WXXI Move to Include

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Sunday, October 19 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented by  Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore airs Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. and again on Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”

Photo: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS

Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.

American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” airs Tuesday, October 14 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.

Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”

This film repeats Friday, October 17 at 4 p.m. and Saturday, October 18 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV. American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore“ is presented as part of Move to Include^TM an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media. 

Photo: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Monday, October 13 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented by  Move to Include^TM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

The James Beard Award-winning film “Marcella” takes an intimate look at the life and career of beloved Italian cookbook writer, Marcella Hazan.

American Masters: Marcella premiering Friday, July 11, 2025 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Discover how she shaped Italian cuisine in America in this American Masters film.

Marcella Hazan’s story symbolizes the American dream, arriving in New York City having never cooked and challenged by a disabled right arm, Hazan inspired millions of home cooks with the glories of Italian cuisine with her bestselling cookbook The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating. In addition to her cookbooks, Hazan connected with food lovers through her popular New York cooking classes, her friendship with fellow cooking legend Julia Child, and many on-air cooking demonstrations.

American Masters – Marcella is presented as part of Move to Include^TM, WXXI and The Golisano Foundation’s award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.

In anticipation of the premiere of Caregiving, Connections with Evan Dawson looks at the state of caregiving locally.

Connections: State of Caregiving in our Community re-airs Saturday, June 28 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the PBS app.

In this special edition of “Connections” with a live audience and taped for television, host Evan Dawson discuss the Medical Aid in Dying Act and other legislation that can affect the disability community with his panelist. How often are people with disabilities — and caregivers — brought into the discussion? What are the risks of legislating without that input, whether it’s Medical Aid in Dying or other proposals? Who should be helping guide policy?

Then, Evan is joined by a panel to talk about caregiving for people with dementia. For caregivers, that can mean myriad challenges: providing the right kind of support; understanding disease progression; financial difficulties; and more. We discuss what the experts say, and we hear from a local caregiver.

About the Caregiving documentary, which re-airs Saturday, June 28 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV.
From Executive Producer Bradley Cooper, this is the story of paid and unpaid caregivers navigating the challenges and joys of this deeply meaningful work. Intertwining intimate personal stories with the untold history of caregiving, the documentary reveals the state and the stakes of care in America today. Narrated by Uzo Aduba (The Residence, Orange is the New Black) and directed by Chris Durrance.