Product Description:
#33316 Hearing & Speech - Stopping the Stutter with SpeechEasy (Run time 17 min.) DVD $49.95
There is no definitive explanation for why speaking in unison tends to alleviate stuttering, but that doesn't mean the concept cannot be put to good use. This ABC News program reports on the remarkable SpeechEasy, an unobtrusive fluency device that uses altered auditory feedback to create a choral effect. The Emmy Award-winning first segment profiles speech therapist and co-inventor Joseph Kalinowski, who explains how the SpeechEasy works. Segment two follows up with the story of a young man for whom the device has been nothing short of a miracle. The program also identifies factors that may predispose a person to stuttering and sensitively addresses the emotional anguish that so often accompanies the disorder. (17 minutes)
#10799 Handicaps & Disabilities - Freedom of Speech: Augmentative Communication Success Stories (Run time 29 min.) DVD $59.95
For people with special needs, augmentative communication technology is opening the door to fuller expression, better education, and higher self-esteem. This program illustrates the positive impact of augmentative communication technology on the lives of Adam and Mike. Adam, once considered mentally retarded by school staff, has become a college-educated professional-thanks in part to an augmentative device-while the parents of 7-year-old Mike, who does not speak due to autism, believe that technological advances will soon help their son. (28 minutes)
#10800 Handicaps & Disabilities - Finding a Way (Run time 28 min.) DVD $59.95
Although more and more people with disabilities are entering the mainstream of life, the quest for meaningful integration has never been an easy one in America. After discussing the history of institutionalization, this program uses interviews to come to grips with a wide range of disabilities, celebrating the progress being made toward total cultural equality while acknowledging that more still needs to be done to fully bring it about. (28 minutes)
#11822 Handicaps & Disabilities - Making a Life: Opportunity, Not Disability (Run time 27 min.) DVD $59.95
People with disabilities are often regarded only in terms of what they can't do, not what they can. This program looks at a variety of individuals with different disabilities who not only participate in their work and community but thrive because they were given an opportunity. Numerous personal examples show the practical as well as psychological importance of employment. Social workers, special education teachers, employers, and those challenged by ailment or accident discuss society's conventionalized perceptions and how people with disabilities, when given the chance, rise up to their maximum potential. (27 minutes)
#8127 Handicaps & Disabilities - Understanding the Disabled: Dances with the Minotaur (Run time 44 min.) DVD $69.95
This emotional drama, told from the point of view of the physically challenged, realistically portrays the problems and triumphs of a high school student who uses a wheelchair as it raises awareness about the trials faced by people with disabilities. As Bill, a teenage boy, struggles to be accepted in a new school, he is confronted with stereotyping, inaccessibility, and continual pressure from a friend not to cross the line into the mainstream world. Persisting, Bill not only interacts with students, but ultimately clears the way for others to fully participate at school. As a classroom tool, the program raises provocative questions concerning equality for those with disabilities. A Cambridge Educational Production. (44 minutes)
#8456 Handicaps & Disabilities - Motor Development (Run time 25 min.) DVD $69.95
Abnormal motor development in special-needs children requires specific skills for caregivers. This program presents positioning and handling techniques for both the hypertonic profile child, one who is easily overstimulated and has stiffening of the limbs, and the hypotonic profile child, who has flaccid muscle tone and decreased movement. Positions are discussed for sleeping, handling, and playing to encourage the development of basic motor skills. (25 minutes)
#8457 Handicaps & Disabilities - Promoting Family Collaboration (Run time 24 min.) DVD $69.95
When parents find that they must leave their newborn child at the hospital for treatment, reactions vary. Medical workers and staff must be sensitive to the needs of these parents and understand that families cope with their situations in different ways. This program addresses how doctors and staff can actively encourage parents' participation in the care of their hospitalized child, recognize the parent as the child's advocate, and answer the parents' concerns about their child's situation. (24 minutes)
#8458 Handicaps & Disabilities - Working as a Team (Run time 20 min.) DVD $69.95
This program stresses the importance of teamwork, not just among the medical staff, but also between the staff and the families of special-needs children. Team-building starts with inclusion, listening, and trust. Questions such as, "What do you expect from the hospital stay?" and "What are your goals for your child?" allow the parents to voice their concerns and to participate in their child's recovery. (20 minutes)
#8459 Handicaps & Disabilities - Promoting Cognitive, Social, and Emotional Development (Run time 22 min.) DVD $69.95
This program presents the proper techniques for caregivers of children with special needs. Topics covered include the importance of encouraging appropriate reactions to the child, from both the caregiver and parents; the importance of stimulation and play; and providing comfort and reassurance to children undergoing medical procedures. Other topics include responding to the child and his or her needs, and knowing how to communicate with special-needs children. (22 minutes)
