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Check Out “Crip Camp” on Netflix
Hey everyone! Hope you’re all staying safe, and that no one’s going stir crazy.
Since we’re all on lockdown, I wanted to recommend a Netflix documentary. Crip Camp is now streaming, and I watched it the other night. This film provides a glimpse into the disability rights movement, and it features several prominent disability activists.
Executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, Crip Camp tells the story of a summer camp in the 50s and 60s for teens with disabilities. Camp Janed took place around the same time as Woodstock, and it reflected the same kind of social revolution. Teens at this camp played rock music, smoked, and engaged in sexual relationships. Needless to say, it was a little different from MDA camp.
The first half of the film focuses on the actual camp, and then it explores how many of the participants became pioneers of the disability rights movement. At the forefront is Judy Heumann, whose advocacy led to the passing of section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. This film covers a lot of ground, but directors Jim Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham do a phenomenal job telling a cohesive story.
Has anyone else here seen the movie? I’d love to discuss it with you all!
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4 Replies
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This was fabulous. I saw it and loved it. In some of my columns I’ve talked about advocacy and effecting change in society. Positive social change. These great group of individuals with disabilities did that. We can learn a lot!
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It’s great! The only thing I wish it had expanded on a little more was the older couple, both of whom had cerebral palsy. I would love to learn more about their daily lives, how they manage caregivers, their kids, etc. Really that’s a whole other documentary, but it’d be fascinating. Still, it’s amazing how much ground this film covers.
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I wonder if there will ever be another camp like that. As you said, it is very different from the MDA camp. A Stereotype about disabled people is that they are not sexual and don’t “party” this shows even back in the seventies, that’s not true, and with technology today, there are so many more ways to connect and explore that are accessible today.
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That would be really cool! At our annual SMA conferences, we’ve expanded the adults community a lot in recent years. Our get-togethers are way more laid back than the main conference workshops. The scene at the camp when they’re talking about their parents and home lives was really reminiscent of some conversations we have in our adults community.
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