Video Star

Often when decisions are made for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs),  those with IDDs are spoken for or talked over. When I was writing a graduate level course on inclusion for art teachers, it was suggested that H appear in a video being developed that was focused on educating art teachers about how to connect with students with an IDD. To extend the perspectives captured and the video some depth, I also asked H’s good friend B if she would be willing to be interviewed for the video. B excitedly accepted and the planning began. Both signed a contract with expectations and pay.

 

I wanted H and B to have a chance to practice speaking and be comfortable in front of the camera while preserving their authentic voice, so I scheduled an evening for both to hear and answer the interview questions, while I wrote their responses so they could practice their answers. To avoid too much waiting around, I interviewed H before B showed up, and recorded his answers. When B arrived, she joined us for her interview and I recorded her answers as well. Each had a range of answers that together would create a greatly informative video. We concluded and celebrated our hard work with ice cream sundaes.

 

Two weeks later, we were ready to record the video. H had the ability to go to his room during B's interview, an advantage that B did not have, so I chose to interview H before B was scheduled to arrive. To record a quality video, I rented H’s new iPad for the price of a large bag of “purple” Doritos (the sweet chili Doritos in the purple bag). I set up the iPad, hooked up the speaker, and we were ready to record. I asked H the questions that we rehearsed, that he was expecting, and he responded. With all of B’s answer.

 

H never ceases to amaze and surprise me. Just when I think I have him figured out, he teaches me he is a complex individual who continues to change, grow, be the unique individual that he is, and the only thing I can expect is the unexpected.