Big Differences in Two Disability Videos Using Children as Hosts
By Barbara Kolucki (bakoluck@aol.com)
KidAbility and Small Differences are both hosted by older children. In both, people with disabilities are interviewed and viewers learn a lot about these individuals along with interesting facts about daily living and assistive devices. Both are distributed by Program Development Associates, 5620 Business Ave., Suite B, Cicero, N.Y. 13039, Fax: 1 315 452 0710, website: http://www.pdassoc.comBut, there are major differences in the approaches and final products.
I viewed KidAbility first. Erin and Eric, two non-disabled teens introduce the topic of getting to know different people who are disabled. They take turns interviewing teens and adults - who are blind, deaf, use a wheelchair and one with cerebral palsy. There are standard questions: "How did you become disabled? Do you mind when people ask you questions? Do people ever laugh or make fun of you? What would you like to say to non-disabled people?"
Kate, who is visually impaired, talks about her "sharp tongue" and how she used it when she was younger and kids made fun of her. She also shares that after she got to know most of these kids, and vice versa - they turned out to be "mostly nice people". She shows how she uses her memory to go grocery shopping, her computer to read and how she is one of those people that is "addicted to the Internet". We learn how she chooses her clothes each day (she has some vision in one eye) and how some people who are blind use tags or braille to mark their clothes, colors, or other things that cannot be distinguished through touch.
Then we meet Eva - who is deaf and reads lips very well. Eva teaches children who are hearing impaired. She talks about how lucky she was because she grew up with other people who were deaf and that most deaf people prefer sign language to using speech. We watch her use a teletypewriter (TTY), see her flashing phone ringing and hear about how she loves the vibrations of all kids of music.
Shadell is an adult who injured her spine when a friend's gun accidentally went off and shot her through the throat. She loves talking, especially to children, answering all the questions they have about her disability. She prefers to do things on her own and then ask only when she needs assistance. Shadell has a son and she feels bad when he is hurt by others making fun of his mom. But she tries to teach him that other people's reactions are not important - he should answer their questions and-- smile!
Vladimiro works at a center for assistive devices. He lets the young host try out several of them, particularly those using a computer and designed for people with low or no vision.
Chad is a teenager with cerebral palsy. He simply thinks of himself as a normal person and feels that everyone should be treated with respect. This host plays computer games with him and we watch him use his wheelchair in his everyday environment.
The video ends with suggestions for the viewer aimed at fostering sensitivity and appropriate "behavior" with people who are disabled. Some of these are:
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Don't pretend that a disability does not exist; ask questions.
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Don't assume the person who is disabled needs your help. If they do need it, ask them how you can help.
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Don't join in with your friends if they make fun of people with disabilities.
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Get to know the person.
I liked the people I met through the interviews in this video. And there were a lot of very interesting facts about daily life and the use of assistive technology. What I did not like was the artificiality of the hosts. Their dialog was stiff and unnatural. The 25 minutes seemed long - especially for other teens watching. The video "jacket" says that it is recommended for K-12 (kindergarten through 12th grade) but I could not imagine younger children sitting through or understanding much of the video.
On the other hand, I loved just about everything in the second video, Small Differences. It was almost 20 minutes long, but I did not want it to end. This video was produced by the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and the Allegheny County Task Force on Disabilities. They gathered disabled and non-disabled children together over the course of a summer, gave them video cameras, trained them in basic interviewing techniques and - let them go! Most of the kids did not know each other at the start of the project. They interviewed each other, their parents, and disabled people working in the community.
The best thing about this video is that it comes across as natural in every way. The kids conduct interviews but also intersperse the editing with their own comments - often funny and salient. They show the process they used to get to know each other first and how the more time disabled and non-disabled kids spent together, the more they found they had in common.
The viewer gets to know this group of kids and other people they interview in the community. They talk with the Coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Coordinator) whose job it is to ensure that the law is adhered to locally. We travel around and see curbs that technically might be accessible - but are still dangerous because of cracks made due to severe winter weather. Two diverse sites serve as creative places for interviews, for the kids to learn about themselves and for having a great time. One is a Science Museum and the other is an outdoor park in Ohio. Both are accessible in many ways. The kids interview a woman who works at the Science Museum - first about her job and then slowly the camera pans and we see that she uses a wheelchair. She tells them "Don't ever let anyone say 'you can't do it' - no matter what you want to be."
We meet a man with cerebral palsy at his workplace and when the kids ask him what disability he has, he tells them about it and how it is important that people understand that he is not also mentally retarded. He tells us that "kids from ages 2-10 love me - they have an open mind!" He also tells them that if they "work hard, set goals - nothing is unreachable."
Small Differences includes a simple and well-done Study Guide. These Handouts introduce the film and include activities and questions that one can use when showing it to a group of children/students. The main activity is a "Scavenger Hunt" where students have to find someone with various traits, interests and abilities. These range from someone who has lived in another country to someone with a broken bone to someone who feels they are too short. Questions for discussion are grouped into those for adults and teens, children ages 9 through 12 and children ages 5 through 8. It is apparent that the questions have been written by someone who knows what is developmentally appropriate and interesting to children and youth of various ages.
It may sound like both films cover the topic in much the same way. But they do not. Viewing these two productions together provided a good example of how videos can have similar content, but relaxed, less-scripted hosts having a good time themselves make all the difference in the world.
I would recommend Small Differences as part of any curriculum or project introducing disability. The process of watching the kids make this video helps us to get to know all of them and the topic, in a way that is much more interesting and effective than most other educative films.
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