Hi Everyone,
I watched this program last night and overall I enjoyed it. Like Dona and others, I noted that the techniques and methods depicted are not textbook examples of best practice, per se, but once I got over myself (I am an O&M who tries to remember that I don¡¯t know everything about how people get around) on that, I found much to be appreciated. I will provide details below (after a spoiler alert), but on the whole, I thought the film was a great piece of cinematic story telling with strong character development and an engaging plot. Both of the main actors were amazing. If the purpose of this film is to show that an individual who is deaf-blind can act then it was a total success. ?I also liked how the film was coupled with a documentary about the making of the film (also very interesting) and a live discussion afterwards. It was clear from the comments on the live YouTube comment section that many people were quite moved. ?Finally, hats off to the attention paid to making the entire event accessible. ?
Warning: Spoilers about ¡°Feeling Through¡± below.?
Robert Tarango did an amazing job portraying Artie. The most interstellar part of this character is not that he is a person who is deaf-blind but that he is a person traveling home late at night after a date in which he (apparently) kissed his date for the first time. I loved the smile on his face throughout the film, but especially after it is cleverly revealed that he (probably) had that first kiss. ?We can all relate to that feeling of being in La-La land. He moves through the movie appearing to possess a certain na?vet¨¦ about the world (perhaps he is just smitten), but in the end when he is saying goodbye to Tereek, he indicates that he has a much deeper understanding of Tereek¡¯s situation than he let on. ?The viewer is left to fill in some blanks, but good story telling always does.?
Steven Prescod did an equally great job portraying Tereek, a homeless teen who hangs out with his buddies and then has the extra task of finding a place to crash each night. ?His character is compelling because in spite of the difficulties his homelessness imposes on his life (which seem almost mundane to him) he has enough curiosity to spend time with Artie and engage with him. ?He may not be the most charitable person (he steals all of Artie¡¯s money after all) but he is interested in Artie as a person. This dynamic creates a fascinating tension.?
The story telling is subtle. ?An attentive viewer learns a lot from a simple gesture, a scrap of dialog, or a quick glance at Artie¡¯s notebook. Both characters are impacted by their circumstances and the consequences of their choices, but they are both compelling and autonomous. ?Their interaction drives the plot. ?
This film probably can¡¯t avoid being critiqued through the lens of how it portrays deaf-blindness but that is not it¡¯s purpose, at least on a macro level (imagine the reviews of Breaking Bad if that show was seen as a portrayal of all high school chemistry teachers). ?Hopefully there will be a day when Feeling Through is just one of many movies featuring characters who are deaf-blind, portrayed by actors who are deaf-blind, written by writers who are deaf-blind, and directed by people who are deaf-blind telling the myriad and various stories of people who are deaf-blind. Until then, we have this one story of a chance encounter between two people.?
John Ford?
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On Jun 26, 2020, at 3:31 PM, Amy Parker <atp5@...> wrote:
? Hello and I have been receiving emails and posts from people who are deafblind and DeafBlind who are interested in and support the film.? What I like about the filmmaker's work is that they have hosted several Facebook discussions with people who are deafblind directly and they have been inclusive of those who live in the community with residential staff, so there are a wide range of travelers who are DeafBlind that are being included in these Facebook discussions.? In? some recent focus group work that I have done with the?DeafBlind community, there was a strong desire expressed for people who are hearing and sighted to have greater empathy and understanding for their travel experiences. While they did not desire pity or to be thought of as not capable, they did want the general public, as well as app designers and transportation providers to have a better sense of their travel challenges or barriers that they faced.? Some even strongly encouraged more people putting on blindfolds, just to develop awareness, not to claim total understanding.
Thank you so much Dona for all of your work and for celebrating DeafBind awareness week!? It's a good discussion.
Amy Amy T. Parker, EdD & COMS Assistant Professor Coordinator, Orientation and Mobility Program College of Education, Portland State University
1900 SW 4th Avenue Portland, OR 97201
503-725-4695 tel pronouns: ?she/her/hers
Check back soon for accessible recordings from our virtual interdisciplinary summit!
Did you know that we are exploring the viability of distance consultation to serve rural and remote areas?? Check out our module resources and share your feedback!?
