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Titles Sequence and Introduction:

Action: Location shots in Suva and interior. Montage of images of disabled production teams at work in Norwich and Fiji. Hi 8 shots from Norwich video letter. Julie and Peni on sound. Storyboarding and group discussions in Suva.

V.O: 'In May 1994 a group of disabled people from Norwich decided to make contact with their counterparts on the other side of the world. This is the story of some of the life experiences they shared, in a video letter exchange between two very different communities.

The link was made with Fiji, a remote island nation where Polynesian and Indian cultures co-exist alongside remnants of a British colonial past.

In the letter from Norwich, the group talked about the things that matter most to them, and asked if life is any better for disabled people on a tropical island.

After watching the letter from Norwich, 25 disabled people from around Fiji`s capital, Suva set about making their reply with great enthusiasm. Like their counterparts, they began by learning the skills needed to explore and explain their lives through video. They then looked at ways to answer the questions posed by the English team.

How do disabled people fare in a small, developing nation such as Fiji? Is there a civil rights movement comparable to Britain's? How are the issues surrounding disability addressed within its diverse, multicultural traditions?

Sharing Lives

One such cultural tradition revolves around kava, or grog, a ceremonial drink sometimes endowed with magical properties and deeply bound up with Fiji`s pre Christian past. It plays an important part in Wilson Rigamoto`s story, about his relationship with his parents.'

Wilson: 'I was born normal...and it happened my mother spilled a grog on me and that is why I was paralysed for life. (Subtitle: Ceremonial drink made from pounded kava root) When I asked my Mum she said I'm sorry I didn't mean to spill the grog, just because of hardship, frustration, she was out of control, crazy, wanted to kill me.

My father went to a man like a witchcraft and that man told him about me. And that is how my father came to know that it was my mother who spilled the grog on me. He was so disappointed.'

V.O.: 'Julie Singh lives in this communal house with five other disabled women. She told us about her relationship with her mother.'

Julie: 'That time when I was small I stayed with my mother and grandmother. My Mother said to grandmother 'I can't look after that girl she's too small like a rat. I don't want it!' I stayed with grandparents and I come to sit in a wheelchair. I do housecleaning, everything. After, I stayed with my mother, did all the washing, baby sitting, morning and night, feeding all the babies..'

V.O. 'Iosepho Verevou lives in Nesali, a small village in the province of Rewa, accessible only by river.'

Sepho: 'I was born in Nausori Hospital without arms. They told my mother to put me in the boiler and get rid of me. My aunt was able to save me and brought me up at Hilton House where all the handicapped children stay in Fiji.

In school I used to play soccer. They don't play soccer in the village, just rugby and volleyball. So I learned to play volleyball using my head and leg.' (volleyball cutaways)

Sainimili: 'When I went to mainstream school I couldn`t see the blackboard. I found it hard to let the teacher know I`m a partly sighted student. This leads to times when I find it difficult to understand my school work and I had to stay up very late in the night trying to read and understand.'

V.O.: 'Sainimili Ratambua studied at Fiji School for the Blind, before making the transition to a conventional school. Her difficulties seemed all too familiar to some of the team in Norwich.'

Sainimili: 'Take for example when I studied for my Fiji Junior certificate. I can stay awake until five a clock in the morning. Then I have a two hour bed rest, Then I wake up again about seven and I go to school. I was too frightened to tell a teacher or even a close friend that I am partly sighted. That it was causing my school work to go down the drain as it were.'

V.O.: 'Berlinda Money is a graphic artist, who recently began exploring the media of painting and collage.'

Berlinda: 'My becoming disabled has changed my life and my family's too. It was totally unexpected. I was a hyperactive person, into sports..and the next minute I was in a wheelchair..

I found it hard to adapt for the first few years..I hated the fact of being seen on a wheelchair. I got over that...In the early years my family was very supportive..(Cutaways, family photos) At first I had to make them aware I could manage my own affairs. They gave me encouragement. They didn't see me as a person in a wheelchair but as a person who could carry on with everything.'

Wilson: `As a disabled I had to struggle. My parents didn't like me. I had to look after myself. I rented a place and paid $60 a week. All day I go to school and in the evening I do weeding and things to pay for my food and water.'

V.O.: 'Wilson is married to Inise Vuli. She talked about the time when he proposed to her.'

Inise: 'In the beginning he approached me but I was afraid. I said 'Look wait, I'll go and ask my Mum and Dad. I'll let you know. Actually, I made my own decision, not my parents. I told him 'We'd better settle down, then I told them.'

'At first they were worried, then we brought them the wedding photos and they were happy...'

Action: Peni approaching village in boat. Docking sequence.

V.O.: 'Peni Dobui lives one mile down river from his friend Iosepho, in the village of Lasingatoka. He spent four years in Lebanon and the Sinai as a UN soldier.'

