A Musical Pinata for Christmas 9 on Zoom!

The NY primos in Marimorena, Biscochitos, and the Fear of Missing Out are played by New York City-based Crip Video Productions https://cripvideoproductions.com company members Margot Cole, and Izabela Ginda, as part of A Musical Pinata for Christmas 9, which is being streamed on Zoom live on Saturday December 18th. The performance features a mix of disabled and non disabled performers here https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ShTCHpfQSg-b8-0rb_Ec5g Teatro Paraguas presents A Musical Piñata for Christmas IX an annual community celebration for the Holidays The celebration features a short play written by Alix Hudson and Paola Vengoechea Martini, and directed by JoJo Sena de Tarnoff entitled Marimorena, Biscochitos, and the Fear of Missing Out. The play continues the storyline from last year’s featured play, Home for the Holidays: Con Amor y Gozo, which was performed solely on Zoom. This year’s production is a hybrid offering, with a number of actors participating from New York via Zoom. In this Spanglish romp, 30 actors of all ages from our Paraguas family are also a literal family -- desperately trying to cobble together a "normal" Christmas for the family matriarch, Mama JoJo (JoJo Sena de Tarnoff). But with the chaos of the kids making biscochitos, the teens creating tree ornaments, the adults fussing over whether to present the Misa del Gallo on Zoom, and Padre and others hitting the Communion wine, chaos and hilarity shine as bright as the Christmas star. The Teatro Paraguas Orchestra, with 10 musicians led by Jeff Tarnoff, will play traditional and contemporary carols, including a few with dance routines choreographed by Xochitl Ehrl. A number of other short plays will be presented, including Oh, Tannenbaum, by Mark Harvey Levine. And Santa Clos will show up at the last minute to help bring down the piñata for all the kids in the audience. https://www.teatroparaguasnm.org If you are in Santa Fe New Mexico in person, on Saturday, December 18, ArtWalk Santa Fe teams up with Teatro Paraguas for a lively afternoon, with at least 15 local artists selling their creations, food trucks, live music, face painting, and other kid-friendly activities. The festivities begin in Teatro Paraguas’ 2nd Space at 12 noon, and continue until 5:00 p.m. Teatro Paraguas performs at 3:00 p.m. on the Mainstage and on Zoom.

International Day Of Persons with Disabilities 2021

Happy International Day Of Persons With Disabilities #IDPWD2021 (December 3 2021) from Crip Video Productions. Today we celebrate our international fans in places like Ghana, Israel and India! Our films are available for free on youtube in most countries. A Crip Video Productions early clip of "A Stroke Of Endurance" was featured as part of Julesworks Follies starting at 43:17 minutes in here https://youtu.be/TLI2TC3LeQk This early clip is from before the film was color corrected. Special thanks to Juleworks Follies for supporting disabled artists!

