The World of Autism

Viewing the movie about the girl with Autism has helped to really open my eyes to the insider view of Autism. My mom is a teacher for special needs children so I have often interacted or heard many many stories about kids with Autism, but I've never gotten their point of view on their condition. I knew that Autistic individuals probably knew that they were different but I had no idea that they were aware of their outbreaks (like when she had to play with the spoons and she said that those were the times when Autism took over her mind). It was also very encouraging because I've never seen someone with Autism in college. It gives more hope as an aspiring teacher because I'm sure that I will have special needs children in my classroom. Often times I feel like teachers give up on special needs children and only give them the minimal instruction to keep them in class, but they can go beyond high school just like everyone else and deserve the preparation to do so. Although the movie increased my empathy for individuals with Autism, it also increased my belief in their futures. I don't want to be the typical teacher who shies away from the challenge, but instead add to the support team that helps special needs students aspire to the next level, like the wonderful support team that the main character had.

The Movie "Blindness"

After viewing the trailer for the movie "Blindness" I was completely uninterested and shocked that this was an anticipated movie. The movie treats blindness like a fatal epidemic that has to be immediately solved in order for people to live. Quarantining people because of their sudden blindness, only to be saved by the lone non-blind person who helps this out of this "awful" position they've been thrown into. Of course no one wishes to be blind, but to treat it as if it is despicable or contagious is rude and demeaning. I feel that this movie wouldn't have even survived or even been thought of if it were concerning race or religion. Maybe in a movie about the past, but not a futuristic movie such as "Blindness". This movie reminds me of movies such as 28 Days Later and I Am Legend, where people catch some horrible disease that turns them into villains in which case they need to be quarantined. The person who saves the day is always the person who somehow avoids the plague. Comparing blindness to these awful diseases that are depicted in those villain movies is appalling. I could possibly see this coming out years ago during much more ignorant times, but to see this movie in 2008 is sad...