Certain Proof: A Question of Worth (2011) - full transcript
Certain Proof: A Question of Worth is a feature documentary about three children living with significant communication and physical disabilities, who struggle against the public schools in an emotional battle to prove their worth.
Hi, I'm Chris Cooper.
What if you couldn't
speak or use your hands.
How would you communicate?
How would you prove
that you could learn,
that you have an opinion,
or that you matter?
My son Jesse faced
those challenges
every day of his life.
Jesse was born in October
1987 ten weeks premature.
My wife Marianne and
I were still in shock
when, on his third day of life,
he suffered a massive
brain hemorrhage.
Jesse would spend
the next 17 years
with severe cerebral palsy
until his passing in 2005.
Jesse was a gifted
writer and poet
with a keen intelligence
and a wonderful sense of humor.
First impressions
can be deceiving,
and Marianne and I struggled
to get the world to see him
beyond his disabilities.
The film you are about to watch
follows the lives
of three children,
Josh, Colin, and Kay...
all very much like Jesse.
The barriers they face
in obtaining a
meaningful education
are the same challenges
that more than 750,000
children with cerebral palsy
face in this country each year.
To believe in every child
and to believe
they all can learn
will move us beyond
the disability...
To see children with
extraordinary potential
and beautiful possibilities.
Thank you.
[acoustic guitar leads
slow, ambling arrangement]
♪
(woman) Josh was first
diagnosed, uh,
when we went in for
our four-month checkup.
We went in just for
a well-baby visit
and ended up leaving
with an appointment
for an MRI.
♪
It was a couple days before
we heard anything out,
and it was, you
know, cerebral palsy.
♪
(woman ♪2) Colin has cerebral
palsy because, during his delivery,
he didn't get enough oxygen.
So he suffered a hypoxic
injury to his brain.
It affects most of his body.
♪
[cello enters]
(woman ♪3) When Kay
was first diagnosed,
she was like three months old,
and once they said the
words cerebral palsy,
it was almost like one
of those cartoons on TV
where the adults are going
"Wah-wah-wah, wah-wah-wah-wah"
because I don't
remember anything.
I think the biggest
fear is the unknown.
When you have children,
you have expectations,
and you have dreams for them,
and then when you have a
child with cerebral palsy,
it's like someone's
pulled the rug
out from underneath you.
You don't know what to expect,
and a lot of people look
to you for these answers,
and you really don't have them.
(woman ♪1) I question almost
daily if I'm crazy or not,
thinking that he's,
you know, a smart kid.
It's hard when the
people around us
don't think he's in there.
The world assumes
he can't learn.
That's the danger.
Why not first assume that
he understands everything?
It's the least we can do.
♪
[machine beeping]
Ehhhh!
(woman) Did you sleep good?
Ehh, uhh, ehhh.
Heh, heh!
[laughing] Heh, heh!
[chuckling] Yeah?
Heh, heh, heh!
Silly!
You're silly.
Put your tongue back.
Ehhh.
Uh-huh.
[sighing] All right.
You wanna get dressed
and get ready for school?
All right. Ready?
We gotta... We gotta jump.
We gotta jump.
Ready?
You ready?
[thumping]
[voice-over] Whenever
everyone talks to you
about your child,
they focus on the physical side.
Oh, you got your
stuff on the floor.
You can play with it
when you get home, OK?
[voice-over] Unintentionally,
people think,
"OK, here's this
kid who's nonverbal
in a wheelchair with CP.
He's not mentally
gonna be there."
[off-camera] All right,
let's get your shirt on.
[voice-over] Just because he's
different and doesn't talk
doesn't mean that
he's not intelligent
and not able to... To learn.
All right,
wanna go get in the chair?
[voice-over] He's at
the mercy of everyone
that's around him sometimes.
[off-camera] OK,
let's get your shoes on.
Let's go put your feet on.
[voice-over] I think that
Josh knows what's going on,
but it's hard to get
everyone else to see that.
I can see in people's faces.
They think I'm just
wasting my time.
[off-camera] Sit back, baby.
Sit back.
[voice-over] It wears on you after
a while because you start to wonder,
"Well, are they
right, and I'm wrong?"
Hehhh, huh, heh, huh, heh!
(man) Comfortable? You OK?
His wrists are a little tight.
I'm just gonna turn
this hand over.
Good; I think with his hand,
the fact that they're
a little stiff...
Same thing as the
range of motion.
The stretching we did down
here, I would do up here too,
and I can get
occupational therapy
to show you how to do
some of those things.
[voice-over] A lot of
times, we underestimate
the amount of time that it takes
to help somebody
find their voice.
I think for Josh,
we've got a long way to go
to really find out who he is.
They've really gone
through a lot just to try
to find out how best to
help Josh communicate,
and they really haven't
found that right answer yet.
Myself as a provider,
I have to think
there's always hope.
We just need to do a better job
and find the right answer to
unlock that child's potential.
[off-camera] All right, let's see...
wait!
Should we smell?
Huh, heh, heh!
Are these stinky shoes?
Oh, my goodness... whew!
All right, it's the last
time I'm gonna do that.
The true test of
our society now...
We have the science to
save children's lives.
The question is,
do we have the humanity
and the resources
that are gonna make
those lives meaningful?
[echoing acoustic guitar
leads gentle composition]
♪
(Dawn) Get those toys.
Get 'em!
[voice-over] When we found out
Josh wasn't gonna speak,
it was a hard blow.
Say, "Hi, Auntie Lisa!"
Oops!
[voice-over] You know, it's...
He can't physically hug me,
and I was hoping I could
hear, "I love you, Mom."
Everyone wants to hear
their kid say that.
You know,
you're mourning the loss
of what you thought you had
and trying to figure out
what you're gonna have,
but you want your child to
have a happy and normal life.
[off-camera] Josh. Josh.
[voice-over] The thing
that scares me the most
is that I am wrong
in that he's not...
That he's not in there and
that I'm putting my hopes
into something that's not there.
♪
[bus engine rumbling]
(woman) Happy birthday!
(woman ♪2, voice-over)
There's just a fundamental
lack of understanding
about a child like Colin.
(woman on bus) He's
turning that big 1-0 today.
Double digits!
(woman ♪2, voice-over) You can't
assume that because his body doesn't do
what his mind wants it to do
that his mind doesn't know.
I like your balloon.
(woman ♪2, voice-over) He's in
a third-grade level classroom,
but when they assess him
on the grade standards
as written by the
state for third grade,
he doesn't make the
grade-level standards.
They feel that he is
on a first-grade level.
I believe he knows more
than first-grade level,
but he has to prove
that he knows it.
That just doesn't happen to
kids without disabilities.
What are the things
they're doing?
(Deby) They're assuming
Colin can't do any better.
(teacher) nln the
single continent...
Let's see nwhat Colin thinks.
(teacher) Does she need
to put two p'son jumpin
mmm
Yes or no?
Mm-mm.
(teacher) nMm-mm, no.
Is Cam bigger...
than Pat?
(device) Big.
(woman) How are you
gonna make it saybigge
(teacher) What's the
ending sound forbigger?
What do I have to do before
I put that ending on?
Do you remember, Colin?
Would you show me?
Look; it's big... big...
big.
Good, now you're tryin' to say...
don't.
You have to put a
vowel in front of it.
Hold your head up
and think a second.
(teacher) What's the vowel
that goes in front to sayer?
(woman ♪2,
voice-over) It takes a lotta work
typing things on a
computer with your head.
He's using those
muscles all day,
and Colin gets real
tired real fast.
(teacher) Yes, OK.
Excellent.
I want you to put a couple
more words on there.
(Kat, voice-over) I
think he's very smart.
You know, he's very observant;
he notices everything.
He's always asking questions
with his eyes and
facial expressions.
He knows what he wants to say,
but he can't find a
way to always say it.
[peaceful guitar composition]
(Deby) His world's very
different from yours or mine.
He can't get up and
walk across a room.
He can't speak.
He can't count on his fingers.
He can't do little
tricks and things
that kids come up with
to remember things...
Drawing and taking
notes about things.
He can't do that.
All of his has to be
by memory in his head.
Colin is a smart kid,
but when they pull him away
from his third-grade friends,
they're telling him he's
not good enough to keep up.
He's not good
enough to be there.
The truth is,
they don't really know
how to include him in the class.
(woman) If you're not finished
with your math packet,
I'd like you to work...
(teacher,
voice-over) At this point,
Colin is performing
on a beginning to
mid first-grade level
in all academic areas.
His motor control
changes from day to day,
moment to moment.
His stamina changes.
It does have an effect
on Colin's ability to, um,
output what we need
from him academically.
(Kat, off-camera) Look at the
question real quick; look right here.
(Deby, voice-over) He is continually
doubted on what he knows.
They would have him
do the same thing
over and over and over again.
Colin gets tired of
it; he gets bored,
and he's not motivated to do it.
Sometimes they're
stuck in the minutia
of everything being exactly so.
Colin's output is always
going to be different,
and I don't think
that that means
that he isn't getting it.
Even though it's not
in the same format
that another child would do,
to expect that they
can do it the same way
is very unrealistic.
[soulful piano melody]
(Yvonne, voice-over) We
want him to fit into society
like any other child would.
I mean, I feel like
we're doing a good job
meeting his needs given...
Given the situation.
I think, where Colin is
reflects both his disabilities
and his cognitive ability.
