Road Map-Fern Brady

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Road Map by:

Guglielmin AntonellaPalavecino CiroSoria Sofia

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Newspaper

If Fern Brady were to visit Argentina, we believe she’d be interested in these pieces of news. The first article describes how Ian Moche, a brave autistic kid, stood up to a group of adult TV panellists. We think Brady, being enthusiastic about autism education herself, would be elated by how the new generation of autistic children are more able to self-advocate thanks to increased access to neurodiversity-related knowledge. Similarly, it may bring her joy to see that there are spaces being created to accommodate the needs of neurodivergent kids, as explained by the news on sensory friendly film screenings implemented in major cities like Buenos Aires and Cordoba.

Lastly, given her distaste for the traditional path laid for women, we believe Brady would enjoy reading about Albertina Carri, a woman who resists being defined by others and is trying to reshape society’s view of female bodies and sexuality through film.

Check them here:

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Tattoo

By means of this realization, Fern Brandy challenges the patriarchal idea that women being emotional and sensitive is a weakness, while also showing that there is no right way to be a woman. Brady also defies feminine stereotypes when she proudly recalls her work as a stripper, since conservative sectors of occidental society are still condemning women who work at brothels. Therefore, the inclusion of stripper shoes in the tattoo serves as a reference to that part of her life and her willingness to be open about it and fight the stigma it may carry. Finally, the addition of a rainbow infinity symbol is a tribute to autism and neurodiversity. Through this design, we sought to reinforce the themes of acceptance and boldly embracing one’s true self, even in a cruel world that does not always understand or appreciate the differences that make us unique.

We have decided on this tattoo design for Fern Brady because there are various sections in the novel where she shows her alignment with feminist ideals. Firstly, the heart in the tattoo represents her coming to respect her emotions, which for years she struggled to acknowledge as she was often trapped in her own thoughts and did not recognize her feelings until they had reached a boiling point.

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The following activity is thought for ESL students with an upper-intermediate level of proficiency, given that it requires having read Brady’s memoir. Teachers hide cards with key words and matching clues referring to each plot point. Then, students find these information bits, combine them, and work collaboratively to write a sentence for each event. Students group the situations on the board under three stations symbolising Brady's life stages and arrange them in chronological order. After finishing, they correct the order of sentences by summarising the story as a whole class.At the end of the activity, students will be able to recognise the main events of the novel and their order of occurrence. The main purpose of this activity is for students to reconstruct the plot, as well as fostering

collaboration among them. Moreover, when students check the activity, teachers will encourage them to discuss the central ideas, topics, and broader context surrounding each event with their peers. We expect students to justify their answers in the case that they do not agree on the order of some events. This will hopefully make it easier for students to remember the plot of the novel. It would be desirable and very profitable if students feel safe to express their perspective as regards some of the main topics that this novel deals with, such as being neurodivergent, suffering the consequences of having a late diagnosis, battling addiction, being involved in a toxic relationship, among others.

Treassure Hunt

Check the KEY here:

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At the end of the novel Fern Brady reflects on her current situation and encourages readers to create a more friendly space for autistic people in their lives. Given that the ending isn’t really up to interpretation, we came up with hashtags that would allow readers to discuss the themes of the novel and their experiences reading it:

Hashtags

We believe the hashtag #AsdWomen in particular could be used to discuss the main topics in the book. Unfortunately, it is far too common for women in the spectrum to be misdiagnosed or fly under the radar completely. Reading about Brady’s story may help (potentially) autistic women make sense of such experiences and seek a diagnosis. We propose this hashtag for them to share their experiences and find a community to help them sail through life unashamed and unafraid of their neurodivergence.

#StrongFemaleCharacter#AsdWomen #StrongWomenStandTogether

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Connections

Text-to-world

This clip presents an exhibition focused on the work of transgender painter and performer Lorenza Bottner, that—just as Brady’s memoir does—highlights the importance of hearing the voices of disabled and queer people.

Like Brady, Bottner was ostracised because of her non-normative traits so she forged her own path and expressed herself through various forms of art. By inviting people to experience Bottner’s work, Paul B. Preciado, the curator of the exhibition, is helping challenge the stereotypes, assumptions, misinformation, and deeply ingrained normative beliefs that often result in (trans)misogyny, ableism, and other forms of bigotry. This is also done by Brady in her book, since her portrayal neither sanitises her autistic experience nor aims to make it palatable to neurotypical people. On the contrary, it resists clear-cut definitions of autistic womanhood, and instead presents readers with a character that is interesting, flawed, and humane.

How does (in)visibility affect the lives of marginalised people?

