At some points in the movie I felt like they used real disabled persons and some of the reactions were seriously genuine. I'm not sure if they actually did, but I wouldn't be suprised.
The movie is almost like a documentary just following the lives of Reno and his association, who take care of disabled kids no one else can deal with, while still following a traditional narrative. The former is due to the real-life influence the movie has.
The acting is top-notch, I almost didn't feel like watching a movie but watching actual events instead. The story is great too and to top it off it comes with a message. It's just a nice, heartwarming movie which left me smiling throughout most of the film.
Review of The Specials
