BENDIGO Special Developmental School has teamed up with the Connected Circus to enter two films in the Focus on Ability Short Film Festival.<\/p>\n
The festival, run by disability service NOVA Employment, calls on entries from organisations, individuals and schools that tell the stories of people living with disabilities.<\/p>\n
The Connected Circus has been working with 17 and 18-year-old students at BSDS for several years, and their film Living and Learning, <\/em>focusing on their movement and digital technology program.<\/p>\n The other film Ashraf – A Lesson in Determination<\/em> tells the story of refugee student, Ashraf Qorbani, and his participation in the program.<\/p>\n Vern Hardie, who co-coordinates Connected Circus, said he was blown away by Qorbani\u2019s willingness and confidence.<\/p>\n \u201cThe determination we\u2019ve seen in him, it goes right to the heart of what the film festival is all about, finding the ability in the disability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cHe has cerebral palsy and doesn\u2019t speak much English. He gives everything a go.<\/p>\n \u201cWe Gaffer Taped a gimbal to his wheelchair, and he just went around filming content\u2026 Ashraf\u2019s always a pleasure to work with, it doesn\u2019t matter what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Hardie said the circus\u2019 program at the school gives students a chance to work with props and technology, while learning collaboration skills, resilience, and persistence.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes us so happy for these kids to realise they have the opportunity and the ability to try anything, there\u2019s nothing beyond them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the students we work with are non-verbal, but we can still get them learning, putting tripods up, setting up cameras, filming each other and using greenscreens.<\/p>\n \u201cIt allows them to work together, they build resilience and the art of persistence, that if you keep on trying you will get better at something.\u201d<\/p>\n