Disability Matters

Canton, NY, 2004

People with disabilities in rural communities face extraordinary challenges in terms of life-long well-being and wellness. About 20 percent of people in New York's North Country have disabilities, compared to a 15 percent national standard. The well-being of people with disabilities is a particularly timely issue, as federal and state health care policies are currently being reconsidered. These policies will have an impact on those with disabilities and on the large segment of our population approaching old age. With this project, North Country Public Radio (NCPR) aimed to position the disabled and their concerns as a topic for public discussion, consideration and action.

NCPR and the North Country Center for Independence (NCCI) worked closely with other Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and local media, to educate the public about the challenges people with disabilities face in seeking health, welfare and independence services, and how these challenges are relevant to all of us.

Disability Matters brought together the disabled population with the non-disabled in public forums and broadcast call-in programs. The project gave voice to those with disabilities on the airwaves and the Internet through commentaries, audio diaries and participation in a year-long series of documentaries and feature stories that explored and educated about health and well-being issues faced by people with disabilities. In addition to media programming, educational programs and community forums were offered on a monthly basis in locations across the region.

NCCI and the other CILs will keep their members and the general public informed and involved in the work to shape relevant public policy at the state and federal levels. All of the broadcast programs, as well as supplementary audio and visual material are archived on the NCPR and NCCI web sites. A compendium of regional, statewide and national resources will be completed at the end of the year and distributed to area agencies, organizations, schools and libraries and archived online in an effort to make this project the beginning of an ongoing collaboration between the disabled and non-disabled communities of the North Country region.

Awards:

WSLU Round Four

2006 RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards Region 11 Best News Series
— Disability Matters

2006 RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Awards Region 11 Best Feature: Hard News
— Alex's Story: Inclusion with Autism

$2000 for project support
— The Adirondack Medical Center

WSLU Round One

Special Merit, Local Public Affairs Programming — National Federation of Community Broadcasters

Community Service Award — New York State Northern Tier Providers Coalition

Best Radio Series — Syracuse Press Club