Cerebral Palsy Talk and resources

On October 19 2021 I spoke to some psychology students who were learning about the brain. I talked about the neurology of Cerebral Palsy, mainly what causes it and how it can effect daily life like how Cerebral Palsy is similar to a stroke, my film ‘A Stroke Of Endurance’ and about retained reflexes such as the Moro Reflex in CP. We talked about conditions that are common in the CP population like epilepsy and anxiety. This led into a discussion of lack of access in transportation and ableism and challenges faced in low income disabled populations. I talked about how being born premature was a risk factor for Cerebral Palsy and was asked about my own premature birth. We discussed how some people experience racism and ableism at the same time and invisible disability/hidden disability. The other day I also spoke to a class of people who were learning to write and spoke about my journey of creating my first film “Drama Sighted” . This blog post is posted with permission. Special thanks to everyone involved! In addition on October 30th I(Margot Cole) was featured in Julesworks Follies with Crip Video Productions again here https://youtu.be/SCfS_hM1ncA at 1:52:45 and 4:07:38 P.S These classes we speak to have requested that I include a list of resources on disability that I collected with collaborators over the last few years of making Crip Video Productions disability presentations. Most of these resources were suggested by our fans and collaborators. These links and their content are NOT official Crip Video Productions endorsements! Crip Video Productions does NOT own or control any of the following sites! The resources below are copyrighted to the original owners. Contact the original owners if you have questions about these sites below. These resources may be expanded upon on a later date. The links may be better accessed from the Crip Video Productions tumblr here https://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/665498721955561472/cerebral-palsy-talk-and-resources Disability Related Bibliography and Resources https://cripvideoproductions.tumblr.com/post/665498721955561472/cerebral-palsy-talk-and-resources Films: Crip Camp https://cripcamp.com/ Enter the Faun (documentary featuring Margot Cole) http://www.enterthefaun.com/ Margarita With A Straw https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2929690/ When I Walk https://www.wheniwalk.com When We Walk http://whenwewalk.com The Station Agent https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0340377/ A Quiet Place https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6644200/ The Brooke Ellison Story https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407612/ Going Blind https://goingblindmovie.com Front Of The Class (subtitled, captioned, Tourette Syndrome) https://youtu.be/P6UWIGrsxM4 “Music Within” https://www.amazon.com/Music-Within-Ron-Livingston/dp/B00194XKHG TV 911 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7235466 Speechless https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5592146 Books: “I am very happy and excited to announce that the book Ableism in Academia: Theorising Experiences of Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses in Higher Education is available for free download from UCL Press. The blurb: Rather than embracing difference as a reflection of wider society, academic ecosystems seek to normalise and homogenise ways of working and of being a researcher. As a consequence, ableism in academia is endemic. However, to date no attempt has been made to theorise experiences of ableism in academia. Ableism in Academia provides an interdisciplinary outlook on ableism that is currently missing. Through reporting research data and exploring personal experiences, the contributors theorise and conceptualise what it means to be/work outside the stereotypical norm. The volume brings together a range of perspectives, including feminism, post-structuralism, such as Derridean and Foucauldian theory, crip theory and disability theory, and draw on the width and breadth of a number of related disciplines. Contributors use technicism, leadership, social justice theories and theories of embodiment to raise awareness and increase understanding of the marginalised; that is those academics who are not perfect. These theories are placed in the context of neoliberal academia, which is distant from the privileged and romanticised versions that exist in the public and internalised imaginations of academics, and used to interrogate aspects of identity, aspects of how disability is performed, and to argue that ableism is not just a disability issue. This timely collection of chapters will be of interest to researchers in Disability Studies, Higher Education Studies and Sociology, and to those researching the relationship between theory and personal experience across the Social Sciences.” Disability Visibility by Alice Wong (book) https://www.amazon.com/Disability-Visibility-First-Person-Stories-Twenty-First/dp/1984899422 “Being Heumann” by Judy Heumann (book) https://www.amazon.com/Being-Heumann-Unrepentant-Disability-Activist/dp/0807019291/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0JL7l6Tf6gIVBbbICh3dCAfOEAAYASAAEgJLyvD_BwE&hvadid=416715160959&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9004370&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=17364215176927162283&hvtargid=kwd-859188008295&hydadcr=22532_10353776&keywords=being+heumann&qid=1595366729&s=books&sr=1-1&tag=googhydr-20 The Pretty One by Keah Brown (book) https://www.amazon.com/Pretty-One-Culture-Disability-Reasons/dp/1982100540 “True Strength” by Kevin Sorbo (book) https://www.amazon.com/True-Strength-Journey-Hercules-Mortal/dp/073821602X “Ghost Boy” by Martin Pistorius (book) http://www.ghostboybook.com “Accidents Of Nature” by Harriet Mcbryde Johnson (book) https://www.amazon.com/Accidents-Nature-Harriet-McBryde-Johnson/dp/0805076344 “Motherless Brooklyn” by Jonathan Letham https://www.amazon.com/Motherless-Brooklyn-Jonathan-Lethem/dp/0375724834 Neurotribes by Steve Sliverman https://www.amazon.com/Neurotribes-Legacy-Autism-Future-Neurodiversity/dp/0399185615 All The Way To The Top https://www.amazon.com/All-Way-Top-Disabilities-Everything/dp/1492688975 The Child Who Never Grew: A Memoir by Pearl S. Buck (1950) . Pearl S. Buck is an American author who grew up and lived for a considerable time in China. She was ahead of her time in seeing the value of those with Intellectual Disability - then called MR. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6070656M/The_child_who_never_grew. A journalist follows a young couple, both Autistic, as they try to navigate a relationship. It gives insight to Autistic functioning. Asperger Love: Searching For Romance When You’re Not Wired To Connect https://wrongplanet.net/asperger-love-searching-for-romance-when-youre-not-wired-to-connect/ Lewiecki-Wilson, Cynthia, et al., editors. Disability and the Teaching of Writing: A Critical Sourcebook. Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008. Care Work Dreaming Disability Justice Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (Author) https://www.akpress.org/carework.html Articles: https://www.thesqueakywheelchairblog.com/2016/08/thoughts-on-sagamihara-massacre-and.html https://ncd.gov/newsroom/2020/ncd-chairman-statement-michael-hickson-death https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/ny-bronx-teacher-wheelchair-inaccessible-schools-20200615-mbvub77odvaq3cfz3hrpjztlli-story.html Price, Margaret. “Access Imagined: The Construction of Disability in Conference Policy Documents.” Disability Studies Quarterly, vol. 29, no.1, 2009, http://production.ojs.dsq-sds.org/article/view/174/174. Price, Margaret. “Writing from Normal: Critical Thinking and Disability in the Composition Classroom.” Disability and the Teaching of Writing, edited by Cynthia Lewiecki-Wilson and Brenda Jo Brueggemann, Bedford-St. Martin’s, 2008, pp. 56–73. Ability Magazine https://abilitymagazine.com Article on Thoughts Leaders in observance of the ADA 30th Anniversary https://abilitymagazine.com/thought-leaders/ Disability Scoop https://www.disabilityscoop.com Audio Talks: Progressive/Left-Wing Political Talks on Disability: https://wearemany.org/media?type[0]=audio&type[1]=video&keys=disability The Stroke Cast (stroke survivors) https://strokecast.com The Slow Road To Better (aphasia, stroke) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-slow-road-to-better/id1208357373 Disabled Girls Who Lift https://www.disabledgirlswholift.com/dgwl-podcast WEB Resources: https://www.understood.org/en/about/our-mission https://www.ncld.org/ National Center for Learning Disabilities https://www.yourcpf.org/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqJn9BRB0EiwAJ1SztRDIOfanKhdImjgJ5aw3Rjb35yc3ct1BLYQ2vBcJLlafbT28QVMwdxoC6JwQAvD_BwE Cerebral Palsy Foundation https://chadd.org/nrc-toolkit/?gclid=CjwKCAiAqJn9BRB0EiwAJ1SztS1l68RasZ1Uk2-BvrLpRuNZOJzm3N13iPdcc8qPi4q9Yab0wC70SRoCZAwQAvD_BwE Children and Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Rooted In Rights https://rootedinrights.org Not Dead Yet (Disability Rights) https://notdeadyet.org The Stromies Stroke Survivor Blog https://stromies.com Cerebral Palsy sites/vlogs http://elenadoodle.blogspot.com https://independencechick.wordpress.com https://www.youtube.com/user/ATREXLIFE/videos https://toniasays.blogspot.com https://includenyc.podbean.com/e/unstoppable-ms-wheelchair-nys-fight-for-accessibility-inclusion-and-representation/ http://thatcrazycrippledchick.blogspot.com Youtube show “Men On The Move” starring one of the disabled actors from Crip Video Productions film “Crips Not Creeps” named Dustin Jones! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsUdcwR-vQvlRNhx5O87gBg VSA Arts https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/vsa/ The Apothetae (theater with disabled artistic director) http://www.theapothetae.org Theater Breaking Through Barriers www.tbtb.org Phamaly Theater https://phamaly.org Queens Theater For All Program https://queenstheatre.org/programs/theatre-for-all/ Teatro Paraguas (theater Margot Cole is a board member on and features actors with disabilities) http://www.teatroparaguas.org Margot Cole’s films http://www.cripvideoproductions.com/ Agencies/ Organizations Birch Family Services - ASD Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled (BCID) - All Disability Brooklyn Connect - ASD Felicity House - ASD (Women only) Fountain House - Mental Health-Axis I Dx's​ and/or co-morbid Dx’s Goodwill Industries - Most Disabilities ICL PROS Program - Mental Health-Axis I Dx's​and/or co-morbid Dx’s Include NYC - ID, PDD/ASD, LD - Advocacy New Frontiers in Learning - ASD/LD - (Educational, Vocational, Soft Skills, self-pay services) NYC Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) - All Disability Services for the Underserved - ID, PDD/ASD, LD-Mental Health-Axis I Dx's​ and/or co-morbid Dx’s South Beach Clinic - (counseling, psychotherapeutic, psychiatric services) TEENZ in the City - ID, PDD/ASD, LD (Soft Skills, Relationship Building, Recreational - self-pay services) The HOPE Program - All disability, (primarily vocational svcs. w/some counseling) ADULT CAREER & CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICES - Vocational Rehabilitation (ACCES-VR) - All Disability CCCC Position Statement Disability Etiquette Guide from United Spinal https://www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/DisabilityEtiquette.pdf

