Step to the Music

Duration: 27:29:00

Year Published: 1960s

Creator: Harris County Center For The Retarded

Format: 16mm

Sound: sound

Description: Produced by Houston’s KPRC-TV, this 1960s television news documentary examines the educational and vocational programs offered by a local agency now known as the Center. Established in 1950 as the Harris County Center for the Retarded, the facility supports individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Narrator Ray Miller reviews a number of the Center’s services, including classroom instruction, exercise regimens, and vocational training. Writer and photographer Gary James also speaks with the Center’s executive director, Dr. Frank Borreca, about the necessity of the facility. Please note, this film uses derogatory and dated language to describe persons with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. The Texas Archive of the Moving Image does not condone the use of the words “mongoloid” or “retarded,” but presents this film as it was originally created, because to do otherwise would be the same as to claim these terms never existed.