Tag: Cerebral Palsy

Changes in Media Representation of People with Disabilities: A Look Forward

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

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

 

“Margarita, with a Straw” Thoughts

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

In the course of writing this blog, I’ve spent time exploring how the media portrays people with disabilities. The film “Margarita, with a Straw” goes one step further and talks about a person with a disability and their experience with relationships too. Unfortunately, there are many people who think people with disabilities are unable to have intimate relationships because of their limitations. Making that assumption without talking to the person about the subject will only lead to inaccurate information. As I may or may not have said before, the way a person’s disability affects them ranges. While I’m not a medical professional, I can say that reading about Cerebral Palsy or any other disability on a website like WebMD, or picking up a book on the subject may not give you the most accurate information on a particular person’s daily life.

Like with most other things, communication is really the key to quenching the curiosity that might exist. It’s not a bad thing to ask questions about things we don’t know. An even worse outcome would be to miss out on a great and adventurous experience with someone you care about just because there’s no dialogue about a particular issue. Also, not knowing the right information about that person may lead to unnecessarily hurting their feelings.

While I haven’t seen “Margarita with a Straw” I’m glad someone took the chance to make a movie on a subject some may consider taboo. Hopefully, this movie will catch the eye of an American filmmaker and they have the idea to bring it to American audiences. It’s a great way to raise awareness on the fact that disabled people have the same wants and needs as everyone else. It’s also a great way to open dialogue on a side of a disabled person’s life that’s rarely talked about but, is worthy of some attention.

Thanks for reading..

cr

For more information on the movie, check out the link below:

http://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/film-review-margarita-with-a-straw-1201406266/

Model with Cerebral Palsy

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I’m so happy to write tonight’s post, though I have to admit, it tugs at my heart too.  Growing up with Cerebral Palsy, I remember my mom taking pictures of  me and developing them like I was a model.  Being a model with a disability wasn’t seen as possible when I was six or seven years old.  Today, I found out a British company  has chosen a seven-year old girl with Cerebral Palsy to model clothes for their catalog.

Holly Greenhow is 7 years old and has Cerebral Palsy.  I’m overjoyed that the rest of the world is starting to acknowledge that a person can be beautiful and have a disability.  I also love that according to the article, this isn’t the first time a child with a disability is being used to advertise something in mainstream markets.  Now that we’re getting closer to the Holiday Season, I’ve seen the “differently able” toy catalog from Toys-R-Us and while this is also a step in the right direction, I’m just thrilled about the statement this makes in the mainstream market.

When you grow up with a disability, it’s very easy to think you’re the only one going through things, even if you go to a school, or even a hospital, and see other kids like you.  Seeing someone who has a disability in a catalog makes you feel like you have a place in the world, and there are other people who can understand your situation.  You don’t feel like the odd-man-out.

Feeling like the odd-man-out could lead to self-esteem issues in life.  As I’ve said before, I’ve been very lucky to have an extremely supportive family but, that’s not always the case for others who live with a disability.  Thank you to those stores and other media outlets for making disability more visible for all to see.  The powerful and positive message sent with these actions will impact many people.

What other retail campaigns can positively influence how disability is viewed?

To find out more about this story, check out the link below:

http://shine.yahoo.com/fashion/adorable-girl-cerebral-palsy-lands-major-modeling-gig-200200378.html

Thanks for reading..

cr

The Oscars Celebrate People with Disabilities

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Tonight is one of Hollywood’s biggest nights – The Academy Awards. This week, I started thinking about how many of these most prestigious awards have been given out to movies about people with different disabilities.

From true stories like “My Left Foot” to depictions like “Rain Main”, these movies have gained the highest praise the movie industry has to offer.  In my opinion, they’ve also made people with disabilities a little more relatable.  That’s  because they’ve shown them in real-life situations that can happen to anyone.  Each movie also showed what the person would do in response to their surroundings.  Though there were a handful of movies that depicted disability in some way, shape or form, I’ve chosen three to talk about in today’s post.

“My Left Foot” is the story of a man named Christy Brown.  The movie shows how he lived his life with the use of only his left foot due to Cerebral Palsy.  When “My Left Foot” was in theaters  I was surprised to see the story of someone’s life with Cerebral Palsy being shown in the movies.  It was one of those times where I felt like C.P. was being shown not as something that’s contagious (as some kids used to say) but, something that was meant to be overlooked.  It helped emphasize that people should focus on the actual person instead of what they weren’t able to do.

“Rain Man” may have been the first time that someone with Autism was depicted on the “silver screen”.  One of the reasons that I chose to list it here is because in the movie, although his brother didn’t know that he existed, when he found out about him and started interacting with him, Raymond showed that despite his disability, he was an intelligent person.  I feel like this movie  helped dispel the myth that a person who is disabled can’t be intelligent.

There’s also the movie “I Am Sam” which starred Sean Penn.   This movie is about a father with a developmental disability that’s trying to keep custody of his daughter after they’re abandoned by her mother.  Although it didn’t win an Academy Award, it showed the struggle that people with disabilities sometimes face in order to keep custody of their children.

Oscar night is always exciting, even if you’re just watching from the comfort of your own home.  It’s also refreshing to know that it’s filled with great diversity.

What is your favorite Academy Award winning movie?

Thanks for reading..

cr

Disability on Television: A History

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Something that has always been interesting to me is seeing disabled characters being portrayed on t.v.  I am not sure if it is because I remember seeing Geri Jewell on “The Facts of Life” and thinking… there’s someone else with C.P.  Then I started thinking about how disabled characters have “matured” over time.  What I mean by that is I feel like with each character that is shown on t.v., the characters are made stronger and more independent with the passage of time.  

