Raising Awareness About: Disability On TV

[thecatmeows]

As someone who used to work at a nonprofit for kids with disability, I'm happy to see disability being more represented in TV - although, there's still plenty of room for improvement. Two of my favorite examples are Max on Parenthood, an autistic child, and more recently, Christopher on 9-1-1 (on FOX), who has cerebral palsy. The actor who plays him actually has cerebral palsy. It's one thing to represent disability on TV, but an even greater thing to have actors who have disabilities representing their disabled characters.

[Blergh]

8 minutes ago, thecatmeows said:

As someone who used to work at a nonprofit for kids with disability, I'm happy to see disability being more represented in TV - although, there's still plenty of room for improvement. Two of my favorite examples are Max on Parenthood, an autistic child, and more recently, Christopher on 9-1-1 (on FOX), who has cerebral palsy. The actor who plays him actually has cerebral palsy. It's one thing to represent disability on TV, but an even greater thing to have actors who have disabilities representing their disabled characters.

Thanks for the info.

I'd have given you an outright 'like' but for the character of Max on the  latter Parenthood series.  Unlike your example of Christopher on 9-1-1, the performer who played him is NOT autistic which  that in itself isn't a fatal flaw . However, what WAS IMO a problem was that he was he was depicted an outrightly mean bully in his own right (and NOT just due to his condition despite what the script wanted the viewers to believe) that his parents constantly catered to and insisted on having everyone else in their lives cater to instead of attempting to encourage him to be the best person he could be to others despite having that condition. I saw every episode of that series and I can't recall a single time in which he got called on any of his mean stunts nor anyone acknowledging that on some level he DID know exactly what he was doing and reaping the bounty of everyone else catering to him due to his condition. An infuriating fail on the show's part not just to the character but also inasmuch it had had the opportunity to show progress and demonstrate that folks with autism could be positive folks who could contribute benefits   to their family's and peers' lives but instead the message was that it was hopeless for the parents to try to encourage their afflicted offspring to change as much as possible for the better and  all they could do is cater to them. What's even sadder is that the show's producer Jason Katims has a son with that condition and I REALLY hope against the odds that somehow not only did he and his wife NOT attempt to raise the son with that philosophy but that the son wasn't too humiliated by the character of Max! 

[andromeda331]

1 hour ago, Blergh said:

Thanks for the info.

I'd have given you an outright 'like' but for the character of Max on the  latter Parenthood series.  Unlike your example of Christopher on 9-1-1, the performer who played him is NOT autistic which  that in itself isn't a fatal flaw . However, what WAS IMO a problem was that he was he was depicted an outrightly mean bully in his own right (and NOT just due to his condition despite what the script wanted the viewers to believe) that his parents constantly catered to and insisted on having everyone else in their lives cater to instead of attempting to encourage him to be the best person he could be to others despite having that condition. I saw every episode of that series and I can't recall a single time in which he got called on any of his mean stunts nor anyone acknowledging that on some level he DID know exactly what he was doing and reaping the bounty of everyone else catering to him due to his condition. An infuriating fail on the show's part not just to the character but also inasmuch it had had the opportunity to show progress and demonstrate that folks with autism could be positive folks who could contribute benefits   to their family's and peers' lives but instead the message was that it was hopeless for the parents to try to encourage their afflicted offspring to change as much as possible for the better and  all they could do is cater to them. What's even sadder is that the show's producer Jason Katims has a son with that condition and I REALLY hope against the odds that somehow not only did he and his wife NOT attempt to raise the son with that philosophy but that the son wasn't too humiliated by the character of Max! 

God yes! Max was a horrible, spoiled brat and bully. He did crap all of the time and he always got away with it. Adam and Kristina would blame everyone else and never Max. They did nothing to prepare him to live in the world with his condition. He video tapes a girl crying at school because her dog died, is it Max's fault? Nope. Not his fault. He had a crush on a girl but the girl wasn't interested. He harassed her and demanded the boy she liked be expelled. Max purposely gets kicked out of class because then it means he gets sent to the library or somewhere and can do what he wants. Kristina is furious...with the teacher and then the school and decides she's going to open her own school. Or listen to poor Haddie explaining how basically everything in her life Max was always first or he manage to ruin.  Its was so infuriating. When the show first started I was interested in Max and the storyline. It was and still would be interesting to see how parents deal with learning their son has asbergers (sp?), figuring to accept that, deal with that and raise him. But that's so not what we got. 

