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American Disability Act Movie

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Robert M. Hensel once said, “There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more.” The American Disability Act states that a disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. According to the Ruderman’s Foundation study, 95% of television characters with disabilities are played by able-bodied actors. It's a percentage that it doesn’t meet the standard when 20% of the US population is identified with some type of disability. While there are actors out there, with disabilities they're not always casted. Few are the exception to this rule, such as RJ Mitte (Breaking Bad), Daryl Mitchell (NCIS New Orleans), Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), and Peter Dinklage …show more content…

The word stigma has a Greek origin; it comes from the word “mark”. Stigma is a negative label appointed to a specific group of people. Jay Ruderman states, "Because of the widespread stigma in Hollywood against hiring actors with disabilities, we very rarely see people with real disabilities on screen," To all of us out there that consume and invest our time and money in the entertainment industry, we should really take into account the importance of what we really need to see on the screens to make a positive impact in our society in this case seeing real actors with disabilities obtain their opportunities. He continued stating, "By systematically casting able-bodied actors portraying characters with disabilities, Hollywood is hurting the inclusion of people with disabilities in our country." Casting crews, directors, and producers need to realize that this should be a wakeup call for them and that they’re actually hurting this community instead of opening doors for them. They should start thinking about the impact they make in these people’s lives, how they’re stigmatized, and if they were just given a shot, how they could change the perspective of many out there. Stereotypes are fixed ideas regarding a particular person, group of people, or …show more content…

Panel speakers from the Ruderman Foundation addressed the exclusion of disabled people in the industry in a conference by stating, “You discourage people with disabilities from pursuing careers in acting, writing, producing, directing, etc. You heighten unemployment of a group that, inside and outside of Hollywood, already deals with it more than the non-disabled population”. Over the past couple of years, diversity has been a real controversial issue on Hollywood, giving women more opportunities in direction, production, leading roles, providing more roles for people of minority groups etc… but it seems that still people with disabilities far short from Hollywood’s eyes, and are still excluded and marginizaled from participating in this industry. Academy Award Winner, Marlee Matlin states, 20 percent of the population have some type of disability… but if you judged our existence by what you see on TV you would think we made up less than one percent.” 5% is the number that represents actors with disabilities in the industry, certainly that is a very low number to represent a group on the wide screen. This can be appointed as one of the issues why people are not aware of the existence and importance of the disabled

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Terry Fox showed the world what a disabled person could do, and that was anything he put his mind to. As can be seen, his disability did not define who he was; instead, it made him

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And if “Had anyone been there with her, she’d have been still and faint and hot with chagrin, (Mairs 259).” Instead of pitying herself, Mairs is able joke about her hardships in her day-to-day life despite having physical incapabilities. She then continues with a steady, yet uplifting tone as she explains the reasoning behind why she labels herself as a “cripple”, stating that it is a “clean word, straightforward, and precise, (Mairs 260).” She believes that words like “disabled” or “handicapped” are words that are “moving [her] away from her condition, to be widening the gap between word and reality, (Mairs 260).” By using these euphemisms for her condition, people tend to view her as something she isn 't.

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A disability can make someone look at a "disabled" person in a specific way, even though they are just as capable as others of doing things. Some people don't realize the impact someone with a disability can have on the world because they are limited and criticized for their issues. People without disabilities can show what they have, and those with disabilities will never even get past the starting line because of people's biased views on disabilities. After listening to the Ted Talk by Keith Nolan, a private cadet, he established ethos, logos, and pathos through his educational speech on the deaf in the military. In the Ted Talk, Keith Nolan backs up his story with emotion, statistics, credible information, and real-life experience.

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We don't want to give people the idea that our product is just for the handicapped,'' he said.” ( paragraph 5). Nancy continued this conversation by adding,”If you saw my blind niece ordering a Coke, would you switch to Pepsi lest you be struck sightless? No, I think the advertiser's excuse masked a deeper and more anxious rationale: to depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it might enter anybody's life”( paragraph 5). To further explain, Nancy sought further clarification on the lack of representation in media from an industry professional, wondering whether a disabled person advertising a product would promote the idea that only disabled people could use it.

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n Nancy Mairs essay, “Disability”, she illustrates the lack of representation of people with disabilities in the media. While disability plays a major role in Mairs’ life, she points out the various ways her everyday life is ordinary and even mundane. Despite the normalcy of the lives of citizens with disabilities Mairs argues the media’s effacement of this population, is fear driven. She claims, “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of daily life is to admit that there is something ordinary about the disability itself, that it may enter anybody’s life” (Mairs 14). Able bodied people worry about the prospect of eventually becoming physically impaired.

