Trailer for the Sea of Change film

For anyone who's wondering,the link to the trailer is here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkVfe0I5sbM
Hope you enjoy watching it and please spread the word :)

It took us 5 hours, several motorway stops, plenty of sweets and lots of passion and enthusiasm but we got to South End on Sea!

We met with Gill Alen King Obe-the lady who was essential in many campaigns including the one to get tactile paving. You know those bumps that are supposed to be a different colour; you get on a pavement sometimes just before you cross a road? That’s tactile paving and it helps blind people understand where the road is from the pavement.

We spent the afternoon interviewing Gill. Through this interview we found what an extremely emotional life was. How she found love (twice), lost her sight on her wedding day and has never seen her children but raised them.

There’s so much to talk about with her, which is why I’m looking forward to seeing the final edit of her interview.   

@Seaofchangefilm

@RohiniMakwana

BBC Intouch Prgram Link - How Does a Blind Person Cros a Road? February 2013

This short film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBtqG91S9DM was shot by in my home town a week after the UN Day for the Disabled in 2012 and highlights a new informal crossing which was constructed in my home town of Leek in the summer of 2012 after we had told the district, county and central government that the design would not allow safe access for blind and disabled people.

BBC Radio 4 Intouch program featured the changes to the Leek Road system when in tackled the issue of 'how does a blind person cross a road?' in February 2013.  I was shocked to hear the lack of guidance on this issue from central government and realised why nobody was taking our and other communities across the country concerns seriously. The program is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qm4pw if you would like to listen.

It is hoped the Sea of Change film will make people undertaking new road designs really understand the needs of blind and disabled people needs and getting them to truly engage with these people before any designs are drawn up. 

An Introduction To the Sea of Change Film and Campaign

How does a blind person cross the road? Think about it…

It may not sound nice but when we first started making the Sea of Change film we quickly realised something very shocking and fascinating. A sighted person doesn’t have an issue crossing, in fact they don’t often think twice about it and take roads for granted but crossing the road can literally mean the difference between life and death for a blind person. The aim of this film is to give a voice to the blind people and let their issues and emotions’ be seen as well as heard, by those who can make a difference.

So far we’ve toured all over Britain to film the Sea of Change (and still have lots more cities to visit), pushed boundaries and achieved good success but most of all we’ve pushed the boundaries and given blind people the chance to be heard; in an extraordinary and impactful documentary film!

In a nutshell, here’s how the Sea of Change film and campaign came about. In 2012 a roundabout in Leek got taken out by the Staffordshire County council to fit in a new supermarket. This may not sound like a big issue but for the people in the town it was a massive issue because the roundabout was at the heart of them and their town. More importantly it was vital to regulate the busy traffic in the town. The protests went on for 17 months and when the town’s folk set up camp on the roundabout, they finally got media interest and the campaign was addressed in the news and shown on a live webcam in over 42 countries. As we were filming this, we quickly realised the negative consequences this had on the citizens; especially blind people. The production and marketing sparked the national campaign and film, Sea of Change, for better roads for blind and disabled people. It wasn’t the fact that the roundabout had been taken out, it was citizen’s passion and anger combined with the rising number of incidents that provided us with a great introduction to this story, encouraged people to give their impressive support and got national media interest.

Just Google ‘Leek Roundabout’ and you’ll get an idea of just how big this was and still is. As the production crew, we quickly understood that this was happening nationally and more shared space was being put in. Shared space is where there are no formal crossings, safety measures or road signs in an area and the cars and citizens travel amongst each other. The idea is that the driver becomes more aware of what’s around them and therefore slows down; reducing the chances of an incident. Like I’ve said in some areas this is great but in others it isn’t, either way shared space and poor road safety often leads to blind people being injured on the road and not leaving their house because of fear. We’ve seen this. In case you’re wondering blind dogs are trained to stop at curbs because it’s safer.  

Through out the filming of the Sea of Change we’ve; started a national campaign, pushed the boundaries of society, challenged the Government, gained incredible support, raised awareness of key issues ad met inspirational people who have made a difference to roads in the past. These people include: Jill Allen King Obe (the lady who was key in the tactile paving idea), people from the National Blind People’s Association and not to mention some visually impaired people too. 

We’ve also been given permission to show the Sea of Change at the UN Day in the House of Lords on the 3^rd December 2013! Amazing achievements right?  This blog will show the progress throughout the Sea of Change production. Join us on our incredible journey and together we can make a positive change.