Inside the Little Plastic Castle

Wow I loved this doc! Is there anybody out there?, 87 minutes, UK, 2023. Directed by Ella Glendining, in English with precise captions and audio description.

Blurb:

Born with a rare disability, filmmaker Ella Glendining wonders if there is anyone who can share the experience of living in a body like hers. This simple question—one which non disabled people take for granted, leads to a journey to not only others who live like her—but to the realization that meeting them changes how she views herself in the world, as well as many surprises along the way.

Glendining includes archival footage of her own childhood (older videotapes with flashing lights across the bottom of the screen) as well as horrifying evidence of rank bigotry that disabled kids in the UK. She talks about loving bodies, her own and others’. She documents accepting parenting from her own youth and with her own child, as well as the challenges of wanting to have a "perfect birth" (no drugs, no knives). She demonstrates access intimacy and cross-disability solidarity, interacts with one great doctor and one surgeon-on-a-mission to normalize kids through massive pain, and finally answers the title question yes! meeting three people with bodies similar to hers. I got bi vibes from the doc but I don’t remember her explicitly coming out. In this extensive interview at Diva Magazine, she does explore her bisexuality: https://diva-magazine.com/2023/11/13/ella-glendining-is-there-anybody-out-there/.

I want every parent of a kid with orthopedic impairments to watch this film today, before they ponder any more "treatments." It would also be a great discussion starter for a classroom or activist group.

( Where to watch and trailer )

[Thanks to Carly Findlay, I've untangled who said what from yesterday's post; here's the revised version.)

"The Mighty" is a site funded by a US TV network executive. Real money is available to make an online magazine whose stated mission is Real People. Real Stories. We face disability, disease and mental illness together.

Mid-December, they published a mother's story about "Meltdown Bingo," where she described how her autistic son melts down. For a long time disabled writers have spoken up about the parental focus of the site. The "Bingo" article foregrounded the mom while invading the son's privacy. After a Twitter storm
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23CrippingTheMighty
The Mighty pulled the story
http://themighty.com/2015/12/editors-note-why-we-removed-a-story/
and invited disabled writers to participate. But The Mighty won't pay for prose, and the editors have changed submitted copy to swerve focus more to parents. Among the many angered by The Mighty, two Australian bloggers invested heavily in educating its editors. They joined the Mighty's private Facebook group for contributors and diplomatically discussed how previous stories were ableist, and how to improve. The Mighty's reaction was rapid and hostile. They banned the new writers from the Facebook group.
( Refusing to Listen )
( Phone call with Mighty staff has no impact )

I hinted back on the 3rd, that I'd begun two self-improvement programs. The jinx is off one of them. I think it's one reason I've been feeling much less depressed and cranky and I've had fewer headaches, and I want to share and boast.

( So That's Me, Dunked )

(Yes, it's chlorinated. I've given up soap and shampoo; I apply Aveeno lotion after I rinse off; and MyGuy generously buzzed off most of my hair.)