Meet the People Behind “6,000 Waiting,” GCDD’s Forthcoming Documentary After much hard work from the Friends of L’Arche project team, along with film producers, editors and directors, GCDD is excited to soon release its film, “6,000 Waiting.”
Seasoned filmmakers Michael McDonald, Lexi Read and Zach Read came together and created a stunning look into the lives of Georgians with disabilities and their families. The film follows Ben Oxley, Nick Papadopoulos and Noah Williams and his mother Naomi as they navigate Georgia’s daunting Medicaid waiver system. Storytelling team lead Irene Turner shares, “The film is not just a story about what has been ... it’s the story of what has shaped the present and contains the pieces for renewed movement forward. Georgians with disabilities have the right to live full lives in their communities, and ‘6,000 Waiting’ speaks to the urgency of making this a reality for all.” This documentary is the latest interpretation of the storytelling initiative, which began in 2018 to capture the stories of Georgians with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Upon its release, the film will join the catalog of written stories and photographs and the first season of the Hidden Voices podcasts. GCDD looks forward to bringing this film virtually later this year and via in-person screenings when pandemicrelated distancing recommendations are lifted. In the meantime, meet the people behind the stories.
After he graduated from high school in 2006 and watched his friends go off to college, Ben hit a slump. He went from being his extroverted and active self to being at home with not much to do. There were few resources that were a good match for him in his community, which is outside metro Atlanta.
Ben Oxley Ben was born at 27 weeks and weighed only 2 lbs, 8.5 oz. He was placed in a neonatal intensive care unit for almost two months. Whether his cerebral palsy was caused by either too much oxygen – or too little – remains unknown to the family. After the reality sank in, Ben’s father John, decided: “I want him to have as full of a life as we have.” The Oxley family gets going remembering some of Ben’s adventures, one interrupting the other: “Remember the time we took Ben on a banana boat that bounced so hard? Or the time when he jumped out of a plane and parachuted to earth?” 28
After working at Publix for 10 years as a greeter, his mother Susie wanted to fnd other opportunities for Ben. They found that traditional “day programs” were too limited to meet Ben’s abilities or interests and wouldn’t stimulate his mind enough. Then Susie found out about a training program called Partners in Policymaking. For nine months, Ben learned how to be an advocate, how to speak in public and interact with lawmakers. That led to Ben becoming an advocate with GCDD’s Unlock! Campaign, which aims to get more funding for people with disabilities. The connections he made at Unlock! led to Ben learning about the Medicaid-
I want him to have as full of a life as we have.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE MAGAZINE
