Six differently abled ‘stars’ celebrated at gala
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026
Hollywood’s awards season typically starts in November and culminates in March with the Academy Awards. In Grays Harbor, the true stars were out for a special awards presentation Monday evening at the D&R Theatre in Aberdeen — Living My Best Life: A Red Carpet Night celebrating local stars with inspiring short films. The occasion marked the second such film fest, with the first taking place in June 2025.
The event, presented by the Grays Harbor County Developmental Disabilities Program, honored Brett, Rosalia, Scott, Zane, Jessie and Daniel. The Red-Carpet Night represents an opportunity for the “stars” to be seen, heard and celebrated; a chance to highlight their talents, passions, goals, and accomplishments; and serves as a powerful reminder that disability is just one part of who they are.
Living My Best Life kicked off with Master of Ceremonies Rick Moyer and event organizer and host Dee Dee Garman, Grays Harbor County Developmental Disabilities program coordinator, presenting awards to the six honorees. The audience was then treated to six short films featuring interviews, photos, anecdotes, backstories and highlights of the awardees’ lives and times. Through family and community support and their own force of will and determination, Brett, Rosalia, Scott, Zane, Jessie and Daniel have accomplished much and have become pillars of their respective communities.
Garman says holding events like Living My Best Life raises awareness about people with disabilities and helps teach acceptance.
“If you better understand people then you’re more included, that’s how you get that sense of belonging. We’re more alike than we are different. The more people are aware of people with disabilities, they teach us, we teach them,” Garman said. “People are, at times, afraid of people with disabilities, because they don’t understand what they don’t know. The more people know people with disabilities the more they become accepted and belong and become part of our community. They are very much part of our community.”
According to Garman, getting to know people with disabilities can promote patience, knock down stereotypes and create empathy.
“When you interact with somebody with a disability, your whole world opens up. You’re so more aware of what they’re capable of doing and see them as different people, they’re not that stereotype, you realize they all have different personalities, skillsets, and gifts that they offer. It’s absolutely amazing,” Garman said. “The more we have them in the community working the jobs, doing the activities as everybody else, our world becomes more compassionate both ways. The most wonderful thing in the world is to be able to be around all people. I want people who when they find out their child has a disability they can see all the things possible for them. All it takes is to find the right support, and get the right people in your life and wonderful things can happen.”
Garman added that the parents of Monday night’s honorees paved the way and knocked down doors for their children.
“A lot of the people we’re representing tonight had parents that didn’t have support like we have today,” Garman said. “Those parents were out there saying ‘our kids need to go to school, our kid can have a job, they can work.’ These families are the ones who really pioneered the way.”
Moyer, who produced and presented the films and voiced much of the narration, says his involvement with two Living My Best Life film festivals and last October’s Ability @ Work Celebration has become a labor of love.
“I donate part of my time, the disabilities program hired me to do these, they saw my work for the YMCA of Grays Harbor, they saw the videos and they went, ‘we want you to tell our story.’ We worked out a deal. Not only do they pay for me, I also put a lot of my own time into it, because once I got involved in this, I met people who blew me away,” Moyer said. “These are people who have overcome adversity that you and I don’t even understand. They’re the nicest, most inspiring people I know. It’s amazing. They’re such great people. I learn tons more from them than they do from me by far. The interview process is very sincere, I love working with authentic people, these are the people that we highlight. I’ve made friends.”
The Oscars may have been held a few weeks ago, but the stars were truly out Monday evening in Aberdeen as Disability Awareness Month came to a close for 2026.
The films from Monday evening’s gala can be viewed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61VxkUYMLp0
