james lawler – Seidenberg School News

The 8th Annual Celebration of Individuals with Disabilities in Film Movie Marathon is Postponed

EDIT: The FILM FEST is postponed indefinitely — WE WILL UPDATE ASAP

A DAY OF CELEBRATION AT PACE UNIVERSITY

Pace University is once again celebrating diversity with its eighth Annual Celebration of People with Disabilities in Films Film Festival. This year, the festivities have expanded into Disability is Diversity Day, which will take place on March 30, 2020.

As always, this event is free and open to all.

The festival offers the opportunity for guests to meet alumni, faculty, officials, and students of Pace University, as well as distinguished advocates for people with disabilities. This includes governmental legislators, municipal officials, delegates from the NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, non-profit organizational officials and staff, and people with disabilities and their families.

EVENT DETAILS

Monday, March 30, 2020
Reception: 5:00pm
Program start: 6:00pm
Pace University
Bianco Room
3 Spruce Street
New York
RSVP: contact James Lawler at jlawler@pace.edu or (212) 346-1013

ABOUT THE FILM FEST

The program includes inspirational short films featuring people with disabilities. The characters are depicted personally and professionally, living with pride in their abilities. There will be a keynote speech and an interactive panel to discuss the films, as well as musical performances.

Most of the films in the program have been recognized at the international Sprout Film Festival, with whom Pace is partnered in 2020. The films are a mix of comedy, documentary, drama, narrative and poetry, and international screenings. The program will demonstrate the breadth of life experienced by people with disabilities.

The Eighth Annual Celebration of People with Disabilities in Films Film Festival: Disability is Diversity Day at Pace University will be an evening of festivities, fun, and learning with refreshments for all. The program will emphasize the rights of people with disabilities in a society which often marginalizes them.

The Film Festival will be held on Monday, March 30, 2020, from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM, in the Angelo Bianco Room, G Level, 3 Spruce Street, Pace University. The event will include displays and exhibits, a networking reception, and refreshments beginning at 5:00 PM.

The program is free for all.

To RSVP, contact Jim Lawler at jlawler@pace.edu or (212) 346-1013.

7th Annual Celebration of Individuals with Disabilities in Film Movie Marathon takes place at Pace University

The 2019 edition of the Annual Celebration of Individuals with Disabilities in Film took place at Pace University on Thursday, April 5, 2019. This was the seventh year the festival has taken place, and it proved to be an evening no less compelling than in previous years.

“[The] festival is important as a forum in learning about a marginalized population of society . . . that desires recognition and respect like those without disabilities,” said Dr. James Lawler, Seidenberg professor and the chair and organizer of the event.

Dr. Lawler explained that visibility is unfortunately still a big issue for people with disabilities: “Most students in the school and in the university do not know of the issues of those with disabilities in society and their struggles to be like those without disabilities. Those with disabilities, developmental or non-developmental, are a ‘hidden’ minority in society.”

Taby Haly was back for another year of performing original compositions

The event opened with a cocktail hour as guests arrived, and before long the Bianco Room (one of Pace University’s largest event spaces) was completely filled with almost 200 guests. Seidenberg alumna, Tabitha Haly, was back to perform original songs before the keynote presentation by the Honorable Angelo Santabarbara with his son Michael.

The Honorable Angelo Santabarbara with son Michael gives a compelling keynote presentation.

Dean for Students Marijo Russel O’Grady then gave her remarks and introduced the distinguished expert panelists: Victor Calise, Allan B. Goldstein, Tabithy Haly, Maria Hodermarska, Betsy Lynam, and the Honorable Angelo Santabarbara. After each film, the panel would discuss what they had seen, each person providing their own unique insights.

It was time for the movie marathon. During the event, the films that were screened where:

JMAXX AND THE UNIVERSAL LANGUAGE by Ryan Mayers
KILL OFF by Genevieve Clay-Smith
SOPHIE from Pace University – College of Health Professions
FIGHTER by Bugsy Steel
ARETHA from New York University – Tandon School of Engineering
SURREALITY by Meg Vatterott, Huong Troung, Marta Payne, and Olivia Liu
BEING SEEN by Paul Zehrer

“The genesis of the 7th Annual Celebration of People With Disabilities in Film goes back more than seven years. It has its roots in Pace University’s commitment to Service Learning; it takes its inspired use of technology from its home in the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems,” said Dr. Jonathan Hill, Dean of the Seidenberg School at Pace University. “Most importantly, it gets its passion from the work of Dr. Jim Lawler of the Seidenberg School and his partners at AHRC, as well as the many non-profits that help to meet the needs of the disabled in our community by helping them to meet their challenges and celebrate their triumphs.”

Many of these films and more are available online at Sproutflix, and if you missed the event this year don’t worry – the 8th Annual Celebration will be taking place in 2020 at Pace University once more.

