I recommend the movie Pride, which I was able to watch on Netflix. The story was a coming of age story in that a small, conservative Welsh town of miners grew into the times to become a progressive community which supports contemporary values of inclusiveness and respect for the dignity of all persons. It all started when LGBTQ members marched during the time that there was a strike going on for the miners. One of the main characters, Mark Ashton (a passionate advocate always fighting for the cause type guy) felt a feeling of shared purpose the National Union of Minerworkers fighting for support and recognition in 1984. Both groups had their interested devalued and suppressed by the dominant society. Both were fighting for support and recognition. Both had health and socioeconomic challenges which affect them, their families and the people who loved them.
As any movie there needed to be some drama where the miners at first did not see how their two causes could share a likeness and they eventually parted ways. But not before some fun dance scenes and a great montage of Welsh miners hitting the gay bars and shaking their groove things in London.
I loved the adorable bashful naiveté of the miners juxtaposed with the sass of the Gays and Lesbians in the story. And of course at the end any one who is passionate about equal right issues and inclusion will cry like a babe. There were some great moments of fear from both parties as they struggled to gain ground. The miners voted to break ties with LGSM because they were afraid the association would loose them support. In this moment the LGBT felt the blow of being rejected by a group who too was oppressed. Even the rejects rejected them. When the miners lost the strike and returned to work they were forced to feel the same degrading rejection from a community they thought supported them. On common ground again the friends found strength in eachother and the miners came out to support Gays and Lesbians of England when they marched with them in the next pride parade. Try not to cry. This movie would be great to play for students in middle or highschool. The story causes you to get to know the real people behind the labels and it is difficult by the end to deny their humanity. The story is speaks to a sense of fairness in all of us as it is hard not to see our own insecurities in either the miners of the LGSMs.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pride_%282014_film%29
Adult survivors of abuse (ASA) share many commonalities with people who are affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Both these populations share similar problems with intelligence and learning; sensory integration problems; behavior and mood problems; and physical or health problems. These challenges make navigating the adult world where there are multiple structures, limits, and challenges on the road to success. ASA may suffer from anxiety disorders which make taking a test, or keeping a regular schedule a challenge. Adults with FASD have difficulty sitting still, and struggle with erratic or compulsive behaviours so they are in the same boat. Both suffer from depression and effects of stress on the body, can be prone to aggression or have difficulty with emotional regulations. There is also a tendency to be less emotionally and behaviourally mature as their peers.
Some ways we can help both parties is to be more flexible with testing procedures. Offer a quiet environment which is free of distractions and allow privacy so students can fidget or move at their discretion. Job positions which are more flexible in their schedule by maintaining non traditional hours for some, or positive mentorship and coaching are ways to support adults struggling with either challenges. Through these types accommodations the community benefits through greater participation and less need for economic and social supports.
Would Adult survivors of abuse see a common ground with persons with FASD, or would they like the miners, shy away from the association? There is a shame associated with either party. Abuse survivors feel the shame that there is something wrong with them, or some how they deserved the abuse. Persons with FASD are also shamed through their inability to adjust to the normal activities of the modern world. Both did not do this to themselves and the events leading to their exposure were beyond their control. Both are victims. There is a commonality to their experience and perhaps by combining numbers they can raise awareness for physical and mental health, addictions and greater accessibility for all.
There are many services which could be implemented or broadened to support both persons with FASD and Adult survivors of abuse. Employment and skills training which offer a smaller class size and more one on one training opportunities. An abundance of mental health building opportunities like counseling (individual or groups), art therapy, subsidized physical recreation opportunities. Support for families like conflict resolution and self regulation classes, or support to take respite could strengthen relationships since some of the effects can put strain on the people close to them. These strategies could also have an positive impact on persons with FASD if available on an as needed basis due to the sporadic and impulsive nature of the disorder.
If any of us look around there is someone out there struggling just like us and we all have our own challenges we have to over come. The ability to recognize the humanity in all of use can facilitate the social evolutional push which is all around us today. As all persons interact with the system there is an opportunity to include supports for a variety of needs, this way we can all find commonality as we work through what ails us.
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/docs/librariesprovider16/default-document-library/the-long-shadow-adult-survivors-of-childhood-abuse.pdf?sfvrsn=0
https://www.havoca.org/effects-child-abuse-neglect-adult-survivors/
http://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/En/HealthAZ/ConditionsandDiseases/BrainandNervousSystemDisorders/Pages/Fetal-Alcohol-Spectrum-Disorder-FASD.aspx
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