Blame It On Gutenberg

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We are happy to present Blame It On Gutenberg, which is now available for screenings. The 64-minute film examines the precedent setting federal case Mr. and Mrs. Doe vs Cape Elizabeth School District heard by the First Circuit court, which is interwoven with explorations of neuroscience, dyslexia research, reading instruction, the role of print through history, and much more.

OFFICIALLY ENDORSED BY

“This film is a must see for anyone needing to understand dyslexia, and the struggles families must endure to obtain the services and supports necessary to help their child learn.”

~Denise S. Marshall, CEO

The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.

“What a marvelous documentary that managed to weave research, science of reading, neurobiology, child development, speech/language, teaching literacy, a personal ‘real life’ story, without overwhelming the viewer.”

~Aletta Sinoff, BCBA-D, PhD, CCC-SLP

Blame It On Gutenberg is a non-profit project that is relying on viewer and sponsor support to help us defray the cost of producing the film. All donations are tax-deductible through the 501-c3 oversight of the Filmmakers Collaborative.

“This is a must-see documentary on the evolution of reading, reading science, & dyslexia.”

~Susan L. Condrin, M.A., CCC-SLP

SCREEN Blame It On Gutenberg

The film is a great catalyst to bring people together for a discussion, to share information, and to raise funds for your organization. The 64-minute running time is a perfect length to provide a focal point for a gathering while allowing time for follow-up presentations and socializing. We have also launched an initiative to help schools and organizations hold Learning Forums in their communities.

“Everyone loved the movie! …Blame it on Gutenberg needs to make the circuit across the USA. We hope that it helps to increase awareness of dyslexia and provides solutions for teaching reading to those that learn differently. We want Wisconsin to wake up to its reading crisis! We look forward to hosting additional screenings to share the message and the movement.”

~Kim Feller-Janus, Feller School

To book the film, preview it, or request more information please connect with us via the form below.

SCREENING INFORMATION REQUEST

Selected For Screening At The

THANK YOU!

Though we have a way to go yet, we’re thankful to everyone who has helped thus far, including our most recent supporters:

IDA-NNEA, IDA-NC, The Fletcher School, ALTA-NH, The Eugene OR Public Library, Dana Flemming, Carlo DiPersio, Nancy Hennessy, Marci Peterson, Brian Kahn, Brandi MacDonald, Marcia Freedland, Pamela Edlund, Sara Peden, Cheryl Tartaglione.

We are also extremely grateful for the support provided by:

Jan Wasowicz, PhD
Speech-Language Pathologist
Board Certified Specialist in Child Language

Learning Forums

The United States has about 55 million K-12^th grade students. It can be expected, conservatively, that about 5.5 million of those children are dyslexic. Some neurodiversity advocates would put the number even as high as nearly 11 million. Unfortunately, the National Center for Education Statistics estimates that only 4.5% of all K-12 students are diagnosed with dyslexia or other learning disabilities.

The discrepancy means the parents of 3 to 9 million kids are likely desperate for help to understand why their children are having difficulties reading and learning.

Help Parents

“[My son] was taken off his IEP after 5th grade and I basically argued with the staff and principal and got nowhere and no support from any educator, administrator, or my husband. I caved. I will regret that decision till the day I die…[it] set him up for failure.”

~Laura P, Sylvania OH

Laura expresses a frustration and vulnerability experienced by parents across the country. When coupled with a lack of understanding about dyslexia and budgetary tensions in school systems, the result is a large cohort of parents isolated from support who are generally younger and without the resources to secure help for their children.

Help Teachers

Teachers are also in need of information and support. Many are working from knowledge bases which are based on findings and theories which are decades old and are not being taught to instruct in the ways new research has documented to be most effective.

Create An Event

Bring parents, teachers, advocates, and administrators together to learn and exchange ideas. Provide a forum where people can ask questions, discover resources, and share insights. Create an event, in-person or virtually, that serves your community while also promoting your organization or school. Use Blame It On Gutenberg as the catalyst to draw people to your event. The 64-minute film conveys a wide range of information succinctly and effectively. Utilize our experience, resources, and network of experts who can help your organization plan and stage your Forum to have the greatest impact.

“After surveying the field of films about dyslexia, we chose Blame It On Gutenberg because we felt its scope and quality of presentation would be greatly appreciated by our audience and provide an excellent set-up for an ensuing panel discussion. And based on the reaction to our event, our choice was validated.”

~Trina O’Connor, M.Ed., The Fletcher School, Charlotte NC

“It was awesome! All I can say is thank you for all your work with this incredible film!

