50th Anniversary Celebration – Film Series Results in “Exemplary Citation” For Community Awareness

To mark its 50-year anniversary, AADD  organized a six-month celebration featuring a variety of events throughout Atlanta to communicate positive messages of hope and understanding for people living with developmental disabilities. A highlight of the schedule was the 50 th Anniversary Celebration Film Series from March to October 2006.

The event channeled the power of movies to celebrate the lives of people with disabilities. Several nonprofit groups joined with AADD to engage the emotion of visuals, music, storylines, character development, and writing to help illustrate the contributions people with disabilities make in every aspect of community life. The series also included an established arts festival, Arts for Independence, featuring work by individuals with developmental and/or other disabilities.

Through this extended celebration, Atlantans gained heightened awareness of the need for full inclusion of and participation by people with disabilities, while honoring AADD's 50-year legacy of leadership in education, policymaking, direct service, recreation, work, and wellness.

The Film Series ultimately resulted in AADD’s being cited for demonstrating, “exemplary conformance to standards” for developing and presenting the 50th Anniversary Film Series, AADD: Stories of Triumph, in 2006, by CARF, an independent, nonprofit accrediting body with a mission of promoting the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services.
 
When AADD received its Three-Year Accreditation from  for Community Services: Family Services, as well as Employment Services for Community Employment and Job-Site Training Services. the organization honored AADD for the film series.
 
Films shown during the series  were Rain Man, 39 Pounds of Love, The Miracle Worker, and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.
 
““This [series] demonstrated an exemplary example of the development of community awareness, education of developmental disabilities and the individuals whose lives are affected by them,’” the CARF Survey Summary said.