We are especially delighted to highlight AbleVision, an innovative, award-winning video program written and produced entirely by individuals with physical and mental disabilities.

A program of Great Bay grantee Triangle, Inc. (Malden, Massachusetts), AbleVision was created in 2003 in partnership with Malden Access Television. AbleVision’s main purpose is to act as a voice for the disabled community.  The program is comprised of over fifty participants that operate both field and television studio equipment.  By working in a team as a television production crew, the participants learn technical skills, think creatively, and gain independence and self-esteem. The crew seeks to educate and empower its audience by portraying individuals with disabilities in a positive and capable manner.  AbleVision’s episodes (16 in total) are shown on over forty Massachusetts local access stations, in seven states nationwide, as well as online.  To watch all 16 of the episodes visit AbleVision’s You Tube site.

According to Executive Producer Alisa Brugnoli, “[AbleVision] is important because it demonstrates that everyone has their own unique talents and abilities and we are all capable of accomplishing great things.”

Not surprisingly, AbleVision has received a number of accolades.  In 2004, the program received a “Best Practice Award” from Massachusetts APSE.  Awards in 2007 included “Best Diversity Empowerment Video” and “Rika Welsh Community Impact Award” from Northeast Alliance for Community Media, as well as the “Heroes of Access Award” from Malden Access Television.  That same year, AbleVision was heralded by the Special Olympics Committee of Massachusetts for its extensive coverage of the Malden Day Games.  Recently, AbleVision won the “Access-Able” category for the “Hometown Video Festival,” a national video contest open to all access centers.

So, what does the future hold for AbleVision?  “In the future,” said Brugnoli, “we hope to increase our viewership and bring our message to more communities across the nation.  We are also hoping to collaborate with other media outlets as well as becoming a leader in the disabled community.”

For more information on AbleVision and its parent organization Triangle, Inc., visit www.ablevision.org and www.triangle-inc.org, respectively.