‘POV’ Presents an Unvarnished Coming-of-Age Story About Disability, Adulthood, and Self-Determination in The Ride Ahead
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Overview
Brooklyn, N.Y. – July 8, 2025 – POV, the multi-Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning documentary series, presents The Ride Ahead, a powerful coming-of-age journey that reframes disability through self-determination and ableist conventions. Co-directed by father/son team Dan Habib and Samuel Habib, the film follows 21-year-old Samuel—who lives with a disability—as he embarks on the next chapter of his life: moving out, starting college, and seeking love. But every rite of passage comes with challenges—seizures, inaccessible spaces, and deeply ingrained societal barriers. To help navigate adulthood, Samuel connects with some of the country’s most trailblazing disability activists, whose guidance offers practical wisdom.
The Ride Ahead is executive produced by Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, from the Oscar® nominated team behind Crip Camp, and produced by Dan Habib and Erica Lupinacci (My Disability Roadmap).
A feature-length expansion to the Emmy®-winning New York Times Op-Doc short My Disability Roadmap (2022), The Ride Ahead, will make its national broadcast premiere on Monday, July 21, 2025 at 10pm (check local listings) on PBS Television. It will then be available to stream until September 19, 2025 at pbs.org, and the PBS App. Now in its 38th season, POV remains America's longest-running nonfiction series.
After graduating from high school, Samuel Habib—who lives with significant health, communication, and mobility challenges—feels stuck and left behind. He dreams of going to college, making friends, dating, and moving out of his parents’ home. “But no one tells you how to be an adult,” he says, “let alone an adult with a disability.”
Determined not to become a statistic—unemployed, isolated, or institutionalized like so many adults with disabilities—Samuel sets out to find guidance and self-empowerment. He embarks on a cross-country journey to connect with disabled leaders and activists who have carved out vibrant lives for themselves. His mentors include comedian Maysoon Zayid, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) pioneers Judy Heumann and Bob Williams, Tony Award®-winning wheelchair-using actor Ali Stroker, hip-hop artist Keith Jones, autistic queer activist Lydia Xīnzhèn M. Zhǎngsūn Brown and marathon runner Andrew Peterson.
Together, this eclectic cohort offers Samuel both practical tools and profound encouragement. The late Judy Heumann believed in his potential to help change the world. Zayid pushes him to challenge dominant narratives, noting, “When non-disabled people tell our stories, we only get to have three stories: ‘Help me, I’m disabled.’ ‘Cure me.’ ‘Kill me.’ We have to tell our own stories.”
Samuel begins documenting his life himself with two cameras mounted on his wheelchair. Over three years, co-directing with his filmmaker father, Dan Habib, The Ride Ahead captures the raw and deeply personal moments of Samuel’s transition to adulthood: confronting ableism, seeking a relationship, moving toward independent living, navigating college, managing health crises, and trying to connect with his non-disabled brother.
National statistics paint a stark picture for people like Samuel: 40% of U.S. adults with disabilities (ages 18–64) are employed; one in four live in poverty; and they are half as likely to hold a college degree as their non-disabled peers. Today, an estimated seven million youth with disabilities are aging into adulthood—yet few have access to guidance or representation.
“We created this film and the impact campaign so that millions of young adults with disabilities will feel more seen and heard—and find their own mentors,” said Samuel Habib. “One of the best pieces of advice I received came from Maysoon Zayid: ‘You are not alone. Find your community.’”
The Ride Ahead is a moving portrait of one young man’s determination to live life on his own terms, and an invitation to reimagine what adulthood can look like in an overwhelmingly ableist world. With the support of his loving family and a growing community of friends, Samuel charts a new path forward—his own "ride ahead."
“Samuel’s role as co-director, having an all-disabled cast, and hiring disabled people for a majority of the film’s production and outreach has made this a much stronger and authentically-told film,” said Dan Habib. “Even though I’ve been an intimate part of Samuel’s life over the past 25 years, I don’t engage with the world from his point of view as a disabled person. Samuel’s mentors revealed so much to him BECAUSE he is disabled. They wanted to tell him the unvarnished truth.”
“Young people with disabilities who have seen the film so far have told me that they have the same questions as I do about dating, sex, moving out of their own family’s home, how to respond when people talk down to them, work, and college,” Samuel Habib said. “I think this film is going to help disabled young people see more options for their future.”
“The Ride Ahead is a powerful exploration of the journey adults with disabilities take to build a more inclusive environment,” said Chris White, Executive Producer, POV. “We are proud to elevate stories about their everyday experiences and push the conversation forward towards a more equitable future.”
The Ride Ahead made its world premiere at the Hot Docs International Documentary Festival (2024), where it was a Top 10 Audience Favorite. Other accolades in 2024 include the Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival and Breaking Down Barriers Film Festival; the Youth Jury Award nomination at Sheffield DocFest; Best Director at SCAD Savannah Film Festival; Best Feature Documentary at the New Hampshire Film Festival; the Audience Award at Central Scotland DocFest, and it was an official selection at DOC NYC.
