Endlings

 

Set in 2040, Endlings begins when fourteen-year-old runaway orphan Julia is escorted to her new foster home by two policemen. At the farm, Julia meets her new housemates Johnny, Tabby, Finn and her new foster parent, Mr. Leopold. 

Soon after, Julia, along with her housemates, gets swept up into a supernatural world. They discover aliens really do exist and that they need to save them and other endangered species before they are all really gone. 

During their adventure, they encounter one of the world's last remaining elephants, Tuko. She was thought to have vanished mysteriously from her sanctuary earlier on.

Endlings had a great way of delving into the past by using flashbacks. A really great way of telling important parts of the story whilst connecting it to the present.

Finn's connection with the alien pilot was really touching, the aliens can't communicate with words and neither can Finn. Meaning a mutual understanding is formed. 

I loved how we got to see the adult's backstories, as well as the children's. Many kids shows, only show one perspective, that of a child's or their friends. Endlings shows us the children's perspective, the adults and animals. 

Against all odds, the foster children that were once outsiders to the rest of the world, manage to come together using their knowledge to save the Endlings and surrounding endangered wildlife. 

All whilst being investigated by Hewes and her team, who is researching these extraterrestrial beings for experiments for an unknown reason. 

Netflix's Locke&Key

 After the tragic loss of their father, the Locke family move into his childhood home. A house full of mystery uncovers many secrets and truths unveiling the past, a house full of magic brings them together. Helping three lost souls come to grips with the past whilst consulting the future. 

One thing I loved was how subtly disabled characters were present. 

Despite whispering keys being in residence they have no effect on the Locke's grounds keeper  Rufus Whaldon, for whom they have no powers. 

Sharing a love for action figures he and Bodie quickly become friends and along with his adoptive Mother Ellie they plan a way to defeat Dodge. 

I talk alot but how important it is to cast authentic actors in the correct roles. Locke and Key's castings team did an amazing job at this Rufus's actor Coby bird also has autism and is a strong disability rights activist. 

 As is Eric Graise a amputee whose character Logan Calloway,

made up for the T.V series sends out a strong message. One of his  first scenes shows him keying a car parked in a disabled bay without a blue badge. 

When questioned about wearing shorts whilst snow is falling. Logan responds with "Do my legs look cold to you" 

Other sub plots covered in Locke and Key include. Nina's alcohol addiction which she again begins struggling with,Tyler shows signs of what could become an addiction problem. Also Loss,grief and PTSD along with teenage mental health especially within Kenzie's arc as she ventures back into her own head to bury her fear.  

 There's such a strong sense of family, there's moments where you think a Locke will spiral out of control. By leaning on each other they  get through.

I hope you enjoyed this blog, I have struggled to complete this blog so I'm hoping it makes sense and explains well without giving anything away. 

Thank you for reading.

 

Covid&disability acses

 Covid has affected us all,I was curious to what the differences were within the chronic illness community. Many of whom  already isolated. 

When lockdown started

 I saw many posts claiming it's impossible work/stay at home and were remarkably angry, living a life many of us routinely lead.

Thousands experience 'lock down' life everyday, we have no choice and ironically are the ones who hope that people will try to minimise the risk of spreading covid by being sensible and taking government advice.

99% of chronically ill people have lost friends,jobs,education or family through lack of understanding. I'm used to the way I live,what plays on my mind is other people's perceptions. Glimpsing our lives for a few months has hopefully given others an idea of life for a disabled or chronically ill person.

Who now feel left by society as everything begins to ease. confessing it seems unfair that pubs,restaurants,cinemas and theme parks can reopen whilst they still can't get access to treatments. 

Many carers/parents have Struggled to balance everything whilst looking after their child or multiple children, without access to help. 

As everything begins to gain normality again,businesses and high streets are cutting off vital disabled access, to allow for social distancing. Instead of ensuring safety

and providing vital disabled access to those who need it. 

A prime example in Stroud is the council who have recently cut off on-street parking,leaving many blue badge holders  frustrated and upset. 

Noticing the impact on mental and physical health. Activist @wheelsnoheels set up a petition to get our rights back. Disability charity Scope are responding by sending an open letter to the government to these issues seen to. 

If you would like to sign the link is below: 

https://www.change.org/p/justin-tomlinson-mp-bring-back-disabled-parking-access-is-a-right-not-a-privilege?recruiter=1142806896&recruited_by_id=920440b0-e27bd-11ea-9771-079c563a79db&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=petition_dashboard

Toy like me

 As a child Rebecca Atkinson struggled to find toys that represented her way of life.

Noting how this can make a person feel she decided to do something about it.

With over twenty years of experience working in T.V production and Journalism and a passion for change,

In 2015 alongside writer Melissa Mostyn,former Ragdoll play consultant and Karen Newell whose son has a visual impairment. 

She established ToyLikeMe in hope to strengthen the global toy industry and encourage them to start positively mirroring the 150 million children worldwide who have a disability. 

The team began by looking over pre existing toys, recreating them to represent disability fighting back against normal prejudices and interpretations that surround it. 

