All Blog Posts in "Pop Culture"
The Story behind "Raising Matty Christian"
April 23, 2014
By Christian de Rezendes, Guest Contributor I have an old friend, and his name is Paul. We both worked in video production separately under our own companies, and after having lost touch over several years, we were coincidentally reconnected by phone. So we spent some time catching up. Two weeks later, Paul calls me again. He says he has some news that he must share with me and proceeds to tell me about a client who has hired him to transfer old VHS home movies to DVD. Having been …
An Epic Fight, an Epic Journey
February 10, 2014
By Lexie Avery, Contributor Can you imagine being fifteen years old and never having left your small hometown? Never having experienced anything beyond the walls of comfort? For Darius Weems, this was his reality. Diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a disease that will eventually lead to his early death, Darius had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia due to the struggle it was to get around. Despite this fact, Darius was a bright and happy boy even when the reality of his situ…
“Any Day Now” – Inspired by true events
November 13, 2013
By Danielle Herrmann, Contributor Have you ever had one of those days where there is nothing more appealing than sitting back and watching a good movie? I was recently in this sort of mood myself. And, thankfully, with the aid of that noble boredom-vanquisher, Netflix, I was able to find a film that did so much more than merely entertain. Any Day Now, a 2012 filminspired by true events, tells the story of a gay couple who is fighting to keep custody of a boy with Down syndrome in the 1970s. …
Inclusion: The Joy of Drumming
October 7, 2013
By David Mack-Hardiman, Contributor In a community called Colony Unzen in Nagasaki prefecture in Japan, people who have conditions that are disabling live in residential homes with the support of professionals and neighbors. While some of these individuals formerly lived in institutions, they are now encouraged to live as independently as possible. Several of them started drumming as a form of rehabilitation and recreation. Through constant practice and training, they formed a professional drum…
My Emotional Adventure Fighting Bullying in Buffalo, NY
November 20, 2012
By Jesse Saperstein, Esteemed Guest Contributor On Thursday, October 4, 2012, I had the privilege of delivering a lecture at the University of Buffalo. The lecture was part of the "disABILITIES Film Festival and Speaker Series," an annual event hosted by People Inc. and the Museum of disABILITY History. People Inc. is the parent company of the Museum of disABILITY History.
Curator Doug Platt leads Jesse Saperstein on a tour of the Museum.A man named Doug gave me a tour of the Muse…
Push Girls – Overcoming Adversity and Inspiring Others
August 2, 2012
By Brie Kishel, Contributor An inspirational series has premiered this summer on the Sundance channel. It portrays the story of five young women, each of whose lives has been forever changed in different ways. But the one thing that they all have in common is that they have learned to use a wheelchair to get themselves around. Two of the women, Tiphany “The Blonde Bombshell” and Chelsie “The Dancer,” were involved in separate drunk driving incidents where they became the victims of another hea…
“Breaking Barriers for Disability: Breaking Bad’s RJ Mitte”
July 25, 2012
By Osiris Gomez, Contributor I speak for many in my generation when I say there is significant buzz around UB’s campus surrounding America’s edgiest TV series Breaking Bad. It’s not your American Idol, your Seinfeld, and your Grey’s Anatomy. It defies everything. That might be why the major syndicates, ABC, NBC, or FOX wanted nothing to do with it. But people love this show. Despite airing on AMC, it has attracted a huge following from fans and critics alike. Since its creation by Vince Gilliga…
The World as it Could Be – Part Two
July 18, 2012
By Brie Kishel, Contributor School districts across New York State are scrambling to implement anti-bullying programs in order to conform to the “Dignity for All Students Act” (DASA). The legislation requires school districts to protect their students by prohibiting the harassment and discrimination of any student, reporting all bullying incidents that occur and enforcing swift and severe consequences for bullying behavior. As a result of this legislation, both students and staff are being taug…