Raves include:
“The Ride Ahead steers clear of any of the old tropes around disability. There is humor, drama, and vibrant connections between Samuel and his mentors, like the late Judy Heumann. The Ride Ahead is the authentic representation that the world needs to see.”
– Jim LeBrecht, Co-Director of Crip Camp and Executive Producer of The Ride Ahead
“The Ride Ahead gets its urgent, breezy tone from Samuel who, speaking through his electronic voice, offers us a running commentary on his evolving mindset — from being excited to go off to college to worrying that he will not fit in.”
– Tim Grierson, Screen International
The Ride Ahead is a LikeRightNow Films production. The directors are Samuel Habib and Dan Habib. The producer is Dan Habib, and the co-producer is Erica Lupinacci. The cinematographers are Samuel Habib and Dan Habib, and the editor is James Rutenbeck. Music is by Max Avery Lichtenstein and Keith Jones. Animation is by Soul Proprietor Studio. The executive producers are Jim LeBrecht and Sara Bolder, and Erika Dilday, and Chris White for American Documentary.
Photos
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Click The Ride Ahead Press Kit to access the festival press notes.
Credits
Directors: Samuel Habib, Dan Habib
Producer: Dan Habib
Co-Producer: Erica Lupinacci
Cast/Participants: Samuel Habib, Lydia X.Z. Brown, Judy Heumann, Keith Jones, Andrew Peterson, Ali Stroker, Bob Williams, Maysoon Zayid, Dan Habib, Isaiah Habib, Betsey McNamara
Executive Producers: Jim LeBrecht, Sara Bolder, Erika Dilday and Chris White for American Documentary
Cinematographers: Samuel Habib, Dan Habib
Editor: James Rutenbeck
Music: Max Avery Lichtenstein, Keith Jones
Animation: Soul Proprietor Studio
Language: English
Country: USA
Year: 2024
About the Filmmakers
Samuel Habib, Director, Cinematographer, The Ride Ahead
Samuel Habib, 25, is a college student and the Emmy® Award-winning co-director of the New York Times Op Doc My Disability Roadmap, which was a 2022 Critics' Choice nominee and featured at festivals including Hot Docs, DOC NYC, and Hot Springs. Samuel was a story consultant on the nationally broadcast film Mr. Connolly Has ALS and has been profiled in Forbes Magazine. He also worked as a Concord Monitor newspaper columnist, an interviewer of Presidential candidates, and has presented nationally on disability rights, inclusive education, and his transition to adulthood. Samuel uses a wheelchair for mobility and a communication device (as well as his voice and gestures) to express himself. In addition to exploring his current and future academic and career options, Samuel also navigates significant, chronic health challenges due to his underlying GNAO1 Neurodevelopmental Disorder. He works part-time as a multimedia production assistant and presenter at the Westchester Institute for Human Development.
Dan Habib, Director, Producer, Cinematographer,
Dan Habib is the co-director and producer of the Emmy® Award-winning New York Times Op-Doc My Disability Roadmap, which was a 2022 Critics' Choice nominee. He was the director and producer of Intelligent Lives (2018, America ReFramed), and nationally broadcast (PBS) feature documentaries Including Samuel, Who Cares About Kelsey?, and Mr. Connolly Has ALS. Dan is the founder of LikeRightNow Films and his documentaries have been featured at major festivals including DOC NYC, Hot Docs, and Hot Springs. Dan gave the TEDx talk, “Disabling Segregation,” and received the Justice for All Grassroots Award from the American Association of People with Disabilities. In 2014, Dan was appointed by President Obama to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. He is currently the Inclusive Communities Project Director at the Westchester Institute for Human Development.
About
About POV
Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied (1989), Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse (1992), Rabbit in the Room (1999), Of Civil Wrongs & Rights: The Fred Korematsu Story (2001), Made in L.A. (2007), American Promise (2013), Not Going Quietly (2021), While We Watched (2022), A House Made of Splinters (2022), The Last Out (2023) and the mini-series And She Could be Next (2020). Throughout its history POV has featured the work of award-winning, innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras, Nanfu Wang, Frederick Wiseman, Emiko Omori, Janus Metz Pedersen and Ava DuVernay. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. In 2024, Indiewire named seven POV films in its roundup of “The 50 Best Documentaries of the 21st Century”: Faya Dayi (2021), The Mole Agent (2020), Minding The Gap (2018), Cameraperson (2016), The Look of Silence (2015), The Act of Killing (2013) and After Tiller (2013). All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.
POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Instagram.
POV films and projects have won 50 Emmy Awards, 28 George Foster Peabody Awards, 16 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards® and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. Learn more at pbs.org/pov and follow @povdocs on social media.
About American Documentary, Inc.
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia organization dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.
Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, the Open Society Foundations, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Park Foundation, and Perspective Fund. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Acton Family Giving, and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.
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