Waubonsee Community College

Nowhere you are, by Justin Crane

eng

videorecording

For College; Adult audiences

Nowhere you are

electronic resource

747797125

by Justin Crane

33

Nowhere You Are is one of the first documentaries to portray "high functioning autism". By observing the daily life of Stefanie Sacks, an autistic young woman, one gains insight into her often confounding condition. Nowhere You Are is the title of a poem Stefanie write, expressing her alienation from others. She describes life as "walking through a rainbow haze." Her poetry and haunting artwork express these feelings. High functioning autism has begun to be understood only in the past decade. The symptoms are subtle though pervasive -- the most striking characteristics are an inability to feel complex emotions or to understand intuitively the feelings of others. Yet those with this disorder are often very intelligent and able to succeed at a variety of jobs: Stefanie works at a day care center. Only within the past year did Stefanie emerge from her isolation to communicate to others. Through Stefanie's example, viewers are sensitized to the autistic person's challenge to engage in life without having experienced "normal" emotions, or having achieved a sense of identity

general