I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE, Part 3:
Credits, Et.Al.

Disability Language That Viewers & Audiences Should Know – And Film Reviewers, Of Course

Disability Language

Director Reid Davenport:

● I, along with many other disabled people, identify with “disability” (and all its iterations) as a political identity. The reasoning behind this is that disability is a social construct, rather than a medical phenomenon. Along the same lines, I do not identify with a medical diagnosis. You will not see a named medical diagnosis in any materials released from the film team.
● When using disabled, people wonder whether they should say “people with disabilities” or “disabled people.” Both are valid. My rule of thumb is for non-disabled people to refer, when appropriate, to someone as a person with a disability unless asked by that person to use other language (i.e. disabled person).
● Stick to the word “disability” and its iterations when relevant. Other terms like differently-abled, special needs, handicapable, impaired, limited, wheelchair-bound are problematic.
● When sharing and publishing media from the film, please use image identifications for people who are blind or low-vision. You can see examples throughout the film’s social media.
● Framing disabled people as inspiring, courageous, etc. is dehumanizing and othering. The media at large has perpetuated these storylines to the detriment of disabled people.
● A line in the film that ended up on the editing floor was “I’m sick of people telling me that I have a unique perspective.” This idea of uniqueness equivocates ableism (“oh, I didn’t know that because I’m unfamiliar”), others, and devalues my work as a product of utilitarian considerations rather than artistic skill.
● Family-members and those involved in disabled lives are overly represented and usually used as reference-points, if not proxies, to disabled people. It is important that disabled people have agency and represent themselves.
Below, please find additional easy-reference guidelines regarding terms to use while writing about I DIDN’T SEE YOU THERE. These guidelines are courtesy of the National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ).

Able Bodied

Background: This term is used to describe someone who does not identify as having a disability. Some members of the disability community oppose its use because it implies that all people with disabilities lack “able bodies” or the ability to use their bodies well. They may prefer “non-disabled” or “enabled” as being more accurate.
NCDJ Recommendation: The term “non-disabled,” and the phrases “does not have a disability” or “is not living with a disability” are more neutral choices. “Able-bodied” is an appropriate term to use in some cases, such as when referring to government reports on the proportion of able-bodied members in the workforce. In some cases, the word “typical” can be used to describe a non-disabled condition, although be aware that some in the disability community object to its use.

Wheelchair/Wheelchair Bound/Confined to a Wheelchair

Background: People who use mobility equipment such as a wheelchair, scooter or cane consider the equipment part of their personal space, according to the United Spinal Association. People who use wheelchairs have widely different disabilities and varying abilities. NCDJ Recommendation: It is acceptable to describe a person as “someone who uses a wheelchair,” followed by an explanation of why the equipment is required. Avoid “confined to a wheelchair” or “wheelchair-bound” as these terms describe a person only in relationship to a piece of equipment. The terms also are misleading, as wheelchairs can liberate people, allowing them to move about, and they are inaccurate, as people who use wheelchairs are not permanently confined to them but are transferred to sleep, sit in chairs, drive cars, etc.

---

Credits

Directed by: REID DAVENPORT
Produced by : KEITH WILSON
Edited by: TODD CHANDLER
Executive Producers: ALYSA NAHMIAS, BRYN MOOSER, KATHRYN EVERETT, ANDY HSIEH, DAWN BONDER, MARCI WISEMAN
In Association with:  BREEZY CIRCLE, AJNA FILMS, XTR, JUSTFILMS | FORD FOUNDATION
Director of Photography: REID DAVENPORT
Additional Camera: KELSEY
Featuring: KELSEY, BECKY, CARSON, LISA DAVENPORT, DANIEL LEE
Associate Producer: SASHA LEITMANN
Fiscal Sponsor: THROUGH MY LENS
DI Facility: NICE DISSOLVE
Colorist: NATACHA IKOLI
DI Supervisor: PIERCE VAROUS
Online Editor: CHRIS KENNY

Post-Production Sound
GIGANTIC STUDIOS

Lead Sound Designer & Re-recording Mixer : TOM PAUL
Supervising Sound Editor: ANDRÉS E. MARTHE GONZÁLEZ
ADR Mixer: TRISTAN BAYLIS
Sound Effects Editors: TOM BAYLIS, PETER RUSSELL, AI MIYATAKE
Additional Sound Field Recordings: ERNST KAREL
Production Assistant: LATEEF MCLEOD
Consulting Editor: HANNAH BUCK
Additional Editing Consulting: BRETT STORY, AVRIL JACOBSON
Assistant Editor: ANNE YAO
Graphics: DAVE TECSON
Post-Production Supervisor: REBEKAH FERGUSSON
Film Stills: DANIEL CHÁVEZ-ONTIVEROS
Production Counsel: JUSTINE JACOB, HEATHER BUTTERFIELD
FOCUS MEDIA LAW GROUP
Accounting: KIM MATULLO
Poster Design: CASPAR NEWBOLT
Captioning: CHERYL GREEN
Audio Description: CHERYL GREEN
Intern: DIANA CADENA

Music
Spacewalk
Written by Troy Herion
Performed by Thomas Giles and Troy Herion Courtesy of Troy Herion Publishing
Squids
Written and Performed by Troy Herion Courtesy of Troy Herion PublishingLaundromat
Written by Troy Herion
Performed by Charlie Culbert and Troy Herion Courtesy of Troy Herion Publishing
Keepers
Written and Performed by Troy Herion Courtesy of Troy Herion Publishing
Naked (a showing of scars)
Written by Walt McClements
Performed by Walt McClements
Courtesy of American Dreams Records
Thresholds (through a hole in the fence) Written by Walt McClements
Performed by Walt McClements
Courtesy of American Dreams Records

Pine Trees
Written by Mary Lattimore
Performed by Mary Lattimore
Courtesy of Ghostly International
Bunker Dreams
Written by Brian Horst
Performed by The Noisettes
Courtesy of Brian Horst
Special Thanks
JEANELLE AUGUSTIN
SARA BOLDER
KRISTIN FEELEY
SEAN FLYNN
MAXYNE FRANKLIN
TONY HSIEH AND ANDY HSIEH
JIM LEBRECHT
ELIZABETH LO
ANDREA MEDITCH
CHI-HUI YANG

Click here to return to Part 1