Dan Habib
SACO — When doing research for his work on documentaries, New Hampshire film maker Dan Habib learned that even in modern society, intellectually disabled adults face high rates of seclusion and isolation.
Seventeen percent of students with intellectual disabilities are included in regular education, 40 percent of students with intellectual disabilities will graduate from high school and of the 6.5 million Americans with intellectual disabilities, barely 15 percent of them are employed, said Habib in a director’s statement.
Habib’s 2018 documentary, “Intelligent Lives,” will be shown at a free screening at Thornton Academy’s Garland Auditorium at 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The film follows three young adults with intellectual disabilities who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce.
“Intelligent Lives is a catalyst to transform the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation into a life of possibility for the most systematically segregated people in America,” said Habib in the director’s statement.
The screening of the film is being shown through the partnership of Living Innovations, the Maine Parent Federation and Thornton Academy.
“It’s a great opportunity to show this film about real people’s lives,” said Andrew Taranko, Maine director for Living Innovations, a nonprofit agency that supports people with disabilities and their families.
Thornton Academy Associate Headmaster Marsha Snyder said the school is pleased to host the screening of the film.
“The themes in the film match our core values of respect and compassion. We strive to support all students across the human spectrum,” said Snyder.
Taranko said organizers hope the film sparks discussion and gets people thinking about the importance of inclusion, which is including those with disabilities in everyday activities and practices.
“Disability inclusion means understanding the relationship between the way people function and how they participate in society, and making sure everybody has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires,” according to information on the Centers for Disease Control and Protection website.
Taranko said inclusion also brings communities together and makes communities stronger instead of creating separation.
When people with intellectual disabilities are included in every day activities, people who are not disabled begin to focus on the abilities and not the disabilities of the people around them, he said.
Thornton Academy is pleased to host this screening of Intelligent Lives. The themes in the film match our core values of respect and compassion. We strive to support all students across the human spectrum.
Programs that promote inclusion include unified sports which bring people with and without disabilities together on the same team to compete. Unified Sports programs are increasing in number across the state, said Taranko.
Thornton Academy has made the commitment to go a step further and become a Unified Champion School, such schools build on values and practices by the Special Olympics to promote social inclusion through sports, youth leadership and system-wide activity, according to a press release from Living Innovations.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at [email protected].
See the original article here: https://www.journaltribune.com/articles/front-page/intelligent-lives-to-be-screened-on-tuesday/
Biddeford Journal Tribune, March 11, 2019