Award-winning documentary filmmaker Steven C. Barber will premier “Unbeaten” at 20th Anniversary of the ADA Film Festival

The two-day ADA Film Festival will commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act by highlighting favorite films, featuring a variety of disability issues that reflect the intent and progress of the disability rights movement.

Thursday, July 15, 2010 – 2 pm to 7 pm
Friday, July 16, 2010 – 1 pm – 2 pm (Replay of ADA Signing and Reflections)
Friday, July 16, 2010 – 2 pm to 8 pm

Award-winning documentary filmmaker Steven C. Barber will unviel his 2nd film, “Unbeaten,” the inspirational story that chronicles the exploits of 31 paraplegics for six days, as they make their way in wheelchairs and hand cycles in what is known as the toughest road race in the world, “Sadler’s Alaska Challenge.” The course winds 267 miles though the mountain passes of Denali National Park between Fairbanks and Anchorage.

The film takes us into the 55 mile-per-day grind of three wheelchair racers, Chris Kohler, Geoffrey Erickson and Edwin Figueroa. The story transitions midway through as the filmmaker follows the elite racers of the U.S. Paralympics squad, Oz Sanchez (current Paralympic gold medalist and fastest man in the world in a hand cycle) and Alejandro Albor (Paralympic silver medalist) in their quest to medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

For many of the participants, it is a journey of self-discovery, of strength and a demonstration of will and determination. It is also a message to countless individuals with physical limitations worldwide. “Unbeaten” is a monumental homage to heroism and a message of hope to countless disabled individuals worldwide.

Vanilla Fire Productions has teamed up with Polaris Media Group, an international entrepreneurial skills training company, to raise the profile of disabled athletes and disabled persons worldwide. Shane Krider, CEO and founder of Polaris, served as Executive Producer for “Unbeaten” and Greg Strom, Head of Worldwide Media for Polaris, was a Producer for the film.
The three-year odyssey to finish the film came with the generosity of some high profile individuals, including Steve Forbes, Eli Broad, Boone Pickens, Cher, Billy Jean King, Tony Hawk, Clint Black, Paula and Sumner Redstone, Larry Hagman, Clint Black, Pamela Anderson and Steve Jobs. Partial proceeds from this film will be contributed to the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

What: ADA Film Festival commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Ceremony to honor individuals personifying the “unbeaten spirit”.

Premiering of “Unbeaten” followed by Q&A with film Director Steven Barber

When/Time: Thursday, July 15 (2pm – 7pm) and Friday, July 16 (2pm – 8pm)

Cost: No Charge!!!

Transportation: Please contact David Carey at 602-443-0723 before Tuesday, July 13 5 p.m.

RSVP: Please call David Carey at 602-443-0723 and/or register via facebook.

Refreshments: Popcorn, nachos, drinks, cookies will be provided free of charge.

Accommodations: Please contact David Carey before Tuesday, July 13. Films will be captioned and interpreters will be provided for discussion.

Location: Disability Empowerment Center (DEC), 5025 E. Washington, Phoenix, AZ 85034 – Nina Mason Pulliam Conference Center – First Floor

Other ADA Events: Please  contact David Carey at (602)443-0723 or davidc@abil.org.

Film Festival Schedule and Film Descriptions

Thursday, July 15, 2010
2:00 pm Welcome

2:05 pm ADA Signing Ceremony – July 26, 1990 – This video documents
the speech given by President George H. W. Bush when he signed
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law on July 26, 1990. In the video, President Bush speaks to a huge audience of activists, Congressional supporters, people with disabilities, and their families and friends gathered on the south lawn of the White House.
Running Time: 22 min

2:30 pm Reflections of a Promise – A history of the disability rights movement, the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and events over the past 20 years with its passage. This nationally released documentary will feature a compilation of historical images and footage, interviews with people instrumental in the disability rights movement and the passage of the ADA, and people with disabilities describing their perspectives on how the ADA has affected their lives.
Running Time: 22 min