On Fri, Jun 26, 2020 at 12:21 PM Dr. Grace Ambrose-Zaken, COMS < gambrose@...> wrote:
Having read these opinions- I think it is important to recognize our implicit bias. Focus on the success- truth and openness of sharing the vulnerabilities of being dual sensory impaired. There may be those with the same disability who are more capable and
less trusting. But this is not a film about them.?
Grace
Dr. Grace Ambrose-Zaken, COMS
Combined Master¡¯s Degrees in RT/O&M and TVI/O&M
212-772-4741
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Hi all. There has been a bit of a discussion going on via work e-mail about this movie as well, and I just wanted to share the following message from one of my
colleagues which provides a different perspective. I¡¯m not saying that there are no flaws in this perspective, but that it¡¯s another way to look at the film.
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Good Morning Donna!? I watched the movie and as a transit leader I agree that there were some parts that I didn¡¯t think did the community or transit justice.?
As a sighted person, what it did well is to encourage people to stop and think for just a moment what it would be like to try to live a normal life without the senses we tend to take for granted.? When the stranger takes a minute to close his eyes and cover
his ears, it helped humanize the challenges of the DB person.? I also liked that Artie was shown as someone who was courageous (out on his own), normal (out on a date) and positive (smiling and unflappable, laughing at finding the bottle of water).? I also
think the pace of the movie, which was slow¡.helped show the patience it takes for Artie to go about his normal life.?
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At the end of the day, it was a first attempt at making a movie that represents the Deafblind community and they chose an actor from that community.? It wasn¡¯t
perfect but it is a start and might encourage others to take a shot at similar projects or maybe to get involved.?
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I¡¯m glad you recommended it and that I watched it.? Like most movies, it¡¯s easy enough to ¡°filter¡± out the stuff that doesn¡¯t ring true and try to get something
good out of it.?
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Donna Smith, ADAC
Manager Accessible Services
Sound Transit
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So not only did I watch this, but I shared it with my colleagues here at Sound Transit. If we were looking for a short film to show how people who are deaf-blind
competently travel using public transit, then this was a fail. Not only does it show the lead character not using good travel skills, but he demonstrates a trust and dependence on strangers at night in NYC that is probably not the norm. It shows buses passing
him up and when one finally stops the operator is rude. Does this sort of thing happen in real life? Of course. If it was intended to be a short film demonstrating the lesson of humility and learning human compassion for people who need help, then it¡¯s probably
not a total fail, but still a little questionable. Maybe it was supposed to disturb us?
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I¡¯d like to hear HKNC¡¯s perspective and why they supported it. Perhaps it was to give the actor the opportunity to perform in a film. Art doesn¡¯t always show
the positive side of human nature or the most competent people.
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Also, there seems to be an ongoing presentation of additional videos about people who are deaf-blind as part of this project which I didn¡¯t check out. Maybe those
are better or show different things?
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Donna
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Donna Smith, ADAC
Manager Accessible Services
Sound Transit
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Your description makes me cringe. However, not all people are nice and/or competent. I know many don¡¯t like the blind character in ¡°In the Dark¡± because she is
not a goody two shoes sweet angelic blind girl, which is what we are used to seeing in movies and plays. Just saying, as I haven¡¯t seen this film.
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Sheila Styron, ACTCP
Blindness Low Vision Specialist II
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The Whole Person
3710 Main Street, Kansas City, MO? 64111
direct 816-627-2217? |? main 816-561-0304? |? mobile 816-896-6552? |? fax
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Hi everyone!? I just finished watching the movie and the live discussion afterwards with the actors and director/writer, and I am curious if anyone felt as uneasy about it as I
did?? It turns out that a badly-worded street-crossing card was the least of the problems.? The Deafblind person came across as helpless and . . . well, na?ve or incompetent, and I worry what kind of impression it makes about Deafblind people.? What was your
impression?
For those who didn¡¯t see the movie, when we first see the Deafblind person, he¡¯s holding up a sign to get help to cross a street, but that¡¯s not what he wants ¨C when a stranger
taps him, he writes a note saying that he actually wants to find a certain bus.? While the stranger guides him to the bus shelter, he uses his cane and almost falls when it contacts a barrier, and the stranger apologizes, thinking it was his fault.
