FRIDAY, AUGUST 12

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Round-Table Discussions – topics to be announced

OR

9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. - Video Theater – see below

Without Pity:  A Film About Abilities

This HBO documentary, narrated by Christopher Reeve, celebrates the efforts of people with disabilities to live full, productive lives.  We meet a cross section of Americans – a young woman with cerebral palsy cares for her baby while a man with cerebral palsy lives successfully on his own after forty years in an institution.  We go to school with a remarkable six-year-old without arms or legs, visit the workplace of a blind computer expert, and meet a professor with polio who teaches the history of discrimination against people with disabilities.  A young man, who recently became a quadriplegic, discusses his daily battle with depression and his determination to overcome it and get on with his life.  This program applauds the resilience and potential of people with disabilities and their determination to be self-sufficient.   

Disability, Identity and Culture

Bold and controversial, fast paced with hundreds of images for discussion and debate, this program belongs in every classroom and workshop where people are seeking a deeper understanding of disability from a cultural perspective.  This is not the usual anthropological study of people with disabilities.  Featuring poet and performer Cheryl Marie Wade, this video takes a fresh look at what it means to be disabled in America.  It uncovers issues related to:  freedom of choice, disability pride, independent living, the power of language and images, sexuality, community and the right to live with dignity.   

Self Advocacy:  Freedom, Equality, and Justice for All

This is the story of the Civil Rights movement for people with developmental disabilities and other disabilities.  Learn the rich history of self-advocates, disability rights activists, and the civil rights struggles with archival film, songs, photos and interviews.  Viewers will have a stronger sense of empowerment and understand the importance of self-advocacy to their daily lives and futures.   

Changing Attitudes

Seven short theater vignettes show a comic view of persistent stereotypes:  the eternal child, the menace to society, the object of pity and ridicule, the “patient” needing to be cured.  Examine these persistent attitudes and learn what to do about it.  Gives service providers, teachers and self-advocacy groups the tools to recognize and challenge these every day misconceptions.