Film Review: Crip Camp

Who’d have believed that a summer camp for handicapped kids in New York’s Catskills would lead to major political action that would eventually become the Americans with Disabilities Act? All it took was dedication, work and determination.

Don’t pass up a chance to see “Crip Camp,” the new documentary that shows how they did it. I know, the title sounds tasteless and condescending, but these campers are so humorous and inspiring and the film so well done (Michelle and Barack Obama are the executive producers) that you’ll be fascinated by it.

Holding the film together is idea man James LeBrecht, who was born with spina bifida. “They didn’t think I’d live more than a couple of hours,” he reports. “Apparently, I had a different plan.” When he grew up, his plan was to work in theater; he has been the sound designer at Berkeley Repertory for some years.

LeBrecht acts as a sort of narrator/guide, explaining that Camp Jened began in 1951 as a traditional camp for handicapped kids to take part in prescribed activities. But with the advent of ’60s and ’70s counterculture, things changed. The camp became more experimental, a place where the kids could play guitars, go swimming, make out or do whatever they wanted.

Camp Jened, three hours north of Manhattan in the Catskills, is out in the woods “where you can smell the trees.”  There, they could meet with other handicapped kids and not have to deal with the isolation and stigma they faced in the outside world.

“It was like Woodstock,” says camper Denise. “It was utopia. We were there. There was no outside world.”

They formed closer bonds than usual for a camp setup. And counselors slept in the same bunks, which made it a great setup for discussions about why the outside world treated the disabled like objects and why buses were not accessible, which led to thoughts of political action.

As the kids grew up and went to college, they still came back to summer camp to see their friends. In the mid-’70s, some of the gang moved to Berkeley, where they established the Center for Independent Living. 

Several of them got involved in social movements. The federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 gave them the perfect vehicle to advance the handicapped cause. That law (the predecessor of the Americans with Disabilities Act) addressed the notion of equal access by removing architectural, employment and transportation barriers. 

But Section 504, which prohibits federal contractors and subcontractors from discriminating in employment against people with disabilities, was not enforced.

Only a lengthy (and often amusing) sit-in outside Califano’s house and Washington offices (starring many former Jened campers) finally got the desired response.

“Camp Crip” is not only an inspiring story, but a wonderfully edited film with a captivating script and a terrific cast of dedicated hell-raisers. Don’t miss it.

"Crip Camp" is screening on Netflix.