Kickstart Conversations about Disability with ACTF-Supported Content

International Day of People with Disability is held annually on 3 December to increase public awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability, and to celebrate their achievements and contributions.

The following children’s content and resources will support teachers in guiding classroom conversations on disability, inclusion and accessibility.

DisRupted series

The three short children’s films in the DisRupted series were commissioned to premiere on International Day of People with Disability in 2019. Led by emerging Australian creatives with disability, these films aimed to share the experience of being a young person with a disability in Australia. They challenge students to reflect on the experience of disability, and the importance of accessibility and inclusion.

Rocky & Me, And Then Something Changed and The Legend of Burnout Barry are currently streaming on ABC iview, and can be purchased from the ACTF Shop individually or as a series. The ACTF has created teaching resources to accompany each of these films:

• Rocky & Me Teaching Toolkit
• And Then Something Changed Teaching Toolkit
• The Legend of Burnout Barry Teaching Toolkit

Laser Beak Man

Laser Beak Man is a series of quirky, off the wall illustrations, starring Laser Beak Man himself – a duck-billed, masked, caped crusader – who, although he has a desire to do good, really prefers to just enjoy himself.

This colourful superhero was created by autistic Australian artist, Tim Sharp. Learn more about Tim and Laser Beak Man here, or download the colourful series from the ACTF Shop.

MY:24

In this short-form factual entertainment series, 26 young Australians recount the 24 hours in which their lives changed forever. The following episodes share unique perspectives on disability:

‘Madeleine’: Born with one arm, Madeline has always strived to be independent.

‘Lucas’: After years of special education classes for dyslexia, Lucas decided he no longer wanted to be singled out for his disability or to feel separate and different from his peers.

Rose: When Rose was eight, her mother developed a spinal nerve condition that resulted in paralysis and Rose became her carer.

The episodes ‘Dave’ and ‘Makhala’ explore two teenagers’ experiences of anxiety and depression.

Download your copy of MY:24 from the ACTF Shop.