Want to read about previous film festivals? We did a blog post on last year’s here and the fifth annual film festival here.

Recap: the 6th Annual Celebration of Individuals with Disabilities in Film Festival

The 6th annual film festival at Pace University was one to remember. This event has been an annual celebration of our similarities and differences, organized by Seidenberg faculty member Dr James P. Lawler. Over the course of the evening, a series of short films made by and starring individuals with disabilities was screened, with a panel discussion in between each screening. The festival also included several guest speakers, one of whom was the Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg, who gave a passionate speech about the difficulties faced by individuals with disabilities and their families. Assemblyman Weisenberg is a staunch advocate for people with disabilities, and fought to legalize Jonathan’s Law, which protects developmentally disabled children from abuse, amongst other incredible things. “Be a voice for people who don’t have one,” he told a packed room at the festival. “You have to be the voice of the people who cannot advocate for themselves.”

Seidenberg student, Adil Sanai, on the panel with Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg

Seidenberg School alumna Tabitha Haly, a self-advocate and talented musician, gave a stunning musical performance and kindly provided merchandise for the winners of a raffle that took place during the evening. She also participated on the panels, and between all the guests some tough truths were shared – such as how there has been a 14% decrease in staff of people that have left their jobs because they cannot pay their bills. How the people taking care of children with physical and developmental disabilities are getting paid the absolute bare minimum – people who dedicate their lives to take care of our families and cannot pay their bills. There were 83,000 cases of neglect and abuse in the most recent years, with people with disabilities, less than 5% were investigated. This festival was put together to educate others and force change.

At this event, many films were shown to highlight the different challenges many people face in this world. These films were very touching and heartfelt as the filmmakers showed the disabilities in a beautiful way. These films show a person that having a disability should not stop you from what you want to do and everyone has something unique about them to contribute to society.

Getting ready for a fun evening of movies!

There were so many great films but one of my favorites was Humans of San Jose by Wataro Kubo. Made about Wataro’s brother with autism, Humans of San Jose was about embracing what makes you different. “I think I want to stay different” was an amazing quote from the movie that really strikes you. This filmmaker offers us to think about autism from a different lens. Maybe autism is just a different aspect of normal. Different makes us all better. This film successfully shows there is no such thing as normal.

As in previous years, the film festival was a massive success. The Bianco Room was packed and many people had to stand (but at least there was free popcorn!).

We would like to thank all of our incredible guests and panelists, our movie makers and stars, and Dr. Lawler for his tireless work as an advocate and organizer of these special events.

Fifth annual film festival celebrates people with disabilities in film

The fifth annual Celebration of Individuals with Disabilities in Film celebrated those with disabilities took place on March 23, 2017. Organized by Seidenberg School professor of Disabilities Studies and Information Technology, Dr. James Lawler, the event centered around the screening of several narrative short films and documentaries and a panel discussion including expert speakers.

At the reception, huge buckets of popcorn were available as people got in the mood for movies. The event was kicked off by opening remarks from Dr. Lawler, and Seidenberg School Dean, Dr. Jonathan Hill. Six short films were screened, including Stutter, Anna, Children of God, Dancing on Wheels, Picked, and 4 Quarters of Silence. Each film dealt with different themes, and were about characters with disabilities. The films were thoughtful and poignant, and offered a fresh perspective we see far too little in mainstream media.

Discussions with the panel were interspersed between screenings. Audience members were welcome to share their own experiences with disability, and many did. Films representing members of society that do not fit a particular mode are rare, and many people appreciated seeing themselves or their friends represented on the big screen.

Panel speakers were Victor Calise, Commissioner at the New York City Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities; Allan B. Goldstein, Senior Lecturer, New York University; Maria Hodermarska, Parent and Teacher, New York University; Gary Lind, Executive Director, AHRC New York City; Marilyn Jaffe-Ruiz, Professor Emerita, Pace University; and Isaac Zablocki, Co-Founder and Director, ReelAbilities: New York Disabilities Film Festival.

They discussed a variety of topics, including the lack of positive media representation for people with disabilities. Although there has been a gradual change to include more people with disabilities in film and television, many disabled characters are played by able-bodied actors rather than people who actually have the disability portrayed. “We have a long way to go,” remarked Victor Calise, “but I think that conversations are starting . . . people want to see people with disabilities in film and televisions.”

One of the great things about this particular event is the sense of community and support that fills the room as conversations are had and experiences are shared. The event is held in partnership with AHRC New York City and the ReelAbilities: New York Disabilities Film Festival. We encourage you to visit their websites and learn more.

Thanks go to our wonderful panelists, the teams behind the making of the movies, the Dean for Students for the kind sponsorship, and of course Dr. James Lawler for making this happen for another year. We’re already looking forward to next year and hope to see you there!