Elinor and her friends set out to return Ms. Mole’s glasses to her after she forgets them at school. Ms. Mole can’t see anything without her glasses! 

Elinor Wonders Why: Ms. Mole’s Glasses airs Tuesday, January 14 at 12 p.m. on WXXI-TV

When Ms. Mole forgets her glasses at school, Elinor and her friends follow her to return them. Ms. Mole can’t see anything without her glasses! The kids travel throughout Animal Town, just missing Ms. Mole at every turn. During their travels, the kids realize Ms. Mole has been shopping and getting around using different senses. By the time they finally reach Ms. Mole and return her glasses, she’s got all her shopping done without them. Cool!

Then in the second half of the episode, in Elinor Stops the Squish, Elinor and her friends want to bring Ms. Mole a cupcake for her birthday, but they’re worried it will get squished on the way to school. The kids find inspiration in nature when they observe how different animals/creatures stay safe using their shells as a defense mechanism. Elinor, Ari and Olive use this idea as inspiration to make a shell around the cupcake using a hard coconut. Because of the kids’ hard work and ingenuity, the cupcake makes it all the way to school without being squished, just in time for Ms. Mole to enjoy her present. Yum!

This children’s 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

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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.

Three people with ALS confront complex choices in this intimate exploration.

Independent Lens – Matter of the Mind: My ALS airs Sunday, January 28 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neuromuscular disease with an average survival time of 2-5 years from diagnosis. In this intimate exploration, three people with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease, bravely face different paths as they live with this progressively debilitating illness.

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 22 through January 28, 2024.

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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: Phil Freelon and his son Pierce Freelon pose for photo in Durham, NC • Credit: David Alvarado

Filmmaker Ric Burns tells the inspirational story of the famed neurologist and writer Oliver Sacks.

American Masters – Oliver Sacks: His Own Life airs Sunday, January 28 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV

The two-hour film explores the life and work of the legendary neurologist and storyteller as he shares intimate details of his battles with drug addiction, homophobia, and a medical establishment that embraced his work only decades after the fact. Drawing on these profoundly moving reflections, American Masters—Oliver Sacks: His Own Lifealso features nearly two dozen deeply revealing and personal interviews with family members, colleagues, patients and close friends, including Jonathan Miller, Robert Silvers, Temple Grandin, Christof Koch, Robert Krulwich, Lawrence Weschler, Atul Gawande, Roberto Calasso, Paul Theroux, Isabelle Rapin, Bill Hayes, Kate Edgar, Mark Homonoff, Jonathan Sacks, Steve Silberman, Shane Fistell, and Lowell Handler, among others.

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 22 through January 28, 2024.

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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: Oliver writing on porch, 2015 • Courtesy of Bill Hayes

The New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, in partnership with the New York State Digital and Media Services Center, produced a documentary highlighting the importance of lessons learned, positive change that resulted, and the legacy of Willowbrook State School.

Path Forward: Remembering Willowbrook airs Tuesday, January 23 at 11:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV

In 1972, Geraldo Rivera produced an exposé on the Willowbrook State School in Staten Island, shocking the nation and forever changing the treatment of people with disabilities in the state and across the country. In recognition of the 50th anniversary of this landmark moment, this film highlights the importance of the lessons learned, the positive change that resulted, and how to move forward from the legacy of Willowbrook.

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 22 through January 28, 2024.

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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: Willowbrook State School • Provided by PBS

A coming of age story about Terrence, a 26-year-old African American man with high-functioning autism.

Adventures of T-Man airs Tuesday, January 23 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Terrence is a 26-year-old African American man with high-functioning autism living in Charlotte, North Carolina. Curious, earnest, but naïve, he yearns to live an independent life, despite the many obstacles. When he’s chosen by a financial technology firm to be part of a pilot program hiring people on the autism spectrum, he sees his chance. The job gives him the footing he’s needed to move out of his parent’s house and take his first steps towards life on his own for the first time. However, independence may be more than he bargained for as he encounters numerous setbacks, straining his relationships and placing him in danger.” 

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 22 through January 28, 2024.

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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: Terrance and one of his classmates • Provided by PBS