“Hello, Dalia, how are you today? How do you feel today?” Hannah sings to Dalia. She begins dropping out words from the songs and waits. “I feel happy,” Dalia types out. There’s a certain kind of joy that comes with
Category: GCDD Storytelling
Telling Their Own Stories
Treasure Maps showcased the stories of 10 people from across the state with developmental disabilities. The stories are expressions of the storytellers themselves. They chose the stories they wanted to tell, what was most important to them as individuals, as
Model of Hope
“I’m ready to tell my story! Have you seen any of my movies?” This is how Eric Naindouba, a soon-to-be 14-year-old with cerebral palsy greets us as we meet for the first time in a local McDonald’s. Eric is with
The Kidpreneur
It’s a rainy Saturday afternoon in Columbus, Georgia. The Christmas tree is up in the Le Denney house, but it’s not yet been decorated. Seven-year-old Kalel, Kal for short, runs from one end of the house to the other, full
The Mayor of Lithonia
When Tira Harper walks into the small, square building that serves as Lithonia’s City Hall, everyone knows who he is. Even before he gets there, when Tira tells his colleagues he’s going, they joke and say, “Tira, you’re the mayor!”
When Hobby Becomes Career
Nandi – short for Nanditha – is finally home. She has lived in a variety of places, some better than others. Nandi gets emotional as she recalls painful experiences from her group home life – in one instance being told
Meet the People Behind “6,000 Waiting,” GCDD’s Forthcoming Documentary
After much hard work from the Friends of L’Arche project team, along with film producers, editors and directors, GCDD is excited to soon release its film, “6,000 Waiting.” Seasoned filmmakers Michael McDonald, Lexi Read and Zach Read came together and
Our Happy Place
Once or twice a week in the summer, Jack Clark’s family loads up a couple of bags with ice water, pretzels and watermelon and heads down to the Little River Marine Center to hop on a boat rental and reconnect
Telling Our Stories
GCDD’s Storytelling Project paints a picture of the complex systems of support that enable people with developmental disabilities to live their best lives. Spanning Georgia’s 56 state senate districts, these stories feature at least one individual who resides in each
The Boys
Everyone in their family, and most other people who know them, refer to Todd and Alan Schatten as “The Boys.” With an easy smile and an even easier manner, they are two of the nicest men you will ever meet.