By Nils Skudra This week I had the opportunity to watch Still Alice, a 2014 film written and directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland which revolves around the experience of Alice Howland, a renowned linguistics professor whose diagnosis with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease profoundly affec…

By Nils Skudra This morning I had the opportunity to watch My Name is David, a compelling short film featuring the actual words of David Shapiro Sharif (May 28, 1997 – April 23, 2022), a young autism advocate who recently died suddenly at the age of 24. Made in Claymation, the film provides a…

Infinitely Polar Bear articulates an encouraging message about the ability of neurodivergent individuals to be successful parents, a goal they can achieve through love and support from their partners and from their children. By Nils Skudra This week I had the opportunity to watch Maya Forbes’ 2014 p…

By Nils Skudra This weekend I had the opportunity to finish watching the new Amazon Prime series As We See It, a compelling 8-episode portrayal of three young autistic adults dealing with the challenges of independent living. This series provides a highly insightful and sensitive look at the issues…

Since it is very difficult for people with disabilities to make successful inroads in the film industry, where disabled characters tend to be represented by non-disabled actors, Falk’s example can hopefully inspire members of the disability community today to pursue their aspirations of career succe…

A movie review of the 1986 film Children of A Lesser God By Nils Skudra This weekend I had the opportunity to watch Children of a Lesser God, a beautiful 1986 film about a romance between a hearing teacher and a young deaf woman working at a school for the deaf and hearing-impaired. I felt that thi…

Academy-award nominated My Left Foot (1989) garnered a best actor Oscar for Daniel Day-Lewis who portrays author and artist Christy Brown and a best supporting actress Oscar for Brenda Fricker who plays Christy’s mother. By Nils Skudra This week I watched the 1989 film My Left Foot, starring D…

October is National Disability History Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Richard Pimentel was one of the first disability activists to work with United States government agencies and Fortune 500 companies in diversity training and providing employment for people with disabili…

A Civil War historian makes the case for Stonewall Jackson having Asperger’s Syndrome By Nils Skudra As a Civil War historian, I always have a fervent interest in studying how its notable political and military leaders made a significant impact on the course of the war. One of the most iconic…

“I believe God gives each of us a purpose. To the horse, it’s to run across the prairie. For a cowboy, it’s to ride,” Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) By Nils Skudra This evening I just finished watching The Rider, a compelling biographical western film directed by Chloé Zhao and starring Bra…

Considered the father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence, Alan Turing’s idiosyncrasies have led some historians to speculate that he may have had Asperger’s syndrome. Editor’s Note: Asperger’s syndrome is a previously used diagnosis which was under the autism …

By Nils Skudra This week I took the opportunity to watch The Theory of Everything, a 2014 biographical film about the renowned cosmologist and physicist Stephen Hawking who struggled with ALS (commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) throughout his life but achieved remarkable success and internation…

By Nils Skudra This afternoon I had the opportunity to watch Here We Are, a recent Israeli film directed by Nir Bergman which focuses on the relationship between Uri, a young man on the autism spectrum, and his father Aharon, who is resistant to letting him live in a specialized group home. The film…

“Although there is a widespread perception that disabilities inhibit people from reaching their potential, advocates have argued that in many ways they can serve as assets because of the unique talents that they contribute to the workplace and to interpersonal relationships.” By Nils Sku…