Fair Go SERIES

1981, Total Running Time 79 Minutes (7 x episodes)

A seven-part series that examines the impact of mental and physical disability on individual Australians and their families. Each program is presented from the viewpoint of the person with the disability and demonstrates the practical implications of coping with a disability in daily life at home, in the community, in the workplace or at school.

EPISODES

Wall of Silence, A (14 mins) As a result of meningitis, Patricia became almost totally deaf. Now she is actively employed again. This film emphasises lip-reading as a way for people with hearing impairments to communicate with people with hearing.

World of His Own, A (13 mins) Ten-year-old Matthew has a severe mental disability. In this program, his parents describe what is involved in caring for him and the kind of work they do to help other parents of children with disabilities.

Every Day a Challenge (10 mins) Penny discovered she had multiple sclerosis when she was a bride-to-be. Now married with a family, she has established a self-help group for other people with the condition.

Just Like Other Kids (11 mins) Ramona is partially sighted - a condition she inherited from her mother. She leads an active life -  swimming, horseriding and rollerskating - and her immediate ambition is to study psychology at university.

On Borrowed Time (10 mins) Twenty-seven-year-old Bruce has muscular dystrophy. He was told he would die six years ago but instead he drives his own car, works full time and studies accountancy at night.

Part of the Community (9 mins) As a result of an industrial accident, Joe has quadriplegia. Discharged from hospital, he lives in a “halfway house” where people with disabilities participate in running the household.

Walking Champion of the Year (12 mins) Eight-year-old Robbie was born with a rare disability and was never expected to walk. With the aid of calipers he’s been walking for two years and aspires to take part in the City to Surf, one of Australia’s major community fitness events.

Produced by Film Australia with the assistance of the Department of Social Security. © 2011 National Film and Sound Archive of Australia.