UCSB’s Carsey-Wolf Center will host a virtual movie discussion this week to recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the 30th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The discussion, planned for 7 p.m. Tuesday, will include the story of Camp Jened in the documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won the Audience Award, according to a news release.
Hannah Garibaldi, a Ph.D. student in UCSB’s Department of Film and Media Studies who will moderate the discussion with directors James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham, called the documentary “a powerful film on all counts — all of which advance the goals of the Disability Rights Movement.”
She added, “First, the film focuses on the people who actually took part in Camp Jened and those who participated in the 1970s protests, letting them tell their own story. This has the effect of grounding the history of disability advocacy in the voices of the people who actually participated in its cause. At every turn, the film highlights their names, their thoughts and their perspectives — allowing for a much more nuanced and holistic understanding of the period under study and disability more generally.
“The film is not just informative, it is personal.”
Mr. LeBrecht was born with spina bifida and attended Camp Jened before moving to California to attend UC San Diego. He later moved to Berkeley and aws active in the Disability Rights Movement.
“I am excited to hear about how Jim Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham tackled the issue of representation, particularly as they worked to illuminate and confront various stereotypes surrounding disability,” Ms. Garibaldi said. “There is a long and problematic history of depicting disability on the silver screen, but these directors were very careful and thoughtful in their choices. To that end, I am also interested to hear more about where Lebrecht and Newnham think we are today — with regards to disability rights and in terms of disability representations in media.”
The film is available on Netflix. To register for the discussion, visit https://ucsb.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_x2CYdwVVQ1SXCCe0sXFfDQ.
— Mitchell White
