Original subtitles

[Lawand struggles to speak]

[struggling continues]

[struggling to speak]

[Lawand in English] S...

P

SPECIAL

PLACE

NEED

HOME

[Rawa in English] Sometimes I think my brother

is on the wrong planet.

I wish there was another planet,

for Lawand.

For us.

On this other planet,

he can just be Lawand

and not feel like he's different from everyone.

[Dad in Kurdish] We were always told Lawand

wasn't like other children.

His teachers said he was disruptive

they didn't know how to teach him,

and said he should be kept at home.

But we couldn't believe this was true.

We knew there must be a way to help him

But we didn't know how.

We realised if we stayed in Iraq

a profoundly deaf child, like Lawand,

would never be given

a proper chance of life.

[Mum in Kurdish] Doctors told us that it was too late

for him to communicate

But we refused to accept that.

We had our entire life here but for Lawand...

there would never be any light.

So we left

and risked everything

To find hope.

After many hard months on the road...

we finally arrived here.

We thought it was the end of our journey

but it was just the beginning...

of a whole new story.

[Lawand breathes heavily]

[Lawand struggles to speak]

[Lawand] W...

H

Y

[struggle continues]

Why?

Why?

[muffled talking]

[muffled talking continues]

[Lucy] Frustrated.

[indistinct chatter]

[indistinct shouting]

[traffic noise]

[crowd chattering]

[Lawand] B...

B

B

A

D

NAME

ME

BAD.

[struggles to speak]

S...

C

A

R

D

[Dad] Finding the Royal School For Deaf...

Felt like the most important moment in our lives.

But Lawand's teachers told us...

They'd never seen a child like him before.

Because of his trauma, his isolation...

They warned us he might never be able to communicate.

[Dad] All we could do was hope.

[Lucy in English] My name, what's my name?

What about the name of this city?

Can't see your hands.

Where are we now?

What does it start with?

-D... -[struggles to pronounce]

[Lucy] D... D

D... D

-D

-Should feel it... D -D

-D

E

R

B

[Lucy] What's at the end?

E

[Lucy] Not an E, no.

It's not E.

Y

[Lucy] Derby.

[Lawand] Derby.

D

Derby.

[Lucy] So now we're gonna do

"HOME."

-Home -What's that?

-C... -No.

-Home

-Home Home -Mm-hmm.

[Lucy] It's difficult, shall I start? Okay.

H

H - O

H - O - M

H-O-M-E

-Home

Home. Home. Home. Home.

[Lucy] What does home mean to you?

[Lucy] What does it mean for you?

Home.

Home.

[contemplative music playing]

[Rawa] Back in Iraq,

Lawand couldn't communicate with anyone.

Kids would bully him.

Call him names.

Throw rocks at him.

I guess because they bought very smart

I guess because they thought he was different.

I was worried something bad was gonna happen.

[indistinct chatter]

When we arrived here,

I just wanted this place

to be somewhere where he was safe

and somewhere he trusted.

I wanted to say to Lawand,

"everything's going to be okay"

but I didn't know how to.

[teacher] Everyone take your seats.

Tidy your things. Maths books please!

[teacher] Everyone this is Lawand.

He will be joining us today.

So does anyone know the answer?

Three.

What's the answer?

Let's start again.

[music intensifies]

[Lawand struggles to speak]

[Lawand] One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

[teacher] Well done! You can do it.

Okay?

[Rawa] I was just thinking, if I knew sign

I would help Lawand to understand things.

I just didn't want him to feel so alone.

I kept on practising.

Every day.

[Rawa and Lawand] A, B, C, D

E...

E...

-F

[Rawa] G.

[Lucy] Now the next one we do differently.

I need dark blue.

Dark blue?

[Lucy] Dark blue, what's that?

Yes! And the same the other side.

Yeah, good!

Perfect, good!

Lawand, what's your favourite sign?

[Lawand struggling to speak]

[Lucy] Oh, the wind.

