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Up Close and Personal
Covering three decades, this collection of personal journeys gives an insight into how disabled people were often viewed through two powerful lenses. One saw disability as a personal tragedy. The other saw disabled people as triumphing over adversity. But disabled people usually don’t conform to these stereotypes, if given the opportunity to speak for themselves.
There are some fascinating exceptions to this kind of framing, when disabled people’s own voices are heard loud and clear. Some disabled people are seen leading ordinary lives, for example a visually impaired farmer, while other participants talk about their aspirations to full civil rights and a new life, once the disabling social barriers they persistently encounter are dismantled.
Graham Findlay (disability equality consultant)
Please note: titles in this collection may contain language or other content that reflect views prevalent in their time but that may cause offence today. They are included here for historical reasons and are in no way endorsed by the BFI or its partners.
Ian DuryIan Dury
Biopic 1983 52 mins
Blockheads lead singer talks about how becoming disabled has affected his life and music.
A Day in the Life of Kevin DonnellonA Day in the Life of Kevin Donnellon
1972 28 mins
An episode of World in Action documenting the life of 11 year old Kevin and how he and his family live with the effects of the drug Thalidomide.
Y Gwr O Gwr Yr AranY Gwr O Gwr Yr Aran
1978 29 mins Location: Llanuwchllyn
Teacher Frank Letch of Llanuwchllyn, Gwynedd discusses his life and living with his acquired disability in this TV documentary. In Welsh with English subtitles.
Disabled GraduateDisabled Graduate
News 1981 6 mins Location: Cambridge
Disabled graduate Peter Thweeney simply wants the opportunity to be economically independent, and has ambitions to become a lawyer.
Disabled Boy Invents Speech MachineDisabled Boy Invents Speech Machine
News 1973 5 mins Location: Cambridge
Anglia TV report on the young disabled entrepreneur that has invented the Lightwriter, a communication device that won a British Design Award
Championship SwimmerChampionship Swimmer
Current affairs 1967 1 minsSilent Location: Exeter
Champion swimmer Linda Hockworthy returns to the pool after a recent leg amputation.
Able YachtsmanAble Yachtsman
Current affairs 1983 3 mins Location: Plymouth
Para sailor Mike enjoys the thrill of the wind in his sails.
Blind FarmerBlind Farmer
News 1978 5 mins Location: Shebdon
Farming: hard work in all weathers - and not a job you'd associate with someone with a severe visual impairment.
Smallest Woman in the WorldSmallest Woman in the World
News 1972 8 mins Location: Bromsgrove
Living in a world that makes no concessions for her size: Joyce Carpenter is Britain's smallest woman.
Cambridgeshire couple adopt a disabled childCambridgeshire couple adopt a disabled child
News 1976 6 mins Location: Eynesbury
Anglia TV meet a 'Thalidomide boy' and his remarkable adoptive parents; all the subject of a new book and adapted BBC TV 'Play of the Week'.
Archer's TargetArcher's Target
Current affairs 1979 2 mins Location: Grampound
Determined archer hits the target.
Former ballerina and polio survivor still teaches balletFormer ballerina and polio survivor still teaches ballet
News 1970 8 mins
Anglia TV enjoy meeting former ballerina Elizabeth Twistington Higgins, a polio sufferer, who is now a successful painter by mouth.
One of Them Is BrettOne of Them Is Brett
1965 30 mins
Unforgettable documentary about a boy, born without arms due to thalidomide, and his family
Thalidomide survivor selected for OlympicsThalidomide survivor selected for Olympics
News 1983 3 mins Location: Potton
Thalidomide baby' Ronnie West, accomplished in swimming, running, and shooting, is set to compete in the 1984 Paralympic Games.
Sip-and-Puff Assistive TechnologySip-and-Puff Assistive Technology
Current affairs 1975 6 mins Location: Braunton
Eileen Brown lives with Multiple Sclerosis and uses assistive technology to write after seven years.
One Per Cent of Us - Children No MoreOne Per Cent of Us - Children No More
Current affairs 1976 45 mins Location: Plymouth
The TV cameras return to Downham School to see what has changed for disabled children since 1966.
One Per Cent of Us - One in a HundredOne Per Cent of Us - One in a Hundred
Current affairs 1986 52 mins Location: Plymouth
This documentary charts the progress and challenges of disabled people living in the community.
One Per Cent of Us - So Many ChildrenOne Per Cent of Us - So Many Children
Current affairs 1966 38 mins Location: Plymouth
Parents and teachers of children with learning disabilities offer moving and practical accounts of their experiences.
MichaelMichael
Drama 1961 12 mins
Sensitive portrait of a boy with Down’s syndrome, and the small village that includes him.
Three for SocietyThree for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s