2017 Dialogue on Disability

Thank you to everyone who tuned in and took part in this year’s Dialogue on Disability: The Herman & Margaret Schwartz Community Series, our annual programming showcase with WXXI.

 Gabe Banner CropWeb

Dialogue on Disability: The Herman & Margaret Schwartz Community Series is a week-long initiative that features programming on WXXI-TV and radio that encourages community dialogue about the lives and abilities of people with special needs and the importance of inclusion.

The highlight of this year’s initiative was a FREE pre-screening of Gabe, a documentary about a boy diagnosed with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy who made it his life goal to get a college degree and how his plans changed when his doctors informed him a misdiagnosis meant he might live into his 50s. Although the news was overwhelmingly positive, it presented a surprising obstacle as he was forced to rethink his life from scratch. Thank you to Jonathan Piacentino and Heidi Schuster for taking part in the post-screening panel discussion and Skype with director Luke Terrell.

Visit WXXI for programming details, including children’s programming, aired as part of this initiative. Special #DialogueOnDisability programming on WXXI television and radio:


PBS Kids Programming

All week long, WXXI-TV will air special PBS Kids programming celebrating abilities including Arthur (1/23 & 1/24 at 6:30am), Peg + Cat (1/24 at 11:30am), and Dinosaur Train (1/25 at 11am).

Connections with Evan Dawson
The week of January 23, 12 p.m. To 2 p.m., on AM 1370 and WRUR-FM
WXXI’s daily talk show, hosted by Evan Dawson, will have several guests from Member Agencies and affiliates within Al Sigl Community of Agencies throughout the week.

Listen to the 1/23 conversation about Autism and Art Therapy

Featuring 12 year-old author Jeremiah Iheoma, his mom Lisa, Katie McGowen of CP Rochester and Happiness House, and Betsey King of Nazareth College

Listen to the 1/24 conversation about the pre-screening of the film GABE

Featuring Jonathan Piacentino, a Nazareth College graduate living with Duchenne’s muscular dystrophy, and Heidi Schuster of the B.E.L.L. Program

Homework Hotline: Unified Sports
Monday, January 23 at 4:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV
WXXI’s live call-in show, where kids get help with homework problems on the air and online, presents a segment featuring Unified Sports, a Special Olympics initiative where athletes with and without disabilities play together on the same team.

Sight: The Story of Vision
Monday, January 23 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This documentary tells stories of individuals who live with vision loss and blindness but refuse to stop achieving their dreams.

Need to Know
Thursday, January 26 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV
WXXI’s weekly news and public affairs program, produced by WXXI and hosted by Hélène Biandudi Hofer, will present a special Dialogue on Disability segment featuring CP Rochester’s B.E.L.L. college program, art therapy benefits at Rochester Rehabilitation’s Venture PROS program, and more.

Watch the Episode

Changing Sports, Changing Lives
Thursday, January 26 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This film tells the stories of people who have disabilities or impairments, but who focus on their abilities.

Generation A: Portraits of Autism and the Arts
Thursday, January 26 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This documentary looks at youth on autism spectrum and how creative therapies and arts programs, which stimulate different parts of the brain, help these young people reach their highest potential.

Arts InFocus
Friday, January 27 at 8:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV
This half-hour, weekly show featuring in-depth stories and profiles of the Rochester region’s artists and arts organizations, will present a special Dialogue on Disability segment.

 

Join the Dialogue

Inspired by a particular program or radio broadcast? Join us on Facebook or Twitter to share your thoughts on the series.

Dialogue on Disability is a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies, which is supported by the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation and part of Al Sigl’s Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series, funded by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation.

In 2014, Al Sigl’s partnership with WXXI and the B. Thomas Golisano Foundation expanded to offer year-round programming. The exciting new project, called Move To Include, features film screenings, TV and radio programming, and special events showcasing abilities and promoting inclusion in every aspect of community life.