Sped 500 Disability in the Media by Olivia Christensen https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0 A list of movies, Podcasts, TedTalks, Youtube Videos, Books, TV Shows, and articles that represent disability in the media en-us 2020-07-28 15:53:20 UTC 2025-05-11 20:46:13 UTC hello@padlet.com The Peanut Butter Falcon--March 19th 2019 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664245184 One of my favorite movies of all time because it actually included someone who had a disability in real life. I am hoping that this happens more and more throughout the years and hope that this movie is a good stepping stone for that. This movie also does a great job at showing relationships and friendships between abled people and abled people, but also shows relationships between abled bodied individuals and individuals with disabilities. I think this is extremely important to show in the media because it shows that people who have disabilities are able to form relationships with those around them even if the people they are meeting aren’t disabled as well. I love the fact that I have been able to become friends with people who have disabilities, and I have been able to think of them simply as a friend, nothing more, nothing less. People with disabilities shouldn’t be put into a category where you feel forced to be friends with them because you feel bad. I think this movie showed how a natural relationship was able to form between these two people, just like a natural relationship was also able to form between two people who were both able bodied. ]]> 2020-07-28 15:57:56 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664245184 Life Animated- December 1st 2016 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664247314 I have seen this movie a few times and was excited to re-watch it for this assignment. This is one of my favorite movies that depicts disability in media. It centers around Owen Suskind and how he went from a silent child who had autism to someone who learned to speak through Disney movies. This film is told from Owen’s point of view as well as from his family’s point of view and it does a great job at describing what it is like to raise someone who as a disability and the challenges that come with it. One of the things I loved about this movie was that while showing the difficulties it also showed the positives that Owen has gone through in his life and his successes. Too many times, people with disabilities are seen as helpless and as failures, and this movie did a wonderful job at showing that there are so many possibilities for people regardless of their disability. Owen even went on to deliver a speech in France to an entire convention about what it is like to be a strong Autistic man. ]]> 2020-07-28 16:00:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664247314 Wonder-January 30th 2018 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664249902 This movie did a great job at representing someone with a disability. The kid in this movie had a genetic disability and it shows how he went through 5th grade. He struggled because his disability caused him to look physically impaired. It was a feel good movie, as it ended positively but throughout the film it shows the struggles that those with disabilities (especially physical impairments) go through on a daily basis. He was able to stand up for himself and make friends who wanted to be there for him. One thing that I do wish this movie did was hire someone with an actual disability to play the main character. The genetic disability this character has is super rare and the movie isn’t based on a real person but it would have been great to see someone with an actual disability in real life represented in this film ]]> 2020-07-28 16:04:12 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664249902 The Good Doctor TV Series- September 25th 2017 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664251882 Sadly, I have heard a lot of mixed reviews about this show, but I personally think it is a really good representation of disability and don’t really get why people criticize it so much. It’s about a doctor who works in a hospital and he has autism. He definitely embodies a lot of the characteristics that are typical of people who have autism and these quirks and nuances come out a lot in his work setting. I think it is a good representation of disability in the media because the environment that he is in is an extremely hectic one, and usually when there is chaos, is when he has some of his moments. I think it showcases that people with disabilities go through hardships just like anyone else, and have things that make them feel both comfortable and uncomfortable. It shows that even though there might be a lot of discomfort in new and daunting experiences, working hard will pay off. He is one of the best (new) doctors there and people learn to respect him throughout the entirety of the show. At the beginning people saw his disability as a weakness but having autism soon turned out to help him and his team. It goes to show that sometimes someone’s disability can be more helpful to people than harmful. ]]> 2020-07-28 16:07:17 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664251882 Heart of Glass-Vertical Harvest Documentary on KQED- July 26th 2020 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664253008 I was so lucky that I ended up finding this show and the time that I did. I was flipping through channels and noticed this show was coming up and it seemed perfect for this project. This show was on KQED and was a documentary about a start-up company in Jackson Hole Wyoming. People in this town created harvesting start-up company called Vertical Harvest in which they could employ individuals with disabilities. This is because when they are in schooling they are able to keep busy with school but once they have aged out of their program a lot of them are left jobless. This type of company is able to provide a job for people with disabilities. They promote their employees and make them feel like they are a huge part of this company and like they are the heart of the job. They also give employees the chance to share with companies and people who they are and their mission. I think there should be more companies like Vertical Harvest and this show did an amazing job at showing the skills that these individuals have and their abilities rather than their disabilities. 
