Spellers

synopsis

Inspired by the book Underestimated, SPELLERS challenges conventional wisdom regarding a group relegated to society's margins: nonspeakers with autism, who most experts believe are cognitively disabled. As the film opening asks, "What if we've been wrong...about every single one of them?" SPELLERS answers that question, in convincing fashion, through the stories of eight nonspeakers - Aydan, Evan, Sid, Maddie, Jamie, Vince, Cade, and Elizabeth - who all found their voice through the miraculous process of using a letterboard to communicate their thoughts and feelings. As Jamie explains, "we think, feel, and learn just like everyone else."