Videos

Wretches & Jabberers:Disability Advocates On The Road

Oscar® winner and twice Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker, Gerardine Wurzburg, has completed a compelling new feature documentary called Wretches & Jabberers: And Stories from the Road. Wurzburg's inspiring documentary chronicles the world travels of disability rights advocates, Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette, in a bold quest to change attitudes about the intelligence and abilities of people with autism. “Our goal was to shine a light on autism internationally. Larry and Tracy’s journey allowed us to portray the global face of autism through the personal stories of six men and women throughout the world,” explains Producer and Director Gerardine Wurzburg. The result is a provocative mixture of advocacy, personal portrait and travel adventure film - seasoned with liberal doses of humor. Until the 1980s, most children and young adults with autism in the US were excluded from normal schooling. Some were placed in mental institutions. Like many children with autism, Tracy and Larry grew up unable to speak. They faced a future of social isolation in adult disability centers. When Tracy was 23 and Larry 34, their lives changed when they learned to communicate by typing. Larry notes, “nothing I did...convinced people I had an inner life until I started typing.” For more information and to find screenings visit www.wretchesandjabberers.org