The New Hampshire Council on Developmental Disabilities created the Count Me In! contest in order to challenge negative assumptions about people with disabilities. The Council asked New Hampshire citizens to make short video public service announcements that challenged negative assumptions about people with disabilities. Below are the winners.
First Place:
See the video here.
Sarah Cooley is 29 years old, living on her own, and focusing on her career. She is a self-advocate in Concord, as well as a writer and book author. Sarah likes to interview people around her community and find out their stories.
Eliza Cooley is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College, where she studied psychology with a focus on intellectual disability. She enjoys exploring the family experience of disability, as well as ways to make community inclusion a truer reality. Currently, she is spending a year in Colorado serving as a childbirth educator and doula through an AmeriCorps program, and finding time to hike the Rockies and bake with friends.
Second Place:
See the video here.
Adam Whittier grew up in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and was a student at the Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. He is a cartoonist and illustrator, working on projects for himself as well as for clients. His most recent comic book is called “Phoenix: the Ford Pinto Story.”
Third Place:
See the video here.
The Hampstead Middle School Our World Club for 5th and 6th graders was started in response to a student’s racial slur. The club’s goal is cultural education and tolerance. Students feel that by being a member, they can make the world a better place, and are working to do so through fundraisers and awareness activities for various charities and causes.
Click HERE to return to the Council's homepage.