Humane Rights w/ Dr. Akilah Cadet

Season 1

Episode 5: Jim LeBrecht

Transcript

I'm Dr Akilah Cadet and this is Humane Rights, a show that flips the traditional talk show on its head. This isn't about debate. It's about dialogue. Each episode, I invite guests from different walks of life to unpack the messy, beautiful realities of being human. Welcome to Humane Rights, where being human is the ultimate act of resistance.

Akilah: Hey, Jim.

Jim: Hey. How are you?

Akilah: You know I'm good. I'm always good around you. You know that? Welcome to Humane Rights. I would love for you to introduce yourself, and I'll just role model for folks who are out there. I'm Akilah, which folks know, but I am sitting in the studio next to one of my favorite people wearing a shirt that says, "You can use your spoons for ice cream." Spoons is a term we use, for people who are chronically ill, chronic pain, or the disabled community of how many spoons you have in a day, or how much energy you have in the day or the week. However you want to quantify it.

Jim: Designed by me.

Akilah: So it's lovely. I'm wearing some Ivy Park neon shorts when it's probably gonna storm outside but fashion first. Polka dot, socks and polka dot heels. Seated in the studio that has Taylor Smalls beautiful portrait, of a Black woman behind us. Gold curtains which bring me to you. So tell us who you are, what you're doing.

Jim: My name is Jim Lebrecht. My visual description is I'm an older white guy with long curly hair. Got a gray goatee, and I've got a navy blue, long sleeve shirt on, and let's see. And I'm sitting in a black Quantum Rehab Edge Three power wheelchair.

Akilah: Wow.

Jim: Well, it's like. Yeah, I guess. Yeah.

Akilah: What are you wearing? Land's end?

Jim: I'm wearing Quantum Rehab. So, and who am I or what am I? I am a lot of things, I think. But I'm probably best known as being the co-director and co-producer of the documentary Crip Camp, along with my dear friend Nicole Newnham, who's a fabulous filmmaker.

Akilah: Yeah, but that's all we're gonna do for you.

Jim: Okay, so. I started off as a child.

Akilah: You started off as a child. Right, right.

Jim: And I've had a career as a sound designer in theater and then in film. Had my own audio production/audio post-production company for many years in the same building where Saul Zaentz had his Film Center, right here in beautiful Berkeley, California.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And a lot of working with a lot of documentary filmmakers. And for me, it was I had a I had a career in theater as a resident sound designer, at the Berkeley Rep. And one of the things there was that we would talk about everything, like, until the cows come home. And, and I really wanted to bring that kind of attention to sound and sound design to documentary film. For some companies it was kind of fill in work. But for me it was like, I'm not going to do anything half assed and I really want to bring my heart into stuff because, life is kind of precious. And for me, also, when you meet that human connection with a filmmaker producer, often these are people who've spent like 4 or 5, maybe ten years on their film and they're going to trust you to, to do the sound mix and sound design.

Akilah: Yeah, you got to be there with them.

Jim: I mean, you got to really, really support them. But I think that's always kind of been in my nature.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: So fortunately, I developed a really good, reputation for really kinda A being talented and B really caring about the filmmakers, which kind of what people just really, really need. And in the course of doing all of that work is where I had met Nicole. I had, when we had our first conversation about Crip Camp and we 59th birthday. So it's almost ten years ago. Wow.

Akilah: Wow.

Jim: And, and I had mixed all of her other feature documentaries, and when she was wrapping up the last film at the time, I took their lunch and I said, Nicole, I think you need to make a film around disability. And, I mean, there's all all these subjects that not like nobody's making.

Akilah: Right.

Jim: And I pitched her some ideas, but was sheepishly, I kind of said to her, you know, I've always wanted to see a documentary on summer camp. And I think there's a connection to the Disability Rights Movement. And I just told her about this Facebook page that had a ton of photographs from back in the time I was there in the early 1970s. And she saw this world that she had just could not have imagined people really having a great time. You know, water balloon fights, things like that. But when you I think the stereotype of disability is it's all like physical therapy and sadness, you know.

Akilah: Oh, yeah. Yes, yes.

Jim: And, but at that camp, you know, in the early 1970s, there are all these liberation movements going on. We are questioning everything. And, you know, it was really kind of simple that the counselors and staff just wanted us to have that summer camp experience that all other kids were having. And that's certainly what I got. And a lot of us got. But Nicole and I talked for a while, and she said, you know, I'm in, but I want us to make the film together.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And we forged this incredible collaboration where, although I had mixed a lot of documentaries in my life, I had never hired an editor. I had never been really part of that process. And. I think it's probably the most important thing I've ever done in my life. I probably will be the most important thing.