World Cerebral Palsy Day 2021

Today is World Cerebral Palsy Day 2021. Today and everyday Crip Video Productions celebrates the achievements of those with CP all over the world by depicting characters with Cerebral Palsy living vibrantly and involving people with Cerebral Palsy in all our film productions. We apologize that we don't often post on World Cerebral Palsy Day. Luckily a fan reminded us last year so we are trying to post annually on World CP Day! Special thanks to all Crip Video Productions fans. More information about Cerebral Palsy can be found on our "About Page" on the main website here http://cripvideoproductions.com/about.php Please Share all of our films with people you love who have Cerebral Palsy and/or want to learn more about it. This month we have mutiple public speaking engagements planned to further education on the needs of people with Cerebral Palsy. We will keep you updated on these engagements with the community as much as we can.

Activism Talk on Disability

Activism Talk on Disability I spoke to a group of young adult students the other day about some of the activism I’v done for disability rights on college campuses trying to approve accessibility for disabled students. I also got to speak on the reasons behind why I created Crip Video Productions to dispel the “Better Dead Than Disabled” stereotype and some of the inaccessibility I have faced in the school system and how disability is never one-size-fits all. Someone asked how I started writing films so I mentioned I began writing by writing stage plays such as “Drama Sighted”. I mentioned the experiences of shooting and writing of “Only Those Who Limp Allowed” and “A Stroke Of Endurance” and how some characters were more fun to write because they had different views from each other. We discussed some science as it relates to current events. We discussed calling out ableism when it happens. We discussed invisible disability. We talked about disability as an aspect of the human condition. I was asked about Crip Video Productions collaborations with Teatro Paraguas and Julesworks Follies. I have been in many Julesworks live streams. This is posted with full permission of the people involved with and hosting the presentation.

Disabled actors in the UK

During the COVID19 pandemic Margot of Crip Video Productions has had the honor of meeting people internationally via video call like Inclusion in Higher Education Advocacy Group which advocates for students with intellectual disabilities to be integrated into higher education in the UK. During a meeting in June 2021 there was an interesting discussion of disability terms and accessibility in the UK. One term that came up was “social-relational model” which was similar to the concept of social model of disability in the U.S but it acknowledges more of the biological aspects of disability in addition to society access barriers. One of the members in the meeting who had a disability himself mentioned in discussing approaching public figures and actors for their support for the IHE, revealed that actors who are disabled in the UK face many of the same challenges as disabled actors in the USA do, but the ableism is more blatant and casting notices can have sections in them saying particular roles are not open to a disabled performer or not suitable for a disabled performer. At Crip Video Productions we are honored to make our work as widely available as possible online so ableist attitudes and perceptions of what disabled actors can do can be changed so actors can access opportunity. Special thanks to Inclusion in Higher Education Advocacy Group IHE UK. This blog is posted with permission of Inclusion in Higher Education Advocacy Group.

