IT WAS THE CLANKING SOUND THAT made me turn and look at the storefront. I was living out of state to attend college and was exploring the downtown section of the city I was now living in. The clanking sound came from a man sitting in a wheelchair, who was stuck between 2 sets of doors. His back was towards me; I could not tell if he was trying to leave or enter the store. A couple of people passed in front of me as I walked up to him and offered to help. He said he was trying to get out of the store when both sets of doors wedged him in. I took a look down at the wheel of his chair and saw what needed to be done to free him. I had to lift the edge of the chair up just enough to free the door so I could push it out with my foot. Putting the wheel back down, the man wheeled himself out onto the sidewalk. It was there I finally saw he was missing his left leg. Up until that time the only people I had seen sitting in a wheelchair were patients in a hospital or people who temporarily needed a wheelchair while they mended a broken leg. The man thanked me profusely before he wheeled himself away. I took a look at the doors to the store and thought they were a bit narrow which explained why it was not easy for the man to enter and exit the place.      AS I CONTINUED ON MY WAY, I could not get the image of the man in the wheelchair out of my head. I tried to picture how his daily life must be, sitting in his chair. The first thing that came to mind was transportation; how did he get around? Was he able to drive a car, I wondered? Maybe he could with his right leg. But, what if he did not have a car and had to take a bus; how would he get on the bus while sitting in his wheelchair? The more I thought about the everyday things I do, the more I thought about the challenges facing that man. As I kept thinking of other scenarios that would be impactful for the man, I thought about those people who might not have one or both arms, the ones who did not have the ability to hear or see and so on. This made me look at my surroundings in a whole different way. How challenging it must be for these individuals each and every day. What they might not have known was things were going to change because of one particular camp that was operating in the Catskills.      PARENTS WHO SENT THEIR CHILDREN TO Camp Jened found when their children returned home, they were not the same. This film festival-winning documentary stunned me on several levels. Not only did I learn something new, I was thoroughly entertained and engrossed by the presentation of the subject matter. Written and directed by Nicole Newnham (The Rape of Europa, Sentenced Home) and first timer James Lebrecht, this film began its story in the 1970s. From the Catskills story line, the viewer becomes exposed to the beginning of a monumental movement that was to take place later in the movie. By the time the story shifts to Berkeley, California, we see how the activities at the camp created a special bond among the campers that fueled their desires. I thought the mix of archival and current video clips created a captivating presentation of the story. I will admit I was not cognizant of the laws that were passed, though I was aware of them. Sitting and watching this movie was an eye-opening experience that I doubt I will ever forget.

4 stars