Review Archives - Page 12 of 12

Where are the disabled actors?

Maybe I don’t understand how TV and movies work, but is it really so hard to find disabled people to play disabled characters? There are so many little examples of disabled characters thrown onto shows or movies for diversity’s sake or for the main plot line and they are always played by non-disabled actors. Some shows hire consultants to make sure they are getting things right, but why hire two people? Why go that extra mile? Why not just hire someone who already knows what that disability is like? This might be a bit or a chicken and egg issue. I imagine there are few disabled actors because there are few roles they are accepted for. To me, the best solution would be for Hollywood to be okay with casting disabled actors for non-disabled roles. That...

Posted by ruthadmin on Jan 3, 2011 in Disability Rights, Movies | 0 comments

Mystery Diagnosis

I was watching this show a couple months ago and there was a story that really distressed me. Here’s the scenario: A guy, middle aged father, suddenly starts having bouts of paralysis. Some days he wakes up and can’t move his legs, other days he is fine. Since this show is about mysterious illnesses, of course, doctors are having a lot of trouble figuring out what to do. The guy goes on disability leave from him work and sits around at home all day. But the money starts to run out and the guy is trying to figure out what to do. I was watching this with an able-bodied friend and I asked him, what does this guy do? Is he in construction? No, it turns out that he has a desk job that wouldn’t be effected at all by this new disability. He reluctantly...