WXXI Move to Include

Travels with Darley “New York’s Empire Trail” • WXXI-CREATE

Darley travels along New York’s Empire State Trail, which stretches from New York City to the Canadian Border, and makes a stop at Letchworth State Park Autism Nature Trail and features Rochester Accessible Adventures.

Travels with Darley “New York’s Empire Trail” airs Saturday, January 18 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-CREATE and streaming live on the WXXI app.

Travels with Darley follows five-time Emmy nominated host Darley Newman as she travels with local people in beautiful and awe-inspiring locations to experience history, culture, food, music, art and adventure.

Each episode introduces viewers to diverse cultures and traditions and what makes each location truly unique.

Darley’s on-camera local counterparts are the true stars of each episode, as they lead Darley through their world.

Viewers learn about places and cultures that are less publicized by traditional media, as well as new things about places they thought they knew, bridging global cultures and inspiring viewers to look at the world in a new way.

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.

“Carl the Collector” Community Event • Al Sigl’s Golisano Campus

Join WXXI and Al Sigl for a fun-filled afternoon celebrating “Carl the Collector.”

“Carl the Collector” Community Event at Al Sigl’s Golisano Campus Saturday, January 25 from 1- 3 p.m. at Al Sigl’s Golisano Campus (1000 Elmwood Avenue).

Kids and their grownups will enjoy episodes of “Carl the Collector” plus Carl-inspired activities and games. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are suggested.

A low-sensory quiet room and ASL interpretation will be available at the event. Additional accommodations may be requested during the registration process.

This event is presented as part of our annual Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between the Al Sigl Community of Agencies and WXXI.

Please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte, Project Manager for Move to Include, at sabbamonte@wxxi.org with any questions.

2024 Media Access Awards • WXXI-TV

Hosted by comedian and disability activist Daryl “Chill” Mitchell, the Media Access Awards ceremony honors artists and film and television projects that are inclusive of disabled talent in front of and behind the cameras.

2024 Media Access Awards airs Friday, January 17, 2025 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

The Media Access Awards ceremony took place on October 29, 2024 in Hollywood, CA. The show marks the first fully accessible awards show in history with heartwarming and empowering moments from stars including Michael J. Fox, Selma Blair, Marlee Matlin, and more.

Founded by the late Norman Lear in 1979, the Media Access Awards pioneered the celebration of on-screen representation for the disability community. Television host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel will present a special tribute to Lear who passed in December 2023.

PBS Books featuring Zach OHora, show creator of “Carl the Collector” • Facebook Live

Meet Carl the Collector and his friends with series creator, author, and illustrator Zach OHora.

Carl the Collector | Conversation with Creator Zach OHora on Facebook Live on Wednesday, January 15 at 8 p.m.

Premiering last fall, this new PBS Kids series is the first to center on a neurodiverse character, celebrating the diverse ways kids think and express themselves. Learn more about Carl and all his adventures while celebrating the diverse way kids think and express themselves. This Facebook Live event is presented by WXXI 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 that works to increase representation of people with disabilities by presenting programs that showcase the lives of diverse people. 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.

NOVA “Building Stuff: Boost It” • WXXI-TV

Hosted by professional engineer and former NASA researcher Dr. Nehemiah Mabry (“Dr. Nee”), this three-part series follows some of the most creative engineering experts as they build stuff that helps extend our range, amplify our abilities, and alter our environment for the better.

NOVA “Building Stuff: Boost It” airs Wednesdays, November 13-27 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The series invites audiences to experience the ups and downs with engineers as they design, build, and test their way through challenges, inspiring the inner “maker” in all of us. The three episodes are:

● “Building Stuff: Boost It” (premieres Wednesday, Nov. 13) Around the world, engineers are finding ingenious ways to amplify our abilities and senses – allowing us to access and shape the world way beyond our natural abilities. From helping a blind man see without the use of his eyes to building a sling so powerful it can propel rockets into space, see why engineering just might be the closest thing to a superpower we humans have. This episode is presented as part of Move to IncludeTM, a WXXI and Golisano Foundation initiative designed to promote inclusion.

● “Building Stuff: Reach It!” (premieres Wednesday, Nov. 20)
From the time our species first evolved, we’ve been on the move. Not content to stay in one place, we’ve schemed and invented and built our way from one place to the next. From affordable deep sea subs to flying taxis to next-gen space habitats, see how today’s engineers are designing and building creative new ways for us to get all around — and even off — our planet.

● “Building Stuff: Change It!” (premieres Wednesday, Nov. 27)
For as long as humans have been around, we’ve been altering the spaces around us to better suit our needs. From accessing ancient wisdom to build a better water filter to designing a robot that uses acoustics to monitor coral reef health, see how today’s engineers are applying their craft to reshape the natural world and create new human-made environments to enhance our lives in amazing ways.

Photo: NASA researcher Dr. Nehemiah Mabry/ Credit© WGBH Educational Foundation

American Masters “Renegades” Screening & Panel Discussion • The Little Theatre

WXXI and Move to Include are proud to host a special American Masters screening of Renegades, a new digital series that showcases the lives and cultural contributions of little-known historical figures with disabilities. The screening will feature Extended Audio Description and large open captioning. ASL interpretation will be provided for the introduction and the moderated panel discussion.

Reserve your free seat now!

The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are required.

Join us Monday, December 9th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at The Little Theatre for a special American Masters screening of the following Renegade episodes – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye (1924-2012), the country’s highest-ranking Asian American political figure for nearly 50 years; Judith Lynn Del Ray (1943-1986), a science fiction and fantasy editor, who published books from sci-fi luminaries such as Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and George Lucas’ “Star Wars” in novel form; and Brad Lomax (1950-1984), a key participant in the historic 504 sit-in of 1977.

