Kid Who Wouldn't Quit - The Brad SIlverman Story (1987)

for well here it was at last Brad's  graduation day it's funny I prayed for this day so long and so hard that  when it finally came it was almost a let down you got your handkerchiefs yes  I got my handkerchief I got [Music] everything get t m I got to go you're perfect hey keev hey Brad come on we have  to get our stuff oh you look good well thanks so do you come on so it's okay sure  he's okay why shouldn't he be okay you told him not to fidget Harold our Brad is the  first kid with Down Syndrome to graduate from regular classes that this school has  ever had everybody is going to be staring at him he's not going to fidget he looks  handsome doesn't he like a movie star of course we could be prejudiced we did it Billy  but of course that wasn't true Brad did what he did himself and like actors cast in a play we  were simply chosen to witness his most remarkable life you can't get married without inviting  aunt Ida and Uncle Nathan Larry they would be very hurt mom we'll send them an announcement  Pam and I agreed we won a small wedding hey Pop what are you doing home from work so early  it's my business I can come home when I want I can call the doctor here Harold I'm a little  busy here what's the matter M nothing is the matter your father is such a nerg I have a little  indigestion he thinks it's a fatal disease I'm calling do slide Harold Silverman  uh listen you Ry those tests on my wife last week oh my son's getting  married I guess Lin's been busy a lot he's been trying to  reach you he wants to talk to you hello yes what what that that that's  impossible there must be some mistake I am 47 years old I'm going to call you back oh Harold what is it Harold I'm pregnant figures I leave to go have a cup  of coffee then she has the baby hi doctor har lar um let's step in here  for a minute how's bu how's a baby come on my son is [ __ ] severely Harold so uh this down syndrome what does it mean  well that your baby may not may not live past 15 years of age his IQ may never be higher than  that of a 5-year-old he he may never learn to speak clearly and in addition this baby is  likely to have enormous toilet and feeding difficulties is it the same for all of them  if don't any of them do any better not that we know of that there really isn't very  much information available to us parents sort of keep it quiet when something like  this happens in the family so you could be wrong Harold sometimes nature makes mistakes  do yourself a favor don't take this baby home don't take him oh well they are institutions  for these cases they're quite good ones actually my son is not a mistake doctor  he's a human being a living breathing manifestation of God's will he's been  given to us to raise and to love and he will never be put in an institution it won't  be necessary it's going to be just fine just fine Harold said we were too stupid to listen  to the doctors so we just took him home and raised him like any other kid of course Brad  wasn't like any other kid he had many physical problems at first and being with him was a  full-time job but when I looked in my baby's eyes I could see a spirit shining through  that wasn't going to quit well if he wasn't I sure wasn't I'm sorry Mrs Silverman but I  really don't think Brad would be happy here you came highly recommended there's a fine  school for handicapped kids in the valley I'll get you the phone number no you don't  understand Brad can keep up look I'll show you Brad come here a minute honey sry darling  okay now I want five words that begin with ay Apple always great great now let's do some bees Mrs Silverman b b thank you br thank you thank you  that's very impressive but you see see I work with him 4 hours a day he loves it he can go  through the entire alphabet Brad is obviously on the high end of the scale but we're simply  not equipped to meet his needs his needs are to be taught this is a school what's the problem  I think Brad would be happier with his own kind his own kind are 5-year-old kids who are  ready to read I'm not going to said Brad to a school for handicapped children  may I ask you why Brad is like a parrot he mimics everything he sees and hears  when he's around normal people he acts like them when he isn't he doesn't  I'm sorry Mrs Silverman we have our policy I've only tried five schools  so far this is a big city I'll just have to keep trying until we find  one that will work with him I think you'll find that impossible then it  will take a little longer come on darling okay listen up when I call your  name Brad learned to read and to swim and ride horses by the time he was 10 the only  thing he didn't do was feel comfortable with boys his own age Silman Silman that's me Bye  Mom bye dad have a lot of fun only have fun you know bye bye darling now get the feeling  of K in the ball get the feeling of the ball in your glove you ready h a [Laughter]  boy good give me a break coach is trying to teach the dummy how to catch a ball come  on Coach we want to play yeah I'll be right [Music] there now listen I want you to hang right  here for minute right back okay all right listen up hey Brad catch this I missed  some one you should have caught it [Music] this you haven't said one word about about how  Camp went you want to talk about it no that bad H theying [ __ ] and dummy M I'm not a  [ __ ] and I'm not dumb