Films
About this video Denied Assistance
INDONESIA: Indonesian social assistance policy has left many persons with disabilities without financial support. *Audio descriptions for blind and low-vision audiences.
Filmmaker: Kinanty Andini
Kinanty Andini is a freelance graphic design and digital artist. She is affiliated with the Indonesia Mental Health Association (IMHA), also known as the Association of Healthy Souls. Read more about Kinanty Andini
Transcript for Denied Assistance
The video starts with a timelapse of clouds passing over a tall white monument and a green pool with foundation sprinklers. A statue is in front of the monument. Palm trees surround the pool. High-rise buildings are in the background. Soft piano music plays throughout the video.
Cut to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Because of employment barriers, many Indonesians with disabilities have no steady income. Forced to live with family members, they are caught in a cycle of dependency. This cycle is reinforced by the Indonesian government’s policy to focus social assistance on families and not individuals.”
Cut to Yeni Rosa Damayanti, an Indonesian woman with black shoulder-length hair, sitting in an office and speaking to the camera in Bahasa Indonesia: “My name is Yeni Rosa Damayanti. The government’s social protection schemes are usually family-based.” She is chairperson of the Indonesian Mental Health Association (IMHA). Several items rest on a beige table behind Damayanti; a letter and certificate in frames, an award, and plants in a pot.
Cut to Damayanti sitting at a table outside and holding a white mug. Plants are behind her. She speaks to someone off-camera.
Cut to Damayanti speaking in the office, “So the social protection is given to families who fall into the poverty criteria.”
Cut to Damayanti speaking to an audience off-camera in an office. She is standing up and using hand gestures to communicate with her audience. She also holds a plate of food. A white sheet of paper tapped a brown door in the background contains text that says, “Kosong” (empty).
Cut to Damayanti speaking in the office, “The problem is that many people with disabilities live with their families.”
Cut to a man pushing a woman in a wheelchair. The woman in the wheelchair has black hair in a ponytail. The man’s face mask hangs on the left side of his face. Two people walk in front of the man and the woman in a wheelchair and enter a house. The man helps the woman in a wheelchair stand up. A pool is in the foreground. Damayanti’s voiceover continues, “And the families they live in are not necessarily categorized as poor.”
Cut to an aerial shot of the Indonesian parliament building, a low-rise building with a curved light green roof. Several high-rise buildings and trees are in the background. People are at the steps leading up to the parliament building. Damayanti’s voiceover continues, “The government is expected to change its perception of social assistance, no longer aimed at only poor families but also aimed at poor individuals with a very easy criterion, individual income.”
Cut to Damayanti speaking.
Cut to a close-up, slow-motion shot of an Indonesian person counting Indonesian rupiah banknotes.
Cut to Damayanti speaking with hand gestures to an audience off-camera. A flower painting in a frame hangs on a wall, and a window is in the background.
Cut to Damayanti speaking, “Our hope is because people with disabilities have extra costs of disability that non-disabled people don’t experience, they should get an allowance, at least to cover the extra costs.”
Cut to a woman in a wheelchair wearing a pink hijab and moving by a busy sidewalk with her family. A man pushes the wheelchair, and another holds one handle of the wheelchair. Several people are talking and moving around the sidewalk and others prepare to take a group picture in the background. Most of the people on the sidewalk are wearing face masks. Damayanti’s voiceover continues, “So there should be disability benefits provided to all persons with disabilities.”
Cut to Damayanti speaking, “Irrespective of their economic condition.”
Cut to a pan shot of a dimly lit living room with a brown couch, white-and-gray window curtains, and a picture frame on a wall. Cut to Bambang’s distorted voiceover in Bahasa Indonesia: “I don’t get cash assistance at all.” Bambang is a man with a psychosocial disability who wishes to remain anonymous.
Cut to a close-up shot of Bambang’s hands. He is seated on the brown couch. He says in a distorted voice, “And for DTKS [Social Welfare Integrated Data], honestly, I really want my data to be there [to be a candidate for DTKS recipient].”
Cut to Bambang getting up from the brown couch and walking to another room on the left. There are other brown chairs around the living room area. His distorted voiceover continues, “Because it is DTKS that determines whether we get KPDJ [Jakarta Disability Card] or not.”
