People often feel anxious when asked to choose ‘one’ story to tell. Usually, this is because they are afraid this ONE video will be seen as their all-defining identity. I like to look at the process as a conversation starter (internal AND external). Sharing a digital story has the potential to create another story and can lead to many opportunities…
By combining Asset-Based Community Development with Narrative Therapy and Digital Storytelling, storytelling can be an innovative application of community education as it has the potential to cover all stages of the Continuum of Change. Yasmine’s story “Dreaming of an Accessible Australia” provides a great example of the possibilities…
1. Personal Empowerment
I first met Yasmine at a digital storytelling workshop I was facilitating for Disability ACT where we asked participants “What makes or would make your life better?” Yasmine used the workshop process as an opportunity to reflect on, articulate and give voice to an idea that had been bubbling away in her mind for quite a while about a way to help others also living with a mobility impairment.
Her idea centres around providing a simple way for people with mobility impairments to find information on mobility assistance available throughout Australia. An Accessible Australia website would be created for businesses and venues offering equipment for loan or hire to upload their information. Yasmine says “The difference it would make to my life and others would be enormous.”
2. Group Development
Having the Accessible Australia idea heard by others who also live with mobility impairments, led to conversations of shared experiences and understandings around their needs. Yasmine explains “ it was about getting the outside world to understand what I had in mind.” It also enabled family and friends to see the next step.
3. Community Development
Sharing this story from within the community enables service provider organisations such as Disability ACT to honour their aspirations to support change from below. Thanks to the video being created during the workshop Yasmine was able to gain seed-funding for the creation of the Accessible Australia website.
4. Coalition Advocacy
By sharing her story with other stakeholders, Yasmine has successfully expressed the voice of many people’s rights within the community. This story sharing has acted as a vehicle for this sector of the community to be heard by the broader-community including a variety of interest groups and elected officials.
5. Political Action
When a large enough section of the community has their rights heard (in this case for information access and physical access to public buildings etc) policy makers in democracies such as Australia are much more likely to create legislation to ensure these rights are exercised.
Could Yasmine’s Accessible Australia story lead to legislation changes around building regulations and transport?
Think shop entrances, scooter availability etcOf course it can!
That is how the continuum of change works.
And we love it!
Congratulations, Yasmine!
Stay tuned – this story has just begun…
If you’d like to find out more about Accessible Australia, email Yasmine: doaaa@grapevine.com.au