Wind

[Lawand] Wind.

Wind.

[Lucy] How does the wind make you feel?

[Lawand] Calm.

[Lucy] Wow.

Your signing and your speech, both improved so much.

Do you think you've improved?

So much better. Wow.

[music builds]

[Dad] The teachers told us that Lawand was learning fast.

They said he was a really smart kid.

Seeing him on stage like that...

We could barely recognise him from the lost boy...

to the person he had become.

[Lucy] You like signing? Speech?

Or both at the same time?

[Lawand struggles to speak]

[Lucy] Your voice? Do you want to use your voice?

[Lawand] No.

Signs.

[Lucy] Signing.

How does it make you feel?

[Lawand] Not different.

Need sign...

to be me.

[music continues to build]

I choose not to speak.

I do not speak.

[Mum] It was a heart breaking moment.

We found out that the Home Office

were now looking into our case.

Lawand had just got started,

but now we knew all of this could disappear.

It was difficult for all of us, but especially for Lawand.

We prayed his teachers would find a way to help him.

[Sophie] My name is Miss Stone.

S-O-P-H-I-E

S-T-O-N-E.

[Lawand] Are you my new teacher?

[Sophie] I do lots of different things.

I'm a teacher.

I love music.

I act.

But today I'm here...

to listen to you.

For me, you draw.

I feel a bit embarrassed.

Same.

Let me show you.

100

This is me as a kid.

Same age as you.

This is where I lived.

But I was so sad and lonely.

I... couldn't sign back then.

I had no friends.

On my own at the top of a tower.

Just two of us, that's it.

My mum was hearing so I didn't learn sign.

You and I. The same.

But I had no dad.

Your family...

Yours?

[Lawand] That's my mum.

And that's my dad.

Do your family sign with you?

My parents don't want to sign.

They prefer me to use my voice

That must be hard?

I get angry.

Sometimes when I'm angry I want to hit people.

My brother tries to sign but finds it difficult.

You lived in another place, where?

Not in the UK, before you moved here.

Did you know sign there?

What was your life like?

[contemplative music plays]

It's okay.

You don't have to talk about it today.

[Sophie] It's okay.

[zips bag]

[Mum] Our dream's always been for Lawand

not to be seen as different or less.

But where we come from...

it's hard for people who use sign language.

They aren't seen as equal.

Lawand's choice only worries us.

Do you like the beach in Liverpool? Remember we took the coach there?

[Rawa] School?

No! Liverpool?

We went by bus to the beach. You know "beach"?

The beach is good for swimming.

Can you float?

Float like a star on the water!

[Lawand] I wish I could float.

[music with momentum plays]

[Sophie] Hold this. Both hands.

Don't think about it.

I want you to feel it.

...six, seven, eight, nine, ten,

eleven, twelve, thirteen.

About three or four.

I used to play the drums for a band before.

Let me show you.

You play drums?

Not very well!

I can still feel it.

Faster... faster!

Smash it!

[atmospheric music plays]

A, Y... no Q.

Iraq.

What can you remember?

Home.

[Lawand] Always confused.

We walked for so long.

Always on Dad's back.

Can you draw, if you remember?

Nervous? Did it make you nervous?

Scared.

It was dark.

We had to run really fast from the dogs

we ran and ran.

On a boat. Up and down.

We went into the back of a truck.

Everyone was saying, "Shh".

But I couldn't hear anything! Maybe my breath was too loud.

We were in there for two days.

We were kept there like prisoners.

But then we arrived somewhere new.

[baby crying]

Somewhere wrong.

For months, I thought we'd never leave.

-It was the worst time of my life. -[indistinct chatter]

You...

survivor.

[hopeful music plays]

[Rawa] I'd seen how he was treated back in Iraq.

I'll never forget that.

And I didn't want him to go through that again.

Here...I felt I knew who the real Lawand was.

It was like seeing him for the first time.

I wish we could stay here forever.

Where this could be our proper home.

