User reviews

As a doc, it covers mostly all the bases and is heartfelt without being sugary sweet. You get a feeling for the times, the various areas of civil rights and political action (before that mean PAC). Finally getting the ADA signed and enforced was a 20yr struggle I remember well. I had forgotten that some politicians you'd think would have been supportive were not and visa versa. In those days, with no social media, if you weren't voters (or not perceived as such) and didn't get news coverage, politicians generally had little interest. However, one big counter argument against few benefiting (even though those "few" were/are the biggest minority) was overlooked here, otherwise I would have given it a 10/10:

After I had my first knee surgery, I had complications. I spent a long time on crutches. I went to physical therapy daily but the restroom in that building was incredibly tiny, with two stalls you could barely get into, much less with crutches and a backpack on (forget wheelchair). And that was a medical building in one of the largest medical centers in the US! It was 1988-89. So a great argument against few benefiting was that many able bodied people would spend some time as a disabled person and I saw those people every day in PT, a lot of them. I ended up having 5 more knee surgeries so spent lots of time needing accommodations. I still use a ramp as stairs are not my friend and I'm happy for other accommodations as well, esp as I get older. It shouldn't take my experience to have empathy, but empathy is a greatly underdeveloped organ in humanity.

It's amazing to me that a country that saw the polio epidemic render millions disabled, that saw wars disable millions of young men (Vietnam in particular in those days), and on and on, had such a hard time finding empathy and a few dollars so that everyone had access and opportunity, which saves money in the long run because less institutionalization is needed and more people can work and contribute. It is amazing that many still are the heirs to the nasty undertones of the kind of thinking that delayed this legislation for so long.

...no frills, no overly-clever graphics, just a beautifully edited collection of convicting memories, capturing a completely forgotten piece of cultural history, & illuminating the immense effect this one relatively small group of hippies had on American history. It's packed with full of the kind of humanity we need: kid singing "One Time Blues", climbing Capitol steps, reuniting with other campers at campgrounds...& is it just me, or did anybody else crush hard on Judith?

Watching this documentary is about as humbling as being at the senior olympics, as a teen-aged logistical supporter. Seeing what these kids accomplished with their physical & societal challenges makes me embarrassed to even think about giving up on ANYTHING, or complaining about my problems. But it's not a depressing film - it's remarkably optimistic & uplifting. It's also hilarious - the jokes they tell on themselves had me rolling! They're also surprisingly insightful about their place in the world, and not accepting what they're told that is. One of the campers with CP was even poetic, despite her profound disability. Yes, it was VERY hard to understand her, but the effort paid off. You won't regret taking the time to watch this.

Wow. What an amazing story this was documenting the struggles and lives of the disabled in America culminating with Bush number 1 signing the Americans with Dissabilities Act (ADA). Beginning with the story of a camp for the disabled which empowered and planted the seeds in the activists minds to their powerful marathons of trying to get the US government to listen to them. This documentary was so well done with beautiful, heartfelt and at times heartbreaking video footage of the lives of these warriors fighting for just the opportunity to live normal lives and contribute to society. No wonder this brought down the house at Sundance. It is an art piece dedicated to those who society shunned rising up to change the world for everyone. It was beautiful. Just sit back and let them tell the story. You will be amazed and most likely changed. Powerful.

It's absolutely great movie about inspiring people.Well they are a true influencers. Hope more people will see it, because world still need changes.

The Documentary takes it's title from an insensitive nickname for Camp Jened, a summer camp for the disabled, founded in 1951. The Doc focuses on a group of attendees in the summer of 1971 (which included filmmaker James LeBrecht, who co-Directs with Nicole Newnham). At the time, Jened was being run by self-described hippies. One of the interviewees describes the place as their Woodstock which had been held nearby just a couple of summers prior (there's even a sequence when the camp counselors lead a sing-a-long of the Grateful Dead's 'What A Long Strange Trip It's Been'). That younger generation is known for advocating for civil rights, women's rights and gay rights but a lesser known movement was the early stages of rights for the disabled. A good number of the campers not only became friends, but, also became players in the disability rights movements, in particular, the indefatigable Judith Heumann.

Heumann, LeBrecht and Camp Jened members participated in the protests that led to the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (signed by Nixon, but not enforced), the 1977 San Francisco sit-ins that forced Secretary Joseph Califano into finally putting teeth into the act), suffered through Ronald Reagan's budget axe and eventually, the landmark 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act signed by Bush, Sr..

This second and longer section of the Documentary is very well done and certainly heartfelt, but, the opening section at Camp Jened is the heart and soul of the movie. Fortunately, a group called the People's Video Theater documented the camp in 1971 on 1/2 inch Videotape - and, even more miraculously, the tapes survived. What those tapes reveal are the campers in all their unguarded glory. The laughter, the tears and, for many of them, their first sexual experiences (an outbreak of the crabs is squeamishly detailed). The legislation was long overdue and important, but CRIP CAMP is more about just showing the individuals as people. LeBrecht and Newnham let everybody speak for themselves,no matter how halting their speech. It's never edited for time. They are just being themselves in front of the camera. The footage during the S.F. sit-in also needs special mention of local TV reporter Evan White who literally embedded with the protesters.

