POV #3009 “The Grown-ups” – In a school for individuals with Down Syndrome, four middle-aged friends yearn for a life of greater autonomy in a society that marginalizes them as disabled. Get a humorous and at times tragic look at the limbo of conscious adults.
airs 1/26 at 10 p.m.
Craft in America #1102 “Identity” – Artists explore issues of gender, race, culture and place, offering true expressions of their experiences in this world. Featuring potter Diego Romero, photographer Cara Romero, furniture maker Wendy Maruyama and sculptor Cristina Cordova.
airs 1/25 at 5 p.m.
Men Caring – Men Caring tells the story of three men who are the primary caregivers for adults with disabilities. In a field traditionally held by women, these compassionate men tell personal stories of how they were inspired to become caregivers for this special population. Through interviews, verite scenes, home movies, and family photos, viewers meet the caregivers and receivers and see the rewards of their unique relationships. Their stories shed light on the nationwide crisis of support for adults with disabilities and the profound benefits of the one-on-one relationships formed between these men and the people they care for.
airs 1/25 at 4:30 p.m.
A Wider World – – Disabilities Today is a positive, informative, resource for persons with disabilities, by providing current information regarding rehabilitation trends, technological advances, travel, recreation, and community based opportunities for persons or families with disabilities. It is estimated that 80% of American families will acquire some type of disability at some point in their lifetime.
Roadtrip Nation: Being You – Roughly one in five people lives with learning and attention issues (LAIs) like ADHD and dyslexia, yet many of those who live with LAIs feel alone. They’re not. In a new hour-long special, ROADTRIP NATION shares inspiring stories of struggle, self-acceptance and success. BEING YOU, follows the transformative journey of three young people-Stephanie, Noah, and Nicole-as they travel cross-county to find others who, like them, learn differently and have used that difference to build lives doing what they love. Along their journey, they meet with diverse individuals living with LAIs, including entertainer Howie Mandel, Eye to Eye co-founder and chief empowerment officer David Flink, and Attention Deficit Disorder Association president Evelyn Polk Green, and discover that these individuals are not only coping, but thriving. Many credit their learning and attention issues as the driving forces that shaped their success. ROADTRIP NATION: BEING YOU showcases powerful stories that will inspire all viewers to believe that their individual circumstances can be positively used to define their own roads in life.
airs 1/24 at 7 p.m.
Science is Fun (2/30 minute programs) –
airs 1/24 at 1 a.m
First Language: The Race to Save Cherokee – Around fourteen thousand Cherokee remain in their ancestral homeland in the mountains of North Carolina, but few among them still speak their native language, and no children are learning the language at home. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is now fighting to revitalize the language and come to terms with their native heritage in the context of the modern United States.
airs 1/22 at 2 a.m.
Our American Family: The Kurowskis – presents the story of a woman born and raised on the Oneida Reservation in Wisconsin married to the son of Polish immigrants. At the time, Native Americans had been pressured to forsake their heritage and assimilate into the culture of their white neighbors. Following a tragedy at a paper mill, the Kurowski family moves to the center of the reservation where their selflessness strengthens the community and prepares the next generation to support their Oneida heritage.
airs 1/22 at 4 a.m.
The Wall’s Embrace airs – is an award-winning documentary narrated by Jimmy Buffett about the significance of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and its enduring power to heal. The film emotionally explores the Wall’s continuing impact on its many visitors as well as those most affected by the Vietnam War, with historical perspective, through deeply stirring recollections of veterans, Gold Star families and founders of The Wall.
1/22 at 4:30 a.m.
Dreamers Theater – The uplifting performance documentary DREAMERS THEATER follows a group of cognitively challenged teens and young adults as they rehearse and stage the original musical, Assuming Assumptions. The play dramatizes the issues faced by individuals with special needs in the hopes of increasing awareness about this population and their capabilities. Members of this Richmond, Va.-based acting troupe live with a variety of developmental disabilities, including autism, Down’s Syndrome, Asperger’s Syndrome and other high-functioning disorders or differences. Off-stage, Ross Lipstock – the son of show creator Joan Babich Lipstock – lives with an autism spectrum disorder;on stage, he overcomes his social awkwardness and communication difficulties to portray young men dealing with the same challenges he navigates every day – employment, transportation woes, housing, relationships and more. Dreamers Theater formed in 2004 to extend the support when a developmentally disabled individual reaches adulthood. Today, the community-based theater enhances the lives of these young men and women in myriad ways. It enables them to showcase their artistic abilities, practice transferable life skills, build confidence, gain a higher level of independence and to socialize with, and serve as role models for, their peers. DREAMERS THEATER intercuts real-life stories together with similar scenes from the play: a young couple with Asperger’s syndrome go on a date, a young man with Down’s Syndrome works his shift at a local restaurant and another young man misses his bus stop and loses his way home.
airs 1/22 at 7 p.m.