Helen Keller Inspired- Story Movie Screened in Campus

Birzeit University’s Arts Room for Special Needs, in collaboration with Friends of the Disabled  screened on April 14, 2016 the Turkish film  “ My World,  inspired by the story of the deaf and blind Helen Keller.The familiar story stays intact with the deaf and blind girl recounting the story of her life, more specifically, how she transformed, thanks to her teacher,  from someone almost feral to a success story.  Popular actress Beren Saat plays the older Ela, while Yücel himself acts as the teacher.This film screening is part of the Arts Room activities to support the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities, and Birzeit University’s wider goal to  address disability compliance in employment, with students, and its facilities.About the movie:“My World,”  is a story begins with the problematic relationship of Ela with a weak mother and an indifferent father, ready to have her daughter committed to a mental institution. Then enters Yücel’s Mahir Hoca, who feels for Ela having lost his sister who was also deaf and blind. When the two start interacting, the relationship they form takes two extremes, love and hate, with Mahir Hoca pushing Ela further and further into what he believes is the right thing to do.The film is inspired by Helen Keller’s story, the first deaf and blind person to earn a bachelor’s degree and becomes a renowned author and activist, fighting for women’s suffrage and labor rights.