On July 26 of this year, a number of the big disability groups put together a Presidential Disability Forum and invited both Presidential candidates to attend to discuss their vision for the future as it applied to people with disabilities.  To help advertize the event and encourage attendance (from both people with disabilities and the candidates themselves), I thought it would be interesting to put together a video.

Ohio Disability Forum – 2008

It had a few issues, but considering it was put together in about a week using every ounce of free time I could find, I think it turned out pretty well and it definitely spoke to what I originally intended.  So there it is, the first video produced by Day In Washington

 The following link is to U.S. teenager, Benjamin Snow’s brilliant short film about Hollywood’s obsession with portraying characters with a disability in a patronising and pitiful way.

Thumbs Down to Pity – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BszOnGFC9E4

Unfortunately, although this video is one of my favourites, without the video description or a friend who’s willing to tell you some of the great visuals, you might miss out on some of the clips from famous films that Benjamin uses to illustrate his point.

Next is a two-part video called ‘Talk’ from the U.K. Human Rights Commission.  It is an award-winning piece that portrays a society in which non-disabled people are a pitied minority and disabled people lead full and active lives. Jonathan Kerrigan, of BBC’s ‘Casualty’ fame, plays a business executive whose negative preconceptions of disability are dramatically shattered.  I thought it profoundly amusing and a quite striking illustration of what the world would be like in a ”role reversal.” 

Part 1 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZfOVNwjFU0

Part 2 – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9a2ZqLhuAw

It is also available on You-Tube in subtitled and signed format.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find an audio described version as yet, however it is understandable (or at least I could follow it).

I hope at some point to be able to include descriptions to go with the videos.

The link above includes the responses from several Latino actors and others in the film and television business for their thoughts on the industry — from obstacles and expectations through inspirations and successes and advice. What is interesting is how much their replies mirror some of the frustrations of people with disabilities in trying to get into film and television and reminds us that we have to ‘go beyond’ to make sure we are seen as professionals capable of playing an extensive breadth of characters and not just “disability” roles.

In particular, I would like to quote Yareli Arizmendi who has been in films such as A Day Without a Mexican, Fast Food Nation, Like Water for Chocolate and was a regular on ‘24′ as Karima Naiyeer, Reza’s mother, in Season 2.

“Not only have I been discounted, but worse: not even considered for a role I know I could have filled to the nines. In its search for efficiency, the Hollywood casting system — addicted to Breakdown Services and a factorylike production schedule — is by nature one that discounts actors by ethnicity, age, abilities or disabilities, gender — in short, everything tat makes up a person’s physical image. It takes a creative, not-so-incredibly-pressed-for-time casting director and/or agent to think outside the box, to give an actor a chance to show producers/directors an angle not yet discovered by the system. As an actor, one is responsible for finding 1,001 ways of showing all sides of yourself.”

Even as an adult, I’ve loosely followed the show and the positive changes it has offered: The introduction of Elmo as someone for much younger viewers to relate to; and of Kami into the South African version , an actual HIV positive character. With one in nine South Africans who are HIV positive, Kami is a desperately needed reflection of that society.

Now, they are expanding again. This time Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization that produces the show, is working on a DVD that will be distributed to military families. It’s designed to help injured veterans talk about their disabilities with their children.

In the new production, Rosita, a fluffy blue mop-headed muppet, is upset because her father has returned home in a wheelchair. “Sometimes I feel a little sad, because things are so different now,” Rosita says during a family outing to the park. “I wish your legs were OK, Papi, and I wish you didn’t have to go to the doctor so much. And I just wish things could go back to the way they were!” Rosita’s father tells her that although he may have changed, his love for her hasn’t.

It’s not your typical Sesame Street episode. There are no lessons in letters or numbers; the emphasis is on talking about feelings. Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy, said, “Sesame Street is doing something that isn’t easy for the military to tackle alone. “There is no more credible voice for 3- to 5-year-olds than the voices of Elmo … and parents trust him too.”

Sesame Street is trying to model behavior and provide the vocabulary for parents who need extra help. An additional advantage to this video is the positive messages it will send about people with disabilities in general and it’ll encourage children to grow up with a different, possibly more accepting (and inclusive) perspective regarding people with disabilities.

