By Joe Sanchez-Castro
Contributing Writer
Autism, a condition that affects nearly one in 50 children, has a severe impact on an individual’s ability to acquire basic nonverbal and verbal social interaction, can make life much more complex, according to the documentary, “Best Kept Secret.”
Approximately 20 students showed up to watch the documentary. The documentary viewing session, hosted by the first-year experience office, took place at the Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts.
The documentary, shown on Nov. 14, lasted an hour and 25 minutes.
The documentary focused on John F. Kennedy High School in Newark, N.J. The high school has made a name for itself over the past 40 years for its work with those with special needs.
There are two separate programs at the high school, the autism program and the multiple disabilities with moderate cognitive involvement program. Both programs service students ranging from ages 10 through 21.
The programs emphasize the development of functional academics and life skills for independent functioning in and out of the house. The programs aim to empower these children to reach their full potential.
The goal, more specifically, is for the student, more than anything, to reach a point in which they are able to do tasks such as making their beds or being able to enhance and augment their vocabulary.
Students have voiced that there is a lack of advocacy for those who have special needs, and that more programs and schools are needed to advocate and show support as in the movie.
“I felt like the message to get was that even though they have mental disabilities, they can still achieve things like working at fast food restaurants and things that people without mental deficiencies can do,” said Sean Riordan, a freshman strategic communication and digital media major. “It made me feel like sometimes I take things for granted, and I have to realize that I am very lucky to have the life I have.”
He added, “It’s unfortunate that people with disabilities in our society get taken advantage of, and I feel like more programs like the one we saw in the video need to start popping up.”
He said that many children in the United States have autism and there should be more schools directed towards special needs.
“We don’t want for them to feel excluded,” said Riordan.
Sean Crangle, a journalism and mass communication major, agreed with the message of the documentary.
“The video calls for acceptance of others,” said Crangle. “My mother is a special ed. teacher, so she tells me about the things that go on and of how we need to count our blessings, and I definitely take things for granted, so I have to remember that there are people with problems that are really bad.”
He said the main objective of the documentary is to show that we have to be inclusive of others, no matter the circumstances.
Crangle said there is an obvious lack of opportunities for some kids with disabilities. He said, that these students have the same, if not more, determination than students without disabilities.
sanchejd16@bonaventure.edu