Cut to Bambang speaking on the brown couch.
Cut to black text on a yellow screen that says, “While Bambang doesn’t work and has no income of his own, his eligibility for social assistance is based on his family’s income, not his own. Because his mother and sister live in a larger house in a wealthier part of town, they are considered too “rich” for him to qualify for assistance.”
Fade to another yellow screen with black text that says, “This leaves Bambang dependent on others for his survival. If he lives with his family, he is denied social assistance; if he doesn’t live with his family, he will become homeless.”
Cut to a pan shot of cars and motorcycles passing by a busy street lined with homes and small shops. Few people stand on the busy street. Bambang’s distorted voiceover continues: “I think we are most entitled to get KPDJ because we are people with disabilities.”
Cut to Bambang opening his white front door, fixing his black sandals, then leaving his house. His distorted voiceover continues, “We have additional living expenses such as medicine.”
Cut to Bambang speaking in a distorted voice, “If that (KPDJ) can reach us, it will really help us as people with disabilities.”
Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Copyright – @2022 IMHA. All rights reserved.”
Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Made with support from the Disability Justice Project and Disability Rights Fund.” The Disability Justice Project logo is a large yellow “D” with a black play button in the middle to signify video storytelling, and white text says “Disability Justice Project” on the bottom left. The Disability Rights Fund logo – a white box with black text that says, “Disability Rights Fund” – is on the bottom right of the screen.
About this video Health Care Ensured
INDONESIA: Indonesians with disabilities still lack equal access to healthcare. A new policy provides hope for Sustia Rini. *Audio descriptions for blind and low-vision audiences.
Filmmaker: Sri Sukarni
Sri Sukarni is chairperson of the Indonesia Association of Disabled Women (HWDI)’s branch in the province of West Nusa Tenggara. Read more about Sri Sukarni
Transcript for Health Care Ensured
The video starts with an aerial shot of a highway and a blue-and-white monument in the city of Mataram in West Lombok District, Indonesia. Audio of a car revving plays in the background. Soft piano music plays in the background, too.
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Over the last decade, Indonesia has reformed its national health insurance system to provide healthcare coverage for all Indonesians.”
Fade to black text on the same yellow screen that says, “However, Indonesians with disabilities still don’t have equal access to healthcare.”
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Sustia Rini is a 37-year-old woman with a disability and a mother of four. When she first applied for mandatory health insurance as an individual payer, she was charged $8 a month by Indonesia’s Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS).”
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “With no steady income, she struggled to make payments.”
Fade to Sustia Rini, an Indonesian woman wearing a multi-colored hijab, standing in a room and speaking to the camera in Bahasa Indonesia: “In 2013 I made a BPJS Mandiri card by taking Class II [level of services].” A red curtain and a cabinet of office items are behind her.
Cut to the exterior of the West Lombok public health office. A parked car is at the entrance of the office. A red chair and a brown table are next to the entrance. A man walks across the office.
Cut to a sign on the exterior of the public health office that says, “BHAKTI HUSADA COOPERATIVE SECRETARIAT, WEST LOMBOK HEALTH DEPARTMENT,” in Bahasa Indonesia. A “Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia” informational poster in Bahasa Indonesia is on the right.
Cut to Rini speaking in the room. “The installment was 42,000 [rupiah]. At that time, my husband and I and my third child were included in BPJS Independent.”
Cut to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Eventually, Rini stopped making payments to BPJS. Everyone in her family was healthy, so she didn’t see the need for health insurance. Then one of her children became sick, and she had no way to pay the hospital bills.”
Cut to cars passing by a tree-lined street in Mataram. A man sits on one of several brown benches on the sidewalk. A few people move by the sidewalk. Rini’s voiceover continues, “In 2015, my first child was sick and needed hospital treatment.”
Cut to Rini speaking.
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Rini applied for free health care known as PBI. She was denied for several reasons.”
Cut to Rini speaking, “The Mataram City Health Office explained that for 2015, there was no program from PBI in the Mataram City area.”
Cut to a pan shot of Rini walking towards the front entrance of the Regional Health Laboratory. She is wearing a black hijab. Several cars and motorcycles are parked next to the laboratory.
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Because Rini had stopped making payments to BPJS as an individual payer, she also owed the government money. She was told that until she paid off her debt, she would not be eligible for PBI.”
