Disability Employment Awareness Month: Videos

In Farsi with optional English, French, or Spanish subtitles ; closed-captioned in English. Summary: Mohammad joyfully returns to his tiny village on summer vacation from the Institute for the Blind, unaware of his father's intentions to disown him. Engaged to be married, the widowed man has kept Mohammad a secret from his fiancee, certain the boy's disability will destroy his only chance for happiness. With the wedding swiftly approaching Mohammad's future hangs precariously in the balance as his father struggles against his destiny, unable to see the wonder of life and love that's so clear to his son.

This is the story of twin brothers who share a special bond. Eugene is a medical student and Dominick, brain damaged by a childhood accident, is a garbage collector whose earnings are putting Eugene through school. Now Eugene has received an assignment at Stanford, and Dominick sets out to perform an act of courage that could change their lives forever.

Charles Laughton is remarkable as the deaf, grotesque hunchback bellringer at Notre Dame cathedral who rescues a beautiful Gypsy girl from the noose of an ugly mob. Swooping down from the bell tower, he carries her away to the cathedral where she can claim sanctuary. And there, as he protects her from death, he is moved by her great beauty and falls in love with her.

With his loving and supportive mother, 13-year-old Kevin moves in next door to another teen, Max. Though both have problems that label them as outcasts, Kevin and Max discover that by proudly combining their strengths, they can overcome their individual limitations and triumph over any adversity.

A handicapped ex-soap opera star and her nurse explore the murkier aspects of men, romance, and family in the Louisiana bayou. Following an accident which paralyzes her, a soap-opera star returns to her family home in Louisiana to recuperate. She and her nurse form a bond of friendship in their support of each other.

A self-involved young man is shocked to discover that his millionaire father left most of his estate to an unknown beneficiary. The man tracks down said beneficiary, who turns out to be his brother and an autistic savant.
"Charlie Babbitt (Cruise) has just discovered he has an autistic brother named Raymond (Hoffman) and is now taking him on the ride of his life. Or is it the other way around? From his refusal to drive on major highways to a "four minutes to Wapner" meltdown at an Oklahoma farmhouse, Raymond first pushes hot-headed Charlie to the limits of his patience ... and then pulls him completely out of his self-centered world! But what begins as an unsentimental journey for the Babbitt brothers becomes much more than the distance between two places."

A talented young writer is permanently paralyzed in a hiking accident and must graduate from a physical rehabilitation center in order to return to the "real" world. He makes some unlikely allies in fellow patients and takes on the hospital bureaucracy.

This program focuses on learning disabled children in the public school system, how their disabilities are diagnosed, and how teachers and parents work together to help children overcome barriers.

Playing with friends is a daily ritual for most children. Kids with learning disabilities are often isolated and rejected from this valued world of friendship. Richard Lavoie discusses the lack of social skills in learning disabled children and adolescents, the many ways in which this problem manifests itself in school, implications for the children and parents, and the need for remediation in the schools. He teaches teachers how to teach social skills to the learning disabled throughout the school day and how to recognize and "autopsy" social problems as they occur.

Kids with learning disabilities are often isolated and rejected. Provides parents with information and guidance related to the development of social competence for children and youths with learning disabilities.

A documentary film about the world of quadriplegic rugby, which is played in custom-made wheelchairs and, contrary to most peoples' expectations, is aggressively competitive. Team USA Quad Rugby and Team Canada Quad Rugby players prepare for participation at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, Greece. A portrait of their personal struggles, competitiveness, and spirit.

Presenting open discussions with the individuals interviewed, this video challenges social definitions of the body, redefines notions of independence, promotes increased knowledge of various disabilities, and encourages ADA awareness.
Introduces viewers to people who openly discuss the struggles and triumphs they have experienced living in a body that is physically disabled. They talk honestly about the social stigma of their disability and the problems they face in terms of mobility, health care, and family relationships, as well as the challenges of emotional and sexual intimacy. This video challenges social definitions of the body, redefines notions of independence, promotes increased knowledge of various disabilities, and encourages ADA awareness.

Mixes home video and professional footage to follow the lives of 14 year-old Miller twins, Mariya and Michelle, as they live and experience life in Soldotna, Alaska. Diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy as infants, the twins cannot walk or sit up straight in their wheelchairs. With the help of custom wheelchairs, they live a unique and active lifestyle that includes horses, dogs, livestock, and frequent forays into the Alaskan countryside.

Tells the story of Buen Viaje Dancers, a performing dance troupe composed of dancers with disabilities. Artistic directors Billbob Brown and Joanie Carlisle describe their vision and demonstrate with excerpts from rehearsals and a performance of "Opening Doors."

A disability awareness film made by, for, and about children. Disabled and nondisabled children show that although there are differences between them they are really just the same.

Based upon the United Cerebral Palsy Association's printed guidelines. Each commandment is presented by a person with a disability and features a light-hearted vignette as well as the person's personal views on the subject. Among the many topics addressed are: introducing yourself, communicating with someone with hearing or speech disabilities, when to offer assistance, speaking directly to the person, treating adults as adults, and placing oneself at eye level with the person, wheelchair and guide dog etiquette, learning to relax. It may be used by businesses to train employees, improve customer service, and by human service agencies to train staff or to educate the community about disability etiquette.

A portrayal of four women with disabilities and the fulfulling relationships they have established. They talk about their struggle for self-esteem, their search for love, and the challenge of finding sexual expression.

Focuses on the struggle that people with disabilities face in their quest to be recognised as sexual beings, to express freely their sexuality and lead sexually active lives. Individuals discuss issues such as choice, privacy, the right to have sexual relationships and the right to have children. They talk about their own sexual experiences and their struggle to break down the barriers and stereotypes that prevent them from leading fulfilled and satisfying sexual lives. It also looks at how their own needs are often controlled by the conservative values of those who provide essential care.

Introduces a cross section of disabled Americans who live full, productive lives because of their abilities, not despite their disabilities.

Dramatization of interviews between an admissions panel for a literary honor society and four aspiring writers, each with a different disability. Following the interviews the panel members discuss the candidates and come to the realization that they are judging the applicants based on their disabilities instead of their abilities.

A group experiences life the way a learning disabled student does and learns methods of teaching and helping such students. Richard Lavoie conducts a workshop in which educators, social workers, friends and family of learning disabled children experience life the way a learning disabled student does. The viewer experiences the frustration, anxiety and tension of the learning disabled child through the simulation techniques Lavoie uses on the workshop participants. Lavoie offers better methods of teaching and helping learning disabled children.