The Silent Child: nine months on

When The Silent Child hit the BBC screen in March this year, after being awarded the Oscar for Best Live Action Short, the public was captivated.

In a silent world, the story tells of the communicative and educational tussles a young deaf girl experiences in a hearing family. It provoked deep-felt discussion among deaf people, parents and professionals alike. Even the Prime Minister acknowledged that the film was ‘important in highlighting the issue of disabled people, particularly deaf children’.

This re-showing of The Silent Child, followed by a Q&A panel discussion*, will provide a platform to reflect upon the impact that the film has had in the context of deaf education, communication and support. It will also explore what difference the film has made to public awareness, practitioners and policy-makers since it was released and what needs to change going forward.

The film will be introduced by Dr Emmanouela Terlektsi, an expert in the field of deaf education. Our panel will bring leading research and real-life experiences to the forefront.  They will answer questions posed by the audience and draw upon the tensions around deaf education raised by the film.  We will ask the audience to consider their thoughts and impressions of the film then and now. This will be an evening where crucial questions will be answered; ‘where are we now?’ and more importantly ‘where would we like to be?’

This event is now fully booked but you can still watch along with our livestream on the University of Birmingham Facebook page.

*Please note that the film is subtitled and the introduction and panel discussion will be signed by BSL interpreters.  

This event is part of the Festival of Social Science which runs from 3-10 November 2018. See what other events are taking place in the College of Social Sciences at the University of Birmingham.