For Immediate Release
Date: Aug. 2, 2024
Contact: Sarah Teeters, Louisville Metro Government ADA Coordinator • 502-574-5099 • sarah.teeters@louisvilleky.gov
Web: www.louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services
Reading Time: 1 min, 45 sec

METRO COMMISSION FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES OFFERS SCREENING OF ‘CRIP CAMP’ DOCUMENTARY

Louisville, KY. – It was 34 years ago that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law, protecting the rights of people with disabilities. To mark this important anniversary and to wrap up celebrations of Disability Pride Month 2024, the Louisville Metro Commission for Persons with Disabilities invites the community to a screening of the documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” followed by a panel discussion with local community advocates.

“Crip Camp” takes a spirited look at grassroots activism on the heels of the Woodstock concert in 1969, as a group of teen campers are inspired to join the fight for disability civil rights. In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination, and institutionalization. 

Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp "for the handicapped" in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and make-out sessions awaiting everyone, and campers who felt fulfilled as young human beings. Their bonds endured as they migrated West to Berkeley, California – a promised land for a growing and diverse disability community where friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption and unity might secure life-changing accessibility for millions. 

Co-directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker Nicole Newnham and film mixer and former camper Jim LeBrecht, this joyous and exuberant documentary, a milestone in the fight for disability visibility, received funding from California Humanities through the California Documentary Project in 2018.  

The film will be screened Aug. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, 316 W. Main St. There will be no admission charge for this event. Please RSVP by calling 502-714-5128.

“‘Crip Camp’ is both a gripping look at the history of the disability rights movement and a timely call to action, urging us to explore our own duty to fight for the dignity of all people,” said former President Barack Obama, an executive producer on the film. 

“As we continue to disrupt the narratives around disability, I think my favorite quote from the film is ‘Disability doesn’t make you exceptional, but questioning what you think you know about it does,’” said Louisville Metro Government ADA Coordinator Sarah Teeters. “By bringing the community together in a safe space, we provide an opportunity to challenge those preconceived notions and misconceptions and foster greater awareness about disability.” 

Funding for the screening of ‘Crip Camp’ was provided by the LMG Office of Resilience & Community Services, the LMG Office of Housing & Community Development, Gathering Strength, the Actors Theater of Louisville, and anonymous contributors.

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FILM SCREENING

WHAT: Community screening of “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” followed by a panel discussion with local community advocates.

WHEN: Friday, Aug. 14, from 6 to 9 p.m.

WHERE: Actors Theatre of Louisville, 316 W. Main St.

Parking will be available in the Actors Theater garage for a discounted $10 rate.

Please RSVP by calling 502-714-5128.