organization screens film on inclusion for free
Achieving More, a Spring City-based supports coordination organization, is hosting a free movie screening of “Deej,” at the Colonial Theater (227 Bridge St., Phoenixville) at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13.
“Deej” is groundbreaking collaboration between veteran filmmaker Robert Rooy and a non-speaking autistic teenage boy DJ Saverese. The documentary follows Saverese’s journey through high school where he dreams of college and confronts his past and obstacles to inclusion.
“Deej’s story captivated me. His words, ‘‘We all need to feel loved and included,’ are beautiful but heartbreaking. Being loved and included shouldn’t be a lottery. It is something every human being deserves,” said Achieving More’s founder Erin McDevitt.
Following the free screening, there will be a panel discussion that includes various members of the autism community, including Nick Penzell, a graduate of Delaware County Community College. Penzell regularly shares his views about autism at conferences, workshops and in his award-winning video Outside/Inside.
“Differently-abled people should be accommodated to pursue education to their greatest degree of interest or potential,” commented Penzell. “Admittedly this is difficult for differentlyabled individuals, their families, and their schools, but ideally educational inclusion should be combined with social inclusion, which is often harder to achieve. Ultimately, I think society needs to make a paradigm shift. We need to question the divisions that cast some of us as ‘Other.’ Differences can be celebrated and accommodated within social unity.”
The theme of “Deej” — inclusion shouldn’t be a lottery — is an important message McDevitt wants to spread.
“We believe that individuals with autism have many skills and are capable of pursuing their dreams of higher education and working in the community,” said McDevitt. “Some people have very high attention to detail or are excellent at sticking to routines. The on-the-job skills and interpersonal interactions are invaluable to everyone involved.”
Achieving More’s supports coordinators have experience connecting participants to employers based on skill set, transportation, geography and other factors. Achieving More serves participants in the Aging Waiver, Attendant Care and Independence Waiver, Consolidated Waiver, Community Living Waiver, and Person/ Family Directed Support Waiver programs.
Achieving More aids in the navigation of the waiver process with the goal of people remaining and thriving in their homes and communities.
To obtain tickets to the free screening of “Deej,” visit www.AchievingMore.life or call 610.948.4800.
About Achieving More
In 2014, Erin McDevitt founded Aging Your Way to provide the over-sixty population with supports coordination and case management under the Home and Community Based Service Waiver program. In July 2018, McDevitt rebranded the business as Achieving More, to reflect its expanded services including supports coordination for people with intellectual disabilities. After years of success with Aging Your Way, McDevitt discovered she could serve a broader population of individuals
with intellectual disabilities. This expansion provided the basis for evolving into Achieving More.
Achieving More works to get to know their clients on an individual basis and assemble a supports coordination team based on their individual needs. The most common issues facing Achieving More’s participants include housing, understanding available assistance, and confidence building.