Derek Heard is a 20-year-old young man who attends Lee County High School in Georgia. He is a blossoming self-advocate and artist who enjoys food, graphic design, and playing video games. He is a recent social butterfly and enjoys teaching people about his love of art. Derek began his journey being involved in community programs through Easterseals Southern Georgia since he was 7 years old through their Family Support Program. As a young adult, Derek is now actively involved in groups that believe in furthering causes for people with developmental disabilities. Derek is now a member of the Uniting for Change Network of self-advocates and Rev Up Georgia. Derek is an enthusiastic person who doesn’t mind jumping in and helping out any way that he can. He has a love of people and has an extreme passion for art. He inspires to become a professional artist and be involved with character design for game designing companies like Blizzard. He lives with 2 younger brothers and parents. His other key allies are his grandparents and his best friend, Carley Holland.
Daniel Abadi
Daniel is a voice over artist with a passion for bringing commercials, audio books, and narrations to life using his vocal skills. Daniel has completed the “Such a Voice” voice over program and hopes to expand his business. He has been a part of Synergies Work’s i2i accelerator program and the 2021 Impact grant recipient. “Thanks to connections through Synergies Work, I have been able to get voiceover projects and grow my business. I am extremely grateful to my mentor. Daniel’s passion for voice over started when he was young. He would entertain family and friends with play-by-play actions of his favorite sporting events. Daniel was diagnosed at an early age with autism and thereafter started speech therapy. Over the years, he has been blessed with many therapists of different modalities who helped him overcome his disability. To learn more Daniel visit his website Vivid Vocals VO. https://vimeo.com/656177017