#11299 Handicaps & Disabilities - The Americans with Disabilities Act: Is It Working? (Run time 12 min.) DVD $69.95
During the 1980s, a new civil rights movement got underway-for people with disabilities. In this program, Larry Paradis, executive director of Disability Rights Advocates, speaks with NewsHour correspondent Spencer Michels about the importance of litigation in pressuring companies and communities to comply with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. But are such legal actions actually undermining support for the ADA? Richard Baier, president of the Building Owners and Managers Association International; Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL); and others present their points of view. (12 minutes)
#11783 Hearing & Speech - Technology and Deaf Culture (Run time 13 min.) DVD $69.95
Cochlear implants could soon make a lifetime of profound deafness a thing of the past-and in the process bring an end to America's vibrant Deaf culture. In this program, NewsHour correspondent Betty Ann Bowser takes a balanced look at the implications of cochlear implant technology on the Deaf community. Dr. John Niparko, director of The Listening Center at Johns Hopkins; King Jordan, president of Gallaudet University; and others share their markedly different perceptions of cochlear implants, with some portraying them as miraculous assistive devices and others as a baneful attempt by the well-meaning hearing majority to "fix" the Deaf. (13 minutes)
#2361 Handicaps & Disabilities - Responding to the Handicapped (Run time 26 min.) DVD $89.95
There is a tendency to think of people with disabilities as one group facing exactly the same challenges and to treat them as if their disabilities are the most significant thing about them. On the other hand, people with disabilities have to deal not only with their conditions, but with people who respond to them with fear, embarrassment, or condescension, as well. This program from The Doctor Is In does not try to present one "correct" way to interact with people who have special needs. Instead, it opens a path of awareness that can enable viewers to respond more easily to people with disabilities. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (26 minutes)
#5407 Handicaps & Disabilities - Disability and Motherhood (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
Many women with disabilities who have children find that they face deep-seated prejudice that takes no account of their competence to assume parental responsibility, but assumes instead that their children will be raised improperly or abnormally. Lydia Thomas, a television presenter, wheelchair user, and mother, thinks that while there are still difficulties, attitudes have changed substantially since she was a child. Cathy Rafferty, who has cerebral palsy, discovered that when she fainted during pregnancy, an ER nurse rudely questioned why her doctor "let her get in this condition." Ellen Blackman, who is blind, felt that other mothers in the maternity hospital watched "this woman with the big bump and the white stick" and felt the need for a private room so she could learn to care for her baby away from the intrusive gaze of others. The program examines the experiences of these three mothers with disabilities, as well as public attitudes toward the combination. (25 minutes)
#6047 Handicaps & Disabilities - Disabilities in the Workplace: Working Out (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
For a person who has a disability, finding and maintaining a job and gaining acceptance at a company can be a difficult process. This program promotes the development of supportive employment within the community by following four very different individuals with disabilities as they meet their respective employment challenges. The program is designed to encourage people with disabilities to persevere in the workplace while helping nondisabled people to better understand the requirements of those who have special needs. (24 minutes)
#7094 Handicaps & Disabilities - Dwarfism: Born to Be Small (Run time 51 min.) DVD $89.95
Dwarfism-achondroplasia-affects one out of every 25,000 children. This program follows four families impacted by this condition: a person of short stature whose husband is of average height anxiously waits to learn if her unborn child will be a dwarf; a 13-year-old little person, taunted at school, opts for an extraordinary operation that will lengthen her legs; a couple, comfortable with their own dwarfism, talks about their life; and another couple, of average height, struggles to accept their child's dwarfism. (51 minutes)
#9198 Handicaps & Disabilities - I Am Dekel: Portrait of a Life with Down's Syndrome (Run time 29 min.) DVD $89.95
Dekel Shekarzi, a 21-year-old who defines himself as an actor, a poet, a dancer, and a romantic in love with love itself, is defined by many others not by who he is, but by what he was born with: Down's syndrome. This engaging documentary follows Dekel in his everyday life, which is anything but "everyday." For him, faith, hope, and willpower have fused together to fuel his dreams. Film of Dekel on stage and at home, candid interviews with his family members, and reflections from this remarkable individual-who evidently is a philosopher, too-reveal an intriguing personality well worth getting to know. (Hebrew with English subtitles, 29 minutes)
