A spinal cord injury (SCI) is devastating, life-changing, and initially creates the belief that any kind of recreation or outdoor activity is impossible. But a soon-to-be-released adaptive sports movie aims to change those beliefs.
What began as a casual conversation between doctor and patient has resulted in the first comprehensive adaptive sports movie targeted to people with recent SCIs. What’s more, the film will be made available to organizations and individuals totally free of charge.
Continue Free to Rehabilitation Centers
Seven years in the making, the groundbreaking production titled Continue is a collaboration of Dr. Jeffrey Rosenbluth, Director of Spinal Cord Injury at the University of Utah Hospital Rehabilitation Center and SCI survivor Stan Clawson, a T9-10 paraplegic resulting from a rock climbing accident.
The movie was recently released to 2,000 acute rehabilitation facilities across the country. Read a "Continue" review with a link to the free online version.
28 Different Adaptive Sports Featured
The film is shot entirely in Hi-Definition and features 28 different adaptive sports, from adaptive skiing and kayaking to wheelchair-accessible bowling and fishing. The production was made possible by a grant from the Paralyzed Veterans of America, through the assistance of doctoral students Jen Piatt and Melissa Zahl.
“Jeff and I share a passion for adaptive sports and for film production,” says Clawson, who supervises Campus Video Services at the University of Utah. “We began talking, and in our research discovered thatthere was no comprehensive adaptive sports movie out there.”
It turned out that there were some adaptive sports movies available, but all were very sports specific and tended to cater to elite athletes. And they were expensive to obtain.
“We wanted to do a film that was a blend of activities and ability levels while appealing to people of all ages, particularly those with recent injuries,” Clawson said.
Adaptive Sports Documentary Requirements
Rosenbluth and Clawson developed three specific criteria for production of the video:
1. It had to be free of charge for those who wanted it
2. It had to be shot primarily locally to minimize costs
3. It had to represent paraplegic and quadriplegic levels of injury
“We wanted to show people what they are capable of, and we wanted to feature adaptive sports that anybody can do,” said Clawson. “We wanted to shatter the stereotypes that people normally associate with disability.”
It was also important to represent programs already in place so anyone can go online to find information about a particular activity.
The labor of love features Rosenbluth as Producer/Director of Photography and Clawson as Director/Editor, with production assistance from numerous volunteers.
“Since we both have full-time jobs, we’re producing the film on weekends and before and after our regular jobs,” said Clawson.
The film showcases athletes of all ages and abilities, and includes a variety of scenic locations, from adaptive skiing in the Rocky Mountains to scuba diving in the Caribbean.
The goal is to entertain and inspire those living with disability, while emphasizing the concept that life’s challenges need not stand in the way of life’s possibilities. Check out trailers, updates and a behind the scenes look at the making of the adaptive sports movie, Continue.
