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Boston, MA- In honor of National Disability Awareness Month, healthcare leaders Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and Partners HealthCare hosted almost 200 area leaders, healthcare professionals, elected officials and members of the community with disabilities for a special premiere showing to the Boston community of the film "Lives Worth Living" produced and directed by award winning documentary filmmaker Eric Neudel. The film is the first television history of the decades-long struggle for equal rights for persons with a disability. The premiere event brought together a diverse cross section including those who were part of the historic fight for disability rights to those young people with disabilities who grew up in a world after the historic Americans with Disabilities Act.

"Lives Worth Living is a powerful reminder that although we have made great strides toward improving accessibility, there is still more work to do to ensure that we are providing the highest quality of care for all of our patients," said Gary Gottlieb, MD, President and CEO Partners HealthCare. "Through our strong partnership with the disability community and the Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL), we are committed to improving access to all those who depend on the care we provide."

The film viewing was followed by a panel discussion focusing both on where the disability rights movement has been as well as what progress is still yet to be made. Moderated by noted disability advocate Oz Mondejar of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network, the panel featured Charles Carr, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC), Christine Griffin, Assistant Secretary for Disability Policies and Programs at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and filmmaker Eric Neudel. David Storto, President of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network and former MRC Commissioner Elmer Bartels welcomed the audience and introduced the film.

"The struggle for disability rights in this country like many others in our history began because a few courageous people challenged the accepted status quo. Through their movement's dogged perseverance and indomitable spirit they have made the lives of millions of Americans better. The message of this movie is so core to what we at Spaulding do each day that it was our humble honor to play a role in helping bring this film to life and host this event tonight," said David Storto, President, Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.

Lives Worth Living traces the development of the disability rights movement from its beginning following World War II, when thousands of disabled veterans returned home, through its burgeoning in the 1960s and 1970s, when it began to adopt the tactics of other social movements. Told through interviews with the movement's pioneers, legislators, and others, Lives Worth Living explores how Americans with a wide variety of disabilities, including the blind, deaf, mentally, and physically challenged, banded together to change public perception and policy. Through demonstrations and legislative battles, the disability rights community finally secured equal civil rights with the 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, one of the most transformative pieces of civil rights legislation in American history.

Lives Worth Living premieres on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens, on Thursday, October 27, 2011 at 10 PM (check local listings). To learn more about the film, and the issues involved, visit the film's companion website at www.pbs.org/independentlens/.

Lives Worth Living is a co-production of Storyline Motion Pictures, LLC and The Independent Television Service (ITVS), with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) with support from the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network.