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion led by Markus Essien, who directed and produced the Brad Lomax episode. Panelists include Kiki Smith, a local Blind activist; and Edward Ashton, author.

MORE ABOUT OUR MODERATOR:

Markus Essien is the Photography & Digital Arts Program Coordinator at Flower City Arts. He is also a filmmaker and musician originally from Washington, DC. He received his BA in Classics from Howard University and an Ed.M. from Harvard. Markus is dedicated to championing the arts, advancing education, and celebrating underdogs. He served as Director and Producer on the Renegades: Brad Lomax episode.

MORE ABOUT OUR PANELISTS:

Kiki Smith is a local Blind activist, who serves as Outreach and Fundraising Coordinator for the South East Area Coalition (SEAC). At SEAC she develops partnerships that advance inclusive thinking and promote a sense of belonging. With roots in education and community building, her vision transcends the challenges of vision loss to shed light on the simplicity and necessity of developing systems, programs, spaces, and technology that invite all and insure accessibility. Her daily lived experience as a multi-disabled woman fuels her commitment to ensuring equitable resources an opportunity in the workplace and for the community she serves.

An organic change-maker, Kiki volunteers with several community organizations, including Upstate New York Blind Recreation (formerly Rochester Area Blind Athletes), RBTL’s audio-description program, the National Beep Baseball Association, the Association of Fundraising Professionals Genesee Valley, and Goodwill Vision Enterprises. She has served on the boards of Challenger Miracle Field, the Women’s Care Center, and the Seton Foundation.

Edward Ashton is the author of seven novels, including MICKEY7 (now a motion picture directed by Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho and starring Robert Pattinson). His newest book, THE FOURTH CONSORT, is forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press in February, 2025. His short fiction has appeared in venues ranging from the newsletter of an Italian sausage company to Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Fireside Fiction, and Escape Pod. In his free time, he enjoys cancer research, teaching quantum physics to sullen graduate students, and boiling maple sap into syrup. You can find him online at edwardashton.com.

Carl the Collector • WXXI-TV & WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7

This new animated series for children ages 4-8 follows the everyday adventures of Carl, a warm-hearted autistic raccoon who loves collecting things.

Carl the Collector airs daily at 8:30 a.m. on WXXI-TV and on the Live Stream, daily at 11 a.m. on WXXI PBS KIDS & Live Stream and anytime on the PBS KIDS Video app

His talents – a laser-focus pursuit of his goals, attention to detail, and a distinctive way of looking at and experiencing the world around him – have helped him amass a collection for just about every occasion and come in handy for solving problems around the neighborhood with his friends. Carl has a lot of energy and is logical and precise, yet he often struggles with anxiety in new situations and has difficulty when things don’t go according to plan. Like all of his friends, he is learning that there is no right or wrong way to be himself.

Carl the Collector is presented as part of Move to Include^TM, WXXI and The Golisano Foundation’s award-winning national initiative promoting disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. Visit movetoinclude.org to learn more.

Photo: Carl the Collector
Copyright Fuzzytown Productions, LLC

Learn More About the Series & Resources

Renegades: Celestine Tate Harrington: Building a Legacy – On-Demand

Discover the story of a street musician, born with a condition that left her limbs unusable. In 1975, Tate Harrington won a custody battle against the Philadelphia Department of Child Welfare, which sought to take away her infant daughter, claiming that she could not provide adequate care. See how Tate Harrington’s fight to be a mother and earn an independent living was a revolutionary act.

Educational Resources: Celestine Tate Harrington: Building a Legacy PBS LearningMedia Video, Discussion Questions and Teaching Tips (Grades 9-12)

Watch Full Episode

Watch Full Episode(Open Captioning + ASL)

Watch Full Episode(Extended Audio Description + Open Captioning)

Learn More About Celestine Tate Harrington

Learn More about American Masters Renegades

More About Celestine Tate Harrington:

n 1975, Tate Harrington had her first daughter, Nia. When the Philadelphia Department of Public Welfare attempted to take away her infant daughter, claiming that Harrington was physically incapable of caring for a child, she successfully defended her right to parent. In the courtroom, Tate Harrington demonstrated her skills – dressing and undressing her daughter, and changing her diaper, using only her lips, teeth, and tongue – and retained custody. She went on to share her story on radio and television shows like Howard Stern, Sally Jesse Raphael, and Donahue. Tate Harrington even self-published a book which she wrote with her tongue on a typewriter titled Some Crawl and Never Walk (1995). Renegades: Celestine Tate Harrington demonstrates how Tate Harrington created a legacy by working every angle given to her and using the limited preconceived notions of others to change the narrative of who she was, and prove that she was capable of raising and providing for a family and breaking the cycle of poverty for generations to come.

The fundamental right to parent without interference has been argued in courts and is protected by the U.S. Constitution. But a recent study found that nearly 20% of children in the U.S. foster care system have a parent with a disability. Almost fifty years since Tate Harrington’s custody battle, 42 States and the District of Columbia have laws in place that cite parental disability as grounds for termination of parental rights. For Tate Harrington, fighting to be a mother and earn an independent living was a revolutionary act, and her struggles mirror those of the broader disability community today.

The episode features interviews with: Nia Tate-Ball and Coronda Tate, Celestine Tate Harrington’s daughters; Jannie Watson, Nia Tate-Balls’s godmother; Tamogene Tate-Ebataleye, Harrington’s sister; Alberto Esquenaz, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, and Nathaniel Mayer, M.D., Physical Medicine and Rehab Specialist at Jefferson Moss Magee Rehab; and Robyn M. Powell, Ph.D., J.D., Family Law & Disability Rights Attorney.

WXXI Move to Include

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