Films
My classic life as an artist: A portrait of Larry Bissonnette
Biklen, D., & Rossetti, Z. (producers) (2005).Video documentary. Available from Syracuse University, 370 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, New York.
Looking back on his years of living in a closed institution for people labeled mentally retarded, Vermont-based autistic artist Larry Bissonnette assesses this form of "apartheid" as "better for growing vegetables rather than people." This documentary is filled with Bissonnette's humorous yet poignant assessments of his life – growing up, his family, and creating art. Moving back and forth between speech, typing, and painting, Bissonnette's wit and insight punctuate a day in the life of this Outsider artist, and artfully illustrate the complexities of expression.
Click here for a printable order form with directions on how to purchase this film.
Click on the picture of Larry for a flash video.
For 26 years, Sue Rubin has been on an extraordinary journey. Her unusual behavior led to a diagnosis of autism when she was four. She was believed to be retarded until age 13. But then a new communication technique, facilitated communication, gave Sue the ability to connect with the world. Now, she is a junior in college with a top IQ, a tireless disabled-rights activist, and an articulate guide into a complex disorder. The documentary film was nominated for an Academy Award.
To preview a copy of Sue's DVD click here.
To order a copy of Sue's DVD please go to Amazon.com.
Inside the edge: A journey to using speech through typing
Kasa-Hendrickson, C., Broderick, A., Biklen, D. (producers), and Gambell, J. (director) (2002). Video documentary. Available from Syracuse University, 370 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, New York.
This video documents a high school student’s emergence into speech: he can speak words as he types them and can read the texts he has written, and most recently is beginning to use longer sentences in spoken dialogue. The video includes clips of the student when he first learned to communicate through facilitation and shows his ability to now type without physical support. Jamie Burke, the subject of the video, wrote and speaks the entire narrative of the video.
Click here for a printable order form with directions on how to purchase this film.
Including Samuel
Habib, D. (2008). Video Documentary
“Dan Habib's documentary film Including Samuel examines the educational and social inclusion of youth with disabilities. The film is built on the efforts of Habib and his family to include Samuel, 8, in all facets of school and community. Including Samuel also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with dozens of teachers, young people, parents and disability rights experts” (www.includingsamuel.com).
For more information and to view a trailer for this film, visit www.includingsamuel.com.
Educating Peter
Wurzburg, G. (Producer/Director) (1992). Video Documentary.
“In 1992, the Academy Award for best documentary short subject went to a film by producer/director Gerardine Wurzburg that followed a young boy with Down syndrome through third grade in a regular class in his Blacksburg, Va., elementary school. That documentary, Educating Peter, showed Peter, his classmates and his teacher struggling with the challenges posed by his disability. But it ended with both students and teacher testifying to their own growth as a result of Peter's inclusion in their class” (www.npr.org).
Regular Lives
State of the Art, Inc. (Producers) (1988). Video Documentary.
“Allowing people with disabilities into regular schools, jobs and the community is known as mainstreaming. This successful approach is demonstrated in "Regular Lives," narrated by Martin Sheen. The lives of children with disabilities are shared in activities with typical children playing and working together. The benefits to those with disabilities become immediately obvious. This program provides a model for parents, teachers, and communities interested in obstacles, strategies and goals of mainstreaming as a way to integrate people with disabilities into the ordinary routines of living” (www.kennesaw.edu).
Facilitated Communication Institute Videos
The Facilitated Communication Institute has produced a series of training videos related to the method. These films explore use of FC in different settings and with different age ranges. Click Read More for descriptions of the full range of training videos available for purchase through the FCI.
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