# Deej

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2017 documentary by Robert Rooy

Deej Directed by Robert Rooy Written by David James Savarese Release date July 31, 2017 (2017-07-31) (Woods Hole)[1][2] Running time 72 minutes

Neurodiversity paradigm Philosophy Autistic rights movement Bodily autonomy Disability rights movement Independent living movement Self-advocacy Organizations AsIAm Aspies For Freedom Association for Autism and Neurodiversity Autism Europe Autism Network International Autistic Self Advocacy Network National Autistic Society Events Autism Acceptance Day Autism Acceptance Month Autism History Month Autistic Pride Day Autscape Disability Day of Mourning Neurodiversity Celebration Week Weird Pride Day World Misophonia Awareness Day Issues Ableism Anti-autism All in a Row Applied behavior analysis Augmentative and alternative communication Autism-friendly Autism Speaks Autism therapies Autistic masking Communication Shutdown Community integration Conditions comorbid to autism Controversies in autism Deinstitutionalisation Disability-selective abortion Double empathy problem Employment Supported employment Ethical challenges to autism treatment Eugenics Facilitated communication Filicide Inclusion in education Inclusion as a right Judge Rotenberg Center Mortality of autistic individuals Neurodiversity and labor rights Social model of disability Societal and cultural aspects of autism Suicide among people with autism Universal design Universal Design for Learning Violence People Alex Plank Ari Ne'eman Damian Milton Daniel Lightwing Devon Price Donna Williams govy Greta Thunberg Hanna Bertilsdotter Rosqvist Jim Sinclair John Elder Robison Josef Schovanec Judy Singer Julia Bascom Ly Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown Mel Baggs Michelle Dawson Morénike Giwa Onaiwu Morton Ann Gernsbacher Nick Walker Robert Chapman Roy Richard Grinker Shain Neumeier Steve Silberman William Davenport M. Remi Yergeau Films Citizen Autistic Deej Loving Lampposts Neurotypical Criticism Pro-cure perspective National Council on Severe Autism Matthew Belmonte Manuel Casanova Jill Escher Michael Fitzpatrick Bruce Hall Eileen Lamb Amy S.F. Lutz David Miedzianik Jonathan Mitchell Alysson Muotri Jonathan Shestack Alison Singer v t e

***Deej*** is a 2017 documentary about David James (DJ) Savarese, a nonspeaking [autistic](/source/Autism) teenager who communicates with a voice synthesizer. The film has been criticized as using the scientifically discredited [facilitated communication](/source/Facilitated_communication) technique.[3]

## Background

The film was directed by Robert Rooy. David James Savarese, known as DJ or Deej, was also credited as a director and co-producer of the documentary.[4] The film depicts Savarese as an activist with the goal of promoting communication access for nonspeaking autistic people as part of the [neurodiversity](/source/Neurodiversity) movement.[5]

Savarese was [adopted](/source/Adoption) from the [foster care system](/source/Foster_care) and diagnosed early in life as [autistic](/source/Autism).[6] As a child, his adoptive parents struggled to ensure his [inclusion in the local public school system](/source/Inclusion_(education)).[7] Eventually winning the right for Savarese to receive education in public schools, his parents framed their challenges as a [civil rights](/source/Civil_and_political_rights) struggle against [ableism](/source/Ableism).[8][9][6] Since the events featured in *Deej*, Savarese was awarded a degree from [Oberlin College](/source/Oberlin_College).[9][10]

*Deej* aired nationally on [PBS](/source/PBS) in October 2017.[11]

## Criticism

The film's relationship to facilitated communication was the subject of one critical essay in a peer reviewed journal.[12] [Behavioral scientist](/source/Behavioral_scientist) and author Craig Foster notes that Deej is never shown independently communicating or exhibiting his "hidden intelligence", even though the documentary implies that he does. Foster states the documentary does not mention that scientific studies have raised questions about facilitated communication and that "skepticism toward facilitated communication is necessary to ameliorate its harmful influence and to encourage genuine acceptance of people with complex communication needs."[12]

Janyce L. Boynton, a former facilitator who has become a critic of facilitated communication, judges the film in a review to be "uncritical promotion" of facilitated communication and notes that the film's editors "chose to leave out some vital information." She concludes that the documentary is a "missed opportunity to teach people what about what living with autism is really like" and that the story the film tells is "one sided and built on facilitator-authored messages."[13]

## Awards

- Peabody award[14]

- Chagrin Documentary Festival – Winner, Best Feature[15]

- Indigo Moon Film Festival – Winner, Best Documentary[15]

- Newburyport Film Festival – Audience Award[15]

