New Horizons, one of the region’s oldest and most respected providers of services to adults with developmental disabilities and other special needs, will host a screening of the award-winning documentary Perfectly Normal on Thursday, Feb. 12, at California State University, Northridge.

The film is a positive, life-affirming, funny, edgy and groundbreaking documentary that allows viewers to get close to a group of friends who are developmentally challenged and see the “ability in their disability.” The screening is free and takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the Plaza Del Sol Performance Hall, located on the east side of the campus off Zelzah Avenue in the University Student Union. It will be followed by a question and answer session with the cast of Perfectly Normal.

“Acceptance comes through education and the opportunity to become familiar with people of diversity,” said Cynthia Sewell, president and CEO of New Horizons. “The goal of Perfectly Normal is to achieve this for individuals with special needs.”

Beth Lasky, a professor in the Department of Special Education and the creator of a new general education course called Introduction to Disability Studies, said CSUN is the perfect place for the screening.

“We’re known for the services we provide,” Lasky said. “Hopefully this will open up even more doors and windows and create more awareness about students with disabilities.”

CSUN is considered one of the most inclusive institutions of higher education in the country. CSUN’s Disability Resources and Educational Services assist more than 1,400 students a year in realizing their academic and career goals. The Center on Disabilities has gained international recognition for organizing one of the world’s largest events of its kind, the acclaimed International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference. CSUN’s National Center on Deafness is one of the largest of its kind in the western United States and a model program of excellence regionally, nationally and internationally.

The screening is free with seating limited to the first 500. Tickets can be picked up from the Associated Students’ Ticket Office. For more information, contact New Horizons at (818) 221-0651 or email smokuolu@newhorizons-sfv.org.

New Horizons