Abilities in Abundance

Hope Community Resources, Inc.
Abilities in Abundance
Stories of strength, joy, and everyday life from people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities across Alaska

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Alaska Humanities Forum and the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expresed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

Abilities in Abundance
Meet the People We Support

For more than five decades, Hope has proudly supported people who experience intellectual and developmental disabilities across Alaska, guided by values like inclusion, relationship, and joy, which have paved the way for countless stories of resilience, tenacity, and love. Abilities in Abundance is a storytelling project that centers the voices, talents, and lived experiences of the people we support.

Rather than leading with diagnoses or labels, these stories focus on who these people are: their talents, interests, relationships, contributions, and resilience. Together, they offer a fuller picture of our communities and the many ways people show up, belong, and thrive.

 

Meet Becky Twitchell

This is Becky. She is an Alaska Native elder, a former Special Olympics athlete, a creative spirit, and a beloved community member. Born in 1941 in Akiak, Alaska, Becky is the third of ten children and born three months prematurely. Her early days were spent in the warmth of a wood stove oven door to protect her from the harsh Alaskan winter. At age 14, Becky was taken out of her home and sent to Morningside Hospital in Portland, Oregon, along with hundreds of other Alaskans with disabilities, far from her family and community. Despite this hardship, Becky’s resilience and determination have been a constant throughout her life. She has worked in several community jobs, participated in Special Olympics, and now enjoys her senior years in Kodiak, where she continues to engage in creative activities and her community.

 

Call to action: Participate

Are you a person Hope supports, or a family member or guardian of someone we support? We invite you to participate in Abilities in Abundance. Stories are shared with consent, care, and respect, and participants help guide how their story is told.

I’m Interested in Participating

 

Call to action: Photography/Videography

Hope is seeking a photographer/videographer to collaborate on Abilities in Abundance. This project calls for a strengths-based, people-first approach and experience working respectfully with diverse communities.

 

Participation Interest Form

We invite people who receive services from Hope and their families or guardians to express interest in participating in Abilities in Abundance, a storytelling project that celebrates strengths, passions, and everyday life.

Complete the following form to help us learn more about you or your loved one and how you’d like a story to be shared. Completing this form does not commit you to participate. Our team will follow up to answer questions, discuss details, and share consent forms before any photos, interviews, or public storytelling take place.

 







 

Photographer / Videographer Collaboration Interest

We are looking for a photographer and/or videographer to collaborate with us on Abilities in Abundance, a storytelling project that celebrates strengths, passions, and everyday life. We’re looking for someone who approaches this work with care, respect, and attention to accessibility and consent.

Please share a bit about your background, availability, and approach below. Submitting this form does not commit you to anything—our team will follow up to talk through scope, timeline, expectations, and consent practices.