Tonight on PBS’s documentary series “Independent Lens,” the spotlight will be on the history of the Disability Rights Movement that led to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The film takes a look at the often horrifying and discriminatory practices that persons with disabilities were subjected to and the brave individuals who fought for change.
In addition to the trailer preview above, PBS describes the documentary as follows:
Lives Worth Living follows one man’s struggle to survive after a spinal cord injury and his role in the earliest days of the Disability Rights Movement.
Fred Fay’s life proves that one man can change the world, even though he has to lie flat on his back just to stay alive. Lives Worth Living looks at Fay’s struggle to survive after a spinal cord injury and the small group of dedicated activists who formed the Disability Rights Movement to drive the nation towards equal rights.
The late Fred Fay survived a devastating spinal cord injury when he was only 16, and turned his misfortune into a movement for equality. With a small group of dedicated activists, he spearheaded the disability rights movement and changed the face of American society.
