Colleges do not contribute enough education about autistics. Films about autistics can be effective, however, in impactful learning for non-autistic students. Pace University is doing this by engaging non-autistic students through an annual Celebration of People with Disabilities in Art, Films and Music festival, begun from a community engagement course of the author in 2012.
Festival Goals
This festival is designed as an educational event focusing on films that inform non-autistic students and students without disabilities about the day-to-day lives of autistics and others with disabilities. Most of the students at the festivals had not encountered enough autistics or others with disabilities as depicted in the films. Students have had misconceptions of autistics and people with disabilities from myths about them not as persons with abilities but as objects of pity, if not prejudice (Johanssen & Garrisi, 2022). Their misconceptions may be from films in the mainstream media depicting pitiable stigmas of those with disabilities. Beyond entertainment, the goal of the festival is for non-autistics and students without disabilities to learn that autism and disability are not the entire persona of autistics and those with disabilities.
Features of the Festival
The films are on authentic people with disabilities, a benefit for non-autistics as mainstream media continues playing people with disabilities by people without disabilities (Bahr, 2022). The films are about normalizing those with autism and disabilities in personal, realistic stories (Lu, 2025). The films and forum are designed to change the perceptions of non-autistic students by presenting the experiences of autistics and people with disabilities shared in the film stories.
The films are curated for demographic diversity, emphasis on language, and an emphasis on learning about the potential of autistics and people with disabilities. The films are collectively decided in focus groups of autistics, film professors, and film and other students with disabilities, from the Sands College of Performing Arts and the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems, at the university. The focus groups include disability professionals of advocacy community organizations for autistic students, such as Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU), a partner with the Seidenberg School, for further perspectives on the films.
The festival averages 7-9 films of 10 – 15 minutes per film. The films can be animation, cartoon, comedy, documentary, or narrative “shorts.” An example of a festival film in spring 2025 was Good Night Margaret, a romance story from The New York Times that was an audience favorite. At the festival in spring, most of the films were preceded by films of 3-5 minutes, also as “shorts,” by directors or players that introduced the festival films. The 7-9 films are from the field of advocacy disability sources already in the networks of the professors.
To encourage interactivity with the audience, the evening festival in downtown New York City includes panelists for pre- and post-film discussions of each of the films, as to elements of the films the non-autistics and the other students without disabilities ought to have learned about those in the films. The panelists include advocacy organization representatives, self-advocates, and students with disabilities for each of the films. At the festival in spring, interactivity also included an intermission musical performance by community people with disabilities from Daniel’s Music Foundation, which involved the audience singing with the people. Further interaction included a presentation of autistic students of the TKU organization on film systems developed by these students. Q&A is encouraged for learning opportunities with the panelists and the presenters.
More festival highlights include a keynote presentation preceding the films by a disability advocate in the community or in government.
For example, at the festival in spring, the invited presentation was by Christina Curry, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD) in the City of New York, which was inspirational to students in a nothing about us, nothing without us talk.
Other highlights in the late afternoon preceding the films included art displays of artists with disabilities, kiosks of advocacy community organizations that furnished information on autistics and people with disabilities, which were learning and networking opportunities for the non-autistic students, gift raffles for the students, and dinner refreshments.
Overall, the festival is positioned as a community extra-curricular program for which professors may offer extra credit on curricular syllabi if students are at the festival.
Impacts on Non-Autistic Students
Findings from the festivals continue to denote impacts by non-autistic students, as from reflections from spring 2025:
- Algassimu Jalloh, ’25 Information Systems, “I [am] deeply moved by [the festival]. It made me realize that there is truly ability and talent within disability. It brought me … joy to see [people] with disabilities given a platform to showcase their remarkable talents;”
- Gabrielle Rose Casey, ’28 Film Studies, cites “I hope to advocate for people with disabilities and change [how] the film industry … treats them. I have … been motivated to become more involved in the festival and to … help change the narrative … [to] make the world more inclusive … of all types of people [and to] help tell their stories. I … am eager to help further the impacts [of this festival];” and
- Melanie Greene, ’17 Alumnus Information Systems, cites “The festival opens my heart and mind to the power of storytelling … As a [former student], I carry lessons [from the films] … [in] championing accessibility in technology and [in] uplifting diverse voices – every voice deserves to be told. The festival … celebrates people of all backgrounds and abilities, reminding us that exposure leads to empathy, and empathy drives change.”
Films from the festival are evidently important as a medium in dispelling stereotypes and stigmas of those with disabilities (Schwartz, et.al., 2010).
- Interim Provost Jonathan Hill cites the festival as an “annual dialogue in the mission of the neurodiversity tradition” of the university.
Lastly, from the efforts of the author, non-profit organizations, and “influencer” students, the festivals annually attract 95+ – 225+ (175+ spring 2025) community parents, professors, and current and especially former undergraduate and graduate students without and with disabilities, in continuing the foundation for future impacts.
Lessons Learned
Festivals can advocate effectively for autistics and people with disabilities by engaging advocacy organizations knowledgeable in disability and inclusion issues, as the author has done in engaging community and municipal organizations in the festival at his university.
Festivals can effectively engage autistics and other students with disabilities to be key in developing forums for educating non-autistics about the potential of autistics and people with disabilities, as done in the focus groups at the university
For festivals about those with disabilities, films can definitely be focused on how autistics and those with disabilities can be positively and properly represented, not misrepresented in stigmas and stereotypes, through the art of personally powerful stories (Magsamen & Ross, 2025).
Festivals can be designed in partnership with internal outreach programs of a university, such as accessibility services, autism disability services, community services, diversity, equity, and inclusion services, and services for student well-being, which have been factors in continuing attendance at the films.
Finally, festivals, as at Pace University, depend on the encouragement and funding of extra-curricular neurodiversity programs from the leadership of a university, which has been a factor in growing the Celebration of People with Disabilities in Art, Films, and Music since 2012.
Conclusion
Films can be an educational method for non-autistics in learning about autistics. Colleges can contribute empathy to autistics and people with disabilities by expanding the learning perspectives of non-autistic students through extra-curricular programs, such as the Celebration of People with Disabilities in Art, Music, and Films. The festival at Pace University is a meaningful method for non-autistics to recognize autistics as everyday people, first and foremost as a fundamental social justice, a method that can be applied by ASN readers.
James Lawler, DPS, is Professor of Disability Studies and Information Systems at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems of Pace University, in downtown New York City. Dr. Lawler is the originator and organizer of the Disability Film Festival at the university since 2012. Professor Lawler is a recipient of local Community Partnership Awards and of the national Jefferson Award for Community Service, for his initiatives in helping people and students with disabilities with innovative programs and technologies at the Seidenberg School of the University. Professor Lawler can be contacted at jlawler@pace.edu.
References
Bahr, S. (2022). Study Shows Disability Representation Onscreen Is Increasing, but Still Falls Short. The New York Times, July 26, 1-2.
Johanssen, J., & Garrisi, D. (2022). Disability, Media, and Representations: Other Bodies. Routledge, New York, New York, 2-3,7-8,137-138.
Lu, W. (2025). Sharing Stories about Love and Disability. The New York Times, January 26, 6.
Magsamen, S., & Ross, I. (2025). Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us. Random House, New York, New York, ix-xi,17-19.
Schwartz, D., Blue, E., McDonald, M., Giuliani, G., Weber, G., Seirup, H., Rose, S., Elks-Albuhoff, D., Rosenfeld, J., & Perkins, A. (2010). Dispelling Stereotypes: Promoting Disability Equality through Film. Disability & Society, 25(7), 841-848.
Dr. Lawler is a fine advocate for people living differently. A dedicated soul.