Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Documentary about disability and religious communities to begin airing on ABC stations in December

From Diva Communications, producer of the documentary:

Diva Communications, Inc., a three-time Emmy award-winning programming and production company, has completed "A Place for All: Faith and Community for Persons with Disabilities," a unique interfaith documentary due to begin airing on ABC stations in December.

The documentary, produced in conjunction with the New York Board of Rabbis, had the support of an extraordinary lineup of faith groups including the National Council of Churches, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the United Methodist Church, the United Church of Christ and the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops.

The faiths' relationship with persons with persons with disabilities is a critical issue since it is estimated that 1 out of 5 Americans has a disability.

'A Place for All' explores the courageous stories of persons with disabilities as the succeed in making their faith communities truly inclusive.

It features people such as Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh, a spiritual leader at Congregation Bnai Keshet in New Jersey and one of the handful of deaf rabbis in the world; members of ELCA's DAYLE program where Definitely Abled Youth unite at the 40,00 strong triennial Evangelical Lutheran youth gathering; Rev. Beth Lockard, the pastor of Christ the King Deaf Church; and Brandon Kaplan (pictured), a severely disabled boy with limited sigh and speech who recently had the privilege of becoming a Bar Mitzvah.

ABC stations nationwide will begin airing the program December 6, 2009 as a part of ABC's Vision and Values series, a presentation of the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission.