I grew up in the 1950s, one of five children, and I had a brother, who was manic and depressive, he’d be very high one day and very low the next. And we never knew what to expect from him. But he was never diagnosed, and I watched my parents deal with such a difficult child and they had no help, they didn’t even have help back then, you know, what with the stigma.
So as a child in that family, growing up, even though i didn't realize that I was a victim and so were my other siblings, of a brother who could be really mean. We grew up thinking it was sibling rivalry, we didn't know that brothers aren’t supposed to do these things to their siblings and so as we all grew up I realized how each of us has had to struggle to figure out our lives.
You know they say that you’re attracted to the environment you grew up in? My whole life, I always felt comfortable working with people who had some type of disability, because I grew up fearing my brother but loving him and realizing that it wasn’t his fault, he was a product of his environment, the times, being without a diagnosis. So I think that has always influenced me, through my whole life. I’ve always been involved with some type of project and had that connection because I really do feel there has been progress.
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We have such a community of busy people these days. So people pick and choose what they attend. But I see the power of this festival. I invited a woman to leave her familiar world and get involved with ReelAbilities film festival and it’s like she opened up like a little cocoon. She's involved now and loves it and she has thanked me because she says “you know, we’re so busy with our children, with our jobs, with our commitments, this and that, that we don’t look past our comfort zone”. So what I would say to anyone is, go beyond your comfort zone and allow yourself to be taken into another world and understand people who suffer with different disabilities and not to be afraid. A lot of people, my friends, don't want to see these things, because it makes them feel afraid, but it’s okay to feel afraid. You have to jolt your system and challenge yourself to go outside the box and be part of the community. You just can’t live on one plane. You can, if that’s your choice, but I would just challenge people to open up their minds and come reach another dimension.
