Community Impact - Social Need & Health
Greater Understanding
Not all disabilities are easily seen or understood, as the Southern Alberta Children's Advocacy Association can attest. In an effort to help people under stand what children with mild to moderate learning disabilities experience, the group produced a video entitled "The Invisible Child," using a grant from the Lethbridge Community Foundation. "Often these children are overlooked, or they flounder in frustration," said Kerry Milder, President of the Southern Alberta Children's Advocacy Association.
Filmed predominantly from the perspective of three young people with learning disabilities, the video puts a human face on a poorly understood issue. "It was very gutsy of those students to sit in front of the camera and tell their own story in their own words, to explain what they endure on a daily basis," Kerry said. "Their stories really have an incredible impact."
The "Invisible Child" video is the centrepiece of a larger campaign to advocate for children and adolescents with mild to moderate learning disabilities.
From LCF Report to the Community 2004.
The video is the centrepiece of a larger campaign to advocate for children and adolescents with mild to moderate learning disabilities. "We were thrilled that the Lethbridge Community Foundation was willing to help us in this way," Kerry said. "We couldn't have done this without their support. I know the video is making those invisible children much more visible, especially to those who work with them."
ceases to move me." Interest in the video has continued to grow. "We've shown it as far away as Edmonton and had inquiries about it from Vancouver. I can't count the number of times we have had to go back to the production company and get more copies made."
Premiered in June 2004, the video has been shown to teachers, educational support staff, health professionals, education students, parent groups, politicians, and various community groups. "The 12 minute video has strongly affected everyone who has seen it," adds Kerry. "I've seen it dozens of times and it never
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