ABSTRACT
The dialogues about what it is like to live with a diagnosis of being mentally retarded are the latest and very inspiring phase of the collaboration the authors have had with Tom Andersen over the ten years or so. When Tom Andersen visits them in Uppsala, he has often come from or been on the way to other places, both far and near—everywhere from the prison in Kalmar to a children’s centre in Sao Paolo. This has given them a sense of connection with these glimpses of other distant realities, which nevertheless have so much in common with their own. Tom has contributed to making the dialogues exciting, alive, and hopeful due to his warmth of interest, experience, and authority. He has encouraged the participants to make a film of their own story—a film that would be greatly enjoyed by many who are in the same situation and provide inspiration for new dialogues.