All attendees responded how powerful the message was and the way the film was put together was outstanding! We had quite a discussion afterwards, which invigorated all of us. We still have so much work to do to help our kiddos with Dyslexia (I have 2) and get the powers that be to understand and get on board!”

~Lisa Cyr, ALTA-NH, Derry NH

For more information on how we can help you hold a Learning Forum in your community please connect with us below.

LEARNING FORUM info request

Sponsorship

Much like programming on PBS, we hope to supplement grass-roots contributions with help from more established benefactors who are positioned to contribute at more significant levels.

Blame It on Gutenberg is an informative and engaging 64-minute story that provides parents, advocates, teachers, and administrators with valuable information and insight.

“Great film. Really moved me. I’m just starting this journey with my son. I hope you can spread awareness to as many people out there as you can. Thank you for making this film.”

~Jessica P, Special Educator & Parent

We are also working with national and local advocacy groups, schools, universities, and other community-based organizations to help them stage Learning Forums, which use the film as focal point for educational and promotional events.

With the support of sponsors, we hope to take the film even further, ultimately bringing it to global audiences through international distribution, streaming outlets, and broadcasters.

“I am an Orton Gillingham tutor with two adult dyslexic sons. This is an excellent presentation every parent of a dyslexic child should view.”

~N. English, Instructor & Advocate

Unlike the programming on PBS, we have not benefitted from any public funding sources. This non-profit venture has been undertaken at our own risk and expense, which for us has been considerable, yet done at a fraction of the cost of a typical effort of this caliber.

Sponsors of the film will have on-screen recognition prior to the start of the film, as well as other benefits depending on the level of support.

To learn more about sponsoring Blame It On Gutenberg, or to arrange a preview screening, please connect with us via the form below.

SPONSORSHIP Information Request

Participants

The onset of the COVID pandemic significantly impacted our production schedule, especially with respect to on camera interviews and filming supporting imagery. Nevertheless, we met and filmed numerous individuals whose experience and expertise they generously shared. We are grateful to them all for their unique and trenchant insights into an often dauntingly complex topic.

THOMAS G. WEST

Author of In The Mind’s Eye, Thinking Like Einstein, Seeing What Others Cannot See

https://www.facebook.com/thomasgwest

JAN WASOWICZ, PhD CCC-SLP

Founder & CEO Learning By Design, Inc.

https://learningbydesign.com/

NADINE GAAB, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics Boston Children’s Hospital & Harvard Medical School

http://www.childrenshospital.org/research/labs/gaab-laboratory

DEAN BRAGONIER

Founder and Executive Dyslexic of NoticeAbility.org

https://www.noticeability.org/

ELI ZABETH NORTON, PhD

Assistant Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders Northwestern University

https://communication.northwestern.edu/faculty/ElizabethNorton

FRANK ROMANO

President, Museum of Printing, Haverhill, MA

MATTHEW SCHNEPS, PhD

Research Professor, UMass Boston

ANGELIQUE DECOSTE, M.S., CCC-SLP, CAGS

Elementary Special Education Program Head Andover Public Schools (MA)

DR. SARA STETSON

Assistant Superintendent of Student Services Andover Public Schools (MA)

About

The journey to bring Blame It On Gutenberg to this form has taken numerous twists and turns, foremost among them being Covid, which created unprecedented challenges for filming and added to the costs of the project. Nonetheless, inspired by the plight of people we encountered, personal experiences, and what we felt was a need for information to help parents (like us) we forged ahead to craft a high-quality production that would present the information in a medium dyslexics can readily access.

We also embarked upon this as a self-funded venture, an unusual course for a project such as this. All expenses incurred have been out of pocket, and all creative and technical work has been performed without compensation.

This non-traditional approach was the only way we could make sure that the film got made, trusting the audience for the film will appreciate our effort and ultimately help us recover the cost of time and treasure to produce it.

But we have only been able to take Blame It On Gutenberg so far.

To overcome the obstacles presented by Covid, the film utilizes imagery from third-party sources, which currently limits the film to Web distribution only. Similar restrictions apply to the music tracks. To access “broadcast” outlets such as Netflix, Prime, Hulu, cable channels, and the like, our licenses will need to be upgraded. The film will also require technical enhancements to insure it meets the quality control standards of those distributors, as well as other legal and insurance expenses.

We hope you will see the value in helping our film reach the widest audience possible.

Blame it On Gutenberg enjoys non-profit status through its participation with the Filmmakers Collaborative, a 501c iii foundation which has been providing tax-exempt sponsorship and support to independent media projects since 1986.

https://filmmakerscollab.org/