Temple Grandin

I just finished watching the HBO film "Temple Grandin". It was my second time seeing the film because I saw it last week at the priemer in New York City. I worked on the film as a technical advisor and was hopeful that the film would do justice to this iconic member of the disability community. I tried my best to offer Claire Danes and the producers any advice I could. This was a tour deforce by Ms. Danes and the filmakers making a truly astonishing film. As I wached the film in the comfort of my home I was really able to soak in what this film really means and why its impact is vital in the year of the 20th anniversary of the American with Disabilities Act. In the film Temple Grandin states "different, but not less" and from my vantage point that is so cruucial to not understand just people with autism but the disability community as a whole. If we as a society are truly going to embrace diversity we must heed the credo "different, but not less" The value of difference is beautiful but does not make us any less a valued member of society. I am hopeful that this film will be a watershed momment for Hollywood to see that there are many stories to be told of people with disabilities that are entertaining, interesting & very much part of the fabric of the human expierence.