What ideas get the most publicity in the media? As most people know, advertisements and the media give us an idea of the current climate in society about a particular topic or trend. It’s no different when contemplating how people with disabilities are portrayed in the media. It’s been this way throughout history. This post highlights some of the changes that stand out, and what they mean for the way disability is evolving in the public eye.
The idea of people with disabilities in the media has a long and tumultuous reputation that can be classified as non-existent at best. In the last thirty years, while there’s still massive debate on people with disabilities in roles portraying people with disabilities, it still doesn’t happen very often at all. More recently, what piqued my interest on writing this post is that a network channel is airing a show with a disabled character in the principal role. This demonstrates progression of how people with disabilities are viewed in society. Many years ago, characters like Geri Jewell got small walk on roles that would last a relatively short time. At least she was a person with a disability playing a person with a disability. She was the first regular cast member with a disability on a television show.
Sadly, it’s still not commonplace that a person with a disability play a role where they’re portraying a person with a disability.  This is yet another layer of the debate that’s a thorn in the side of many people. Despite the debate on both sides, the state of actors and characters with disabilities has slowly improved. However, it’s noteworthy that disability has been more visible in things like commercials and store advertisements. When the show “The Good Doctor” aired, it made me think of where people with disabilities as a population have come from in the eyes of different media outlets. Even when “Speechless” aired, also on the same network, it seemed like a natural progression to the direction in which society was headed, no matter how slow the progress. Finally, the idea that people with disabilities can make positive contributions in many aspects was being broadcasted into people’s living rooms for everyone to see. We were no longer in the shadows like something shameful that needed to be hidden away.
The latest development of people with disabilities in the media is the first Gerber baby with Down Syndrome.  Here’s an additional layer of the onion being peeled off. This milestone reaches the demographic of parents who have a child diagnosed with a disability. Parents whose children are diagnosed with a disability feel a mix of emotions at first. They aren’t sure what to expect, or even what the next step might be for their family. This change in advertising might be one way to shift those parents’ outlook of their child’s potential for the future. The message being, it doesn’t have to be as grim as it maybe once would’ve been.
The varying dimensions of the integration of people with disabilities into popular culture have numerous benefits. It helps orchestrate increased acceptance of disability in society. Slowly, the layers of negative stereotypes that have plagued us as a community for so long are deteriorating in front of our eyes. Seeing different media outlets give positive representation and exposure to people with disabilities is a refreshing change in many ways.  We’re beginning to be people who can help others, not people constantly in need. This allows for the opportunity of open dialog on a varying number of topics that make people with disabilities more real and vital to contemporary subjects. It’s also broadening society’s ideas on the capabilities people with disabilities possess no matter what their limitations. In the future, it will be interesting to see how the subject of disabled actors evolves with Executives in Hollywood and how the debate is ultimately resolved.
Thanks for reading..
cr
Geri Jewell clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryXN-FyNMUw
Gerber baby clip:
https://www.today.com/parents/2018-gerber-baby-first-gerber-baby-down-syndrome-t122258