SALN Presents: 6th Annual Disability Awareness Film Festival

The Blessings of Liberty is a film produced in Idaho by Idahoans. It tells the story of Idaho’s history of segregating and isolating people with intellectual and developmental disabilities into institutions. In the 1940’s, when infants were born with a disability, it was common practice for physicians to tell parents to drop off their baby at the institution and forget about them. In many situations children were cut off from their families and society for a lifetime. Institutionalization was the accepted practice for decades. In the 1970’s a nationwide de-institutionalization movement took hold and began the creation of optional community-based alternatives. For the first time, people with disabilities had options to live in community-based settings and participate as full community members. That system of community supports has been a lifeline. These services provide the individualized supports for people with disabilities to rightfully participate as citizens in their home communities – to participate in The Blessings of Liberty.The Idaho Council on Developmental Disabilities was compelled to create this film after the 2017 Congressional attempts to Block Grant Medicaid. Block granting Medicaid would effectively cut federal funding for the lifesaving system of home and community supports. Come Join the Moscow community to see this compelling film and hear from people with disabilities in the Moscow community and how Medicaid allows them to live full and meaningful lives. Free, but we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the 1912 Center Little Free Pantry.