Akilah: I think it's one of the important things that you've done. I just like Crip Camp is such an incredible documentary. So for folks who haven't watched yet, it's available on Netflix. It was produced by this, like up and coming couple. I think they're going to make it, Michelle and Barack Obama, also known as Higher Ground. And when you think about Crip Camp and the reason why it has been such a big deal is that it shows folks with disabilities, fighting for their rights, fighting for civil rights, fighting for things that everyone should have. And it just so happens that a lot of people who are disabled, we are a marginalized community. So all of these other fights when you think about it, it's women, it's Black people, it's communities of color, it's ethnic minorities, it's Queer, Trans, it's all of these communities, all these fights. But in those fights, it didn't include disabled people. And yet disabled people have always been around. And I think what makes this such a special documentary is you made it with Nicole. You and a collective of people who happen to also be disabled. Who were there, who have lived experience. And when someone is living with a disability, you understand ways in which to be accessible and accommodating and thoughtful and respectful.

Jim: Yeah, I mean, you know, it's like I sometimes talk about when I'm invited to be on a panel or something. Somebody asked me about like, how do people know how to deal with folks with disability and one of the things I kind of said, I said, look, if you're a disabled filmmaker. You got to give a shit. But you've got to also, you know, know about disability. You can read up about the history. Look at what people are doing on YouTube. Look at so there's a lot of the, the, the education of what really is going on out there. And I think there's a lot of a lot of able bodied people or non-disabled people will kind of say, oh, I don't have to worry about accessibility, or the people are kind of intimidated and they think they're going to offend somebody by asking the right question. But if your heart is in the right place and you're concerned about accessibility, you won't take offense that somebody corrects you. You might, you know. It's like, hey, but it's worth it to be open and trying to do the right thing. Right. And I think what you know people without disability have to realize, not everybody who's disabled can speak for every type of disability.

Akilah: Right. We don't know each other either.

Jim: Right. Right. Exactly. So you just do your best and try to really listen to people. And I always feel like we have the Americans with Disabilities Act. It's the law of the land. So if there's an organization that you're a part of and it's not accessible, they are not following the law. So if you try to, you know, try to convince them. Right. And if they're not listening to you, you can sue them. Right. So I think one of my things is you got to have respect for every person that you come across and if you want to do the right thing, if you have the right intentions, then you will.

Akilah: I'm saying. Also, I think it's just treating people like human beings because. It's it's actually. Hi, I'm going to do something here. So for those who maybe don't know me, I'm what they call episodically disabled. And for those of you don't know what that is. It's a very fancy word for, oh, I get diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which means that my joints like to go places that they shouldn't. My skin is hyperelastic, and I can break blood vessels really easily just by rubbing my skin or putting pressure on my skin. I also like to have a lot of chronic pain. So for people who then are like, well, what happened to you? It's like I was born this way. And so on one of my recent panels, because I had a broken finger. I pointed out that I was born with this neural tube disability spina bifida.

Akilah: And so I decided I would just simply say, uh pilates.

Jim: Right. Yeah.

Akilah: Can you imagine being damaged by pilates, but now people have closure. They can actually listen to you and what you're saying, because now they know what happened to you. They know you have spina bifida. Now they can move on, right? Yeah.

Jim: I mean, that was born with spina bifida. They didn't think it was going to live very long.

Akilah: Yeah. Of course. And here I.

Jim: Here you are. Here I am having to buy into the fact that I'm an elder in the community.

Akilah: Yeah but, you know what? You're also so strong. Some days we talk about spoons, right?

Jim: No we do. We do talk about spoons. You know, and literally I've had some medical things recently where I was just needing a lot of sleep.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And being able to kind of explain, you know, I'm really out of spoons today. And I'm just. I'm going to have to lie down and it's tough, but, you know, it's like especially, you know, being born having a disability my whole life, right? It's like I have to overachieve just to be perceived as equal with somebody is non-disabled.

Akilah: Exactly. Right.

