Reimagining Accessibility As An Aesthetic

Issue Eighteen

A very warm welcome to all new subscribers! I’m Priti Salian, the author of Reframing Disability, and an independent journalist, editor, researcher, and trainer based in Bengaluru, a city in southern India. 

In this eighteenth issue, hear from Set Hernandez about his filmmaking process with his documentary, unseen, and find tips on accessibility in filmmaking, events, and recommendations.

But first, I’d really love to know you, so could you help me out by taking this 1-minute survey?

Set Hernandez, a Los Angeles-based filmmaker has dedicated their filmmaking to expand the portrayal of their communities on screen. As a co-founder of the Undocumented Filmmakers Collective, they promote equity for undocumented immigrants in the film industry. Set’s past documentary work includes the award-winning short, COVER/AGE (2019) and impact producing for Call Her Ganda (Tribeca, 2018). Their most recent film unseen is a winner of Film Independent Spirit’s Truer Than Fiction Award, and many others.

Produced and directed by Set, unseen is made with a team and further collaborations with persons with disabilities. The documentary uses experimental cinematography and sound techniques to create a cinema experience accessible to blind and low vision audiences, while delving into themes of immigration, disability, and mental health.

Read the official synopsis of unseen before you dive into the interview 

Most people dream of a better future. Pedro, an aspiring social worker, is no different. But, as a blind, undocumented immigrant, Pedro faces political restrictions to obtain his college degree, secure a job as a healthcare provider, and support his family. As he finally graduates, uncertainty looms over Pedro. What starts as a journey to provide mental health for his community ultimately transforms into Pedro’s path towards his own healing. Through experimental cinematography and sound, unseen reimagines a cinema accessible for blind/low vision audiences, while exploring the intersections of immigration, disability and mental health.

Set Hernandez is a queer, undocumented migrant, filmmaker, and community organiser whose roots come from Bicol, Philippines. Photo courtesy: Set Hernandez

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“Pivoting away from this saviour mindset was so important”

Set Hernandez loves poems. “I read two poems a day, they are my two vitamin pills,” he says. For Set, image descriptions are opportunities to write poems. In an interview with Reframing Disability, they reason why accessibility is a powerful, evocative art for equity. 

What did you need to ensure while making a documentary with someone who is blind? 

When I first started filming with Pedro, I told him that the only audience member whose opinion I care about is yours. I want you to watch this film, if ever it comes out, and be able to say, “Oh my god, Set, you understand who I am.” 

But I knew he wouldn't be able to say that if the film is not just accessible, but also enjoyable. Accessibility can't just be like a checkbox kind of accessibility. It's got to be an evocative, really powerful, artistic kind of accessibility. And I think, to get to that point, accessibility and consent were key dynamics that I had to ensure. Usually in a documentary film, [a filmmaker] has to be like a fly on the wall, or as invisible as possible. And it's easy to feel tempted sometimes [and think], “Oh, they're doing something really interesting, I should film it without asking them.” When Pedro and I were filming, I had to actually subvert that and [make myself visible] and [inform him] of my presence. 

When I started making the film, it was with the [thought], “Let me make a film about you so I can help you out.” But by the end of the filming, I realised that Pedro does not need help, at least in the way that we think he does, through the lens of disability. Pivoting away from this saviour mindset was so important. 

Usually, [in filmmaking] people from an outsider community come in to film an issue to expose an injustice, thinking that a community needs to be saved by [making their story visible]. I feel like that's an inherent dynamic that we've been acculturated into when it comes to documentary filmmaking. And I think there's really a tide right now of filmmakers flipping that on its head.

How did you ensure accessibility throughout your filmmaking? 

We started filming in May 2016. The film came out in May 2023. And along the way, I learned so much about accessibility. It was actually Pedro who taught me about audio descriptions. A show he really liked watching at the time was “Daredevil” on Netflix. It was one of the shows at the time streaming with audio descriptions. When I watched it I [thought], “Wow, you can listen to the film like an audiobook?” It was really through Pedro that I realised, while film is purported as a visual medium, it doesn't just have to be that way. There's a way to really reimagine cinema as a multi-sensorial experience that doesn't prioritise vision. 

