WXXI Move to Include

A gripping investigative documentary, “Life After,” coalesces the missing voices of the disability community in the contemporary debate around assisted dying.

Independent Lens “Life After” airs Monday, November 3 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

This Independent Lens film, presented as part of WXXI’s Move to IncludeTM initiative, premieres Monday, November 3, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams on the WXXI app and PBS app, is an essential and thought-provoking film that uncovers abuses of power while amplifying the voices of the disability community fighting for justice and dignity in an unfolding matter of life and death. 

Award-winning disabled filmmaker Reid Davenport (“I Didn’t See You There”) trenchantly probes the legacy of Elizabeth Bouvia—a disabled California woman who, at the age of 26, sought “the right to die.” Her 1983 case provoked a national debate about the value of disabled lives, and Davenport sees echoes in chilling contemporary cases of disabled people dying prematurely—at their own hands and from a broken health care system. Through moving and modern interviews and rich archival material, “Life After” looks critically at where progressive values of bodily autonomy collide with the devaluing and fear of disabled lives. “Reid challenges our assumptions about disability.

Disabled people continue to face premature death—whether through the case of Michael Hickson, who was left to die by a Texas hospital, or the choice of Jerika Bolen, a Wisconsin teen who received support from her community to end her life. 

Davenport’s exploration takes him to Canada, where regulations surrounding medical aid in dying (MAID) have been expanded to allow disabled individuals unprecedented access—even when their deaths are not reasonably foreseeable. In Ontario, Canada, Davenport meets Michal Kaliszan, a disabled computer programmer who once considered MAID as his only option to avoid entering an institution. In a society where ableism and inadequate healthcare often limit true choices, “Life After” exposes the tangled web of moral dilemmas and profit motives surrounding assisted dying. The film challenges the notion that assisted dying always represents a free choice, revealing how it can sometimes be perceived as the only option.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Sunday, October 19 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented by  Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore airs Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. and again on Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”

Photo: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS

Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” airs Tuesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”

This film repeats Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV. American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore“ is presented as part of Move to Include^TM an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. 

Photo: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Monday, October 13 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented by  Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

The James Beard Award-winning film “Marcella” takes an intimate look at the life and career of beloved Italian cookbook writer, Marcella Hazan.

American Masters: Marcella premiering Friday, July 11, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Discover how she shaped Italian cuisine in America in this American Masters film.

Marcella Hazan’s story symbolizes the American dream, arriving in New York City having never cooked and challenged by a disabled right arm, Hazan inspired millions of home cooks with the glories of Italian cuisine with her bestselling cookbook The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating. In addition to her cookbooks, Hazan connected with food lovers through her popular New York cooking classes, her friendship with fellow cooking legend Julia Child, and many on-air cooking demonstrations.

American Masters – Marcella is presented as part of Move to Include^TM, WXXI and The Golisano Foundation’s award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.