April 6, 2009 Press Release

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Documentary Film “Including Samuel” to Air on NHPTV on April 19, 22 & 24

DURHAM, N.H. – Before his son Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Habib’s award-winning documentary INCLUDING SAMUEL, about his family’s commitment to including Samuel in every aspect of life, premieres on New Hampshire Public Television Sunday, April 19 @ 9 p.m. A NH OUTLOOK special about the film’s impact on the Habib family and the state of NH follows @ 10 p.m.

Shot and produced over four years, Habib's award-winning documentary film portrays his family's hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. INCLUDING SAMUEL is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. Since the documentary was released, Habib and the Institute on Disability at UNH have shared the film with communities across the country and around the world.

On a NH OUTLOOK special, producer Richard Ager attends a public school screening where Habib engages students in a conversation about INCLUDING SAMUEL. In revealing moments, the students talk about how the film reflects the experience of many families. Ager also has highlights of the New England Inclusive Education Leadership Summit, where panelists and participants discussed strategies to remove barriers to inclusive education.

Going behind the scenes, OUTLOOK’s Ager visits with the Habib family at home in Concord and finds out how the film evolved and has affected their lives. “Clearly, the film became a family effort,” observed Ager. “They all feel they’re a part of something bigger by transforming their lives into a tool to help others.”

The film has been screened at universities, national conferences, film festivals and independent theatres across the country. It has also been featured on NPR, Good Morning America, as well as in the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. Dan Habib is the Filmmaker in Residence at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Prior to joining UNH in March 2008, Habib was a nationally recognized photojournalist and was the photo editor at the Concord (NH) Monitor.

More information on the NHPTV broadcast of INCLUDING SAMUEL can be found at http://www.nhptv.org/productions/specials/including_samuel.asp

INCLUDING SAMUEL is part of the Institute on Disability/UCED, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization at the University of New Hampshire. The project’s mission is to build more inclusive schools and communities through curriculum, training, and outreach. For more information, visit www.includingsamuel.com.

The Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire was established in 1987 to provide a coherent university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of persons with disabilities and their families. Its mission is to advance policies and systems changes, promising practices, education, and research that strengthen communities to ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.

The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a New England liberal arts college and a major research university with a strong focus on undergraduate-oriented research. A land, sea and space-grant university, UNH is the state’s flagship public institution, enrolling 11,800 undergraduate and 2,400 graduate students.

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The IOD advances policies and systems changes, promising practices, education and research that strengthen communities and ensure full access, equal opportunities, and participation for all persons.