Documentaries, TV, & film about people with disabilities and disability issues for use in university courses

Resource from presentation by Beth Haller at CUNY ESA Conference 2012, “Cripples, Idiots, Lepers, and Freaks: Extraordinary Bodies / Extraordinary Minds” - March 22, 2012 

Image from the documentary "King Gimp"

Mass media about people with disabilities and disability issues for use in university courses

(All these are available in DVD format or online. Disability or issue is listed in parentheses. Also listed are links to its website or Disability Studies analyses of it. You can find other films here: http://disabilitymovies.com/. Please contact me if you have additions or links for the list: bhaller@towson.edu)

Documentaries

Alicia (living with brain injury) (A promising 18-year-old drama student sustains brain damage; her response to her disability was to start a theatre group and become an active member of the community) http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL87F1B11B7EB06A34

Autism: The Musical (Follows the lives of five LA children on the autism spectrum over the course of six months as they prepare for a musical production)  http://www.autismthemusical.com/

Body & Soul: Diana and Kathy (Two women with disabilities support each other and live independently) http://www.dianaandkathy.com/

Body of War (Focuses on returning disabled veteran Tomas Young, 25, who became paralyzed from a bullet to his spine - wounded after serving in Iraq for less than a week) http://www.bodyofwar.com/

Bong & Donnell (A friendship between a disabled boy and a nondisabled boy) http://www.videopress.umaryland.edu/disability_awareness/bongdonnell_PERCH1004.html 

Born Freak (Disabled actor Mat Fraser explores how disabled performers survived working in freak shows) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/575/752

Breathing Lessons. The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien (Polio survivor Mark O’Brien, who was a writer and poet) Watch free online here: http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/breathing_lessons

Bulgaria's Abandoned Children (Free online documentary about Bulgaria, which has more institutionalized mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe.) http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/bulgarias-abandoned-children/

Code of the Freaks (Examines Hollywood images of disability, tracing themes from the 1920s to the present) http://vimeo.com/36204424

Deaf Jam (A deaf teen begins to perform ASL poetry and decides to perform at a poetry slam) http://www.itvs.org/films/deaf-jam

Defining Beauty: Ms. Wheelchair America (Behind-the-scenes look at the 2010 Ms. Wheelchair America Pageant) http://definingbeautydoc.blogspot.com/

Enable (People with disabilities and technology) http://www.rehabtool.com/video/

Freedom Machines (About the significant impact of technology in the lives of people with disabilities) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/559/736

A Friend Indeed-The Bill Sackter Story (True story of Bill Sackter, who left a lifetime in an institution to emerge as an international hero for people with disabilities) Full documentary online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUfaB41xjao&list=FLS3YJgvIPKYs7nM-7y4ylTA&index=6&feature=plpp_video

F**k the Disabled (Gay, disabled comedian Greg Walloch chronicles his life and comedy career) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_VvygUaEiQ

Going Blind (Blind people tell their personal stories) http://www.goingblindmovie.com/

The Horse Boy (Tale of family resilience in the face of a young boy’s autism) http://www.horseboymovie.com/

How to Die in Oregon (Focuses on physician-assisted suicide in Oregon) http://www.howtodieinoregon.com/

I Can’t Do That But I Can Do This (Kids with learning disabilities discover their abilities) http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/i-cant-do-this-but-i-can-do-that-a-film-for-families-about-learning-differences/synopsis.html

Including Samuel (A film about inclusion. The family of Samuel, who has CP, works to include him in all facets of their lives.) http://www.includingsamuel.com/home.aspx

Journey into Dyslexia (Profile of dyslexic professionals, thriving students and compassionate educators) http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/journey-into-dyslexia/synopsis.html#/documentaries/journey-into-dyslexia/index.html

The Key of G (Man w/ Mowat-Wilson syndrome & independent living) http://www.lateralfilms.com/keyofg/about.html 

The Kids are All Right (Online documentary about protests against the MDA Telethon)  http://www.thekidsareallright.org/watch.html 

King Gimp (Artist w/ CP Dan Keplinger; education access) http://www.videopress.umaryland.edu/King_Gimp.html

Lives Worth Living (The disability rights movement in the USA) http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/lives-worth-living/

Marwencol (Artist with TBI, PTSD creates elaborate miniature scenes depicting WWII)

http://www.marwencol.com/

Monica & David (A couple with Down syndrome marry and start life together) http://www.monicaanddavid.com/

