The Ins and Outs of living with Spina Bifida

Written By

Dayna Crawford

Log Line: The inside story of a girl coping with Spina - Bifida and how she copes with it day in day

out.

Synopsis: Interviews with Alice and her family about how she has coped with this disease over he life, what

she overcame, what shes been through for the last 17 years.

Documentary starts off with archive footage of Alice as a child learning to walk, music plays in the background.

Ext: Outside Alice's house. A shot of the front garden and a shot of the front of her house giving a feel for what house she lives in and the environment shes grown up in.

Voice Over: INTERVIEWER:

Alice is such an inspirational, young person; a role model to me and probably to some other people aswell, Alice lives with an illness called Spina Bifida but still manages to get through her day to day life and inspires people along the way. The fact that Alice is only a 17 year old girl, struggles with Spina Bifida but accomplishes to become an amazing swimmer and somehow manages to climb 30ft poles and jump off them on a national citizen service. Alice is a very courages, energetic, young woman proving her disability wrong and overcoming a number of obstacles. During this documentary I will interview Alice and her family and get a feel for what it must be like to live with an illness such as Spina Bifida.

Int. Kitchen - DAY.(Talking heads shot)

Camera flicks to Alice, sitting in her kitchen at her kitchen table, you see her feeling at home with light beaming in from windows nearby. Interviews start.

INTERVIEWER:

Alice, I find you very inspirational, how have you managed to cope so well with having something such as Spina Bifida?

Alice:

Alice thanks the interviewer and explains the illness and how shes manages to cope with it in her everyday life.

Camera jumps to shots of objects around the kitchen, bananas or other fruit in a fruit bowl. Gives the viewer a feel for what environment Alice lives in.

INTERVIEWER:

So, have you got any Role models that cope with the same illness that make you able to overcome problems you face aswell or do you just push yourself though every obstacle

that comes your way?

Alice:

Alice talks about whether she has any role models and how she copes with her illness in the eyes of her role models.

Camera jumps to shots/pictures of her heroes/ role models. This gives the viewers an insight into who the role models/ heroes are.

INTERVIEWER:

Has having Spina Bifida stopped you from accomplishing your dreams, as a child what did you want to be when you were

older and what do you want to be when your older these days?

Alice:

Alice talks about what she wanted to be as a child and whether or not that has changed as shes gotten older and if that's because of her disability or whether its just because

shes changed her mind.

INTERVIEWER:

So Alice, starting at the very beginning, at what stage did you parents find out you would have Spina Bifida?

Alice:

Alice goes on to answer this question, to explain how her parents knew she was going to have Spina Bifida, even before

she was born.

INTERVIEWER:

So when you parents found out that you had Spina Bifida, how did they feel and what did they do?

Alice:

Alice goes on to talk about the charity "Shine" and how they helped out with her parents, her sister and everything.

INTERVIEWER:

Aww,so have you had to have any operations as a child or as a young adult?

Alice:

Alice answers with the amount of operations she has had as a child and as a young adult.

INTERVIEWER:

How have you managed with school and subjects and has having Spina Bifida affected your schooling?

Alice:

Alice talks about her schooling at Impington and disability friendly they are. How she managed with schooling at

Impington and how she managed to go to The Perse girls from there. Alice talks about her swimming team and her coaching

at Impington and how Impington Village College got her interested in Paralympic sports.

Camera cuts to any revision that might be on the kitchen table or piled up in her room.

INTERVIEWER:

So how are you enjoying The Perse? Are you liking it as much as you liked Impington? Are they as disability friendly at Impington? Are you still carrying on with your swimming and

where have you got with it?

Alice:

Alice talks about the Perse, how shes enjoying it, if shes made many friends and where shes got with her swimming

competitions.

Camera cuts to archive footage of Alice Swimming, competing in swimming competitions and her learning to swim as a child if there is any archive footage of that.

INTERVIEWER:

Have you got any other hobbies other than swimming or is swimming your main interest?

Alice:

Alice talks about Swimming and if that's her only interest or whether shes got any other interests or hobbies.

INTERVIEWER:

Thanks Alice for talking to us and thanks for such an insight into your life and what it must be like to cope with

Spina Bifida.

Int: Sitting Room - Day.camera pans around the room to give a feel for the size and look of the room.

Camera cuts to Alice's Parents: Mum and Dad sitting on the sofa reminiscing on Alice as a child and how she grew up. Alice's mum takes on the lead role, talking more about Alice's life than Alice's dad.

INTERVIEWER:

Thanks (mum and dad) for taking time to talk to us about Alice. Alice is a very inspirational young adult. The way shes grown up, overcome problems and obstacles and done so well for herself. What to do feel about the way Alice has

matured?

Mum:

Alice's Mum talks about how she sees Alice and how proud of her she is. She talks about the progression Alice has come through and how shes managed to pull herself through any

circumstance she has been through.

INTERVIEWER:

What was Alice like as a child. Was she just as courages or has she picked this up recently. Has she always been as

interested in swimming?

Mum and Dad:

Alice's mum starts off talking about Alice as a child however, half way through, Alice's dad jumps in to give his insight into how shes felt Alice was a child and how shes grown up since then. He talks about whether she was very courages as a child or whether she has adopted to being courages due to something that has happened recently?

INTERVIEWER:

How do you feel Alice has coped with schooling. Do you feel she has done well for herself or do you feel as if her

illness has held her back a little bit from what she could accomplish otherwise?

Mum:

Alice's mum talks about she feels Alice has coped. How she has done with her schooling, If she feels that Alice has doe well in her GSCES or whether she feels she could of done

better if she wasn't restricted by her disability.

Dad:

Alice's dad either Agrees or disagrees on Alice's mums views of Alice's education and achievements over the years.

INTERVIEWER:

How do you feel about Alice's swimming achievements? Do you support her swimming or do you prefer she spent the extra

time focusing on her A Levels?

Mum and Dad:

Alice's mum and dad talks about Alice's Swimming achievements and whether they support her swiming

accomplishments or whether they feel she should focus her time on her A Levels.

INTERVIEWER:

Thanks ( mum and dads name ) for letting us interview you and for you being a part of our documentary and giving us a

feeling on your insight of Alice's life and education.

Alice's mum and dad:

Alice's mum and dad turn and thank the interviewer. Interview with the parents finish.

Camera cuts to Alice's Sister:

Int. Alice's sisters room - DayCurtains open, light beaming through the windows, Alice's sister - Emi sitting om her bed.

INTERVIEWER:

Emi, are you proud of your sister?

Camera cuts to shots around Emi's room whilst shes talkung, Pan of her room. Showing the lighting, the style of her room and the environment she sleeps in.

Emi:

Emi talks about her sister and how proud of her she is. She also talks about whether she finds Alice inspiring or not.

INTERVIEWER:

Have you found it hard living with Alice and her disability? How have you coped with her having Spina Bifida?

Emi:

Emi talks about how shes coped around Alice having Spina Bifida, if shes found it hard to see Alice go for so many

operations and how she sees Alice, her swimming competitions and achievements.

INTERVIEWER:

Thanks for taking up your time for talking to us Emi and giving us an insight into your sisters life.

END OF SCRIPT

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