by Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, LICSW
The power of organized protests feels palpable at this critical, historical moment. With demonstrations fueling momentum for powerful symbolism, such as renaming a two-block-long section of 16th Street in Washington, DC, as Black Lives Matter Plaza and important policy hearings to propose new legislation, it feels timely and relevant to stream the relatively new Netflix documentary, Crip Camp, about a camp for children with disabilities that became the birthplace of the Americans with disabilities rights movement.
Produced by Michelle and Barack Obama and released in March 2020, the documentary features remarkable, indelible footage filmed on site at Camp Jened in the 1970s and is interspersed with interviews with the campers as adults, reflecting back on their revolutionary experiences as campers and the advocacy and activism that followed. Camp Jened was founded in the 1950s and shut down in the late '70s as a result of financial difficulties.
Jim LeBrecht, a former camper born with spina bifida, is a director and one of the primary narrators of the film. Another central character is Judy Heumann, whose early roots as a leader of the movement demonstrate how youthful experiences in activism can shape a lifetime of progress and change. As a social work graduate student in 1994, my field placement was as a White House intern with the Domestic Policy Council, and I had the honor of attending many meetings with Ms. Heumann. When I saw the footage of her as a teenage camper, it felt thrilling to recognize her immediately. Heumann intuits the principles of social work practice and combines peaceful but disruptive protest with forceful public speaking and political advocacy to form and lead the movement. She asserts that “if you don’t demand what you believe in for yourself, you’re not going to get it.”
The film takes us back to the time when people in wheelchairs were essentially confined to a life in quarantine with no access to public transportation, meaningful employment, independent living, or public spaces. Even sidewalks were inaccessible, as street corner ramps are a relatively new outgrowth of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
One of the most memorable scenes in the film highlights footage from an outdoor roundtable conversation among campers, discussing daily challenges and their internal emotional experience. Parental dynamics are explored in earnest, and the emotional maturity of these youngsters shines through. The discussion represents group therapy at its finest, as the members empower and understand each other, and they realize they can use what happens in the group to empower and transform their lives.
The critical relationship between the Black Panthers and the disabilities rights movement is illuminating. The hierarchy among the disabled community, in which “the polios” rank above “the cerebral palsies,” is eye-opening. These are just two of many historical tidbits that make Crip Camp a timely and inspiring essay in the human capacity to organize and galvanize lasting change.
Elisabeth Joy LaMotte, LICSW, is a social worker and founder of the DC Counseling and Psychotherapy Center. Her book, Overcoming Your Parents' Divorce, was a finalist in the 2008 National Best Book Awards in the relationship category.