[Blergh]

On 3/30/2019 at 12:41 PM, andromeda331 said:

God yes! Max was a horrible, spoiled brat and bully. He did crap all of the time and he always got away with it. Adam and Kristina would blame everyone else and never Max. They did nothing to prepare him to live in the world with his condition. He video tapes a girl crying at school because her dog died, is it Max's fault? Nope. Not his fault. He had a crush on a girl but the girl wasn't interested. He harassed her and demanded the boy she liked be expelled. Max purposely gets kicked out of class because then it means he gets sent to the library or somewhere and can do what he wants. Kristina is furious...with the teacher and then the school and decides she's going to open her own school. Or listen to poor Haddie explaining how basically everything in her life Max was always first or he manage to ruin.  Its was so infuriating. When the show first started I was interested in Max and the storyline. It was and still would be interesting to see how parents deal with learning their son has asbergers (sp?), figuring to accept that, deal with that and raise him. But that's so not what we got. 

Exactly! Instead of making any attempt to show any kind of progress whatsoever  re Max's behavior (in six (!) seasons)much less Adam's and Kristina's expectations for him, the show just made him out to be an irredeemable monster BECAUSE of his condition and his parents were expected to be considered objects of pity due to supposedly having no choice but to constantly cater to his whims, rants, stunts,etc. Yeah, the show COULD have attempted to show how parents deal with a child with Asperger's, learning to accept that and how to raise him with the goal of become an independent, autonomous productive adult citizen  (even on those occasions when he may have taken a step or two back while on the path of the ultimate goal).  It could have even been a New Millennial Life Goes On deal in which instead of a Down's Syndrome child   learning to make the best of his condition   in order to become a vital,integral  part of his family and the community, it could have been done as as Asperger's child doing the same. However; (as you said) it was SO not what we got- and TOO bad for not just the performer and the audience but those diagnosed with Asperger's and their families who now have to live that show down re dealing with ugly stereotypes! 

[ellenr33]

Or how about when Amber got in the car accident and he got angry because he wanted pancakes. Parenthood made Aspergers look awful. 

[Lady Calypso]

Yeah, the representation of Asperger's on Parenthood was far from great. It's a shame because there were the rare moments when they actually explored the disability and its impact on the family. There's one moment later in the series where Max was upset as his parents were driving him home because he was being bullied. It was probably the last moment of real sympathy and the kid actor was actually good. It was the writing of Max and the writing of Adam/Kristina that really failed on all aspects. His parents let him get away with EVERYTHING and, most of the time, it seemed like it was Max being a spoiled brat instead of him having Asperger's. 

But then again, it really didn't help when Adam and Kristina's family got everything they wanted pretty much all of the time. They were the least realistic part of the show. They never struggled for long before they pulled out an unrealistic win. The show threw almost every single obstacle possible at them and they persevered every single time. Max's Asperger's was used well in most of the first season, but they really dropped the ball after that. They used it for Adam and Kristina to whine about how life was hard for their family and how they basically guilt tripped people, or at least tried to, in order to get what they wanted. In a way, they used Max's disability as an excuse. The therapy sessions they had for Max were always offscreen and Max never really made any progress himself by the end. 

Max was definitely coddled and it wasn't a good look. No wonder his sister ran far, far away after she went to college. 

[Blergh]

Lady Calypso,

 I totally agree with your post. I'd just like to add that it was a very good thing for the show to have that storyline of Max being bullied because folks with challenges are often bullied and that needs to be addressed! It actually did a fairly good job of them having to deal with that- at least for that episode. Alas, it wouldn't be too long before Max himself BECAME  a bully and not only did Adam & Kristina fail to call him on that but, in doing so, they failed to recall to him how HE had been bullied much less made any attempt to ask him how he'd felt and then tried to build some empathy for others via that. Yeah, and it was also most infuriating that they seemed to believe that there was NO WAY Max (or any other person with Asperger's) could ever hope to LEARN empathy for other! 

[ellenr33]

Max just always seemed like a spoiled brat to me! 