CRIP CAMP falls into the 'advocacy documentary' category (few warts are discussed), but what elevates it is the way in which the viewer is invited to participate with the Camp Jened campers. It shows in it's own way why it's very title is both a reminder of the past, but also that there is still work to do to eliminate it's "insensitive" moniker.

I almost feel like a bad person for not loving this the way so many others seem to have loved it. It's far from terrible, and it has a very good message, while celebrating and humanising a group of people who deserve more recognition. But as a film, and as a story, it faltered in a few regards for me, and I think those flaws kept me from absolutely loving it.

I've discovered a good deal of extremely solid documentaries on Netflix lately, and was hoping my enthusiasm for Crip Camp would be similarly strong. Yet maybe I'm starting to notice a distinct formula to some of them. The editing style, the music, the pacing, and even the opening credits- so many aspects are starting to feel very similar. It's a side note, and maybe not worth bringing up right now, but it's interesting nevertheless.

The main problem with Crip Camp is the way in which its story is told, or more accurately, how its two stories are told. Because to me, this documentary combines two short documentaries into one; one is about a camp for disabled children in the 1970s, and the other is about a group of disability activists teaming together to get more rights for disabled people in America during the late 1970s to early 1980s. Even with some individuals in the camp being involved in this second part, I still didn't really feel a strong connection between the two stories. They try to drive it home in the film's epilogue, with a voiceover suggesting that the spirit of the camp drove them to fight for disabled rights later on in their lives, but I just didn't feel it. I got the sense I was being told this rather than shown it, and it made the early camp scenes feel a little pointless as a result.

Unfortunately, the scenes about taking on the government aren't a whole lot more interesting. The stock footage isn't too compelling, and doesn't convey much information. It comes down to the narration to tell the story again, but everything's structured in a flat, kind of uninteresting way. The basic story is interesting, and noteworthy, and important, but this whole chunk of the movie really just goes through the motions, reciting in a tedious manner what happened before reaching a decently emotional but very sudden conclusion where the filmmakers attempt to tie it all together. I just didn't buy it, and maybe that's more on me. But I can't help feeling like little effort was put into presenting this story in an interesting, engaging way.

It's a disappointment, but the efforts behind the film, the message, and the recognition of what these people did keeps it from being bad. It's just all quite narratively flat and dull to me. There's little in the way of emotional resonance too, besides the aforementioned moving epilogue (that nevertheless does clash with the rest of the film, in being quite suddenly and heavily sentimental). Give it a shot. Everyone else seems to really like it, and I might be one of the only naysayers. And even then, it's far from terrible. It doesn't say anything dangerous, it's not biased, and it does seem to come from respectful, genuine filmmakers. It's just a shame I didn't find it as engaging as I wanted or expected to.

Oh how I loved this film! It starts about a group of disabled people who attend Camp Jened, a camp for people with disabilities and the freedom they felt at the camp where they could be themselves and feel equal, unlike in society and back at home. The story evolves into the story of the disability movement in America, which was led by one of the campers. I knew nothing of this movement until now and it's an important story to be told. It brought me to tears and is a must-watch if you enjoy documentaries!

I just watched Crip Camp for the second time, as a viewing was assigned for a college course I am taking about special education. Honestly, although I recommend it, I doubt I would ever have re-watched it if not for the course. I agree with a previous reviewer that the documentary seems like it would be more effective as two different films. Yes, most of the pioneering disability rights activists apparently met while they were teens at Crip Camp, but the film does not entirely succeed in showing the link between their experiences at the camp--however life-transforming--and the genesis and eventual hard-won successes of the fight for the most basic rights for people with disabilities. Still, it is well worth a viewing.

Of all the things you could be, be Kind! Couldn't help to cry a few times, how many suffer and are grateful and happy with the bit they possess, yet so many of us with full health take it for granted and dismiss those with all sorts of disabilities.

Well done with this documentary. Bringing in the truth, from people who lived it. Our world has never treated persons with special needs well at all. Their story needs to be told, their strength needs to be shared. Heartbreaking and inspiring. The original footage is amazing!

A documentary about an American summer camp in the 1970's exclusively for disabled children, and the political activism that was given energy and direction as a result, When I first became aware of the film, I feared a tacky 'inspiration' sort of thing; this film certainly isn't that. The first 45 minutes or so about the camp itself I found fasicnating watch, which said much that resonates - not least the power of enabling people to be around those who have similar journeys to themselves. This can result in all sorts of things, and the documentary gives a good and moving airing to this. The rest of the film - around an hour - is the story of the political activism, lobbying hard for changes to laws and the enacting of laws to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of disability.. It's a story that's worth telling and hearing - though, for me, my attention drifted and it felt like a genuinely interesting story was not being done justice in terms of holding attention or connecting properly with the first part of the film.

Great movie! and a amazing way to view disabilities from people who has and theirs perspectives!

