James LeBrecht (born May 8, 1956) is a filmmaker, sound designer, and disability rights activist.^[1] He currently lives in Oakland, California.^[2]

Early life

James LeBrecht was born in New York^[3] with spina bifida, a neural tube defect. This made him unable to use his legs.^[2] At 14 years old,^[4] he began to attend Camp Jened during the summer, where he befriended teens with disabilities and felt empowered as a disabled youth.^[5] He later became a member of Disabled in Action. He attended the University of California, San Diego, where he helped form the Disabled Student Union.^[1]

Career

After college, LeBrecht relocated to Berkeley, California, where the disability rights movement was developing at the Center for Independent Living.^[4] In Berkeley, he worked as a sound designer. He began his career at the Berkeley Repertory Theater, where he worked for ten years.^[6] In the 1980s, LeBrecht obtained an apprenticeship at a post-production facility, which let him break into film.^[3] Over the years, LeBrecht has done sound design work for over 145 films, with a particular focus on documentary films. His filmography includes Minding the Gap,^[7] The Waiting Room, The Island President, The Kill Team, Audrie & Daisy,^[8] Battlefield Earth, and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story.^[9] He is the founder of Berkeley Sound Artists^[6] and co-author of Sound and Music for the Theater: the art and technique of design^[8] with Deena Kaye.

He is a former board member of the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund.^[6]

Crip Camp

LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham are co-directors of Crip Camp (2020), an award-winning documentary.^[10] The film was executive produced by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama through Higher Ground, their production company^[11] The film tells the story of Camp Jened and its impact upon the disability rights movement.^[12] In 2020, the film won the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and the Zeno Mountain Award at the Miami Film Festival.^[13]