[possibilities]

Did any one watch the first episode of "In The Dark"? The main character is blind. The actress isn't, and it shows. I'm not angry enough to boycott the show over it, but I go into it skeptical that they are actually committed to really representing blind people issues. They seem to be trying, though, at least a little. We're in this weird part of history where, if we don't support shows that represent a little, the conclusion will be that disabled characters aren't viable, rather than that badly drawn ones aren't. But if shows with disabled characters get good ratings, producers will take more risks and develop more.

Edited April 5, 2019 by possibilities

[kathyk24]

I'm more annoyed than angry when abled bodied actors are cast as disabled people. I think networks don't realize that casting disabled actors will give them free publicity. Every disability organization that I know of has a website that can be used to promote the new show. There is a new show debuting next Friday on Netflix called Special. The lead character played Ryan O'Connell has CP.

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, kathyk24 said:

I'm more annoyed than angry when abled bodied actors are cast as disabled people. I think networks don't realize that casting disabled actors will give them free publicity. Every disability organization that I know of has a website that can be used to promote the new show. There is a new show debuting next Friday on Netflix called Special. The lead character played Ryan O'Connell has CP.

Of course, we have our real trailbreaker here, Cousin Geri from the Facts of Life.

The actress later had an episode of 21 Jump Street where she played an officer that got shot and was paralyzed on one side of the body.

RJ Mitte (also with CP) had a story in Separated At Birth where he played someone who got injured in a sporting accident. I also have kind of lowkey crush on the guy- I think he's really attractive-looking!

I have a friend in college who had a mild form of CP. You really wouldn't know it (his vocalization was totally normal) except for the way he walked. He also can't drive. So it was interesting to compare my experience with him to the portrayals on t.v.

Edited April 6, 2019 by methodwriter85

[possibilities]

This week's Speechless had JJ meeting his girlfriend's parents for the first time. They reacted to him in a condescending syrupy way, immediately de-sexualizing him. So Izzy and JJ decided the way to change her parents' perceptions was to get in bed together and get caught there. Since her bedroom was upstairs and her bed was a loft bed, it was a huge project to make this happen. When they finally got caught, Izzy's dad got super-angry, which is how he would have reacted to an AB boyfriend in the same situation, so mission accomplished.

I'm skipping over a lot of details here, but I really like Izzy and JJ together.

In a previous episode, JJ met an actress who was going to be in a film which was hitting every possible offensive trope about disability. JJ and his siblings were horrified and kept telling her how wrong everything was. It was well-done-- funny but educational for people who are clueless.

The show is not perfect, but it's really trying and sometimes it does a good job of saying things other shows with disabled characters either ignore or get completely wrong.

[Scarlett45]

On 4/6/2019 at 2:32 AM, methodwriter85 said:

RJ Mitte (also with CP) had a story in Separated At Birth where he played someone who got injured in a sporting accident. I also have kind of lowkey crush on the guy- I think he's really attractive-looking!

I think you mean Switched at Birth, which was an excellent show in its portrayal of disabilities and Deaf culture. I miss it. 

[Lady Calypso]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I think you mean Switched at Birth, which was an excellent show in its portrayal of disabilities and Deaf culture. I miss it. 

I think Switched at Birth did a better job than other shows in its early seasons but I do hold the opinion that, at some point (maybe season three or four?), they really dropped the ball on their portrayal of Deaf culture, which is a shame. They stopped focusing much of their storylines on Deaf Culture and it became some average teen drama with some deaf characters. I never ended up watching season 5 because I remember feeling so disappointed that the show veered off its unique premise. 

[Scarlett45]

9 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I think Switched at Birth did a better job than other shows in its early seasons but I do hold the opinion that, at some point (maybe season three or four?), they really dropped the ball on their portrayal of Deaf culture, which is a shame. They stopped focusing much of their storylines on Deaf Culture and it became some average teen drama with some deaf characters. I never ended up watching season 5 because I remember feeling so disappointed that the show veered off its unique premise. 

I think seasons 4 and 5 did a really good job with Sib issues (Toby’s wife was a Sib), and I appreciated seeing that on my screen. Not that I think the Sib experience is more important than the experience of the person with the disability (it’s not); but parents get ALL the representation any time the Sib experience is portrayed I jump for joy. 

