“The philosophy of this particular partnership, the Creative Edge Digital Media Partnership is to introduce iPads to our individuals with disability so they can use them as communication tools, but also as tools to creatively express themselves through photography or through i-movie.”

Filmmaker Andrew Millington works for the Creative Edge Studio. At first, he taught the class the basics -- things like image capturing, editing and how to put things in order. Now, he cheers them on as they use those skills to create stories of their own.

Michael Steele brought in toys to be the characters in his film.

“Bunnies, pigs, horses and robots.”

“It may not be the Hollywood strict form of expression, “A” follows “B” follows “C”, so on, but I wish I could tell a story with that freedom, with that purity of expression.”

Filmmaking is part of The Arc’s holistic method of helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities become more active in their communities. The next step, says Jessica Neely, its director of family services, will be letting them go out with their iPads to document what they see.

“The goal is to sort of move the whole model of an adult day center out from the four walls of the center and into the community.”

Andrew Millington has another goal for the films his students create.