Produced by deaf students at the North East Media Training Centre (NEMTC) as a possible studio exercise in live-television production, a discussion programme on the importance of deaf rather than hearing counselling for those suffering from trauma. The programme includes a reconstruction in which an actress plays a character called Kathy who expresses her frustration and anger at the police following a sexual assault several years earlier. A discussion follows both with the actress playing...

Produced by deaf students at the North East Media Training Centre (NEMTC) as a possible studio exercise in live-television production, a discussion programme on the importance of deaf rather than hearing counselling for those suffering from trauma. The programme includes a reconstruction in which an actress plays a character called Kathy who expresses her frustration and anger at the police following a sexual assault several years earlier. A discussion follows both with the actress playing Kathy and a real deaf councillor. In a darked studio Diane Laws wait on the lights to come up and the programme she is co-presenting to begin. She laughs with someone off screen as the lights come up and using sign language, she and co-host Ranjit Singh introduce themselves and the programme. Ranjit provides details on why counselling is important for people who have suffered trauma such as having been raped or assaulted. In another part of the studio a dramatic re-construction begins with the silhouette of a woman being attached. The film changes to the recreation of a police interview room and the woman seen previously being questions about an incident involving the man whom she has accused of sexually assaulting her. Through an interpreter Kathy attempts to explain her anger and frustration at the legal system which after three years since the attack has not yet prosecuted the perpetrator. She is also angry at the police for arresting her and that the man she accused of assaulting her was not looking to prosecute her. She believes not having someone to interpret at key moments has been a major stumbling block to her receiving justice. In the end the police don’t believe her story and she is arrested. The sequence ends with Kathy sitting in the recreation of a street drinking surrounded by rubbish. Returning to Ranjit Singh he explains that the reconstruction was produced because there are concerns with regards deaf counselling and the support needed for people like Kathy. He ends the first part of the programme, and a montage of contemporary television advertisements follow. The second part of the programme begins with Diane introducing two guests in the studio; Michael Davis a deaf councillor from Edinburgh and Janet Tucker who played Kathy in the reconstruction. A discussion follows about the importance and relevance of deaf counselling for people like Kathy. Janet also talks about the real Kathy on whom her performance was based and what her situation is like today. Diane brings the discussion and programme to and end with the film ending on the lights being dimmed.