[calm piano melody]
(Deby, voice-over) There's
so much in his head
that he can't physically do.
I think...
that a child like Colin
could be allowed
a little latitude.
He's set up to fail.
[deep, resonate piano chords]
♪
[engine noise]
♪
[indistinct talking]
(girl speaking haltingly)
(woman) All right,
you have a good day, OK?
Bye.
(Kay, voice-over)
(woman,
voice-over) When I saw Kay,
I really did become concerned
because she is so dependent
on someone to do practically
everything for her.
How am I gonna meet her needs
with 119 other people?
Big parts of me went,
"I have no clue what's goin' on.
"What am I gonna do;
how am I gonna do this?"
We knew she was
gonna have an aide.
I was sort of trying to think
in a thousand
different directions
how this was going to work.
(Kay, voice-over)
(Pat) I didn't know how
she was gonna do science.
That was my biggest thing.
What would we do when
we got to experiments?
When we were doing
anything that required,
obviously, her to think about
things, could she?
(Kay, voice-over)
(girl) When the magma
reaches the surface
it's called lava.
This is an example of how
a volcano might erupt.
(woman, voice-over) The teachers
didn't know her; none of them did,
but they always point out
what hurdles and problems
we would have in the classroom.
Their first assumption
isn't that she's an
intelligent human being.
It's something that they
have to be convinced of.
(woman, off-camera) If
you are an A person,
these are the problems that
you need to be doing today.
Everybody got their
pencil out for A?
I want you to circle 'em.
[calm piano arrangement]
♪
(Sandy) Park's swinging.
There's Kayla in her swing.
(Sandy, voice-over) As a parent,
you have expectations
of your children,
and you have dreams for them...
You know, being popular,
having lots of friends.
And then when you have
a child like Kayla
that is severely involved,
not only do you realize
that that's probably not
a realistic expectation,
but you don't have anything
to replace it with.
You don't know what
the future holds,
and that is, I think, the...
The worst thing is that
you're just kinda floundering.
[calm string and
piano arrangement]
(Pat, voice-over)
We're speaking people.
That's how we communicate.
I can tell you
what I'm thinking.
You can tell me,
but a child like
that can't do it.
If you can't write,
you can't speak,
it makes sense...
It doesn't make sense,
but people assume
that there's nothing
going on in your brain:
"If you cannot communicate
the way we all communicate,
you must not have
anything to communicate."
♪
(female PA announcer) Good
morning, staff members.
If you have extra
hands this mornin',
they're short-staffed
in the cafeteria.
(bouncy kids' song recording) ♪ A
very, very special one ♪
♪
♪ Monday, Tuesday ♪
(woman, voice-over) He
can't blink on command.
He can't grab on command.
He can't point
consistently on command.
(group) ♪ The days of the week ♪
Yeah!
(woman, voice-over) Even if
you're not asking him to speak,
it's difficult to know
what he's understanding
with respect to what
you just asked him.
(woman, off-camera) Meghan.
(Kristine, voice-over) Children like
Josh don't come along every day.
(Josh) ehhhh
(girl) M... g...
e... g...
h... a...
N... good job; what
does that spell?
Meghan.
Meghan!
(teacher, voice-over) He
has days where he's...
totally distracted and, um,
he can't make a choice,
or he can't focus.
[off-camera] Joshua, come on up.
[voice-over] When you have him
pulled aside one on
one, it's best.
You're gonna have to spell it.
[voice-over] But
then, we do have...
other children in the classroom.
We're looking over here.
J?
(child) nah yah, ah yah
J?
J?
OK Josh,
we're gonna get someone else,
and maybe you can
spell your name
in a few minutes.
(Dawn) nl think it's
Nbecause he's bored.
You know, he's doin' the
same thing over and over,
and repeating it gets
really tiresome for him.
I mean, I think he's bored
right now at school.
I don't think he's getting
enough stimulation.
(woman) What would
you like to do today?
You wanna play?
Here you go.
Wanna build blocks?
Build blocks?
Point to build blocks.
Come on! You can do it.
Build blocks.
Can you let me know?
Build blocks? Build blocks?
(Dawn, voice-over) If they
don't have the basic belief
that he's really in there,
I think it's hard for them
to think that he's
gonna communicate.
(Kristine) You know I like to
put it on your head, remember?
Does that feel funny?
OK, where's the ball, Josh?
Let's play.
I'm not losing you, are ya?
Come here! Come back!
There you go. Ready?
Catch!
Catch it!
(Kristine, voice-over) I
am Josh's speech therapist
or speech pathologist.
Well, certainly,
I wish I knew more
about what his comprehension
is about what's going on.
Sometimes,
he appears to be very engaged
with whatever the activity is,
and other times, I'm not sure
if he's not comprehending
what's going on
or if it's exhaustion or
if it's some other factor
that we haven't considered.
If you're not lookin' at 'em,
you can't point
to the right one.
I know.
I work with Josh twice a week
for 20 minutes each session.
Forty minutes of speech
for a child who's
nonverbal is...
not enough... hah!
[echoing guitar melody]
♪
I want him to learn.
I don't want him just to
be housed and kept busy.
I want him to learn.
♪
If they don't see
that Josh is smart,
he's gonna be stuck there.
♪
♪
(Dawn) We...
I didn't know where to go
to prove that there's
a mind inside Josh
that's trapped.
Comin' in here this mornin',
I realized that one of two
things is gonna happen.
I'm either gonna get
confirmation that I'm right
and my kid is in there...
or I'm gonna get confirmation
that he's not.
(woman) Look what I have.
Do you see these
pictures on here?
(device) You never saw
one of these gizmos
before, have ya?
Well, what do you think?
Pretty cool, huh?
(woman, voice-over) I
have spent the last,
almost, 20 years doing
research with these children
working with them and
trying to figure out,
How do we solve the
communication challenges,
and how do we then
teach these children?
We shouldn't give up hope
just because somebody
is eight or nine or ten
and they're still not
able to communicate
in sophisticated ways.
If you have communication
and physical disabilities,
it's nearly impossible for you
to demonstrate an IQ
within normal limits.
I never use any
standardized tools
because my goal is
never to figure out,
sort of, what the score is.
My goal is to figure
out what you can do.
(woman, off-camera)
The goose is in there!
(Dawn, voice-over) My gut feeling
about how he's gonna react today?
I don't know.
He's gonna try and communicate.
[chuckling] I just don't know
how good it's gonna come across.
So...
I'm nervous.
♪ Go round and round,
round and round ♪
♪ Round and round ♪
♪ The wheels on the bus
go round and round ♪
Look, you can do this.
(device) ♪ All
through the town ♪
That can be your part to
sing, OK?
Let's try it on the next one.
You gettin' ready?
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish,
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
[piano joins guitar melody]
(Dawn) I want him to
understand the joy
of being able to communicate.
You know, if he doesn't have
that, I think in time,
he would just start to fade away
and would be completely
trapped inside his body.
♪
[slow string and
piano arrangement]
(Sandy) When it first happens,
you run over a million
scenarios in your mind.
You know,
if I had only done this,
would I have had a
different outcome?
You play that over and over
and ad nauseam.
I've asked her,
would you change it?
Would you...
If you had the opportunity,
would you change it
and, you know,
let this pass to someone else?
And she says no.
I literally realized that
it didn't happen to me.
It happened to Kay.
I'm in a supporting role here.
This is not my life.
This is her life.
[crowd cheering]
(male PA announcer) Let's get
this pep rally on the road!
Sixth graders, make some noise!
[crowd cheering wildly]
(Kay, voice-over)
(boy, voice-over) I hear people
always, behind her back, say...
Snickering and stuff like that,
"Oh, look at her bouncing
in her wheelchair."
Some people make fun of her
because of the way she looks
and because she might be a
little bit slow at speaking.
There's a lot of people
saying that she's dumb
because she's in a
wheelchair; she can't talk.
(male PA announcer) Students!
[wild cheering]
All right!
(Kay, voice-over)
(Lynn) OK,
we've got one more error.
Who sees the other error?
'K, Kay?
There.
(Lynn) Correct,
how should therebe spelled?
T... h... e... r...
e.
(Lynn) Correct.
'K, any questions?
Now, first of all,
Bailey White is an author.
Patty cake, patty
cake, baker's man
Make me a cake as
fast as you can
Roll it up; roll it up
Mark it with a K
Put it in the oven
for Kayla and Park
Yay!
What a big girl!
(Park) Come on,
let's read a book, Kayla.
[mellow guitar and piano score]
No... spring.
(Sandy, voice-over) There were
a lot of questions back then
as to how bright
Kayla really was.
She did not sit up independently
until she was almost four years
old, and...
And when you have someone
who has their head
down on the tray,
it does make you
wonder, you know,
"Is there anybody home?"
She had no communication skills
until she started kindergarten,
and at that time,
all she had was yes and no.
We didn't know
how bright she really was.
I'd hate to think
that there were things
that she wanted to communicate
that she felt it just
wasn't worth the effort.
♪
[boy laughing]
(Deby) We have
marshmallows, don't we?
You want to help me put 'em in?
Can you grip the bag?
[affirmatively] huh
(Deby) There was always...
always a push
from the very
beginning to put Colin
in a special
education classroom,
a separate,
self-contained classroom,
and to trot him out
for specials and gym.
[off-camera] And pour
them all in there.