3:00 pm Deaf President Now! – Student strikes at Gallaudet University starting March 6, 1988 revolutionized the perception and education of Deaf culture. Deaf students were outraged at the selection of another hearing president, Elisabeth Zinser, after a long line of university presidents who were not deaf. Alumni, faculty, staff, and students demanded that the next president of the university be deaf. After a week of protest and activism, Zinser resigned and was replaced by I. King Jordan. This movement became known as Deaf President Now.
Running Time: 28 min

3:30 pm Audience Discussion 20 min.

3:50 pm Break 10 min.

4:10 pm Dear Wheelchair Maker – Gene Rodgers describes the type of wheelchair he needs using amazing videos.
Running Time: 5 min

4:15 pm Audience Discussion 10 min.

4:25 pm Behind the Scenes “Invisible Voices”
Running Time: 16 min

4:45 pm Invisible Voices
Seven people gather on a stage. Three use wheelchairs. One is accompanied by her service dog. One man, who speaks using sign language, is accompanied by an actor who will voice what the man signs. One man doesn’t appear to have a disability at all.

This is the cast of Invisible Voices: Six individuals living with various disabilities: six voices, each with its own unique perspective. Over the next 96 minutes, these energetic voices will weave a tapestry of a story. Some of the stories will be sad, but not most of them. For the most part, these voices are happy, confident, challenging. The perfect guides to what is-for most of us-a foreign land.

The Invisible Voices DVD captures this compelling stage show, providing a window into the complex worlds of six individuals who have adapted to and thrived with their disabilities. This is a compelling presentation delivered by those who know, firsthand, what it means to be one of the 54 million Americans living with a serious disability today.
Running Time: 96 min

6:15 pm Break 10 min.

6:25 pm Panel Discussion 30 min.

6:55 pm Closing Remarks 5 min.

Arizona’s 20th Anniversary of the ADA Film Festival is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

First things first: The dead horse is long gone. This is a very clean and accessible park. I could’nt even smell the carcass.

Located on the edge of a really cool little town called Cottonwood. At 3,300′ elevation, the park is in the high desert region. The park is part of the Verde Valley, and is next to the Verde River. Its easy to see why the early Indians loved the Verde Valley. It’s sorta like an oasis in the desert. There’s huge shade trees that probably where here 300 years ago when migrating tribes discovered the place. Thirty minutes away is Montezuma’s Castle.

The state park has three little ‘lagoons’ they stock with all types of fish. There is a nice trail around the fishing holes and numerous steel piers extend out into the water. These little piers are wheelchair accessible and really well designed for hauling in fish. There is shade trees every where and numerous picnic tables and ramadas. The Lower Lagoon has a larger pier and human-powered boats are allowed.

We barely covered any of the earth packed trails. The ones around the lake are great. We trekked down another that followed the creek, but never found to get near the creek. The park has numerous trails going in between the various camping sites.

An interesting feature at the park is the row of 8 cabins you can rent for $50 a night. They are basically sleeping quarters . Cabin #5, (aka The Eagle Cabin) has wheelchair access. Each cabin has 1 full bed and a set of bunks. They have a small table inside, but not much else. They do have have electricity and there’s public bathrooms (with roll-in shower) near by. There is BBQ on the side of the cabin. I like the concept as its something between camping and staying at a hotel. The location of these cabins leaves a little to be desired, as the view isn’t scenic compared to other spots in the park, and its quite a walk to the fishing holes. The other bummer is that campers or motor homes cant stay nearby so depending on how your friends roll, you could not ‘camp’ with them. But if your friends too grabbed a cabin, it would be fun. The cabins, and the entire park are pet-friendly.

What makes Dead Horse Ranch State Park most attractive is the weather. It’s never going to be scorching hot, and never too cold. It’s a year round place to roll around.