#11500 Handicaps & Disabilities - Encouraging Communication and Play (Run time 20 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides strategies for integrating activities that promote communication and play skills into the everyday care of children with special health needs. Section one classifies nonverbal, verbal, and listening skills and demonstrates how to encourage communication during routine nursing care. Section two focuses on the importance of play-both interactively, through games, and independently, with age-appropriate toys. Recommendations are made on ways to arrange the environment to facilitate play. (20 minutes)
#11501 Handicaps & Disabilities - Encouraging Motor Development (Run time 17 min.) DVD $89.95
Section one of this program outlines the sequence of gross and fine motor skills that typically develop in the first few years of life. Section two presents three basic rules that home health personnel, physical therapists, and other caregivers rely on to encourage motor development in children with special health needs: position the child correctly, give the child adequate time to move around in a variety of positions, and provide many opportunities to use the hands and fingers. Techniques are shown for incorporating each principle into caregiving routines. (17 minutes)
#32615 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On with Disabilities: Episode 1 (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
This program presents a disability simulation in which an all-star football player learns to deal with some of the day-to-day physical challenges faced by single-arm amputees. In addition, two enabling activities are featured: golfing at a course designed specifically for wheelchair users, who compete using specialized clubs and adapted carts, and cruising on a motorcycle ingeniously customized for paraplegics. Also, the importance of wheelchair-friendly sidewalks and street crossings is stressed, and the DynaMyte touch screen communication device for people with speech impairments is demonstrated. (24 minutes)
#32616 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On with Disabilities: Episode 2 (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
Inclusion is essential to anyone's feelings of well-being. In this program, skiing using innovative equipment developed for paraplegics and amputees and playing junior ice hockey competitively with a specially engineered prosthetic arm are shown. In addition, self-esteem is addressed through a boy who decorated his prosthetic leg with a decal of his favorite movie character; disability-friendly etiquette is highlighted; and a victim of rape who has a mental disability courageously speaks out-in court. (24 minutes)
#32617 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On with Disabilities: Episode 3 (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
In this program, the issues of body image and self-acceptance are considered first by a teenager with a neurological disorder preparing for her first prom and then by a group of adults who first became disabled later in life. In addition, the need to improve attitudes and eliminate prejudices that can come between people with different types of disabilities is discussed; yoga modified for paraplegics and people with MS is spotlighted; and a quadriplegic man achieves his long-time dream of operating his own farm. (24 minutes)
#32618 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On with Disabilities: Episode 4 (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
This program takes a detailed look at a condition that can re-disable survivors of polio later in life: post-polio syndrome. Two case studies shed light on its symptoms, effects, and treatment. Three additional segments focus on Mike Nemesvary, the first quadriplegic to drive around the world unassisted; the Adult Connections in Education initiative at the University of Prince Edward Island, which offers people with developmental disabilities the opportunity to experience college life; and a man who formed a personal support team from his circle of friends to help him retain a high level of independence in the face of his advancing MS. (24 minutes)
#32619 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On with Disabilities: Episode 5 (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
This program confronts competing issues of athlete safety and discrimination through the cases of two wheelchair runners training at the University of Alberta's indoor track at the Butterdome. The program also applauds two classic movies-My Left Foot and Born on the Fourth of July-for defying typical Hollywood stereotyping while decrying the portrayal of pianist David Helfgott in Shine as a disservice to people who have mental illnesses. Two additional segments skewer a number of myths about people with disabilities and profile the sport of competitive fencing as modified for paraplegics. (24 minutes)
#1387 Hearing & Speech - Hearing (Run time 19 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explores some of the difficulties encountered by the Deaf and hard-of-hearing in a speaking world and examines their two principal methods of communication: sign language and lip reading. Profiling an 11-year-old girl born with a hearing disability, it visits classes in a school for the Deaf, shows how people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing learn to communicate, and explores the role of surgery in treating hearing disabilities. (19 minutes)
#1468 Hearing & Speech - Stuttering and Other Speech Disorders (Run time min.) DVD $89.95
This program focuses on stuttering and other difficulties resulting from trauma as well as therapies used to treat them. Profiling a 41-year-old man who stutters and describes how his disorder has affected his life, the program shows how self-help groups are assisting people dealing with this often misunderstood speech disorder. Emphasis is on the importance of early recognition of the condition.