Peni: 'I stayed home on vacation, when a friend asked me to help with some casual work..we arrived in the morning and were asked to clear the machine that mixes cement..this guy was there, he didn't know we were down there and wanted to test the machine. All of a sudden the machine was turned on and we were crushed inside. I'm sorry for my fellow worker who passed away at the same time. I lost both my legs.'

V.O.: (over Cutaways of family outing to park.) 'Taniela Namelo was injured when he fell from a school roof whilst measuring it for a building job. He had been married for one year, and the accident occured soon after the birth of his daughter. He talked to us about his concerns as a young father.'

Taniela 'when I went into the X ray room & was hearing from the Dr.s of what injury I had...the first thing in my mind was how would I cope with the situation - my daughter only 6 months old, now I am in bed for quite some time.

Sometimes I used to lie down in bed & think about her growing up & used to think of her future - coping with me in a wheelchair since she could remember. I used to wonder what's in her mind...

Now she's 9, the same age as my injury. I went to class at the end of the year for school reports, I happened to be there with my missus to attend - she came running to me..I was thinking how would she react when other students say 'is that your father?' I came home that night I was really touched [cries] because she was happy to show the others I'm still her father...'

Peni: 'When I was still in Lebanon, my wife in Fiji went around with another man. I didn't know until I came back that she was having an affair. After one week I had the accident. She came to visit me for one week then she left me. It really affected me with my accident. I stayed in hospital and kept praying God would provide me with another wife. After two years I met Va, she would come and visit me, she's my cousin. We talked about getting married and now I'm happy. We have one child.' (Cut aways, playing in treee with Grace.)

Taniela: 'Back here in our island of Fiji we are very much close to each other. In that sense, when I had my injury and got into this situation, my extended family are just there on my side, and whatever things I need they are very happy to help us with it...For example I would like to introduce my sister, she's a retired school teacher and this is her home where I have been living for the past six years of my injury.'

Sister: 'Since Taniela received the injury I planned to bring him home .. so I brought them in to be with me with my four sons. So we are living together til now and I am happy to see my brother with me in the family.'

Peni: 'The first time I went around the village people would look at me, peep out of the window. It was the first time they'd seen someone in a wheelchair, but they got used to it and its all normal now.'

V.O.: 'At an exhibition at the YWCA in Suva, Julie helped represent the Fiji Women`s Crisis Centre. She became involved through her own experience of having been sexually abused by her brother in law.' (Action: Julie at the Rape Crisis stand.)

Julie: 'I looked back and all I can see is this material like sizing material and he pulled it over my mouth and I can't say anything, I can't scream or anything, its tied on my mouth and he threw me on the bed. I can't do anything, he started to rape me and I can't do anything. That time was so paining, I was really struggling, I don't know what to do..it's the first time going round with men, I don't know.'

V.O. (Cutaway: Julie sewing): 'Julie spent one month in hospital recovering. It was then the doctors told her she was pregnant.'

'I told my doctor I want to kill my baby and kill myself..

..and after three weeks looking after her my brother came from Australia and said I want to adopt your daughter and I just give her to him I don't know what to do..

..I just leave it to my brother, whatever he wants to do he can just do it. But I tell my brother anytime she want to come here, you just bring her...

..but anytime my daughter comes here I just feel bad, I just want to go with my daughter somewhere, I just want to leave my job and run away with my daughter, so that's why I tell my brother don't bring her here....

..that's why I want to tell to all the disabled people and all the normal people, so they can understand how disabled people are struggling..'

Action: Potters and Sepho scraping coconuts. Women singing as they work.

Sepho: 'The main source of income in the village is pottery. so one day I was sitting alone and I decided to scrape coconuts as my own income.'

When I was born I used my legs for everything. When I was 19 I went to Hawaihi to get artificial arms. I wasn't used to it, I prefer to use my legs, not arms.'

(Cutaways of swimming.)

Peni: 'I was in a band that time and me and my friend Sepho, who has no arms, said, how about fund raising for the local church. We arranged a Wheelathon, and went to Lautoka for one week, me on my wheelchair and Sepho running. It took one week from Lautoka to this village. We raised $6000 in cash and the next week we go and buy musical instruments for the church'

Action: Sevaloni singing hymn with Salote.

Sevaloni: 'I'm Sevaloni from Lautoka. As you can see I'm in rehabilitation. I got injured playing rugby, a spinal injury. I was tackled by three players at the same time. At first I thought I would die from those injuries. In hospital preachers came and told me about Jesus. That was the turning point. I asked God for help to get me out of this situation and promised him I would preach his word.'

Ambitions

Action: Suva skyline, Scandles disco with Julie. Montage of disabled people buzy in production, music break. (1 min)

V.O.: 'Having described their current situations, the team went on to talk about their ambitions for the future.'