Link to Dead Horse Ranch State Park web site

The lagoons have flat wide dirt trails that go around the lagoons. There is shady trees and picnic ramadas as well.

Each lagoon has 6-10 piers that perch over the water. The pier offers good wheelchair access for disabled anglers.

Cabin #5 had good wheelchair access. The public bath room is 30 yards away.

Its pretty tight inside the small cabins.

Dead Horse Ranch State Park is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

The 2010 Desert Challenge had everything. Great weather, elite athletes from across North America, and a new venue that really made the event great for athletes, Olympic observers, and the fans.

The event had athletes as young as nine, and a few near eighty. Quite a few newly disabled vets were participating, and many athletes were here in preparation for the 2012 Paralympics in London.

www.arizonadisabledsports.com will likely have the results up soon so we’re just going to feature some photos.

If you cant see flash, or if anybody is wanting photos, head over to www.wheelchairphotography.com

Desert Challenge Hosts International Paralympic Athletes in Mesa is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

May 8, 2010: Ben Avery Shooting Facility, Phoenix, AZ

The National Rifle Association sponsored the 2nd Annual Open Range Day in Phoenix this weekend.  Held at the Ben Avery Shooting Range, people with disabilities were invited to come learn about and shoot all types of firearms.  The free event attracted approximately twenty-five shooters. Most used wheelchairs, and there were a few scooters and slow walkers. Of the participants, it was nice to see many females who often had the best looking targets.

NRA’s Disabled Shooter Service Manager, Vanessa Ross was running the show this year again.  This year she upped the fun a little.  Aside from the shotguns at trap field, the pistols, the small caliber rifles and pellet guns, she brought along some AR-15’s for everyone to enjoy semi-auto style.  To the surprise of many new shooters, the semi-auto version of’ the military’s M-16, is actually pretty easy to shoot because of the minimal recoil. [Note to Vanessa: Please bring some belt-fed fun next year]

In typical fashion, this NRA event was well planned,  The four vans that shuttled shooters about were from the Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association, and volunteers prepared a nice lunch for everyone. Many of the shooters this year knew each other which made the all day event even more fun as there was a bit of competitive nature in the air. With temperatures in the high 90’s,  shooters were looking for shade.  This made the indoor air conditioned air-gun range ever more popular.

For more info, check out Art Merril’s blog entry at www.NRABlog.com.

NRA’s 2nd Annual Open Range Day Held in Phoenix, Arizona is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

In spite of Gary Hershey showing up with a wounded arm, the 5th annual Symbius Medical Over The Line Tournament was held last Saturday in the parking lot of the Phoenix Baptist Church in Phoenix.

2 Huntleys and a Basketcase dominated the nine team Over the Line softball tournament to take home first place prize. The trio of Kellie Case, Ryan Huntley, and Russ Huntley won each match with precision and power on offense, and some amazing catches out in the field. Second place went to Brendan Downs,Andrew Reilly, and Chuck Aoki of the Upset Special. In the Wiffle Ball division, the Wheelchair Suns (Andrew Rice,Devin Cooper, Joe Underwood) took first place.

Winning team: 2 Huntleys and a Basketcase (Russ Huntley, Kellie Case, and Ryan Huntley)

This year a home run derby was added to the competition. Top honors went to Dwight Knox. 2nd went to Brendan Downes, and 3rd went to Scott Gehrke.

Over the Line Wiki Explanation

For more information contact;
Gary Hershey
www.SymbiusMedical.com
(formerly PRN Medical)

Symbius Hosts 2010 Over The Line Tournament In Phoenix, Arizona is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

To a guy from the northside of Phoenix, the east valley might as well be in another state. There’s towns over there I have never even been to in 35+ years. So after shooting a fencing camp in Mesa two weeks ago I went by the Gilbert Water Park. I’ve heard of it from numerous people and wanted to see whats the story.