[methodwriter85]

I basically bailed on the show after they started college because I was too angry about the fact that gutless Daphne let Bailey take the fall for her (because of her sudden ambition to be a doctor after three years of establishing her as wanting to be a chef) and the show still treated Daphne like the sun shone out of her ass. I made it about to when RJ's character showed up and bailed pretty soon after once they got to the "was it rape?" storyline with Bailey and the gay bully from Glee. I did check in a little bit and knew that the mother lost her ability to sign because of an issue with her hands and Toby got a woman pregnant and married her, but yeah. Once the show decided to merge the deaf school with "hearing" students I don't think that show was ever the same again.

Edited April 8, 2019 by methodwriter85

[ratgirlagogo]

On 4/5/2019 at 2:38 PM, possibilities said:

Did any one watch the first episode of "In The Dark"? The main character is blind. The actress isn't, and it shows.

Especially the eye movements, which I think might be almost impossible for a sighted person to imitate.  I'm willing to give this a try, since they seem to be working ( too hard IMO, but OK) at making her a non-cliche blind character - she's insulting and rude!  she's a self-destructive drunk! who  has random unprotected sex with guys she picks up in bars! (damn! am I just old? I thought unprotected sex with strangers went out in the early 90's) and she doesn't love her adorable guide dog!

Clearly a redemption arc is on its way or else how will she ever solve the mystery?  I have super mixed feelings about this but I'll give it a go for a while.

[bros402]

I like MIcah Fowler in Speechless, I do not like the portrayal of autism in The Good Doctor - Freddie Highmore is a good actor, but I do not like the shows portrayal of autism as a nigh superpower. Sometimes it gets a facet of autism right in an episode, then gets everything else wrong.

[ratgirlagogo]

22 hours ago, bros402 said:

autism as a nigh superpower

Oh boy, that's a trope too. The "savant" - in a way it's another version of "their other senses are heightened."  Touch with Kiefer Sutherland was like that, with David Mazouz as the autistic son who can predict the future.

[Blergh]

10 hours ago, ratgirlagogo said:

Oh boy, that's a trope too. The "savant" - in a way it's another version of "their other senses are heightened."  Touch with Kiefer Sutherland was like that, with David Mazouz as the autistic son who can predict the future.

I'm not sure  having someone with challenges depicted as some kind of mystic BECAUSE of them is such a good thing. I know dramas aren't documentaries but surely there has to be a happy or realistic medium between depicting someone as either a monster or a mystic. 

[angora]

Community skewered one specific type of that trope on one of their Law & Order-themed episodes.  The Dean suggests that because Abed is “special,” he might be able to intuit the culprit by standing in the middle of the crime scene.  So Abed steps into the crime scene and dramatically intones, “I see a man Using a social disorder as a procedural device. Wait, wait, wait, I see another man. Mildly autistic super detectives everywhere. Basic cable, broadcast networks. Pain. Painful writing. It hurts.”

[Llywela]

Interesting to note in light of the conversation here that British actress Cherylee Houston (who has Ehler Danos Syndrome) has helped to set up a Disabled Artists Networking Community, aimed at improving visibility of and opportunities for actors with disabilities.

[ratgirlagogo]

On 4/9/2019 at 12:10 PM, Blergh said:

I'm not sure  having someone with challenges depicted as some kind of mystic BECAUSE of them is such a good thing.

Oh, I'm very sure it's NOT.  Sorry if my original post didn't make that clear.

Edited April 10, 2019 by ratgirlagogo

[jammaker]

I've been watching The Act and I really loved how well tube-feeding was portrayed in the first couple of episodes. My son was tube fed for 10 years and I have never seen it so accurately done on television (you know, in the 2-3 times I've seen it at all). The blending, the feeding, the tube changes, and the pile of dishes on the counter.

I wish it was done in another context other than the craziness that is DeeDee and Gypsy, but still, I appreciated the portrayal.

[kathyk2]

I watched the first episode of Special today. The main character Ryan has a mild form of cerebral palsy. I liked that they showed Ryan struggling with his fine motor skills. I also liked Ryan's mom I thought she was awesome. I hated Ryan lying about the source of his disability to his new coworkers. He claimed that his disability was due to a car accident and not CP.

[HunterHunted]

On 4/17/2019 at 1:27 AM, kathyk2 said:

I watched the first episode of Special today. The main character Ryan has a mild form of cerebral palsy. I liked that they showed Ryan struggling with his fine motor skills. I also liked Ryan's mom I thought she was awesome. I hated Ryan lying about the source of his disability to his new coworkers. He claimed that his disability was due to a car accident and not CP.

