Crip Camp: Screening & Discussion

This year, CSJ: Disability Justice + Access Matters invites our campus community to learn from a perspective of disability justice so that we can continue to make space for everybody and every body now and in the future. Learn more about the Critical Social Justice: Disability Justice + Access Matters theme here. For more CSJ events, check out our website and myUMBC. For more information about upcoming events or to inquire about collaboration, please email the Women’s Center at womenscenter@umbc.edu.

Join us to watch and discuss the 2020 Oscar-nominated documentary Crip Camp, which shares stories from Camp Jened, a summer camp for teens with disabilities and an incubator for the disability rights movement (see a summary of the film below). 

We will be hosting a viewing of the movie from 3pm to 4:50pm and then hosting a discussion from 5pm to 6pm--but please feel free to 

watch the movie whenever you want (it is available via Netflix and free online via Youtube) and join us for a discussion OR watch the movie with us and reflect on your own! This is a super flexible event, and people are welcome to engage in whatever way feels best!

“In the early 1970s, teenagers with disabilities faced a future shaped by isolation, discrimination and institutionalization. Camp Jened, a ramshackle camp “for the handicapped” (a term no longer used) in the Catskills, exploded those confines. Jened was their freewheeling Utopia, a place with summertime sports, smoking and make-out sessions awaiting everyone, and campers experienced liberation and full inclusion as  human beings. Their bonds endured as many migrated West to Berkeley, California — a hotbed of activism where friends from Camp Jened realized that disruption, civil disobedience, and political participation could change the future for millions.

Crip Camp is the story of one group of people and captures one moment in time. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other equally important stories from the Disability Rights Movement that have not yet received adequate attention. We are committed to using the film’s platform to amplify additional narratives in the disability rights and disability justice communities – with a particular emphasis on stories surrounding people of color and other intersectionally marginalized communities. We stand by the creed of nothing about us, without us. For too long, too many were excluded, and it is time to broaden the number of voices and share the mic.”

This discussion group will be hosted through Google Meet. If this platform presents accessibility challenges for you, please be in touch so we can consult on the best ways to make this experience accessible for you. 

CSJ 2021: Crip Camp Screening + Discussion

Wednesday, October 27

3:00 – 6:00pm

Please note: UMBC is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive environment for all students, staff, faculty, and visitors. If you have difficulties accessing any of the materials on our site or any of our events or discussions, please contact us so that we can provide an alternative format and/or remedy any accessibility challenges.