Stroke Awareness and small interviews with students

On April 7th I gave a private presentation/interview about “A Stroke Of Endurance” to a small group of college students online. One student came on the video call a tad early and said that the film was a great inspiration to her and immediately asked how I went about getting permission to film “A Stroke Of Endurance” in certain locations (called location scouting by professionals) and if it was difficult or nerve racking to do so. I responded that the locations shown in “A Stroke Of Endurance” were some of the easiest to work with. Once the rest of the students arrived many of them asked about the true events that roughly inspired “A Stroke Of Endurance” and one asked how I researched and observed strokes and whether I had gotten input from real Stroke Survivors themselves which the answer to is yes I did. We talked about mental health, ableism and the “Super Crip” stereotype. I was asked the meaning of “Crip”. I was asked about IEPs and how the public school system, and college education system are different. Many students asked why Ava had such emotional reactions in the film. We discussed disclosure and privacy as it relates to disability accommodations. Of course some of the usual questions about preferred disability terminology was brought up. I was asked what it was like to act and direct at the same time. Someone asked if I had ever witnessed anybody have a stroke in the middle of the stroke itself as it happened. At the end I was asked what my favorite movie or piece of media was. The interview had a great flow to it. On May 12 2021 I spoke to some developmental psychology students about disability. We talked about Cerebral Palsy, mental health, and work experiences with a disability. One student asked if it was annoying to be called “Inspiring” so I explained the term “Inspiration Porn”. We talked about how some disabled people and other minorities who are often hired simply for a specific identity rather than a specific skill or are over or under estimated in their abilities. We talked about bullying and it’s effect on mental health in the disability community. We talked about appropriate disability terms. One student talked about someone with CP that they knew personally who was in an institution. One student asked if I felt obligated to educate on disability all the time. I explained that I only educated on disability when I felt like it. One person asked if schools and colleges should teach disability studies and about the history of other minorities in the USA. I spoke to many classes in the past few weeks and got feedback from those students. We met disabled students in the UK. The collaboration project is also coming along. Crip Video Productions was featured on Julesworks yet again. We hope to be on Julesworks more in the future. May is Stroke Awareness month. Please share “A Stroke Of Endurance” with a stroke survivor this month!

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day 2021

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness month. Today March 25 2021 is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day. Cerebral Palsy Awareness Day is apparently entirely different from World CP Day in October. March is also Brain Injury awareness month and Cerebral Palsy is a brain injury. Michael Lettman who writes the blog “Living With Autism” was kind enough to let me write a Cerebral Palsy Awareness post for the blog which you can view by clicking this link. https://masterml9502.wixsite.com/livingwithautism/post/cerebral-palsy-awareness-guest-post-by-margot  Crip Video Productions used to write a Cerebral Palsy Awareness post on our google plus page until google plus shut down entirely. Check out my other guest posts for Michael on our official website press page http://cripvideoproductions.com/press.php along with other guest posts. There is more awareness spreading of the connection between Stroke and Cerebral Palsy.

In other news Crip Video Productions was featured on Julesworks again here https://youtu.be/VVvungDudHA starting at 1 hr 25 minutes into the stream. Crip Video Productions will be part of another Julesworks Follies Live Stream on Saturday March 27th 2021 5:00pm MST. Margot Cole was interviewed by Stephen Jules Rubin about Crip Video Productions and Teatro Paraguas https://www.teatroparaguasnm.org  and is in another video with a friend who wrote a song in the live stream here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QxXNfpXmwI  EDIT: Here's the replay of the stream, Margot Cole on the stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYf7G51vp4w at 1:38:52 1:41:00 and 2:14:00 .Enjoy! We also received this lovely message below:

“

I just watched the film for the first time and wanted to tell you how much I appreciate what you accomplished. It’s a beautiful, beautiful film. I don’t know whether it’s about disabilities as much as it’s about love, because that so shines from every one of the actors it’s almost palpable. As serious as the subject matter is I had to smile through most of it. It’s brilliant the way you made humanity shine even while pointing out human flaws, as though no matter how badly we may sometimes feel or sometimes behave, every minute we have the potential to, as you subtly point out, speak to God as to a friend. Maybe I should have watched it a second time before trying to say something articulate, this is just a gut reaction.

