A SHORT film featuring students from Bendigo Special Developmental School is in the running for recognition at a festival.
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When you can see me, I can see you is among a number of films entered in the NOVA Employment 2018 Focus On Ability Short Film Festival.
The film emphasises the many and varied abilities and interests of students in Room 9, who have a range of profound and multiple learning difficulties, including high medical needs.
“Having a disability can’t be easy, it can sometimes be very lonely,” the film’s opening scene states.
“But get to know me and you’ll soon see, there are lots of things that I can do. And, in more ways than not, I am just like you.”
The film incorporates pictures of the students in Room 9, and was inspired by a project they completed as part of their studies.
“This semester, for their History Learning (Level A, Victorian Curriculum), students have been exposed to concepts of self-identity by experiencing their own image in a range of formats,” teacher Brigitte Moore said.
“To meet this objective, using the students likes, interests and communication cues detailed in their communication profiles, we wrote a classroom story.”
With the help of an iPad and the GoArt app, the students were able to creatively express themselves.
The students’ images and story were published in a book, which has since been shared within the school and beyond.
The project received such a positive response that Room 9 decided to transform the book into a film, to bring the message of inclusion to an even larger audience.
When you can see me, I can see you had more than 140 views at the time of writing.
There is an online voting component to the competition, which closes on July 3.
Most online votes; Judges Choice – Short Film; and the NOVA Employment School Choice Awards are among the categories When you can see me, I can see you is eligible to win.
Prizes range from cash to equipment – resources Brigitte said the school would love to use to buy more learning technology for the students.
Finalists will also have the opportunity to attend a red-carpet gala awards night in Sydney in September.
The Focus On Ability Short Film Awards are in their 10th year and this year boasts a record 287 entries, 131 of which were by schools.
Entries have come from 26 countries including Pakistan, Iran, Tunisia and Hong Kong.
To cast your vote, click here.