Curriculum
The classes and courses we offer.
Film for Thought (FFT) Courses
Film for Thought (FFT) Courses are specialized courses in the College of Direct Support. Film for Thought courses focus on one film. They help learners connect the story in the film to the competencies and skills learned in the College of Direct Support curriculum. Each FFT course divides a popular film into chapters.
It connects CDS courses, content, and learning to the main themes and story line of each film chapter. It then asks learners to reflect on their CDS learning and the film. Learners are also asked to integrate this with their work as a Direct Support Professional or Frontline Supervisor. FFT courses will help learners see, hear, and feel how many of the issues are played out in the real lives of people with disabilities. These issues might include things like inclusion and advocacy. It might include self-direction and choice. It might also include empowerment and support.
FILM FOR THOUGHT: BODY AND SOUL: DIANA AND KATHY
This first FFT course is about the story and lives of Diana Braun and Kathy Conour in Alice Elliott’s film “Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy” as they come alive in this course. The Film for Thought is a specialized type of course within the CDS that focuses on one film and uses it to help the learner connect the story within the film to the competencies and skills they have learned in the CDS. Unlike other CDS courses, these courses have only one long lesson.
“Body & Soul: Diana & Kathy” the movie made its nationwide debut on PBS in the fall of 2009. This stirring movie chronicles the life of two of the country’s most remarkable advocates for people with disabilities – Diana, who has Down syndrome, and Kathy, who had cerebral palsy. The release of the film in the fall was especially poignant with the passing of Kathy Conour on Sept. 19th. But her story lives on.
Kathy and Diana support one another and have been engaged in advocacy on behalf of people with disabilities in Illinois. This film was an excellent first choice for a FFT course because of the breadth of life successes and challenges experienced by Kathy and Diana.
