{"id":186114,"date":"2016-02-12T02:04:34","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T10:04:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/?p=186114"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:22:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:22:15","slug":"i-heart-storycorps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2016\/02\/12\/i-heart-storycorps\/","title":{"rendered":"I *heart* StoryCorps"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear StoryCorps,<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Will you be my valentine?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"Image
Alice Wong, Founder and Project Coordinator of the Disability Visibility Project<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

xoxo,<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Disability Visibility Project<\/strong><\/h3>\n

So Many Reasons<\/h4>\n

There are a lot of reasons why I love StoryCorps, but I’ll speak from my experience as a one-time interviewee<\/a>, an interviewer of over 16 people, and a community partner.<\/p>\n

\"Asian
StoryCorps facilitators Yosmay del Mazo (left), Geraldine Ah-Sue (right) with Alice Wong (center). Not pictured: Nh\u01b0 Ti\u00ean L\u1eef, Regional Manager, San Francisco StoryBooth.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I started the\u00a0Disability Visibility Project (DVP), a community partnership with StoryCorps, almost two years ago. The staff at all three StoryCorps locations (Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco) and their Mobile Tour enthusiastically embraced this campaign to collect and record the stories of people with disabilities. I’ve had many thoughtful conversations with StoryCorps staff and volunteers about accessibility and inclusion–it’s definitely been an exchange of ideas we all benefited from.<\/p>\n

\"Two
StoryCorps San Francisco Audio Workshop for Community Partners, June 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Image
Presentation by Alice Wong, Disability Visibility Project, for StoryCorps community partners on using social media effectively, June 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I learned a lot about mission of StoryCorps and respect their commitment to engage with as many diverse populations as possible. StoryCorps, through their interactions with participants from the DVP, became aware of certain issues and responded as an organization. For example, they added Braille to the printed cards they use to\u00a0prompt each participant at the start of the interview. The recording booth in San Francisco now has a table that drops down to provide more turning space for wheelchair users. During one interview, we were able to fit 4 humans (facilitator, interviewer, interviewee, interpreter) and 1 service animal in the recording booth!<\/p>\n

\"AnStoryCorps conducted a survey <\/a>about their website and services to gain a sense of areas that need attention and focus. Yosmay del Mazo from StoryCorps San Francisco created a great video providing a detailed overview of the recording process, accessibility features, and physical layout of the location:<\/p>\n