Crip Camp

[I wrote this blog to encourage people to see the movie that is probably the best movie I have seen] 

On March 25th, 2020, Netflix released “Crip Camp – A Disability Revolution.” It is a documentary that premiered at Sundance this year and received an Audience Appreciation Award.  Crip Camp - directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim Libbrecht and produced by Sara Bolder in conjunction with Netflix and Barack and Michelle Obama’s HigherGround Productions. Crip Camp spans the years from the late 1960s to the present. The film includes many videos, photographs, and discussions of the Disability Civil Rights Movement and the 504 Demonstrations.  Crip Camp interviewed fourteen disability activists, including Jim LeBrecht, Lionel Je’ Woodyard, Joseph O’Conor, Ann Cupolo Freeman, Denise Sherer Jacobson, Judith Heumann, Sheldon Koy, Dr. William Bronston, Corbett O’Toole, Dennis Billups, HolLynn D’Lil, Evan White, Emily Hofmann, and me. This film shows the struggles people with disabilities faced to achieve our civil rights. 

I was a camper at Camp Oakhurst in my teens, and I knew many other camps for people with disabilities. These camps had beautiful, well-maintained grounds. Most of the counselors were young college students who wanted to help people less fortunate have a good summer experience. Counselors had a room separate from where campers slept. Activities were always well planned, and everyone strictly followed schedules. People had close relationships at Camp, but they ended when people returned home.  

Camp Jened was very different. The grounds were shabby. Water came into the cabin through the ceilings when it rained. There were many days when there was no hot water. Many of the staff were former campers. Most workers were hippies of the Woodstock Era. and conscientious objectors of the Vietnam War. Campers and staff were all there to have fun together as equals. Activity schedules were made but loosely followed. After the evening activity, campers went with their girlfriend or boyfriend unaccompanied by a counselor. If you have any doubts about what we did, watch the film. Relationships formed at Camp often lasted for decades. Many still exist. 

The free, open, equitable, and loving environment found at Camp Jened undoubtedly is why so many of us went on to have our own families, successful careers in academia, businesses, and government and non-profit agencies. 

The documentary beautifully weaves segments of the myriad of experiences people with disabilities encounter before and after they were Jenedians.  Audiences get to watch Jim as a young boy bounce down a flight of steps. Later in the film, we see him climbing upstairs to a sound booth where he worked. A photo showed Judy Heumann, Michael Ward, Stephen Hoffmann, and me when we were in the same class in elementary school. Steve as a camper and later as a strip-tease performer in a burlesque venue and as a father illuminates how he went through life. Audiences get to watch me teaching at Computer Technologies Program (CTP), working at Wells Fargo, going to a café, and giving 5-year-old David a ride on the back of my wheelchair.  

A large portion of Crip Camp is about Judy’s life and activism. We first see her as a girl in a small wheelchair as people pushed through her neighborhood. We hear her describe the devastating feeling when kids asked why she was sick.  As a Camp Jened counselor, we see how Judy makes sure that everyone is involved in making decisions. We see how her organizing abilities galvanize people with disabilities and their allies throughout the world.  A significant part of the documentary centers around Judy’s success in organizing and leading a 28-day sit-in at the San Francisco federal building. Nationwide protests supported the fight to get 504 regulations signed. More than 50 people with disabilities stayed in that building round the clock sleeping on the floor, getting donated meals from civil-rights organizations, including the Black Panthers, and communicating with the outside world by using sign language. 

Section 504 of the 1974 Rehabilitation Act prohibited discrimination of people with disabilities by any entity receiving federal money. Congress approved the law, people in the Health, Education, and Welfare Department stalled the signing of its regulations. It wasn’t until a small delegation from the sit-in went to Washington DC, held all-night vigils, and lobbied Congress.   

Many TV, radio, and print news media documented the events throughout the 28-days. Many books, articles, and documentaries also describe this successful historical achievement of the civil rights Disability Movement.  I was, therefore, somewhat surprised by the number of people watching Crip Camp who had no idea that this had occurred. 

Denise was the story consultant for Crip Camp and also had a significant role in it. She and several other cast and crew members traveled to what was Camp Jened. Everything there was barren. The film ends, showing them reminiscing about Camp and how far they had all gone.  

Thousands of people throughout the world have seen it and listened to it in 11 languages. During the global pandemic that began in early 2020 and forced people to shelter-in-place, Netflix sponsored a Virtual Crip Camp. Each week, people logged on to Zoom to participate in lectures, visual arts, dancing, singing, rapping, etc.  People with disabilities developed and led all events. 

Innumerable articles, radio, and tv shows have interviewed Jim, Nicole, Sara, Denise, Judy, me, and other people involved with Crip Camp. Crip Camp has received numerous awards and including being nominated for an Academy Awards Oscar.  Denise always dreamed about being at an Academy Awards Show. The 2020 pandemic severely limited the number of people who could attend.  Denise and I stayed home and watched the show on TV. We were further disappointed when we learned that The Octopus Teacher won. 

Several weeks after the Oscars, Shelley Koy and Lionel Woodyard organized a Crip Camp celebration. They asked participants to write a short tribute. Here is what I submitted;  

“I am not someone who usually gives flowery or magnanimous praises. Crip Camp, however, deserves such accolades. People rarely watch a movie and know that it will be a classic that changes people’s perceptions.  

One of the most memorable moments in my life came after being on the stage at the Sundance Film Festival. A packed audience watched Crip Camp’s premier debut. I had been on the stage with the people involved in making the documentary who could come to the event. The audience had given us a 10-minute standing ovation. We returned to our hotel to be at our celebratory dinner. As I exited the elevator, my son, David, who is also not generous with his praises, said that Crip Camp was the best movie he ever saw and changed his life!  

I have given and listened to hundreds, if not thousands, of disability awareness presentations, webinars, podcasts, etc. I unequivocally know that none of them had the impact that Crip Camp has. I give enormous credit to Jim and Denise for initiating the idea of such a movie. Many people worked extremely hard for years making this incredible film and deserve much gratitude and thanks. I want Jim and Nicole to know that I continue to be amazed and awed by your talents and skills! THANK YOU!”