#2256 Hearing & Speech - An Introductory Course in American Sign Language (Run time 38 min.) DVD $89.95
This program provides an understanding of the nature of American Sign Language and sufficient vocabulary to permit reasonable communication with the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. The program covers finger spelling, numbers, common phrases, and specialized signs. (38 minutes)
#4362 Hearing & Speech - Understanding Hearing Loss (Run time 15 min.) DVD $89.95
This program explains sound, hearing, hearing loss, and the relationship between listening to speech and different kinds of hearing loss. It includes realistic simulations of what speech sounds like with different kinds of hearing loss, and useful hints on improving communication. (15 minutes)
#4363 Hearing & Speech - Signs of Life (Run time 40 min.) DVD $89.95
People with hearing impairments have been an unknown and misunderstood minority for too long. This program blows away the stereotypes-and should be required viewing for everyone, including the Deaf and hard-of-hearing. (40 minutes, color, open captions)
#4364 Hearing & Speech - Signs of Language (Run time 25 min.) DVD $89.95
For those who think that language can only be spoken, here is proof of the great eloquence with which language can be signed. Sign languages can even do a few things that spoken language can't! (25 minutes, color, open captions)
#4365 Hearing & Speech - Passport Without a Country (Run time 47 min.) DVD $89.95
This program about the hearing children of parents with a hearing impairment provides a look at a unique culture: men and women who do not quite belong to either of the worlds between which they are the only true bridge. (47 minutes, color, open captions)
#5110 Hearing & Speech - Signing and Language (Run time 14 min.) DVD $89.95
Scientists have only recently begun to show interest in signing as language; the common assumption was simply that sign language was a kind of substitute for the spoken word, using the hands to form letters and words. But now linguists have come to realize the range of sign language, both structurally and grammatically, and to understand that sign language offers all the possibilities of spoken language: rich vocabulary, rhetorical expression, metaphor, word-play, puns, and poetry are all within the grasp of the Deaf and hard-of-hearing who use sign language for everyday communication. (14 minutes)
#5364 Hearing & Speech - Causes of Hearing Loss (Run time 18 min.) DVD $89.95
This program focuses on the millions of Americans who suffer from hearing loss and examines two important causes: exposure to loud noises and ear infections. Loud noise exposure is a troubling current trend because so many teenagers and young adults frequent rock concerts or listen to music at high volume levels. Such loud noise can destroy the thousands of irreplaceable hearing cells in the inner ear. The only remedy once these cells have been destroyed is a hearing aid. Ear infections are another cause of hearing loss. The program examines how ear infections can develop and the variety of treatments available, from antibiotics to the surgical implantation of tubes. (18 minutes)
#6061 Hearing & Speech - Overcoming Children's Language Problems: Speaking for Ourselves (Run time 24 min.) DVD $89.95
Approximately 10% of children have some difficulties in learning to speak. This program explores how children learn to communicate and how parents can help their children overcome speech problems if they occur. It follows families as they work on their child's speech and/or language skills in an institutional setting and at home; shows the challenges the children face in developing such social and physical skills as meeting new friends or learning new games; and explains the techniques for recognizing speech or language disorders, and why doing so is so important. (24 minutes)
#9344 Hearing & Speech - Americans Who Stutter: Speaking Your Mind (Run time 22 min.) DVD $89.95
An estimated 3 million Americans stutter, and no one knows exactly why. In this program, ABC News anchor Ted Koppel and Time magazine photographer P. F. Bentley report on procedures for mitigating stuttering. Alumni from the stuttering therapy program at Hollings Communications Research Institute, including an emergency room specialist and Annie Glenn, the wife of Senator John Glenn, reveal how they attained fluency. Speech pathologists from the University of Maryland's Speech and Hearing Department also present their approaches to stuttering modification. (22 minutes)
#2654 Handicaps & Disabilities - Rehabilitation: The Road to Recovery (Run time 19 min.) DVD $99.95
This program shows both the rehabilitative techniques used with stroke and spinal injury patients and the techniques and tools available to patients after rehabilitation has proceeded to the maximum physiologically possible. The program stresses the role played by the patient as well as by rehabilitation specialists in the patient's recovery, contrasting the very expensive technologies at the forefront of rehabilitation techniques with the counterbalancing requirement of the patient's commitment and willpower. (19 minutes)
#6039 Hearing & Speech - Communicating with the Deaf (Run time 34 min.) DVD $99.95
Communication is perhaps the most important human ability, and one that is necessary for creating and maintaining effective relationships for learning, employment, and social interaction. This program provides common-sense instructions and strategies that can enhance communication between people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing and people whose hearing is unimpaired. (34 minutes)
