“Deej”

"Deej" is sponsored by Virginia Tech's Department of Human Development in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.

A nonspeaking young man dreams of autistic civil rights. The documentary film "DEEJ" with its insider view of autism, challenges us all to live inclusion.

"I won the lottery when my parents adopted me from foster care; I won it again when they included me in regular education. Now, I seek to help kids much less fortunate than I by showing people what a nonspeaking student with autism can do.

In Deej, the camera intrudes on every aspect of my life. If seeing truly is believing, then perhaps eyes can be opened to the full potential of kids with significant disabilities. Shot over a six-year period, Deej reveals not only what the ideal of full inclusion requires but also what it can accomplish." – DJ Savarese