When they get to the shelter, the DB person wants the stranger to stay and tell the bus driver to let him know when the bus reaches his stop.? The stranger reluctantly agrees (which
means he¡¯ll be too late to find a place to spend the night) and while they¡¯re waiting, the DB person asks if there is somewhere nearby where he can buy a soda.? The stranger asks if he can wait and he says no, he¡¯s really thirsty.
So the stranger guides him to a market and when they bring the soda to the cashier, the DB person hands his wallet to the stranger to pay for it.? The stranger pays for it and helps
himself to some of the money. Later, he regrets it, so after he gives instructions to the bus driver and the bus leaves, he gives the money to a homeless person.
-- Dona
________________________________________
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
Gambrills, Maryland
dona@... / 301-858-0138
________________________________________
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2020 6:48 PM
Subject: MOVIE "Feeling Through" -- incorrect
street-crossing card!
Hi everyone!? I have my popcorn ready to watch the movie described below, but I¡¯ve been told that for some reason, the card the deaf-blind person is using to cross the street was
switched with the , based on research.
-- Dona
________________________________________
Dona Sauerburger, COMS
Orientation and Mobility Specialist for the blind
Gambrills, Maryland
dona@... / 301-858-0138
________________________________________
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 1:50 PM
Subject: [OandM] MOVIE tomorrow for Deaf-Blind
Awareness Week
Hi guys!? I hope you¡¯ll join me in watching a movie I¡¯ve heard about and am eager to see, to celebrate Deaf-Blind Awareness week.? It¡¯s tomorrow night, June 25, at 7:00 Eastern
¨C info is below.
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2020 12:38 PM
Subject: Happy Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
Greetings All,
I wanted to take a moment to connect with everyone during Deaf-Blind Awareness Week.? In light of all the disconnection, social distancing, and stay-at-home orders we have all endured
over the past three months, it is fitting that the HKNC Deaf-Blind Awareness Week theme is centered around connections and thriving in the workplace. Despite all that we have been forced to accept, we are all still thriving.? We are making our communities
safer, many of us live in states where we helped to "flattened the curve and slow the spread" and our consumers are still thriving because of the services we are providing.?
For those of you who are still staying in or close to home, please join us tomorrow evening for an online presentation of the movie
Feeling Through. This short film about the chance encounter of a deafblind man and a young man has been a big hit all over the country.? Please share the link with your friends and families and encourage them to join the watch party as well.
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June 25th at 7pm ET
Virtual Premiere of Feeling Through Experience
In honor of Deaf-Blind Awareness Week join us for an accessible livestream of The Feeling Through Experience on June 25th at 7pm ET. Register now for your FREE ticket at
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June 21-27, 2020 -- Deaf-Blind Awareness Week
June 27 -- Helen Keller's Birthday!
Helen Keller National Center for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults and Helen Keller Services for the Blind are divisions of Helen Keller Services,
a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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180 Livingston Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
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Cynthia L. Ingraham, EdD
East Central Representative (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV)
Helen Keller National Center
for Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults
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14440 Cherry Lane Court; Suite 214
Laurel, Maryland 20707
240-786-6534 (voice)
516-319-6390 (cell)
240-786-6874 (fax/tty)
240-667-7295 (VP ¨C local)
cynthia.ingraham@...
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While HKNC¡¯s New York facilities are closed during this COVID-19 time, we continue to provide
remote assessment and training services, peer learning groups, professional learning opportunities, information, and referrals. Please contact us ¨C we continue to be available by email, phone/VP, and other electronic means.
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PLEASE HELP US TO UPDATE OUR NATIONAL REGISTRY, VISIT
, AND COMPLETE A REGISTRY FORM FOR A PERSON YOU KNOW WHO IS DEAF-BLIND OR SHARE ONE WITH A FRIEND. WITH YOUR HELP WE CAN IMPROVE THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF SERVICES FOR CONSUMERS WHO ARE DEAF-BLIND. THANK YOU.
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ATTENTION: This is an EXTERNAL email. Do not open attachments or click on links unless you have confirmed the identity of the sender.
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