Documen-taries
Here are some documentaries that I have come across and found to be both intriguing and thought-provoking in the way that they portray people with disabilities and their families maneuvering through this thing we call life.
Including Samuel. A documentary from the families viewpoints depicting the struggles & triumphs of raising a person with a disability.
Photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about inclusion before he had his son Samuel. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Habib’s documentary film Including Samuel examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities as a civil rights issue. Dan Habib has documented his family’s efforts to include his son Samuel, 7, in all aspects of school and community. See a sampling of video clips and photographs from Samuel’s story, plus videos and slide shows on four other subjects from the film: Keith Jones, Alana Malfy, Emily Huff and Haggerty School.
Dan Habib documented his family’s efforts to include his son Samuel, then age 7, in all aspects of school and community. See a sampling of video clips and photographs from Samuel’s story, plus videos and slide shows on four other subjects from the film: Keith Jones, Alana Malfy, Emily Huff and Haggerty School.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfg1pswiOgM&w=420&h=315]
A new micro-documentary series The Opportunity Project by the NY Transition Organization features short films 7-8min long each centering on an interesting person who also happens to have an intellectual disability. Check out their website for transition-related information http://www.nytransition.org. In the following two films get to know Robert Lonie and Cori Piels.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcRnmJ471JQ&w=560&h=315]
Rethinking College is a site with college options for people with disabilities. You can also watch the Rethinking College film in its entirety here. The purpose of these films is to promote and cultivate inclusivity on college campuses.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auIYOb_rptQ&w=560&h=315]
A WHOLE LOTT MORE looks at the impact of Lott Industries’ ( a contracted auto manufacturing ‘workplace’, located in Toledo, Ohio) struggles and examines the wider world of employment options for people with disabilities. This documentary focuses on three unforgettable individuals – each with a different attitude towards work and each with a different disability. The film showcases their incredible resilience and makes the case for greater employment opportunities for all.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlfeQn_s4Fg&w=560&h=315]
Employment Matters, a documentary by CBC, explores the untapped market and potential of employing people with intellectual disabilities in the workplace, as part of the Absolutely Canadian series.
Filmmaker Brandy Yanchyk profiled individuals in B.C. and Alberta in a variety of jobs, from a bakery to a horse stable and a homemade popcorn enterprise.
As she followed them in their daily routines and talked to their families and employers, she discovered how much working means to employees and how much they contribute to their workplaces.
Employment Matters Too is the second part of the documentary series focusing on people with intellectual disabilities in the workplace.
Filmmaker Brandy Yanchyk interviews employees in B.C. and Alberta who are forging meaningful careers in the corporate world.
The film follows them through their daily routines and hears from their employers and families about their valuable skills, as well as how to incorporate their unique abilities into large companies.
[vimeo 132354432 w=500 h=281]
[vimeo 134334215 w=500 h=281]
I recently was referred to the PBS documentary called Autism in Love. I found it very engaging and moving in the way it depicts its characters and their dreams, hopes, & ideals, as well as the realities of finding, keeping and maintaining loving relationships.
‘Finding love can be hard enough for anyone, but for those on the autism spectrum, the challenges may seem overwhelming. The disorder can jeopardize the core characteristics of a successful relationship — communication and social interaction. Autism in Love offers a warm and stereotype-shattering look at four people with autism as they pursue and manage romantic relationships.’
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQNpZH7ZpRo&w=560&h=315]
We hope you enjoy these finds and are able to perhaps find a new way of relating to a segment of our population that most of us seldom give much thought to.