disabilities in hollywood

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.

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

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

I was watching the news the other night and heard the story of the movie “Dolphin Tale”. The movie stars Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd and Harry Connick, Jr. just to name a few of the celebrities. While the movie came out in 2011 and is about a dolphin who receives a prosthetic tail after her tail was tangled in some rope that was attached to a crab trap, it’s interesting to me that this movie can have a positive effect on people’s lives even today.

After doing some research and having time to think about a dolphin receiving a prosthetic tail, I realized that this would be great encouragement for those who are maybe having a hard time with the loss of a limb themselves.

It seems that this is in fact the case. “Winter” the dolphin lives at Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Clearwater, Florida. She’s been an inspiration to many people, including the little girl who really helped “Winter” get noticed. I’ve read some criticism about where the actual story that’s shown in the movie came from but, what difference does it make when none of the major facts were really changed and the message that’s getting to the public about disabilities is positive? This is a movie inspired by a true story, which means that some things in the movie may not be exactly what happened in real life. Either way, I think Hollywood did a great job talking about a subject that maybe people feel uncomfortable talking about or wouldn’t know how to approach in the first place.

What other movies or books help you approach topics related to disabilities that might not be so comfortable to talk about otherwise?

To read more about this post, go to:

http://www.mnn.com/local-reports/indiana/local-blog/dolphin-tale-amazing-true-story-is-not-exactly-true

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Tag: disabilities in hollywood

“Margarita, with a Straw” Thoughts

“Dolphin Tale” More than a Movie