#3134 Handicaps & Disabilities - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Other Drug Use During Pregnancy (Run time 19 min.) DVD $129.95
Focusing on Native American populations, this program profiles an eight-year-old Apache boy who was born with FAS, showing how alcohol ingested by the mother crosses the placenta and enters the bloodstream of the fetus and describing common birth defects, learning disabilities, mental handicaps, and behavioral problems typically associated with the disorder. The program also examines babies born to cocaine-addicted mothers, illustrating how the drug affects the fetus and explaining that crack babies are at risk for low birth weight, impaired brain growth, and malformed kidneys and genitals. (19 minutes)
#6981 Handicaps & Disabilities - Without Pity: A Film about Abilities (Run time 56 min.) DVD $129.95
"Disabled people are tired of being invisible, and are declaring their right to an equal chance at life." -Christopher ReeveThis HBO documentary, narrated by Christopher Reeve, celebrates the efforts of people with disabilities to live full, productive lives. We meet a cross-section of Americans. A young woman with cerebral palsy cares for her baby, while a man with cerebral palsy lives successfully on his own after 40 years in a long-term care facility. We go to school with a remarkable 6-year-old without arms or legs, visit the workplace of a computer expert who is blind, and meet a professor with polio who teaches the history of discrimination against people with disabilities. A young man, recently made quadriplegic, discusses his daily battle with depression and his determination to overcome it and get on with his life. This program applauds the resilience and potential of people turning disabilities into "diff-abilities" in their determination to be self-sufficient. (56 minutes)
#8453 Handicaps & Disabilities - Festival of Dreams (Run time 43 min.) DVD $129.95
This program presents an inspiring look at Matt Klemets, 21, and Annalisa Ericson, 28, as they participate in the Special Olympics as well as the community of family, educators, employers, and friends who encourage them to achieve their goals. Candid interviews with the special education directors at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut; Dr. Donald Cohen, of the Yale Child Study Center; and others address both the rewards and the frustrations of working with people who have mental retardation. (43 minutes)
#8796 Handicaps & Disabilities - Empowering People with Disabilities Through Technology (Run time 49 min.) DVD $129.95
New inventions are opening the doors to greater independence, satisfying careers, and mainstream leisure activities for people with disabilities. In this program, three people determined to be doers, not viewers, demonstrate the adaptive technology that is improving the quality of their lives. For Larry, an adult quadriplegic, mouth-activated remote controls allow him to do high-end computer drafting and even sail a boat. For Carol, born with an underdeveloped visual cortex, an enhanced computer enables her to attend college. And for Matthew, a child born with cerebral palsy, an orthotic walking device has him up and around while helping him condition his bones and muscles. Other innovations discussed include Braille PCs, talking book scanners, and a remarkable hands-free office. (49 minutes)
#8805 Handicaps & Disabilities - Children of Gaia: Living with Physical Challenges (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
Venerated by the ancients, considered demonic during the Middle Ages, and subjected to eugenics experiments in Nazi Germany, people with birth defects have always evoked strong feelings. Set within the context of historical changes in both society and science, this extraordinary documentary narrated by well-known actor Nabil Shaban respectfully explores the implications and effects of extreme physical challenges. Powerful personal narratives, plus a history of human deformity traced from ancient times through World War II, create a comprehensive and balanced picture of those whose lives have been altered by undeveloped limbs, facial disfigurement, or dwarfism. The program also addresses the growing likelihood that prenatal testing and advances in gene technology may make the current generation of those with physical challenges the last. (51 minutes)
#30663 Handicaps & Disabilities - Restoring Life and Limb: Episode 1 (Run time 52 min.) DVD $129.95
Gary Tropiana, married with six young children, recently lost both his legs, above the knees, in a car crash with a drunk driver. Avra Wing had a leg amputated ten years earlier, after an accident. In this program, Gary, his family, and dedicated personnel from The Rusk Institute of Rehabilitative Medicine are filmed as he regains a high level of mobility with prosthetic legs and special accommodations in his home, car, and place of business-a bakery he opened just before his injury. Also, Avra and her husband talk about her decade-long struggle to accept her amputation and how they finally overcame the emotional and physical challenges her injury posed. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#30664 Handicaps & Disabilities - Restoring Life and Limb: Episode 2 (Run time 51 min.) DVD $129.95
