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The video opens with a dark purple background. “Common Senses Festival” in white text shows up and to the left are 8 coral color graphics of various shapes grouped together.
White text: “May 10-25. Omaha, Nebraska. Every voice shakes the world.” The last sentence is then surrounded by those graphics in various colors.
The video changes to a Black man with a shaved head and a short beard, wearing a white shirt. He is sitting in a wheelchair. His name is Dr. Lateef McLeod. He is a poet, author, disability advocate, and festival speaker. He speaks to the camera using technology and says, “I want people to know that how I communicate is not strange, weird, or outlandish, but it is very straight forward.” Video cuts to him in his wheelchair in another room, wearing a formal suit. “I communicate typing into an AAC app, that is on my laptop, iPad, and iPhone, and then the app speaks for me.” The video goes back to the previous setting. “Also I’m highly educated, currently pursuing a doctorate. So, I have a lot to say.”
The video cuts back to a purple background. In white and coral font, text says, “See the world through each other’s eyes.
The video cuts to clips of someone making movement, another singing, another typing.
Text pops up and says, “A new opera Sensorium Ex at University of Nebraska Omaha.”
The video cuts to clips of a man and then a teenage boy in a wheelchair. Someone drawing on an iPad. Text, “Scribble at the Rose Performing Arts for Children and Families,” as more clips of various people watching iPad scribbles on a projector screen.
People dancing, a large venue room, families and other people getting together to look at pieces of scientific art. “AAC Retrospective at Kiewit Luminarium.” A wheelchair with a table on it that has a flat “keyboard” of sorts, with squares that have the alphabet and some basic common words. More keyboard technology.
An older man in a costume, opening his “wings.” Text that says “Risky Disco” flies from right to left in the clip and goes back to the center. More text says, “A sensory workshop to explore your curiosity.”
A new clip of motion graphics acting like elevator lights. Text says, “Going up: The Elevator Experience. A preferred interest for people with Autism.”
Panelists and an audience. “Films & dialogues at Film Streams.
A young woman signing in ASL. “Poetry workshops at Nebraska Writers Collective.”
“And visionary speakers,” as various clips of Dr. Lateef McLeod socializing with others come back to the video. “For me, communication being a right is self-evident. Since humans are social animals, we all need to be socially engaged with other people, and being capable of adequately communicating is an integral part of that.”
Video cuts back to the purple background with white and coral text. “We welcome every voice to shake the world. May 10 - 25, 2025.” Common Senses Festival logo. “Follow us @csensesfest, www.commonsensesfestival.com, Omaha, Nebraska” and then the partners at the bottom: Kiewit Luminarium, University of Nebraska Omaha, Autism Action Partnership, The Rose Performing Arts of Children and Families, and Film Streams.
Common Senses Festival
May 2025 | Omaha, NE
We’re beyond thrilled to announce that Common Senses Festival is back – and this year, it’s bigger, bolder, and more visionary than ever! Join us from May 10 through 25 all around Omaha, Nebraska for a festival that amplifies voices, breaks barriers, and redefines what accessibility means in the arts.
Through groundbreaking performances, cutting-edge science & technology, tailored preferred interests, and thought-provoking films & discussions, we’re building a world where every voice is heard and valued. This festival is for everyone: for those who use technology to communicate, for those who advocate, for allies, for families, and for anyone who believes in a more inclusive future. Because the arts don’t just reflect cultural change – they ignite it.