Peggy Thomas

One of those people is Peggy Thomas. Twenty-five years ago she was probably one of the first quads who rolled into my hospital room. Not too long after that she let me fly her para-sail off into the wild blue yonder. And due a slight malfunction, I literally almost did so, but that’s another story. These days she’s big time into birding, or bird watching, and she publishes an informative blog about birding for people who roll around (www.birdingwithoutbarriers.org). So we met up for an afternoon jaunt and I got to learn about the various birds that reside at the park.

The place is commonly called the Gilbert Water Ranch which is the short version for “The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch.” The 110 acre compound consists of seven large water basins used to recycle effluent water. Next to a nearby library is one urban lake that features a nice walking bridge. This is the one lake stocked for fishing. The place gets five big stars for wheelchair accessibility. Its got good parking, plenty of shade, and many miles of wide smooth paths to roll around.

One of my favorite spots is the artificial creek they’ve got flowing through the middle of the park. It’s well designed for wheelchairs to forge in a few places, and nobody gets uptight if your pooch wonders in to one of the little pools for a cool down. By advised that amongst those casually enjoying this great place is some serious ‘birders’ and photographers who are busy holding very still and being quiet for a reason, so consider turning of the cell phone and practice some quite rolling when you get deeper into the park.

And finally, the park has a rare treat for wheelers. A roll-in astronomy observatory called the Gilbert Rotary Centennial Observatory (GRCO) that features an accessible 16″ telescope. We observed Mars near dusk and the astronomy club members that maintains the telescope were plenty happy to help us squeeze two chairs in to get a photo.

www.riparianinstitute.org

www.eastvalleyastronomy.org

Thanks, Peg!

Gilbert, Arizona Offers a Great Park For Wheelers and Birders is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

[Ed's Note: This article is authored by Pia Douglas.  She doesnt mention herself in this article, but everyone who attended knows she's the driving force behind this very well organized camp, and the foundation itself]

On March 12 -14, a Seated Fencing camp was organized by the Grand Canyon State Fencing Foundation (www.gcsff.org). The very first of its kind in Arizona. The camp was well attended and successful in every aspect.

The national coach for wheelchair fencing, Maestro Les Stawicki, flew from Kentucky to direct the camp and to give the fencers the benefit of his long experience in coaching and competition. Maestro Stawicki is responsible for the development of the United States Paralympics (wheelchair) fencing program. Appointed Head Coach of the USA National Paralympics fencing program in 1995, Maestro Stawicki has brought great success to this program. In 1996, the U.S. National Team participated in the Paralympics Games in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1998, Stawicki made U.S. history by taking the first wheelchair team from the U.S. to the World Games in Bonn, Germany. There he led his fencers to 2nd and 3rd place medals.

Dr. Donald C. De Fabio flew in from New York to provide the classifications of athletes during the camp. Chiropractic Orthopedist & Sports Physician Dr. Donald C. De Fabio is a member of the International Wheelchair Fencing Classification Committee, USFA Sports Medicine Staff, and Medical Coordinator for both the US Wheelchair Fencing Team and the N.J. Division of the USFA. Dr. De Fabio provides event coverage for local, national and international fencing tournaments for able bodied and physically challenged athletes.

Mario Rodriguez

Also present at at the camp was Mario Rodriguez, a multiple time National Champion and Paralympic fencer. Mario Rodriguez has, over the years, diligently promoted the sport of wheelchair fencing in assisting fencing programs around the USA.(www.thewheelchairfencer.org)

The camp took place at the Dobson Ranch Best Western Resort.  GCSFF fencers and fencers from out of state were working hard and enjoying themselves with a plethora of exercises and fencing opportunities with able body fencers from nearby clubs. Everyone also had a chance to experience high-level fencing as well as being privately taught by Maestro Stawicki and Coach Skip Shurtz.

There was evening entertainment for the participants of dinner, raffle prize draws, and social interaction. The last day of the camp was crowned by a tournament in both foil and epee.