Jim: And so to now get to a point in my life where, you know, I'm an older guy and I have to actually buy into the fact that taking good care of myself is just as important as trying to put up this front. And it's like, I don't want other folks with disabilities to feel like they've got to be this "Super Crip" like I was for so many decades of my life.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And look, you know, people ask me, Jim, you know, I'm going to apply for a job, but they don't know I'm disabled. Like, what am I going to do? And I said, well, I think the most important thing is to impress upon them that, you know, if you if you got to this person's doorstep, you did something right. But also that, you know, you have a disability. And you know how to manage it. Yeah.

Akilah: And they don't have to manage it for you.

Jim: And just you know because they can't conceive of it doesn't mean that you're not more than capable.

Akilah: Yeah. And you know for me it's like I'm just going to go Jack Kerouac on you and all over the map. You're now on. Just topics. But this is why for me, you know, if you see it, you can believe it. Or if you don't see it, you don't think it's possible. And what's really important to me is representation and media. Representation in media is super important, which is why I have a cane on the cover of my book. So people know that I'm a I'm a cane user. I dynamic disability, so I have visible or not apparent and invisible or apparent disability. I both. I go between both of those things. I have all the privilege in the world. I have privy privilege. I have educational privilege and whatever where I could pass as if I didn't have a disability. And even when people do see me with a cane or a neck brace, it's always, you know, oh, what happened? It's not, you know, I'm disabled because of the privilege just this body. That's what outer appearance gives me.

Jim: So they think it's temporary? Oh, yeah. No. Totally. Yeah.

Akilah: I mean, I also typically bedazzle a lot of my assistive devices because fashion. But I could move through this world and no one would know. But I've made a choice to be an activist for so many things, and I can't pick and choose how I'm an activist. I could with disability, but I put it in the forefront. So if someone understands what I'm going through, they may understand what a person in a wheelchair, may be going through or anyone else. Because there's even with what I have Elhers-Danlos syndrome, there's 13 different types of it. And there's a range. There's people who are full time wheelchair users. There's people who have that are not able to eat anymore. So they have feeding tubes. There's a there's a lot that happens. But I purposefully and actually chose to make sure my intersectionality included being a Black person, a woman, and being disabled.

Jim: You said something that's really important, which is representation in media. And, I know you've been working on a really fun project, a rom com, centered around people with disabilities. I would love for you to share some of that, knowing that it's really important that people see people with disabilities joke around, have fun, fall in love.

Akilah: Have sex. Break up.

Jim: I and fuck, I purposely say that, because.

Akilah: I'm sorry I cut you off for that because.

Jim: No, not at all. I think I love sex is great and sex is different for anyone with chronic illness, pain and disability. There's so many ways in which it shows up. For me, I'm a fan, and this is my regular reminder that I'm single. So slide in my DMs.

Jim: So you can have sex. Say it for the people in the back of the room.

Akilah: I'm sorry, what?

Jim: Say that for the people in the back of the room.

Akilah: Oh, I'm very single. Okay, thank you. Yes, I.

Jim: So why why did you want to have this rom com?

Akilah: We're making people laugh behind the glass.

Jim: What's the shit? Who wants to fuck me?

Akilah: And now that's a clip.

Jim: So yeah. Lines are open. Call 800 Akilah.

Akilah: Seriously.

Jim: My number. Okay, but tell us. So. So. Well. Well. I. I. I don't need to deal into deep details, but it's really kind of a story that has more than one disabled character.

Akilah: What? No.

Jim: And that the protagonist is, you know, a woman who's a wheelchair user, and it's involved with her running a company and. All lies. And it's really not about the fact that she's disabled. She actually runs the company. And so we see different folks with disability and, you know, getting to see folks in, you know, whether it's in a gym or, you know, dating or family dynamics, whatever, that it's, you know, it's just really kind of a wonderful, beautiful love story. And, So I'm really excited about that.

Akilah: I'm also excited about you, so I'm really happy. And I'm so glad that things like that exist because you're right. Like, I only watch reality TV. I put that out there. I'm not ashamed. I'm so damn, too, by reality TV.

Jim: 90 Day Fiancé. But here's the thing. We're making strides. But I think that the disabled community is the next one that will really kind of, break through this world where the only reason you're in a television show is because of your primary identity. And, you know, many of us know about the Bechdel test, where, you know, gee, is there more than one woman?

Akilah: Women.

Jim: And and do they talk to each other or are they not only talking about the man?

Akilah: Right.