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All of the “normal” characters in the movie personified, amplified, and demonstrated these stereotypes, whereas all of the characters with actual disabilities debunked and negated them. Steve, the uncle, and David acted as though people with disabilities are unintelligent and deserving of less respect. Their beliefs and attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities were demeaning and condescending, making these characters out to be one-dimensional, foolish and funny looking. These stereotypes perpetuate the assumptions held by the general public, especially those who do not personally know someone with a disability. These individuals pull from stereotypes due to ignorance, awkwardness and inexperience.

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Overview of Disability Rights in Canadian History Disabilities by definition, is defined as a mental, social, emotional or physical condition that limits a person’s movement, senses or activities. There are over 600 million people in the world currently suffering from numerous disabilities which include deafness, epilepsy, mental illness, developmental disabilities, behavioral problems, substance abuse, blindness, and obesity. Throughout history, the society has developed a various of different perceptions towards people with disabilities such as that their disability was a punishment from the gods, disabilities were contagious, and that witchcraft and demonic forces were the cause of such disabilities to individuals. Nonetheless, people

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Shows like "Speechless" have disabled actors playing lead roles and showcasing the diverse experiences of disabled individuals. While in the Tv-Show “Speechless" refers to the fact that the son, JJ, is nonverbal, but it also highlights the struggles and challenges that the family faces in navigating a world that is not always accommodating to those with disabilities. One commonality among the different types of disabilities and their portrayal in media is the perpetuation of stereotypes. Often, individuals with disabilities are portrayed as helpless, dependent, and burdensome, reinforcing negative attitudes towards them.

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Ableism is the “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities”, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary and is felt by the entire disabled minority, This can include, but is not limited to; stigmas, feeling disadvantaged in the workforce, being treated differently in public, being overlooked by institutions, or the feeling of having specific needs blatantly ignored. Castaneda, Carmelita, Larissa E. Hopkins, and Madeline L. Peters. "Ableism." Readings for Diversity and Social Justice.

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Disabled people who do manage to make their way into the work force tend to encounter numerous disadvantages such as advancement and on average earn around one quarter of the income of their able bodied counterparts (Barnes, Mercer & Shakespeare 1999, p.110). In addition, the majority of well paid, high skilled, and rewarding positions are commonly taken by non-disabled people (Barnes, Mercer & Shakespeare 1999, p.111). It is possible that employers are not interested or unmotivated to make possible changes or allowance for physically disabled people within their organization

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Saniya Shah Professor Gehring LGST 173 8 June 2023 The Negative Portrayal of Down Syndrome in Glee (677) Society’s perception of disability is influenced by many things, but perhaps the biggest influence comes from the media and its poor portrayal of people with disabilities. A journal article, Deconstructing Disability: Three Episodes of South Park, indicates that 99 percent of American households have at least one television set, indicating that the media we consume shapes our understanding of the world. As a result, the media constructs reality instead of reflecting it, thus creating and fueling harmful stereotypes (Reid-Hresko and Reid, 2005). The alteration of reality through the media and the negative portrayal of people with disabilities

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Prior to the recent development and globalization of technology, deaf individuals have been isolated and stigmatized because of certain restrictions and limitations as a result of their auditory impairment. People have wrongfully labeled the Deaf Community as "disabled" or "handicapped," creating

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Furthermore, public acknowledgment of people with a disability is either ignored or spotlighted so significantly that the person feels like they stand out in the crowd unnecessarily. DiCaprio’s character, Arnie who has autism portrays stereotypical behavioural traits of a person with the disability. Throughout the film, it can be analysed that Arnie constantly fidgets with his hands, cannot sit still and has difficulty following basic instructions which can all be examined as stereotypical characteristics of a person with autism. Obviously Hallstrom had a bias and stereotypically view on the behaviour of those with autism as Arnie behaved like a child, no clear independence as his brother, Gilbert had to wash him and put him to bed every night. Socially, Arnie was in need of constant supervision as he had a tendency to perform acts that were previously recognised as inappropriate.

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It is prevelant even today. Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. Disabled as also obese people many a times face inequitable hiring practices at work. Some firms choose not to take them considering that their efficiency and productivity would be low. Also they face prejudice from employers.

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As the statistics shown above say, disabled people are considered an embarrassment to be around and considered unproductive people, and therefore are excluded from their society. This group of people is socially excluded in many ways: 1) Excluded from leisure facilities Disabled people are usually deprived from their rights of having fun and spending their leisure time like normal people. Have you seen cinemas with special seats for paralyzed people for example? The answer would be no probably. Disabled people find it difficult to enter leisure facilities like swimming pools, bowling centers and cinemas, although with simple adjustments these places could be suitable for

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