Disability & Media Alliance Project
As a black disabled woman, I went into the Crip Camp premiere with a lot of preconceived notions. As a journalist and critic, I know better than to do so, but as a disabled woman, that knowledge muddled a bit. Let me explain, I went to a press screening of Crip Camp during Sundance 2020 certain I’d leave having watched yet another film filled with inspiration porn, praise for the nondisabled people in the documentary, and a list of the dead disabled people to precede the credits.
U.S. Documentary, Audience Award: Crip Camp, directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht. #Sundance2020
We’re pleased to announce that our own Lawrence Carter-Long will represent the Disability & Media Alliance Project and DREDF at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah! At the request of the Sundance Institute, Lawrence will not only be taking in and reporting on this year’s exciting disability-centered programing, writing regular updates for Film Quarterly magazine and for DREDF, he’ll also be helping Sundance organizers advance representation of disabled people both on and off-screen by taking part in Sundance’s annual strategic planning meeting for inclusion-focused Allied Organizations, participating in panels and workshops, and reporting on various activities during the festival.
Crip Camp / U.S.A. (Directors: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht, Producers: Sara Bolder, Jim LeBrecht, Nicole Newnham) — Down the road from Woodstock in the early 1970s, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for disabled teenagers, transforming their young lives and igniting a landmark movement.
REPRESENTATION MATTERS: Lawrence Carter-Long, communications director for the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF), spokesperson for the National Disability Leadership Alliance, and Creative Bursary judge believes that upgrading the way society sees disability begins with the creative process: “The Disability Stories grants have gone beyond wishful thinking by giving photographers the actual means to turn inspiration into perspiration—to make their creative vision real.”
“When Elsa finally unleashes and uses her powers to build an ice castle where she plans to live in isolation, she suddenly feels free and discovers much to her surprise that there are things she can control. She realizes that denying her power erases a central part of her,” reminds Susan Henderson Executive Director of the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) “Much like the film, both parents and children alike need to embrace the fact that a person’s disabilities are inseparable from who they are, and that’s OK, because like any trait, having a disability helps shape our world view; how we get around in the world; what we experience, learn and value.”
The celebration was a great success and featured Comedian, Actor, and Disability Advocate Maysoon Zayid
Zona Roberts and Maysoon And recognizing Verizon Media, Getty Images and the National Disability Leadership Alliance who partnered to create The Disability Collection, a growing collection of stock images that break stereotypes and authentically portray people with disabilities in everyday life.