Chapter 1: The Conundrum

This is Scott. Scott's a regular guy, with regular hopes, dreams and desires. Someone with an inherent need for competitive sports, socialising, and living independently with his mates. I wanted to show you the moment that his two best friends asked him if he'd like to live with them one day (2nd image), so that you could feel that same excitement that you felt the first time you broke free from your family and entered the world of independence.

"That's great Sophie, but what's the conundrum?" I hear you ask. Well, if Scott is the normal guy that I am trying to portray him as, with the same inherent hopes, dreams and desires as the rest of us, then why would I single him out for a story? You might be thinking "well he has a disability, that makes him interesting". Does it? He's written a book - that makes him interesting. He did that entirely through answering yes/no questions with his eyes as that is the only way he can communicate - That makes him patient and interesting.

In his book, Scott talks about how depressed he feels about his future; when he needs to move out of the family home, his only option is to live in a Group ‘Home’ with a random bunch of people he doesn't know, where he has little choice over his daily life, can't move out if he doesn't get along with his house mates, and has to be in bed by 9pm every night. Unfortunately, this is the best case scenario. The threat of ending up in a nursing home causes constant anxiety to young people with disabilities. 

The reality of actually living with his two best friends is merely a pipe dream at this point in time.

The conundrum: How do we achieve equal opportunity, if we don’t view each other as equal?