Below is a picture from the August 16 taping of the program with Elmo and his father Louie talking to Rosita’s father Carlos, who is in a wheelchair.

Bravo Sesame Street and Good Luck!

The future for people with disabilities in media is starting to take shape.  But for now NBRS has some major gearing up to do to prepare The Accessible Channel for its 2008 launch. It must appoint a board of directors, hire staff, negotiate rights for the most popular programming it can get in various genres, and get its described video versioning and closed-captioning systems ready for takeoff. 

Reminds me of our efforts here in the U.S. at [with]tv

http://www.playbackmag.com/articles/magazine/20070903/accessible.html?page=1

Their side event of a Disability Film Screening includes 9 films.  Most are from Korea and unfortunately I couldn’t find out much about them; Google translator isn’t quite ready for Korean.  But there were two American films.

39 Pounds of Love

This film is about Ami Ankilewitz who was born with spinal muscular atrophy. A doctor told his parents he might live for six years; the film starts at his 34th birthday. The film follows him on his journey to fulfill his dreams: to visit his brother in America, to ride a Harley, and to find that doctor and tell him he was wrong.

http://www.39poundsoflove.com/main.html
39 Pounds of Love Official Website (Not screenreader accessible)

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051208/REVIEWS/51205004/1023
Roger Ebert Movie Review

Bethel – Community and Schizophrenia in Northern Japan

This film is about a small fishing town on the northern island of Hokkaido where the Bethel House organization supportsa small but vibrant group of people with schizophrenia and other psychosocial disabilities. Through various work programs, group homes, and a close relationship with the hospital and town, Bethel’s members slowly reintegrate into Japanese society. The film explores how the members of Bethel struggle with their lives, their problems, and the meaning of community.

http://www.disability.jp/bethel/
Website for Bethel

http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/
Bethel Director’s Personal Blog

What I think is important and what I want to draw attention to, is the growing number of conferences and festivals that have added side presentations, sessions and events on disability film.  Yay!  Hopefully, eventually we will be seeing more people with disabilities not only in film at these “disability events” but more people with disabilities making movies and these films at all film festivals and events. 

Now if I can just keep pushing, just maybe, one of those films will be one I wrote.  Hmm…guess that means I’d better get back to work.

(Epiphany struck last Sunday and has been beating me ever since)

Main Event Link:  http://www.dpiwa.net/eu/
7th annual DPI World Assembly in Korea

There are five contestants, five judges and a cash prize of $25,000. Each week, contestants are sequestered in a room where they reveal personal information about their lives. A panel of five ordinary strangers observes, discusses and debates who is worthy of the prize.  The discussion is supposed to brings to light our country’s hidden and not-so-hidden prejudices.  The show is moderated by psychotherapist Dr. Robi Ludwig.

I haven’t seen the show so cannot offer personal commentary at this time. If you have any questions, you can contact David Tackel at the Civic Entertainment Group (the PR firm working to promote the show).  However, I did notice that they’re already looking for folks for Season 2.  You can catch Without Prejudice? every Tuesday at 9PM/8C.  And if you’re just curious you can take a sneak peek at an episode here at Afronerd. The specific review is: http://afronerd.blogspot.com/2007/08/without-prejudicethe-review.html

I know I’m a big supporter of equality and equal access but…yikes!  I guess my conservative upbringing is showing a little bit.  But it is interesting to see though that where access is granted is where there is a specific business/monetary/financial interest.   Now if other businesses would just get the idea that people with disabilities can be a legitimate and even lucrative market…

 Let me just say, I didn’t think it possible, but things just got more outrageous.  This week, in the final episode of the children’s show, the Farfour character was beaten to death.  And to make sure that the “message” (and I do mean those quotes around message) was very clear the frolicking black-and-white mouse with a high-pitched voice called his killer, an actor portraying an Israeli official who tried to buy his land,  a “terrorist.”  Add to that, Saraa, the head-scarfed young girl who co-hosted the series added, “Farfour was martyred while defending his land,” she said, “killed by the killers of children.”

Wow.

And we worry about the violence on television that children are subjected to here…