A new, award-winning documentary, titled Forget Me Not follows parents and filmmakers Olivier and Hilda Bernier as they fight for their son Emilio’s rights in the classroom. Baby Emilio was born with Down Syndrome and ever since then, has been fighting for his right to be included.
“I was completely unprepared for my son,” said Olivier Bernier, “And that was because I had never met anyone with Down Syndrome. But as I started to think about it, I realized that the reason why I had never met anyone with Down Syndrome was because growing up, they were hidden from me in my school, which had segregated settings.”
A breakdown of the film
Forget Me Not premiered in October of 2022, and in the months following has created a much needed conversation centered around topics including diversity, intellectual disabilities and inclusive education.
In the film, Olivier and Hilda share their personal journey of battling with New York City’s (NYC) segregated schooling system in order to allow their son to be educated alongside his typical developing peers. With NYC’s schools having one of the most segregated education systems, Olivier and Hilda aren’t just fighting for their own child’s future, but also the other 60,000 students within the school system that are fighting for their right to be included in the classroom.
“When my wife and I were talking about what we want our son’s future to look like, the most important thing was that we want him included in society, and that starts in the classroom,” said Olivier.
Capturing Emilio’s story
Forget Me Not was directed and produced by Emilio’s father, Olivier, with the help of his production company Rota6 Films, an inclusive film crew, and other professionals and organizations. The documentary has been in the making for quite a few years, and during that time, there has been a mixture of emotions and challenges that have gone into the process.
Olivier says the best part of making this film has been blending his profession with his home life. This has made it possible for him to spend most of his time with his family, while working simultaneously. He also added that it has been a pleasure working with all of the parents, professionals, and experts that have aided him in the process.
“Every parent can relate to having videos of their child and never being able to do anything with it,” said Olivier, “but I actually got to work with a professional editor to go through the footage and in the end, created a beautiful family portrait that is a document of our wonderful son as he was growing up.”
While the documentary holds sentimental value, Olivier says that it was excruciating having to relive some of his family’s most difficult experiences during the post-production editing of the film.
“It conjures up all the emotions that we were going through at that time, but we knew that we had to make this film and that we were doing something good. We knew that by getting Emilio’s story out there, we were representing millions of other children across the world, and that made it worth showing some of our most intimate moments,” said Olivier.
Bringing change
One of the biggest goals for this documentary is to educate more people on inclusive education.
Olivier defines an inclusive classroom as being one that includes children with disabilities in the same classroom as typical developing children. This setting also includes the special education teachers teaching alongside the general education teachers, where everyone is able to learn from each other, and with each other. He thinks that this way of teaching is better for everyone involved, and that it will make for a better future as our students learn to have more empathy, and understand different ways of learning and having discussions.
“I hope this film reaches future educators so that they can see a different perspective and can go into school districts with a different mindset of how a classroom should mirror the inclusive society we want to live in,” said Olivier.
Advice for parents
Many children do not get the chance to interact with other children that have intellectual disabilities and therefore, do not know how to interact or even coexist with them, much like Olivier before having Emilio.
“I really made the film for the version of myself before I had my son,” said Olivier. “I tried to make the film in a way that is accessible for people who maybe have never heard of inclusive education.”
In order to have effective conversations with your children, Olivier suggests that parents should do their best to answer the questions that their children have about others who are different from them. He says a lot of the time, these questions are met with remarks meant to quiet the child, when in reality, children are curious and want to know how and why someone is different from them.
“I think the best thing we can do as parents,” he said, “is to discuss these topics with our children. Our differences are what makes us unique and what makes us beautiful.”
Today, Emilio is fully included in general education and he is blossoming in kindergarten. “It was a fight to get to this point and there was a lot of battling before, during, and after the film” said Olivier, “but we’re here now, and we’re really happy to be seeing the results of that work.”
Learn more about the documentary and how to view it at forgetmenotdocumentary.com.
Brittany Strickland, Ms. Brittany, The Makery facilitator, has been an integral part of working to create several projects that have made a lasting impact on the school. One such project is the Butterfly Garden, which taught learners about the life cycle of butterflies and the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem. The learners were actively involved in planting the garden and even had the opportunity to release the butterflies when they were fully grown. The maker space has been the inspiration for many installations on campus. One such installation is the Little Library designed and created by our 4th and 5th-grade learners and is now registered with The Little Library Association. Ms. Brittany also led the installation of the iLEAD Mosaic Wall, where all learners were able to contribute to the design and construction of the wall.
Our music program was established and continues to be developed by Daniel Baumgartner. As the school’s music facilitator, Mr. B has created a thriving music program using Kodaly’s music teaching methods. He implements a balanced and well-rounded music curriculum that includes lessons on various instruments, such as keyboard, ukelele, guitar, recorders, and vocal music. Mr. B leads our Veteran’s Day Celebration with a musical performance, coordinates our Winter Program, and directs our annual spring musical. This year, learners will be presenting The Lion King Kids, Directed by Mr. B!t iLEAD Spring Meadows is a school and a community that prioritizes cultivating an environment where learners can thrive. This commitment is exemplified by the Facilitators, whose dedication to integrating music, art, and technology has transformed the learning experience for learners.
Sauder Village is a blast from the past that celebrates the Indigenous origins, early immigrant settlers and the development of local communities in our region. Families are given the opportunity to enjoy America’s history spanning from 1803 through 1920! The Village also hosts special events and classes this summer as well. The chance to meet farm animals is also an experience offered. Finally, after a long walk through the village, homestyle food and sweets are available at the Barn Restaurant and the Doughbox Bakery!
The Toledo Botanical Garden is open to the public every day and is visited by 120,000 people all year round. Visitors are given the chance to enjoy more than 60 acres of land, and the Garden also offers a natural playground called the Secret Forest that kids will love. All visitors are given the opportunity to learn more about nature through hands-on experience with nature and craft workshops.
Imagination Station is a nonprofit organization that welcomes over 200,000 visitors every year and encourages all visitors to think outside the box. With hundreds of interactive hands-on activities, events, and workshops, Imagination Station is a great way to expand and build upon a child’s scientific knowledge. This organization gives children the opportunity to feed their innate curiosity for the world of science. 
The winter activities don’t have to come to an end just because it’s summer, right? Tam-O-Shanter offers ice skating and hockey for adults and children. This Recreational center also hosts events revolving around these activities during the summer. Tickets must be pre purchased, so visit their website today if you are planning a trip there. 
The Glass Pavilion
National Museum of the Great Lakes 