 
]]> 2020-07-28 16:08:58 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664253008 Elise Roy TedX-When we Design for Disability, we All Benefit-July 8th 2016 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664255636 Elise Roy uses this Ted Talk platform to discuss design thinking which is a way to address problems faced in the world and to come at them with a different approach, and this approach helps both people with disabilities, and also without disabilities. Elise discusses how her unique experiences of the world allows her to come up with ideas that are beneficial to the disability community and that unless someone else faces those same disabilities, those ideas are unlikely to be considered. This Ted Talk does a great job at showing the similarities between those with and without disabilities. A lot of inventions had been created initially for people with disabilities but people without disabilities end up using them as well. If it weren’t for the initial thought/idea by someone with a disability, there are many things that wouldn’t exist. An example is that text messaging was originally designed for people who were deaf and now has become a worldwide phenomenon. Her message of designing for disability first, rather than the norm is very important and needed.]]> 2020-07-28 16:12:50 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664255636 Susan Robinson Ted Talk-How I Failed at Being Disabled- July 21st 2017 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664327510 When people hear the word disabled, they automatically think what they will have to do for that person that they cannot do for themselves. People with disabilities have to recognize what their best strengths are what will help them to succeed. Everyone is disabled in some way so someone’s disability is not any better or worse than the next. If you are able to be confident in yourself and who you are some people might not see your disability. Susan Robinson talks about how it is upsetting that people’s first reaction to hearing about her disability, or disabilities in general, is finding ways to help them and accommodate for them. This Ted Talk does a good job at showing the importance of how someone's disability can help them more then hurt them. ]]> 2020-07-28 17:52:42 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664327510 Amy Oulton Ted Talk-Changing the Way We Talk About Disability- February 13th 2018 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664330536 People are shocked to see her out and being enjoying herself. She was out on the bus and someone said he was proud of her for being out and not letting “it” hold her back. “You’re very stylish for someone in a wheelchair.” She notices that when people make thee types of comments it undermines the entire compliment completely. It sadly shows that people with disabilities are viewed as heroes even though they aren’t doing anything amazing. This Ted Talk reminded me a lot of Stella Young’s Ted Talk “I Am Not Your Inspiration,” because it shares a similar message. It shares that a disability does not make someone any better or any more hard working then someone without a disability. This Ted Talk does a great job at explaining the importance of not glorifying disabilities and the people who have these disabilities. ]]> 2020-07-28 17:56:29 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664330536 Hidden Valley Road-Robert Kolker- April 7th 2020 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664331757 This book is an interesting representation of disability in the media. I was super excited to read this book because it seemed interesting and was based on a true story. It is about a family in Colorado who had 12 kids and 6/10 boys of the family ended up developing schizophrenia. It went back and forth between the family and their experience and also information on the history of Schizophrenia. Throughout the book there were many moments where this family was looked down upon and was seen as outcasts of society because of the children. The parents were controlling, but at the same time neglectful and it was interesting to learn about the causes that the parents had on their children, but this book definitely showed a more negative connotation to disability because of how many of their sons developed it, and some of the terrible things it made them do (abuse their loved ones, kill their loved ones, etc.) ]]> 2020-07-28 17:57:57 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664331757 The Story of Kodi Lee-Beyond America's Got Talent ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664344894 Kodi Lee was a contestant and actually the winner of Season 14 of America's Got Talent. He is blind and was diagnosed with autism, yet is able to sing and play the piano like no other. This video talks about Kodi Lee and his life before America's Got Talent, and how at the young age of 2 he was noted as being a prodigal musical savant. While I was watching the season that he was in I always feared that people would think he was being kept around because of his disability, however he truly is a talented musician and I feel that he would have gotten as far as he did disability or not. This video provided more of an insight on Kodi and how having this ability and disability has saved his life. Being able to perform music the way he does has saved him from years of tantrums and anxiety. this video also shows that because of music he was able to perform and make friends in high schools through being in bands and performing. This was able to make him feel more cared for and comfortable. ]]> 2020-07-28 18:16:22 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664344894 Liam Malone Ted Talk-Turning Disability Into Ability- July 24th 2018 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664696048 This Ted Talk was similar to some of the other ones in the sense that Liam talked about how his greatest disability became his strongest ability. A lot of Ted Talks that talk about disabilities seem to have this moral. I think this is because people who aren’t disabled can’t understand how having a disability can turn out to be a positive experience. There is such a negative stigma associated with disabilities, that there doesn’t seem to be any positives to them from the outside looking in. From Liam Malone, and others, this is untrue, and a lot of the times, certain disabilities actually end up helping them in the long run and is more of a positive experience then a negative one. ]]> 2020-07-29 03:50:21 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664696048 Atypical- Netflix TV Show August 11th ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664749948 Atypical is a show on Netflix that tells the story Sam who is a boy in high school who has autism. He seems high functioning when it comes to school and seems pretty educated, but seems to most suffer socially. I do think this is a good representation of disability in the media because there are a lot of people who have Autism but tend to do fairly well in class. Just because someone has a disability, does not mean they are, or will be any less educated than the next person. Sometimes, like Sam, people with Autism are fine in the classroom setting, but struggle most when talking to their peers or people they have never met before. This is why social relationships tend to get put on the back burner and dating is tough. In the first episode, Sam attempts to go on a date but realizes it might be too hard because of his inability to understand social cues. I do think this shows that having autism can hinder someone socially, but if they keep trying they might be able to meet some people and friends throughout the process. ]]> 2020-07-29 05:06:44 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/664749948 The ADA At 30: Beyond the Law's Promise- July 26th 2020 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665111566 This article focuses in people in America especially those with disabilities and how their lives have been affected since the passing of the ADA (American’s With Disabilities Act). This was passed by George W. Bush 30 years ago and was an Act passed as a way to ensure equality for all. This article has a subset of articles that focus on the history of disability, before the ADA was passed and after. One of the articles focuses on finally coming out to her parents as having a disability and how it was hard explaining this to her mother because her mom still lived as if she was in a past generation. She felt that her mother was comfortable with the fact that she was Autistic, but wasn’t happy if she acted Autistic. Even though this law has created a general equality for all, there are still situations where people who do have disabilities, felt that those around them don’t fully understand their situation. Even though there is a law that says people with disabilities shouldn’t be discriminated against based on their disability, sadly today, we can still see that individuals with disabilities aren’t as represented in society especially in the job force. 

