Diana Braun and Kathleen Conour approached Alice Elliott at the 2001 National Arc Convention, and asked her to make a documentary about them. At first Alice was reluctant to take on another project, since she had just finished The Collector of Bedford Street . Kathy, however, was persistent in her emails, so when Alice was in Chicago in the Spring of 2002, she decided to take her camera and travel to Springfield. Diana and Kathy welcomed her and were willing participants. The result is Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy .

Diana and Kathy are friends and advocates, who continue to explore innovative solutions for people with disabilities. From their experience living outside of institutions for 35 years, they became advocates for choices in housing for people with disabilities.

If you would like to know more about the film, please email Alice Elliott, the director, at director@welcomechange.org.

New Advocacy Videos

Posted 61 days ago

Watch Diana and Kathy discuss self-determination, advocacy, and independent living in these two new short videos on YouTube. Both videos are English Captioned.

Watch them here!

A Tribute to Kathy Conour (1943-2009)

Posted 142 days ago

Kathy Conour grew up as an only child on Bates Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. She attended high school in Chicago. Her first job took her to a sheltered workshop in Ottawa, Illinois. Despite the objections of her parents, she was determined to live independently. To avoid being placed in a nursing home, Kathy had to find a solution. So when she met Diana Braun at the same sheltered workshop in 1970, they teamed up. It was a good match. A friendship began that lasted 42 years.

After trying foster care, Diana and Kathy found their first apartment and began their experiment in interdependent independent living. While living in Kankakee, they became frustrated with the high cost of taking cabs everywhere. With Kathy’s support, Diana took two years to study and eventually learned to drive. With the mobility of a van, they traveled all around the country.

In 1993, Kathy received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Olivet Nazarene College with a minor in business administration. Using a Pathfinder electronic communication device, Kathy wrote articles, responded to email and made speeches.

Kathy was born with cerebral palsy and lost the limited mobility she had following surgery on a spinal cyst in 1990. Diana complimented Kathy’s skills and helped Kathy in and out of her power chair, attended to her personal needs like dressing and eating, and helped her answer email.

Kathy was a leader and an activist for disability rights. Recently, she served on the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois. In the past, Kathy worked with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Illinois Center for Independent Living, The Arc of Illinois, and People First. A well-know activist on the national scene, she was often invited to speak at national conferences and conventions.

In 2005, Kathy Conour and Diana Braun were awarded an Illinois Human Rights Award. They were the first people with disabilities to receive this honor. They were awarded the Justin Dart Award from the Coalition of Citizens with Disability in Illinois and the Illinois network for Centers for Independent Living in 2008.

Kathy and Diana met Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Alice Elliott in 2003 and convinced her to make a film about them. Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy will be seen on Public Television this fall recognizing National Disabilities Awareness Month in October. (Times listed at www.dianaandkathy.com) She loved being the star of the documentary and helped move it forward, encouraging the filmmaker to push through to the finish. Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, has won recognition in both the film and disability advocacy communities. Kathy’s dream continues to be realized as the film will be screened in North Carolina, Salt Lake City and Munich, Germany within the next few months.

Kathy’s humor, intelligence, gracious thoughtfulness, and candor will be missed.

Donations may be made to the Arc of Illinois in Memory of Kathy Conour.

Please put Kathy’s name on the memo or subject line. The money will be used for Kathy’s friend of 42 years, Diana Braun, to travel and promote the PBS documentary on their lives together, Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy.

The Arc of Illinois
20901 LaGrange Rd., Suite #209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 – Phone
815-464-5292 – Fax

Announcing the Broadcast Dates!

Posted 144 days ago

The October 2009 broadcast dates for Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy have been announced. Follow the link below to see if it’s airing in your city! Be sure to check back as more broadcast dates and times will be added in the near future. CLICK HERE FOR BROADCAST DATES

Diana & Kathy on Facebook & Twitter

Posted 154 days ago

Become a fan of Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy on Facebook. Keep up to date on film screenings and other events as Diana and Kathy continue to advocate around the country for people with disabilities. Follow the link below for more details. BECOME A FACEBOOK FAN

You can also follow Diana and Kathy on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/dianaandkathy

Sign Up for Our Newsletter!

Posted 176 days ago

Want to stay informed on everything happening at Welcome Change Productions, including upcoming film screenings and events? Sign up for our Welcome Change email newsletter!