"Deej" documerntry film about non verbal autistic

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In another era, D.J. Savarese, a non-speaking autistic chronicled in the documentary “Deej,” would spend his life in silence in an institution.

Abandoned by his birth parents, victimized in foster care, Savarese was eventually adopted by an Iowa couple, who insisted that he be mainstreamed in school.

In May, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin College with a double major in anthropology and creative writing, and he’s a published poet, in addition to his role in the making of the movie about his life.

“We decided that the only way we could make a film that had an interior point of view, in other words, a story from the inside out, D.J. providing the words and perspective, was for us to do this as partners,” said Robert Rooy, the director, co-producer and videographer on “Deej,” which will screen at the Wayne Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 7, as part of the On Screen/In Person documentary film series.

“He wanted to pursue college as part of his own mission, and to advocate for kids like him, because his conviction, and I have to say, mine, too, is that all too often, children like him are sort of categorized as being only a certain level of intelligence or capability, and are taught only to that level, just not challenged the way typical, so-called normal, children are. And in the case of D.J., that was certainly true,” Rooy said.
The film shines a light on autism and inclusion through the life of Deej

“We have labels like low functioning and high functioning, and they’re really misguided, and they can really restrict a person’s rights,” Rooy said. “D.J. is a case in point, because he acts differently than most people, and sounds differently in terms of some vocal sounds that he makes. A lot of people would write him off as being quote-unquote low functioning, and instead you have someone here who is a remarkable poet, and he just graduated with honors from one of the most esteemed colleges in the United States.