Forgive me, for I shall be using at least two examples from a fictional universe mentioned in the very last post on this website. For this week’s post, I had been thinking a lot about my own…limitations, and how similar medical conditions are portrayed in media. Going further than that, how entertainment is evolving to give those afflicted with these medical conditions a greater voice within the industry.
The thought to have this topic came to me as I was watching a movie this past weekend, one of the newer Star Wars movies, perhaps in anticipation for the release of a series based off a character from that one film. It occurred to me when I saw the entrance of a blind character that the entire franchise never really included a disabled character, although in a universe with technology that advised it could be considered difficult not to propose solving the issue in that way. From a story-telling perspective, this character was playing into the ‘blind monk’ trope, yet what bothered me was how cliché it seemed that the physical blindness was compensated with a heightened sense of hearing. While it was comforting to see Hollywood showing someone with this sort of condition, it was still a recycled version of a stereotype, even if it was the first time the series was using it.
The other example from the Star Wars universe I felt needed referencing comes not from the storyline of any series, rather one of the actors used in a series. Actor Troy Kotsur was cast in the series The Mandalorian as one of several cloaked beings known as Tuskens who spoke mainly in grunts and screams, and up until then had never attempted to be communicated with. Kotsur, who is deaf himself, helped develop a sign language within the universe that communicated with other beings. This is why it matters for those with disabilities to be part of the conversation, not just be admired by those leading it. Additionally, Kotsur won an Oscar for his performance in CODA, becoming the first deaf male actor to win such an award.
Perhaps my personal favorite on this list is the impact actress Millicent Simmonds had working on the movie A Quiet Place. Director John Krazinski fought for a deaf actress to be cast in the role that Simmonds ultimately played, specifically because the role itself was playing a deaf child. Moreover, Krazinski required the whole cast to learn American Sign Language so that they knew what signs to make when they had to use ASL for their part, but more importantly so that they could communicate with their castmate in a way that she could easily understand. He even took the input of both Simmonds and her family when filming the movie. Again, that is what society needs; not just bobbing heads when those less than able-bodied say what they need, but rather be given a say in the actual process; building a system they fit into rather than have a support system made by those who could never understand what it’s like living with those types of conditions.
The final actress that deserves to be discussed within this post is Jamie Brewer, most notable for her work in the American Horror Stories series. In 2015, the actress became the first person with Down Syndrome to walk the runway in New York Fashion Week. Three years later, she also became the first person living with that condition to win the Drama Desk award for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play. They did not create a separate category for her, put rather put her in the same category as every neurotypical actress in the academy. Again, that is all that can be asked; to be treated as an equal to every other person with the same profession.
Forgive me if parts of this post seemed arrogant, I just can’t stand when I feel like others are trying to place me on some kind of pedestal just for living my life with ‘fun’ leftovers of a car accident and a traumatic brain injury. There are those in the world who have built themselves as voices of others living with the same medical or mental conditions as them, however, simply having that condition does not mean they need to become a model for that specific condition. We are just playing the hand that life dealt to us, nothing more, and we have as much right to privacy as anyone else. So what’s the end message to all this? How does the public know who to look up to as a role model and who to allow to blend into the background? Listen to the wishes of that person, and then follow those wishes. Yes, it’s that simple.