[voice-over] That's not my
definition of inclusion.
He's a bright, happy,
funny, silly little boy
who just loves to be
in the middle of everything.
Typically, developing kids
in the regular classroom
are the best role
models for Colin.
[off-camera] Do you think
they're gonna be good?
Yeah.
(Deby) Yeah?
Are you gonna let Ian eat one?
Are you gonna keep 'em all?
You're gonna keep 'em all?
[affirmatively] huh, huh
There we go.
(device) My favorite TV
show is Ratch-el Ray.
Ratch-elRay... Rachael Ray?
You like Rachael Ray?
Colin is the biggest
flirt I've ever met.
He's hilarious.
He loves every girl...
No preferences... any girl.
Tell me what you like
nabout Rachael Ray.
[machine beeping] She...
[beeping] is...
[beeping]
[beeping]
pretty.
Aw, you think she's pretty...
hah, hah... hah!
(Deby, voice-over) Kids that are
significantly physically impaired
and have communication disorders
but are very bright
kids like Colin,
wanting to learn, able to learn,
are still being shuffled
off to special classrooms
even if they're actually smarter
than some of the other
kids in their class
who don't have disabilities.
[beeping]
I really do wanna move forward
with his academics,
and I don't think
that putting him
in a labeled box
does that for him.
(children) I pledge
allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic
for which it stands,
one nation under
God, indivisible,
with liberty and
justice for all.
(Erickson) We know that children
learn better from other children.
We've got research that
says, the more talking
that children are doing,
the better outcomes we have.
Once children get labeled,
we're putting them on a track
that makes it nearly impossible
for them to be awarded
a standard high school diploma.
(device) Cam is a girl.
Pat is a boy.
(Yvonne) All right,
let's check your memory.
(Erickson,
voice-over) They rarely have access
to other students
who are talking
and trying to problem solve
and trying to figure things out.
They'll be more likely to learn
if they're in a
classroom of peers
who find learning
easier than they do
than if they're in a classroom
full of peers who all
struggle with learning.
(woman) I really think
that his cognitive
ability is there.
You could see it in his eyes
that he wanted to participate,
and he would get so
excited about some lessons,
but when he's sitting there,
and it's taking all this time,
he would get frustrated.
He does have enough
understanding
and enough ability to become
literate and functional,
but in the regular classroom,
I mean, it is more
difficult, I believe,
because there are more children,
and he's not gonna get as
much individualized attention
from the actual teacher.
I feel like the best place
for a child like that
is wherever they're learning.
(Yvonne, voice-over) Our
expectations are very high for Colin.
We certainly want him to
interact with his peers
on a... on a social level,
certainly want him to understand
the appropriate behavior
for a child his age,
and so...
that's a good reason
for spending time
with his peers.
Is a third-grade
classroom the best place
to necessarily
gain those skills?
Not necessarily, in my opinion.
(Kat) I know what we can do...
Red light/green light.
(Erickson, voiceover) I would love
to see a world where we didn't have
any separate special
education settings,
where we looked at all of
the children in the school
and figured out
what are the ways
that we're gonna meet
all of their needs.
The biggest frustration
is that we hold children
with physical and
communication disabilities
to a different standard
than we do other children.
They have to have a
different level of proof
before they're allowed
in with their peers
in a general
education classroom.
(girl) Yay!
(boy) We win!
[echoing guitar and
percussion score]
♪
(Erickson) Those classmates
who are sitting next to them
will be their boss one day;
they'll be their coworkers.
They'll be their neighbors;
they'll be their friends.
If these children with
severe disabilities
are educated in a completely
separate environment,
they never will
have opportunities
in the community when they leave
and will have to have systems
of separate service delivery
for the rest of their lives.
♪
(Deby) Colin's an
extremely social child
and loves to be
part of everything,
but if he couldn't communicate
with people around him,
then he's not really
part of that life.
Early tonight 'cause
you're sleepy.
(Deby, voice-over) I want
him to be part of the world
and not segregated from it.
♪
(girl) I don't know;
when did I meet you?
First... grade.
Yeah, and I was always,
like, trying to avoid Kay.
I don't know really
know why; I just was.
We were in PE,
and we were the only
two people left,
so we partnered up,
and then we started
chasing each other.
She's a good friend because
she, like, makes me laugh
and she confuses me,
and she finds it funny.
[laughing] Ay, hehhhh, huh!
(Sandy, voice-over) Kayla
has benefited greatly
by being in a regular classroom.
You know, when she graduates,
she'll have always been around
people without disabilities,
and... and it mimics
real life a lot closer.
That one?
No.
(Kay, voice-over)
(Sandy) Like one person in your
group drew the alien's hair?
One... drew... the... hair.
(Sandy) And one had to
draw, like, their body?
(Kay) Yeah.
(Sandy) What part did you draw?
(Kay) The feet.
(Sandy) You had
to draw the feet?
(dad) Where is your alien
from, Kayla?
Their own planet that they made
namedWondongle or something?
Wondongle is my name.
Oh, that's your name?
That's your alien name?
And I am the leader.
You're the leader.
You always have such
democratic societies.
Did you notice Kayla's
always the leader?
(Kay) Yeah!
[family laughing]
(Sandy, voice-over) She
projects herself in such a way
that she draws
people around her,
and while I know Kayla
probably will never be
the most popular
child, she has friends,
and she has true,
genuine friends,
and that's all that
you can really ask for.
(teacher, off-camera) This
is strictly imagination.
You will be drawing.
(woman ♪2) Ready?
[die rolling]
OK... three for you.
(boy, voice-over) I...
I never really knew what her grades were
until last semester when Ms.
Jeffers made a poster
that had the people
with straight A's,
and I saw her name,
and I was just, wow!
It's pretty amazing.
(teacher, off-camera) Do
you have any hopes or wishes
about the health care
in the United States?
Vet... er... ans.
(teacher, off-camera) Veterans.
You want the veterans
to be treated better?
(girl) I even think she's
smarter than me, actually,
'cause she gets all A's,
and I can't get
all A's when I try.
When I see, um,
somebody with a disability now,
I know they're different,
but the outside
doesn't really matter.
What matters is the inside.
They seem to me like
any other person,
and it makes me understand
that they're just the same.
[girls laughing]
(Pat, voice-over) In the beginning,
everybody thinks the same thing,
and I do think you
have these ideas
that they're not
capable of this.
"How are you gonna do this;
it's gonna be too hard."
Dealing with Kay has
changed a lot of my opinion
of children in that
position that she's in
because there is a lot up there.
Otherwise,
you're sort of pushing them aside,
saying, you know,
"You're not worth it."
And just because
you're different
doesn't make you worthless.
(riding instructor) You're
gonna lift this leg up
and lift it straight over...
and then shift your hips...
and sit; there we go.
Good job.
[gentle piano composition]
(Kay, voice-over)
♪
♪
♪
♪
(Sandy, voice-over) This is not
just parents wanting, you know,
my particular child to...
To get the best services.
If we do right by these kids,
in the long run,
they won't be a drain on our society.
I believe, you know,
moving as many kids
into regular education
benefits the total
population so much better.
We have to find a
way to promote them
and make them as
self-sufficient as possible.
OK.
♪
You gettin' ready?
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
(device) ♪ All
through the town ♪
Excellent!
Let's try the next one.
♪ The horn on the... ♪
[voice-over] So this
morning when we started,
we really wanted to
establish a baseline.
Does he demonstrate
all of the basic skills
that we would
expect from a child?
I saw a little boy
who is easily engaged
and interested when people
are interested in him.
I saw a boy who was
able to communicate,
who demonstrated some
really good basic skills
and understandings...
Certainly not where we would
expect for someone of his age
but enough to lead me to believe
that he's capable of learning
and capable of continuing
to make progress.
(Erickson) All right, be ready!
[quacking and laughter]
(Erickson, voice-over) Across
the whole day, we were coming up
with as many
activities as we could
that would keep him engaged
but would allow him to
show us what he knows
without even knowing that
that's what he's doing.
Well, which one you wanna hide?
OK, you want to hide the cow.
All right,
so we're gonna hide the cow.
(Erickson) We intentionally had
this pretty complex game going on
and didn't spend a
whole lot of time
teaching him the game up front.
OK, you want to hide it
behind the caterpillar.
[speaking musically] Bye
bye, Mr. Cow!
[speaking normally]
He's gonna go over here
behind the caterpillar.
(therapist) He was picking up
on that game very quickly,
especially when he
was telling Karen
what things to find.
OK, which one do you want
her to go find first?
(Erickson) Oh, the cow?
I'm gonna hold onto
it so I can remember
what I'm lookin' for.
I'm gonna find the cow!
And where am I gonna find it?
Uhhh
(Erickson) And I should
look behind the caterpillar.
Let me see.
(Pierce, whispering) Josh, look.
[cheering] She found it!
(Pierce, voice-over) And he
seemed so pleased with himself
when he did realize
he had made that
communication connection.
(Erickson, voice-over) Gretchen, the
occupational therapist who worked with him
during the car-playing routine,
really saw that he was
visually studying the board
and moving his hand to the place
where his eyes were
clearly looking.
(device) In the tunnel.
Oh! We need a tunnel!
(Erickson) He was regularly
making the choice of the tunnel.
(Gretchen) You ready to go?
(device) In the tunnel.
Absolutely, here we go.
