Lauren's Story

At school, we're often told that we should be enjoying the best days of our lives, but for many people school doesn't work that way. It's tough enough being bullied, but if you're bullied because of a disability you have two sets of difficulties to cope with. Laura Hyde made this short documentary to show how her friend Lauren tackled the problem head on.

Lauren's Story focuses on one school's experiment - showing pupils what it's like to be blind for a day. With their eyes covered, some of the kids discover how difficult it can be to perform everyday tasks like preparing breakfast, whilst others learn what they have to do to provide them with effective support and direction. Naturally a lot of mess is made along the way - the learning is strengthened by fun.

Of course, being blind isn't all about needing help, and the film deftly avoids patronising its subject by intercutting scenes of the schoolchildren's disasters with clips of Lauren calmly baking in her family kitchen. It also slips neatly in and out of focus to give us an impression of how Lauren - who is visually impaired rather than completely blind - experiences the world.

It's a simple, unambitious film about a bold attempt at crossing boundaries. Telling it like it is, Laura and Lauren also succeed in taking viewers inside the culture of their school and showing us something positive.