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “In June, the Disability Justice Project visited the West Lombok District Health Office, where Nurse H. Zuljipli, secretary of the West Lombok District Health Office, explained that Rini was mistaken.” Soft piano music transitions to upbeat piano music for the rest of the video.
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “The Health Office had changed its policy in 2020. Now anyone who needs free healthcare can receive it whether they owe money or not.”
Cut to a black-and-brown sign on the side of a busy street. The sign says, “WEST LOMBOK DISTRICT GOVERNMENT / DISTRICT HEALTH OFFICE. WEST LOMBOK” in Bahasa Indonesia.
Cut to the exterior of the West Lombok public health office. A red chair and a brown table are at the entrance. Two people are seated at a reception desk.
Cut to Nurse H. Zuljipli, an Indonesian man, sitting in an office and speaking to the camera in Bahasa Indonesia: “To answer your question earlier related to the BPJS PBI program in West Lombok, it is a form of presence and support for the people of West Lombok.” A brown cabinet stacked with papers and binders is in the background.
Cut to four men and four women meeting around a long brown table at the West Lombok health office. The women are wearing hijabs.
Cut to Zuljipli speaking in the office, “It is recorded that she has a lot of debts and unable to pay them, but when she is sick, needs financing, needs service, she is accommodated. She can be transferred [into PBI free healthcare] her status does not require her to pay the debts first, but still being considered as debts [owed to the government].”
Cut to a “Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia” informational poster in Bahasa Indonesia at a health office.
Cut to a sign on the exterior of a health office that says, “FIELD OF HEALTH RESOURCES” in Bahasa Indonesia.
Cut to Zuljipli speaking, “This is when the regulation came to allow it, we have done that since 2020. People who used to be independent [payers], although having debts due to not paying the premiums, we can still serve them.”
Cut to Rini walking up to a woman wearing a white hijab at the West Lombok public health office’s reception desk. She sits down on a chair. A man at the reception desk occupies another chair.
Fade to black text on a yellow screen that says, “Now Rini and other West Lombok citizens are in the process of applying for free health care.”
Cut to Rini smiling and speaking to the camera, “I am very happy because I can make BPJS PBI without paying arrears.” Rini’s black hair is in a pulled-back hairstyle.
Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Copyright – @2022 HWDI. All rights reserved.”
Fade to black text with a yellow border on a black screen that says, “Made with support from the Disability Justice Project and Disability Rights Fund.” The Disability Justice Project logo is a large yellow “D” with a black play button in the middle to signify video storytelling, and white text says “Disability Justice Project” on the bottom left. The Disability Rights Fund logo – a white box with black text that says, “Disability Rights Fund” – is on the bottom right of the screen.
About this video Inclusion 101
NIGERIA: Students with DeafBlindness face education barriers in Nigeria. *Audio descriptions for blind and low-vision audiences.
Filmmaker: Oluwabukolami Omolara Badmus
Oluwabukolami Omolara Badumus is a disability rights activist and feminist based in Lagos, Nigeria. She is both the financial secretary and Lagos state coordinator for the Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation (LALIF). Read more about Oluwabukolami Omolara Badmus
Transcript for Inclusion 101
The video starts with a yellow screen with a title card in a black font that says, “Miracle Balogun is 17 years old. He was born Deaf and with low vision. He has struggled in mainstream schools because of a lack of accessible learning materials and a lack of teachers trained in communicating with DeadBlind students.” Melancholy guitar instrumental plays.
Another title card fades in: “His mother did not wish to appear on camera.” Voiceover of a woman, Miracle Balogun’s mother, says, “His education has been eclectic.” Melancholy guitar instrumental volume decreases.
Cut to an adolescent boy wearing a blue, white, black, and turquoise shirt. He is Miracle Balogun. He is standing in front of a room with a sign that says “LIBRARY” above the door. The building walls are painted pink. He is smiling. He proceeds to hold an index finger up. Voiceover of Balogun’s mother continues, “Most schools, they don’t understand him. I’ll put it that way.”
Cut to Balogun standing with a woman in a black and beige dress. He is wearing black sandals. They are conversing in sign language. There is grass to the right. An adolescent boy steps out of a room behind them, past a black gated door. Voiceover Balogun’s mother continues, “Or, they lack the ability to cope with such a child. I don’t know how to….”