Danny Stein was born with absent fibula: his feet were attached just below his knees. This program focuses on athletic young Danny, beginning with his birth and, at the age of 8 months, the amputation of his feet. Paddy Rossbach, renowned prosthetic rehabilitation specialist and co-founder of ASPIRE, is also spotlighted. Despite having lost a leg as a child-or perhaps because of it-she is today a competitive athlete. During the summer, Danny attends her junior sports camp, where all of the children and most of the staff were either born without limbs or lost limbs through injuries, illnesses, or birth impairments. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#30665 Handicaps & Disabilities - Restoring Life and Limb: Episode 3 (Run time 50 min.) DVD $129.95
John Siciliano lost one leg, above the knee, in a car accident. Sandy Solop lost both his arms, above the elbows, during World War II. Currently, John is an actor and a record-holding competitive runner and Sandy is successfully pursuing, after all these years, his pre-injury love of sculpting and textile design. This program describes the experiences of Sandy and John as they learned to cope with their injuries-and to transcend them as they pursued their dreams. The video also addresses a variety of issues, ranging from educational outreach to improve the public's understanding of amputees, to an innovative approach to treating phantom pains, to the creation of the bionic leg. A Discovery Channel Production. (51 minutes)
#31943 Handicaps & Disabilities - The Perfect Flaw: Triumphing over Facial Disfigurement (Run time 28 min.) DVD $129.95
Through courage and determination, David Roche has turned a prominent physical liability into a priceless personal asset. In this program, David at 55 humorously recounts the details, alternately heart-wrenching and hilarious, of a life dominated by a facial vascular malformation, complicated by radiation burns. It is "the perfect flaw" because it revealed to him his strengths as a keynote speaker, a storytelling coach, and a husband to a woman who fell in love with him "at second sight." Today he uses the particulars of his life and his sense of humor to help people address universals such as self-esteem, fear of rejection, and acceptance of differences. (28 minutes)
#2275 Hearing & Speech - Communicating with the Hearing-Impaired Patient: Signing for Health-Care Professionals (Run time 77 min.) DVD $129.95
The goal of this four-part interactive course is not to teach all 2,000 signs that make up American Sign Language but to provide the viewer with a basic health-care vocabulary in order to improve communication with patients who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing. The program provides a general introduction to the basic elements of American Sign Language as well as specific signs and sufficient vocabulary to permit health-care workers to both understand and respond to patients with hearing impairments. (90 minutes)
#1793 Handicaps & Disabilities - So Many Children (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
This is the first in a series of three programs that document 20 years in the lives of five mentally handicapped people. The program looks at the efforts of their parents to come to terms with their children's disabilities, and the loving struggle by teachers to educate the youngsters. (52 minutes)
#1795 Handicaps & Disabilities - One Percent of Us (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
This program continues the story of the five mentally handicapped children. Now aged between 25 and 31, they and their families find there is a change in society's attitude toward them. Despite their handicaps, they are leading full and active lives and appear to have fulfilled much of their potential. (52 minutes)
#3875 Handicaps & Disabilities - Conductive Therapy for Down's Syndrome (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
Robert's father was born with hydrocephalus, but fought his way to fitness. His mother had survived cancer surgery. And Robert was born with Down's syndrome and a hole in his heart. The baby's prognosis was not good, yet now, at the age of four, Robert can walk, run, read, and do addition. His brain is being steadily "repaired" in the controversial treatment called patterning. This program shows how this grueling and exhausting treatment works-and how children with Down's syndrome are being trained so they can be mainstreamed into schools and hold unmodified jobs. (26 minutes)
#12109 Handicaps & Disabilities - Overcoming Problems of Locomotion (Run time 32 min.) DVD $149.95
For people with disabilities, the great enemy is depression and a feeling of helplessness, which is why preserving some means of simply getting around is so important. This program looks at ways individuals with disabilities and their caregivers can overcome problems of physical mobility. Using clear-cut demonstrations and excellent computer graphics, the program illustrates techniques of lifting and moving a patient. The basic types of wheelchairs and devices for assisting in walking are also shown and evaluated. The importance of skin care and types of beds are discussed for prevention of pressure sores. (32 minutes)
#12110 Handicaps & Disabilities - Overcoming Problems with Bladder, Bowels, and Swallowing (Run time 27 min.) DVD $149.95
This program addresses disability-related concerns that are matters of not only a person's health but dignity as well. The two types of long-term bladder problems-disinhibited and paralyzed bladder-are discussed, along with their management. The reasons for constipation and the different types of laxatives are explained, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of the bedpan and commode. Various techniques are demonstrated for dealing with swallowing problems, and tips are provided on how to assist a person in eating. (27 minutes)