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/disability-ADA-30-anniversary.html#:~:text=Bush%20signed%20the%20Americans%20With,wheelchairs%2C%20cheered%20from%20the%20lawn.&text=The%20Times%20also%20called%20the%20A.D.A.]]> 2020-07-29 16:08:37 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665111566 Disability Scoop-Schools Want IDEA Liability Protections From Congress-July 20th 2020 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665121009 This article is especially important during this time period because it discusses what is currently happening between schools and families in relation to a child’s IEP. There is growing fear that because of the pandemic, schools will have a hard time following through with their child’s IEP and parents want congress to provide liability protection for this. I think this is a super important article that discusses disability in the media because while IEPs are the foundation for every student with disability, there are desperate times (like the ones right now) where it is physically impossible to meet some of the needs of a student’s IEP. In these times, instead of jumping straight to preventing litigation, the main focus needs to be on the child’s learning loss, and ways in which both the school and the families are able to combat time out of school. Because everyone was hit extremely quickly with this pandemic, it came as a shock to most, and many teachers did not have time to adequately prepare for their students. I think this article shows how important it is to work with what you have rather than jumping straight to litigations. The child is of utmost importance. This is also a great article that shows how important it is to prepare for times like these when you least expect them.

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/07/20/schools-want-idea-liability-protections-from-congress/28621/]]> 2020-07-29 16:19:05 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665121009 Special Books By Special Kids-Ruby the Treasure-June 11th, 2017 ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665128332 Special Books By Special Kids is a Youtube Channel created by Christopher Ulmer and it is a channel where he visits and talks with individuals with disabilities as a way to get to know them a little better. He shares his conversations with these people on his Youtube channel. He does a wonderful job at showing how someone who looks like they wouldn't be able to have an educated conversation, is able to, and is able to have a meaningful conversation. The video I chose was an interview between him and Ruby. Ruby has Stromme Syndrome, which is a rare condition that leads to eye abnormalities. Even though the conversation between Ruby and Christopher is unconventional, these videos show that conversations with people with disabilities are possible and are especially meaningful.]]> 2020-07-29 16:27:49 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665128332 Ryan Niemiller from AGT is Spreading Disability Awareness Through his Comedy-June 4th 2019 (Bustle) ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665144912 Ryan Niemiller was another Contestant on America’s Got Talent and he was a comedian. He got pretty far in the competition and people found him to genuinely be a funny guy. Ryan has a congenital disorder that lead to having a disability in both of his arms. This article discusses how he goes about being a comedian who has a disability, and how while most of his jokes revolve around his disability, and take a comical spin on his disability, he is both educating and entertaining his audience at the same time. I think that this article shows how Niemiller, and many others for that matter use humor to make their disability not seem as big of a deal. This is them showing the world that they are a lot more similar to the rest of the world and that a disability shouldn’t be seen as this groundbreaking handicap. By poking fun at his own disability, Niemiller is showing the world that he isn’t as hindered by his disability as people think he is, and that his disability isn’t this negative part of his life. 

https://www.bustle.com/p/ryan-niemiller-from-americas-got-talent-is-spreading-disability-awareness-with-his-comedy-17944009]]> 2020-07-29 16:49:39 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665144912 Me Before You-Movie ochristensen3 https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665175091 One of the reasons I think Me Before You is such an accurate representation of people who have disabilities in the media, is the idea that becoming physically impaired is something that can happen to anyone. In the case of this movie, one of the main characters, a very adventurous, spontaneous, and handsome man gets into a terrible accident that leaves him paralyzed. Being disabled physically or mentally is something that can happen to anyone and is not something that should be generalized to a certain type of people. Another reason I think this movie is a good representation is that it shows that just because someone is in a wheelchair, doesn't mean they have anything wrong with them socially, mentally, or emotionally. A physical disability is simply a physical disability and won't always hinder someone's ability to socialize or connect with the world or people around them. ]]> 2020-07-29 17:29:01 UTC https://padlet.com/ochristensen3/yyptv1t692g36fn0/wish/665175091