Dan Habib profile by Danielle LeBlanc

     In pictures Daniel Habib looks like a fairly tall middle-aged man with graying hair and many laugh lines. However, over the phone, in the middle of an airport and on his way to promote his new documentary, “Who Cares About Kelsey,” Habib sounds like a young charismatic filmmaker.

     As a filmmaker Habib gets into people’s lives and tells a story. He enters a world that he doesn’t know much about and tries to understand it. With his latest film Habib attempts to understand the world of Kelsey and create a film project that could be a catalyst for educational reform.

        In 2009 Habib, embarked on a personal film about a young 19-year-old girl named Kelsey Carroll. After his first documentary, “Including Samuel,” which was about his own son with cerebral palsy, Habib claimed he wanted to explore kids with more hidden disabilities such as Emotional Behavioral Disorder or (EBD).

      Habib was shocked about how few kids with this disorder graduate from high school. His voice became animated over the phone as he relayed the horrid stastics. “Fewer than 50 percent of students graduate high school with emotional disorders,” Habib said.

      Statistics also show that kids with emotional disorders were more likely to be incarcerated and are associated with higher drug abuse rates. “I wanted to make a film to educate people and improve the outcome with kids with these disabilities,” Habib said.

     Habib’s voice became very serious as he confessed how these statistics truly upset him. “I wanted to explore issues like how could these kids be more included in school and with education,” Habib said. This new idea brought Habib to Somersworth High School in New Hampshire. Somersworth was one of the national models for different educational approaches such as positive reinforcement and a program called RENEW. Habib was then introduced to Kathy Francoeur, Crisis Intervention Coordinator at Somersworth High School, and Kelsey’s mentor.

 “I asked Kathy if I could meet and talk to any kids part of RENEW,” said Habib. “Kathy introduced me to Kelsey, who was eloquent, funny, smart, and blunt.” Habib recalled with much enthusiasm. “She would tell you exactly what she thought and felt. Right after that Kelsey became the focus.”

     During the making of the film Habib in a way took this journey with Carroll. He was there for the ups and downs while immersing himself in this world of hers. “I saw her struggling to graduate,” Habib said. In the documentary there is a scene where Carroll finds out she is also flunking math along with two other classes. Carroll gets upset and claims she gives up and is done with school.

     “We didn’t even know a day or two before graduation if she was (graduating),” Habib said. After a long pause Habib continued. “Kelsey was really good at motivating herself and finding different ways to keep going.”

     While sitting in the middle of an airport Habib recalls the journey Carroll and Habib embarked together. “This film was meant to help people rethink the way we look at kids like Kelsey,” Habib said. “What I want people to take away from this film is that behavior happens for a reason…for people to understand behavior is a form of communication.”      

     As Habib says this he recalls a specific scene from the film that sticks out in his mind. “The scene where there is conflict over Kelsey’s iPod in class and she storms out of the classroom,” Habib said. “That scene really illustrates that behavior is a form of communication.” Habib stated that what he saw in that particular moment was that Kelsey didn’t want to be put to shame in front of her friends and that when a teacher is dealing with a student with emotional disabilities it should have been handled differently. “In that moment Kelsey’s behavior wasn’t her being a jerk, it was her protecting herself and her pride,” Habib said.

    Throughout the film Carroll and Habib became very close collaborators. “We were really good working together,” Carroll said. “If there was something I didn’t want in the film he’d take it out.”

“I wanted to make her feel comfortable,” Habib said. “If there was a time she had enough and wanted me to put the camera down I would. And there were times when I had to put the camera down.” Habib paused while over the phone before he continued. “I’m asking them to let me into their lives, and that’s a lot to ask…that takes a lot of time and trust.”

     The documentary was picked up by public television and is set to be aired on Oct. 22. However it has already been broadcasted in certain areas of the country. The film has already gotten a lot of positive feedback from blogs and has already been screened in many schools across the nation. “The reaction to the film has been very positive,” Habib said. “It’s been kind of a ‘thank you’ for putting a face on this issue.” Habib’s voice became very energetic over the phone. “A lot of times kids and families dealing with behavioral issues are blamed when they should be understood. There’s a lot of stigma,” Habib said.

      Habib hopes to impact the lives of kids with disabilities and how they are viewed through this documentary. “This film is playing some role in ‘distigmatizing’ the issue,” Habib said.

     However, Habib has also been greatly impacted after immersing himself in Carroll’s world.

“The film has affected me in a lot of ways,” Habib said. “I’ve learned so much about the educational approaches not just for kids like Kelsey but for other kids as well.” Habib suddenly grew silent and thoughtful over the phone before he continued. “It’s even affected the way I parent too. His voice became animated once again as he professed how he now praises when his two sons do the right thing rather than always focusing on their bad behavior.

“For example when my two sons don’t put things in the dishwasher I’m not going to be so upset but instead praise them when they do put dishes away in the dishwasher,” Habib said. Habib gently laughed over the phone as he continued, “It doesn’t always work, but it does work quite a bit.”

     Habib claimed that this practice should be seen in more schools regarding students’ behavior, especially those with emotional disabilities. “Teachers should look for kids doing the right thing and let them know,” Habib said. “Zero tolerance rules that schools often use just don’t work,” Habib said. The light-hearted tone in his voice was suddenly replaced with an intense tone, filled with conviction. “The whole three strikes and you’re out just doesn’t work and doesn’t help kids graduate.”

     According to Habib he hopes this film will lead to more schools getting involved with approaches like RENEW for students with emotional disabilities to help improve the outcome of kids like Carroll. “RENEW helped me manage a lot of my ADHD and with planning skills,” Carroll said.

     Similar to Habib, Carroll also hopes this film will impact the public’s view on students with emotional disabilities. “What I hope the public takes away from this film is that every student has significant problems, Carroll said. “But if we’re able to work together, we can find a system that works for each student.”
    Habib’s film, “Who Cares About Kelsey” was intended on changing the way people view students like Kelsey. Habib confessed he was surprised how making the film has changed him as well. “It’s caused me to be more careful to judge people about their behavior…makes me ask the question, ‘What might be going on in their life it terms of their home-life that’s causing them to act out,’” Habib said. “It’s caused me to ask those questions.”