Jim: You know, there's a similar kind of, you know, rule around disability. And so we need to have people who are disabled talking to each other and really kind of representing where a lot of us are at, not everybody, you know, really look. Our community. What I like to say is the beautiful thing about disability is that it cuts across all strata of society.

Akilah: Yeah. And,

Jim: and so we are kind of everywhere. We're one in four. 25% of the population. And we are a club that anyone can join at any day. Any moment in time.

Akilah: Temporarily. Permanently. Yeah.

Jim: So I it's a wonderful club to be in. I will say the, you know, being a Black person, a woman and disabled, I get it. And so many like layers and angles. Sometimes it's a combo platter of things. One of my favorites is, "Disabled monkey die." That I get a lot. Thank you. Yes, I work really hard for that.

Jim: Yep. Oh my God. Yeah. I get a lot of that. That happens. But I think the thing that's really important here is that people don't realize there are more disabled people in America than they are of those who identify from the LGBTQ+ community. But the TV shows that you have about the LGBTQ+ community are far and wide. And obviously it took time to get there. And not saying there wasn't.

Akilah: I have a theory about this. Go.

Jim: I have a theory about this. For many years, you know, people worked their way up to the C-suite, you know, in different, studios and networks and such, and people who were part of the LGBTQ+ community were in the closet slowly, shows were starting to get greenlit. And, you know, Ellen DeGeneres show is, you know, a major breakthrough. Yep. And that pushed society to be better or more accepting or it was safe. It was safer for people to come out of the closet. We don't have that with disability. You do have people with disabilities working. And probably 99% of them are probably people with non apparent or hidden disabilities. Yep. And so for me what's really important A is representation. But how are we going to do that. We have to get people employed. We have to get people who are on the same track as other underrepresented communities have been in the past. There's no reason why a internship program or oh, we can't say DEI anymore.

Akilah: Oh no. I Can or can't, you know, it's just we finally got the A for access added on to DEI, and all of a sudden, I mean.

Jim: Sometimes that A was action though.

Akilah: So. Yeah. Well. You and all depend. But you're right though I, I think there's what you're saying. The other part to that is some people still don't feel safe enough to be openly whatever they are.

Jim: Yeah. Right. But there's a, there's an audience out there. We want to see those stories and not the stories of, you know, as the woman who has cancer and the guy decides to still love her. Like, we thank you for that so much. But we we want something that can really help with the overall impact of acceptance of disability. Like you said, the only thing someone can become is disabled, and that can happen with someone breaking a bone. And having to wear a sling or use crutches. And you can understand a different type of life. That could be also someone who, gets in a car accident tomorrow and moving forward, they're always gonna have to be a potential cane user. I mean, there's so many things that can happen, but there's so much fear around being disabled. So that's why I honestly live my life unapologetically. Because if I didn't, I wouldn't be in a position where, you know, people could realize that if, if and when they do become disabled or a loved one becomes disabled, they can see someone still living their life fully.

Jim: Look, I, I'm not going to deny somebody who feels really devastated if they become a paraplegic or a quadriplegic. It's a huge shift. But, disability is part of the human condition. You know, Neil Marcus, who was kind of a performance artist and writer, had in his, was quoted as, I'm going to paraphrase that basically, disability is an ingenious way to live.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: You mentioned the disability community and, I mean, I'm finding it hard to find exactly the right words, but we're fuck of a lot of fun. I mean, I'm not saying everybody is, but im saying is just that If all you've seen is tragedy and life has gotten worse, and now I'm a burden, it's. You know it. You need to be able to understand that many of us wind up having these kind of extraordinary lives. If you look at somebody like Ed Roberts, who contracted polio and what he was able to do in his life, you know, people like Judy Heumann who, it was considered the mother of the modern Disability Rights Movement. If, you know, if you looked at what she's done in her life as a, you know, a permanent wheelchair user, I. What gives us all meaning? What all give what gives us joy?

Akilah: Yeah. And,

Jim: Anyway, I want to see these stories out there. I want people to, you know, that this this movie, maybe for you or whatever, about this very rich guy who becomes, quadriplegic or something, and he's going to commit suicide because he can't stand living that way and it takes this young, you know, Black woman from the projects to kind of like really kind of make his life meaningful. Again, we don't need that we.

Akilah: Thanks? What?