Special is somewhat autobiographical. The creator and star, Ryan O'Connell, actually did the same thing in his life. Although, his car accident was way more serious and a scene later in the series shows where he still has some discoloration from skin grafts. O'Connell lied about his CP for a very long time.

https://variety.com/2019/tv/features/ryan-oconnell-special-disability-representation-interview-1203175586/

It reminds me a little bit of Bennett on Orange is the New Black. Bennett was in the military, lost a limb, and wore a prosthetic. Bennett let everyone think he lost his leg because of his military service. Instead he lost his leg from a drunken hook-up in a skeevy hot tub in Orlando when he had a cut on his leg, which got infected. The culture definitely has hierarchies acceptability.

[possibilities]

I had not even heard of "Special"-- I need to go check it out.

[talktoomuch]

On 4/7/2019 at 11:09 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I think seasons 4 and 5 did a really good job with Sib issues (Toby’s wife was a Sib), and I appreciated seeing that on my screen. Not that I think the Sib experience is more important than the experience of the person with the disability (it’s not); but parents get ALL the representation any time the Sib experience is portrayed I jump for joy. 

What's a Sib?

[HunterHunted]

6 hours ago, possibilities said:

I had not even heard of "Special"-- I need to go check it out.

The episodes are fairly short. In the end, the whole season is about 2 and 1/2 hours long. However, it doesn't feel like the show is particularly shallow either. They managed to get some really solid character exploration in that time for multiple characters, not just Ryan. It's worth a watch.

[crazycatlady58]

5 hours ago, talktoomuch said:

What's a Sib?

A sibling, brother or sister of the disabled person 

[Scarlett45]

34 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

A sibling, brother or sister of the disabled person 

Yes thanks. Totally fair question @talktoomuch  

[Blergh]

OK, I get that sib is short for the word 'sibling' but are folks who happen to have brothers or sisters dealing with challenges actually termed that with the shortened version capitalized? I mean its not as though we're talking about deities here? And, to keep it on topic, have any TV shows out there used the capitalized version of the actual word?

[blueray]

1 hour ago, crazycatlady58 said:

A sibling, brother or sister of the disabled person 

Interesting. I've never heard it get shorted like that and I work in the profession.

Aso, trying to stay on topic, I was thinking of tv shows or movies that deal with siblings. There was a movie (well tv movie) with Shia Labeouf where he played a disabled kid. The movie was mostly about his relationship with his non-disabled twin sister.

Edited April 20, 2019 by blueray

[paulvdb]

12 hours ago, blueray said:

Aso, trying to stay on topic, I was thinking of tv shows or movies that deal with siblings.

Are you asking for shows where the sibling relationship is the main focus? Because I can think of a few show where a main character is a sibling of a disabled person. But the relationship between the two is not the main focus. Kevin on Joan of Arcadia at least stayed on the show for its entire run. Emily's brother on Make It Or Break It basically disappeared after the first half season. He may have been in a few episodes after that, but his role was so minor that I can't even remember his name.

[HunterHunted]

I had forgotten about Netflix' Dragon Prince. It's an animated fantasy series. Fairly early in season 1, we meet General Amaya. She is one of her country's most decorated warriors and commander of their military. She's also a deaf woman. She's the Queen's sister and part of what attracts the King to the Queen is that she and her sister are both fierce warriors. General Amaya signs in ASL. Her family and her lieutenants also sign in ASL too.

https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/21/17886948/dragon-prince-netflix-sign-language-amaya

[talktoomuch]

Thank you, @crazycatlady58 and @Scarlett45. It seems so obvious now. 😳

That experience has always intrigued me as well, especially now having a BFF with one autistic child and two others without autism. I've seen her struggle in vain to keep the attention balanced.

[Scarlett45]

17 minutes ago, talktoomuch said:

Thank you, @crazycatlady58 and @Scarlett45. It seems so obvious now. 😳

That experience has always intrigued me as well, especially now having a BFF with one autistic child and two others without autism. I've seen her struggle in vain to keep the attention balanced.

I don’t know how old the typical children are, but please tell her about “The Sibling Support Project”! (Just google)There are Sibshops for kids 6-12, and Sib Teen groups as well. I’m spreading awareness wherever I go for young Sibs that might benefit. The organization was started in the early 90s so I was a part of the first generation that could participate (but I didn’t know about them until I was an adult). 

