63: Episode 62 - From Roadmap to Emmy: Samuel and Dan Habib on Filmmaking, Family, and Disability

In this Quest Podcast episode, we chat with Emmy Award-winning filmmaker and disability advocate Samuel Habib and his father and longtime collaborator Dan Habib, the creative duo behind the extraordinary documentary The Ride Ahead. In the film, Samuel opens up about his personal journey into adulthood — navigating housing, employment, relationships, and higher education while living with a rare neurodevelopmental condition — and how connecting with the disability community helped him find confidence, purpose, and his own powerful voice. Dan reflects on two decades of disability filmmaking and what it meant to finally put a person with disability in the director's chair. Together, they share the honest, often humorous, and deeply moving story behind the making of the film, the mentors who shaped it, and why authentic representation in storytelling matters now more than ever. Samuel and Dan offer their experiences, expertise, and heartfelt advice on self-advocacy, finding community, and what it really looks like to live a full and meaningful life with a disability.TranscriptGuests:Dan Habib is the Inclusive Communities Project Director at the Westchester Institute for Human Development and the founder of LikeRightNow Films. He is the Director and Producer of the films Intelligent Lives, Including Samuel, Who Cares About Kelsey?, and Mr. Connolly Has ALS. His current projects include the Emmy Award winning short My Disability Roadmap and the newly released feature documentary The Ride Ahead, both co-directed with his son Samuel Habib. Habib gave the TEDx talk, “Disabling Segregation,” and served on President Obama’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Habib and his wife, Betsy McNamara, live in Concord, NH, and have two sons: Isaiah, 29, and Samuel, 26.To receive a free “The Ride Ahead” education kit which includes multiple versions of the film, discussion guides and bonus video content, go to https://www.rideaheadfilm.com/campprogram.Connect with Dan: Facebook: /therideahead  Instagram: @therideahead Twitter: @therideaheadfilm https://likerightnowfilms.com/ https://www.rideaheadfilm.com/ Samuel Habib, 26, is the Emmy Award winning co-director of the New York Times Op-Doc My Disability Roadmap and the feature documentary The Ride Ahead, both co-directed with his father Dan Habib. Samuel also helped Dan create the nationally broadcast film Mr. Connolly Has ALS. He is a college student and works at LikeRightNow Films and the Westchester Institute for Human Development. In addition to exploring his current and future academic and career options, Samuel also navigates significant, chronic health challenges. He uses a wheelchair for mobility and a communication device (as well as his voice) to express himself.Connect with Sam: Facebook: /therideahead  Instagram: @therideahead Twitter: @therideaheadfilm https://likerightnowfilms.com/ https://www.rideaheadfilm.com/ Host:Mindy Henderson is MDA’s Vice President of Disability Outreach & Empowerment, Editor-in-Chief of Quest Media, and the host of this podcast. She was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2, when she was 15 months old and has been a life-long partner to MDA. Mindy is also a professional speaker and author of the book, The Truth About Things That Suck.Connect with Mindy: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hendersonmindy/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mindyhendersonspeaks/