The winners for the foil event were:

In Category C,  Greg Wickenburg dug deep to find the strength to take the gold medal against Don Price. Both , Two fencers showed great  determination and will surely make the headlines  in the future.

In Category B,  Gold was awarded to Sonya Perduta, GCSFF fencer, national champion in foil at the 2010 North American Cup. Lance Ivey, a very strong supporter and dedicated GCSFF fencer took the silver medal. The bronze medal went to Jacob Driscoll whose sense of competition is second only to his sense of humor.

In Category A- Mario Rodriguez took the gold, followed by silver for Darryl Weiss from San Diego CA. and Jeena Driscoll, a truly unique young lady, student at ASU, was awarded the bronze.

The Epee tournament was smaller in number but fearless all the same, where Mario Rodriguez took the gold medal followed by Sonya Perduta for Silver. Darryl Weiss and Lance Ivey shared third place for the Bronze medal.

Special mention to the team of volunteers which included Justin Del Re, Josh Vaca, Glynis Thompson, Ewan Douglas Garrett del Re, Rhys Douglas, and  Michele Brown  who were very enthusiastic and did outstanding work to make this camp possible. After such a success, The United Stated Fencing Association is considering making this camp a recognized national camp on an annual basis.

All photos (C) 2010 Loren_Worthington www.wheelchairphotography.com.

My friend Lauri created an excellent video about the organization.
Fencing

Wheelchair Fencers on Guard in Arizona is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

Disabled Explorers

Back in the day I use to poke around Arizona in a CJ5 Jeep.  It got me eveywhere including many trips into the Tonto National Forest which is the area north of Phoenix.  A favorite spot for us was Sheep’s Bridge which crosses the Verde River.  Its a rugged road that requires plenty of ground clearance.  You can make in with a 2×4, but for real exploring, having 4 wheel drive comes in handy.

So when I bumped into Lance Blair, who founded Disabled Explorers (www.disabledexplorers.com), and learned about its goal to get PwDs back into enjoying nature and exploring the outdoors, I hit him up for a ride back out to Sheeps Crossing.  Lance had not been back there in 20+ years as well so we agreed to make a day trip from our homes in Phoenix.

Disabled Explorers owns a pretty impressive full-size 4×4 Ford van. Last year Lance worked with Sportsmobile to outfit the van for off-roading and to include adaptive equipment for people in wheelchairs, etc.  Its definitely a well-built rig.  We put it through about 100 miles of pretty aggressive driving. The van is comfortable on the highway, bouncing down a dirt trail, and in the mud and sand.  The vehicle has a power wheelchair lift, and two captain seats that swivel for easier transfers. In back there’s a fold-out sofa, refrigerator and sink.  The van has hand controls, but for this trip I rode shotgun and snapped the photos.

Sheeps Crossing is by no means an accessible destination.  The foot bridge itself is ok, but the landings aren’t too easy to traverse, and there is sand and rocks most everywhere.  I crossed the bridge and enjoyed a great view.  Lance makes for a good guide. He’s been exploring Arizona for many years and has a good understanding of offroad equipment and adaptive technology.  He also works in the medical field as an RN, which makes such trips more safe for those who are beginning to explore nature with a disability.

Disabled Explorers has one basic mission. That is to expose people with disabilities to all the great places we have to see in and around Arizona and the southwest.  There isn’t too much required to get involved.  Step one is to contact the group and come up with a plan. Step two is to just do it, and finally the last step is to pay it forward and find someone else who would benefit from the experience.

Lance and team are pretty easy to find.  He and his adaptive off-road toys can be found at many outdoors and disability-related expos, conferences and events.

Forest Service Info About Sheeps Crossing (link)

The foot bridge is about 36" wide. Pretty easy for wheelchairs.

It was a good day trip.  Plenty to write about. Plenty to reflect on . . . . . . . .

