I Am Normal, by Dennae Trask (Australia, 2023), invites audiences to rethink what we call normal. Rather than telling a single story, the film raises questions around autism, cognitive processing and intellectual disability, and how those labels shape perception. It considers the viewpoints of children and teenagers and the assumptions they face, touching on inclusion, stigma and everyday prejudice. Presented as part of the Focus on Ability festival, this short gives space to voices that are often sidelined and encourages a more open, humane view of difference. A quietly powerful contribution that prompts conversation and reflection.
Sometimes I don't feel normal. I mean not sometimes, but all the time. Hi, my name's Ryland and I wanted to create a message about creating a new normal. Autism is an invisible disability. You can't always see it, but it exists and its challenges are real. Spoken words are also invisible. You can't see them, but their effects are real. Many disabilities, like mine, are invisible. Making a comment like, you look so normal, implies that the person isn't normal. It is such a harmful comment to someone's self-value and worth. It makes us feel not normal at all. I am normal. Ryland, you're going to have to be careful with your belly, ok? Ok mum, I'll be careful. What's wrong with his belly? Nothing's wrong with his belly. He just has a stoma and he needs to have a medical procedure done every day. Wow, I didn't know that. He just looks so normal. Ryland is very normal. His normal might be a little bit different to yours though. But it's your perception of what normal is that needs to change. Gee, he spends a lot of time on technology. On those screens. Yeah, he does actually. Aren't you worried technology will ruin his brain? Actually, technology helps his brain more than you know. See, Ryland has numerous learning disabilities that make life a little more challenging than some. But technology helps him achieve things the same as everyone else. He just achieves things a little differently. Oh hey, look, I'm really sorry. I didn't realise any of that. I mean, he just looks so normal. He is very normal. His normal may be different to yours. It's just your perception of what normal is that needs to change. Okay, Ryland, time to pack up. It's time to go to speech therapy. Speech therapy? Why does he need that for? Ryland actually has several learning difficulties like dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia. So speech therapy actually helps him to decipher the world around him. Oh, okay, wow. Sorry, I didn't realise he had those disabilities. He just looks so normal. Well, he is normal. It's just that his normal might be different to yours. It's your perception of what normal is that needs to change. I didn't even realise Ryland had all those disabilities until I saw the Focused on Ability short film on him last year. Yes, there are lots of people with invisible disabilities just like Ryland. I'm sorry I didn't even know. He just looks like any other normal kid. Ryland is indeed a very normal kid. It's just that his normal is a little different to other kids' normal. And that's okay. It's your perception of what normal is that needs to change. My normal might be different to yours. And that's okay. Please change your perception of what normal is. And make the world a safe place for people that have invisible disabilities like me. Thank you for watching. Thank you for listening and let's create a new normal together.
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I Am Normal by Dennae Trask (2023)
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