| .-. |
|
THE LILY SERIES: A LONGITUDINAL PORTRAIT OF LIFE WITH DOWN SYNDROME Produced and narrated by Elizabeth Grace
$250.
ISBN: 1-891340-65-4 View a short clip from this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
Lily is a remarkably endearing young woman who happened to have the Down Syndrome genetic anomaly. In this three part series of portraits, viewers meet her at ten years of age, at twenty and at thirty. Produced and narrated by her mother, this prizewinning set of films has much to say about universal issues of growing up such as making friends, seeking love and establishing independence with the special poignancy as experienced by someone who our society deems different.
LILY: A STORY ABOUT A GIRL LIKE ME (Lily at age 10) 1978 (14 min) Content: Educational mainstreaming in elementary school Family life Friends Visuals: Classroom and playground scenes Lily at home with her siblings and parents Lily’s birthday party
LILY: A SEQUEL (Lily at age 20) 1988 (15 min) Content: Educational mainstreaming in high school Working for pay and managing money Leaving home Living in a group home, its positives and negatives Friends and social life Desire for more independence/using assistance Concerns about physical health
Visuals: Longitudinal photos of Lily High school senior year activities including the graduation ceremony Work at a pizza restaurant Group home life: cooking, recreation, supervision Shopping in a mall with a friend Swimming in a local Y
LILY AT THIRTY 1997 (14 min) Content: Being a union member and striking Living independently with the help of a social worker Adult sibling relationships Seeking romantic attachments Fantasy life Health issues Self-image Hopes for the future
Visuals: Picket line in front of a supermarket Working as a courtesy clerk in the market after the strike Lily’s apartment Meeting with her social worker An evening with her brother Attending a family wedding Writing a romantic novel An interview conducted by her mother about her self-image and her hopes for the future
Elizabeth Grace: Lily was Ms Grace’s first child. She subsequently had two sons without apparent genetic anomalies. An artist, Ms. Grace was a stay-at-home mother for most of Lily’s childhood and then became a special education teacher. LILY: A STORY ABOUT A GIRL LIKE ME won the very prestigious Cine Golden Eagle award.
A review of this series: Reviewed by Lori Widzinski, Health Sciences Library, State University of New York at Buffalo These three videos, Lily: A Story About a Girl Like Me, Lily: A Sequel, and Lily at Thirty, provide an intimate look at the life of a young woman with Down's Syndrome. Lily's mother, Elizabeth Grace, has recorded the struggles and the rewards of living with someone with this condition. She has included her perspective as a parent, as well as Lily speaking her own thoughts at different periods of her life. Beginning when Lily was ten years old in 1977, Lily: A Story About a Girl Like Me, focuses on the classroom, where Lily was one of the early participants in mainstreaming. We see her playing with friends, reading, making pottery, and participating in the chorus - just like any other ten year old girl. We hear Lily's thoughts on how she loves the chorus and being with her friends. Her mother, Elizabeth, narrates at times, filling in the history of Lily's birth and the effect her disability has on the family. Ten years later, when Lily is 20, Lily: A Sequel was recorded. Graduating from high school is a major turning point for Lily and her mother. Just like any recent graduate, Lily expresses her joy at completing her high school degree, and longs for a more independent lifestyle. Her mother reveals her own apprehension about Lily becoming more independent, although she knows it is the right thing to do. Lily begins life in a group home that provides a training program to help disabled people learn independent living skills such as managing money, making appointments and doing household chores. Lily gets a job at a fast food restaurant and after two and a half years has successfully learned how to live on her own. She has a dream of living in her own apartment and to having a boyfriend. Her mother's dream is to see her daughter have an interesting life that maximizes her talents and skills. Part of Lily's dream is realized in Lily at Thirty. The video begins with Lily walking the picket line with her co-workers from Safeway, a grocery store where she has worked for the past three years. Lily is obviously happy with her work, and her lifestyle, living alone in her own apartment. Her family and friends are extremely important to her. She has an independent living counselor who visits her once a week to make sure her bills are paid, groceries are bought, and things are moving smoothly. Lily talks about her life and what it means to live with Down's Syndrome. Some things are still hard for her, but she accepts them and moves on with her life with a strong positive attitude. All three of these videos are shot with a "home movie" style ambiance. This helps to reinforce the intimacy of the programs. The sound quality is good, but a slight echo is detected on the first program. The short 15 minute length of each of these programs makes them ideal for classroom viewing and discussion. Each one gives a snapshot of Lily's development. Highly recommended for college level classes in Education, Special Education, and Social Work.
[ BACK TO TOP ]
|
|
|