Jim: Thank you I guess? but I think it's the everyday story. It's the rom com. It's the living life. It's eating food. It's being upset. It's being happy. It's dating. It's, you know, navigating the health care system and still finding a way to to move forward. I think people have to see us in a position of reality. And I think I've seen some things shift you that you see, you know, and the folks with disabilities and a few more reality shows nowadays.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And 90 Day Fiancé, I'm telling you.

Akilah: Really?

Jim: So many people with disabilities on there and it's so great and in so many ways.

Akilah: I do have a question for you, though. Please, as you know, America's fucked and we are in a position where health care is potentially going to be compromised as we move into 2026. We have to navigate health systems that are changing with Donald in office, all of these things.

Jim: Right.

Akilah: And we carry a lot of intersectionality, and we do a lot of this work. And it can be very heavy. But how do you find a lot of pockets of joy, like what does that look like for you?

Jim: It's a great question. I mean, I, I actually asked a friend of mine who's a trauma therapist, like, what do we do? And she said, you have to try to find at least one moment in joy of joy every day.

Akilah: Yeah. That's what I do.

Jim: Yeah. Well, tell me how you do it then I'll tell you about what I do or how I think about it.

Akilah: It's the the little things, the little things. So like today, I knew my joy would be you. I always have a good time, so I'm done. But, yeah, it was easy peasy. Yesterday I decided to have three bear claws. Didn't feel bad about that at all. I started with two. And at the end of the day, it's a bitch. Do better. And I had that third one and that brought me joy. So it's literally it's a tiny little things. This morning I actually took a bath, because I was having a horrible start of my day and I was like, get in the bathtub. And that helped. And now you, so.

Jim: I try to at least reach out to at least one friend a day, try to make that phone call, or at least drop an email just thinking about you. There's great comfort in being in community and not feeling like you're all alone.

Akilah: And very special. I've been that person. I am that person.

Jim: Yeah, you and I, I mean, I yeah, you know, I sometimes just text you or, you know, if I feel like I've got time for a conversation.

Akilah: I mean, my favorite exchanges with us is on drugs. So we, we talking about drugs not being or, you know, like we on drugs when we are on our bedtime drug routine and a text message is happening, it's like, okay, it's hitting. I'm going to go now. I those are my favorite because I feel less alone because I have a drug bedtime routine.

Jim: Yeah. Well, I, I was in a lot of pain for a long time. I finally found kind of a good combination of, gabapentin for nerve pain. Bit of oxycontin for muscle, pain, and, naproxen. Just kind of like general. And so this is what I start, you know, taking. But I have to take it I like to stay up late, but I get kind of take it early enough in the not too late so that I'm, like, not brain dead in the morning or.

Akilah: It's a science. A better way probably put is just cogent.

Jim: Yeah, yeah.

Akilah: So I don't think people understand the stuff that happens to maintain. But with that I want to say thank you so much for showing up here today. And being able to be in conversation and, share your amazing self. So I just have to remind you the thing of what you already know, which is. Keep Being Amazing.

Jim: Don't screw up the microphone. Keep Being Amazing. Yeah, well, you're fabulous and and look, I'm just going to grab one more moment here.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: The thing that you wrote about or what I learned in your posting on LinkedIn was that you decided that your day of becoming disabled is when your doctor said to you, you know, Akilah, I think that instead of these temporary red placards, you should get a blue placard.

Akilah: Yeah.

Jim: And to me, that was just really stunning, you know?

Akilah: Yeah. See, this is the thing. I mean, there's all these incredible moments in our lives, and, I'm really, And I'm, I'm hoping I'm going to have a podcast like you're doing.

Jim: Oh, see, hopefully, you know, soon. Because indeed, there are many wonderful moments like this that I want to share with people.

Akilah: Yeah. So thank you. You shared so many.

Jim: Well, I, I'm not dead yet. Yes.

Akilah: Yeah. No, you have more to do I we're going to I look forward to whatever we're going to do together.

Jim: Yeah. It's going to happen. Me too. I'm excited about it. Well thanks for inviting me to be on your podcast.

Akilah: Thank you.

Big love and gratitude to our guests for showing up with truth, humor, and, of course, humanity. If this conversation moved you, you got to like it. You got to share it. You have to talk about it. Bring it into your circle, spaces and places, because that's how change multiplies. You can catch more episodes wherever you get your podcasts and watch the full series produced by Ciel Media and me on the Ciel Media YouTube Channel. Now what does that YouTube channel? What you need to subscribe to so you can get more of this. But until next time, stay curious, find your joy and "Keep Being Amazing."