Julie: 'My hopes only go to travelling and outings. And I like to do my sewing and cooking. I like to do my housework and outside in the gardening, and I like to sing, I love to go in the night time and dance and meet friends..'

Taniela: 'I've been getting stronger & I'm planning to go back to the kind of work I used to do - not building, but get a computer & do architecture to get something out of that & help family to survive on an everyday basis.'

Berlinda Money: 'My ambition is to work in media field. It's important that more disabled people work in media, thereby increasing public awareness of their abilities.'

Sainimilli: `I feel now I can go out and, even though I am partly sighted, I can do things as well as a normal person.`

Peni: 'I'm planning to talk to the army about re employing me. There is a captain in a wheelchair and he is still in the army. I think if I go and ask them they will take me back.'

Sepho: 'I plan to start a cattle farm. We have our own land, our family land. My family have said they will support me.'

Wilson: 'I want to be a farmer. I think we should have a big bright idea to show others that what they can do, we can do also.'

Inise: 'I like screenprinting and I look forward to running my own screenprinting business..'

Sevaloni: `I've promised my friends, if I ever walk again, I'll preach the word of God.'

Civil Rights

V.O.: 'The Fijian team wished to emphasise its civil rights movement and the current national initiatives affecting disabled people.'

Frank Hilton, Head Teacher, Suva Crippled Childrens' School:

'I think a giant step forward came last year when the bill came to set up the Fiji National Council for Disabled People. It went through parliament and is now an act. This enables government ministers and representatives of disability organisations to be together around table at planning stage of new programmes.'

Clarence Narayan, Public Relations Officer of the Fiji Disabled Peoples Association:

'Our input into the council will be, we can give our expertise and our side of the story on what should be done to implement policy ...Right from the very top to even the grass root level disabled people should be involved in all areas of the National Council. They should always consider that disabled people know best about themselves..'

Frank Hilton: 'It will eventually spread a network throughout country with district and divisional committees which will report to the National Council itself. It does seem possible that through this council realistic plans can then be evolved which are realistic for Fiji and the best the country can provide.'

V.O.: 'The workshop team then looked at some of the problems the National Council could start to address. It began with access.'

Clarence Narayan (V.O. Taniela entering bank): 'A lot of the public buildings here are not accessible.. but it is changing in the fact that we've had a couple of people come into our office and ask them what can we do for disabled people to make our buildings accessible and they've taken measurements and diagrams and stuff like that for proper ramps...

But there's also things like...the public transport system is not geared to a person with a disability. Buses have very narrow isles and steps are quite steep and it is very difficult for a disabled person to travel around.' (Action; Suva buses and taxis)

Taniela: 'The main way we find at the moment to get around, if we can afford it, is by taxi.'

V.O. 'The currently prohibitive cost of travel points up an urgent need for subsidised minibus and taxi services adapted for wheelchair users.'

Clarence: (Action: deaf woman at rehabilitation workshop, sewing and signing with Julie. Children at Blind school.) 'Employment is a big problem also because people with disabilities are sent to special schools and loose out out on mainstream education, going to university, getting a degree or diploma. It is very difficult for them to compete in open employment because of a lack of qualifications.'

Frank Hilton: 'In Fiji 13,000 school leavers enter the job market each year and 2000 new jobs are created. It's very hard for disabled people to get jobs. The greatest fault is not providing adequate training. We have all kinds of training establishments but the resources are not available to disabled people.'

Clarence: (over action of blind students typing braille) 'There is also no legislation which protects the rights of disabled people..so if things are changed to ..give disabled people equal opportunities then I'm sure these things can be overcome.'

Norwich Coda

V.O. 'Back in Norwich, the original team met up once again to watch the Fijians` reply. They discussed their personal reactions to the stories and what they now feel about the project as a whole.'

Bill Albert: 'I found myself identifying very much with these people even though their cultural backgrounds and experiences are so different, as disabled people their experiences are very similar to my own and my friends (my disabled friends), so that was very interesting.'

Stephanie Ash: 'I think it's important to be talking to other disabled people in other countries because we might expect there to be many differences because of cultural differences but we can connect in a different level, because, as disabled people we have so many things in common.'

Dick Catt: 'What came over very strongly was their amazing independence and determination to be independent. This underlines very very strongly the need for governments and all official bodies to make life as easy as possible for them to be independent.'

Ann Young: 'I think the people in the video have shown me that disability is a strength rather than a weakness. These people have had to be stronger than most..contrary to the belief of able bodied people, disability makes you stronger rather than weaker.'

David Bradford: 'One of the problems, particularly with disabled people is they feel very isolated, whatever country they come from, and if that can be overcome with projects such as this one, it is a way disabled people can lead the world in communicating with one another, because people have many more communalities than disimilarities.'

End Credits Sequence

Action: Sunset montage with fishermen, boats, Berlinda's wheelchair silhouette and quote, minimal music. (Fijian nose flute.)