Speechless- essay about disability PDF

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Disability in film essay ...

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Professor Carubia WRT306 May 6, 2019

Disability in Media Critical Response Speechless

The TV series Speechless i s an ABC American sitcom that explores both the serious and comical challenges a family faces with a teenager who has a disability. Micah Fowler plays the role of J.J. Dimeo, a teen boy with cerebral palsy. “Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by damage that occurs to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth” (Mayo Clinic). Aside from being an actor, Micah Fowler actually has cerebral palsy, the same disability as his character. It is r are to see a disabled or chronically ill person in a leading role on TV or in movies. It is even more rare to see the occasional role filled by an actor who shares the same disability or illness in real life. These conditions make Speechless a rare and special form of entertainment. “Speechless  removes the stigmas associated with disability in popular culture and normalizes a world of acceptance” (King). The TV show avoids the concept of “inspiration porn” and does not depict J.J. as merely an object of inspiration. Rather, it depicts an accurate representation of disability and portrays disabled people as what they are: normal.

As a main character, the focus of most episodes is on J.J. and inevitably, his disability. J.J. receives assistance school from an aide hired by the school district, Kenneth. “Together with Kenneth and J.J.'s family, they wrangle ableism, discrimination, and the realities of high school and adolescence humorously” (Weiner). For example, in an episode that takes place in the grocery store, a man talking on his cell phone moves J.J.'s wheelchair out of his way rather than asking him to mo ve. In response, JJ takes the man's shopping list and follows him so that he and his wheelchair can get in the man's way. When the man confronts him, J.J. replies, "You moved me like an object in your way, so I'm being an object in your way." However, the show does not revolve around the struggles JJ faces as a person with a disability. This is simply an example of how Speechless s trives to remove stereotypes placed on disabled people and emphasizes that these individuals should be treated normally. In another episode, J.J. is going to have a date with a girl who is in a wheelchair temporarily due to an injury. His  family and Kenneth help prepare J.J. for the date by putting the younger brother Ray in a wig and a wheelchair and telling J.J. what to do when the girl comes over. Practicing for a date is a situation that happens with or without wheelchair-using characters. The episode presents an example of an individual with disabilities present the same normalized behaviors, just as a person without disability. In conclusion, entertainment about disability is regularly directed, written, and starring able-bodied people, who portray the lives of disabled people as a “pity party”. However, this is not the case for Speechless. “Speechless h as undone the over-used ideas of what a disabled narrative looks like by not using J.J. as a plot device to promote able-bodied happiness” (King).

He is a teenage boy with with wants, desire, and most importantly, flaws. “Speechless isn't the first show to depict a disability, but it is the first show that's even attempted to remove established stereotypes of what a show featuring disability should be about” (Lopez).

Works Cited

“Cerebral Palsy.” Mayo Clinic , Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 25 Aug. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cerebral-palsy/symptoms-causes/syc-20353999. King, Brittany. “Speechless Star Micah Fowler Opens Up About Thriving with Cerebral Palsy: 'I Don't Let It Define Me'.” PEOPLE.com, people.com/celebrity/speechless-micah-fowler-opens-up-thriving-cerebral-palsy/. Lopez, Kristen. “Why Are You Still Sleeping on Speechless? | TV Guide.” TVGuide.com , TV Guide, 31 Aug. 2018, www.tvguide.com/news/speechless-behind-the-scenes-disabilty/. Weiner, Julie. “Speechless Is A Groundbreaking Depiction Of Disability For TV.” The Odyssey Online , 6 Sept. 2017, www.theodysseyonline.com/speechless-is-groundbreaking-depiction-of-disability-for-tv....