Disability and the Media

I once took a class in College called Crime and the Media.  It talked about how crime really isn’t worse now then let’s say 10 or 15 years ago but only appears to be worse because of the amount of media coverage certain events receive.

I think the opposite is true when disability is featured in the media.  As I watched “World News”  tonight with Diane Sawyer, she was profiling Michael J. Fox.  We all know him from “Family Ties” and “Spin City”.  I had not realized that it had been over 20 years ago that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease.  One of his newest endeavors showed him portraying a character that was demonstrating the control or lack there of that he has of his body because of his Parkinson’s and being okay with it.  There are so few disabled actors on t.v. that as a result, disability is removed from the public eye.  Disability is a more common occurence today than in years past.  This is because medical science has improved and people are living longer. 

I think that when you see a disabled person on television or in a commercial, it could open up a dialogue for people who are not aware of disability issues or have questions about disability that they are afraid to ask.

I also remember recently seeing an old episode of  “Beverly Hills 90210” where Brenda and Brandon’s cousin came to visit.  He happened to have a spinal cord injury.  Being what I would call a high school soap opera, it would have been very relevant even today for someone around that age to see what his character was feeling and how the episode ended.  It could show people with and with out a disability that they can date one another. It could also show people some of the issues that may come up in those situations.  These types of shows may help someone not feel so alone or singled out in the world like teenagers sometimes feel, even when they aren’t disabled.

These shows are also a good way for parents and their kids to start a dialogue about subjects they may not be exactly sure how to approach in the first place.

What avenues could be used to begin a dialogue about subjects you may not feel so comfortable talking about?

Thanks for reading…

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