WXXI

Go Public

Inside Our Autistic Minds • WXXI-TV

Chris Packham helps autistic people illustrate how their minds work, helping them connect with their friends and family in a new, more authentic way.

Inside Our Autistic Minds airs Thursday, January 16, 2025 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Since sharing his own autism diagnosis with the world, naturalist and presenter Chris Packham has been flooded with letters and emails from other autistic people, frustrated that their friends, families and co-workers don’t understand them. By teaming up with top film-makers, graphic designers, animators and musicians, Chris helps a group of autistic people create short films to reveal to their family and friends how they’re truly feeling inside – what’s really going on in their autistic minds.

This program repeats on January 18 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 13-19, 2025

WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.

Photo: Naturalist and presenter Chris Packham • Credit: BBC

POV: Eat Your Catfish • WXXI-WORLD

A brutally frank and darkly humorous portrait of a family teetering on the brink, grappling with the daily demands of disability and in-home caregiving.

POV: Eat Your Catfish airs Sunday, October 27 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

Kathryn’s ALS diagnosis has left Kathryn paralyzed and needing 24-hour care, communicating only by pointing out letters with her eyes on a special keyboard. It has also put incredible strain on her relationship with her husband who has a hard time looking at her and has been difficult for many nurses and aides. Yet, her desire to be with her children and to see her daughter’s wedding drives Kathryn’s persistence in surviving, and her critical and humorous spirit remains unbroken. Filmed almost entirely from Kathryn’s point of view, filmmakers Adam Isenberg, Senem Tuzen, and Noah Arjomand – Kathryn’s son – put together Eat Your Catfish from over 900 hours of recordings.

This documentary is presented as part of WXXI and the Golisano Foundation’s Move to IncludeTM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. 

Photo: Kathryn’s son and husband • Courtesy of Eat Your Catfish

Curious George: Songs, Videos & Activities

Play games and watch full episodes of Curious George on https://pbskids.org/curiousgeorge/

Aimed at preschoolers, “Curious George” inspires children to explore science, engineering, and math in the world around them. And what better guide is there for this kind of exploration than the world’s most curious monkey? George lives to find new things to discover, touch, spill, and chew. Everything is new to George and worth investigating. Of course, in George’s hands — all four of them — investigation often leads to unintended consequences!

WXXI Favorite Activities:

Find articles, games, and hands-on activities to go with the series at the PBS KIDS for Parents Curious George Page

      POV: He’s My Brother • WXXI-TV

      Peter was born deaf and blind, so his family has always seen and heard the world for him.

      POV: He’s My Brother airs Monday, April 7 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

      Christine’s brother Peter experiences his world through touch, smell, and taste. Now 30 years old, Peter’s family is having trouble finding the proper care for his multiple disabilities. He’s My Brother explores how the family works to assure him a dignified life once the parents are gone – and Christine’s own uncertainties about one day becoming his primary caregiver.

      This film is presented as part of Move to Include™ , a partnership between WXXI and the Golisano Foundation promotes inclusion.

      Photo: Peter & Christine • Credit: Provided

      Making Black America: Through the Grapevine

      Renowned scholar Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores the vibrant cultural and social spaces at the heart of the African American experience. 

      Making Black America: Through the Grapevine, Pts. 1 & 2 of 4, airs Saturday, January 20 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

      Making Black in America chronicles the vast social networks and organizations created by and for Black people beyond the reach of the “White gaze.” The documentary series recounts the establishment of the Prince Hall Masons in 1775 through the formation of all-Black towns and business districts, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, destinations for leisure and the social media phenomenon of Black Twitter. Gates sits with noted scholars, politicians, cultural leaders and old friends including Charles M. Blow (journalist and commentator), Angela Davis (political activist, scholar and author), André Holland (actor), Fab 5 Freddie (hip-hop pioneer and visual artist), Jason King (chair of the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music), Killer Mike (rapper and activist) to discuss this world behind the color line and what it looks like today.

      Pts. 3 & 4 airs Saturday, January 27 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

      Photo: Title card • Provided by PBS

      Second Opinion with Joan Lunden

      Using the power and the mission of public media to educate, promote good health, improve doctor/patient communication, and empower people to take charge of their own healthcare. 

      Second Opinion with Joan Lunden airs Thursday at 1:30 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

      Second Opinion with Joan Lunden, produced by WXXI, focuses on health literacy in a way that is relevant and accessible to viewers and to physicians, in a format that engages and entertains. The program and related website and social media provide trusted health information on every platform, and the weekly television program engages viewers from across the United States as they watch doctors and patients talk through a variety of health issues from high blood pressure and cancer, to mental health and racial disparities in health. Please note: This series has retired, and no new episodes are being produced.

      Photo: Host Joan Lunden on set with Dr. Lou Papa and Executive producer Fiona Kay Willis • Credit: Max Schulte

      This American Land

      Entertaining and informative reports on nature and energy conservation

      This American Land airs Sundays at 1 p.m. on WXXI-WORLD.

      Reporting from the front lines, This American Land brings you compelling stories on critical issues impacting America’s natural landscapes, waters, wildlife and energy resources in a changing climate, informing and engaging television audiences nationwide. Hosted by wildlife conservationist Ed Arnett.

      Photo: Phil and Don Everly l Provided by APT

      All You Hear is Noise Screening • The Little Theatre

      A fearless documentary portrait of three athletes with intellectual disabilities navigating life beyond the international spotlight of the Special Olympics World Games.

      Thursday, January 11, 2024 | 7:15pm
      Little Theatre 1 (240 East Ave.)
      Doors open: 6:45pm
      Screening: 7:15pm
      Includes post-screening discussion

      Click here to purchase tickets online.

      Dialogue on Disability and Move to Include, in partnership with The Little Theatre’s One Take Documentary Series, present All You Hear is Noise.

      All You Hear is Noiseis a verite-style documentary that tells the story of three athletes with intellectual disabilities navigating everyday life beyond the spotlight of the Special Olympics. Trent Hampton, Melanie Holmes, and Chris Wines travel to the Middle East to compete on the global stage at the Special Olympics World Games in Abu Dhabi–then return home to face different hurdles in employment, relationships, and living independently.

      Ned Castle and Matt Day’s directorial debut feature was created in partnership with the film’s main subjects and a panel of respected disability advocacy stakeholders–including renowned disability rights advocates Judy Heumann, Loretta Claiborne, and Lawrence Carter-Long. The production pays homage to the slogan adopted by the disability rights movement, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” as the film subverts the paternalistic and saccharine tropes that typically dominate media portrayals of intellectual disability (ID). In doing so, the film challenges the dominant representation of the ID community and offers a fresh perspective on the ID experience.

      The film will also screen on Saturday, January 13 at 3 p.m. at The Little. This screening will not include a discussion.

      Keep informed about what’s happening in your community and WXXI by signing up for our newsletters.

      Sign Up