[Scarlett45]

On 4/20/2019 at 9:58 AM, blueray said:

Interesting. I've never heard it get shorted like that and I work in the profession.

Aso, trying to stay on topic, I was thinking of tv shows or movies that deal with siblings. There was a movie (well tv movie) with Shia Labeouf where he played a disabled kid. The movie was mostly about his relationship with his non-disabled twin sister.

Yes I remember that one. I was around that age and in the Disney channel movie phased and REALLY loved it. 

In tv shows I feel the Sib experience is either diluted with “magical siblings tropes” where the sibling with the disability only exists to teach the typical sibling a lesson and “inspire them”....all sunshine and roses and unicorns OR the sibling dies and it’s about how the living people deal later. And it’s always about KIDS, like people with various disabilities all die before they hit puberty?!!😒

[possibilities]

I did not know about the Deaf Warrior Queen! Cool.

--

I watched all the episodes of "Special" today. So much to unpack there!

I think Ryan tried to tell Kim about the CP at their first lunch, but she was not listening, so he just let it go. And then it snowballed from there. A stronger person would have been able to make sure she understood a lot sooner, and would not have written an entire "true story" promoting the lie, but Ryan's deeper problem was that he wasn't dealing with his own reality, either. He couldn't write the truth because he didn't want to think about it.

Soooo many other things going on in the series, too. I hope it comes back for a second season. It's astonishing how many issues they covered in so little time, without it feeling rushed to me at all.

[SimoneS]

Daryl "Chill" Mitchell, RJ Mitte Urge for More Disability Representation in Hollywood:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/daryl-chill-mitchell-rj-mitte-urge-more-disability-representation-1204652

Edited April 26, 2019 by SimoneS

[endure]

I don't know if this series has been mentioned it's one of my favourite reality shows.  It's Born This Way, about a group of young adults with Downs Syndrome making their way living in California.  I think there has been 4 or 5 seasons, it's on A&E.  I don't know if it is coming back on again or not.

[Trini]

Interview with Katherine Beattie, writer for NCIS: New Orleans:

Quote

Currently you are a writer for NCIS: New Orleans and you wrote a recent episode titled, “In Plain Sight” (Season 5, episode 18). How did you pitch this story to your colleagues and why did you want to write one centered on disabled veterans?

I have been pitching a story about disabled veterans through the world of the Warrior Games since season 2, but there was never a right time to get it off the ground until now. We’re in season 5 and have done well over 100 episodes, so our showrunner, Chris Silber, really challenged us to mix it up. He was interested in doing a “day in the life of Patton” episode as Patton (portrayed by Daryl Chill Mitchell)  is one of our most interesting characters, but we rarely see him outside the Squad Room. We blended these two ideas by having Patton involved in a wheelchair rugby league, where we meet his friend Nick Taylor, a disabled service member. Taylor being active duty Navy gave us our NCIS “in” to the episode, but Patton was the emotional hook.

[catlover79]

One of the first TV soap operas dealt with a lawyer who was paralyzed - and the role was played by a paralyzed actress:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miss_Susan

[Trini]

I don't know much about the AppleTV series See*, but I found this article that talks a bit about hiring disabled actors for the show: https://www.emmys.com/news/features/winds-change

Quote

While 20 to 25 percent of Americans identify as having a disability, only about 2 percent of fictional characters on screen are disabled. According to the Ruderman Family Foundation, which advocates for persons with disabilities, 95 percent of disabled characters on scripted television are portrayed by non-disabled performers.

But the producers of See were determined to cast visually impaired actors in major roles, Strechay says. "It surpassed any experience I'd ever had. I don't know that any show has ever incorporated so many actors who are blind or low vision."

For Klauser and Talkington, the jobs came with unexpected benefits. Working on See "helped me come out as someone with a disability," Klauser says. Previously, "I felt like I needed to hide it — I didn't want to be seen as someone who wasn't able to work."

Talkington says she is excited to be on a show "where I can make a difference. I want all of us to come forward."

The actors say they felt free to speak up when something didn't feel right. Klauser recalls that early on, she and Talkington were told "to use our peripheral vision to not look at someone in the face. For Marilee and me, doing this kind of thing is uncomfortable for our eyes, so we said the best thing we could do was bring our own experiences of what it's like to be low vision and rely on our other senses. And they listened to us."

