National Disability Employment Awareness Month
“Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” is a powerful 2020 documentary featuring archival footage of Camp Jened, a summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, located near Hunter New York, which first opened in July 1953.
Camp Jened’s brochure advertised its facilities and location to potential campers from around the country and Canada.
In honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month, Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman invites you to learn more about former participants of Camp Jened who went on to become influential activists in the Disability Rights Movement.
James LeBrecht
James “Jim” LeBrecht attended Camp Jened as a camper and his camera footage was instrumental in creating the documentary Crip Camp. Together with Nicole Newnham, LeBrecht directed Crip Camp to ensure that the story of Camp Jened and the movement it inspired reached new generations. Through their documentary, LeBrecht reframed disability, not as a limitation, but as a vibrant culture and community. His ongoing efforts continue to challenge perceptions of people with disabilities and promote greater representation across media and society.
Denise Sherer Jacobson
At Camp Jened, Denise Sherer Jacobson had some of her first experiences of freedom, acceptance, and belonging. In the documentary, she is seen talking openly about sex, love, and independence, helping to humanize and expand public perceptions of disability through discussing subjects often considered taboo for disabled individuals. She became an educator dedicated to teaching about disability awareness and social living. In 1999, Jacobson wrote her memoir, “The Question of David: A Disabled Mother’s Journey Through Adoption, Family, and Life,” which chronicles her journey navigating the challenges and joys of motherhood as a woman with a disability.
Neil Jacobson
Another longtime camper at Camp Jened, Neil Jacobson became a senior executive at Wells Fargo Bank, where he focused on how people with disabilities could use technology to gain independence and employment. Together with Judy Heumann and Ed Roberts, Jacobson co-founded the World Institute on Disability (WID), an organization advocating for research, policy, and programs that promote disability inclusion.
Camp Jened provided many of its campers with a safe and inclusive space, fostering a sense of belonging despite their disabilities. Their experiences at the camp served as a catalyst to advocate for disability rights and to promote greater inclusion in society.
Cowan, Liebowitz & Latman encourages you to recognize diversity and inclusion every month.