About this Short Film
Sharpe minds - nurturing neurodiversity, by Kapiti College (New Zealand, 2018), offers a warm, clear-eyed look at neurodiversity within school life. It touches on dyslexia and cognitive processing disability, and considers the supports, challenges and everyday experiences that matter to teenagers, families and educators. The film encourages viewers to notice strengths as well as barriers and to think about inclusion in practical, human terms. Presented in the Focus on Ability International Short Film Festival, it sits alongside works that celebrate the abilities, experiences and achievements of people with disability.
Film Details
Country:
New Zealand
Category:
School Documentaries
Genre:
interview
Festival Year:
2018
Filmmaker:
Kapiti College
Film Transcript
It only affects me—my spelling and sometimes just my grammar and how I put my sentences together. I kind of comprehend things unlike the paper and questions. Um, I serve France too small, I can't read it and it just seems to get smaller and smaller for me. That's sort of a physical, you know, it's poor motor skills. I mean, for me personally it's bad hand–eye coordination; you know, I can't use pens and brushes at all there. But for someone with the full package, balance is a huge problem as well. Um, when I'm reading stuff off white paper the words will often fall onto the ground and create that Mr Volcano and then they'll just fly around everywhere and explode.
I wasn't really seen as anything. It was just seen as another girl that was probably not as bright as the rest—one that, being the lowest group and everything, just couldn't figure the most simplest things out and just couldn't read or do anything like that. For primary for me, 'cause I'm blonde, most people just knew me as the dumb blonde; they didn't realise that I did have dyslexia. I was that kid that, if you were having a bad day, you'd pick on and annoy to get a really cool reaction.
Now I feel different—not different in the bad way, but different in the way where more people can understand me and see me as the person that I am. Most people still think I'm kind of weird and quirky, but that's me, and I now understand myself and the people around me. When I came to college and even buddy knew that I had to slick see, everybody was, "oh no, she's not the dumb blonde, she's got to sleep." So yeah—they perceive and look at me now as a bright, intelligent person, I hope, and I have a lot more friends and people to talk to about everything.
I, for one, am enjoying life now a lot more than I was. I mean, mu and I nice—basically that she was good enough—but I mean, yeah, 10 year living basically, it helps me push myself. Simple way to put it: she saved us—that's how I see it. I think my shop helped me in the way that there was lots of other people that were similar to move at different time, so I didn't feel like I was always left out, and she could always tell what I was trying to say even if I couldn't get it out in the words. It was just so cool to be able to have a teacher that really, really took you seriously and understood you for you and just went above and beyond every single day.
Filmmaker
Kapiti College is the filmmaker behind this entry. See every Focus on Ability entry from Kapiti College.
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