The Alliance for Full Participation, an organization of which The Arc is proud to be a founder and partner to help increase employment opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), is seeking short videos telling stories of integrated employment for people with IDD. These can be success stories, job searches in progress, or stories about a job that didn’t work out. We are looking for videos and stories from people with intellectual and developmental disabilities; employers; direct support providers; family members; co-workers—all those who have an employment story to share.

How to Share

Keep it simple, short (about 2 minutes) and to the point. Whether you’re using an expensive camera, a smart phone, or something in between to shoot your story, try to keep the camera steady and balanced. Use a tripod if you can. If you don’t have an external microphone, try to have the speaker close to the camera so the audio will be clear.

Include visuals that show your story—you working at your job, looking for a job, the people you work with, etc. Try not to make a “talking head” video that only shows one person talking. Be creative, and most importantly, HAVE FUN! This is your chance to share your story with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of viewers.

A lot of time people want to share a lot of facts in their videos, like where they work, how long they’ve been working somewhere, how many hours they work, and the exact tasks they do. Facts are important, but feelings help make a good story. Make sure you are telling how the employment experience makes you feel.

Once you have created your video, create an email. In the email message, include your name and email address. If you want, you can also include a brief description of the video. Attach your video file to the email and send to: df6w0q165cv4@m.youtube.com

This will automatically upload the video to the AFP YouTube Channel.

NOTE: YOUR VIDEO FILE SIZE MUST BE SMALLER THAN 25MB.

If the video file size is bigger than 25MB, contact Carol Walsh cwalsh@allianceforfullparticipation.org and she will coordinate with you.

The AFP YouTube channel is located at: https://www.youtube.com/user/RealJobsAFP

A national team of reviewers will watch your video and choose several to premiere during the plenary session at the Alliance for Full Participation Summit: Real Jobs—It’s Everyone’s Business, November 17-19, 2011 at the Gaylord National Harbor, in Washington, DC. We will also create a compilation of all the submissions to show at the exhibit hall at the conference. If you would like to attend the Summit, register now here. Early bird rates end July 31.

If you have any questions, please contact Carol Walsh at cwalsh@allianceforfullparticipation.org, www.allianceforfullparticipation.org. Please note The Arc is not collecting these videos and cannot answer any questions. We are helping to spread the word as part of our partnership with the Alliance for Full Participation, so please direct any questions or comments to them. Thanks!