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The role media plays in creating space for people with disabilities
MAHPARA FAATIN
Just last year, Twinkling Watermelon had taken social media by storm, with fans raving about how heartwarming the Korean drama was. But, the show had also set off a unique spark: people across the globe were learning sign language to recreate scenes from the show, which was refreshing to see in a world where sign language tends to be limited to the disabled and their immediate social circles.
Films and TV shows have had a long history of creating compelling depictions of disabilities, which, in turn, have positively influenced the way society perceives them. Bollywood itself has given us many memorable movies starring characters with disabilities like Taare Zameen Par, Hitchki, Barfi!, and My Name Is Khan to name a few.
Arguably, some of the most impactful of these representations are those targeted towards a younger audience. DC gave us Barbara Gordon in a wheelchair while Disney gave all young dyslexic Percy Jackson fans a chance to claim themselves as Greek demigods. Disabled characters in Barbie and even Mattel’s line of Barbie Dolls with Disabilities all play a role towards creating a friendlier environment for those who live with disabilities.
In a society where individuals with disabilities are often ostracised, the necessary reforms required to make their lives more comfortable are often not prioritised. Thus, the influence of media remains of utmost importance since it holds the ability to break through negative perceptions commonly held against people with disabilities and allow individuals to highlight the lesser-discussed struggles and perspectives.
Kim Hye-yoon, in Lovely Runner, tugged at our heartstrings by exceptionally acting out the pain and desperation of a girl losing her ability to walk. But is exceptional acting a good enough representation?
Popular singer Sia’s film Music about a person with autismwas criticised for being offensive and for casting a neurotypical actress. Disney’s upcoming Snow White live-action is currently under fire for using CGI to depict the seven dwarfs instead of real actors with dwarfism.
From the abundance of movies of this genre being produced, only a handful are played by disabled actors. Sure, Daniel Day-Lewis in his 1989 movie My Left Foot was so dedicated to his role that he suffered two broken ribs, but couldn’t they have cast someone with cerebral palsy to begin with? One may argue that there aren’t a lot of disabled actors but that couldn’t be far from the truth.
Netflix, surprisingly, was the one to do it right by casting blind actor Aria Loberti to star in the film based on the Pulitzer Award-winning novel, All the Light We Cannot See. Furthermore, we cannot forget Millicent Simmonds, who played Regan, a character who is deaf in the horror movie franchise A Quiet Place. Her interview with CBS Mornings bears testament to how big of a stepping stone her casting was where she said, “Never did I think I’d become a professional actor. We don’t see that, you don’t ever see people like me on the screens… I want kids out there to see themselves represented on the screen. They can be the ones to save people, they don’t have to be saved.”
As actors with disabilities are not given the opportunity to play a wide variety of roles, it seems extremely outrageous to cast able-bodied actors for the few roles that do exist which depict disabilities. What is even more outrageous is insensitive representation, like that in Music or in all the films that have used people with speech impairments for comic relief or the ones where they showcase the disabled as pitiable characters.
Representation is important but holds no value if it isn’t meaningful.