Dear reader, I recently had the opportunity to watch the 'Spellers' movie that is inspired by the book - Underestimated by Jamie and J B Handley. This amazing movie showcases the journey of non-speaking autistics and how their world changes after they learnt to communicate. Many of us in the Talking Fingers community were teary eyed as this resonates with our own journey! Today, I am not going to review this movie, instead I have put together the views/reviews of the co-authors of our book Talking Fingers. As the world celebrates Autistic Pride day, let's listen to the real experts - the Autistics themselves as the time has come for them to lead and for us to follow!
Aadi Narayanan Nair says :
*SILENCE*
_________
Silence is my scope to break
Give the wings in letter form
Let me dance in the pool of letters
Let me do hasta mudras with words
My expression of my mind can come out
I can enjoy my life in this world
Let my mouth take a rest
I can see i am flying with my words
I know it can be hard to digest by you; the society
Will world accept our talking finger ....
Aditi Sowmyanarayan says:
It is said that seeing is believing -
but there are certain situations where scepticism runs so high that people view
a certain something with the sole intention of twisting the narrative to
justify certain widely held preconceived notions . Spelling to communicate is
one such space . I am a non speaking autistic who types to communicate and
words as a medium of communication was first introduced to me eleven years ago,
when I learnt to spell my responses using scrabble tiles . I am a person who
believes that my work will speak for itself, scepticism be damned!
I watched the Spellers movie and I
think that it is a very brave attempt to smash certain long held misnomers
about non speaking autism . I have huge respect for the spellers featured in
the documentary, for choosing to spell in front of the camera involves stepping
out of the sensory comfort zone . The movie is a must watch for those parents
who are apprehensive about introducing alternative modes of communication to
their autistic children.
Anudeep Kandula says:
Adrift in a world of silence,We try to convey our thoughts wordlessly,
Can you hear us?
Living in an uncooperative body,
Our lips are tied,
Our hearts are calling for help,
Can you hear us?
Unlock the doors of our world,
Bring in the light of communication,
Bring in the warmth of understanding,
Give us a means to communicate,
Give us a life of dignity,
Then you can hear our innermost thoughts,
Then you can understand our enormous courage,
Then you can realise that we're just like you,
Our tongues are tied but our fingers can talk,
Are you listening?
Are you listening?
Navneet Kulkarni says:
All non- speaking children speak with fingers, watched spellers movie and just fascinated with autistic non-speaker's auditory system, all spellers were more aware of literacy, many parents, teachers think that nonspeaking children are not meant to study academics, they are not aware of words and sentences but non-speaking children are more verbalized, they hear each letter of the word very carefully.
The movie turns your mindset, Spellers were asking for communication rights they were sharing their pain, challenges. sceptìcism, very touching movie. This movie is very similar to the Talking Fingers book authors story.
Since I am a non-speaking autistic who use RPM for communication, I can understand how every nonspeaking autistic suffer dealing with disability inspite of being mavens, Fingers are pointing towards us but our fingers are more busy here to point on the devices and letterboards "We don't point others, this is what makes us more unique "
knowledge speaks only through expressions and expression happens in all forms , speech is motor ability and communication is cognitive abilities, basically humans are more specific in listening to linguistic patterns, speech is the wider yards in human language which is older form of communication, communication is beyond speech. While watching movie, I felt like more people should watch this movie, I strongly recommend parents of nonspeaking children, therapists, people of all communities to listen the power of Insight voice of nonspeaking children.
Mothers when you gave birth to your children it is the sign language through which you communicated with your children, Sign language is the first language which literally mentions that communication is beyond speech.
To watch preview of the movie:
The ticket costs Rs 85, please fill out the form below to buy a ticket watch this inspirational movie from the comfort of your home:
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