If you happen to be a child
who has complex
communication needs
and severe physical
disabilities,
you don't have any way to
show people what you know.
The people around you often
are lacking in confidence
of their interpretation
of your response.
(teacher) Josh,
are you tired of cars?
Are you tired...
or are you happy?
Make your choice.
(Erickson) Somebody
asks you a question,
and you manage to
get out a response,
and their only reply to that
is to ask you to do it again,
just imagine how
frustrating that would be.
(teacher) Are you happy?
Are you tired of cars?
(Erickson, voice-over) I
think the children are bored.
I think that they're
having to do something
that isn't particularly
interesting to them,
and they're having to do it
many, many times.
(teacher) Are you tired?
And that's one of the things
that's hardest for these guys.
Look.
(device) Blue.
Can you find the blue one?
Excellent!
(Erickson, voice-over) I think
today was a really great success.
We would choose to
spend all of our days
hanging out with
Joshes of the world
and helping the rest of
the world figure them out.
He was making choices.
He has preferences.
He is understanding symbols.
(device) Lamb.
(Gretchen) Oh, here's the lamb.
(therapist) OK, put him back.
(Dawn) I wasn't sure if
what I was seeing was real
or what... What I was hoping.
(Erickson) Josh is probably
really underestimated
in the things that
you're saying.
Hold this day if no
others in your head
and realize that, um,
you've raised this
confident, competent child
who was able to come and
show that to a team of people
who had never met him or
you or seen his records,
and he came in the door
and had a fabulous day,
and we learned a lot from him,
and you made that happen.
You've done everything right.
[gentle piano and
guitar composition]
[sniffling]
♪
I'm sorry... Heh, heh...
I'm confident that those
are tears of absolute joy.
♪
[inhaling and
sniffling emotionally]
♪
[sighing]
♪
It's just nice to know that...
I'm not crazy, and...
he is... huhh...
the smart little kid I thought he was...
and that... hopefully soon
everybody else will see that
when they look at him
and not see a wheelchair
and see what he can't do
and that he doesn't talk
and that he drools,
and they'll see this smart,
bright, little, intelligent,
hamming-it-up kid
that I see.
(Erickson, voice-over) When we can
figure out how to teach these children,
we've figured out
very important things
to teach all children
who struggle.
I'd like people to stop thinking
that there are simple solutions
and start realizing that
it's not about special ed
and general ed.
Every child has the ability
to learn in some way,
and our job is to figure
out what that way is.
♪
(Dawn) When Karen sat
down and was telling me
that she felt that
he was a bright kid,
it's hard to express in words.
It's just... so many...
dreams for Josh won't happen,
and...
hearing her say that
he was a bright kid
made a couple of those
dreams come back to life.
[Josh laughing]
(female interviewer) And after you
showed this tape of that session
to his therapists
and to the school,
what was the school's reaction?
How did that affect
his life at school?
It didn't...
affect his life at school.
Two years later, he's...
He's still doing
his colors,
his shapes, numbers...
Things that I know he knows,
yet he's still
having to prove it.
So it really didn't... it...
It didn't help, um.
It didn't help.
(woman) Come on.
Good, Josh.
Come on; go fast.
Come on.
(Dawn) Should I push it again?
Keep comin'.
[voice-over] It's not that
the school doesn't try,
but the school's goal
is education.
My goal is him
living in the world,
and those are two
different goals.
Nice and tall.
Look how tall you are!
Look how tall you are, Josh!
Ahhhh.
Ready?
Ahhhh.
Ohhh! Crash!
[applause]
(Dawn,
voice-over) He's more verbal.
You know,
he's making more noise,
but I don't know that someone
who hasn't been with
him all the time
is gonna see much difference...
aside from the
physical differences.
It makes me sad.
I...
I feel like I've failed him.
(therapist) He definitely
does better with the mount.
(Dawn) I think so.
(therapist) If we can get a
consistent waiting spot for him
so that he knows,
hand always goes back to that one spot.
(Dawn, voice-over) It took us a while
to find the right speech person,
but I think that we
have turned a corner,
and, uh,
we've been working with Jessica
for three months now.
In that... that short time,
he's made a lot of strides.
He's got a yes/no,
a consistent yes/no,
which is, for him, a big deal.
Can you show her what yes is?
Ahhhh.
(interviewer) OK.
Very good.
(interviewer) And
how do you say no?
(Dawn) Well,
I know that if you don't respond,
that's a no,
but how do you say no?
I know.
Do you like going
to the dentist?
No.
(interviewer) OK,
I didn't think so... heh.
So...
tell me, do you love your mom?
Yeah.
Eh, eh... eh!
(interviewer) A lot, I can tell.
That was a double yes.
(Dawn) It means a lot.
I'm having a conversation
with my child, um.
You know,
I get an idea of what he's thinking
and not just guessing.
Did you have fun today?
Mm, mm, ehhh.
Yeah?
He's understanding more and more
what it is that
communicating can do for him,
and...
he's trying.
(interviewer) Do you think you're
different from other people?
Eh, eh, eh.
Yeah?
Ehh, eh, eh... eh.
Yeah?
Yes and no?
I think it was both.
He is, and he isn't.
[indistinct talking]
[motor humming]
(Deby, voice-over) The
one thing I never wanted
was for him to not like school.
I never cared about how
rapid his progress was
but that he make progress.
I was successful in keeping him
in a regular
sixth-grade classroom,
but... they said, legally,
they couldn't modify his work
from the grade-level standards.
So that's where his
frustration was coming in.
Colin is not on a
sixth-grade level,
but if they modified
the curriculum,
he could have remained
in a regular classroom.
That's how inclusion
is supposed to work.
(Riley) There you go.
(Deby, voice-over) One
note that I got from him
said that he was
depressed and frustrated
and mad and sad and bad and fat.
He was giving me every
bad word he could think of
to describe how he was feeling.
The pace was too fast.
He couldn't keep up,
and he would just
put his head down
and not do anything.
He would just shut down...
literally.
(interviewer) How old are you
now, Colin?
[machine beeping]
(device) I am 12 years old.
(interviewer) Did you
feel like you were ready
to go to that new school?
(device) No.
It...
[beeping]
was...
mmh, mmh
too...
[beeping]
(Colin) mmh
bedroom...
That was a miss hit.
Mmh
(Deby) It's OK; take your time.
[beeping]
kitchen...
[beeping]
[beeping]
(Deby) There, you got it.
(device) hard.
I...
feel...
Felt...
sad.
Mm-hm
(Deby, voice-over) In some
ways, I think
they're just moving
him through the system.
I think Colin's
capable of a lot.
I think he's capable of reading
and writing... of doing math.
I think he's capable of
learning about anything
that he's interested
in learning.
He just needs more time
to be able to do it.
And who are you gonna
write an e-mail to?
(device) Lauren.
(Riley) Lauren, all right.
(Deby) He was transitioned
to an intellectually
disabled- moderate classroom.
That's its label.
The possibility of a
high school diploma
is gone for him.
(device) Finish...
finishes.
(Riley) Good job.
I can't make it happen.
I haven't been able
to make it happen,
and I should be able to
make it happen for him,
and it's just not.
(device) Movie.
(Deby) You know,
at one point in time,
I still hoped he
could go to college.
It... I mean,
it's not even an option anymore.
Now, it's...
I guess I just have
to keep scaling back,
and that's... that's hard.
(device) Lauren,
I made a movie today.
It was about me.
Good-bye.
[calm piano and string score]
(Deby) He needs
to have his voice
so that he can speak up
and have people understand
that he's not mentally retarded
and not be stuck in a
nursing home someday in...
In the corner...
just sitting.
He needs to have a life...
as active and as
productive a life as he can
and that... As he wants.
That's my biggest fear.
It really is.
♪
[mechanical whirring]
So how was your test today?
Good.
Good.
(Kay, voice-over)
You think they don't
consider things?
(Kay)
Yeah.
(Sandy) You don't
think that's right?
(Kay) No.
No. Wanna look?
Eh
Do you wanna read it and then...
(Sandy, voice-over) The pace
has become more of an issue.
You know,
last night she was sitting here,
and it was a horrible
night of homework,
and we were working and working,
and I finally got up and
started to make dinner,
and I had a helper,
and she was working with Kayla,
and Kayla started to cry.
And I looked at her, and I said,
"Kayla, you don't have
to do one more problem."
And she wouldn't stop.
She was like, "No,
I'm gonna finish this."
And, you know,
when she comes forward
and puts that level of
commitment to something,
at her age... She's 14!
[off-camera] Can you do
that one in your head,
4 times 42?
One... sixty... eight.
(Sandy) Good, OK.
(Sandy,
voice-over) It would be wonderful
if they could update the
curriculum in the schools.
You know,
we've gotta get to a point
where we do accommodate
everyone in all...
All sizes, shapes, and flavors.
Everyone is different,
and we all have our strengths,
and we all have our weaknesses.
Hers happened to be physical.
And maybe she'd just
be an average kid
if she didn't have CP.
I feel more confident
now than I did,
you know, 2 1/2 years ago.
She is going to college.
She's going to have
a very productive
and useful life.
Right, kid?
Yeah.
♪
[slow piano and
guitar arrangement]
♪
(woman) "On the inside I walk.
"On the outside I give.
"On the outside I am mute.
"On the outside I give.
"On the inside I speak.
On the inside I walk."
