Director Andy Taylor Smith

Countries United Kingdom

Duration 10 min

Synopsis
Alan Martin was born with a severe form of cerebral palsy and has been in a wheelchair since birth, he has very restricted mobility and his means of communication is very limited. He was 31 before members of the community pitched together to buy him his first communication aid. Until then communication had been a series of arm movements, facial expressions and grunting sounds. For years Alan struggled to make his feelings and wishes heard, at times even his family would prefer him out of the way than have to deal with the responsibility of a son with a disability. Most of his life was spent being ignored or overlooked, he was incredibly unhappy, communication had become an unobtainable thing for him. 'This Chair Is Not me' focuses on the specific point in Alan’s life which acted as the catalyst for change; the point where Alan’s friends, community members and carers realised there was something seriously wrong. This was the point that transformed his destiny for ever.