Under the Surface: Disability at Clark University
The short documentary “Under the Surface: Disability at Clark University” follows a day in the life of student (and the documentary’s director) Aster Mehigan as they navigate their life with physical and mental disability. Interspersed with interviews of fellow students, the documentary comments on both the efforts and failings of organizations on Clark’s campus in accommodating those who struggle. By demonstrating and critiquing the ways in which students live on their college campus with disability, the film encourages institutions to acknowledge and care more deeply for the disabled people.
-
Aster MehiganDirector
-
Aster MehiganWriter
-
Project Type:Documentary
-
Runtime:13 minutes 16 seconds
-
Film Color:Color
-
First-time Filmmaker:No
-
Student Project:No
Aster Mehigan (they/them) is a junior at Clark University, majoring in English with a double minor in creative writing and screen studies. This is their first documentary, but Mehigan has made short films both over the past three years in their college classes and for their own enjoyment. Though new to cinematography, Mehigan is not new to storytelling. They have been writing novel drafts, short stories, screenplays and poetry since they were ten years old and can be found most of the time with a pen in their hand.
In addition, Mehigan directs in theater, having worked in the arts for the past few years. They assistant directed Clark University Players Society’s production of The Iliad, The Odyssey, and All of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less by Jay Hopkins and John Hunter, directed Clark’s 2024 haunted house Post-Apocalyptic Clark, and directed for Clark graduate students Mark Jacobs and Shivansh Awasthi’s motion-capture of Zenobia by Hereward Carrington.
In the future, Aster Mehigan hopes to work in theater, screen, or journalism. They want to tell stories and share them with the world in any way that they can. This documentary has taught them video-editing and cinematography skills that they plan to use for their future endeavors.
The inspiration for “Under The Surface” came from the aftermath of an OCD spiral. My brain felt out of control, and for a moment I couldn’t stand the fact I had to continue on with my life as if I wasn’t falling apart inside. Later that day, as I continued with classes and club meetings and assignments, I ended up admitting my frustration to my friends. I learned that I wasn’t alone in how I felt. Some of my friends encouraged me to look into getting accommodations for my struggles, while others warned me at how horribly the system at Clark was. My eyes were opened that this campus (and the world we live in) was not made for us, who suffer from debilitating physical and mental disabilities and we are expected to be perfect. I wanted to capture that anger, that sadness. To show what a college campus can do to help, and where they exclude us.
It was a challenge to get subjects who were willing to be interviewed. I had about a dozen people who told me their experiences with disability at Clark, but only three felt comfortable enough to tell me on camera. Many expressed concerns about talking negatively about Clark, fearing possible backlash or having their accommodations taken away. It was tragic to hear that concern, because we should be allowed to critique and provide feedback without fear. I originally was not planning on including myself in the documentary at all, but I worried about not having enough information and insight on disability on campus without it.
I am grateful to my interviewees for trusting me with their experiences, and I hope that their voices can help improve how Clark handles accommodation for disability in the future. Thank you as well to Professor Soren Sorensen for his guidance and lessons on filmmaking (and letting me call him when Final Cut Pro was being mean), the Clark University Screen Studies Department for access to their equipment, my friend Rudy Freso-Umanzor for emotional support as we sat together and each edited our films in silence, and my girlfriend Emily Klos for helping me carry equipment when I didn’t have enough hands. I also want to give credits to musicians Universfield (song: Beautiful Melancholy) and Anemoia (songs: Immeasurable and Diorite) for their beautiful music that I was given permission to use in this film.
I learned so much from this experience, and I hope to make more films in the future!