♪
♪
[cello supports score]
♪
♪
♪
♪
Caption editing Will
Halman and Erin Gibbs
♪
What if you couldn't
speak or use your hands.
How would you communicate?
How would you prove
that you could learn,
that you have an opinion,
or that you matter?
My son Jesse faced
those challenges
every day of his life.
Jesse was born in October
1987 ten weeks premature.
My wife Marianne and
I were still in shock
when, on his third day of life,
he suffered a massive
brain hemorrhage.
Jesse would spend
the next 17 years
with severe cerebral palsy
until his passing in 2005.
Jesse was a gifted
writer and poet
with a keen intelligence
and a wonderful sense of humor.
First impressions
can be deceiving,
and Marianne and I struggled
to get the world to see him
beyond his disabilities.
The film you are about to watch
follows the lives
of three children,
Josh, Colin, and Kay...
all very much like Jesse.
The barriers they face
in obtaining a
meaningful education
are the same challenges
that more than 750,000
children with cerebral palsy
face in this country each year.
To believe in every child
and to believe
they all can learn
will move us beyond
the disability...
To see children with
extraordinary potential
and beautiful possibilities.
Thank you.
[acoustic guitar leads
slow, ambling arrangement]
♪
(woman) Josh was first
diagnosed, uh,
when we went in for
our four-month checkup.
We went in just for
a well-baby visit
and ended up leaving
with an appointment
for an MRI.
♪
It was a couple days before
we heard anything out,
and it was, you
know, cerebral palsy.
♪
(woman ♪2) Colin has cerebral
palsy because, during his delivery,
he didn't get enough oxygen.
So he suffered a hypoxic
injury to his brain.
It affects most of his body.
♪
[cello enters]
(woman ♪3) When Kay
was first diagnosed,
she was like three months old,
and once they said the
words cerebral palsy,
it was almost like one
of those cartoons on TV
where the adults are going
"Wah-wah-wah, wah-wah-wah-wah"
because I don't
remember anything.
I think the biggest
fear is the unknown.
When you have children,
you have expectations,
and you have dreams for them,
and then when you have a
child with cerebral palsy,
it's like someone's
pulled the rug
out from underneath you.
You don't know what to expect,
and a lot of people look
to you for these answers,
and you really don't have them.
(woman ♪1) I question almost
daily if I'm crazy or not,
thinking that he's,
you know, a smart kid.
It's hard when the
people around us
don't think he's in there.
The world assumes
he can't learn.
That's the danger.
Why not first assume that
he understands everything?
It's the least we can do.
♪
[machine beeping]
Ehhhh!
(woman) Did you sleep good?
Ehh, uhh, ehhh.
Heh, heh!
[laughing] Heh, heh!
[chuckling] Yeah?
Heh, heh, heh!
Silly!
You're silly.
Put your tongue back.
Ehhh.
Uh-huh.
[sighing] All right.
You wanna get dressed
and get ready for school?
All right. Ready?
We gotta... We gotta jump.
We gotta jump.
Ready?
You ready?
[thumping]
[voice-over] Whenever
everyone talks to you
about your child,
they focus on the physical side.
Oh, you got your
stuff on the floor.
You can play with it
when you get home, OK?
[voice-over] Unintentionally,
people think,
"OK, here's this
kid who's nonverbal
in a wheelchair with CP.
He's not mentally
gonna be there."
[off-camera] All right,
let's get your shirt on.
[voice-over] Just because he's
different and doesn't talk
doesn't mean that
he's not intelligent
and not able to... To learn.
All right,
wanna go get in the chair?
[voice-over] He's at
the mercy of everyone
that's around him sometimes.
[off-camera] OK,
let's get your shoes on.
Let's go put your feet on.
[voice-over] I think that
Josh knows what's going on,
but it's hard to get
everyone else to see that.
I can see in people's faces.
They think I'm just
wasting my time.
[off-camera] Sit back, baby.
Sit back.
[voice-over] It wears on you after
a while because you start to wonder,
"Well, are they
right, and I'm wrong?"
Hehhh, huh, heh, huh, heh!
(man) Comfortable? You OK?
His wrists are a little tight.
I'm just gonna turn
this hand over.
Good; I think with his hand,
the fact that they're
a little stiff...
Same thing as the
range of motion.
The stretching we did down
here, I would do up here too,
and I can get
occupational therapy
to show you how to do
some of those things.
[voice-over] A lot of
times, we underestimate
the amount of time that it takes
to help somebody
find their voice.
I think for Josh,
we've got a long way to go
to really find out who he is.
They've really gone
through a lot just to try
to find out how best to
help Josh communicate,
and they really haven't
found that right answer yet.
Myself as a provider,
I have to think
there's always hope.
We just need to do a better job
and find the right answer to
unlock that child's potential.
[off-camera] All right, let's see...
wait!
Should we smell?
Huh, heh, heh!
Are these stinky shoes?
Oh, my goodness... whew!
All right, it's the last
time I'm gonna do that.
The true test of
our society now...
We have the science to
save children's lives.
The question is,
do we have the humanity
and the resources
that are gonna make
those lives meaningful?
[echoing acoustic guitar
leads gentle composition]
♪
(Dawn) Get those toys.
Get 'em!
[voice-over] When we found out
Josh wasn't gonna speak,
it was a hard blow.
Say, "Hi, Auntie Lisa!"
Oops!
[voice-over] You know, it's...
He can't physically hug me,
and I was hoping I could
hear, "I love you, Mom."
Everyone wants to hear
their kid say that.
You know,
you're mourning the loss
of what you thought you had
and trying to figure out
what you're gonna have,
but you want your child to
have a happy and normal life.
[off-camera] Josh. Josh.
[voice-over] The thing
that scares me the most
is that I am wrong
in that he's not...
That he's not in there and
that I'm putting my hopes
into something that's not there.
♪
[bus engine rumbling]
(woman) Happy birthday!
(woman ♪2, voice-over)
There's just a fundamental
lack of understanding
about a child like Colin.
(woman on bus) He's
turning that big 1-0 today.
Double digits!
(woman ♪2, voice-over) You can't
assume that because his body doesn't do
what his mind wants it to do
that his mind doesn't know.
I like your balloon.
(woman ♪2, voice-over) He's in
a third-grade level classroom,
but when they assess him
on the grade standards
as written by the
state for third grade,
he doesn't make the
grade-level standards.
They feel that he is
on a first-grade level.
I believe he knows more
than first-grade level,
but he has to prove
that he knows it.
That just doesn't happen to
kids without disabilities.
What are the things
they're doing?
(Deby) They're assuming
Colin can't do any better.
(teacher) nln the
single continent...
Let's see nwhat Colin thinks.
(teacher) Does she need
to put two p'son jumpin
mmm
Yes or no?
Mm-mm.
(teacher) nMm-mm, no.
Is Cam bigger...
than Pat?
(device) Big.
(woman) How are you
gonna make it saybigge
(teacher) What's the
ending sound forbigger?
What do I have to do before
I put that ending on?
Do you remember, Colin?
Would you show me?
Look; it's big... big...
big.
Good, now you're tryin' to say...
don't.
You have to put a
vowel in front of it.
Hold your head up
and think a second.
(teacher) What's the vowel
that goes in front to sayer?
(woman ♪2,
voice-over) It takes a lotta work
typing things on a
computer with your head.
He's using those
muscles all day,
and Colin gets real
tired real fast.
(teacher) Yes, OK.
Excellent.
I want you to put a couple
more words on there.
(Kat, voice-over) I
think he's very smart.
You know, he's very observant;
he notices everything.
He's always asking questions
with his eyes and
facial expressions.
He knows what he wants to say,
but he can't find a
way to always say it.
[peaceful guitar composition]
(Deby) His world's very
different from yours or mine.
He can't get up and
walk across a room.
He can't speak.
He can't count on his fingers.
He can't do little
tricks and things
that kids come up with
to remember things...
Drawing and taking
notes about things.
He can't do that.
All of his has to be
by memory in his head.
Colin is a smart kid,
but when they pull him away
from his third-grade friends,
they're telling him he's
not good enough to keep up.
He's not good
enough to be there.
The truth is,
they don't really know
how to include him in the class.
(woman) If you're not finished
with your math packet,
I'd like you to work...
(teacher,
voice-over) At this point,
Colin is performing
on a beginning to
mid first-grade level
in all academic areas.
His motor control
changes from day to day,
moment to moment.
His stamina changes.
It does have an effect
on Colin's ability to, um,
output what we need
from him academically.
(Kat, off-camera) Look at the
question real quick; look right here.
(Deby, voice-over) He is continually
doubted on what he knows.
They would have him
do the same thing
over and over and over again.
Colin gets tired of
it; he gets bored,
and he's not motivated to do it.
Sometimes they're
stuck in the minutia
of everything being exactly so.
Colin's output is always
going to be different,
and I don't think
that that means
that he isn't getting it.
Even though it's not
in the same format
that another child would do,
to expect that they
can do it the same way
is very unrealistic.
[soulful piano melody]
(Yvonne, voice-over) We
want him to fit into society
like any other child would.
I mean, I feel like
we're doing a good job
meeting his needs given...
Given the situation.
I think, where Colin is
reflects both his disabilities
and his cognitive ability.
[calm piano melody]
(Deby, voice-over) There's
so much in his head
that he can't physically do.
I think...
that a child like Colin
could be allowed
a little latitude.
He's set up to fail.
