With a goal of sharing the often unheard voices of the disability community, filmmaker John Schaffer has created a collection of short films that educate the audience by highlighting disabled individuals and their stories. His film company, Wild Asperagus Productions, has produced nine films, most being six to ten minutes long, as well as several fire science videos. Schaffer’s most recent film, titled “Picturing Inclusivity," will premiere in Flagstaff at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Theatrikos.
Schaffer’s journey to filmmaking was not linear, as he thought of it as only a hobby when he went to college for the first time and chose to major in political science. He shared that he sometimes wished he studied film but does not see it as a missed opportunity.
“If I had gone into film right away, I might never have been introduced to the disability community, and I might not have found the stories I later went on to tell through my films. So, I have no regrets,� he said.
Schaffer’s introduction to this community came when he worked at a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. “It was eye-opening to see how often these individuals� voices weren’t heard,� he shares. “Their needs were too often overlooked.�
This experience stirred a desire to do more. After 10 years of working in direct care, he pursued a master’s degree in special education, hoping to make a difference in the lives of younger children. It was during this time at Northern Arizona University (NAU) that he met Susan Marks, a professor who was passionate about inclusive education and using video to elevate underrepresented voices, particularly in the disability community.
After earning his master’s degree, Schaffer decided not to pursue teaching in the classroom. His wife had just had their first child, and his weekend job at the group home allowed him to be a stay-at-home dad during the week. It wasn’t until a few years after graduation in 2008 that he was asked to teach a disability studies class, called perspectives on disability, at NAU. Teaching this online class, along with caring for his son while doing some video work on the side, kept him busy.
Schaffer kept in contact with Susan Marks, who he viewed as a mentor, and in 2011 she shared an idea with him about creating a YouTube video for an autism advocate she had met. The goal was to create something this advocate, Laura Nagle, could use to promote her speaking engagements and to spread autism awareness.
After discussing the idea with Marks and Nagle, Schaffer quickly decided that he wasn’t going to waste his time with a YouTube video and that they should aim for something bigger. He wanted to create a film festival film, something he’d never done before but was an aspiration of his. So, over the course of about two years, the three of them worked on the film called “Vectors of Autism: A documentary about Laura Nagle," which in turn, created Wild Asperagus Productions.
The documentary went on to play in film festivals around the world, winning five awards, including international awards. “That was my introduction to making festival films,� said Schaffer. “It's an amazing experience to see your films on the big screen and have an audience.� This film provided him with a platform to advocate for the disability community and inspired him to continue making films. “The goal is to educate people, to help them appreciate and accept people with disabilities.�
Schaffer’s filmmaking process starts with his fascination with people. He shared that he often gravitates toward people who seem to be outsiders and has always found their stories interesting.
“I don't make films about people. I make films with people,� he said. “And so I involve all the subjects of my films. We sit down and talk about what we want to say, and how we want to say it.�
With the nature of short films, there is a limited amount of time to share these stories, and it’s important for Schaffer and his subjects to be intentional about the point they want to make. He said this most often includes sharing the aspects of their life where they are trying to make themselves and their community better.
His newest Wild Asperagus film, “Picturing Inclusivity,� is about an Irish man with autism who likes to take photographs and videos of public spaces, creating artwork around these spaces by making time lapses and heat maps out of them.
“His whole goal is to try to find those social eddies that exist in these public spaces because he deals with social anxiety,� explained Schaffer. “When he's out on the street, he can get very anxious around people, so he plots his routes and finds places that are away from these high-traffic areas where he can rest and recuperate if he needs to.�
“Picturing Inclusivity� will be shown at the upcoming Theatrikos event, “Creating Possibilities: Short Films by John Schaffer.� The title of this event is one that Schaffer feels proud to have come up with, as he will not only get to share his own creations by showing the films, but also get to share all of the people that are featured in the films that are creating possibilities for themselves and their community.
Schaffer was recently hosted by Theatrikos in October of last year for a similar event, where he showed about six of his films. “Creating Possibilities� will be a continuation of showcasing his work, this time with all different films, including “Vectors of Autism: A documentary about Laura Nagle� which hasn’t played on a big screen in about 10 years. Schaffer will discuss each film before it’s shown, pointing out important highlights or sharing a story from the process. After all the films are shown, there will be a question-and-answer segment to close out the event.
“My biggest hope is that my films will inspire people who are different to not be ashamed of being different,� said Schaffer. “It's also about creating inclusive communities through accessibility.�
Join John Schaffer for his “Creating Possibilities� event at 7 p.m. on Feb. 10 at Theatrikos, located at 11 W. Cherry Ave. in Flagstaff. For more information on Schaffer’s films and other upcoming events, visit