In the Middle
Mainstreaming in the Schools
From Child, Youth & Family Services, Inc.

Four-year-old Ryanna has spina bifida, and is unable to walk. The video documents the worries and joys shared by Ryanna and her parents, teachers and classmates during her first year of being mainstreamed into a Head Start program. They confront many problems typical of mainstreaming: How will Ryanna get on and off the bus? Who will deal with her catheter? How will other children react? It is Ryanna herself however, with her resourcefulness and determination, who makes the most effective argument that mainstreaming is not only possible but essential.

28 minutes
© 1985
Purchase $99 VHS
Order No. QA-011
ISBN (VHS) 1-57295-011-0

Reviews
"An excellent resource for all those working with children, disabled or not." Science Books & Films

"A sensitive portrayal of successful integration. The video doesn't argue the rights of handicapped children. Rather, by example it convinces us that it is normal for them to be in the mainstream." Dr. Susan Gurry, Lesley College Graduate School

Awards & Conference Screenings
National Council on Family Relations
National Educational Film Festival
Birmingham International Film Festival

Related Films
Living with Spinal Cord Injury Series: The producer, himself injured in a helicopter crash, brings a unique perspective to this classic three-part series on coming to terms with spinal cord injury. These films offer enduring proof that "a tough break doesn't have to mean a ruined life."

Face First: The filmmaker and three others born with facial deformities chronicle both physical pain and the pain of rejection, as well as the strengths that have enabled them to achieve successful adult lives.

If I Can't Do It

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