Presented with the Meyer Foundation for Disabilities and Autism Society Nebraska and Autism Action Partnership, and funded in part by the Nebraska Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.

In WRETCHES & JABBERERS, two men with autism embark on a global quest to change attitudes about disability and intelligence. Determined to put a new face on autism, Tracy Thresher, 42, and Larry Bissonnette, 52, travel to Sri Lanka, Japan and Finland. With intelligence, humor, hope, and courage, they dissect public attitudes about autism and issue a hopeful challenge to reconsider competency and the future. Between moving and transformative encounters with young men and women with autism, parents and students, Thresher and Bissonnette take time to explore local sights and culture; dipping and dodging through Sri Lankan traffic in motorized tuk-tuks, discussing the purpose of life with a Buddhist monk and finally relaxing in a traditional Finnish sauna. Along the way, they reunite with old friends, expand the isolated world of a talented young painter and make new allies in their cause.

Special Notes

Funded in part by the Nebraska Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities.