AllMovie

In 1989, Fritz and Cindy Miller were informed that their new twin daughters, Mariya and Michelle, had been born with Type II Spinal Muscular Atrophy. This meant that, for the rest of their lives, the twins would be confined to wheelchairs and require round-the-clock attention. But rather than despair or wallow in pity, the Millers vowed that their daughters would enjoy as normal a life as possible under the circumstances. Rebuilding their home in Soldotna, AK, from top to bottom, and also developing state-of-the-art power wheelchairs, the couple (with the help of family friend Jim Van Sickel) created their own special world for Mariya and Michelle, enabling the girls to participate in such activities as basketball, horse training, and dancing. "I'm not disabled with real bad problems," observes one of the girls. "I just can't walk." The most inspirational aspect of this 60-minute TV documentary was not manifested in the full and rich lives experienced by the Miller twins, but in the hope held out for other profoundly handicapped children. A co-production of Oregon Public Broadcasting and Morgan Video Productions, Normal for Us: The Miller Twins was distributed throughout America by PBS.