When I first heard about the "Rolling" documentary, I thought, "What a great idea!" Physician Gretchen Berland, realizing she didn't have any comprehension what life was like for her patients with disabilities, asked three participants to video aspects of their daily experience. Next I wondered to myself, "Would this be something I would be willing to share?" I usually go to great lengths to minimize my disability, so capturing my less-than-good-natured moments on film sounded to me like a challenging proposition.
Galen Buckwalter, of Sierra Madre, Calif., was one of the people who agreed to take part. He is an eHarmony executive who sustained a C-6/7 spinal cord injury as a result of a diving accident when he was 16.
"I have always thought that one factor that contributes to the difficulty many non-disabled persons have in relating to us is simply a lack of knowledge." Bulkwalter explained, "What it is like to schlep my chair in and out of a car, what it is like to go to the store, to play in a rock and roll band, go to work, even how I get dressed in the morning. In seeing how I live, I firmly hoped people would see beyond the differences we confront to realize how similar our lives are; how we all smile when touched by a child, enjoy hanging out with friends and adore our loved ones. I hoped the fact that I can't walk and that I need assistance to get down a curb and that it takes me an hour or two to get dressed would come to be seen not as defining factors of who I am. Conversely, I hoped people would come to realize these factors can't be ignored either. They take up a significant proportion of my time."
He described how filming required a certain amount of creativity and patience.
Berland designed an arm to hold the camera, but some days Buckwalter's wife, Deborah, accompanied him to help. The process of going around town with a camera generated interest and made people much less likely to avoid eye contact and much more prone to engage in conversation. According to Buckwalter, "It seemed like the camera was viewed by some people as validation that I must be important enough to warrant interest."
While he noted that he felt it was a privilege playing auteur for his own life, he also indicated that the camera did, at times, feel like one more chore to manage-it was an attachment that required extra time and effort. On some occasions, he said, the camera could feel like "an outright enemy." Pain was an example of an issue Buckwalter was determined to talk about because it is a crucial part of his experience with disability, but it was uncomfortable for him to discuss. He described filming as an evolving process that continued for almost two years. He estimated that he captured 70-80 hours with the camera and added, in jest, "We can all be grateful for editors!"
Buckwalter summarized why he ultimately agreed to be featured on the "Rolling" documentary: "I got involved with the hope that the life disabled (lead) might be understood not as heroic, nor as something to be ignored, but as a life that can be lived most fully with understanding and with the level of support that will allow each person to be maximally engaged in all aspects of our society."
Next posting will be part two of the Galen Buckwalter interview.
