Candi

Blue Nobody’s Daughter
A Documentary by J. William Sullivan

Blue Nobody’s Daughter follows a young woman’s remarkable journey to reclaim her life. Candi Yarbrough was given her voice with use of a Tobii device. What she did with her voice once she found it, is truly inspiring.

Candi Yarbrough was pronounced dead at birth on January 11, 1972. For 45 minutes, doctors frantically worked to restore oxygen to the brain and bring the baby girl back to life. Diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, and unable to speak or walk, she was also diagnosed with mental retardation. Candi, now 37, spent 26 years in segregated facilities before rejoining society in October, 2005. The film explores the family dynamic that led to Candi’s institutionalization and then chronicles her amazing transformation over a three year period.

Candi was thrilled to start her life in 2005, and she applied to Partners in Policymaking. She was one of 36 people from across the state of Texas selected to participate in the training. Candi graduated from the program in 2006, which was the last class before the program closed in Texas. In February of that year, Candi gave testimony in a Committee Hearing at the Texas State Capitol in Austin. She read a statement that she typed with her nose, a sentence at a time, in her own words, and then someone read back what she was saying. Today, Candi has a voice. She uses a state of the art Communication Device that she operates with her knee.

In 2006, Candi was approached by a woman whose child has a disability. She had just returned from Morocco where she was helping at a school for children with disabilities. She found herself using Candi as an example over and over again. The Moroccan parents and teachers don't know what to do with the children. They feed and bathe them and strap them into cars seats and line them up against a wall. In March, 2007, Candi journeyed to Morocco to help at the school. The Moroccan parents and workers love these children, but found it hard to believe they would be capable of any form of life. They couldn’t imagine someone like Candi existed. In just 10 days, she changed their perspective and gave them hope.

This young woman, given up by family and the system, now attends college and has been inducted into Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society for Two Year Colleges.

Candi is not “disabled,” “crippled”, or “handicapped.” She has a disability, but she isn’t broken. She serves a purpose in the world. It’s her disability that allows her to make remarkable differences in the lives of others…those with disabilities and those without. Candi states her vision, “Through my own personal story, my hope is to empower people with disabilities and their families, to help them find their voice, and the supports which will move them into self-determination. I want to encourage people to have the freedom to live their lives the way they want to. We are entitled to our own dreams and our own journeys. We want to have opportunities to meet new people and try new things, to pick and choose who we have in our lives, and be surrounded with what is important to us in everyday life. We all have a right to be free!!!”

Candi is shown using her Mercury device with scanner, while she waits for her new Tobii C12 and CEye devices to arrive.

Click here to watch a clip of Candi

Visit Candi's website: www.candiunlimited.com