Name Me Lawand Discussion Guide

Lawand, deaf from birth, seeks a fresh start with his family in the UK after a traumatic year in a refugee camp. At Derby's Royal School for the Deaf, he learns sign language and discovers a way to communicate with the world. As he thrives, his family faces deportation, challenging their stability. Name Me Lawand is a love letter to the power of friendship and community.

This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection and designed for people who want to use Name Me Lawand to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversations undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by sharing viewpoints and listening actively.

 

The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.

 

For more detailed event planning and facilitation tips, visit https://communitynetwork.amdoc.org/.

Discussion Guide Author, Sasha Kurlenkova

Sasha Kurlenkova (all pronouns) is a disability and communication researcher, a non-disabled ally​ of people with disabilities and care workers, interested in promoting Communicative Justice and Communicative Diversity. Sasha is now pursuing their PhD degree at New York University looking into creativity, multimodality and co-operation inside families of non-speaking children and adolescents with cerebral palsy in Russia. 

 

Discussion Guide Producers 

Courtney B. Cook, Phd | Education Manager, POV
Anna Yarbrough | Education Editor, POV