30 Days Disabled (Act 2: The Resolution)

"30 Days Disabled" (Act 2 of 2)

Jacquie Detterbeck -Director
Xinh Pham -Assistant Director
Jim Goodrow -Cinematographer
Dan Nguyen -Cinematographer
Shawna Mongiat -Tech Guru/Narrator
Year: 2004

This student-made documentary film examines what it would be like to live in a wheelchair for 30 Days. The filmmakers state: Our inspiration for this project comes from Morgan Spurlock, the mastermind behind "SuperSize Me." Spurlock now has his own sitcom called "30 Days" on FX where people live the life or lifestyle of another to gain an understanding of what it is like to "live 30 days in someone else's shoes."

The two students who shared the challenge to live in a wheelchair for 30 days at MSU were: Jacquie Detterbeck and James Goodrow.

The student team states:
"*Our Project: Film a documentary about living a life completely different from your own in some way, and in a way that proves an intellectual challenge, for 30 days.
*Our Thesis: Since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, those with disabilities still face many challenges, many of which are unnecessary.
*Our Film: Two of our group members (Jacquie and Jim) will be "living the life of a person confined to a wheelchair" for two weeks each, making a combined total of 30 days. It is our hope that this film will illustrate to the public those challenges faced by the disabled--an issue that is often ignored."

This film was created as part of a senior thesis research project in a course at Michigan State University. Learn more here: http://www.msu.edu/course/lbs/492/luckie

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Morgan
• Spurlock
• LBS
• LBC
• MSU
• Michigan
• State
• University
• Lyman
• Briggs
• wheelchair
• disabled
• ADA
• documentary

[thasmuggler]

i love this video hope people can understand when they watched this iv been in a chair for around 7-8years now il be 21 in june

[CPchamp1]

i love how this gives peopl perspective and empathy towards people like me in wheelchairs

[mbsman59]

Join the crusade!  Become a fan of Abiliworks, Inc. on Facebook!

[bocciafan]

Great videos. Being in a chair myself it's good to see that some people are gaining perspectives. :)

[Silver7Bullet]

Well they probably didn't get better chairs because its a school-project and those things are expensive. Students don't go spending like that on a project...

[Lucasgandy]

Very good job on the video =)

[Oliver51089]

why 30 days?

dont get it.

but the idea of doing this project is very nice. I live in a small town in Brazil and i think somone should do this here, where there are almost no structures to help a disabled person. Thet would really suck.

Annyways, grats for the idea and all.

[weberk86]

Jacquie seriously I hated hearing how you thought you had it so bad spending 2 weeks in a chair with the comments, looks, etc people gave you. 5:10-5:54ish That is nothing compared to how people treat you when you spend your WHOLE LIFE in a chair, as I have. I think it is worse also, if people can tell that you have a custom wheelchair not the generic ones as people know it is not temporary.

[lma64]

I like that you did this. From the beginning, tho, you made some very uninformed assumptions. Most people who use wheelchairs CAN drive, with hand controls installed in their vehicle. Sooo... why the rule about not being able to drive?? And your wheelchair of choice is not what most people who use wheelchairs every day use. The kind you used are very difficult to push... and heavy!

p.s. if you use something long, like a spatula, u can get things off the high kitchen shelves! U gotta b creative!

[wheelieblind]

Who had you guys do the project, and it would be nice if this would be a state wide thing that happens on every college campus.