Hi, my name is Joel Sheagren.
I’m a filmmaker working on and fundraising for a documentary called Embraced. The film’s title comes from how I embrace my son who was diagnosed with an FASD—the acronym for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
FASD is reported to be the world’s number one developmental disability. In 2018 a study was conducted by Dr. Philip May and his team in the U.S. showing 1 in 20 school children have this condition, yet it is unrecognized.
FASD continues to be hidden to professionals and the public because:
Not seen: unlike many genetic disorders that are visual, 90% of persons with an FASD have no outward disability features.
Misdiagnosed: Dr. Ira Chasnoff states nearly 86% of children with FASD are misdiagnosed (Autism, ADHD, learning disorders, etc.)
Lack of Awareness: There has not been a national awareness campaign or feature-length documentary about FASD since its discovery nearly 50 years ago.
There are four unique aspects of Embraced. We use the acronym C.A.R.E. to describe them.
Compassion: Viewers will begin to shift their paradigm and appreciate the daily challenges individuals experience depicted through raw scripted stories focused on the family, classroom, and criminal justice.
Awareness: People will begin to comprehend how FASD affects every aspect of our community through a nationally released documentary.
Recognition: Create a tipping point of understanding by having 5% of the population in the U.S. and Canada between ages 20 and 50 watch the film.
Education: Individuals and families affected by an FASD will be better supported by up-to-date and relevant ongoing educational, advocacy, and training tools.
Click below to view OUR Film Deck
We are interviewing people via Zoom for the documentary!
Click the button above and schedule your appointment!
Embraced is supported by FASD UNITED, formally NOFAS
ENDORSEMENT
“…We are not going to get very far in terms of the dissemination of information about FASD without dealing with two issues...the stigma and lack of awareness... we have been focused on prevalence as a professional community for far too long and we now need to focus on these two issues if we are going to make serious headway...without any question, a film like this is important in changing the conversation. Other drugs of abuse taken by a woman during her pregnancy, including cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin, don’t compare to the damages to the developing baby caused by alcohol.” From an interview with Dr. Jones
Kenneth Lyons Jones, MD University of California, San Diego Dr. Jones is co-Credited for the discovery of FASD in 1973 (along with Dr. David Smith)
A short video statement on stigma related to FASD by Sara Messelt, the Executive Director of Proof Alliance
Sample Clip
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