Crip Camp

Director: James Lebrecht and Nichole Newnham
Year Released: 2020
Rating: 2.0

In the early 1970's, handicapped kids went to Camp Jened, a summer program that encouraged unity and togetherness and treated them like individuals instead of victims (or "sick"), and according to this documentary, those early experiences encouraged a few of them - led by the hyper-focused Judith Heumann - to fight for the rights of other physically-disadvantaged persons, leading to the passing of the crucial Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.  It goes without saying that the protests and determination of those disabled activists was absolutely necessary and it's painful to see them confined to their wheelchairs and having difficulty speaking, but this never felt more than a healthy pat on the back and not what I would consider a well-rounded documentary.  As a viewer there's really only one side you can take (obviously) and the "villains" are just politicians worried about money, so while you're watching you're put in a position of applauding yourself for recognizing someone whose body was destroyed by either polio or cerebral palsy or spina bifida should, you know, be able to enter a friggin' building or use the toilet without struggling.  So while the true story of it is commendable, this functions more or less as a glorified cheerleader.