This film is part of Free
Eyes of a Child
Young imaginations run wild at School for Blind Children.
Overview
This is a film about life at Dorton House, a residential school for blind and partially sighted children, at Seal, near Sevenoaks, Kent. This documentary confounds common expectations by showing the wide range of activities that the children are taught, which include creative writing, mathematics, music, physical education, athletics, cricket, cooking and chemistry. The regime appears strict, for example, there is a daily ‘shoe parade’ for a teacher to check if the children have cleaned their shoes, and there is a reference to punishment for being late in getting up in the morning. However, some of this reflects the formality of all schools at the time, and there is evidence that the children are being equipped with useful skills; they are also encouraged to play outside and to use their imaginations, and this is demonstrated by a young girl’s story of a ghastly murder, which has some touches worthy of Roald Dahl.
Dorton House was purchased by the Royal London Society for the Blind in 1954 and was used as the Society’s Headquarters and as a residential home until 2013. The modern day successor organisation is the Royal Society for Blind Children which has a focus on independent living.
Related
An Ordinary Life An Ordinary Life
1985 29 mins
“I’d much rather work at a computer than make wicker baskets” – disabled people hit the mainstream in 1980s Britain
It's a New World It's a New World
Instructional film/TV programme 1977 30 mins
Early attempts at inclusive swimming for disabled people.
Three for Society Three for Society
1969 29 mins
Feisty and free-spirited, three disabled people talk frankly and directly about the barriers they experience in the 1960s
Like Other People Like Other People
Documentary 1972 51 mins
Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972
The Contact The Contact
1963 12 mins
Spot the film and soap stars of the future as John Hurt plays a disabled teenager befriended by some biker boys.
Artificial Limb Making Artificial Limb Making
Non-Fiction 1916 1 mins Silent
Occupational therapy turns full circle, as amputee soldiers learn to make artificial limbs for others
Khichdi Khichdi
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 16 mins
The interwoven stories of four best friends who reunite in the UK, thirty-five years after training together as nurses during their teens in Ferozepur, Punjab.
Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology Dr XYZ: A Medical Drag Transthology
2023 15 mins
A satirical take on the healthcare service announcements of the 1960s and 70s.
Every Moment Counts Every Moment Counts
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2023 9 mins
A short animation that offers a window into the world of children’s palliative care.
Police Story: Panel Discussion Police Story: Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 24 mins
Panel discussion on Jackie Chan's 1985 action classic Police Story, with Chase Armitage, Sam Mak and Jadey Duffield.
China O'Brien: The Reunion China O'Brien: The Reunion
Documentary 2024 60 mins
Cynthia Rothrock, Richard Norton and Keith Cooke reunite three decades on from the groundbreaking martial arts classic.
Women in Action Panel Discussion Women in Action Panel Discussion
Inside Film 2024 28 mins
Action Xtreme - the UK's leading action film studio - hosts this panel discussion with four leading women in action cinema - Soo Cole, Jo Rolison, Jadey Duffield and Ioanna Karavela.