[Sophie] Hey, Lawand.

Do you know the film The Matrix?

You never seen it?

A man's wearing a long, leather jacket.

A bullet's fired towards him and he leans back.

The bullet misses.

He nearly falls but comes back up.

Ready to fight back. He feels nothing.

Like...

Amazing! You know how to do VV.

You don't know VV?

Visual Vernacular. It's like sign acting.

For example, there's a car. You get in.

You put the seat belt on and drive.

You're going really fast.

The window's open. Trees racing past you.

Then it gets faster and faster.

Everything becomes slow and blurry.

Yeah?

You can do it.

So you spell it VV, that's it?

I will look it up and try to have a go.

[gentle music plays]

[Dad] For a moment...

It felt like Derby was the first place we could start life again.

[thunder rumbling]

But then everything changed.

And all our fears became a reality.

The Home Office called Lawand's school.

We would be facing deportation.

I needed to tell Lawand that we might be leaving Derby.

I wanted to apologise, to explain.

But without language...

...I couldn't.

All we could hope for...

-was that Lawand... -[children chattering]

would make the most of the time he had left here.

I'm H-U-D-A-Y-F-A-H. My sign name is "Maths".

[Hudayfah] You happy here?

When I first started here I was a bit nervous.

A bit worried.

[Lawand] I've been so nervous.

On my first day here...

I thought everyone else here was hearing.

[both giggles]

Why is your sign name "Maths"?

Cool.

You really like maths?

My name is L-A-W... No sorry!

L-A-W-A-N-D.

And my sign name is "Why?"

Because I always ask, "Why?"

When I'd first meet someone,

if they were explaining something

I'd always ask, "Why?"

I don't know why... That's just me ever since I was born!

Do you want to play?

The no blink game. Let's play.

Are you ready?

Yeah, okay. Three, two, one. Go!

I feel like laughing.

[both giggles]

I'm really excited!

Imagine the world without language.

You can't communicate or speak or sign. Nothing.

How would you feel?

We're talking about this today because

in two weeks, we're each going to stand up and talk about

the theme of what language means to you all.

It can be sign language?

[Sophie] How do you feel about talking in front of the class?

Do you have things to talk about?

Not sure yet.

If I were doing the speech, my story would be about

myself as a child who couldn't communicate until I was seven.

Couldn't speak for seven years.

So I'd talk about how signing and speaking gave me freedom.

Have you been thinking about what you want to say?

Iraq, um... me. No.

I don't want to always talk, talk, talk.

Someone else can talk instead.

I can't. I don't like it.

But I want to be clever.

Yes. You want to improve.

Remember, Lawand, you're safe to express yourself here.

[introspective music plays]

FOR

BUS TODAY

STOP

BUS ICTD

[Lawand] What does language mean to me?

Calm.

Wind.

Sun.

[Rawa] His teachers was telling my parents that at school he was isolated.

It's hard to trust people and let them into your life

in a place that doesn't feel like your real home.

It can be lonely.

[indistinct chatter]

Now, are you ready to share your stories with the class

and stand up to tell us about what language means to you.

Why it is important to you?

Do you want to stand up and tell us about your story?

Firstly, I was born in Latvia

So I can sign in Latvian sign language.

Second language is Russian.

-Third language is... -Wow, that is amazing.

British Sign Language.

Language to me is...

I guess freedom.

You are brave and full of confidence!

Off you go.

I lived in a country called

-Bangladesh. -Bangladesh!

Yep.

Without BSL I wouldn't understand

my family, my friends.

Lawand? Do you feel ready and confident to stand up?

[Sophie] No?

OK. No pressure.

[atmospheric music plays]

[Lawand] I couldn't do it...

I couldn't get up in front of the class to tell my story

I was worried everyone would laugh and tease me.

But this is what I wanted to say...

It's hard to talk.

But I want to tell my story.

I thought I was the only one like me in the entire world.

I got used to being alone.