[deep, resonate piano chords]
♪
[engine noise]
♪
[indistinct talking]
(girl speaking haltingly)
(woman) All right,
you have a good day, OK?
Bye.
(Kay, voice-over)
(woman,
voice-over) When I saw Kay,
I really did become concerned
because she is so dependent
on someone to do practically
everything for her.
How am I gonna meet her needs
with 119 other people?
Big parts of me went,
"I have no clue what's goin' on.
"What am I gonna do;
how am I gonna do this?"
We knew she was
gonna have an aide.
I was sort of trying to think
in a thousand
different directions
how this was going to work.
(Kay, voice-over)
(Pat) I didn't know how
she was gonna do science.
That was my biggest thing.
What would we do when
we got to experiments?
When we were doing
anything that required,
obviously, her to think about
things, could she?
(Kay, voice-over)
(girl) When the magma
reaches the surface
it's called lava.
This is an example of how
a volcano might erupt.
(woman, voice-over) The teachers
didn't know her; none of them did,
but they always point out
what hurdles and problems
we would have in the classroom.
Their first assumption
isn't that she's an
intelligent human being.
It's something that they
have to be convinced of.
(woman, off-camera) If
you are an A person,
these are the problems that
you need to be doing today.
Everybody got their
pencil out for A?
I want you to circle 'em.
[calm piano arrangement]
♪
(Sandy) Park's swinging.
There's Kayla in her swing.
(Sandy, voice-over) As a parent,
you have expectations
of your children,
and you have dreams for them...
You know, being popular,
having lots of friends.
And then when you have
a child like Kayla
that is severely involved,
not only do you realize
that that's probably not
a realistic expectation,
but you don't have anything
to replace it with.
You don't know what
the future holds,
and that is, I think, the...
The worst thing is that
you're just kinda floundering.
[calm string and
piano arrangement]
(Pat, voice-over)
We're speaking people.
That's how we communicate.
I can tell you
what I'm thinking.
You can tell me,
but a child like
that can't do it.
If you can't write,
you can't speak,
it makes sense...
It doesn't make sense,
but people assume
that there's nothing
going on in your brain:
"If you cannot communicate
the way we all communicate,
you must not have
anything to communicate."
♪
(female PA announcer) Good
morning, staff members.
If you have extra
hands this mornin',
they're short-staffed
in the cafeteria.
(bouncy kids' song recording) ♪ A
very, very special one ♪
♪
♪ Monday, Tuesday ♪
(woman, voice-over) He
can't blink on command.
He can't grab on command.
He can't point
consistently on command.
(group) ♪ The days of the week ♪
Yeah!
(woman, voice-over) Even if
you're not asking him to speak,
it's difficult to know
what he's understanding
with respect to what
you just asked him.
(woman, off-camera) Meghan.
(Kristine, voice-over) Children like
Josh don't come along every day.
(Josh) ehhhh
(girl) M... g...
e... g...
h... a...
N... good job; what
does that spell?
Meghan.
Meghan!
(teacher, voice-over) He
has days where he's...
totally distracted and, um,
he can't make a choice,
or he can't focus.
[off-camera] Joshua, come on up.
[voice-over] When you have him
pulled aside one on
one, it's best.
You're gonna have to spell it.
[voice-over] But
then, we do have...
other children in the classroom.
We're looking over here.
J?
(child) nah yah, ah yah
J?
J?
OK Josh,
we're gonna get someone else,
and maybe you can
spell your name
in a few minutes.
(Dawn) nl think it's
Nbecause he's bored.
You know, he's doin' the
same thing over and over,
and repeating it gets
really tiresome for him.
I mean, I think he's bored
right now at school.
I don't think he's getting
enough stimulation.
(woman) What would
you like to do today?
You wanna play?
Here you go.
Wanna build blocks?
Build blocks?
Point to build blocks.
Come on! You can do it.
Build blocks.
Can you let me know?
Build blocks? Build blocks?
(Dawn, voice-over) If they
don't have the basic belief
that he's really in there,
I think it's hard for them
to think that he's
gonna communicate.
(Kristine) You know I like to
put it on your head, remember?
Does that feel funny?
OK, where's the ball, Josh?
Let's play.
I'm not losing you, are ya?
Come here! Come back!
There you go. Ready?
Catch!
Catch it!
(Kristine, voice-over) I
am Josh's speech therapist
or speech pathologist.
Well, certainly,
I wish I knew more
about what his comprehension
is about what's going on.
Sometimes,
he appears to be very engaged
with whatever the activity is,
and other times, I'm not sure
if he's not comprehending
what's going on
or if it's exhaustion or
if it's some other factor
that we haven't considered.
If you're not lookin' at 'em,
you can't point
to the right one.
I know.
I work with Josh twice a week
for 20 minutes each session.
Forty minutes of speech
for a child who's
nonverbal is...
not enough... hah!
[echoing guitar melody]
♪
I want him to learn.
I don't want him just to
be housed and kept busy.
I want him to learn.
♪
If they don't see
that Josh is smart,
he's gonna be stuck there.
♪
♪
(Dawn) We...
I didn't know where to go
to prove that there's
a mind inside Josh
that's trapped.
Comin' in here this mornin',
I realized that one of two
things is gonna happen.
I'm either gonna get
confirmation that I'm right
and my kid is in there...
or I'm gonna get confirmation
that he's not.
(woman) Look what I have.
Do you see these
pictures on here?
(device) You never saw
one of these gizmos
before, have ya?
Well, what do you think?
Pretty cool, huh?
(woman, voice-over) I
have spent the last,
almost, 20 years doing
research with these children
working with them and
trying to figure out,
How do we solve the
communication challenges,
and how do we then
teach these children?
We shouldn't give up hope
just because somebody
is eight or nine or ten
and they're still not
able to communicate
in sophisticated ways.
If you have communication
and physical disabilities,
it's nearly impossible for you
to demonstrate an IQ
within normal limits.
I never use any
standardized tools
because my goal is
never to figure out,
sort of, what the score is.
My goal is to figure
out what you can do.
(woman, off-camera)
The goose is in there!
(Dawn, voice-over) My gut feeling
about how he's gonna react today?
I don't know.
He's gonna try and communicate.
[chuckling] I just don't know
how good it's gonna come across.
So...
I'm nervous.
♪ Go round and round,
round and round ♪
♪ Round and round ♪
♪ The wheels on the bus
go round and round ♪
Look, you can do this.
(device) ♪ All
through the town ♪
That can be your part to
sing, OK?
Let's try it on the next one.
You gettin' ready?
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish,
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
[piano joins guitar melody]
(Dawn) I want him to
understand the joy
of being able to communicate.
You know, if he doesn't have
that, I think in time,
he would just start to fade away
and would be completely
trapped inside his body.
♪
[slow string and
piano arrangement]
(Sandy) When it first happens,
you run over a million
scenarios in your mind.
You know,
if I had only done this,
would I have had a
different outcome?
You play that over and over
and ad nauseam.
I've asked her,
would you change it?
Would you...
If you had the opportunity,
would you change it
and, you know,
let this pass to someone else?
And she says no.
I literally realized that
it didn't happen to me.
It happened to Kay.
I'm in a supporting role here.
This is not my life.
This is her life.
[crowd cheering]
(male PA announcer) Let's get
this pep rally on the road!
Sixth graders, make some noise!
[crowd cheering wildly]
(Kay, voice-over)
(boy, voice-over) I hear people
always, behind her back, say...
Snickering and stuff like that,
"Oh, look at her bouncing
in her wheelchair."
Some people make fun of her
because of the way she looks
and because she might be a
little bit slow at speaking.
There's a lot of people
saying that she's dumb
because she's in a
wheelchair; she can't talk.
(male PA announcer) Students!
[wild cheering]
All right!
(Kay, voice-over)
(Lynn) OK,
we've got one more error.
Who sees the other error?
'K, Kay?
There.
(Lynn) Correct,
how should therebe spelled?
T... h... e... r...
e.
(Lynn) Correct.
'K, any questions?
Now, first of all,
Bailey White is an author.
Patty cake, patty
cake, baker's man
Make me a cake as
fast as you can
Roll it up; roll it up
Mark it with a K
Put it in the oven
for Kayla and Park
Yay!
What a big girl!
(Park) Come on,
let's read a book, Kayla.
[mellow guitar and piano score]
No... spring.
(Sandy, voice-over) There were
a lot of questions back then
as to how bright
Kayla really was.
She did not sit up independently
until she was almost four years
old, and...
And when you have someone
who has their head
down on the tray,
it does make you
wonder, you know,
"Is there anybody home?"
She had no communication skills
until she started kindergarten,
and at that time,
all she had was yes and no.
We didn't know
how bright she really was.
I'd hate to think
that there were things
that she wanted to communicate
that she felt it just
wasn't worth the effort.
♪
[boy laughing]
(Deby) We have
marshmallows, don't we?
You want to help me put 'em in?
Can you grip the bag?
[affirmatively] huh
(Deby) There was always...
always a push
from the very
beginning to put Colin
in a special
education classroom,
a separate,
self-contained classroom,
and to trot him out
for specials and gym.
[off-camera] And pour
them all in there.
[voice-over] That's not my
definition of inclusion.
He's a bright, happy,
funny, silly little boy
who just loves to be
in the middle of everything.
Typically, developing kids
in the regular classroom
are the best role
models for Colin.