#12111 Handicaps & Disabilities - Overcoming Problems with Speech, Hearing, and Vision (Run time 40 min.) DVD $149.95
This program explains the principles of assisting people with speech, hearing, or vision impairments. Various speech impediments are explored, such as misshapen palate, spastic dysarthria, and dysphasia due to stroke or Parkinson's disease. Speech pathologists are shown working with individuals who have speech or hearing impairments. Excellent computer animation is used to show the two major forms of hearing loss, conductive and sensorineural deafness, along with the different types of assistance each requires. Hearing aids and cochlear implants are discussed, and useful tips to assist people with hearing impairments are outlined. Similarly, the program provides guidelines for assisting blind people and interviews with them that contain helpful advice for practical living arrangements. (40 minutes)
#12112 Handicaps & Disabilities - Overcoming Mental Impairment (Run time 32 min.) DVD $149.95
This program provides useful guidelines and advice to caregivers assisting people with mental impairments. The two major classifications of impairment are closely examined: dementia, or degenerative diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's, and mental disorders due to congenital conditions, such as Down syndrome. Techniques on how to communicate with and assist elderly people are demonstrated. Instructive interviews with spouses and caregivers of elderly patients and with parents of children with mental disabilities round out this program. (32 minutes)
#32606 Handicaps & Disabilities - Deafblind: A World Without Sight and Sound (Run time 60 min.) DVD $149.95
We think in words-without access to them, how does one construct thoughts? Adam and Mark are 12-year-old boys born deaf and blind. With no exposure to language, how do they communicate with their parents? This fascinating program provides a window into the world of those who are deafblind. Gaela and Graham, two remarkable deafblind adults who lost their hearing after childhood, describe their lives and experiences-including how Graham jet skis. Using special effects that simulate sensory deprivation and compensation, the video illustrates how people such as Gaela and Graham are able to lead fulfilled, even adventurous lives. Original BBCW broadcast title: Deafblind. (60 minutes)
#33253 Handicaps & Disabilities - Joe Chaikin and American Experimental Theater (Run time 43 min.) DVD $149.95
The story of Joe Chaikin's professional life is also the story of experimental theater in America. In this intimate program, footage of Chaikin in action as well as interviews with playwrights Edward Albee, Sam Shepard, Jean-Claude van Itallie, and John Belluso; writer Susan Sontag; and many others reveal Chaiken's devotion to the stage-a love that even severe aphasia, the result of a stroke, could not diminish. A variety of clips spanning Chaikin's acting/directing career-from his early days, with the Open Theatre and the Living Theatre, to later, post-stroke work, most notably with actors with disabilities-are featured. (43 minutes)
#34864 Handicaps & Disabilities - Fetal Alcohol Exposure: Changing the Future (Run time 31 min.) DVD $149.95
How are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders diagnosed? What are the primary and secondary disabilities associated with FASD? And-most important of all-what is the human cost? This program addresses these questions through the firsthand experiences of Ann Streissguth, director of the University of Washington's Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit; Kathy Mitchell, vice president of NOFAS; Erica Lara, who works at a residential drug and alcohol treatment facility designed especially for women with young children; and Erica Gitis-Miles, a college student who has FASD. The in utero effects of alcohol are considered as well, as are the facial, bodily, neurological, cognitive, and behavioral characteristics of FASD. Recommended for grades 9+. A Films for the Humanities & Sciences Production. (31 minutes)
#1713 Hearing & Speech - A Language for Ben (Run time 52 min.) DVD $149.95
This is the story of Ben's year in an English nursery school. The only child who is Deaf in the class, he is helped by a "signing" teacher. Others, both children and adults, pick up signing. His brightness is ingratiating. He knows he is Deaf and others are not. There are more questions than answers-Should he be taught to speak? Will he prefer to continue school among children who are Deaf or who are able to hear?-but it is clear that his parents, teachers, schoolmates, and community have given him the self-confidence to be his best. (52 minutes)
#1967 Hearing & Speech - To Hear Again (Run time 19 min.) DVD $149.95
This program describes the major risk factors for hearing impairment, stresses the importance of early diagnosis of hearing impairment in infants, and demonstrates two infant hearing tests: the auditory brain stem response of a week-old infant and the behavioral method, in which an audiologist observes a seven-month-old infant's reactions to sounds. The program also presents new technologies to aid people with hearing impairments: cochlear implants for children and adults, hearing aids equipped with computer chips to filter out low-frequency background noise, and digital speech processing, which converts sound to computer language. (19 minutes)
