Embedded Files
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
Recommended Resources:
Books:
Fiction
Jewel by Bret Lott (1991): A story about a mother raising a child with Down syndrome in Mississippi, highlighting both challenges and profound love.
The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano (2008): Features a character with a twin sister who has learning difficulties.
Non-Fiction and Memoirs
Count Us In: Growing Up with Down Syndrome by Jason Kingsley and Mitchell Levitz: Two friends share their experiences, hopes, and perspectives on life with Down syndrome.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson: A biography about the intellectually disabled sister of JFK, shedding light on historical, often hidden, treatment.
Chronicles of Courage: Very Special Artists by Jean Kennedy Smith (1993): A collection of stories celebrating the artistic abilities of people with disabilities. Focuses on the artists' aspirations and achievements rather than their disabilities, celebrating the human spirit and the transformative power of art.
Raymond’s Room: Ending the Segregation of People with Disabilities by Dale DiLeo Using research, anecdotes, and heartwarming stories, DiLeo takes aim at the billion-dollar "disability industrial complex" that segregates people with significant disabilities from mainstream life.
Community and Growth (Widely regarded as the "bible" of L'Arche). The Heart of L'Arche. An Ark for the Poor: The Story of L'Arche: (Vanier chronicles the historical foundation of L'Arche). From Brokenness to Community. Befriending the Stranger. These are all by Jean Vanier, who founded L'Arche in 1964.
The Road to Daybreak, a Spiritual Journey. Adam, God's Beloved. Can You Drink the Cup? These are all by Henri Nouwen and reference his time in a L'Arche community.
My Body is Not a Prayer Request By Amy Kenny 2022 Written by a disabled Christian, this book shows that the church is missing out on the prophetic witness and blessing of disability. From David Gayes: (For those that have time to read one book before the service trip, this is the book I would recommend.)
Loving our own Bones 2023 book by Disabled Rabbi and activist Julia Watts Belser.
https://www.juliawattsbelser.com/loving-our-own-bones. What’s wrong isn’t her wheelchair, though—it’s exclusion, objectification, pity, and disdain. Loving Our Own Bones paints a luminous portrait of what it means to be disabled and one of God’s beloved. Recommended by David Gayes.
Articles, Blogs and organizations:
Sins Invalid https://sinsinvalid.org/10-principles-of-disability-justice/ Sins Invalid is a disability based movement. It is committed to social and economic justice for all people with disabilities. Sins Invalid’s work explores themes of disabled embodiment and the world around us, developing provocative work where paradigms of “normal” and “disabled” are challenged, offering instead a vision of beauty and justice inclusive of all bodies and communities. The stories lay a foundation for a collective claim of liberation, beauty, and human rights. Recommended by David Gayes.
Films and series:
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019) is a critically acclaimed independent film featuring Zack Gottsagen, an actor with Down syndrome, in a leading role that subverts disability stereotypes. The story follows Zak, who escapes a nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a professional wrestler, forming an unlikely friendship along the way.
Crip Camp:| A Disability Revolution https://cripcamp.com. 2020 documentary. Crip Camp shares with insight, clarity, humor, and beauty the experiences of one group of disabled young people and their journey to activism and adulthood.
Summer in the Forest (2018) is a documentary about Jean Vanier and the Founding of L'Arche in Trosly-Breuil, France. He founded the L'Arche communities to address the most egregious form of exclusion: that suffered by people with intellectual disabilities. Vanier was eighty-seven when this film was made. The movie follows the people who live at the local L'Arche homes, and the simple rhythms of their daily lives—getting dressed, meals, shopping, a walk in the woods, a visit to the doctor, a picnic outing, and their local work projects. They challenge us to a relationship of mutuality. Will check for possibilities of watching.
Jean Vanier,The Sacrament of Tenderness (2018), a documentary directed by Frédérique Bedos, was available to watch on Google Play but may no longer be available.
Change, Not Charity PBS/WTTW Recommended by L'Arche Chicago. Here's the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xoQU3OPhDE
The Path Forward: Remembering Willowbrook. Recommended by L'Arche Chicago. The history of shifting towards community based services and away from institutions. Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ev80qEtp2u4
Temple Grandin (2010) 1h 50m, Drama/Biography Before enrolling in college, famed animal husbandry expert Temple Grandin (Claire Danes) visits a cattle ranch owned by her aunt Ann (Catherine O'Hara) and demonstrates a brilliance for all things mechanical. Once classes begin, the autistic Grandin rises to meet the intellectual challenges -- though the social ones are a bit more difficult. Grandin triumphs over prejudice to become an innovator in the field of animal care, and a lifelong advocate for humane slaughtering practices.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo (2022 t.v. series) Follows the brilliant attorney Woo Young-woo, who tackles challenges in and out of the courtroom as a rookie at a prominent law firm and a woman on the autism spectrum.
Videos, Podcasts and Sound recordings:
L'Arche -Clinton, Iowa
50 Acts of Kindness by the L'Arche community-Clinton, Iowa
https://youtu.be/wkmQoQVYsSQ?si=Dsqm4ZWUJnuWTKHE
Sachiko's Story/Nineteen Paper Cranes- 5 minutes-Documentary, Jul 25, 2017
Your country wakes to the news that you are disposable. In this episode, we see L’Arche Japan's response to the largest mass murder in their country since World War II. Imagine the world differently.
https://youtu.be/s2hpNbELFHo?si=cHp_pAK3Muaj59PJ
Embracing Autism: A Coral Gables Story
I am not your inspiration, thank you very much. Ted Talk
https://youtu.be/YxstDLUocAk Australian disability rights activist Stella Young
declares that she does not exist to be an inspiration for nondisabled people and outlines
why that label is so problematic for disabled people today. Recommended by David Gayes
35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) History of American Disabilities Act https://www.klgates.com/continuing-education-cle Create sign in and search: 35th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) History of American Disabilities Act. Created as a continuing legal education presentation but anyone can watch. Good description of history and a few good questions and answers. Includes a powerpoint.
Other Resources:
The Zinn Project: The Zinn Education Project promotes and supports the teaching of people's history in classroom across the country. Since 2008, the Zinn Education Project has introduced students to a more accurate, complex, and engaging understanding of history than is found in traditional textbooks and curricula. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/international-day-of-persons-with-disabilities/
https://socialjusticeresourcecenter.org/ The mission of the Social Justice Resource Center is to link faith to action by providing information and resources on the social issues of our time. The site includes facts and figures, resources such as publications, films and websites, calendars of events, biographies, prayers and quotes, as well as specific action ideas. Sign up for the newsletter to keep up to date.
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