[off-camera] Do you think
they're gonna be good?
Yeah.
(Deby) Yeah?
Are you gonna let Ian eat one?
Are you gonna keep 'em all?
You're gonna keep 'em all?
[affirmatively] huh, huh
There we go.
(device) My favorite TV
show is Ratch-el Ray.
Ratch-elRay... Rachael Ray?
You like Rachael Ray?
Colin is the biggest
flirt I've ever met.
He's hilarious.
He loves every girl...
No preferences... any girl.
Tell me what you like
nabout Rachael Ray.
[machine beeping] She...
[beeping] is...
[beeping]
[beeping]
pretty.
Aw, you think she's pretty...
hah, hah... hah!
(Deby, voice-over) Kids that are
significantly physically impaired
and have communication disorders
but are very bright
kids like Colin,
wanting to learn, able to learn,
are still being shuffled
off to special classrooms
even if they're actually smarter
than some of the other
kids in their class
who don't have disabilities.
[beeping]
I really do wanna move forward
with his academics,
and I don't think
that putting him
in a labeled box
does that for him.
(children) I pledge
allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the republic
for which it stands,
one nation under
God, indivisible,
with liberty and
justice for all.
(Erickson) We know that children
learn better from other children.
We've got research that
says, the more talking
that children are doing,
the better outcomes we have.
Once children get labeled,
we're putting them on a track
that makes it nearly impossible
for them to be awarded
a standard high school diploma.
(device) Cam is a girl.
Pat is a boy.
(Yvonne) All right,
let's check your memory.
(Erickson,
voice-over) They rarely have access
to other students
who are talking
and trying to problem solve
and trying to figure things out.
They'll be more likely to learn
if they're in a
classroom of peers
who find learning
easier than they do
than if they're in a classroom
full of peers who all
struggle with learning.
(woman) I really think
that his cognitive
ability is there.
You could see it in his eyes
that he wanted to participate,
and he would get so
excited about some lessons,
but when he's sitting there,
and it's taking all this time,
he would get frustrated.
He does have enough
understanding
and enough ability to become
literate and functional,
but in the regular classroom,
I mean, it is more
difficult, I believe,
because there are more children,
and he's not gonna get as
much individualized attention
from the actual teacher.
I feel like the best place
for a child like that
is wherever they're learning.
(Yvonne, voice-over) Our
expectations are very high for Colin.
We certainly want him to
interact with his peers
on a... on a social level,
certainly want him to understand
the appropriate behavior
for a child his age,
and so...
that's a good reason
for spending time
with his peers.
Is a third-grade
classroom the best place
to necessarily
gain those skills?
Not necessarily, in my opinion.
(Kat) I know what we can do...
Red light/green light.
(Erickson, voiceover) I would love
to see a world where we didn't have
any separate special
education settings,
where we looked at all of
the children in the school
and figured out
what are the ways
that we're gonna meet
all of their needs.
The biggest frustration
is that we hold children
with physical and
communication disabilities
to a different standard
than we do other children.
They have to have a
different level of proof
before they're allowed
in with their peers
in a general
education classroom.
(girl) Yay!
(boy) We win!
[echoing guitar and
percussion score]
♪
(Erickson) Those classmates
who are sitting next to them
will be their boss one day;
they'll be their coworkers.
They'll be their neighbors;
they'll be their friends.
If these children with
severe disabilities
are educated in a completely
separate environment,
they never will
have opportunities
in the community when they leave
and will have to have systems
of separate service delivery
for the rest of their lives.
♪
(Deby) Colin's an
extremely social child
and loves to be
part of everything,
but if he couldn't communicate
with people around him,
then he's not really
part of that life.
Early tonight 'cause
you're sleepy.
(Deby, voice-over) I want
him to be part of the world
and not segregated from it.
♪
(girl) I don't know;
when did I meet you?
First... grade.
Yeah, and I was always,
like, trying to avoid Kay.
I don't know really
know why; I just was.
We were in PE,
and we were the only
two people left,
so we partnered up,
and then we started
chasing each other.
She's a good friend because
she, like, makes me laugh
and she confuses me,
and she finds it funny.
[laughing] Ay, hehhhh, huh!
(Sandy, voice-over) Kayla
has benefited greatly
by being in a regular classroom.
You know, when she graduates,
she'll have always been around
people without disabilities,
and... and it mimics
real life a lot closer.
That one?
No.
(Kay, voice-over)
(Sandy) Like one person in your
group drew the alien's hair?
One... drew... the... hair.
(Sandy) And one had to
draw, like, their body?
(Kay) Yeah.
(Sandy) What part did you draw?
(Kay) The feet.
(Sandy) You had
to draw the feet?
(dad) Where is your alien
from, Kayla?
Their own planet that they made
namedWondongle or something?
Wondongle is my name.
Oh, that's your name?
That's your alien name?
And I am the leader.
You're the leader.
You always have such
democratic societies.
Did you notice Kayla's
always the leader?
(Kay) Yeah!
[family laughing]
(Sandy, voice-over) She
projects herself in such a way
that she draws
people around her,
and while I know Kayla
probably will never be
the most popular
child, she has friends,
and she has true,
genuine friends,
and that's all that
you can really ask for.
(teacher, off-camera) This
is strictly imagination.
You will be drawing.
(woman ♪2) Ready?
[die rolling]
OK... three for you.
(boy, voice-over) I...
I never really knew what her grades were
until last semester when Ms.
Jeffers made a poster
that had the people
with straight A's,
and I saw her name,
and I was just, wow!
It's pretty amazing.
(teacher, off-camera) Do
you have any hopes or wishes
about the health care
in the United States?
Vet... er... ans.
(teacher, off-camera) Veterans.
You want the veterans
to be treated better?
(girl) I even think she's
smarter than me, actually,
'cause she gets all A's,
and I can't get
all A's when I try.
When I see, um,
somebody with a disability now,
I know they're different,
but the outside
doesn't really matter.
What matters is the inside.
They seem to me like
any other person,
and it makes me understand
that they're just the same.
[girls laughing]
(Pat, voice-over) In the beginning,
everybody thinks the same thing,
and I do think you
have these ideas
that they're not
capable of this.
"How are you gonna do this;
it's gonna be too hard."
Dealing with Kay has
changed a lot of my opinion
of children in that
position that she's in
because there is a lot up there.
Otherwise,
you're sort of pushing them aside,
saying, you know,
"You're not worth it."
And just because
you're different
doesn't make you worthless.
(riding instructor) You're
gonna lift this leg up
and lift it straight over...
and then shift your hips...
and sit; there we go.
Good job.
[gentle piano composition]
(Kay, voice-over)
♪
♪
♪
♪
(Sandy, voice-over) This is not
just parents wanting, you know,
my particular child to...
To get the best services.
If we do right by these kids,
in the long run,
they won't be a drain on our society.
I believe, you know,
moving as many kids
into regular education
benefits the total
population so much better.
We have to find a
way to promote them
and make them as
self-sufficient as possible.
OK.
♪
You gettin' ready?
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ Swish, swish, swish ♪
♪ The wipers on the bus go
swish, swish, swish ♪
(device) ♪ All
through the town ♪
Excellent!
Let's try the next one.
♪ The horn on the... ♪
[voice-over] So this
morning when we started,
we really wanted to
establish a baseline.
Does he demonstrate
all of the basic skills
that we would
expect from a child?
I saw a little boy
who is easily engaged
and interested when people
are interested in him.
I saw a boy who was
able to communicate,
who demonstrated some
really good basic skills
and understandings...
Certainly not where we would
expect for someone of his age
but enough to lead me to believe
that he's capable of learning
and capable of continuing
to make progress.
(Erickson) All right, be ready!
[quacking and laughter]
(Erickson, voice-over) Across
the whole day, we were coming up
with as many
activities as we could
that would keep him engaged
but would allow him to
show us what he knows
without even knowing that
that's what he's doing.
Well, which one you wanna hide?
OK, you want to hide the cow.
All right,
so we're gonna hide the cow.
(Erickson) We intentionally had
this pretty complex game going on
and didn't spend a
whole lot of time
teaching him the game up front.
OK, you want to hide it
behind the caterpillar.
[speaking musically] Bye
bye, Mr. Cow!
[speaking normally]
He's gonna go over here
behind the caterpillar.
(therapist) He was picking up
on that game very quickly,
especially when he
was telling Karen
what things to find.
OK, which one do you want
her to go find first?
(Erickson) Oh, the cow?
I'm gonna hold onto
it so I can remember
what I'm lookin' for.
I'm gonna find the cow!
And where am I gonna find it?
Uhhh
(Erickson) And I should
look behind the caterpillar.
Let me see.
(Pierce, whispering) Josh, look.
[cheering] She found it!
(Pierce, voice-over) And he
seemed so pleased with himself
when he did realize
he had made that
communication connection.
(Erickson, voice-over) Gretchen, the
occupational therapist who worked with him
during the car-playing routine,
really saw that he was
visually studying the board
and moving his hand to the place
where his eyes were
clearly looking.
(device) In the tunnel.
Oh! We need a tunnel!
(Erickson) He was regularly
making the choice of the tunnel.
(Gretchen) You ready to go?
(device) In the tunnel.
Absolutely, here we go.
If you happen to be a child
who has complex
communication needs
and severe physical
disabilities,
you don't have any way to
show people what you know.