Designing playmobil guide dogs,wizards with wheelchairs and many more,kicking off a petition for change. Backed by fifty thousand people. 

Toy like me's inclusive designs hit the press,their story shared all over the world, playmobil quickly acknowledged the success, and aided by Rebbecca began creating products inspired by toylikeme's designs 

After this success another petition was set up calling upon Lego, this petition reached over 20 thousand people. Athough never responded to Toy like me didn't give up, instead uploading a wheelchair father Christmas design to legos ideas platform. Where fans can vote for their favourite design. 

 In January 2016 Lego's first ever wheelchair-using mini-figure was displayed at Nuremberg Toy Fair. This story built up Worldwide coverage praising ToyLikeMe’s influence, to legos new product. 

February 2016 sow Tinkerbell in a whole new light, as images of Toy like me's design  donned hot pink cochlear implants. These images were shared thousands of times,making global press. 

Over the years Toy like me has grown to become an arts and play based non profit organisation. 

 Whose aim is to  create more art and design projects,continuing to educate by holding workshops and public exhibitions. Their hope being  to influence the global toy industry into becoming more inclusive. 

If you would like to read more you can find Toy like me here: 

https://www.toylikeme.org/ 

https://m.facebook.com/toylikeme/

https://twitter.com/toylikeme?s=09 

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/341147740501642563/

 

CBBC'S Malory Towers

 

Following the adventures of Darrell Rivers’ CBBC’s Malory Towers, adaptation brings a modern day twist to the much loved 1940’s boarding school drama series. 

The series begins with twelve year old Darrell running through a train station ready to start her new life 

staying true to the original story,plot and characters

CBBC’s alteration introduces us to a modern retelling. 

 we see into Sally, Darrell and Gwendoline’s lives before attending the school. 

Throughout the show we discover what bravery and courage truly mean while we allow ourselves to accept our faults and see beyond them.  

Gain teachings on growing up in the forever changing post war Britain.

Learning  knowledge on various medical conditions. As we learn of Emily's mother Margret's arthritis,which she tries to hide in fear of losing her job.  glimpsing into Darell's struggles with reading and  a mini storyline on Sally's appendicitis. 

Countless children will be able to relate to Darrell's word bllindness (dyslexia) , showing them that life gives you many ups and downs and it's okay to not have all the answers. Lessons they can take on and use everyday. 

I was lucky enough to speak sixteen year old Beth Bradfield an actress from Wales who made her T.V debut playing Jean in Malory Towers 

After completing sixth form Beth hopes to continue acting, sending out the message that " having a visible difference is normal - whatever you look like you are beautiful and you definitely shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Be confident, be bold, put yourself out there because you can and if anyone says you can’t act, model, run, swim, sing, achieve - prove them wrong! I hope that with my television appearance I can inspire people with visible differences to pursue their passions and do what they love without the fear." 

She feels it is "extremely important especially for people with visible differences and/or disabilities" to be able to see themselves represented on screen "because in day-to-day life we often don’t see people who look like us or even other people who don’t necessarily look like everyone else which can make school, work and other public situations feel like a lonely experience,to see someone, you can relate to on screen reinforces the fact that we are not alone and that out there somewhere there is somebody else who doesn’t quite look like the people we see around us. " 

And agrees that CBBC's subtle inclusion, "helps normalise difference" going on to say "If a child notices that their peer has a disability or visible difference in school, the child might not say anything about it as they would relate it to someone on screen who is similar to their peer therefore illustrating to them that it is ‘normal’ to look/ act/ do things differently and it doesn’t need an explanation, they just are who they are and that’s okay."

No one guessed Malory Towers would gain such a positive response although being a part of production left Beth loving what the team had created.

The Malory Towers's fanbase continues to grow larger everyday. 

Thanking the fans Beth said she feels "so incredibly grateful for people all over the world who have watched and loved the show."

A massive thank you to Beth for taking the time  to answer my questions, another to her mum Catherine for passing them on and to the people at the BBC for reading over everything and checking everything was okay. 

You can catch up with Malory Towers on BBCIplayer or the FamilyChannel

Daruma FILM

 Daruma's production team describe their film as " a movie about family, fathers and daughters, forgiveness and a myriad of other themes and emotions." 

Going on to say "the movie is actually a love note from a father to his daughter: the leads just happen to be disabled." Daruma tells a story of a man who overcomes his own demons in order to do right by his child" Something most people can relate to in one way or another. 

Their journey is not just one of distance,for they form an understanding,gain an unstoppable friendship and discover what they didn't think they needed. 

Whilst accompanying Patrick's new found daughter to her grandparents on America's east coast. 

The creators wish; for people to get behind patrick's journey,be able to laugh, cry, have their hearts broken and triumph in their  success.  One thing they don't want is for their film referred to as " the disabled movie." 

The coronavirus pandemic has hit filmmakers extremely hard,

meaning independent filmmakers like Daruma's have another hurdle to jump over now extra expenses are necessary, 

to ensure the safety of all involved.

