Return to Previous Press Release
Enter your name and a friend's email address in the fields below and click "Submit" to email this Press Release to a friend.
Your message will look like this:
[YOUR NAME HERE] thought you might be interested in this story from the University of Rochester.
MEDIA CONTACT: Melissa Greco Lopes m.grecolopes@rochester.edu
585.276.3693
November 11, 2013
TIME, DATE, PLACE: 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, Hoyt Auditorium, University of Rochester's River Campus. The film screening is free and open to the public.
WHAT: The Inclusive Possibilities Cluster, in collaboration with Active Minds and the Psychology Undergraduate Council, will host a screening of the documentary, Wretches & Jabberers. The film tells the story of two men with autism who embark on a global quest to change prevailing attitudes about disability and intelligence. Determined to address preconceived notions, Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette travel to Sri Lanka, Japan, and Finland to dissect public attitudes about autism and challenge others to reconsider the concept of 'ability.'
Growing up, both Thresher and Bissonnette were excluded from normal schooling. With limited speech, they faced lives of social isolation in mental institutions or adult disability centers. However, when they learned as adults to communicate by typing, their lives changed dramatically. Through Wretches & Jabberers, a poignant narrative of personal struggle replete with intelligence, humor, hope and courage, Thresher and Bissonnette hope to inspire parents and young men and women with autism and to address widespread misconceptions about disability. A brief panel discussion will follow the film.>
SPONSOR: Inclusive Possibilities Cluster, Active Minds, Undergraduate Psychology Council, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities, the Warner School of Education, International Services Office, the UHS Promotion Office, and the UR Cinema Group.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The film is closed captioned; if you require descriptive narration to access the film or ASL interpretation for the post film panel, please email Julia White at jwhite@warner.rochester.edu by Nov. 10, 2013. See the event Facebook page for updates.
The University of Rochester (www.rochester.edu) is one of the nation's leading private universities. Located in Rochester, N.Y., the University gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty through its unique cluster-based curriculum. Its College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering is complemented by the Eastman School of Music, Simon School of Business, Warner School of Education, Laboratory for Laser Energetics, Schools of Medicine and Nursing, and the Memorial Art Gallery.
PR 7732, MS 5762