New York Institute of Technology and its student filmmakers were invited to create a documentary film about the fifth anniversary of the Viscardi-JetBlue flight. Under the guidance of New York Tech faculty, students took part in educational programming, including service-learning coursework and summer research grants to achieve pre-production and filming, while studying the artistic and technical design of a professional documentary film production.

Graduating seniors worked in close collaboration with Viscardi students, including high school seniors enrolled in Viscardi’s multimedia class and the participants of this year’s flight. Students from both institutions learned from each other, shared experiences of professional film production relevant to college and professional paths, and contributed towards a documentary short that will advocate for people with disabilities at a national level during National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

Programming featured hands-on learning opportunities beyond the traditional classroom setting at locations including JetBlue Headquarters, Manhattan Editing Workshop, the Henry Viscardi School, New York Tech’s Motion Capture Studio, JFK Airport, the Boston Aquarium, and a JetBlue airplane.

The film and its educational project was led by Michael Hosenfeld (Faculty Director), Paul DeMonte (Faculty Editing Supervisor), and Terry Nauheim (Executive Producer) with service learning support from Amy Bravo and Adrienne McNally from the Office of International and Experiential Learning, in close collaboration with staff from the Viscardi Center, the Henry Viscardi School, and JetBlue.