Text-to-media

Brady’s book can be connected to this trailer because both materials focus on perspectives of life through an autistic lens. The Reason I Jump adapts the homonymous book by Naoki Higashida, a nonspeaking autistic writer.

As happens with autistic women and other autistic minorities, who both face the unique challenges of being under-diagnosed and often misunderstood by health professionals, non speaking autistics also see themselves underrepresented and misinterpreted.

The movie sheds light into the experiences of nonverbal autistic people, providing insight into the workings of their minds and the motivations behind their behaviours. Drawing the parallels between both the film's and Brady's portrayal can help paint a more comprehensive picture of what autism truly is, as well as illuminate the scale of diversity within the spectrum.

How do autistic voices manifest in the trailer and in the novel?

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VIDEO

VIDEO

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This activity is aimed at 4th year secondary school students with an intermediate to upper-intermediate level of proficiency in English. Our goal is for students to be able to recognise violent situations. Additionally, we seek to provide them with the necessary information regarding who they can contact and what protocols can be put in place to support victims of domestic violence in their country and local area.

Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE)

definition of domestic violence and different types of abuse. The aim of these tasks is for learners to learn the different ways in which abuse may manifest, so that they can reflect on the various scenarios were violence might be present, challenge misconceptions they may have, and stop normalising abusive situations when they happen in their surroundings. As a final outcome of the lesson students are asked to socialise their findings as a whole class. The idea is for students to create posters to share what they’ve learnt during the activity (through the analysis of the quotes and their own research) with the rest of the school and raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence and what we can do about it. The importance of such preventive activities lies in their potential to not only raise awareness make them conscious of about specific issues, but also foster empathy towards the victims. It would be possible as well for victims to get to know that they're not alone and there are several options for them outside of that environment.

Check the handout here:

In the first activity, students are expected to read some fragments of Strong Female Character by Fern Brandy and relate them to domestic violence. The idea of this exercise is for students to start being aware of violent behaviour. In activities two and three, students will work with the

References

• Brady, F. (2023). Strong female character. Brazen.
• Gigena, D. (2024, April 11). Atacan en redes sociales a la cineasta y escritora Albertina Carri por su film erótico Las hijas del fuego. La Nación. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/cultura/atacan-en-redes-sociales-a-la-cineasta-y-escritora-albertina-carri-por-su-film-erotico-las-hijas-del-nid11042024/
• Gigena, D. (2024, August 14). Un plan distinto: Las innovadoras propuestas para que chicos neurodivergentes puedan disfrutar del cine. La Nación. https://www.lanacion.com.ar/sociedad/un-plan-distinto-las-innovadoras-propuestas-para-que-chicos-neurodivergentes-puedan-disfrutar-del-nid14082024/
• TN Show. (2024, June 23). La implacable respuesta de Ian Moche a las críticas que recibió tras su paso por Almorzando por Juana. TN. https://tn.com.ar/show/famosos/2024/06/23/la-implacable-respuesta-de-ian-moche-a-las-criticas-que-recibio-tras-su-paso-por-almorzando-por-juana/
• Kinolorber. (2020). The Reason I Jump – Official U.S. Trailer [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ZxvR_cm94
• Betevé. (2018, November 30). Qui va ser Lorenza Böttner?, Paul B. Preciado ens ho explica - Àrtic | betevé. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPbEcTaYGtw

1. KW: school plan + change, foreign language course + enroll. EA: She changes her school plan and enrolls only in foreign languages courses.
2. KW: overdose + psychiatric unit, friends + Laura.EA: She overdoses and is sent to a psychiatric unit where she becomes friends with Laura.
3. KW: university + accept; kick out + home; move +K Edinburgh.EA: She is accepted into university and spends the last year of high school being repeatedly kicked out of her home until she moves to Edinburgh.
4. KW: breakdown; Calum's girlfriend + hit.EA: She has a breakdown and hits Calum’s girlfriend on the head with a bottle of vodka.
5. KW: work + stripper; short on money.EA: She starts working as a stripper because she is short on money.
6. KW: stand-up comedian + become; write + article + university's newspaper.EA: She becomes a stand-up comedian after writing an article for the university’s newspaper.
7. KW: fight + get into; boyfriend + kill + pillow.EA: She gets in a fight with her boyfriend and he tries to kill her with a pillow.
8. KW: Xanax + restort; sensory problems + suppress; smashing furniture + avoid.EA: She restorts to Xanax to suppress her sensory problems and avoid smashing furniture.
9. KW: be diagnosed + autism; 34 years old.EA: She is diagnosed with autism at the age of 34 years old

KEY

These are the hidden key words and example answers (EA) in chronological order