Miss You Can Do It

For children with a learning or physical disability, the focus is often on what's wrong. Miss You Can Do It celebrates what's right. This uplifting HBO Documentary Film chronicles the efforts of Abbey Curran, a former Miss Iowa USA and the first woman with a disability to compete in the Miss USA Pageant , and eight girls with various disabilities as they participate in the Miss You Can Do It pageant. Created in 2004 by Curran (who has cerebral palsy), Miss You Can Do It offers girls with special needs the opportunity to be celebrated and not defined by what the world sees on the outside. The girls and their families travel from all over the country to Kewanee, Illinois (Curran's hometown) to participate in a weekend-long event where the girls' inner beauty and abilities reign. Unlike traditional pageants, the contestants are not judged by the fit of their gown but on how brightly their hearts shine. No one leaves the pageant empty handed, with each girl receiving a special award, and as we see, the real winners of the pageant might just be the family and friends who proudly cheer them on from the audience.

• documentary