The documentary We All Belong is now available on DVD as part of an Inclusion Awareness Pack.

We All Belong is a documentary film exploring the issue of classroom segregation, profiling real parents and the dreams and fears they share. This film is a frank discussion of civil, human and educational rights and offers a window into the struggle families face to achieve inclusion for their children. The film also examines the Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort, a parent-driven program created by NWDSA that empowers families to be active, informed partners on their children’s educational journey. We All Belong is ideal viewing for educators, parents and policy makers. The questions raised in this film could create answers that lead to more diverse classrooms and create success for all learners.

Featuring interviews with NWDSA Executive Director Angela Jarvis-Holland, Kindergarten Cohort Coordinator Alicia Delashmutt, NWDSA President Steve Holland, President of National Disability Rights Network Michael Bailey, Speaker and Self-Advocate Eleanor Bailey, and parents of the Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort.

 

Purchase We All Belong as part of an “Inclusion Awareness Pack”

All profits from the sale of the Inclusion Awareness Pack go directly to funding the Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort and face-to-face work with parents and teachers that makes a real and meaningful difference for families. This pack can be used for training purposes, promoting discussion, education, best practices and disability awareness, and celebrating the strength of families.

Included in this pack:

  • We All Belong on DVD in widescreen format with optional subtitles, running time 14:30
  • A set of 6 awareness cards and envelopes, featuring photography by Jodi Collins and uplifting quotes
  • An 11×17 poster featuring photography by Jodi Collins (via download)

Purchase with PayPal

Your DVD and awareness cards will be mailed within 7 to 10 days. The 11X17 poster will be available for you to download after you complete the checkout process.


Purchase is for




 

I watched the documentary about the K cohort. It opened my eyes. I think inclusion is a fundamental human right. I wouldn’t settle for anything less for my kids.     -Fabian Braithwaite

Kindergarten placements are the front line of the disability rights movement. And this film proves it. Highly recommended.     -Michael Bailey, President, National Disability Rights Network

 

 

 

The Story of We All Belong

We All Belong started as a project by Joni DeRouchie, who was a student of Mt Hood Community College’s film program in winter 2011/12. When it came time for the students to embark on a project for a non-profit group for their practicum class, Joni approached Northwest Down Syndrome Association, where she’d been a part-time staff member for a couple of years, and asked them if they’d like to be the subject of a short documentary. NWDSA Executive Director Angela Jarvis-Holland jumped at the opportunity to promote awareness of the new Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort, and agreed to allow Joni and her team, made up of fellow students Emily Morris and Matt McKague, access to a Cohort session. The documentary was filmed over 2 days, and included interview segments with board members of NWDSA and other parents and advocates. Most special were the interviews with parents enrolled in the Cohort program, who graciously opened up and shared their dreams and fears about their children for the camera.

Joni was most interested in the matter of school segregation, and engaged interviewees in frank discussions of what it means to segregate children, why segregation still occurs in the 21st century, and the lifelong damage it can do to a child when they are not permitted to be a member of their own community.

The video was quickly edited in preparation for the 2012 All Born (In) Conference, where it was screened at the end of the conference for a few hundred parents and educators. The reaction from the ABI attendees, and others who saw the video at private screenings, indicated that what had started out as a humble class project had turned into something more meaningful  than anyone anticipated.

Joni worked for a few more months on re-edits. Photos from Jodi Collins’ photo awareness campaigns were added, and Jonas from LNS Captioning generously donated his time providing subtitles. The end result was a very polished and professional video completed almost entirely with pro-bono work contributed by talented parents and community members who wanted to get the message out  that there are solutions and ways to bring an end to school segregation.

Further donations and contributions enabled NWDSA to purchase the materials they needed to duplicate the video and create artwork to accompany it. We All Belong was a labor of love that took nearly 8 months to complete, and truly shows how much a grass roots, parent-driven group can accomplish.

Directed by Joni DeRouchie www.joniderouchie.com

Featuring photos by Jodi Collins www.urban-photography.com

Captioning by LNS Captioning www.lnscaptioning.com