When I was the most scared.

I needed to understand more than ever.

Cold, hungry, confused.

I didn't know if we'd ever leave that place.

Why? Why here?

Why?

It was so scary, but I found hope.

There was a man who came.

I didn't know who he was

But I learnt he was looking for me

trying to help me.

At first I felt scared.

But then I realised he was like me.

He was the first deaf person I had ever met.

For the first time in my life I didn't feel different.

He helped me learn my first signs.

Sea.

"Sea."

Sun.

"Sun."

Play...

Friends.

"Play... Friends"

I never knew his real name.

People called him the "Volunteer".

I didn't know how to say, "Thank you."

Someone told me that he helped me get to this school.

He made all of this possible.

Wow.

Wherever he is

I wish he was here now.

[music fades]

[Rudolf] Hello.

Hello?

You OK?

We're in class together.

I'm R-U-D-O-L-F.

[Lawand] Rudolf?

What's your sign name?

"R."

Are your family deaf?

Yeah, I have a deaf family.

Your whole family? Wow.

RSDD

Is your family hearing and speaking?

Yes. I am the only one who's deaf.

But I am OK with that.

How do you communicate with your family?

[Lawand] It's tricky.

8500

I can speak a little but I am not good at it.

I'm better off signing in BSL.

Do you want to play football?

[Dad] The school never gave up on Lawand.

They fought back against the Home Office.

Telling them how BSL had given him freedom.

There was now a real belief in him.

The Home Office wanted proof.

They needed to know that Lawand had progressed enough.

They decided to send in specialists.

Their final decision on whether we can stay would come down to that.

[music fades]

[Rudolf] How are you feeling about the school play?

I feel nervous when the audience are sitting there.

Some people out there might bully me.

If there is someone out there to judge me I will lose my confidence.

You'll be fine.

Keep calm.

[unsettling music plays]

So Hudayfah is going to be the Sun in the middle, okay?

Everyone circle round him.

Okay, Lawand? Let's do your bit.

The world is very big

but the world doesn't know...

Not big. Not big.

You watch me, okay?

The world is massive!

Don't worry, you'll get it.

Impossible!

[Mum] When the assessment began,

His teachers tried to help him.

But of course, Lawand knew what was going on.

The world feels very big...

but...

[Mum] Everything he did, everything he got wrong.

It was all recorded.

It was too much for a child that age.

[Lawand] Maybe I'm not meant to be here.

I want to go. Stay on this planet? What for?

It's not for me.

I wish I could fly somewhere else.

On this other planet I want everyone from Iraq there with me.

I want everyone to be together.

I don't want anyone to fight.

I want everyone to be together and communicate to involve deaf people.

I want.

You need to teach your mind to be resilient through anything.

Like yourself. You've been through some awful things.

But you've got the will power

to carry on and to survive.

You've got to keep going.

You've got a strong mind.

You're stronger than you think you are.

You have to believe the world is changing.

Right now in London, people are fighting for deaf rights.

L-O-D... No,

L-O-N-D-O... R-T.

There's going to be a rally there calling for the BSL Act.

Don't give up on this life.

I know why you want everyone to be deaf.

You want them to join in.

The world feels very big

but the world isn't so big in the solar system.

[Rawa] Sometimes, I miss Kurdistan.

My friends, my cousins...

It's hard not to miss them.

For Lawand, this school is like perfect for him.

5

And he has like perfect friends.

So I don't want to leave here.

[Mum] We knew the Home Office would be watching that night.

I wanted to say to Lawand,

it's your choice if you want to do this or not.

But I knew his future would depend on it.

[intense music plays]

[Rawa] When he was on stage

I knew what he was thinking...

Are we going to be able to stay?

What's going to happen?

1 line

[music continues]

We have our world here.

But we also have other planets in the solar system.

People don't know what it's like on other planets.

Imagine there's a world out there

where everyone is deaf.

A special place...

where no one is different.

Everyone can understand each other.

