A Trip Down Memory Lane
SHI Celebrates the premiere of Monica Cohen’s new documentary
by Trevor Meek
ON A WARM OCTOBER EVENING just before the Halloween weekend, over 200 residents and staff, friends, and family members came together on a Zoom conference call to watch the premiere of filmmaker Monica Cohen’s new documentary — “From Self-Advocacy to Independent Living: The History of Specialized Housing, Inc.”
While Zoom may not be the ideal setting for a movie premiere, thanks to the hard work and technological savvy of Ted Cassely, Michael Caballero, and Chuck Silsby (they also co-hosted the event) it was a fun evening and a proud moment for all of us in Specialized Housing. And while many of us may have been watching the broadcast from home in our pajamas, it has to be mentioned that Ted Cassely looked very dapper in his bow tie tuxedo.
The film primarily focuses on the self-advocacy revolution that began in the 1980s and its correlation to the founding of Specialized Housing, Inc. As the founders of the very first SHI home, the residents of 769 in Brookline are featured prominently in the documentary. On premiere night they all watched the film together on a projector screen in their dining room. “It was strange seeing everybody on screen talking before and after the film,” Beth Glasky, resident and co-founder of 769, said in reference to the introduction and Q&A portions of the evening, “but it was nice that we were all doing the same thing at the same time together — celebrating.”
Principal videography for the documentary took place in early 2020 before COVID-19 locked everything down. “Nobody had masks on then,” resident and co-founder Robbie Ritter recalled of the filming, “I could hug my mom back then [his mother Helen is interviewed alongside Robbie in the film] and there were a bunch of people interviewing me in my room! It was like a big party in the house.”
Once the projector had been shut down, the popcorn bowls emptied, and the dining room furniture put back into place, 769 co-founder Thierry Cushing was in a reflective and jovial mood. “What a great trip down memory lane. [The documentary] shows the beginning of Specialized Housing, where we are today with more and more houses, and where we’re headed in the future. The musical score really brought it all home. I loved it!” When asked if he thought his newfound fame might go to his head, Thierry replied, “I do wonder if they could make this into a reality show!” Clearly the stardom was working on him already. “It really was like watching a Hollywood movie except we were the stars. I’m very proud of what we’ve built. I guess you could say . . . We built this city . . .” Thierry then attempted, unsuccessfully, to lead his housemates in a rendition of Starship’s 1985 smash hit “We Built This City.” He was loudly booed.
Premiere night was a much needed respite from the repetitive schedule that the lockdown has imposed on all of us. It was an evening filled with laughter, reminiscence, and pride. The film reminded us that there have always been and will always be obstacles in life, but together we will overcome them.