- Superfest Disability Film Festival – Best Feature[15]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["26th Annual Woods Hole Film Festival – Woods Hole, MA"](https://www.americantowns.com/news/26th-annual-woods-hole-film-festival-28770150-woods-hole-ma.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** @DeejMovie (July 31, 2017). ["The DEEJ World Premiere is tomorrow 7/31 at Woods Hole Film Festival in Cape Cod! 7pm #WHFF #DeejMovie"](https://twitter.com/DeejMovie/status/891884336445706241) ([Tweet](/source/Tweet_(social_media))) – via [Twitter](/source/Twitter).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Foster, Craig A. (August 9, 2019). ["Deej‐a Vu: Documentary revisits facilitated communication pseudoscience"](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/bin.1687). *Behavioral Interventions*. **34** (4). Online Library: 577–586. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/bin.1687](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fbin.1687). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [202247479](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:202247479). Retrieved July 22, 2020.{{[cite journal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_journal)}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_deprecated_archival_service))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["AMERICA REFRAMED UNFILTERED: Inclusion Shouldn't Be a Lottery"](https://web.archive.org/web/20180520193409/http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/america-reframed-unfiltered/2017/10/america-reframed-unfiltered-inclusion-shouldnt-be-a-lottery/). *POV's Documentary Blog*. Archived from [the original](http://www.pbs.org/pov/blog/america-reframed-unfiltered/2017/10/america-reframed-unfiltered-inclusion-shouldnt-be-a-lottery/) on May 20, 2018. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Borha, Imade. ["DJ 'Deej' Savarese pursues freedom as a non-speaking autistic man in new documentary"](https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/arts_and_entertainment/dj-deej-savarese-pursues-freedom-as-an-non-speaking-autistic/article_7036e4fb-a449-5a8a-b1f7-3910e99b3459.html). *The Frederick News-Post*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Gabbard_2008_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Gabbard_2008_6-1) Gabbard, Chris (January 31, 2008). ["Savarese, Ralph James. Reasonable People: A Memoir of Autism and Adoption"](http://dsq-sds.org/article/view/76). *Disability Studies Quarterly*. **28** (1). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.18061/dsq.v28i1.76](https://doi.org/10.18061%2Fdsq.v28i1.76). [ISSN](/source/ISSN_(identifier)) [2159-8371](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/2159-8371).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["'Deej' film puts a spotlight on autism and disability rights"](http://www.statepress.com/article/2017/10/spartcult-deej-screening-throws-spotlight-on-autism-and-disability-rights). *The Arizona State Press*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Corley, Maria (September 20, 2017). ["Deej: A non-verbal autistic man raises his voice for inclusion"](https://medium.com/@mariathompsoncorley/deej-a-non-verbal-autistic-man-raises-his-voice-for-inclusion-ce4de0d22a8c). *Medium*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Fishman_2018_9-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Fishman_2018_9-1) Fishman, Kate. [""Deej" Highlights Interdependence, Challenges Assumptions"](https://oberlinreview.org/14473/arts/deej-highlights-interdependence-challenges-assumptions/). *The Oberlin Review*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Gittin, Adam. ["Student Panelists Celebrate Neurodiversity"](https://oberlinreview.org/10328/news/student-panelists-celebrate-neurodiversity/). *The Oberlin Review*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["'Deej' film spotlights nonspeaking student with autism | National Center on Disability and Journalism"](https://ncdj.org/2017/10/deej-film-spotlights-nonspeaking-student-with-autism/). *ncdj.org*. Retrieved May 20, 2018.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Foster_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Foster_12-1) Foster, Craig (2019). "Deej‐a Vu: Documentary revisits facilitated communication pseudoscience". *Behavioral Interventions*. **34** (4): 577–586. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1002/bin.1687](https://doi.org/10.1002%2Fbin.1687). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [202247479](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:202247479).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Boynton, Janice L. (March–April 2021). ["Fresh Thinking or Exploitation?"](https://web.archive.org/web/20210502071802/https://skepticalinquirer.org/2021/03/fresh-thinking-or-exploitation/). *[Skeptical Inquirer](/source/Skeptical_Inquirer)*. Amherst, New York: [Center for Inquiry](/source/Center_for_Inquiry). Archived from [the original](https://skepticalinquirer.org/2021/03/fresh-thinking-or-exploitation/) on May 2, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["The Best Stories of 2017"](http://www.peabodyawards.com/stories/story/2017-peabody-award-winners-77th-annual-peabody-30). *peabodyawards.com*. May 9, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-deejmovie_15-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-deejmovie_15-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-deejmovie_15-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-deejmovie_15-3) ["Deej"](https://www.deejmovie.com/). *Deej*. Retrieved February 16, 2020.[*[self-published source?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability#Self-published_sources)*]

## External links

- [Official website](https://www.deejmovie.com/)

- [*Deej*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5634002/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

- ["ASHA Policy Statement"](https://www.asha.org/policy/ps2018-00352/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Deej](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deej) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deej?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.