Summary of CUNY Unlimited 2nd Meeting
On 3/22/21 our FIG met for a virtual film screening of “Intelligent Lives,” directed by Dan Habib. The free screening was hosted by the Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education (http://www.csie.org.uk) in Bristol, England, and our own Sue Carpenter was one of the panelists who discussed the film after it was show. Twelve of our FIG members attended, including other KCC students who are not part of the FIG.
Below is a description of the film and here is a link to the film’s trailer:
https://intelligentlives.org/trailer
From award-winning filmmaker Dan Habib comes INTELLIGENT LIVES, a catalyst to transform the label of intellectual disability from a life sentence of isolation into a life of possibility for the most systematically segregated people in America.
INTELLIGENT LIVES stars three pioneering young American adults with intellectual disabilities – Micah, Naieer, and Naomie – who challenge perceptions of intelligence as they navigate high school, college, and the workforce. Academy Award-winning actor and narrator Chris Cooper contextualizes the lives of these central characters through the emotional personal story of his son Jesse, as the film unpacks the shameful and ongoing track record of intelligence testing in the U.S.
INTELLIGENT LIVES challenges what it means to be intelligent, and points to a future in which people of all abilities can fully participate in higher education, meaningful employment, and intimate relationships.
Film length: 70 minutes
The film took up IQ testing and showed how its development was based on racist eugenics. The film also addressed institutionalization and other forms of oppression and exclusion of people with disabilities from schools and society. Our FIG found these intersections of issues of equity, IQ, and race to be very powerful. It was a nice compliment to watching “Crip Camp” last semester and made us think we should do more film screenings and discussions and FIG.
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