To really prioritise an audio-centric cinema [I  made] the film blurry in parts. To make sure that Pedro enjoys the film, I wanted that another audience member didn't enjoy the film more than Pedro. In essence, that’s how I imagined what equitable enjoyment looks like, or how we can minimise the gap in enjoyment. It just so happens that the blurry visuals also ended up having thematic precedents that relate to shame, blurriness, hiding things, uncertainty and other things that I feel audiences can read into. 

In the initial years, when I didn’t have funding for the film, I would make a cut of the film, and go on Zoom with Pedro and do live audio descriptions. I would play the film, and in my head, I wrote the audio description as I told it to him. 

Pedro’s mom was one of the first persons to show me what audio description is like. Whenever we were travelling for the film, she would live audio-describe to him what was happening around him. 

[Just as] Alice Wong said ‘access is love’, I wanted to make sure that Pedro gets to access these different moments in the journey of the film that's about his life because I care about him and love him.

Did you have any perceptions about disability, and specifically about blindness, that evolved over the seven years of filming?

In mainstream media, the way disabilities are often portrayed is by taking this very “physical health” approach. [In a film with a blind protagonist] there's always a curiosity about how someone became blind or what kind of a condition they have. But I thought that’s the least interesting thing about Pedro. 

One of the most important learnings that I've had is how to not look at a person with a disability as a monolith. 

For example, Pedro is very independent. There's a scene in the film where he's using his cane, he's on the streets, and I offered to help assuming that he wanted help. But he didn’t need my help. But there are other blind people I know who wouldn’t mind asking for my help in such a situation.

I've learned so much through the years about accessibility from mentors like Thomas Reid, Cheryl Green, Qudsia Naqui, Nefertiti Matos Olivares, Conchita Hernandez Legorreta, and Matt Lauterbach. 

Did you decide early during filming which parts of Pedro’s life you wanted to film?

Initially, Pedro and I were just filming and capturing moments from his life. The reason it took so long to film was because for years between 2017 and 2021, I kind of gave up on making the film because I felt there was no way to get funding for this. Because of the circumstances and me being ineligible for a lot of grants based here in the US due to my undocumented status, I gave up. In the giving up part, I reconnected with Pedro during the pandemic. We were both going through things that are similar spiritually and emotionally. And that's when I totally reoriented how I wanted to film with Pedro. So, when I first started filming, I wanted to film his journey through the lens of his disability and immigration status. For example, in the beginning of the film, there's a little bit of exposition of how Pedro goes about his classroom. There's a scene where he touches the doors to figure out [the number of the classroom], and another where he talks to his mentors about not being able to access scholarships because he's an undocumented immigrant. Along the way there's a flip where it's not Pedro's material reality that guides the story, but his internal struggles, depression, sadness and grief, and not knowing what the hell's gonna happen in the future. I didn't realise that until we were editing, and then decided to become more deliberate about [this portrayal].

What are some misconceptions filmmakers have about making films inclusive for persons with disabilities? 

There's a misconception that accessibility is cumbersome, technical and boring. For example, a lot of filmmakers feel that putting subtitles or captions in their film will totally ruin the mise-en-scène (composition) and the framing. But, can we not think about accessibility as an aesthetic part of our film, just like we're thinking about colour, sound design, and imagery? Can we not think about access features as a stylistic necessity in our lives? Like, here's one more step I have to do. Why can’t we invite ourselves to expand that way? 

How is unseen reframing the narrative on disability?

In the film world, there are so few opportunities for undocumented migrants, blind people and people with disabilities. I'm really proud that our film is made by a team of collaborators who are undocumented immigrants, blind people, and people with other disabilities, including Pedro himself.

Another way of reframing disability through our film is this approach to storytelling, which is not expositional but rather poetic. We capture the poetry and inherent humanity that Pedro has, and his experiences of disability in a way that invites a person to read between the lines.

