FREE | Registration Required

Join us for the Community Impact Film Series event focused on Visible and Invisible Disabilities. This free community program brings together film, dialogue, and community resources to educate, engage, and empower attendees. The event will include a film screening, a panel discussion featuring community leaders and subject-matter experts, and a resource fair connecting participants with local organizations and service opportunities.

Film Synopsis: The Peanut Butter Falcon follows Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a wrestler. Later, he meets with an outlaw who becomes his friend and coach.

What to Expect:

• 10:00–10:30 AM: Resource Fair
• 10:35–10:45 AM: Opening Remarks
• 10:45–12:22 PM: Feature Film: The Peanut Butter Falcon (97 min.)
• 12:25–1:05 PM: Panel Discussion
• 1:10–2:00 PM: Resource Fair

Meet the Panelists:

Davian “DJ” Robinson is a visually impaired dance artist, choreographer, educator, interdisciplinary collaborator, and licensed massage therapist based in Charlotte, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance Performance, Choreography, and Theory from UNC Charlotte in 2020. His artistic practice explores the intersection of disability, embodiment, accessibility, and human connection, using movement to expand how audiences experience performance beyond sight.

Robinson is the founder and artistic director of Sensory Beyond Sight, an evolving creative practice that combines contemporary dance, improvisation, tactile learning, sound, and guided movement to cultivate inclusive artistic experiences. His work invites participants to engage through touch, listening, trust, and spatial awareness, demonstrating that accessibility is not an accommodation but a catalyst for innovation and artistic excellence.

Before dedicating his career to dance, Robinson was a nationally ranked Paralympic cyclist, earning six U.S. national medals and the 2017 U.S. National Championship in the 1-kilometer time trial. Today, his background in movement science and sports rehabilitation informs both his choreographic process and teaching philosophy.

Vilissa Thompson is a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) from Winnsboro, SC. Vilissa is the Founder & CEO of Ramp Your Voice!, an organization focused on promoting self-advocacy and strengthening empowerment among disabled people. Being a Disability Rights Consultant, Writer, & Activist affords Vilissa the opportunity to be a prominent leader and expert in addressing and educating the public and political figures about the plight of disabled people, especially Black women and femmes with disabilities.

In addition to her activism work, she is represented as a public speaker by CCMNT Speakers, as well as co-hosts the Wheelin’ & Dealin’ podcast, which dissects politics from an intersectional lens. She also acted as a consultant for the Sen. Elizabeth Warren 2020 Presidential campaign, where she assisted in the development of the Disability Rights & Equality policy plan.

Additionally, Vilissa created the #DisabilityTooWhite viral hashtag in 2016 that addressed the lack of diversity within the disability community, and how a lack of representation impacts disabled people of color and their ability to feel fully included and accepted within the community. Demanding that diverse disabled experiences be seen within media and the collective community is a mission for Vilissa’s activism focus, and she aims to make this a permanent reality. Everything she does revolves around being unapologetically herself – Black, disabled, and making good trouble to shake up the status quo.

Christian Ayers has been fighting for the rights of injured workers and the disabled since 2014. On a typical day, Christian litigates cases before the Social Security Administration and the North and South Carolina Industrial Commissions, and drafts court filings to get disability benefits and medical treatment for his clients. He primarily assists disabled persons with Social Security, Workers’ Compensation and Short- and Long-Term Disability claims. Christian was born and raised in Charlotte, NC. When he is not in the office or taking calls at home, Christian enjoys spending time with his family. He loves to be outside and is passionate about protecting the Carolina’s beautiful public lands and wild places.

Coffee provided by Giddy Goat Coffee.

Promotional Support from Lions Services.

Made possible through the generosity of Kathryn & Luke Kissam and Generation WE.