Cut to Balogun drinking from a big bottle of water. He turns his head and looks to the right. Voiceover of his mother continues, “Because he has been in one class for six years. Ever since we put him in the school, they refuse to promote him.”
Cut to Balogun resting his hand on a pink wall with the other hand behind his back. There is a brown bench to the left and windows to the right. Voiceover of his mother says, “I now took it upon myself to start teaching him on my own.”
Cut to a yellow screen with a title card in a black font that says, “Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Nigeria ratified in 2010, and UN Sustainable Development Goals 4 and 10 guarantee equal opportunities for all learners, including those with disabilities.” Melancholy guitar instrumental volume increases. Another title card fades in, “However, students with DeafBlindness in Nigeria are deprived of these fundamental rights, forcing many to drop out of school or to enroll in residential programs.”
Cut to a man wearing a lime green button-down shirt and black tie. He has a pair of headphones around his neck. He is conversing in sign language with a woman wearing a white shirt with blue, red, and yellow designs. She is wearing a watch. The man is holding the woman’s hands. They are standing in front of a black gate with its pedestrian door open.
Cut to the same man. In this shot, he is wearing a dark blue button-down shirt and a black tie. There is a laptop on a table to the right. He is seated on an orange chair in front of a large cabinet full of notepads and other stationery items. The cabinet and the wall behind him are painted pink. His name and title appear on screen: “Solomon Olakunle Okelola, Executive Director, LALIF [Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation]” Okelola says, “The major challenge which individuals with DeadBlindness face in Nigeria arise as a result of their inability to communicate and socialize with people.”
Cut to a close-up of Okelola conversing with a woman in sign language. Cut to Okelola saying, “Teachers in most schools do not know there are ways they can teach and that they can communicate with people with DeafBlindness.” Cut to Okelola conversing with a woman in American Sign Language and English, “International Commission for Persons with…” Cut to Okelola saying, “In the recent survey, we just concluded here in Lagos State, most individuals with DeadBlindness are out of school.” His black belt and black trousers are seen in the frame.
Cut to a close-up of Miracle Balogun with his back leaning against a pink wall. He turns his head to the left. Okelola continues, “And unable to access education. The few of them who manage to attend school cannot easily access learning like their counterparts.”
Cut to a close-up of a person reading Braille from a book. Cut to Okelola saying, “The educational needs of individuals with DeafBlindness are not being provided for by the government in terms of policy-making and by the teachers in terms of implementation of teaching, learning, activity, that can meet the unique need of this individual.” Cut to Miracle Balogun signing to the camera.
Cut to a woman wearing a white and pink dress. She has on a light gray head wrap and gold hoop earrings. She is conversing with someone off-screen. A person off-screen says, “He cannot hear, yes.” To the right is an adolescent boy wearing a green and blue shirt and sitting on a yellow chair. He is Ayodeji Lawal. To the adolescent boy’s right is another man in a white and blue striped shirt. They are seated in front of a black wall.
Cut to a yellow screen with a title card in a black font that says, “Ayodeji Lawal is also DeafBlind. He is out of school after his mother discovered problems with his residential placement.” Synth instrumental starts.
Cut to close up of the same woman wearing a pink and white dress. Her name and title “Balikis Adebola Lawal, Ayodeji’s mother” appears on the screen. Lawal says, “He couldn’t walk, he couldn’t talk until he was three years. He started crawling with his chest. He couldn’t sit on his own. We support him with a pillow, this that, to make him sit up. Problems started at the early stage of his life. [Inaudible] we didn’t notice it on time.”
Cut to Balikis Adebola Lawal with her son Ayodeji Lawal who is drinking from a can. The second man in a blue and white striped shirt remains seated close to Ayodeji Lawal. “Discovered that he’s highly interested in education, so I enrolled him in a normal school, not knowing that he’s supposed to go to special school.
Cut to close up of Balikis Adebola Lawal. She says, “I met a schoolmate, Michael. That one led special education in Oyo. So he was teaching in one of the special schools.” Cut to Lawal and her son. Man in a white and blue striped shirt gets up and picks something off the floor with his other arm around Adodeji Lawal’s neck. Balikis Adebola Lawal continues, “It got into a stage, the owner of the school, the mama that owns the school doesn’t have much time. I just discovered that they didn’t care for them. To my own satisfaction.”
