Sommer der Krüppelbewegung

Wow. What an amazing story this was documenting the struggles and lives of the disabled in America culminating with Bush number 1 signing the Americans with Dissabilities Act (ADA). Beginning with the story of a camp for the disabled which empowered and planted the seeds in the activists minds to their powerful marathons of trying to get the US government to listen to them. This documentary was so well done with beautiful, heartfelt and at times heartbreaking video footage of the lives of these warriors fighting for just the opportunity to live normal lives and contribute to society. No wonder this brought down the house at Sundance. It is an art piece dedicated to those who society shunned rising up to change the world for everyone. It was beautiful. Just sit back and let them tell the story. You will be amazed and most likely changed. Powerful.

Oh how I loved this film! It starts about a group of disabled people who attend Camp Jened, a camp for people with disabilities and the freedom they felt at the camp where they could be themselves and feel equal, unlike in society and back at home. The story evolves into the story of the disability movement in America, which was led by one of the campers. I knew nothing of this movement until now and it's an important story to be told. It brought me to tears and is a must-watch if you enjoy documentaries!

Watching this documentary is about as humbling as being at the senior olympics, as a teen-aged logistical supporter. Seeing what these kids accomplished with their physical & societal challenges makes me embarrassed to even think about giving up on ANYTHING, or complaining about my problems. But it's not a depressing film - it's remarkably optimistic & uplifting. It's also hilarious - the jokes they tell on themselves had me rolling! They're also surprisingly insightful about their place in the world, and not accepting what they're told that is. One of the campers with CP was even poetic, despite her profound disability. Yes, it was VERY hard to understand her, but the effort paid off. You won't regret taking the time to watch this.

...no frills, no overly-clever graphics, just a beautifully edited collection of convicting memories, capturing a completely forgotten piece of cultural history, & illuminating the immense effect this one relatively small group of hippies had on American history. It's packed with full of the kind of humanity we need: kid singing "One Time Blues", climbing Capitol steps, reuniting with other campers at campgrounds...& is it just me, or did anybody else crush hard on Judith?

Well done with this documentary. Bringing in the truth, from people who lived it. Our world has never treated persons with special needs well at all. Their story needs to be told, their strength needs to be shared. Heartbreaking and inspiring. The original footage is amazing!