Off Roading in Arizona – Adaptive Style is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

When most people hear someone talking about race karts, they envision the go-cart someone in the old neighborhood had as a kid. The lawn mower engine maybe got you going 20 miles per hour.  Well, that’s not quite what we’re talking about.  Kart racing is true high speed racing.  The fastest karts approach 130 mph, and the racing is very competitive.   Equally amazing is the cost to get involved.

Down in Tucson, there is a program at the Musselman Honda Circuit Racetrack (www.mhcircuit.com) for people who need hand controls.  The program is new and still evolving but they have some nice karts and the organizers have programs designed to get people with disabilities into the driver’s seat without taking too much dough out of your wallet.

Charlie Quiroz is the president of the Southern Arizona Kart Club.   He and Bryan Barten, UoA coach for quad rugby and tennis, got together and have managed to get some competitive karts donated to the program, and they have adapted the brakes and accelerator to hand controls.

Accessing Arizona caught up with Charlie, Bryan and a few other people with various disabilities at the track last week.  After receiving a few safety rules and driving tips, everyone grabbed a helmet and got to have some fun.  Karts aren’t exactly easy to transfer into, so they’ve created a slick transfer bench that gets you over the wheel and chassis and allows the transfer to happen easier.

Kart tracks are flat and have many turns.  Race karts have a snug -fitting  contoured seat which works great for people lacking upper body balance.  One of the three  karts  is a CRG model with a Honda GX200, 4-cycle engine. The  kart tops out at about 45 mph. Charlie created a clever throttle trigger for the right hand, and a hydraulic  hand  brake is adapted to the left side of the steering wheel.

The program needs more sponsors to expand.  Anyone interested can reach Charlie at charlie@mhcircuit.com.

Adaptive Kart Racing in Tucson is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.

January 29, 2010 – January 31, 2010

Madcap Theaters (Mill Avenue) hosted a film festival about the perception that people with disabilities are different by daring to ask the question: “Different from What?”

The three-day film festival  was presented by the Equity Alliance at ASU and a group of doctoral students in ASU’s special education program and the School of Arts, Media and Engineering (AME). The goal of the festival was to provoke the audience to think critically about their perceptions of people with disabilities and how portrayals of disability in film influence these perceptions.

www.differentfromwhatfilm.com

A few readers caught some of the films and graciously offered their reviews.

“Different From What?” Film Festival

Review by Jay Dashefsky

Kicking off the DFWFF was a film that I saw at the 2009 Phoenix Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award. This film was Shooting Beauty, directed by George Kachadorian. This documentary follows an up-and-coming fashion photographer (who is also Kachadorian’s wife) as she works with people who have Cerebral Palsy at a United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) chapter in Massachusetts. She at first comes across as clueless as to how to work with people with disabilities.   She quickly learns that people with disabilities have feelings, wants, needs, and thoughts just like anyone else. The project on which she embarks is one that really brings out the full potential in the people she befriends, no matter what their degree of disability. She creates equipment so that the people in her group can successfully operate still photography cameras and take pictures that tell each person’s story and thoughts through whatever is caught in the frame. Each captured image has a unique meaning to each individual which can be open to interpretation.  Over the course of her project, the photographer witnesses the unfolding of each person’s life events, which are similar to those of people without disabilities. The group members at the UCP exhibit feelings of love, loss, hope, frustration, and triumph as they live within the community. Through the use of the camera, they communicate their thoughts and experiences, and achieve the unexpected by creating individual snapshots providing insight into their daily lives.

