Presented with Meyer Foundation for Disabilities, a panel discussion will follow the film.
Helen Keller once said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.” This quote anchors the earnest tone of the film BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS, whose title is inspired by Keller’s words. The film follows Michelle Smith, a graduate from the Perkins School for the Blind (the same school Helen Keller attended) on her journey to independence and self-discovery.
In an interview Smith described her attitude towards life, “One of the compliments that I got a lot at Perkins that made me feel good was that compared to some of the other students, no one was ever worried that I wasn’t finding my own path in life. Some students would just sit on the couch with the television on, and they wouldn’t even pay attention to what was on. They would just sit around passively and not engage with anything that was going on. That was never me. I would always find something to do. If I could help it, everything would be fun.”
Smith, who is legally blind, was also diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at a young age. But BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL THINGS director Garret Zevgetis was more interested in showing how Smith’s coming-of-age story can resonate universally. He says, “How can we shift the paradigm to value people like Michelle who have different abilities, talents, and perspectives? We must bridge the ocean of fear and misunderstanding that isolates and dehumanizes people considered as ‘other.’”
Smith agrees. She says, “Everyone can relate to each other in one way or the other. And that’s something very beautiful and it’s good to think about whenever you’re thinking you’re alone in the world. And trust me, if you think you’re all alone, think of how many other billions of people think they’re alone. Six billion, to be precise.”
Following the film will be a panel discussion with Cheryl Wichman, parent of a child who has a visual impairment and is on the spectrum; Rachel Carver, Public Relations Coordinator at Outlook Nebraska, Inc., who is herself blind; Donna Hultman, Outreach Consultant for the NE Center for the Education of the Blind (NCECBVI). Mary McHale, President of the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities will moderate.
— Diana Martinez, Film Streams Education Director
