Disability group holds film festival

The City of Bloomington's Council for Community Accessibility is hosting the Accessibility Awareness Film Festival at 4 p.m. today in the Monroe County Public Library Auditorium, 303 E. Kirkwood Ave. The festival will feature two films -- "Butterflies Are Free" and "Wait Until Dark." The festival is free and open to the public and viewers can come to watch one or both films.\n"The goal of the film festival is to increase awareness of the accessibility needs of people with disabilities," said Katie Anderson, co-chair of the CCA.\n"Butterflies Are Free" is a 1972 Academy Award-winning comedy/drama starring Goldie Hawn in which a blind man moves away from his mother into his own San Francisco apartment and becomes friends with an eccentric neighbor. In "Wait Until Dark," an unrated 1967 thriller, Audrey Hepburn stars as a blind woman strategically using her disability to escape from a killer. \n"We're hoping to attract people willing to help (the CCA) with our endeavors to create a better place to live for people with disabilities," Anderson said. "We always welcome new members who are willing to help us do the footwork."\nThe CCA is a volunteer group founded in 1990 and sponsored by Bloomington's Community and Family Resources Department. The group is made up of about 25 members. \nDuring monthly meetings, the group addresses concerns about particular locations in Bloomington where accessibility may be a problem and works to ensure the Americans with Disabilities Act is being properly implemented in Bloomington.\n"The goal of the CCA is to educate the community about issues of importance to people with disabilities and to highlight the benefits of having accessible programs, facilities and services," said Craig Brenner, special projects coordinator.\nTonight's film festival is part of a series of activities scheduled by the CCA for "Accessibility Awareness Month," spanning the months of March and April in conjunction with March's "National Disability Awareness Month." The theme for 2004 is "Freedom from Exclusion: Inclusion Now." Other activities have included an elementary and middle school essay contest and sensitivity training for Bloomington Transit drivers. \n"This highlights the importance of communities ensuring that attitudinal and physical barriers don't stand in the way of people with disabilities participating fully in community life," said Lee Bowlen, a CCA staff member.\nThis is the second year the CCA has hosted a film festival. Last year's films included "I Am Sam," "My Left Foot" and "The Other Sister." This year's films were nominated by CCA members and were chosen for their availability and family-friendly content. \nFor more information about the CCA or Accessibility Awareness Month activities, visit www.bloomington.in.us.