Disability Positivity

I have wanted to write and post about this topic for quite a while, but haven’t had the courage, however I think it is really important and interesting to talk about. The topic is representation of the disabled community  in TV, movies and social media .

From my perspective and the types of things I see on TV as well as social media,  I think the disabled community is under-represented in many ways. To this day, one of the things I’m still trying to figure out is why this is the case

   To be completely honest, these situations make me feel sad, frustrated  and that this type of -representation doesn’t matter.   The disabled community should always be treated like any other person and have equal opportunities. 

For example, if someone wants to make a movie or TV show about what it is like to be disabled, they have to choose whether  they want to use someone who is actually disabled, or if they rather represent being disabled in a different way, by using someone who is not disabled and teaching them how to  act disabled just for the purpose of  the role. Both are good, but if I had to choose, I would go with someone who is actually disabled in real life. That way the movie or TV show is more realistic and easier to connect with.  

Some of the movies and TV shows I’ve seen that represent people who have disabilities include Crip Camp, Fundamentals of Caring, Crip Trip, and more recently Out of my Mind. Out of my Mind is one of the most memorable movies I’ve seen in a while because it follows Melody Brooks, a student  with Cerebral Palsy who uses a wheelchair and is non-verbal. Despite being underestimated by others, she uses technology to find her voice, joins a regular classroom, and proves she is just as capable as her peers. 

One of the TV channels I sometimes watch is the A.M.I channel which stands for Accessible Media Inc .It is a multimedia company made for people with all types of disabilities. This channel explores topics such as lack of employment opportunities for people who have disabilities, different types of exercises someone can do if they have low vision or  more generally focusing on issues that impact the disabled community as a whole. 

I think our community needs to put themselves out there more, showing we as disabled people deserve to be in films, social media and TV shows as much as others. The more we do that, the more people will want to hear from us because  we have unique experiences and perspectives to share. For example the types of barriers we face in everyday life or how we think and feel about certain issues. It’s time for change, representation matters!