Please join the Friends of Westerly Library & Wilcox Park and Westerly native, Hilary Klotz Steinman, for a screening of her latest documentary Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act. Following the screening, there will be a discussion and Q&A with filmmaker and producer Hilary Klotz Steinman, in conversation with Ruth Tureckova, Executive Director of Frank Olean Center, moderated by Friends Board President, Gail Kahover.

Registration is required to attend. Please click here to register.

About the film:

CHANGE, NOT CHARITY tells the emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. While curb cuts, ramps at building entrances, and braille on elevator buttons seem commonplace today, they were once the subject of a pitched battle that landed on the steps of Congress. Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Jim LeBrecht, written and produced by Chana Gazit, and executive produced by Cameo George, CHANGE, NOT CHARITY: THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, is streaming now on the American Experience YouTube channel, PBS.org and the PBS app.  

About Hilary Klotz Steinman:

Hilary Klotz Steinman was born and raised in Westerly, Ri, and is an Emmy award-winning independent documentary film producer and director and has been producing historical and vérité documentary films for over 25 years, with a focus on women’s history and the impact of technology on American lives. Her work has been featured on PBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, at Sundance Film Festival, the New York Historical Society and in theaters.