Nevlin Anderson's Welcome to My Weird and Wonderful World (Australia, 2023) is a short film that explores perception, support and the experiences of young adults living with Asperger's and cognitive processing disability. Shown as part of the Focus on Ability festival, it uses personal viewpoint to raise questions about how we understand difference and how support shapes daily life. The film does not offer easy answers. Instead it invites audiences to slow down, listen and consider the small, meaningful moments that shape individual experience. A thoughtful and humane piece, it fits the festival's aim of highlighting ability, resilience and diverse ways of being.
My first relationship, I was 17, I pursued when I was 17, and her name was Jessica, I think, and I kind of knew her through another friend through high school, and it was really good because it was kind of like my first romantic relationship as a teenager, and I kind of learned a lot about monogamy and I learned a lot about, you know, sexual boundaries and stuff, and how, kind of like, you've got to give each other space and things, and how to be empathetic of your own feelings when someone is standing in front of you, because people are very special, and sometimes offend people, and I learned that, you know, it's good to be understanding of your own feelings as well, to be understanding of your partner's feelings as well, so, you know, I definitely learned something, I've heard something like that before, and it wants me to experience it again. Hi, I'm Terri, I am a professional Disability Social Worker, and I support many individuals who have Asperger's, Alzheimer's Syndrome, I have a younger sister who's 30 months younger than me, she also has Autism. My understanding of Asperger's and Autism is the way that people have it, process information, and the way that they interact with other people, sometimes this can be misunderstood for being abrupt, aggressive, but most of the time it's just frustration in their communication and trying to get their point across. I also recognise that most people with Asperger's have this one hobby or interest that they just excel at, and use it brilliantly, Devlin being, you know, media, and working in front of a camera, and YouTube, and computers. I also know a lot of individuals who their passion is music, and things like that. As a Disability Support Worker we try to educate the community and integrate these individuals into the community to be equal, and just find their part, their spot in the world, as we all have, and we all aspire to do. I can understand someone too much, I mean, there's a bit of a situation when it comes to too much empathy, like, I understand someone so well that they end up crying on my shoulder and stuff, and they're like, I don't understand why I'm crying on your shoulder, I've never had someone listen to me, because not a lot of people in this world are willing to listen, and especially men around my age won't go out of their way to be, you know, understanding or be willing to show compassion, and I think, you know, I show too much empathy and sometimes there's so much like, willing to listen in my struggles. Do you think that you get taken advantage of because of this? Oh, fuck yeah. Oh, absolutely. Oh, fuck yeah. I get taken advantage of so much. What advice would you give someone who has Asperger's or is on the spectrum? What advice would I give someone on the spectrum? Be yourself. Be brave. Find your focus and pulse, I suppose. Find something that you love and you enjoy and stick to it, because if you stick to it, then you're going to be a lot more happy, happier, I suppose, and I think that it's one of the most important things for people on the spectrum and Asperger's spectrum to find something they truly thrive at and stick to something they truly, truly love and find a sense of, kind of like, you know, passion so they can flourish properly, because there are so many people on the spectrum that I hear that are unhappy with their lives and they don't feel that they've achieved anything, so I'd say, go out there and give it a go and do things that you feel that, like I say, anxious to do but want to do, you know, and the more you put yourself out there, the better off you'll be. www.cst.eu.com
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