice into their home over a period of five years to create their film, Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy. The film is currently screening at film festivals all over the world and will make its television debut on PBS in October 2009.

  Station WGVC out of Grand Rapids
  Grand Rapids, MI
  Kalamazoo, MI
  Battle Creek, MI
  Airs Sunday, October 18, 2009 at 3:30PM

  WKAR out of East Lansing
  Lansing, MI
  Airs Friday, October 9, 2009 at 8:00PM

  Go to www.dianaandkathy.com to find out more about these women and the film.