Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution, co-directed by James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham

When I finally sat down to watch Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution for the BAFTA 2021 Awards, I was moved beyond words and learnt so much about this powerful social movement. This film is a tribute to the triumph of the human spirit. I am truly grateful to the co-directors James LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham for making this amazing film, amplifying the voices of people with disabilities, and educating me.

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution starts in 1971 at Camp Jened, a summer camp in New York described as a “loose, free-spirited camp designed for teens with disabilities". Starring Larry Allison, Judith Heumann, James LeBrecht, Denise Sherer Jacobson, and Stephen Hofmann, the film focuses on those campers who turned themselves into activists for the disability rights movement and follows their fight for accessibility legislation.

These young people who came to Camp Jened found a community, built relationships and trust, and used this social capital to lead a worldwide movement, finding their collective voice to transform the lives of millions of disabled people. This is an important story of a social movement that took hard work and sacrifices to win the battles that led to sidewalk ramps in every city, wheelchair-accessible movie theatres, and the ability for kids with disabilities to go to public schools, all achieved by the grit, determination, and intelligence of people with disabilities. This is a film about movement storytelling, of enduring relationships, making the links between activism, protest, social movement, and government for long lasting change.

Jim LeBrecht, co-director, who was born with spina bifida and works as a sound designer, guides us through the building of a movement. As a teenager, he attended Camp Jened, and the footage shot at these summer camps forms the spine of the film, with current interviews and news coverage of the subsequent extraordinary achievements by campers, all demonstrating an awakening of people with disabilities and celebration of the movement they forged to gain equal rights.

As a film producer, I believe films are a great tool for changemakers, they unravel hidden stories, telling us about real heroes, their vision, their work and inspire change. Researching the making of Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution led me to learn more about the American With Disabilities Act (ADA) which marked its 30 Anniversary in 2020, signed into law in 1990 by President G.H.W. Bush. You can read about the history of the ADA movement here. Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution is entertaining as it is inspiring, an indispensable documentary with an impactful message, shining a light on a forgotten fight for equality and education for those born into the post-ADA era.

Films like Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution have the power to simulate a response, change opinions, and inspire people to act. They are a reminder that when people get involved and recognise their power, as shown by the Black Lives Matter movement, they can achieve extraordinary change. You can join the Crip Camp virtual experience here.

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2020, where it won the Audience Award. It was released in March 2020 by Netflix. Watch the film trailer here.

About Parminder Vir OBE

Parminder Vir OBE has dedicated herself to positively impacting and transforming lives through a professional career spanning 40 years in philanthropy, entrepreneurship, film and television production, arts and culture, and investment funding. She is the co-founder of the Support4AfricaSMEs campaign and The African Farmers Stories, launched in 2020. She served as the CEO of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, based in Lagos, Nigeria from April 2014 to April 2019. Prior to joining the Foundation, Parminder has enjoyed a distinguished career as an awarding winning film and television producer and private equity investor in film and media.