Rolling: This documentary offers insightful perspective of wheelchair users

Imagine what the perspective on life is like for somebody who uses a wheelchair.

That’s the subject of a new documentary aptly titled
Rolling.

The perspective is authentic, as it was filmed by cameras mounted on the wheelchairs of three Los Angeles residents who agreed to have them affixed to their chairs as they went about the daily tasks of life. The viewer gets to see how life is viewed at their homes, work, the doctor’s office, and general everyday situations. The footage was filmed over a two-year span and was originally more than 200 hours, but has been condensed into a one-hour showcase of life from their vantage point.
This novel and insightful film is slated for showing on many public broadcasting stations during the next month.
(Click here to see if it is airing on your local PBS affiliate.)

I was a little disappointed to see that KUHT, the Houston-area PBS affiliate, was not among that list, as I’d really like to check it out.

However, if you’d like, the documentary’s official web site does have a link that will let you view a fairly long clip of the film , just to give you a taste of it. Do check out the film’s official web site linked above, as it has a few more related links to check out that are useful and informative, as well as information about the film's producer.


A special thanks to the
Disability Nation blog
For the above information.

Disability Nation, an audio magazine by and for people with disabilities

I have just returned from the web site for the
Disability Nation podcast.

If you are not familiar with Disability Nation (DN), then do check out their site. According to the home page, DN is “an audio magazine by and for people with disabilities” and covers a broad array of topics related to different disabilities. As an added perk the site does offer email notification to let you know when new shows are available.

In a previous post, I mentioned that it would be interesting to see if the site offered transcripts to their podcast as one reader had requested to ensure accessibility for people who are deaf.

Cheers to Disability Nation as they have transcripts for, not only that show, but also for their last several podcasts available, in either PDF or in Word format.

Good work there, DN.

It is encouraging to see that a service targeted towards an audience of people with disabilities ensures inclusion for all, especially when they are aware that an audience exists that requires an alternative format of their material. If your material is worth producing in the first place, it is definitely worth producing in an alternative format.

More about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007

Two pieces of news about the ADA Restoration Act of 2007.

First, the
Road to Freedom
is a bus tour which is currently crossing the country and aiming to raise awareness about the pending legislation. The Road to Freedom web site has the latest news and appearances of the bus, as well as other useful links such as “What You Can Do”; The site also has a store as well as a blog to help chronicle the endeavors of the dedicated crew.

Additionally, for the latest information about the status of the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, you might want to grab the upcoming episode 41 of
Disability Nation Podcast.
The episode will air on Sunday, Sept. 9 and will feature some interesting aspects, including the Disability Legislative Liaison for Iowa Senator Tom Harkin .

At this time, it is a bit unclear if there will be a text transcript of this podcast available. One has been requested of the creator of the Disability Nation Podcast and I will be interested to see his response.