[Recently, during a screening] someone who is not disabled or a migrant after watching unseen, said, “I came to watch the film, hoping to learn about somebody else. Instead, I learned more about myself.” 

Sometimes when we think about people with disabilities, we think about the ‘other’ and feel like let me learn about them. But I think the way unseen is reframing that is [by showing] that we can learn a lot from each other, even though we don't share anything similar. 

What was the most rewarding part of the filmmaking process for you?

The most rewarding part was reading Pedro’s thoughts in an essay he recently wrote. In essence, Pedro is saying that the film has been an integral part of his healing journey as a human being. The film has changed him and the way he understands his life and himself.  To know that you made something that had such an impact is a big reward for me.

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Where to watch unseen

Request a screening for your organisation through the film’s website. Individual screenings will be available as video-on-demand later this year. An audio playbook of the film will also be released then. 

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Accessibility tips of the fortnight

Accessibility in Filmmaking by Set Hernandez

In this article, Set writes about embodying accessibility in filmmaking. Below are the main takeaways:

Access is not one size fits all

Conflicting access needs mean that making a film accessible for one person might reduce accessibility for another. Tailored, intentional approaches are necessary to accommodate everyone.

Providing options is key to accessibility

Creating multiple versions of a film ensures different access needs are met. Budgeting for these options from the start is crucial.

Technology can help with simultaneous accessibility

Tools like the All4Access app allow personalised accessibility features for each viewer. This enables diverse access needs to be met concurrently.

Accessibility is a collective effort

Collaborating with diverse filmmakers who have firsthand accessibility experience is essential. Shared values and teamwork drive successful accessibility initiatives.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and learn from them

Openness to feedback and continuous improvement are vital. Mistakes are part of the learning process in creating inclusive films.

Accessibility is not just about disability

Viewing accessibility as an opportunity enriches the creative process and benefits everyone. Inclusive design enhances the film experience for all audiences. Accessibility should be considered as an aesthetic rather than a technical piece in a film.

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Disability Data

The United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs has released its Disability and Development Report 2024

Progress for persons with disabilities on 30% of targets of the SDGs is insufficient, says the report. 

“On 14 per cent, the target has been missed or progress has stalled or gone into reverse. These include targets on access to financial resources, health care, water and ICT as well as on building resilience of persons with disabilities during disasters and other emergencies.”

“A mere 5 indicators are on track, i.e., with progress consistent with achieving their respective targets for persons with disabilities by 2030 – these include remarkable progress in education laws on equal access, disaster early warnings in accessible formats, online services for persons with disabilities, government ministries accessible for persons with disabilities and monitoring of bilateral aid dedicated to disability inclusion.”

Gender inequality and disability inclusion

The Asian Development Bank’s Gender Equality and Disability Inclusion report analyses the core barriers faced by the majority of women and girls with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific. Read it for rich data and guidelines that provide a broad overview of the nexus of gender inequality and disability exclusion. 

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Recommendations

Attend

‘Believe In The Invisible’ and ‘Psychology Companions’ invite you to an artistic day of expressing emotions and exploring creativity for wellbeing in the form of an Online Art Therapy Workshop. 

Date: Saturday, 29th June 2024 

Join any one of the two batches:

Batch 1: 12 PM - 1 PM IST

Batch 2: 3 PM - 4 PM IST

Fee: 200 INR

Read 

One Little Finger by Malini Chib

In her autobiography, One Little Finger, Malini Chib writes about her search for independence and identity, and her zeal to live a full, meaningful life. Malini was born with cerebral palsy and in her book, shines a light on the social and cultural biases that exist towards disabled people. Three years after the publication of One Little Finger, Malini’s sister Shonali Bose, made a feature film, Margarita, With A Straw (available on Netflix), based on her life. 

Listen

For this Pride Month, listen to the latest episode of Disability Inclusion: Required, in which host Emily Ladau speaks with Gabriel Foster, co-founder and executive director of the Trans Justice Funding Project. The Trans Justice Funding Project is a community-led funding initiative founded to support grassroots, trans justice groups run by and for trans people in the United States. 

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Warmly,

Priti