The Ragin Cajun.

Date:
1996
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About this work

Description

Fifth episode in a 6-part series in which Dr. Oliver Sacks travels the world in search of cases of rare neurological disorders and compares his findings with existing knowledge of these diseases. The title leads one to expect an encounter with a severely disturbed person but it turns out to be the name of a restaurant run by Danny Delcombe who has Usher's syndrome. This is a genetic condition whereby a child is born deaf and suffers deteriorating vision in adolescence which diminishes to tunnel vision and eventual blindness. Usher's syndrome originated in Nova Scotia, Canada, from which thousands of French farmers were expelled by the British in the 18th century, many of whom settled around Louisiana in what came to be known as Cajun country (from Arcadia, the old name for Nova Scotia). In this tight community inter-marriage and incest multiplied the defective gene and this region now has the world's highest concentration of people with Usher's syndrome. Unable to find employment in Louisiana, Danny moved to Seattle, a city which is very aware of the problems of the deaf-blind. He found a strong community of Usher's syndrome people there and eventually opened his own restaurant which is staffed by people with this condition. It quickly became an important aspect of their community life. Oliver Sacks became involved in the life of this community; he explores the history and structure of American Sign Language and its adapted tactile form used by those both deaf and blind. This is further analysed by Dr. Ursula Belugi (neurolinguist). The film is an impressive record of optimism and achievement in the face of severe disability.

Publication/Creation

[Place of publication not identified] : BBC TV, 1996.

Physical description

1 videocassette (VHS) (50 min.) : sound, color, PAL.

Copyright note

BBC-TV

Creator/production credits

BBC TV

Languages

Where to find it

  • Copy 1

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    887V
  • Copy 2

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    887V
  • Copy 3

    LocationStatusAccess
    Closed stores
    887V

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