This N.H. college student turned his search for life advice into a new documentary: ‘My Disability Roadmap’

My Incapacity Roadmap is a brand new documentary movie from Harmony filmmaker Dan Habib and his son Samuel Habib. The movie follows Samuel, who’s in his early 20s, as he seeks steerage from incapacity activists on every thing from leaving house to courting.

Samuel is a school pupil with cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He drives a 350-pound wheelchair and makes use of a communication system.

“Nobody tells you be an grownup, not to mention an grownup with a incapacity,” Samuel says within the movie.

Samuel and Dan joined NHPR’s Rick Ganley to present him a preview of their new award-winning movie, which is taking part in all this week at Pink River Theatres in Harmony and on the New York Occasions web site starting Tuesday. Under is a transcript of their dialog.

Rick Ganley: Dan, we have had you on Morning Version earlier than to speak about one other one among your movies, Mr. Connolly Has ALS. That movie follows former Harmony Excessive College principal Gene Connolly’s ALS prognosis. Now this new movie, it is far more private. Samuel is the principle topic. How did you and Samuel resolve to make the movie collectively?

Dan Habib: Properly, Samuel truly was a marketing consultant on that movie, Mr. Connolly Has ALS, and he is been concerned about video and movie for years now. And, you understand, I mentioned, why do not we do one thing collectively, Samuel? And as we began brainstorming, I considered the truth that I have been telling the tales of different individuals with disabilities and attempting to do it sensitively, however I am not an individual with a incapacity. And it actually was time to place individuals with disabilities within the forefront. Samuel, at the start, he was prepared to inform his personal story. And we additionally determined the whole forged could be individuals with disabilities and even nearly all of the manufacturing and outreach crew are individuals with disabilities. So it is simply an effort to make it possible for persons are telling their very own lived expertise by means of Samuel’s personal eyes and cameras.

Rick Ganley: And Samuel, you actually made that time within the movie. What was probably the most difficult a part of creating the movie?

Samuel Habib: Establishing and getting all of the interviews achieved was probably the most difficult a part of creating the movie. We needed to fly or drive a good distance for the interviews. On our flight to Indianapolis, they turned my energy wheelchair on its facet each methods, and it bought broken each methods. On our journey to D.C., we had a six-hour flight delay, after which as we have been lastly boarding our airplane, one other passenger talked right down to me like I used to be a 3-year-old. I needed to curse at her, however did not. On our [New York City] journey I had a seizure. However we nonetheless bought the filming achieved on all of the journeys.

Rick Ganley: Can I ask you what among the elements of the movie that you just most loved?

Samuel Habib: I like to journey. So my favourite a part of making the movie was going across the nation with my dad, seeing new locations, filming with my GoPros, and assembly all of those cool adults with disabilities like Keith Jones, who’s a hip hop musician and human rights advocate. He’s hilarious.

Rick Ganley: There may be quite a lot of nice humor within the movie and I feel you actually carry that to mild. Dan, what about you? What have been your challenges and moments of pleasure in making the movie?

Dan Habib: Properly, as Samuel talked about, each time we get on the street, there is a new journey available. I imply, touring across the nation with a 350-pound wheelchair and quite a lot of medical tools provides is difficult, however I additionally assume ensuring we picked a really various group of individuals to speak to and interview. Samuel did quite a lot of analysis, and he actually needed to achieve out to individuals who expertise disabilities in quite a lot of alternative ways — whether or not it is several types of disabilities like autism, or one younger man, Andrew, has fetal alcohol syndrome, or whether or not it is totally different lived experiences round gender identification, round courting, round going to school and work, round race and ethnicity. In order that was a problem, however a extremely rewarding problem, to ensure the movie has as a lot variety and richness of expertise as potential.

Rick Ganley: And Samuel, I do know the mentors that you just do interview on this movie, they actually had highly effective recommendation. These are actually sturdy advocates. Is there one piece of recommendation that you just most took to coronary heart which will profit different younger adults with disabilities?

Samuel Habib: The recommendation I bought from one among my mentors, Maysoon Zayid, was you aren’t alone, discover your neighborhood. That was highly effective recommendation as a result of I’ve at all times had a powerful neighborhood, beginning with Beaver Meadow Elementary College. I’m persevering with to search out my neighborhood at NHTI Neighborhood School, within the incapacity rights neighborhood, and work on the Westchester Institute for Human Improvement and in my hometown of Harmony.

Rick Ganley: What about hopes and desires for the longer term?

Samuel Habib: I dream about getting married, having youngsters and making extra movies. I’m occupied with transferring to the College of New Hampshire sooner or later and touring across the nation and the world. I wish to go to the Soccer Corridor of Fame, Mount St. Helens, a Florida Gators recreation with my cousins, London and Europe.

Rick Ganley: Dan, how about you? Once you hear Samuel discuss issues he’d love to do and possibly make extra movies sooner or later, how does that make you’re feeling?

Dan Habib: Properly, I really like the thought of creating extra movies with Samuel. This has been an extremely significant course of to work with my 22-year-old son. And we’re truly going to be persevering with to work for the following yr on a feature-length model of the movie. So now we have one other yr of labor of filming and manufacturing, after which there’ll in all probability be one other yr or two of shows and screenings. And we’re already speaking about future concepts for the movie going ahead. When Samuel talks about all of the journey adventures he desires to take, I simply say, hold saving your cash, since you’ve bought to start out paying in your personal means on these journeys.

Rick Ganley: Samuel, what are you hoping that folks take away from this movie? What are your hopes and desires for it?

Samuel Habib: My purpose for the movie is that folks will not speak right down to individuals with disabilities. I would like everybody to know that folks with disabilities demand respect and rights. And I would like different younger adults with disabilities to have the identical alternatives that I’ve had for well being care, inclusive schooling, school, assistive expertise, jobs, making associates and unbiased dwelling. In September of 2021, I moved into my own residence, an addition on my mother or father’s place. I would like individuals to study from incapacity position fashions like Judy Heumann and Bob Williams. I wish to assist individuals learn to dwell a full life with a incapacity as they transition to an grownup by specializing in all the probabilities of relationships, work, schooling and incapacity rights.