PBS Documentary: Freedom Machines

FREEDOM MACHINES will air on POV on PBS on SEPTEMBER 14 @ 10 pm (CHECK local listings).

High school student Latoya Nesmith of Albany, N.Y. dreams of becoming a translator at the UnitedNations as she completes her classroom assignments using a keyboard that mitigates her limited dexterity. Floyd Stewart, paralyzed in mid-life by a car accident, uses assistive technologies to runMiddle Tennessee’s Center for Independent Living. Blind physicist Dr. Kent Cullers taught computers to do what his ears can do, and now leads the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence(SETI) Institute in Palo Alto, Calif. Susanna Sweeney-Martini is completing her college education in Seattle with the aid of a power wheelchair and voice-input software.
These are a few of the people whose stories are at the center of Freedom Machines, a new documentary having its broadcast premiere Tuesday, Sept. 14 at 10 p.m. (check local listings) onPBS’ acclaimed non-fiction series P.O.V. This poignant and thought-provoking film tells the stories of people typically labeled (and dismissed) as “disabled”, whose determination and access toinventive new technologies are transforming their lives and their communities.

There is also a 30 second video trailer with a text transcript. http://www.ataccess.org/community/freedommachines.html.