And I'll say...

Me.

Deaf.

Name me

L

A

W

A

N

D

I'll understand my family.

They will understand me.

We don't know if it exists because we haven't seen it.

What we do know is that this planet...

is our only home.

Thank you.

[music fades]

[Rawa] When I saw him on... on stage that night,

I knew he would be okay.

It used to be me helping Lawand,

But he seems so strong.

Way stronger than me.

[radio broadcast]

[atmospheric music plays]

[interviewer] Lawand, can I ask you a question?

Tell me about yourself. Who is Lawand?

[quick finger spell] L-A-W-A-N-D.

L... [laughs]

L...

L-A-W-A-N-D.

Watch me.

1

[Lawand] I used to think

my name is B-A-D.

But now I know...

that's not true.

I'm not different.

Before...

People would bully and laugh at me.

[inspiring music builds]

I used to worry about everything...

I was scared.

But I'm learning

I don't have to be scared anymore.

I am brave, I won't let my confidence drop.

I need to keep going

I need to keep meeting people, socialise...

Get my confidence up.

It will be perfect.

Hudayfah.

That's us!

[Dad] The way our sisters and brothers of Derby fought for us to stay...

...the petition, the protests...

Words can't express that support.

Now the whole of Derby feels like our family.

Is this home?

Do you know if we can stay here in our home?

[Lawand] To me Derby feels like home now.

I'm myself.

Most evenings I just chat with my friends...

But with my family...

it's difficult.

Because my dad doesn't sign.

[interviewer] And what about your mum?

She isn't bothered.

I was disappointed and asked her why?

She said she didn't like it, and she only did the hand gestures.

I'm on my own with the family, I'm bored playing on my iPad myself.

Everyone talks, I'm left behind.

Wherever we end up...

I need us to sign together.

[Mum] In Kurdistan, we always tried to get Lawand to learn to talk.

Even when we arrived to the UK we were pushing him to talk.

We didn't want him to be different to other children.

We were scared.

But maybe that was wrong of us.

We did not understand who Lawand really was.

Now I am proud because being deaf, I can communicate...

in the way that's right for me, right for Lawand.

P

P - R

P - R - O

P-R-O-U

P - R - O - U - D.

[Sophie] Lawand, are you ready to speak to the class?

Yeah, come on.

Okay, my name is...

Google has photos of me.

I want to show you I am famous and that is me...

[laughing]

[Lawand] I was born in Iraq.

Is that Iraq?

Yes, this is Iraq.

[introspective music plays]

It was hard for me there, I didn't know any signs.

My brother was my only friend.

I used to think my name is "BAD",

but I was just different.

I miss my family in Iraq.

Maybe I'll go back one day.

We moved here when I was five.

This was our journey.

[indistinct chatter]

Color

udor

I used to be angry at my family because I didn't know what was happening.

I know now I was coming here to start a new life.

And to meet you guys.

[Hudayfah] Respect.

[Lawand] This is me.

C...

Confident.

Home.

A...

A, B...

A, B, C...

A, B, C, D.

[Lawand] My dad has learnt a bit of sign

but he's still on level 1.

A-H-M-E-D.

I'm happy they're trying.

elles

[music continues]

[music fades]

[Dad] When I received the letter,

it ruined me and my family's entire lives.

It's not right for Lawand to lose everything.

Lawand kept on asking, "Dad, why is Rawa crying?"

How do you tell him that the most important thing in his life

will now be taken away.

The Home Office said the reason for deportation

was that Lawand could learn another language.

But that's not true.

We all know that.

I never thought I would say this,

but I didn't want to live anymore.

Can I just hold on to you for one minute?

I want to let you know that you are fabulous.

I know we've had many chats in the past.

You've learnt so much, and you made huge progress.

Whatever happens next, don't let it bother you.

You have the confidence and know who you are, right?

Yes, I know can achieve things.

Before I couldn't but now, I feel I can.

If other people try to pull you down, ignore them.