A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism (Discusses facilitated communication and the Rapid Prompting Method) http://www.amotherscourage.org/

Murderball (Athletes with disabilities; Paralympics) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/706/883

Music by Prudence (African musicians with disabilities) http://www.musicbyprudence.com/mbp/

My Classic Life as an Artist: A Portrait of Larry Bissonnette (An autistic man becomes an outsider artist after leaving a life in an institution) http://myclassiclifefilm.com/

My Country (It profiles three people with disabilities whose lives have been shaped by the struggle for equal rights) Watch it here: http://www.ada.gov/mycountryvideo/hi_speed_rp/mycountrydslgallery.htm

The Nerves of Us  (focuses on Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), a surgery for people with CP) http://rhizotomyfilm.com/The_Nerves_of_Us/The_Movie.html

No Bigger Than a Minute (Little person describes his life & societal attitudes)  http://www.nobiggerthanaminute.com/

The Other Child (Short documentary about brothers and sisters when one sibling has autism)

A Paralyzing Fear: The Story of Polio in America http://www.snagfilms.com/films/title/a_paralyzing_fear

Plan F (Blind man who is an occupational therapist turned auto mechanic) http://www.blogger.com/goog_1178832309

Praying with Lior (A teen with Down syndrome prepares for his bar mitzvah) http://www.prayingwithlior.com/

Raising Renee (A woman with an intellectual disability becomes more independent after living with her artist sister) http://westcityfilms.com/raising_renee.html

The Real Helen Keller http://www.cultureunplugged.com/documentary/watch-online/filmedia/play/2920/The-Real-Helen-Keller

See What I'm Saying: The Deaf Entertainers Documentary (It follows the journeys of four extraordinary deaf entertainers over the course of a single year as their stories intertwine and culminate in some of the most important events of their lives) www.seewhatimsayingmovie.com

Shameless: The Art of Disability (Art, activism and disability) http://www.onf-nfb.gc.ca/eng/collection/film/?id=51620

Smile Pinki (Indian girl’s life is changed when she finally gets surgery for her cleft palate) http://www.smilepinki.com/

Todd Selby x Christine Sun Kim (Christine Sun Kim is a Deaf performance artist working to reclaim the world of sound for herself. Todd Selby is a blind filmmaker) View here:http://disabilitymovies.com/2011/todd-selby-x-christine-sun-kim/%20

There's Still Hope For Dreams...a Phamaly Story (It follows a theatrical group comprised entirely of disabled performers.) http://differentfromwhatfilm.com/node/18

Through Deaf Eyes (200-year history of Deaf life in America) http://www.pbs.org/weta/throughdeafeyes/

Touch the Sound (A sound journey with internationally known deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie) http://www.touch-the-sound.com/

Tying Your Own Shoes (Short animated documentary about four adult artists with Down Syndrome)  http://www.nfb.ca/film/tying_your_own_shoes_trailer

The United States of Autism http://usofautism.com/

Vital Signs: Crip Culture Talks Back (Disability culture; disabled artists) http://www.fanlight.com/catalog/films/230_vs.php

War Torn 1861-2010 (Documentary about the disabling effects of war) http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/wartorn-1861-2010/index.html

We Are PHAMALy (Follows members of the musical theatre troupe PHAMALy (the Physically Handicapped Amateur Musical Actors League) as they prepare for their production of Once Upon A Mattress) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/909/1084

When Billy Broke His Head (A man with TBI explores the disability rights movement) http://www.brainline.org/multimedia/video/transcripts/Billy_Golfus-When_Billy_Broke_His_Head.pdf

When I’m Not Alone (A transgender disabled man becomes a disability advocate) http://www.whenimnotalonefilm.com/

Where's Molly? (A brother finds his disabled sister in an institution after 47 years and re-establishes a loving relationship) http://www.wheresmolly.net/

Willowbrook: The Last Great Disgrace (Short documentary about the notorious institution for people with disabilities on Staten Island, NY) http://sproutflix.org/node/323

Wretches and Jabberers (Two autistic men travel the world as advocates) http://www.wretchesandjabberers.org/

Yellow Brick Road (Theater program for people with intellectual disabilities) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/733/910%20

Films

Adam (Autism)