Cut to a yellow screen with a title card in a black font that says, “There are multiple ways to communicate with someone who is DeafBlind.”
Cut to Okelola in front of a pink cabinet and wall. He is wearing a lime green shirt and a black tie. An HP laptop is placed in front of him. Okelola says, “Sometimes sign language basically involves the use of the usual American Sign Language, the only difference being the fact that an individual with DeadBlindness read the sign with the hands instead of with the eyes, at least in the general case.”
Cut to Okelola sitting across from a woman wearing a red dress and gold earrings. Okelola is wearing a white shirt and has a pair of black headphones around his neck. The woman is interpreting something to Okelola in American Sign Language. He is holding her hands. She leans to her right to listen to audio coming from a red and black device. There are few people near them around a table and plastic chairs.
Cut to Okelola, “If an interpreter is signing, I can put my hands on the hand of the interpreter to read what he or she is signing.” Cut to Okelola in the same scene as described above. This time, he is conversing with a woman in a brown and white striped shirt. The woman wearing a red dress leans against a blue table to listen to the device once again. A third woman wearing a white shirt is seated at another table.
Cut to Okelola. He says, “Another way of communication involve the use of big, bold letterings.” Cut to a shot of an alphabet chart on a pink wall. On the left, there is a green wall and a window. Both walls have other items stuck to them. Cut to a close-up of the alphabet chart, focusing on the letters “E”, “F”, and “G” with the words and images of “eggs,” “fish,” and “grapes” near the letters, respectively.
Cut to Okelola, who says, “Individuals with DeadBlindness can also be able to learn Braille.” Cut to an adolescent girl seated on a green chair and reading Braille from a book. She is wearing a black hijab and red shirt with red, black, and white designs. Okelola continues, “There is an application that can convert speech to Braille so that a DeadBlind can make use of it the same way as a person with visual impair.” Cut to a close-up of the adolescent girl reading Braille. Synth instrumental volume increases.
Cut to a yellow screen with a title card in a black font that says, “Individuals with DeafBlindess.” The words fade out downwards. The following phrases fade in and out, respectively: “may be completely Deaf but with residual vision,” “completely blind with residual hearing,” “have low vision and residual hearing,” “or completely Deaf and completely blind.” Other phrases continue to fade in and out, respectively, “To ensure an inclusive education for students who are DeafBlind, the following steps must be taken: Government officials, policymakers, and the disability community must recognize that people who are DeafBlind have distinct needs that are different from those who are blind or Deaf.”
Title cards with transitions continue, “Laws need to be passed to protect individuals with DeafBlindness and ensure equal access to education, employment, medical care, and more.” “More data needs to be collected on the number of people living with DeafBlindness in Nigeria.” “Teachers need to learn how to communicate with students who are DeafBlind. Otherwise, these students could be cut off from one of the key pathways to fully participating in society throughout their lives.”
Fade to black and title cards highlighted in yellow on a black screen that says, “Copyright – @2022 Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation. All rights reserved.” Synth music fades out. Screen fades to black. Cut to Copyright- @2022. Lionheart Ability Leaders International Foundation. All rights reserved.
About this video Ending Stigma Together
UGANDA: Triumph Uganda and International Disability Alliance members discuss the power of community in combatting mental health stigma. *Audio descriptions for blind and low-vision audiences.
Filmmaker: Esther Suubi
Esther Suubi is an advocate for young girls and women's voices and a peer educator at Triumph Mental Health Support. Read more about Esther Suubi
Transcript for Ending Stigma Together
The video starts with gentle background music and a montage showing three Ugandan women. They are Esther Suubi, Dorothy Nakato Mubezi, and Gorret Namwanje. In the montage, Dorothy is smiling and walking through a doorway onto a porch. Gorret sits with Esther on a wood bench in a sunny yard.
Cut to an interview with Gorret sitting on a chair alone in the yard.
Gorret says, “We’ve got the witch doctors, hospitals, asking for some help, but realizing at the end it was psychosocial disability.”
