DAC NW and INDEx Create Mental Health Toolbox Video Series
Taking charge of your mental health!
Disability Action Center NW (DAC NW) has finished production and released four Mental Health Toolbox videos to help young people deal with anxiety and stress.
The four short videos focus on the importance of self-care, maintaining healthy schedules, practicing mindfulness, and creating a portable sensory tool box to take with you. Each video is designed to provide hands on tips to use immediately to help deal with stress and anxiety.
“The past year and half with the pandemic has led to an increase in anxiety and depression, especially among young people,” said Mark Leeper, Executive Director, “We are delighted that these videos are finished and can possibly help people.”
The videos are done in two versions, one with both closed captioning and ASL interpreting for the deaf and hard of hearing, and audio description for the visually impaired. “This makes the videos accessible to everyone,” said Vicki Leeper, the project coordinator, “We also used local actors with disabilities in the videos. They all did such a great job.” The project took over a year to complete due to the pandemic.
The idea for the videos came from a youth led project in Spokane, now called INDEx. They host monthly game nights and Mental Health Mondays for people with disabilities. All workshops have been held virtually since the pandemic started.
“We can use these videos for peer-to-peer workshops and combine meaningful Q&A sessions with them,” said Mels Felton, Program Manager for INDEx in Spokane. For information about Independent Living Advocate led workshops with the videos, email dac@dacnw.org.
DAC NW is a Center for Independent Living that advocates for people with disabilities in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington to help them lead fulfilling, independent lives.
To view the videos, you can visit the DAC NW YouTube channel
ASL Version
#1 Self-Care https://youtu.be/_kjdEofI8sQ
#2 Maintaining Healthy Schedules https://youtu.be/gVJzvswzhTw
#3 Practicing Mindfulness https://youtu.be/YNPU_h8HGLc
#4 Sensory Tool Box https://youtu.be/6UTXDJrztIY
Audio Description Version
#1 Self-Care https://youtu.be/5BPozcu6bpc
#2 Maintaining Healthy Schedules https://youtu.be/2OHEcX0j7HU
#3 Practicing Mindfulness https://youtu.be/uJQCbW8DGtU
#4 Sensory Tool Box https://youtu.be/0hJ9kvg9hUg