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Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Disability Justice Project Fellows Harness iPhone Technology to Spotlight Climate Crisis in the Pacific
December 3, 2023
In June 2023, the Disability Justice Project (DJP) trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and feedback on whether a subject is in focus. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”
The Pacific region is among the most impacted in the world by climate change. Among its low-lying islands, there is no escape from the rising sea and no refuge from extreme weather events. Pacific activists are pushing for more inclusive warning systems for weather emergencies and more accessible evacuation centers. They want to be considered and involved in the creation of disaster mitigation and response plans. Indigenous Pacific Islanders with disabilities are also leading the way in sustainable land management and climate adaptation, offering valuable insights that can benefit us all.
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Closed Captions
American Sign Language/Closed Captions
Fijian Sign Language/Closed Captions
Audio Descriptions
Open Captions
Descriptive Transcript
Click here for a link to a descriptive transcript.
Credits:
Producers
Ari Hazelman | Sa Utailesolo | Faaolo Utumapu-Utailesolo
Videographers
Ari Hazelman | Des LaFave | Isoa Nabainivalu | Ruby Nabetari |
Sophia Paffenroth | Sa Utailesolo | Melvina Voua
Editor
Des LaFave
Sound Mixing
Billy Wirasnik
Colorist
Justin Poirier
Director & Producer
Jody Santos
News From the Global Frontlines of Disability Justice
Beyond the Frame
DJP mentor Kishor Sharma is known for his long-term photography and film projects exploring community and change. Over the last 12 years, he has been documenting the nomadic Raute people in mountainous Nepal. With any project, Sharma aims to actively engage participants, sharing photography and videography techniques. In September, Sharma became a mentor to DJP fellow Chhitup Lama. He was eager to connect “this idea of sharing the visual technique with the storytelling idea and the issue of disability inclusion.”
Capturing Vision Through Sound and Touch
Over the summer the DJP trained Indigenous activists with disabilities from the Pacific on the iPhone camera to create a documentary series on disability and climate change. With VoiceOver, the iPhone provides image descriptions for blind and low-vision filmmakers and offers other accessible features. “If you think about it, it doesn’t make sense for a blind person to use a camera,” says DJP filmmaker Ari Hazelman. “The iPhone gives you more avenues to tell your story in a more profound way as a blind person.”
‘We Live in Our Own World’
For Rwandans with DeafBlindness, critical services like healthcare and educational systems rarely offer necessary accommodations like assistive devices and tactile sign language interpretation. Naomi Uwizeyimana shares her experience with inaccessible infrastructure: “You need a person to help you to communicate everywhere you go and to get every service you want, which cannot always be possible.” Her mission is to bridge the gaps and support the DeafBlind community to fully participate in society.
Art vs. Stigma
DJP Fellows Esther Suubi and Kinanty Andini both advocate for the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities through their art and filmmaking, working to create a world free from stigma and discrimination. “I hope that people will realize that mental health is really important, and I hope that many people will not be ashamed if they find out their friends or their family or maybe themselves have mental illness,” says Andini. “We must speak up and prove that the stigmas are wrong.”
Inclusive Care
For decades, Rwandans with disabilities faced significant challenges to accessing health care. Now the country has embarked on an ambitious plan to renovate all of its outdated facilities, with accessibility as a priority. Thirty health centers have been updated so far, changing stairs into ramps, adding Braille signage and more. “Having access to health services to persons with disability in Rwanda is like dreams that we all wish to be true,” says Aimable Irihose of the Rwanda Organization of Persons with Physical Disabilities and Wheelchair Users.
From Stage to Society
Terubeimoa (Ruby) Nabetari has been using the skills she learned as a composer of music and drama to help her organization, Te Toa Matoa, get their messages across about the rights of persons with disabilities in Kiribati. When she first became disabled from an accident, “I felt sad and confused … because I was well-known as a person who composed music and drama in my country,” she says. “But as time went on, I thanked God that I changed my mind and started to realize what I have to offer people with disabilities.”