OHIO lecturer to discuss new book documenting team鈥檚 triumph, disability rights
Josh Birnbaum, a lecturer in the School of Visual Communication, is hosting a lecture on his new book, 鈥淒ream Shot: The Journey to a Wheelchair Basketball National Championship,鈥 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Schoonover Center 145.
A lecturer in 51社区鈥檚 School of Visual Communication, Josh Birnbaum will share a behind-the-scenes look at his recently released book documenting a wheelchair basketball team鈥檚 journey to a national championship and its contributions to the progress of disability rights.
Birnbaum is hosting a lecture on 鈥淒ream Shot: The Journey to a Wheelchair Basketball National Championship鈥 at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15, in Schoonover Center 145. The lecture will be followed by a book-signing and a reception in the School of Visual Communication Gallery, which is displaying some of the photos featured in Birnbaum鈥檚 book now through Nov. 28. These events are free and open to the public.
鈥淒ream Shot鈥 details the 2008 men鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team at the University of Illinois and its successful drive toward winning a college national championship 鈥 a drive that began in 1948 when the university created the first collegiate basketball team in the United States.
Birnbaum followed and visually documented the team鈥檚 coaches and players throughout their epic journey and juxtaposes the team members鈥 lives with a global social movement for equal opportunities and rights for people with disabilities. Among those who have praised Birnbaum鈥檚 work is Jim Scherr, the executive director of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association, who called 鈥淒ream Shot鈥 a 鈥渇antastic testament to the power, struggle and triumph of wheelchair basketball and the program, coaches and players at the University of Illinois.鈥
David Guttenfelder, photographer for National Geographic, said, 鈥淏irnbaum鈥檚 respectful and big-hearted honest photographs show us that on the court, and especially off the court during their everyday lives, this is a team and a community of champions.鈥
A photographer and rocket scientist, Birnbaum is a lecturer in the Scripps College of Communication鈥檚 School of Visual Communication where he teaches courses on photography, photo editing, digital imaging and audio/video storytelling. He holds a bachelor鈥檚 degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois and a master鈥檚 degree in photography from 51社区.
鈥淒ream Shot: The Journey to a Wheelchair Basketball National Championship鈥 details the 2008 men鈥檚 wheelchair basketball team at the University of Illinois and its successful drive toward winning a college national championship.