The people around you often
are lacking in confidence
of their interpretation
of your response.
(teacher) Josh,
are you tired of cars?
Are you tired...
or are you happy?
Make your choice.
(Erickson) Somebody
asks you a question,
and you manage to
get out a response,
and their only reply to that
is to ask you to do it again,
just imagine how
frustrating that would be.
(teacher) Are you happy?
Are you tired of cars?
(Erickson, voice-over) I
think the children are bored.
I think that they're
having to do something
that isn't particularly
interesting to them,
and they're having to do it
many, many times.
(teacher) Are you tired?
And that's one of the things
that's hardest for these guys.
Look.
(device) Blue.
Can you find the blue one?
Excellent!
(Erickson, voice-over) I think
today was a really great success.
We would choose to
spend all of our days
hanging out with
Joshes of the world
and helping the rest of
the world figure them out.
He was making choices.
He has preferences.
He is understanding symbols.
(device) Lamb.
(Gretchen) Oh, here's the lamb.
(therapist) OK, put him back.
(Dawn) I wasn't sure if
what I was seeing was real
or what... What I was hoping.
(Erickson) Josh is probably
really underestimated
in the things that
you're saying.
Hold this day if no
others in your head
and realize that, um,
you've raised this
confident, competent child
who was able to come and
show that to a team of people
who had never met him or
you or seen his records,
and he came in the door
and had a fabulous day,
and we learned a lot from him,
and you made that happen.
You've done everything right.
[gentle piano and
guitar composition]
[sniffling]
♪
I'm sorry... Heh, heh...
I'm confident that those
are tears of absolute joy.
♪
[inhaling and
sniffling emotionally]
♪
[sighing]
♪
It's just nice to know that...
I'm not crazy, and...
he is... huhh...
the smart little kid I thought he was...
and that... hopefully soon
everybody else will see that
when they look at him
and not see a wheelchair
and see what he can't do
and that he doesn't talk
and that he drools,
and they'll see this smart,
bright, little, intelligent,
hamming-it-up kid
that I see.
(Erickson, voice-over) When we can
figure out how to teach these children,
we've figured out
very important things
to teach all children
who struggle.
I'd like people to stop thinking
that there are simple solutions
and start realizing that
it's not about special ed
and general ed.
Every child has the ability
to learn in some way,
and our job is to figure
out what that way is.
♪
(Dawn) When Karen sat
down and was telling me
that she felt that
he was a bright kid,
it's hard to express in words.
It's just... so many...
dreams for Josh won't happen,
and...
hearing her say that
he was a bright kid
made a couple of those
dreams come back to life.
[Josh laughing]
(female interviewer) And after you
showed this tape of that session
to his therapists
and to the school,
what was the school's reaction?
How did that affect
his life at school?
It didn't...
affect his life at school.
Two years later, he's...
He's still doing
his colors,
his shapes, numbers...
Things that I know he knows,
yet he's still
having to prove it.
So it really didn't... it...
It didn't help, um.
It didn't help.
(woman) Come on.
Good, Josh.
Come on; go fast.
Come on.
(Dawn) Should I push it again?
Keep comin'.
[voice-over] It's not that
the school doesn't try,
but the school's goal
is education.
My goal is him
living in the world,
and those are two
different goals.
Nice and tall.
Look how tall you are!
Look how tall you are, Josh!
Ahhhh.
Ready?
Ahhhh.
Ohhh! Crash!
[applause]
(Dawn,
voice-over) He's more verbal.
You know,
he's making more noise,
but I don't know that someone
who hasn't been with
him all the time
is gonna see much difference...
aside from the
physical differences.
It makes me sad.
I...
I feel like I've failed him.
(therapist) He definitely
does better with the mount.
(Dawn) I think so.
(therapist) If we can get a
consistent waiting spot for him
so that he knows,
hand always goes back to that one spot.
(Dawn, voice-over) It took us a while
to find the right speech person,
but I think that we
have turned a corner,
and, uh,
we've been working with Jessica
for three months now.
In that... that short time,
he's made a lot of strides.
He's got a yes/no,
a consistent yes/no,
which is, for him, a big deal.
Can you show her what yes is?
Ahhhh.
(interviewer) OK.
Very good.
(interviewer) And
how do you say no?
(Dawn) Well,
I know that if you don't respond,
that's a no,
but how do you say no?
I know.
Do you like going
to the dentist?
No.
(interviewer) OK,
I didn't think so... heh.
So...
tell me, do you love your mom?
Yeah.
Eh, eh... eh!
(interviewer) A lot, I can tell.
That was a double yes.
(Dawn) It means a lot.
I'm having a conversation
with my child, um.
You know,
I get an idea of what he's thinking
and not just guessing.
Did you have fun today?
Mm, mm, ehhh.
Yeah?
He's understanding more and more
what it is that
communicating can do for him,
and...
he's trying.
(interviewer) Do you think you're
different from other people?
Eh, eh, eh.
Yeah?
Ehh, eh, eh... eh.
Yeah?
Yes and no?
I think it was both.
He is, and he isn't.
[indistinct talking]
[motor humming]
(Deby, voice-over) The
one thing I never wanted
was for him to not like school.
I never cared about how
rapid his progress was
but that he make progress.
I was successful in keeping him
in a regular
sixth-grade classroom,
but... they said, legally,
they couldn't modify his work
from the grade-level standards.
So that's where his
frustration was coming in.
Colin is not on a
sixth-grade level,
but if they modified
the curriculum,
he could have remained
in a regular classroom.
That's how inclusion
is supposed to work.
(Riley) There you go.
(Deby, voice-over) One
note that I got from him
said that he was
depressed and frustrated
and mad and sad and bad and fat.
He was giving me every
bad word he could think of
to describe how he was feeling.
The pace was too fast.
He couldn't keep up,
and he would just
put his head down
and not do anything.
He would just shut down...
literally.
(interviewer) How old are you
now, Colin?
[machine beeping]
(device) I am 12 years old.
(interviewer) Did you
feel like you were ready
to go to that new school?
(device) No.
It...
[beeping]
was...
mmh, mmh
too...
[beeping]
(Colin) mmh
bedroom...
That was a miss hit.
Mmh
(Deby) It's OK; take your time.
[beeping]
kitchen...
[beeping]
[beeping]
(Deby) There, you got it.
(device) hard.
I...
feel...
Felt...
sad.
Mm-hm
(Deby, voice-over) In some
ways, I think
they're just moving
him through the system.
I think Colin's
capable of a lot.
I think he's capable of reading
and writing... of doing math.
I think he's capable of
learning about anything
that he's interested
in learning.
He just needs more time
to be able to do it.
And who are you gonna
write an e-mail to?
(device) Lauren.
(Riley) Lauren, all right.
(Deby) He was transitioned
to an intellectually
disabled- moderate classroom.
That's its label.
The possibility of a
high school diploma
is gone for him.
(device) Finish...
finishes.
(Riley) Good job.
I can't make it happen.
I haven't been able
to make it happen,
and I should be able to
make it happen for him,
and it's just not.
(device) Movie.
(Deby) You know,
at one point in time,
I still hoped he
could go to college.
It... I mean,
it's not even an option anymore.
Now, it's...
I guess I just have
to keep scaling back,
and that's... that's hard.
(device) Lauren,
I made a movie today.
It was about me.
Good-bye.
[calm piano and string score]
(Deby) He needs
to have his voice
so that he can speak up
and have people understand
that he's not mentally retarded
and not be stuck in a
nursing home someday in...
In the corner...
just sitting.
He needs to have a life...
as active and as
productive a life as he can
and that... As he wants.
That's my biggest fear.
It really is.
♪
[mechanical whirring]
So how was your test today?
Good.
Good.
(Kay, voice-over)
You think they don't
consider things?
(Kay)
Yeah.
(Sandy) You don't
think that's right?
(Kay) No.
No. Wanna look?
Eh
Do you wanna read it and then...
(Sandy, voice-over) The pace
has become more of an issue.
You know,
last night she was sitting here,
and it was a horrible
night of homework,
and we were working and working,
and I finally got up and
started to make dinner,
and I had a helper,
and she was working with Kayla,
and Kayla started to cry.
And I looked at her, and I said,
"Kayla, you don't have
to do one more problem."
And she wouldn't stop.
She was like, "No,
I'm gonna finish this."
And, you know,
when she comes forward
and puts that level of
commitment to something,
at her age... She's 14!
[off-camera] Can you do
that one in your head,
4 times 42?
One... sixty... eight.
(Sandy) Good, OK.
(Sandy,
voice-over) It would be wonderful
if they could update the
curriculum in the schools.
You know,
we've gotta get to a point
where we do accommodate
everyone in all...
All sizes, shapes, and flavors.
Everyone is different,
and we all have our strengths,
and we all have our weaknesses.
Hers happened to be physical.
And maybe she'd just
be an average kid
if she didn't have CP.
I feel more confident
now than I did,
you know, 2 1/2 years ago.
She is going to college.
She's going to have
a very productive
and useful life.
Right, kid?
Yeah.
♪
[slow piano and
guitar arrangement]
♪
(woman) "On the inside I walk.
"On the outside I give.
"On the outside I am mute.
"On the outside I give.
"On the inside I speak.
On the inside I walk."
♪
♪
[cello supports score]
♪
♪
♪
♪
Caption editing Will
Halman and Erin Gibbs
♪