On Saturday, January 30^th, I saw two films at the DFWFF. The first was a 50-minute film – Autistic-Like: Graham’s Story, directed by Erik Linthorst. The documentary follows the Linthorst family as they learn more about their son, Graham, and his disability. The filmmaker (Erik) and his wife aim to ensure the best for their son, as they go through every avenue possible to obtain therapies so that Graham can have as best a quality of life as possible. However, as the title of the film suggests, his diagnosis is unclear, with Graham exhibiting signs of what could possibly be autism. Since it is not quite clear-cut as to Graham’s exact disability, the family explores how to create the ideal therapeutic situation. They combine therapies to create a novel therapeutic approach. Although Graham makes progress with therapy, the State does not recognize his disability and consequently did not pay for services. The film was particularly insightful in effectively portraying the viewpoint of the parents.  The film documents not only the process the parents go through to obtain a diagnosis and therapy for their son, but effectively portrays their emotions.

The second film I viewed was I. Zombi, a 56-minute documentary directed by Jeremy Newman. The story focused on Hayden Milligan, who was badly burned in a house fire at a young age. He currently is the host of a local horror show in his home state of Kentucky, and uses the moniker “I. Zombi” when hosting. Hayden also plays guitar and sings in a band. While this is not part of his horror show act, it does convey a sense that he is active in his community. However, what did not sit well with me about this film was that it seemed as if he equated being burned with having the look of a zombie, or in general being ugly, being an outcast, or being the antagonist that needed to be eradicated (such as zombies).  Also, a zombie can be interpreted as someone who is lazy, lethargic, unmotivated, and who does nothing for himself/herself. I took issue with this because it is not the way people with disabilities want to be portrayed.  The film also used archaic words, such as the repetitive use of  the word “handicap.”

Although the festival was a good idea to raise awareness about the disability community, there were numerous flaws. The festival took place in an older theatre, and patrons were required to go to the second floor to access the auditoriums. I have not seen too many theatres structured in this way; many of the auditoriums are on the first floor. Moreover, the elevator was very small, and my manual wheelchair took up most of the room (there was only room for about two more people). If other people who use wheelchairs wanted to ride, they would have to wait for the elevator to return to their floor to get up and down.  The auditoriums were old and did not have “stadium seating” as found in the newer theatres. People with disabilities sat in the back in a section reserved for accessible seating.  Stadium seating theatres allow people with disabilities to sit more towards the front while maintaining a comfortable viewing experience. Another flaw I noted was the language used to describe films in the program.  For example, the character, Zehava is described as a “polio victim” in You wanted to Make a Film.

I would recommend seeing these films because they provide insight into various disabilities, as well as differing viewpoints. However, the film festival itself needs improvement.  Although the two story theatre had a small elevator to access the second floor auditoriums, I feel that the planners should have chosen a single story theatre with stadium seating to host a disability film festival.  The organizers need to work with the disability community in order to plan a festival that is more user-friendly and language-appropriate to the disability community. The initiative taken to hold a disability film festival was an excellent idea. I am looking forward to attending future years of the DFWFF, and hope to see these improvements applied.

Also in attendance Friday evening was Karen Spencer and Jean Moriki.  They commented; ” The evening began with a reception in the upstairs lobby followed by the viewing of the award winning documentary SHOOTING BEAUTY: Everyone Deserves a Shot. Although the  documentary was produced by George Kachadorian and Courtney Bent, his wife, both able-bodied persons, this film was  excellent in portraying an ordinary day in the life of people with a disability from the perspective of each featured participant.  The film emphasized the fact that no matter what level of ability we may have, we are all the same, (i.e. needs, dreams, feelings, desires, etc.)”

As persons with disabilities different from those portrayed, we were still able to relate on many levels. The commonality of the human heart in persons with and without disabilities prevailed as the running theme throughout the film.  In this film the  producers are able to bridge the gap of differences in appearances and abilities by breaking down barriers of fear and misunderstanding;  acknowledging the person’s abilities beyond their wheelchair.

It was refreshing to see a film dealing with a subject not popular in mainstream society in such a manner  that created inclusion of all.  We agree this is a ” must see ” film.

Different From What Film Festival Arrives at Mill Ave is a post from: Wheelchair Arizona eMag Accessing Arizona.