The HighWire Studio plays host to the award-winning documentary, SPELLERS, with a Q&A before a LIVE studio audience immediately following the film. “What if everything you thought you knew about autism was wrong?” SPELLERS answers that question, in convincing fashion, through the stories of eight nonspeakers—Aydan, Evan, Sid, Maddie, Jamie, Vince, Cade, and Elizabeth—who all found their voice through the miraculous process of using a letterboard to communicate their thoughts and feelings. As Jamie explains, “we think, feel, and learn just like everyone else.” SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society’s margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most “experts” believe are cognitively disabled. The film blends beautiful cinematography with heart-wrenching stories of these eight spellers and a strong message for every parent of a nonspeaker: your child can do this, too.

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