While most shows aim for some kind of diversity of cast, few strive to include diversity of ability alongside other types of diversity. This means that few shows actively work on getting visibly disabled characters onto the show so few are seen on TV.
Nevertheless, there are quality representations of visible disabilities in the minority ofshows. The following are some of the best representations of visible disabilities on television – past and present.
– Glee – Glee went under fire for hiring a non-disabled person to play the guitar-playing paraplegic, Artie, on the show. And while Glee’s portrayal of disability has not always been favorable – giving in to various stereotypes – the show still gets credit for his inclusion in the cast and episodes focused on him.
– ER – One of ER’s more prominent doctors – Kerry Weaver – had a visible disability and used a cane to assist in walking. Perhaps one of the better things about this disability portrayal was the fact that her storyline did not revolve around her disability but, rather, her, as a person.
– Game of Thrones – One of the most popular shows on television, Game of Thrones also has one of the best representations of visible disabilities on TV. There is a character that is paralyzed, but the big win is for little people with character Tyrion Lannister a nuanced and dimensional character that breathes life into a person with a disability. His disability is neither forgotten about nor the subject of every scene.
– Friday Night Lights – A show about football, Friday Night Lights also offers a good representation of a visible disability – quadriplegia – on TV. The disability is caused by events in the first episode and the show doesn’t forget the former football star and tells a realistic story of how he must adjust to his radically changed circumstances.
– Breaking Bad – In Breaking Bad, the son of the main character has cerebral palsy and is actually played by an actor that also has the condition, perhaps one of the reasons it is such a good representation. The reason this representation of a visible disability is so good is because it focuses on the character and not the disability with the character coming off as a regular teenage boy, which, of course, people with disabilities are.
– Joan of Arcadia – You might have missed Joan of Arcadia as it only ran from 2003-2005. However, the show was well received by critics and contained a quality representation of a visible disability – paraplegia. The lead character, Joan, has an older brother, Kevin, who was in a car accident two years earlier and lost the use of his legs. His story arc starts with him being bitter from his accident and unwilling to move on and continues on to see his world blossom with work and love interests.
While each of these best representations of visible disabilities in television focus on the disability to a greater or lesser extent, what they all do well is focus on the person behind the disability, understanding that people with disabilities are people first and simply happen to also have additional challenges.
Most of the shows on this list were identified in Top Ten TV Shows with Disabled Characters by Ruth Madison.
“This article was written by award-winning mental health writer and speaker, Natasha Tracy.”
http://natashatracy.com
