The Baker Center for Public Media will host “In Our Words: Brave,” a public storytelling showcase that centers the lived experiences of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, on Saturday, Aug. 29.
The event, which is the first of its kind in the region, represents a collaborative effort between Arizona Public Media and the digital nonprofit newsroom Tucson Spotlight.
The showcase aims to move beyond traditional news coverage of the disability community by giving storytellers full agency to share their experiences in their own words.
The public is invited to attend the free afternoon program, which begins at 2 p.m. with an art exhibit and light refreshments in the Baker Center lobby. The exhibit features original work by Cody Kelly, a local artist and participant in ArtWorks.
ArtWorks is a creative outreach program housed within the Sonoran Center for Excellence in Disabilities at the University of Arizona Department of Family & Community Medicine.
The storytelling program will commence with a video presentation highlighting personal narratives highlighting moments of bravery from members of the IDD community.
The program showcases four local storytellers, all of whom developed and rehearsed their narratives through workshops partnered with Taglit B’Yachad. Taglit B’Yachad, which formed in 2022 through the merger of Arts for All and the Tucson Jewish Community Center’s day program, connects adults with disabilities to artistic, vocational and social opportunities.
“I think that what makes Taglit B'Yachad special is that we prioritize activity and creativity rather than just passive consumption, said Matt Katz, an instructor with Taglit B’Yachad.
Iris Lobel is among the featured speakers and is one of more than 100 adults and teens with developmental disabilities that the Tucson J serves each year through its Disability Program Services department.
In September 2025, DPS introduced vocational education opportunities for day-program participants. After receiving training, participants operated the JShop Retail Store, selling merchandise like hats and towels, as well as coffee and tea.
The opportunity piqued Lobel’s interest enough to fill out an application. Her story focuses on her experience navigating the job application and hiring process.
“It was then I thought to myself: What did I get myself into?” Label said. “The following day came the most important part: the interview – the hardest part of the whole process.”
Lobel will share more about her experience at the showcase.
Following the presentations, the storytellers and artists will participate in a live panel discussion moderated by AZPM Senior Reporter L. M. Boyd and Tucson Spotlight Editor and Publisher Caitlin Schmidt. The audience will have the opportunity to participate in a live Q&A session.
"News media professionals need to do a better job in how we frame stories centered on the IDD community," Boyd said. "The industry has come a long way, but we hope this event sparks more conversations on how to continue that progress and prioritize highlighting these voices."
Systemic barriers and the power of representation
In the United States, there are about 7 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Yet the community continues to face severe systemic inequities.
According to the Center for Disability Journalism, regulatory and legal frameworks continue to keep many disabled individuals institutionalized or isolated in facilities, limiting their ability to live and participate fully in their communities.
By creating a public platform where people with IDD can lead the narrative, AZPM and Tucson Spotlight hope to build lasting source relationships and help journalists identify critical coverage gaps. Schmidt, who is co-leading the project, said the goal goes beyond a single event.
"The IDD community in Tucson has stories worth telling, and local media has consistently overlooked them," Schmidt said. "We want to create a genuine, joyful space for those stories to be heard, and we want this to be the start of an ongoing relationship with this community, not something we parachute into once and walk away from."
This public storytelling event is funded through a partnership from the Reynolds Journalism Institute and WORDSLAW.
The concept behind the showcase was designed to reform newsroom engagement. The seeds of WORDSLAW were planted in 2020 by Phoenix-based journalist Amy Silverman during a year-long ProPublica Local Reporting Network project covering the lives of Arizonans with IDD.
Looking for safe ways to gather community stories during the pandemic, Silverman hosted a virtual storytelling event. She later refined the model into WORDSLAW during a Nieman Visiting Fellowship at Harvard University, subsequently partnering with RJI to help newsrooms nationwide put these inclusive practices into action.
Event details:
“In Our Words: Brave” will be held on Saturday, Aug. 29.
Doors and the art exhibit open at 2 p.m. with the program and panel discussion beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the Baker Center for Public Media, 2685 S Catalyst Drive, Tucson, AZ 85713.
This event is free and open to the public; however, seating is limited and registration is required
Visit azpm.org/brave to reserve your seat.