Cut to Gorret and Esther walking and talking in the yard. Cut to an interview with Esther sitting in a blue chair alone in the yard.
Esther says, “I was in high school and I broke down mentally.”
Cut to Dorothy talking with another woman on the porch. Then cut to an interview with Dorothy sitting in a blue chair.
Dorothy says, “It came when I was at school, so for me I didn’t know about it until when I was brought back home.”
Cut to black words on a yellow screen that say, “Psychological disability remains one of the most challenging and misunderstood areas of disability. Discrimination in education, employment, and more deprive persons with psychosocial disabilities of their legal capacity and liberty.”
The video cuts back to Gorret’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears and reads, “Gorret Namwanje, Self Advocate at Triumph Mental Health Support.”
Gorret says, “There is an English teacher, that woman she could just end in class and maybe the sickness comes, she tells the fellow pupils to take you out. The next time say ‘Ahh, I don’t want to see you in my class so just move out. That you can’t stay now her class when you’re having a sickness.’”
Cut to Gorret and Esther talking on the bench in the yard. Then cut to Esther’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears that says, “Esther Suubi, Peer educator at Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support.”
Esther says, “It came as a shock to me, and also to my friends. I did have a lot of friends, but when I went back home and I came back to school it was like a whole new environment.”
Cut to Esther coloring in a colorful book in the yard. The image has the words, “I Am Enough” written on it.
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. A yellow title with black words appears that say, “Dorothy Nakato Mubezi, Fellow at International Disability Alliance.”
Dorothy says, “I stayed in the hospital for almost two weeks but I didn’t know what was really – I couldn’t remember what is happening.”
Cut to Dorothy braiding and styling another woman’s hair. Cut back to Dorothy’s interview.
Dorothy says, “They know that home is a challenging one. Get clothes, you can’t; there are always troubles, something like that.”
Cut to Gorret standing outside and speaking into a microphone at a conference. A caption with yellow letters reads, “Gorret raising awareness about abuse among girls with disabilities (Credit: Creative Action Institute).”
Gorret says into the microphone, “I’ve learned that we should give care, respect, and show love to persons with disabilities, especially those having psychosocial disability, mental disability, and intellectual disability.”
Cut to a montage of photos. The first is a photo of Gorret crafting with another woman. Next are two photos of Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support classes. In each photo, students sit in a circle around a teacher.
Cut to Gorett’s interview. Gorett says, “Even in our village, the nearby neighbors, they told their children to stop coming near me. That I will spread the disease to them also.”
Cut to Gorett holding a phone and standing in the yard. Esther walks into the frame. Cut to Esther’s interview.
Esther says, “It was a whole new environment for me. I had like three friends who stood by my side.”
As Esther speaks, a photograph appears showing Esther in a classroom with other students.
Cut back to Esther’s interview. Esther continues, “But these other friends that I thought were friends didn’t want to sit next to me.”
Cut to Esther coloring in a coloring book with the same image that reads, “I Am Enough.”
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “Like we go for meetings and you want to stand up and talk, somebody’s saying, they may not give you a chance quickly.”
Cut to a photo of Dorothy wearing a name tag and standing next to a bright yellow wall. Dorothy is pointing to a white sign on the wall that has colorful words. The words read, “How can we get ready to access SRHRs? Sexual Reproductive Health Rights.”
Cut back to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy continues, “They think your contribution may not be in line with what they are discussing, which is not that true.”
Cut to Gorett and Esther walking in the yard. Then cut to Gorett’s interview.
Gorett says, “I felt very bad. Never happy. Because it hurts when they do something like that to you. I missed the lessons of English but the good thing I did it better than other subjects in my primary.”
Cut to Esther reading a book in the yard. The book is called “Mental Health Beyond Madness.”
Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “Most of my friends feared me. They thought that if they just had a small connection of my skin to theirs, I would affect them, or infect them, with a illness that I’m having. It was very tough. Very tough.”
A photo appears on the screen showing Esther in a classroom smiling at the camera.
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “So you are prevented from participating in society. In many other areas. Because of the misconceptions that people have about persons with psychosocial disabilities.”
The video cuts to a montage of photos showing Triumph workshops. The first one shows a group of people smiling and posing for the camera. The second shows people sitting in a chair and listening to a speaker in a purple dress. The third shows a speaker in a yellow dress addressing a group. The third photo shows people standing outside in a circle doing a group activity.
