The One in 5 Stories project came out of a small grant KRCB received from the producers of a nationally distributed documentary about people with disabilities. It evolved into a multimedia campaign to highlight the stories of 1 out of every 5 of us.

How can you describe “physically integrated dance” in words? Without a firmly established vocabulary, “you have to see it to believe it.”

What does “One in 5” mean?

According to census statistics, one out of every five Americans (20%) have a disability of some kind.  These are their stories.

Why does this matter?

Disability doesn’t refer exclusively to your elders.  Disability culture is vibrant, and as with other minority cultures it deserves mainstream exposure.

Chris Finn is not only the coach of two local Bay Area teams— he also coached the first-ever World Cup-winning Power Soccer team, and he is an excellent player himself!

Are these people who tell their stories heroes? Exceptional?  Praise-worthy?

Mainstream culture tends to classify people with disabilities who are seemingly high-functioning as heroes, almost superhuman. Most people with disabilities who achieve more than what is expected are merely combatting prejudicial assumptions.

Tom Molina loves a good adventure. He travels the country, always taking his wheelchair “where a wheelchair doesn’t belong!”

Should I feel badly about these people and their situation in life?

Although life with a disability isn’t always easy or convenient, it is (or becomes) ordinary day-to-day life to the person in question.  Everyone struggles, even members of the mainstream population.  Just as there are people who hate their hair color or career choices, there are people with disabilities who are unsuccessful at integrating with their identity as a person with a disability. On the other hand, so many people with disabilities do successfully accept their disability and have moved on to the more exciting parts of life, like sports, arts, activism, or any of the other parts of life that make living so interesting.