#2354 Hearing & Speech - Hearing Loss (Run time 26 min.) DVD $149.95
This program from The Doctor Is In discusses different varieties of hearing impairment: hearing loss, tinnitus, and Meniere's disease; it also demonstrates different ways in which mechanical aids, medications, and surgery can correct some problems. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center Production. (26 minutes)
#3047 Hearing & Speech - Speech (Run time 30 min.) DVD $149.95
What does it take for men and women to use their voices effectively? What happens when we lose our voice? This program from The Doctor Is In introduces a woman recovering from a stroke, a child with muscular dystrophy, a man who has had his larynx removed, a child who stutters, and an immigrant learning to lose her Polish accent. A featured expert is Dr. Robert Sataloff, Professor of Otolaryngology at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, editor of The Journal of Voice, and an accomplished opera singer. Host Jamie Guth also talks with speech pathologists and a person who stutters and is helping others cope with the problem. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (30 minutes)
#4227 Hearing & Speech - Stuttering (Run time 28 min.) DVD $149.95
Why do people stutter? What is the best treatment? This program from The Doctor Is In looks at the impact of stuttering on children, teenagers, and adults, and shows therapies designed to help them. The emphasis is on learning to live with a long-term problem that does not have to stand in the way of social enjoyment and career success. The program shows a support group for people who stutter, demonstrates new methods of including family members in therapy, and looks at experiments at NIH where the search is on to find the physiological cause(s) of stuttering. A Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center production. (28 minutes)
#11821 Handicaps & Disabilities - Finding a Way to Freedom (Run time min.) DVD $179.85
This enlightening three-part series moves beyond the differences between those who are physically or mentally challenged and those who are not. Interviews with people with disabilities, parents, counselors, healthcare professionals, and others emphasize a continuing struggle against preconceptions-with continuing success. 3-part series, 28 minutes each.
#11499 Handicaps & Disabilities - Family-Centered Home Health Services for Young Children (Run time min.) DVD $179.9
Thanks to advances in healthcare, many babies and children with special medical needs are free to receive their therapies in the warm atmosphere of home. This two-part series, created by the Georgetown University Child Development Center, addresses the topics of communication, play, and motor skills development. 2-part series, 17-20 minutes each.
#8455 Handicaps & Disabilities - Infants and Young Children with Special Health Needs (Run time min.) DVD $279.8
This four-part series presents specific techniques that medical workers can use to help a child in transitional care and his or her family. The programs focus on the importance of fostering cognitive and motor development during an institutional stay, along with recognizing the parents' role and incorporating their involvement in order to have a successful transition from the hospital to the home. 4-part series, 20-25 minutes each.
#4361 Hearing & Speech - The Non-Hearing World (Run time min.) DVD $359.8
This series of programs provides invaluable insights into the non-hearing world for those without hearing impairment, and a sense of community and vistas of opportunities for those whose hearing is impaired. 4-part series.
#30662 Handicaps & Disabilities - Restoring Life and Limb (Run time min.) DVD $389.85
Every day in the U.S., hundreds of people lose one or more limbs due to illness or injury, typically leaving patients and families severely traumatized. This emotionally charged three-part series profiles six people who have undergone amputations, tracking them from initial surgery, through the various stages of loss, to rehabilitation, and, finally, to acceptance. Each patient's compelling case history also covers developments in prosthetics that are nothing short of amazing. A Discovery Channel Production. 3-part series, 51 minutes each.
#32614 Handicaps & Disabilities - Moving On: Independent Living for People with Disabilities (Run time min.) DVD $449.75
The Gemini Award-winning series Moving On is the only network TV program in North America of its kind. This lively, life-affirming five-part collection of Moving On episodes with host Joanne Smith, director of the Canadian Paraplegic Association, features debates on important issues, inspiring accounts of personal achievement, and fresh ideas that are helping people with disabilities to live more independently. Each news magazine-style program also unflinchingly challenges the stereotypes that reinforce societal barriers to full inclusion. 5-part series, 24 minutes each.
#12108 Handicaps & Disabilities - A Guide to Disabilities (Run time min.) DVD $599.8
Preserving quality of life and independence is a goal for people with disabilities and those who care for them. This series provides a basic, practical reference for caregivers assisting individuals with either physical or mental disabilities. The programs use helpful demonstrations and computer graphics to illustrate techniques and concerns. In addition, there are many illuminating interviews with doctors, caregivers, parents, spouses, and those overcoming disabilities.4-part series, 27-40 minutes each.