Champions of Change Award

A report on the UnionLeader.com website is stating that Dan Habib had a dream to see that children with disabilities be included in a typical classroom. Mr. Habib then made a 58 minute video documenting his dream and it was presented last November at the Concord City Auditorium.

He explained,

"My modest goal was that it would become a tool within New Hampshire to talk about inclusion in a more informed and innovative way. My secret goal was that it would serve that purpose nationally and internationally and would cross over to the mainstream."

The documentary is called "Including Samuel" and it is in fact about Mr. Habib's 8 year old son who has a rare form of cerebral palsy, and four other childrenwith disabilities. Mr. Habib said, "In some ways, it all boils down to something that's very selfish: I want the world to be a better place for Samuel," Habib said. "It's very simple, but it's kind of the heart of everything I'm doing."

Mr. Habib has entered his film in over 50 film festivals around the world and because of its acceptance it has become a training tool for teachers, college students and advocacy groups.

The impact of the film has also been recognized by the Bubel Aiken Foundation, which will honor Habib and McNamara on October 18th 2008 as recipients of its Champions of Change award in Raleigh, N.C.

It is nice to see that others share their dreams so that society can be enriched by the thoughts of Clay Aiken, Dan Habib, and others who believe that inclusion should be the norm, not the exception.