Partnering with the Syracuse University Alumni Association, InclusiveU is sending a group of its students from the Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education to Washington, D.C. on Thursday for a screening of Dan Habib’s “Intelligent Lives.” The documentary follows three individuals with disabilities and how they interact with the world around them.

“We’re looking to engage the general public about who we are and what we do, ” said Karly Grifasi, communications manager at the Taishoff Center.

The screening will take place at the National Press Club, followed by a Q&A panel with Habib and others from InclusiveU. SU’s Micah Fialka-Feldman is featured in the film.

Since earning his certificate in disability studies from the School of Education, Fialka-Feldman has become a prominent figure at SU. Along with assisting classes for the School of Education, he is spearheading his position as the outreach coordinator for the Taishoff Center. He also served on the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities for three years under former President Barack Obama.

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Fialka-Feldman has been diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, with an IQ of 40 as a child. But he said those setbacks have not kept him from self-advocating and pursuing goals. In 2009, he won a federal lawsuit, which allowed him to live in the dorms at Oakland University.

“I want people to watch the movie and see how someone (with disabilities) … can work and be successful and do everything that everyone else can,” he said. “I want people with disabilities to know they can dream of going to college. I want to show that an IQ is just a number.”

The D.C trip group will also go to Capitol Hill and push for the removal of sub-minimum wages for workers with disabilities, in partnership with The National Down Syndrome Society.

Since “Intelligent Lives” touches on the importance of this removal, Habib will be holding a congressional briefing to advocate for employment after high school or college for people with disabilities.

Part of the documentary features Naomie Monplaisir, a former student at the Birch Vocational School in Providence. Monplaisir assembled jewelry instead of attending regular classes for little to no pay.

“When you think about all the federal and state policies that influence the lives of people like Micah and Naomie and Naieer (Shaheed), there’s no greater place to talk about these policies then Washington,” Habib said.

Habib is launching a national outreach campaign with the film, called the Opening Doors Campaign, which will provide educational materials and resources to help support all of the various opportunities the film showcases.

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“A lot of people don’t know that there’s even a pathway for students with intellectual disabilities to go to college,” Habib said. “Part of my effort with the film is to open doors for people and enlighten them about these opportunities.”

He said he also wants to stress the importance of change at a community level. Habib said that the effects of decisions made by school district officials are just “as much as anything that comes to the federal government.”

Similarly, Grifasi said it’s crucial that students with developmental disabilities are provided just as much support as their surrounding peers.

“At one point in the film, Naieer flat out says ‘I’m going to start looking at colleges.’ I think because he had support in high school to accommodate his needs, it helped him get there,” Grifasi said. “It’s a lot easier for someone with disabilities to grow if their environment is supportive.”

All three stories highlighted in “Intelligent Lives” intersect at this point. The purpose of the film, Habib said, is that people with disabilities need just as much support from their families and communities. Their stories, Habib said, prove there is not a singular way to measure intelligence.

A screening of “Intelligent Lives” will be held at the Syracuse International Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 14.

Published on September 25, 2018 at 9:45 pm

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