This doc shines a light on the early disability rights movement by focusing on the people who attended a summer camp in the 70's. The movie contains *a lot* of material-the archival footage and the interviews bring up issues most people would not even think about, i.e. The perceived hierarchy among people with disabilities and sexuality of people with disabilities. All of it is very compelling. Furthermore, the filmmakers do what they can to put everything in proper context. But unfortunately I think the final film is a little too short.

In particular the battles around the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are largely ignored; earlier conflicts over laws/regulations took up considerable time. But all of sudden the ADA got passed by Bush 41. It makes it feel like the progress was rapid when it was anything but.

The thing I liked the most about this documentary was its holistic approach to the challenges of the disabled, something that was still almost not talked about in modern society. Not only the story revolved around the Crip Camp, but it also managed to tell the incredible true-to-life story of the civil rights movement started by the disabled in the United States. It was in-depth, the use of numerous video clips and photos were intelligently used as it was relevant to the telling of the story that were otherwise left unheard and unseen unless with proof. The editing and the direction was good as well.

This a documentary that should be seen by everyone.To learn something about emphaty.

This documentary succeeds not because of its direction or storytelling approach, but because of the remarkable movement being described. Ironically, the scenes focused on the camp were not the ones that most pulled me in. Instead, it was watching the Berkeley hunger strike and sit-in, an event that clearly shaped civil rights in this country...that was never covered during my high school history classes. The people in this film changed the world, and watching them tell their story (their way) was inspirational to say the least.

I worked at a camp in Mokuleia Hawaii in 1972-75 that has the Special Education Center of Oahu bring out their kids for 2 weeks. I found your film brought me back to that time, and remember how trans formative camping can be. I also worked at the Youth Leadership Camp for the Deaf. I was one of 2 "hearing people" at the Camp. One of my most vivid memories is watching a young deaf girl get off the bus, take a look around and sign "it is so nice to finally be around normal people". I was so young, and passing out drugs and taking care of these kids with little experience, but with tons on energy and enthusiasm. We just did the best we could, but it was so special and I saw lives change. With today's regulations what we did could probably not happen again - a shame.....

Camping has always has a special place in my heart - thank you for showing how powerful those experiences are and how they transformed lives, and empowered you to change the nation.

For the first 30 minutes or so of this movie, I really failed to see why everyone liked it so much. I was pretty bored watching home movies of Camp Jened. But then when it segued into the political fight/struggle for equal rights among the disabled, I thought the film was far more interesting and moving. I think the film tried to make the statement that giving these disabled kids the support and confidence to excel in Camp Jened propelled them to do greater things later on, and I do believe that. But I do think the title, "Crip Camp" doesn't really do justice to what this film is about. But I guess no one asked me!

I struggled whether to rate this a "7" or "8", but because of the weak opening, I went with a "7." Too bad I couldn't give this a 7.5 rating.

While executive-produced by the Obamas, to think that the tragedy this documentary unravels--which is the everyday struggle of disabled people--is dramatized out of proportion would be a careless prejudice. This is focused strictly on the facts and the decades that these facts spawn across.

That doesn't mean that Netflix straight up ignores the details of these disabilities. The people depicted are all very candid about their various situations, but instead of finding a shoulder to cry on, they are viewed for what they actually are--heroes, paragons of success. A lot of them go into vivid stories about their sexuality--yes, of course they are sexually active!

The documentary starts with the spark which ignited a landmark movement which forever changed the US Constitution--and the entire world's for that matter--when it comes to Civil Rights for disabled people. Jened was homemade--it had people with no background into caring for the disabled, yet it contained something more powerful. It allowed them to be themselves. They were everywhere. Their own world, their own normality encapsulated by the bigger unsuspecting world. This was the key which gave birth to an idea--that this bubble should pop all over the world, that when given the opportunity to express themselves, disabled people have at least as much to offer to the world as the rest of us, that they are more human than the world ever knows.

From the existential theme at Jened, the documentary then fasts-forward over decades ensuing a historical fight. It boldly depicts leader Judith Heumann as a well-deserving comparison to Martin Luther King Jr. Yet the most iconic moments are contained in the Herculean efforts these people pulled when they spent days partaking in a hunger strike for their rights--a determination that few people--not to mention disabled--have.

The amount of time and list of US presidents this documentary burns through showed mercilessly how slow, inapt and opaque politics can get. Yet the fact that these people saw it through goes to show that not all heroes wear capes... some can't even stand up on their own two feet.

This is an important documentary with the best part towards the end. Unfortunately the middle part is too much a repeat. Once again good editing is very important to bring a message stronger instead of showing everything.

Seriously, phenomenal. I've been docu-thumping this to my friends constantly since watching it.

The rights of the disabled have come onto the public's radar more ever since the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. However, as shown by the Academy Award-nominated "Crip Camp", it was a long battle to get there. It may have taken decades, but it happened. It's good to know that the people with disabilities had a place where they could congregate back in the day.

You owe it to all disabled people worldwide to watch this documentary.