Though the list I am about to share is a small one, I feel like it is representative of how disability has “grown up” in the media’s eyes.  I am also going to say, and others will probably agree, that people who are disabled are still very under represented on television and hopefully, in the future, that will change.

Here is my list of people who have brought disability into living rooms everywhere and made the topic more relatable to others:

1. Geri Jewell– She was on the “Facts of Life” and played Blair’s cousin.  This was probably one of the first portrayals of disability on t.v. that showed a disabled person being just like everyone else.

2. Marlee Matlin– Most recently, she was a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars” but, to me, Marlee Matlin has had many other memorable roles.  I know she was in “Children of a Lesser God” and won an Academy Award for her performance in the movie.  To me, the fact that she is a person with a disability who has won such a prestigious award, speaks volumes about overcoming society’s stereotypes  and everyday barriers in general.  My favorite portrayal of hers was in a show called “Picket Fences” where she played a bank robber and then, later, was the  mayor.  It was a fun role that, again, showed someone with a disability in an everyday kind of person manner.

3. Chris Burke – He played Corky on “Life Goes On”.  This is someone with Down Syndrome who was dealing with everyday problems on television.  I feel like he helped people realize that people with different types of disabilities could live their life just like anyone else.  It also showed that they went through the same things as everyone else even though they live with a disability.  When I saw this show, I really felt like people who live with Down Syndrome were being portrayed in a very honest manner. 

4. Laura Innes– She was one of the doctors on “ER”.  This was the first time I had ever seen a person with a disability actually being a doctor on television.  Though I am very aware that there are doctors with disabilities in the “real” world, I felt like this was the first time a disabled character had a position of power.

5. Jim Byrnes– If you have ever caught “Highlander: The Series” in the 90’s, you will remember this character.  He was Duncan McLeod’s “watcher”.  Though his disability was not the main focus of his character, and it shouldn’t have been, it was very refreshing to see him in a helping capacity.

6. Andrea Friedman– She has been on “Life Goes On”  and some other shows as well but, I picked to put her on my list for her role as Katie on “Law and Order: SVU”.  Until now, this has to be my favorite character.  Not because she was a victim, though I felt like that part of the show could also open the door for some good dialogue about the subject, but because she was pregnant and wanted to be a mom to her baby.  I was very happy that her character gave people the opportunity to think of people who are disabled as perspective parents too, something you definitely don’t see too often on television.

The following was certainly a small list but, it is evidence of the wide range of roles that have been developed to show people with a disability on television.  What have you learned from seeing people with disabilities being portrayed on television?

Thanks for reading..

cr

The Power of a Brother’s Love

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I was watching Good Morning America this morning and learned about 9-year-old Connor and 6-year-old Cayden Long.  Cayden has Cerebral Palsy and his brother Connor decided he wanted to help him experience things that he may not have the chance to experience.   Connor knew that because of his disability, his brother wouldn’t be able to experience things  like other kids would.  Connor decided to run in triathlons with his brother so he could give him that opportunity.

They were just chosen as Sports Illustrated’s 2012 Sports Kids of the Year.  The interesting part of the story is that Cayden’s brother Connor has inspired his family to look at his brother’s disability in a new way.  Their mother was telling Josh Taylor, who interviewed them,  how she and her husband had grieved when they were told that their child was disabled.  Too often, parents of children who are disabled grieve for the lack of ability their child experiences in their lives because of a disability.

In my opinion, life with a disability is an opportunity to accomplish things in a different way.  I know it may be upsetting for a parent at first but, the way I look at it, I haven’t missed the things I have been unable to do so, I am not sad about being born with my disability.  I could be wrong but, I don’t believe children miss what they do not know.

I am very impressed that Connor, at his young age,  is and was able to show his parents and others the potential his brother has despite his disability.  It will be interesting to see how else Connor may advocate for his brother in the future and what else they might accomplish as a team.

Here is the link in case you would like more information:

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/cerebral-palsy-sparks-brothers-conner-cayden-longs-triathlon-17552289

Thanks for reading…

cr

A Different Kind of Inspiration

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

We usually hear a lot of different inspiring stories about people overcoming certain odds.  I was watching “The Jeff Probst Show” yesterday and they had a story about a dad and his daughter who has Cerebral Palsy.  As I started to watch the show, I was unsure of the message they were trying to send to their audience but kept watching anyhow.  The father started talking about how he felt like he was being punished by having a child with C.P.

If you have read my blog before, you know or have gathered that I do not feel that way about having a disability at all.  As I continued watching, I realized how Maddy (the daughter with CP) helped her family (and dad) overcome their negative feelings about disability.  Even though Maddy isn’t able to talk or walk because of her CP, she has overcome obstacles of her own in the sense of her family’s outlook on her life.  She also participates in different sporting events, most times with her dad and even sometimes with her whole family.  This is definitely an example of living the most independent and fulfilling life you can given your situation.  After telling the story of his daughter, Maddy’s father said that he no longer sees her and her disability as a punishment, he says that it is now seen as something positive.

It has been my experience that some families who have a family member that is disabled sometimes have mixed emotions about the disabled family member.  I know the difficulties and obstacles that come with having a disability.  It is certainly not an easy feat to live with a disability but, I feel like in this story, Maddy helped her family have a better outlook on her disability.  As a result, she has brought her family closer together.

How has an experience changed your outlook on life?

Thanks for reading…

cr