This film sheds light on the profound impact and contributions of parent advocates.

When Producer Jen Plante Johnson steps in to help plan for her brother Peter’s care, she is moved by her mother Maria’s journey as a trailblazing parent advocate, alongside a dedicated group of local mothers who found each other when their kids were babies. Together, they’ve navigated five decades raising children with Down syndrome and autism.​

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In RAISING US, these women share their compelling stories, reliving personal triumphs and challenges which mirror a broader historical narrative of evolving attitudes, barriers broken and walls that still remain to be knocked down today.​

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Their mission and their experience as mothers and change-makers in the community underscores the ongoing struggles for societal inclusion, belonging, and the quest for dignity, autonomy, and opportunity for all people born with intellectual and developmental disabilities, autism, and neurodivergence.​

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