of course you're not you may be slower than the other kids  are and you have to work harder to keep up but you are keeping up and that makes you  the smartest one of them all but you always say stuff like that to me but it doesn't  keep them from laughing well they will one of these days they're going to stop laughing  and when they do they're going to stand up and cheer I promise you one of these days they are  going to stand up and cheer for Brad Silverman Brad a bar mitzvah our two older Sons were  Bar Mitzvah and Brad will be too my mind's made up why do we have to fight about this  tonight he's only 10 years old now it takes him longer we've got to start planning right  away oh Billy Billy Brad was such a handful we couldn't even get a temple to accept him for  daycare and who do you figure is going to teach him Hebrew the rabbi I'm going to find that's  who and if they all say no then you'll do it I don't know any hero you'll learn God help me  how did you find us Mrs slman in the Yellow Pages you were at the top uhhuh you've made a fortunate  choice we are a happy congregation all are welcome here all race all income levels all handicaps even  people who aren't Jewish I guess that would be a handicap to being bar mitzvot here of course if  you did me Miz all the prayers and convert it to Judaism it could be done uh how many prayers  are we talking about here approximately 14 Brad would have to start Hebrew lessons immediately  and you would have to join the congregation I've talked to the business people we've already done  that well then welcome to our congregation Mr Silverman just between us do you really think  he can memorize all the prayers do you think you can handle this tape recorder sure put them all on  there we'll play them every night he'll learn them [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] thank [Music] you very nice back [Music] [Music] and then finally the big day we'd all work so  hard for came Brad started High School regular high school we all had our fingers crossed I'm  sure you'll find Mr Silverman that Pasadena High School has a full curriculum of special  education classes Brad will be just fine here Mr greo I know this high school has to take Brad  because of the new law that passed I'm grateful for a law that lets him go to an appropriate  High School like any other kid and I understand that until you test uh his ability you will  assume that a kid with Down Syndrome needs special at classes thaty has to be sheltered  um Mr s what are you trying to say I'm trying to say that Brad may surprise you please keep  your mind open I'm going to graduate from high school with my class I want to be a regular kid  that's my dream I see well that's uh fine I mean dreams are good things to have let's let's  see how you do this term huh I'll do great he's uh very assertive isn't he you could sit  guess hi I'm Brad how you doing Brad you still are pretty I think I'm having a bad dream you  have any boyfriends I don't have any girlfriends I can't imagine why R what is it never mind what  it is where did it come from man got to be cool now you're coming on too strong too fast get  my drift okay my name's Brad Silverman what's yours Kevin Washington you take care now hey  Dad guess what guess what I got a new best [Music] friend right settle down Brad slow down  you're not tonging correctly I've played clarinet since in ninth grade and I  like to play my way well you hear this passage now this is a correct  way to tongue [Music] listen not bad now now listen to this [Music] well I'll be done hi how you doing hi how you doing give me  that give it to me come on please just give me my CL that my glasses all right come on I  have to practice just give me my glasses my CL that you guys Here's Where It's At  You cool your acttion around my main man here you answer to Washington am I getting  through yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah come on let's cruise well you really showed those guys little man am I going to have to spend the next  3 years watching out for you would you mind you're really a funny dude you know  what I better it be funny sure's going to take something to get me through this go  come on let's go the baby is walking Larry got that promotion finally Pam sents her  love and she we're both thrilled at how far Brad has come in one year regular classes  in English and public speaking not bad ready okay I'll wait for you k okay little man now  you stay away from the girls here no way I like girls oh no he's everywhere hey hey I  I can dance you want to see me break dance oh yeah Brad come on we could do some fun okay oh br little man we got to talk yeah look you don't  have to keep fooling around all the time to have friends CU I know that me mean to me if I don't  they're mean to you if you do man they're not laughing with you they're laughing at you can't  you see that I don't want to talk I'm going home man I'm being straight with you now please listen  to me no I don't want to you're not my friend [Music] anymore I'm sorry Mr Silverman but our  attempts to mainstream Brad have failed the work in regular classes is just too hard for him IAH  hunch is not the work it's the social life then why continue to torment him it would be much  kinder to Brad to put him back in the special education classes with the other handicapped  students where he'll go unchallenged