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me the link!

I can’t wait to see what you do next!

”

— 

Sue Marra Byham

In response to Crip Video Productions “A Stroke Of Endurance” http://cripvideoproductions.com/astrokeofendurance.php This quote is posted with full permission from the person who wrote it.

Special thanks to Michael Lettman, Sue Marra Byham, and Stephen Jules Rubin! 

Disability Advocacy Talk Part 2

 Disability Advocacy talk Part 2: 

Today(February 4th 2021) we had a "part 2" to another online video call presentation myself and my Crip Video Productions cast members gave in November 2020. We talked about Cerebral Palsy, blindness, autism and eye surgeries. I(Margot) mentioned that Cerebral Palsy is caused by stroke and that it is actually easier for a baby to have a stroke than an adult(according to "Cerebral Palsy Foundation"). We got questions from people in the UK(England) about educating on disability issues. We had a discussion of adapted martial arts, adapted yoga(called chair yoga apparently), and adapted dance for those with physical disability. We discussed therapeutic Neuroplasticity involved in martial arts and dance for people with neurologic conditions. A woman with a physical disability in the audience spoke a lot about her personal experience. Many audience members mentioned bad experiences with inaccessible public transit. A cast member who is able bodied talked about her experience needing accommodations for a temporary condition and how it helped her empathize more with people with disabilities. Some audience members wanted us to do more presentations. At the end we received feedback that people saw the humanity of the disabled community through us. 

Michael Lettman talked about his youtube channel, blog and autism advocacy project and how I started writing a series of guest blog posts for him during the presentation. https://masterml9502.wixsite.com/livingwithautism/post/disability-in-the-media-guest-post-by-margot  I will continue to guest post for Michael Lettman.

Special thanks to all of the panelists and attendees! We have full permission from everyone involved to write this blog post!

In other news Julesworks which collaborates with Teatro Paraguas featured Crip Video Productions trailer and blooper video in another live stream on January 30 2021 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hqoMUqvpKc Crip Video Productions is featured at 1:09:00 and 1:58:00 roughly. 

Autism blog post 2 and youtube

 Happy New Year from Crip Video Productions! 

As I mentioned in my last post, I met Michael Lettman on Zoom in 2020 and he was kind enough to let me do a few blog posts for his Autism blog. Here’s my latest posts for his blog https://masterml9502.wixsite.com/livingwithautism/post/a-guest-post-by-margot  https://masterml9502.wixsite.com/livingwithautism/post/disability-in-the-media-guest-post-by-margot 

To my honor and surprise Michael mentioned Crip Video Productions in his latest video for his official youtube channel here https://youtu.be/lXm0VC8l1aM  for which I’m most grateful. Crip Video Productions is mentioned at about 12:14 into the video. The video is included in Michael Lettman’s blog post about his college experiences, and the blog post now includes a wonderful shoutout to Crip Video Productions and some Crip Video Productions supporters here https://masterml9502.wixsite.com/livingwithautism/post/the-college-life-of-michael-lettman in the section about the Fall Semester of 2020. This college post is wonderful for anybody wanting to learn about what college is like for people on the autism spectrum in the USA and how capable autistic individuals are.  Special thanks to Michael Lettman for the wonderful publicity! 

As a reminder Julesworks which often collaborates with Teatro Paraguas was kind enough to stream the "A Stroke Of Endurance" trailer again on Jan 2 2021. Our trailer is at 1:22:04 here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urbNTNl0ryE&feature=youtu.be with a shoutout to all our actors!  Jules also mentions his experience with dysgraphia and seizures in the stream. Teatro Paraguas has poetry by a Stroke Survivor  named Damien Flores who wrote a poem about nearly dying of the stroke here https://xerb.tv/channel/teatro-paraguas/virtual-events/1609  on Xerb as well if you are looking for more content on Stroke after watching our popular film  “A Stroke Of Endurance”.  

Crip Video Productions has upcoming presentations for colleges and folks in the UK so stay tuned to this blog for more.