Narrated by Academy Award-winner Meryl Streep, Changing Identities: A Story of Traumatic Injury and Art follows the participation of four individuals suffering from traumatic brain or spinal injuries in an innovative art therapy program pioneered by artist Bill Richards. While current therapies can leave many people unable to function, or institutionalized indefinitely, this documentary explores a powerful alternative. Filmed over three years, Changing Identities documents the powerful metamorphosis of several Art Studio "neighbors" as they begin to see themselves not as people with disabilities, but as artists. Unlike traditional art therapies, the program lacks a psychological component - it is purely art for art's sake; Richards doesn't suggest themes, give assignments, teach technique, or offer criticism. It also affords participants a means of personal expression, a creative outlet to triumph over tragedy, and a way to rediscover their identity or forge a new one. Participants include: a former New York banker involved in a near-fatal car crash, a musician who became a quadriplegic after a freak accident; a carpenter and poet debilitated by a stroke, and a former soldier stricken with brain tumors as a result of Agent Orange exposure.

Wednesday, 1/16/08 from 4:30-5:30 a.m. ET

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