STEPS OF THE WAY

Filmmakers Todd Herman and Francis Kohler recently traveled to Morocco to begin research and preliminary photography for their new documentary video entitled, "Steps of the Way". The video intimately explores the day to day struggles of living with a physical disability in an environment where the disability movement is still in its infancy.

In keeping with both of the filmmakers' inquiries into the possible relationships between the documentary image, disability and the poetic text, "Steps of the Way" is built around the lyrical reminiscences of Arif, Saadia and Farah, all adults with post-polio syndrome * and each orphaned because of their disability.

A lake in Khemiset, the town of the orphanage where all three first met, is the starting point for their stories. 8mm films showing Arif, Saadia and Farah as children at the orphanage, interwoven with images of their lives at present, will serve as backdrops for their often times controversial views around family, womanhood, marital roles, sexuality and independence relative to Islamic law and to the socio-economic limitations of people with disabilities in Morocco.

*Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS) is a condition that can strike polio survivors anywhere from 10 to 40 years after their recovery from polio. Symptoms include fatigue, progressive muscle weakness, muscle and joint pain, and muscular atrophy. The incidence of PPS is estimated at about 25 percent of the survivor population.