where he can succeed you take every kid who's failing  English and put him into special education classes of course not of course not what we're  talking about here is a lapse of Faith yours in Brad Brad's in himself Mr and then there's the  matter of all the kids in Brad's classes what you be denying them come again look to most of  the kids in this school Brad is like a strange animal he makes a lot of them uncomfortable and  knowing that he gets uncomfortable now if they discover that Brad is just another student  but one who needs a little help and a little guidance and if they start going out of their way  to help them those kids are going to start feeling very good about themselves it's the pebble and  the stream effect when they become adults they will not turn their heads away from the needy  they will be contributing to the betterment of mankind all right I'll give it another  two months good no bring need one more small favor yes Mr Silverman  I want to talk to his English class Mr Silman you have got to be the most  devoted parent I ever met in my life I'm nothing you should meet his mother Down syndrome is a  birth abnormality uh it's not a mental illness you can't catch it and everybody who has it  does not act the same way people with Downs are not crazy they they're slow not dumb and  they're definitely not clowns to be laughed at it's very tough for him to concentrate for long  periods of time yeah it's tough for me too well then you know how he feels the filtering  system in the brain that subdues outside distractions doesn't work quite as well for  him as for other kids and that part of the brain which chooses appropriate responses doesn't  work as well either so he's much more uninhibited spontaneous uh Brad is also quite incapable  of deceiving or cheating or being mean to anyone on this Earth is a a very pure  human being and very sensitive Brad wants to succeed more desperately than  any of you can imagine because he's very well aware of how different he is and he's  searching for the kind of self-respect that only comes from overcoming obstacles for Brad  to get a SE that's like for the rest of you to make Straight A's but he keeps trying and  he never complains and he never says why me hey he could show you some help what we got here is a need for some  tutors now some of you do to real good in English like me okay all right Gloria  you start a list okay okay now anyone who wants to take a 30-minute shift  once a week tutoring Brad in English after school raise your hand I'll do it  me too I'll take one I'll do it me too my goodness watching hey Brad how you doing oh  I'm doing great I got a C+ in English almost a b Miss Livingston says I'm Number 15 from  the top all right Excellent Man really Kevin I'm sorry for what for saying you want my  friend anymore no problem I need it mean it how come you always shooting basket don't you ever  get tired nope I need a basketball scholarship to get to College if I'm good enough USC may give  me one you know what I want to go to college too you do yeah I know I can't go to USC like you  I I know I'm kind of slow but but I bet junior college would take me I could get a 2-year degree  it might take me 3 or 4 years to get it but I can have a college degree on my world just like  other people what all right go for it okay all right hi hi okay just for the prom black and  hot so white flowers okay okay see the girl has to tell you what color she's wearing so you know  what kind of C bring here oh sure you going me no I happen to know someone who doesn't have  a date and she's dying to go well you hope a oranger she's real shy but um I bet if  you ask her she'll go with you she will really okay hey Miss shinus come over  here yo Gus I want to ask you something you go to the pr with me [Music] okay and so Brad went  out on his first date he was so excited he didn't sleep the whole night  before tell you the truth neither did we now you're the prettiest girl here seus I  wish you'd stop calling me that okay this is a slow one I know how to do it my mom showed  me how come on let's dance no thanks no come on it's really I'll show you what one 2 3  one two I don't feel like dancing excuse me let [Music] [Music] see you Kev thanks hi hi so  how did it go I had a good time except my date wouldn't Dance with Me Oh  BR why not cuz some of the kids were laughing um would you like to dance mom I would be [Music] delighted when I go to college I'm going to  find a girl who really likes me and she won be too shy either you are the  dearest sweetest best boy in the world Brad Silverman did anyone  ever tell you that sure Mom you did Vanessa Saunders congratulations Denzel s  congratulations rapael up congratulations Brad Silverman congratulations congratulations in  addition to his other accomplishments Brad has been the president of our Junior Achievement  Club he's also been an outstanding member of our Roc unit I would now like to announce  that Brad has been accepted at Pasadena City College for the fall semester to our  knowledge the first person put down syndrome to attend college in California taking regular classes good for you br I one day they stand up and cheer I told him hi I'm glad serman I just want  you kids to know out there it's a good thing to have a dream as  long as you're willing to work to make it come true I'm in my second  year at Pasa City College [Music]