Sesame Street and Veterans with Disabilities – New Perceptions?

I have to admit that I’ve been a long time supporter of Sesame Street. Like many other children both in the United States and abroad, I grew up with Big Bird, Oscar, Bert and Ernie; I remember when Gordon and Susan adopted baby Miles and when Luis and Maria got married. I remember Linda as my first introduction to someone who was Deaf.

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 Accessible Channel?

Canada’s National Broadcast Reading Service (NBRS) was just granted a broadcast licence for a specialty service called The Accessible Channel.  NBRS is a not-for-profit entity with a mandate to enhance media access for an estimated 4.5 million Canadians who are blind or visually impaired.  NBRS won out after laying out a solid business plan and research that convinced the CRTC that blind and visually impaired Canadians need adequate access to popular television programming.  TV is, as Bob Trimbee (NBRS’s president) puts it, “today’s modern literature.”

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

The 7th Annual Disabled Peoples International World Assembly Film Series

The 7th annual DPI World Assembly in Korea has a small film festival attached to it.  The mission of the Assembly is for people with disabilities from around the world to have the opportunity to meet and discuss the various status’ of people with disabilities in their countries, and to consider various progress plans together, share best practices, adopt resolutions and to basically share information.

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

Cable Network GSN’s Without Prejudice Project

This summer, GSN (The Network for Games) is airing Without Prejudice?, a new television series that features frank discussions about race, gender, religion, disabilities and a variety of hot button issues. To complement the premiere of the show, GSN launched the Without Prejudice Project, an initiative designed to help Americans address and combat prejudice in all its forms. The network is working with a coalition of social justice organizations to encourage a national conversation about prejudice in America. You can find this conversation, at: www.gsn.com/withoutprejudice

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