ABSTRACT
Lives Worth Living both argues for inclusion and disability rights and exposes the long history of the US disability rights movement's battle to break down the walls of exclusion. Lives Worth Living emphasizes the need for communal action and a well-planned sustainable city for all instead of suggesting individuals must overcome the obstacles found in urban spaces. Documentaries such as Lives Worth Living move beyond the individual to reveal the importance of crossability coalitions to transform the city from an inhospitable setting for people with disabilities to a well-planned sustainable home. The tenets of disability studies overlap with those of environmentalism and ecocriticism in multiple ways. Winning disability rights moves urban environments closer to more inclusive visions of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Born on the Fourth of July condemns the war and the treatment of its disabled veterans. It rarely, however, addresses accessibility for all. Instead, the film takes viewers on a journey of hope and protest.
