Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy
Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy is a true story about two life-long friends who have made their home in Springfield, Illinois. Diana drives, cooks, shops, and has been Kathy? personal assistant and friend for the past 35 years. Remarkably, Diana has Down Syndrome, a genetic condition that gives her one extra chromosome and a lower IQ. Kathy on the other hand is 61, has a degree in English, but is non-verbal, and has had cerebral palsy since her birth. As part of their ongoing activist efforts to demystify disability, Diana and Kathy invited Alice into their home over a period of five years to create their film, Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy. The film is currently screening at film festivals all over the world.
Watch the Trailer:
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A Tribute to Kathy Conour (1943-2009)
Kathy Conour grew up as an only child on Bates Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. She attended high school in Chicago. Her first job took her to a sheltered workshop in Ottawa, Illinois. Despite the objections of her parents, she was determined to live independently. To avoid being placed in a nursing home, Kathy had to find a solution. So when she met Diana Braun at the same sheltered workshop in 1970, they teamed up. It was a good match. A friendship began that lasted 42 years.
After trying foster care, Diana and Kathy found their first apartment and began their experiment in interdependent independent living. While living in Kankakee, they became frustrated with the high cost of taking cabs everywhere. With Kathy’s support, Diana took two years to study and eventually learned to drive. With the mobility of a van, they traveled all around the country.
In 1993, Kathy received her Bachelor’s degree in English from Olivet Nazarene College with a minor in business administration. Using a Pathfinder electronic communication device, Kathy wrote articles, responded to email and made speeches.
Kathy was born with cerebral palsy and lost the limited mobility she had following surgery on a spinal cyst in 1990. Diana complimented Kathy’s skills and helped Kathy in and out of her power chair, attended to her personal needs like dressing and eating, and helped her answer email.
Kathy was a leader and an activist for disability rights. Recently, she served on the board of United Cerebral Palsy of Illinois. In the past, Kathy worked with the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, the Illinois Center for Independent Living, The Arc of Illinois, and People First. A well-know activist on the national scene, she was often invited to speak at national conferences and conventions.
In 2005, Kathy Conour and Diana Braun were awarded an Illinois Human Rights Award. They were the first people with disabilities to receive this honor. They were awarded the Justin Dart Award from the Coalition of Citizens with Disability in Illinois and the Illinois network for Centers for Independent Living in 2008.
Kathy and Diana met Academy Award nominated documentary filmmaker Alice Elliott in 2003 and convinced her to make a film about them. Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy will be seen on Public Television this fall recognizing National Disabilities Awareness Month in October. (Times listed at www.dianaandkathy.com) She loved being the star of the documentary and helped move it forward, encouraging the filmmaker to push through to the finish. Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy, has won recognition in both the film and disability advocacy communities. Kathy’s dream continues to be realized as the film will be screened in North Carolina, Salt Lake City and Munich, Germany within the next few months.
Kathy’s humor, intelligence, gracious thoughtfulness, and candor will be missed.
Donations may be made to the Arc of Illinois in Memory of Kathy Conour.
Please put Kathy’s name on the memo or subject line. The money will be used for Kathy’s friend of 42 years, Diana Braun, to travel and promote the PBS documentary on their lives together, Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy.
The Arc of Illinois
20901 LaGrange Rd., Suite #209
Frankfort, IL 60423
815-464-1832 - Phone
815-464-5292 - Fax