Cast Biographies:
Crew Biographies:
Diana & Kathy
Diana has Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that gives her one extra chromosome, a lower IQ, and constant physical problems. Kathy, on the other hand, is 61 years old, has a degree in English, and has had cerebral palsy since her birth which left her non-verbal. For 37 years they have lived together, forging a unique symbiotic relationship that has allowed them to live independently and be active in their community (fifty years ago they would have been institutionalized).
Kathy and Diana met at a sheltered workshop three decades ago and vowed to fight to live independent lives. Fearful of being shut away in a nursing home or forced into a state run institution, they broke the rules and escaped the system. Not content to earn menial wages at a sheltered workshop and have their living situation change with the whim of a government appropriation, they moved, built a house, and survived to tell their story. Kathy and Diana are survival geniuses.
Diana and Kathy have established themselves as a tireless dynamic pair of well-known lobbyists and activists in the disability movement. Through the help of a mouth stick and the Pathfinder computer device, Kathy writes articles for national magazines and has a lively email correspondence with leaders in the disability rights movement. Kathy was even arrested (power chair and all!) during a disability rally. Both Diana and Kathy serve on boards and regularly lobby for disability rights in Washington and throughout the State of Illinois.
