With the press of a button, Samuel Habib asked the question through his computer: “What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your life?” Pensive silence met his words.

Actress Ali Stroker, who uses a wheelchair, told Samuel her biggest risk was moving to New York for college, leaving behind her support system. Other interviewees talked about building romantic relationships, pursuing careers, and chasing their dreams, no matter the shape or size.

Samuel’s conversations with mentors with disabilities frame his journey in his new documentary, The Ride Ahead: Love, Tattoos, and Other Disabled Things, co-directed with his fa ther, Dan Habib. Samuel, a Concord native who has cerebral palsy, turns to these mentors for advice on love, sex, careers, and education.

“No one tells you how to be an adult, let alone an adult with a disability,” he says in the film.

The Ride Ahead, which premiered in April, follows Samuel in his early 20s as he ponders romance, transitions to independent living, pursues an associate degree at NHTI, and advocates for disability rights.

Through humor delicately interwoven with scenes of medical challenges, social frustrations, and large existential questions prompting deep reflection, the film invites viewers into Samuel’s daily life and all the joys – and challenges – that accompany it. In addition to undergoing brain surgery, he navigates travel-induced wheelchair damage, condescension from passers-by, and obstacles in making friends. The film highlights Samuel’s close familial relationships, his mentorship connections, and his hopes for the future.

The film has streamed at numerous film festivals and conferences.

“My goal for the film is that people won’t talk down to disabled people,” Samuel, now 24, said. “I want everyone to know that disabled people demand respect and rights. And I want other young adults with disabilities to have the same opportunities that I’ve had for health care, inclusive education, college, assistive technology, jobs, making friends, advocacy, and independent living.”

Samuel loves to travel, so he and Dan designed the film and its roll-out to include visiting mentors and attending screenings. They have delivered keynote addresses, hosted webinars, and launched a national community screening campaign to provide free education kits and screenings to connect youth with disabilities. The Habibs also created an online discussion guide and a life-planning tool for young adults with disabilities.

According to The Ride Ahead, over one in four people in the United States has a disability. One in four adults with disabilities live in poverty, while 40% of adults with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64 are employed. Disabled adults are also half as likely to have a college degree as adults without disabilities.

Samuel and Dan built a production team of a majority of people with disabilities to foster a more authentic storytelling environment, Dan explained. The team sought to depict life with disabilities as accurately as possible through Samuel’s experiences and those of his mentors.

“We created an advisory board for this film project,” Samuel added. “Everyone on the advisory board are young adults with disabilities. Advisory board members gave us awesome feedback on the film, and for our educational materials and outreach and publicity campaigns.”

While the pair set out to create a feature film, they did not anticipate making a short film that would win an Emmy. After editing a sizzle reel for The Ride Ahead, the duo received such positive feedback that they decided to submit it to The New York Times Op-Docs. My Disability Roadmap came out as a short film in May 2022, offering glimpses of moments the full-length feature film expands upon while still providing a deep look into Samuel’s life. Samuel also became the first person to ever give an Emmy acceptance speech using a communication device.

“This film will help people understand how to talk to me and other people with communication challenges,” Samuel said. “Be patient and do not talk down to me. Ask me how I best communicate. Slow down the pace of the conversation to create more space for me to contribute.”

Winning the Emmy with his son was one of Dan’s proudest moments. He said they never imagined it would happen.

“It’s one of these things where it’s a really beautiful feeling to experience something that is an incredibly personal body of work, something you’ve worked so hard on something – a film you love so much, that represents your family – and then have it recognized in that way,” he said.

The film does not shy away from difficult scenes, depicting Samuel’s life the way it is, using humor to break the ice, and capturing Samuel’s world through the use of two cameras attached to his wheelchair – one camera facing him, the other facing away from him to align with his view.

“There’s no way we could just tell people about ableism,” Dan said. “We needed to show it. Even some of the most painful moments are also some of the most powerful moments. With his wheelchair getting damaged, I never want that to happen again, and we do everything we can to avoid that, but it’s really important to show that this happens to people every day, and to represent the stories of tens of thousands of other people who’ve had mobility devices damaged.”

Dan and Samuel have collaborated on films since 2004, when Dan created Including Samuel, a documentary following Samuel from ages four to seven as his family seeks to include him in every aspect of life, notably education. When Samuel was in high school, the pair worked together on Mr. Connolly Has ALS, featuring Concord High School principal Gene Connolly in his final year at the school as his ALS progressed.

Samuel has participated in many conversations about accessibility in the community.

“When I was a kid, I could not get into most restaurants and shops downtown. But since they renovated downtown, I am able to get into most places,” he said. “There is still work to be done like the football bleachers at Memorial Field. I am not able to get all the way up in the bleachers with my family and friends. My chair blocks the aisle when I am sitting down in the accessible section. But I still think Concord is a great place to grow up and live as an adult with a disability.”

Samuel recently decided to attend Southern New Hampshire University, where he will begin in January. He wants to study history and meet more friends.

“I dream about traveling around the country and the world,” Samuel said. “I want to go to the Football Hall of Fame in Ohio, the Negro Baseball League Hall of Fame in Kansas City, London, and Europe. I want to experience going hunting, scuba diving, and continue building an RC boat collection. I also think a lot about getting married, maybe having kids, and making more films like a history documentary.”

The Ride Ahead will premiere in New Hampshire on Oct. 17 at the New Hampshire Film Festival and then in Concord on Dec. 2 at the Bank of NH Stage. It will also run at Red River Theaters in Concord from Dec. 3 through Dec. 12. Tickets go on sale in late November.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Samuel said. “I’ll be very proud to share our film with the Concord community. And it will be overwhelming to look into the audience and see so many people from my life.”

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com