Before his son Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Shot and produced over four years, Including Samuel centers on the efforts of Habib and his family to include 7 year-old Samuel in all facets of school and community. The film also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with dozens of teachers, young people, parents and disability rights experts.
Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. Says Habib, "Four years ago, I sat at my son Samuel's hospital bedside at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center as he lay in a medically-induced coma. He was four years old and had developed pneumonia from complications following surgery. Samuel's neurologist, Dr. James Filiano, encouraged me to be a photojournalist in the midst of my fear." The result is this documentary that accounts for Habib's experiences with his son.
UCP has partnered with the Including Samuel project as part of the public launch of the My Child Without Limits Web site, an authoritative early intervention information resource and online community for families of young children ages 0-5 with developmental delays or disabilities. Full inclusion in society for people with disabilities is the mission of United Cerebral Palsy and underpins the programs, services and supports affiliates offer children and adults. "Early intervention information can help a family make appropriate decisions at a crucial time when the greatest number of developmental milestones occur," said Lara Terrell, Information and Referral Coordinator for United Cerebral Palsy. "We know any delay in a child's earliest years. may impact the quality of life as they grow older."
Each child deserves the best start in life to realize their potential and equal opportunity to live a Life without Limits. My Child Without Limits in partnership with the Including Samuel project invite you to visit the Including Samuel Web site for a listing of times the film will show on public television and to visit the My Child Without Limits Web site to learn more and to get involved in the "Community" in sharing your personal experience with others, asking questions or simply being there for one another.
Including Samuel has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, Good Morning America NOW and in the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. Exceptional Parent magazine said "Including Samuel is a must see film." The film won the Positive Images in Media award from TASH, an international group committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. The film was also screened at the Sprout Film Festival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) and named "Best Documentary" at the Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival. The global aid group Mercy Corps is using the film to support the Iraqi disability rights movement.
Additionally, Professor Michael F. Giangreco of the University of Vermont Center on Disability and Community Inclusion said, "This film will keep inclusion and social justice issues for people with disabilities in the forefront of people's minds, and it will raise awareness about inclusive education and inspire action."
Please view the trailer for Including Samuel below:
For more information, visit the Including Samuel Web site or contact Dan Habib at (603) 228-2084.
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