Campamento extraordinario

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!

As a doc, it covers mostly all the bases and is heartfelt without being sugary sweet. You get a feeling for the times, the various areas of civil rights and political action (before that mean PAC). Finally getting the ADA signed and enforced was a 20yr struggle I remember well. I had forgotten that some politicians you'd think would have been supportive were not and visa versa. In those days, with no social media, if you weren't voters (or not perceived as such) and didn't get news coverage, politicians generally had little interest. However, one big counter argument against few benefiting (even though those "few" were/are the biggest minority) was overlooked here, otherwise I would have given it a 10/10:

After I had my first knee surgery, I had complications. I spent a long time on crutches. I went to physical therapy daily but the restroom in that building was incredibly tiny, with two stalls you could barely get into, much less with crutches and a backpack on (forget wheelchair). And that was a medical building in one of the largest medical centers in the US! It was 1988-89. So a great argument against few benefiting was that many able bodied people would spend some time as a disabled person and I saw those people every day in PT, a lot of them. I ended up having 5 more knee surgeries so spent lots of time needing accommodations. I still use a ramp as stairs are not my friend and I'm happy for other accommodations as well, esp as I get older. It shouldn't take my experience to have empathy, but empathy is a greatly underdeveloped organ in humanity.

It's amazing to me that a country that saw the polio epidemic render millions disabled, that saw wars disable millions of young men (Vietnam in particular in those days), and on and on, had such a hard time finding empathy and a few dollars so that everyone had access and opportunity, which saves money in the long run because less institutionalization is needed and more people can work and contribute. It is amazing that many still are the heirs to the nasty undertones of the kind of thinking that delayed this legislation for so long.

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.

...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?

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.