Disabled students in documentary remind prospective employers ‘I am Like You’

As guests piled into Bill Cosford Cinema at the University of Miami Wednesday for the premiere of a compelling short film about people with disabilities and autism in the workforce, a connection was felt between all.

I am Like You showcases a selection of Miami Dade County Public School students who are trained and talented bakers, some of whom now work at Publix and Winn-Dixie, and happen to have disabilities.

The short film, directed by Arturo Sande, was filmed by his class at the Center of Cinematography Arts & Television, and edited by a high functioning autistic person, Brendan Santidrian. As the title states, the film is a way to showcase the talents of a very special group of adults who work hard and want to live independent lives.

The film begins with the back story of how Robin Matusow, who ran a Miami-Dade Schools adult disabilities program, was asked to develop a program to help autistic and disabled students find jobs in the real world.

The J.R.E. Lee Baking Program was created as a part of a superintendent’s initiative. Matusow found Pedro Diaz, a renowned and experienced baker, who felt that he had a predisposition to teach students with disabilities how to bake.

“We knew that a program was surely needed,” Matusow said. “After the first week, it was like a match made in heaven. We absolutely knew it would work and thrive.”

The courage of students and parents to try something new and put up with total changes in their environment shows that they really want to work. The six-month production of the short film showcases just that.

Diaz created a special color-coordinated recipe method for his students to understand and learn how to create a whole gamut of baked goods such as cookies, cakes, Cuban flan, and many others. He taught them with “patience and love,” the program’s motto.