Insights like that, she believes, "helped with the authenticity of the storytelling." Executive producer–director Francis Lawrence agrees, adding that the sighted cast and crew may have gotten more out of See than the blind and low-vision actors.

 

* show synopsis:

Quote

"See," an epic drama starring Jason Momoa and Alfre Woodard, is set 600 years in the future after a virus has decimated humankind and rendered the remaining population blind. When all humanity has lost the sense of sight, humans must adapt and find new ways to survive.

 

[selkie]

And a show actually casts an autistic actor for an autistic character lead role. Finally. 

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/everythings-gonna-be-okay-screening

 

Quote

What sets the show apart from other family sitcoms is that it bluntly unpacks grief, sex, love, and independence in a darkly humorous way. It also makes history as the first show to ever cast an actor on the spectrum in a lead role.

"Everyone that's been cast as a character with autism doesn't really have that disability themselves," Kayla, who plays the outspoken but kindhearted Matilda, says. "So how can they expect to act like one of us, when they haven't walked in our shoes?"

Previously a model, Kayla was one of the first actresses to audition for the role and landed it soon after. And while she's thrilled with the opportunity to give nuance to what it's like having autism, she's also well aware that there should be more representation on big and small screens of people with neurological disorders.

 

I'm actually looking forward to the show- Josh Thomas has a real talent for researching and discussing very serious topics in a comedy without turning it into a Very Special Episode (see Claire's abortion episode from 'Please Like Me')  and the early buzz is good. 

[possibilities]

I loved "Please Like Me" and have been looking forward to this new show, even before I knew there was a disability angle!

Meanwhile, the "Bone Collector" tv remake (now called "Lincoln Rhyme") has reduced the main character, who was quadriplegic in the movie, to a guy "with paralysis" who suddenly starts to be able to wiggle his toes 3 years after his accident. They've cast a non-disabled actor and half his screen time (maybe more) is flashbacks to when he was walking around.

Stumptown has a character with Down Syndrome, who appears to be played by an actor with same. At least they're trying. But his disability is still pretty much his only storyline on a show that could give him a lot else to do.

I'd like to see disabled characters where the disability is NOT the story. I still remember that The Wire had a character who used a wheelchair. He wasn't a main character, but he was there now and then, and I don't think it was ever mentioned one way or the other. He was just a guy in a chair, and it was totally normalized, like seeing a guy with brown eyes or whatever. But he was mostly background. I'd like to see this done with a more prominent character.

 

[paulvdb]

The Netflix series Spinning Out has two characters (mother and daughter) with bipolar disorder. The daughter is the main character of the show. I'm not an expert on bipolar disorder so I don't know how accurately it is portrayed.

[kathyk2]

12 hours ago, paulvdb said:

The Netflix series Spinning Out has two characters (mother and daughter) with bipolar disorder. The daughter is the main character of the show. I'm not an expert on bipolar disorder so I don't know how accurately it is portrayed.

Thanks for the tip I haven't heard of this show. I like Ansel on Stumptown but he's almost to good to be true. He doesn't seem to need to help with anything compared to his sister Dex. I loved Speechless because they weren't afraid to have JJ struggle to be independent.

[DearEvette]

HBO has this show called Years and Years that is set initially in the current day and features a British family that lives through years of political, social, technological change.  Each episode jumps roughly five years into the future.  Has a vaguely Black Mirror vibe but without being as dark as Black Mirror. The show is very inclusive with the family being multicultural and two of the sibs are gay (or the brother is gay, the sister may be bi).  One she is in a wheelchair -- the result of some sort of spinal defect from birth, IIRC.

[Blergh]

For the first few seasons of Degrassi: The Next Generation, there was girl in a wheelchair called Nadia Yamir  (Mona Yasir)who seemed to be friends with Spinner's sister Kendra. Nothing was ever mentioned about what had caused her paralysis and there were no 'Special Episodes' focusing on her life as a parapalegic(and yes, the performer who played her is physically challenged). I suppose it was good to show that this was simply a fact of life for a teen but, alas, she disappeared into  thin air when Kendra vanished.

 There was also a mechanics and shop teacher named Mr. Ehl (Roger McKeen) who was also in a wheelchair . It would have been interesting to have found out why the character chose what had to be the most physically taxing teaching position despite his challenges but he only appeared for a couple of episodes never to be seen or heard from again. 

Edited January 13, 2020 by Blergh