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “The advice I have for persons with psychosocial disabilities that have been stigmatized is for them to know who they are, to know they have value and treasure what they have.”
Cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorett says, “The first thing is to pray to God. Because God hears every person’s voice and prayers. The second thing: going for medication at the hospital. Like I joined Atenekontola in Bugembe Health Center. So I just go every month for medication.”
The video cuts again to Dorothy styling the woman’s hair. Then it cuts to Dorothy’s interview.
Dorothy says, “We are supposed to show the world our potential. I advise persons with psychosocial disabilities, where possible with enough support to do their best.”
Cut to a photo of two women talking at a Triumph workshop.
Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “When I got to meet the executive director who is my mentor of Triumph Mental Health Support.”
The video cuts to a photo of Robinah Alumbuya. At the bottom of the photo, a black title with yellow words reads, “Robinah Alambuya, Triumph Executive Director.” The photo shows Robinah wearing a blue outfit, kneeling on the ground, and writing on a protest sign. The video cuts to a second photo of Robinah standing with another person, smiling into the camera.
Cut back to Esther’s interview. Esther continues, “I got to realize that I am not the only person going through this. We are many.”
A photo appears of Robinah in the same blue outfit, now holding a sign that reads, “#Stop sexual abuse!”
Cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorret says, “Listening to what my parents said to me. Guiding me, counseling what I should avoid, prevent like peer groups. Even since I joined Triumph Uganda, they’ve been helping me in very many things.”
Cut to Gorret speaking at the conference again. Gorret says into the microphone, “I as Namwanje Gorrett, a Ugandan from Jinja district, from an organization called Triumph Uganda Mental Health Support, I’ve learned that we should give care, respect, and show love to persons with disabilities, especially those having psychosocial disability, mental disability, and intellectual disability.”
The video cuts again to Gorret and Esther sitting on the bench in the yard laughing together. Then it cuts to Esther’s interview.
Esther says, “So I decided that I’m going to become a voice for the voiceless so that we can speak up, you know, to tell the world that we too are human beings. Yes, we do have special needs, but we are equal. We have the same blood.”
Cut to a montage of three photos that show Esther spending time with other Triumph members. In one photo, she wears an orange shirt with the words SRHRs, which stands for Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. In another she is leaning over a table with two other people, smiling as they all write on papers. In the third, she is sitting and smiling with another woman in a red dress.
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “I advise them to take care, safe care, that when you take care of yourself, you reduce on the relapses.”
Cut to several photos of people in Triumph workshops. In the first photo, a group of people sit outside under an awning. The table is covered in Triumph Uganda banners that advocate for sexual reproductive health rights. One banner reads, “Triumph Uganda promotes Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights of Adolescent Girls and Young Women with Psycosocial Disabilities.” A second photo shows two people sitting at a table writing on protest signs.
A voice over by Gorret speaks over the photos, and then we cut to Gorret’s interview. Gorret says, “Village leaders, community leaders, and the police officers to hear the voice of persons with disabilities. Because one can be raped, takes the statement to police and they don’t follow it. Because they could just say ‘Hey, you are disabled. How can we help you?’ They should hear their voices also because they’re also human beings, like others.”
Cut to a photo of Triumph members standing in a half-circle and posing for the camera.
Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “There are people out there who wish they could speak up but because they don’t have the courage, they’re not able to speak up so I said, ‘I’m going to do this for them.’”
Cut to a close up of Esther, who is standing in front of a Triumph organization sign. Esther says, “I am Suubi Esther Deborah, a Triumph self advocate and a university student.”
Cut to Dorothy’s interview. Dorothy says, “They should participate. This helps you to know your right and know how you fight for your right and advocate for others.”
Cut to a photo of a woman holding a sign that reads, “Why not affirmative action also in elections?”
Cut to Esther’s interview. Esther says, “I believe that stigma can be eradicated from our society, from our community, if we join together and fight this. Remember there is no health without mental health; my health is your health and your health is my health.”
Cut to a yellow screen with black words that say, “Together we can end stigma!”
The screen fades to black with a yellow title at the center that reads, “Copyright – @2022 TRIUMPH Uganda. All rights reserved.”