 The team have faced many hurdles, fighting to produce a challenging project. 

One of the main being people saying things like  "there is not an audience for projects with disabled actors" this isn't true in the slightest. The Ruderman Family Foundation released a white paper proving that film studios leave over $10 billion on the table every year by casting abled actors for disabled roles.

 I have written many times on the challenges facing disabled people wanting  to pursue a career within the film or T.V industry. An industry known for being one of the toughest to break into. 

 challenges such as lack of opportunities, able bodied actors  gaining disabled roles. Some booking roles,then later fired, because they have a disability. 

It's a similar story for disabled filmmakers with approximately 3% having a disability. 

 To get Daruma to the screen, over $30,000 is  needed in order, for covid19 tests and safety regulations. 

If anyone would like to donate they can make a Tax deductible donation here: 

/https://darumamovie.wedid.it/

 

As they are financially sponsored by from the heart Productions  .  All donations made are tax deductible. Allowing every part of your donation helps pay all involved. 

Raising Dion

 Adapted for television by Carol Barbee, based on the books by Dennis Liu, Raising Dion made its Netflix debut on October 4th 2019. 

Discovering her son Dion has powers, single mother Nicole Warren, Is thrown into a supernatural world. Nicole soon discovers the secrets of the Biona workplace and why her husband was so distant in the time leading up to his death.

Raising Dion tackles a wide range of issues including Racism, bullying,grief, single parenthood, self acceptance and disability inclusion. 

It is super important that when you have a character who has a disability ,that this isn't the main thing you remember, One of Raising Dion's main characters has brittle bones but this isn't the first thing that would come to mind when you think of her. 

Esperanza is an amazingly well written character. Her main traits are loyalty and compassion, She has a sassy side, she knows how to stick up for herself . Esperanza loves science and video games which makes her a perfect friend for Dion. 

 feeling like an outcast herself she notices he is feeling lonely, so makes a great effort to befriend him although he doesn't  appreciate this until a few episodes in. His friends make fun of him, for having a "Reptile Repo" cake Esperanza comforts him. Dion confides in her about his powers, something she has acknowledged. 

Esperanza's actress Sammi Haney was kind enough to answer some questions on Raising Dion and her other projects. 

My first question was "Do you think if more producers and writers were willing to let parents,guardians or even the actor read & review scripts it would allow for T.V and film more inclusive?" 

Over the past year,I've asked many people similar questions, having known Sammi's dad reviewed the Raising Dion scripts before the shoot made me curious to see if Sammi had anything to add that noone else had. 

Like me she believes "they should be willing to make characters with disabilities more authentic by consulting people with disabilities about the script." And should only cast actors with that disability allowing them to review the script, making it even more authentic. She went on to say "My Dad reviewed the Raising Dion scripts with me and wanted to keep me safe and make sure I didn’t do anything that someone with my condition would not normally do (i.e. picking up something heavy or letting strangers put me in a car seat.), It is rare that a part like Esperanza is played by someone with a real disability, there is normally pressure by executives to cast an older girl and make her pretend to be disabled." Sammi hopes she's proved disabled people "deserve those roles." 

Esperanza plays a big part in helping Dion in his fight against the crooked man , using her own experiences as a wheelchair user. 

There's a brilliant scene where Dion attempts using his powers to allow Esperanza to walk. Dion presumes she wants to walk leading into a conversation where he and Charlotte discuss why she's upset. Despite being her best friend they've never had that conversation, to him she's "Just Esperanza" 

I found these scenes very powerful as did Sammi who feels it was a "very important scene" and hopes it allows children to see disabled people as who they are,not just the chair. Sammi loves that Esperanza doesn't lead with her chair but with her personality. Describing her as "a good friend and nice, while being sassy when needed."

Much stigma surrounds disability and happiness. Or that you must want to fix yourself or want a cure. Which isn't the case for many disabled people,some who have made brilliant careers because of their disability. 

Realising his error he apologises by telling Esperanza he's sorry for bailing on their project,being jealous of her and Jonathon, and trying to fix her when she isn't broken. He tells her she's the best friend anyone could ever ask for. 

Sammi hopes that season two will allow her more screen time,a opportunity to bring up her disability, and hopes that her friendship with Dion and 

Jonathan grows stronger, she would like Dion and Esperanza  get to show off the friendship bracelets. Sammi would like to explore Esperanza's family life. 

 Sammi and her dad Matt have set up a positive disability  tshirt campaign, seeing Sammi  jump into acting without fear, Matt decided he needed to do it. 

While Sammi wanted to use what "little star power I had to be a good advocate."

Upcomimg projects for Sammi include Are a “Pilot episode” as the first guest on a  project for PBS with Emma Fayerudkin  as the host this will be released later this year.

Thank you so much to Sammi for answering my questions and to Matt for passing them on.

You can follow Sammi on 

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sammi.haney?igshid=88r2mzha59p4

Twitter: https://twitter.com/SammiHaneySassy?s=09

T~shirt campaign: https://www.disabilityshirts.com/pages/about-us