The Ability Exchange

"The Ability Exchange" is an intimate documentary film that delves into an innovative Disability Studies course at NYU Tandon where engineering students and self-advocates with cerebral palsy team up to make movies. This observational "empathy engine" illustrates the trajectory of personal growth and bonding that these first time filmmakers experience in the classroom and beyond, during a journey of which the line between ability and disability gets blurred, traditionally assigned roles of "filmmakers" and "subjects" blend, and the definitions of "normalcy" and "inspiration" are challenged. "The Ability Exchange" thus invites the viewer to reflect on what it takes to understand and appreciate a person, a community, a culture, and how this exchange of abilities and perspectives empowers lives. (Bushwick Film Festival)