![[with]tv](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYpAZWKxnDCFUpNhQs-zPzjMcSoMGRspfcgumQoHSwANqE_3CPAqf0cLmtKTmEPr4AUe1jDQCL0CB44QLrcdHUSDSGLpyTiVBtqgPezCp1NEAtk6dSrDhFH7BcKF7SNyZOefbOVOW6FFs/s1600/gse_multipart58166.jpg)
Written by: Anna Bergholtz, a Swedish freelance journalist, motivational speaker and the first blind film critic of Sweden.
E-mail: Anna@annasvision.se
Web Page (soon to be in English): http://www.annasvision.se/
Part 3
When I was sighted I had the same curiosity for persons being blind like a lot of people have for me today. I would not be surprised if I acted as if they came from another planet - the same way people can treat me now. For sure, no one does like that to be mean. I would say it is normal when you do not know anything about it. That’s why [with]tv is so important.
Everyone knows the power of media. It reaches us all. The more we learn, the less strange we feel about things. That is why I believe [with]tv can lead to disabled people becoming a natural part of society. Having a disability will be something we will all accept and will no longer be a big issue, as it often is today.
Sweden is often influenced by the States, certainly when it comes to media. It is the same for other countries around Europe. We are all small countries that do not always have the strength, resources and courage to try something new. [with]tv is definitely a bold step forward. I am sure it will be a good role model for others. When small countries like Sweden see that it works, they might follow. My hope is that we all can cooperate and that one day we will have [with]tv all over the world.
I encourage everyone to support PWdBC and [with]tv. It does not matter if you are a private person, an organization, a company or a whole community. They need all the support they can get. The more you support them now, the faster we will be all able to reach this important goal.
Showing posts with label Anna Bergholtz. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anna Bergholtz. Show all posts
7/30/07
Part 2 - [with]tv - an important role model for countries all around the world.
Written by: Anna Bergholtz, a Swedish freelance journalist, motivational speaker and the first blind film critic of Sweden.
E-mail: Anna@annasvision.se
Web Page (soon to be in English): http://www.annasvision.se/
Part 2
Our show became a success. We got rewarded as the best running TV show that year. I was very proud and happy, but mostly full of hope. I thought it was just a matter of time before we were going to be seen again; that people with disabilities were going to become a part of TV like everyone else. And that we where going to run TV shows - not only about disabilities, but also about news, weather, culture and other issues. Now it is 2007, and I am almost ready giving up my hope about things changing.
A first step to mainstream, the TV people told us. It was obviously just words. I was shocked when one of the bosses explained that the audience would not be ready for a change in other shows. Ready to see a program leader, newsreader or a reporter with disabilities. According to him, people would not listen to what we have to say. They would instead focus on the Braille reading, the spastic movements, or weird looking eyes. It is understandable that everything is new in the beginning, but nothing will ever become different if you do not try. If I remember right, there was even a time in the history of Television when women where not welcome – which can be hard to believe today.
This is the main reason I feel so strongly for [with]tv and PWdBC. I hope that people with disabilities will one day be a part of broadcasting in a normal way. I am used to people watching me, but I am sure that will change if we are seen more on TV. People will see that we are like everyone else. Mothers, children, consumers, actors, husbands, sportsmen, politicians - that we are so much more then just our disability.
(To be continued)
E-mail: Anna@annasvision.se
Web Page (soon to be in English): http://www.annasvision.se/
Part 2
Our show became a success. We got rewarded as the best running TV show that year. I was very proud and happy, but mostly full of hope. I thought it was just a matter of time before we were going to be seen again; that people with disabilities were going to become a part of TV like everyone else. And that we where going to run TV shows - not only about disabilities, but also about news, weather, culture and other issues. Now it is 2007, and I am almost ready giving up my hope about things changing.
A first step to mainstream, the TV people told us. It was obviously just words. I was shocked when one of the bosses explained that the audience would not be ready for a change in other shows. Ready to see a program leader, newsreader or a reporter with disabilities. According to him, people would not listen to what we have to say. They would instead focus on the Braille reading, the spastic movements, or weird looking eyes. It is understandable that everything is new in the beginning, but nothing will ever become different if you do not try. If I remember right, there was even a time in the history of Television when women where not welcome – which can be hard to believe today.
This is the main reason I feel so strongly for [with]tv and PWdBC. I hope that people with disabilities will one day be a part of broadcasting in a normal way. I am used to people watching me, but I am sure that will change if we are seen more on TV. People will see that we are like everyone else. Mothers, children, consumers, actors, husbands, sportsmen, politicians - that we are so much more then just our disability.
(To be continued)
Part 1 - [with]tv - an important role model for countries all around the world
Written by: Anna Bergholtz, a Swedish freelance journalist, motivational speaker and the first blind film critic of Sweden.
E-mail: Anna@annasvision.se
Web Page (soon to be in English): http://www.annasvision.se/
Part 1
Already existing toilets had to be rebuilt to become accessible for people using wheelchairs. For persons being visually impaired the computer-system did not work. For the blind to find their way around, a tactile tape was glued to the floors. Braille was also put on coffee-machines and in elevators. And for some, certain places in the building were completely inaccessible.
This was the situation when I went to work for Swedish Television in 2004. To me, it became pretty clear. People like me, journalists with disabilities, where far away from being common workers there. A person that was, was not to be seen, either behind or in front of the camera.
Three years later, you probably wonder if things changed. Unfortunately, I have to say not. The only reason for us with disabilities working there at that particular point was this new TV show. Swedish Television needed us since the program was about disabilities. Many people within Swedish Television said that this was the first step for things to become different. This was the start of mainstreaming disabled people. For the first time in Swedish history we had a person in wheelchair leading the TV show. And it was also, without a doubt, the only time that many people with disabilities worked there at the same time. And I am not exaggerating when I say I felt like a UFO.
(To be continued)
E-mail: Anna@annasvision.se
Web Page (soon to be in English): http://www.annasvision.se/
Part 1
Already existing toilets had to be rebuilt to become accessible for people using wheelchairs. For persons being visually impaired the computer-system did not work. For the blind to find their way around, a tactile tape was glued to the floors. Braille was also put on coffee-machines and in elevators. And for some, certain places in the building were completely inaccessible.
This was the situation when I went to work for Swedish Television in 2004. To me, it became pretty clear. People like me, journalists with disabilities, where far away from being common workers there. A person that was, was not to be seen, either behind or in front of the camera.
Three years later, you probably wonder if things changed. Unfortunately, I have to say not. The only reason for us with disabilities working there at that particular point was this new TV show. Swedish Television needed us since the program was about disabilities. Many people within Swedish Television said that this was the first step for things to become different. This was the start of mainstreaming disabled people. For the first time in Swedish history we had a person in wheelchair leading the TV show. And it was also, without a doubt, the only time that many people with disabilities worked there at the same time. And I am not exaggerating when I say I felt like a UFO.
(To be continued)
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