Assisted Living (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/594/771

Avatar (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1353/1473

A Beautiful Mind (Mental illness)

Beeswax (Wheelchair user)

Beyond Silence (Deaf community)

Canvas (Mental illness)

Children of a Lesser God (Deaf community)

The Color of Paradise (Blind person)

The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (Locked-in syndrome) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/101/101

Dumb & Dumber (Blind person) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/895/1070

The Elephant Man (Neurofibromatosis type I and Proteus syndrome)

Fanaa (Blind person)

Finding Nemo (Memory problem; disabled fin) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/873/1048

Freaks (Multiple disabilities) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/581/758

Frida (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1274/1304

Girlfriend (Down syndrome) Watch here for $5: https://www.thewatchbox.com/movies/2-girlfriend

Harvey Krumpet (Tourette’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s)

The King's Speech (Stuttering)

Mabul – The Flood (Autism)

Mary and Max (Asperger’s, obesity)

Million Dollar Baby (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/590/767

Mozart and the Whale (Autism)

Music Within (CP; hearing loss)

Musical Chairs (Wheelchair use; amputee)

My Left Foot (CP) Longmore, P. K. (1990). The glorious rage of Christy Brown. Disability Studies Quarterly, 10,  23-25.

My Name is Khan (Autism)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Multiple disabilities) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/149/149

Quid Pro Quo (Wheelchair user)

Rain Man (Autism)

Ray (Blind person) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/591/768

The Ringer (Intellectual disabilities) http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/11/movies/11bauer.html?_r=1

Rory O’Shea Was Here (CP) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/703/880

Saved (Wheelchair user)

The Sea Inside (Wheelchair use)

Seabiscuit (Visual impairment, cane use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/908/1083

Shallow Hal (CP; obesity) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/895/1070

Shine (Mental illness)

Simon Birch (Little person) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1014/1227

Sling Blade (Intellectual disability)

Snowcake (Autism)

The Soloist (Mental Illness)

The Station Agent (Little person) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/576/753

Stuck on You (Conjoined twins) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/895/1070,%20http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/494/671

The Tic Code (Tourette’s syndrome)

There’s Something about Mary (Intellectual disability) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/895/1070

Tropic Thunder (Intellectual disability) http://www.disaboom.com/movies/quottropic-thunder-hollywood-still-doesnt-get-it/

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (Intellectual disability)

Whole (BIID)

X-Men, X2 (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/874/1049

Yo, Tambien (Down syndrome)

Entertainment TV

American Horror Story (Down syndrome)

Boston Legal (Little person; autism)

Breaking Bad (CP; cancer)

CSI (Amputee; hearing loss) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/921/1096

Deadwood (CP) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/593/770

Family Guy (Wheelchair user)

Friday Night Lights (Wheelchair user)

Glee (Down syndrome; wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1354

Heroes (Wheelchair use)

House (Cane use; substance abuse) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1583/1549

Joan of Arcadia (Wheelchair user) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/499/676

The L Word (Deaf person) http://media-and-disability.blogspot.com/2011/08/accessing-new-deaf-representations-on.html

Life Goes On (Down syndrome)

Lost (Wheelchair use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/540/717

Monk (OCD)

Nip/Tuck (Multiple disabilities; Little person)

Parenthood (Autistic child)

Pelswick (Wheelchair user) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/431/608

Private Practice (Wheelchair use; substance abuse)

Quads (Wheelchair users)

The Secret Life of the American Teenager (Down syndrome)

Sesame Street (Wheelchair user)

South Park (Wheelchair use; walker use) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/628/805

Switched at Birth (Deaf community)

Temple Grandin (Autism) http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/1659/1610

United States of Tara (Mental illness)

Reality TV

The Amazing Race (Little person; Deaf person; Autism)

Dancing with the Stars (Amputee; Deaf person)

Extreme Home Makeover (Many episodes make over home for disabled adult or child)

How’s Your News? (All stars have intellectual disabilities) http://www.mtv.com/shows/hows_your_news/series.jhtml

The Specials (UKWeb series about group home of adults with intellectual disabilities)  http://www.the-specials.com/home

Last Comic Standing (2006 winner, Josh Blue, has CP) http://www.joshblue.com/

The Little Couple (Little people) http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/little-couple

Little People, Big World http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/817/992

My Deaf Family http://www.youtube.com/user/MyDeafFamily