KSC'S Diverse Voices Series Features Film on Educational Inclusion
KEENE, N.H., 2/20/08 - Keene State College will host a viewing of Including Samuel, an award-winning documentary about the educational and social inclusion of children and young adults with disabilities. This event is sponsored by the Education Department’s Diverse Voices from the Field Project.
The film’s director and producer, Concord Monitor photojournalist Dan Habib, will answer questions following showings of the film at 4 and 7:30 p.m. on Tues., Mar. 11, in the Mabel Brown Room, Student Center. At the 4 pm. event, a panel of parents from Mondadnock Developmental Services (MDS) and Alan Greene, executive director of MDS, will respond to the film. Admission is free and the public is welcome to attend.
New Hampshire photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about inclusion before he had his son Samuel seven years ago. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. When Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (a neurological disorder that effects body movement and muscle coordination), Habib and his wife, Betsy, were concerned for his future. Including Samuel is built on the efforts of Habib and his family to include Samuel in all facets of school and community. The film also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with teachers, young people, parents, and disability rights experts.
Including Samuel has won the annual Positive Images in Media award from TASH, an international group that focuses on the full inclusion of people with disabilities, and was named Best Documentary of the 2007 Somewhat North of Boston Film Festival.
Habib has been the photography editor of the Concord Monitor since 1995, where he was a staff photographer from 1988 to 1992. In 2006, he was named the national Photography Editor of the Year for papers under 100,000 circulation. His freelance work has appeared in numerous publications, including Time, Newsweek, Yankee Magazine, Life, Boston Magazine, Mother Jones, and the New York Times.
Habib has been named New Hampshire Photographer of the Year six times. He has been a judge of Pictures of the Year and White House News Photographer’s Association. He was one of 12 photojournalists from around the world to participate in the 1995 World Press Photo Masterclass in Amsterdam. Habib and his wife, Betsy, live in Concord, New Hampshire, with their sons Isaiah, 11, and Samuel, 8.
The Diverse Voices from the Field Colloquium is dedicated to bringing speakers to campus who provide a diverse perspective on the field of education. Each event is designed to foster dialogue with other academic disciplines, the local educational community, and the citizens of the Monadnock region.
For more information on these events, or to request accommodations for a disability, please contact Felicia Favreau at 603-358-2301. For more information on the film, visit www.includingsamuel.com.
