15 Cripped-Up Characters That Deserved Better Representation
Inspired by our recent roast of the newest adaptation of “Come As You Are,” here are 15 Disabled Characters That Should Have Been Played by Disabled Actors. Warning – this article comments on plots containing suicide, abuse, and disabled slurs. #15: Sean Penn as Sam Dawson in I Am Sam To start us off, we […]
YouTube Plans to Discontinue Viewer-Submitted Captions
In the latest news of accessibility removal, YouTube announced that they will be removing community captions on September 28, 2020. A screenshot of YouTube’s announcement to discontinue community contributions. Image description: An announcement from Youtube stating: Community contributions will be discontinued across all channels after September 28, 2020. Community contributions allowed viewers to add closed […]
“Come As You Are” – But Only If You’re Cripping Up
A quadriplegic, a wheelchair user, and a blind man are walking down the road when a cop pulls up next to them. Finding them alone on a busy highway, the cop calls it in: “Yeah, I’ve got two handicapped guys – “ “Actually,” the quadriplegic corrects, “it’s ‘person with disabilities.’” The cop gives the ragtag […]
‘Wicked’ Attempts to Inspire the Golden Rule in Viewers – But Instead, Only Inspires Ableism
Image illustrated by staff artist, Ellie Darby-Prangnell Envision this scenario in the eyes of an able-bodied individual. The house (which is the seating area, for you non-theatre nerds) is filled with hundreds of ecstatic theatre-goers ready to see the critically acclaimed musical, “Wicked.” Hundreds of people of every age are at the edge of their […]
“You Are So Cute” : The Nicest Insult I Have Ever Gotten
“You are so cute!” A phrase I hear all the time. From family, friends and sometimes people I don’t even know. Okay, to a certain degree- I get it. I am quite small in stature and to some I resemble a small woodland creature. But because I am Disabled, calling me cute can mean a […]
Disability Pride: Five Disabled LGBTQ Activists Who Connected Communities
Pride today largely consists of celebrations, rainbow-clad community members, and corporations capitalizing on the opportunity to seem inclusive. The major strides in advancing LGBTQ rights combined with the nearly nonexistent inclusion of our history in school curriculums can allow us to perceive the past through rose-colored lenses. It is easy to forget the myriad of […]
“My Disability is Not a Lie” and More Statements I’ve Had to Tell at School
Most able-bodied people have an image in their mind of what they think a disabled person is and I’d bet the whole two dollars in my bank account that nine times out of ten that person is sitting in a wheelchair. Using this logic, me, a disabled person who can walk without obvious visual issues, […]
How Even Good-Hearted Allyship Can Be Harmful to Your Disabled Friends
The stigma surrounding disability and chronic illness is so deeply rooted in society that it can thrive while still perfectly concealed by its normalization. It is so concealed that when a disabled person dares to bring it up or call it out, they are quickly dismissed and silenced by how certain ableds are that ableism […]
No, NPR, More Pain Is Not The Answer For Teens With Chronic Pain
Far too often, I and many other people with chronic pain have heard that we just need to “push through” the pain and keep going. This is especially prevalent among teenage girls. Our current society holds an image of teenage girls in its mind; lazy, dramatic, and emotional, which makes it harder for us to […]
This Week in Disability Representation: Examining Reality TV and Modern Drama
In “This Week in Disability Representation”, writer Brianna Schunk provides a space to examine the small examples of disability representation that pop up in daily life. This includes books, plays, TV shows, movies, and other forms of media. In this week’s edition of “This Week in Representation,” the writer will be examining the play Clybourne […]