Be yourself. You can fight and learn many things.

You are hungry to learn. Please keep it going!

[music builds]

[Dad] Lawand wanted to tell his own story in court.

Now it's up to him to stand up for himself.

[Lawand] My whole life...

people have translated for me,

spoken for me.

But not now...

We're going to Birmingham to fight at court.

We waited and waited. Seven years later, we are still waiting!

Finally, for the first time they let us fight and explain to them...

I need to tell them...

I moved to the UK, the deaf support is better here.

If I get sent away, my education will worsen.

With help, my education will be on a journey of improvement.

It's better for me so that I can improve with my BSL.

Now that I have a language...

I get excited to hang out with others.

I laugh and have conversations.

I am a good person, kind and helpful to people.

I don't want to be put on a boat

with waves and awful weather that could sink it.

I'm afraid of it, I don't like it.

Maybe I will get married to someone

and all my children will sign.

My family need to know

what's happening with our future.

It can't go on like this.

[Rawa] We all knew that Lawand could do it,

we all believed in him.

I wanted him to believe in himself.

Lawand, whatever happens we are so, so proud of you.

[teacher] I want you to explain three things...

One, when you first met Lawand

way back, what did you think of him?

Tell me your story.

When I first met him, I thought he was rude,

I was nervous. Eventually he got a lot nicer!

And we've been best friends ever since.

Lawand's an alright footballer...

but he always fouls me!

That's what I have to deal with.

He's always greedy because

he always takes the ball away from me...

But I still want him on my team.

He's my brother!

In the future with Lawand,

I want to play in a football team together.

I hope to win lots of trophies... maybe.

And when we grow up we'll play for Derby F.C.

In the future, I want to do engineering.

[teacher] With Lawand?

[teacher] Why?

Because he's my best friend.

We get on well and we tease each other every day.

This is us...

always!

[Mum] All that matters to us is that our kids are happy.

Lawand...

This one is "I"?

I...

J.

[Mum] All our life we sacrificed everything for our kids.

Bye bye... see you later.

[Mum] But we are learning that to truly look after them...

We need to listen.

[Lawand] I asked my family, "can we go to the BSL Act Rally in London?"

They said "Yes." It made me so happy.

Even though I don't know if we can stay...

I want to go because...

...we, as deaf people, need to have BSL Act now.

If it doesn't get passed, it is not fair for us...

hearing people have their privilege.

If it gets passed, we get our equal rights.

We have a chance to change things.

To create a world...

where everyone can sign.

Even if I can't live in the UK,

for all my deaf friends here...

...I hope when the BSL Act passes,

things get better.

[dramatic music builds]

[on-stage interpreter] Hello, I am a student from...

[voice from tannoy] I'm Nadia,

and I'm here to support BSL as a first language.

I was born deaf, with deaf brothers

without BSL I would be lost.

BSL is very important, it is our language.

We're all different, we're all different groups

but we all own BSL.

I love BSL!

It allows me to understand the world.

[music builds]

[Lawand] I used to think I was the only one.

[voice on tannoy] I want to hear your deaf voice roar!

[crowd cheering]

[Lawand] But that day everything changed.

When we were kids,

[Razor] What we wear it is

me and Lawand always believed we needed to go to another planet.

Always believed to travel to other planets

I wanted to come with you Lawand, onto this other place...

But maybe we don't have to go after all.

This perfect planet could be right here.

[Lawand] I'm learning to love this world.

W-O-R-L-D.

This planet has...

beautiful oceans.

I see the hills and want to roll down them.

Everywhere I look...

Beautiful.

But...

I never felt like I belonged here.

Now I know...

I can change this world

and make it my...

special place.

[music calms]

The deaf community is hopeful this will bring meaningful change to their lives...

A week later a court ruled on Lawand's family application to remain in the UK.

Passport!

Citing Lawand's exceptional progress in BSL communication, the family were given permission to stay.

Passport

-Yes? -Yes.