Hahaha soo true!

What a great point!!

Lol

Lol, yeah

Or non disabled characters

Came here to say this yES PLS

I’m down too but it would be hours long 😂

Me too

Can you sign language or not

Same

Plus, they never show exhaustion and their house is always perfect and neat.

exactly my parents are ab*sive as hell but get praised for looking after me at all as if its a privilege i even have parents.

Yesss!!! It drives me insane! Either praised or villainified for daring to have a disabled child..

Amen! isn't it normal to love a disabled child? or do people think it's more normal to abuse and in worst cases kill a disabled child?

The "saint girlfriend/wife" trope is just as bad. I'm not better than anyone else because my spouse has a disability. The number of people who have expressed either admiration ("I can't believe you live with that everyday.") or "compassion" ("You're doing such a good job dear.") makes me want to scream.

And at the same time those adopting from poor countries mainly for the sake of doing good are often seen as naiive. If they adopt several, they may even get a more harsh label. Even outright suspicious. I believe a good dose of selfishness is healthy when adopting. It is your family, after all, and even giving birth is normally selfish. If a child isn't wanted, who would expect it to be a happy family?

Im adopted was a drug baby... When I started having mental health issues and wound up homeless multiple times I got dropped like a hot rock... Ablism cost me my family.... Contact with my daughter... I missed the death of my father... Im treated like shit by my sisters... Who apparently don't believe mental illnesses are real... I was left on the streets for over five years... I was abandoned by my family when i needed them most... And then disowned when i dared to take issue with it... My eldest sister wrote me the most disgusting text message I have ever read in my life... Directed at me... Who's struggled their entire adult life... Ablism ruined any chance I ever had to interact with my child.... Who I put into the custody of my parents when I became homeless... They refused to help me but did take her in... Hardest decision I ever made and then they used my struggles with being separated from her.... And me not getting my life together fast enough for their liking to justify cutting off all contact with me and disowning me... My father died in December and I just found out cuz i ran into my mother and daughter by accident... We started talking again and then my C word of sisters got them to cut me out again....

I feel this way a lot of the time when I tell people I am a special education teacher. There is the automatic reaction of "oh wow you must be a really good person to work with these kids" and it annoys me. Being a special education teacher is no better than being a regular teacher, or any other job. I wanted to do it because I liked it and it was something I thought I would be good at and wanted to do. I personally find working with special needs students is no more or less difficult than typical students, and can even be simpler in some situations. I feels demeaning to my students, as if they are SO difficult and hard to work with I MUST be an angel to choose to work with them; instead of just like working with these kids. It also feels that there is an assumption the students are really difficult when they are largely just different.

I don’t want to rule Wakanda I just want a nap and people to stop bothering me

Honestly I’m sure Chadwick kept his cancer a secret for that very reason. I’m glad he got to live his final years treated “normally” and wasn’t seen as a victim or inspirational solely because of his illness.

Well that's SHIT. See, I have colitis and debilitating enteropathic arthritis, and Boseman managing to do so much despite his colon cancer did make me cry and feel hopeful about my own life, but NO ONE should be scolding at other people in pain about "excuses."

Oof. Cancer and cancer treatments take a lot out of people. Doesn't mean they can't be productive people but often it does make it harder.

And that's supposed to be insepational and not... mean?

Cuckoo's nest didn't really belong here for me, I mean the book does heavily have a theme of addressing the systemic issues that put those men in that institution, and with both McMurphy and Bromden it's kinda heavy on the fact that they might not be, or likely aren't mentally ill at all right?

(autistic btw). Yeah, that was a right fucking mess, wasn't it.

I am so late but couldn't find the story....Probably because there were so many deaf artist articles. The publicity us good for sales but unless they're blind I don't understand how it matters.

Kimberly Bega Yes! Thanks! I thought of her, but didn't know her name! Now I will watch her TED Talk again!

She is hilarious

Yes when I way that I had to check out the play

Omg! I need to watch that!

@@Lampshade_productions I found it on KZfaq when she said that I had to watch it

Yes, it needs to happen!!

gonna have to wait a while, considering just how much there is, lol

If she does, I'd like to interject that Emma's OCD is actually pretty accurate. But Billy Shue's reactions to it is just really glamorizing.

DRAG THEM!

arlothedino Emma’s OCD is not the worst depiction. But I can say for certain and Sugar Motta’s “Asperger’s” was horrendous. Not only promoted, but created stereotypes :/.

Hard agree.

Most likely true.

Yea the tendency for society to put pressure on disabled people to work really hard and become successful and avoid being inconvenient/have all their accomodations in order has caused me a lot of issues in life with myself and other people. It's even caused me to be neglected by medical professionals and discriminated against by them.

I have always felt pushing that 'so-and-so-achieved-this-and-that' narrative is wrong towards everybody. As if we all were obliged to have the will-power and mental strenght of top athletes. (And have you noticed that athletes not succeeding because of something mental are scorn at?)

While the two are not related, everyone has their own "mountain to climb". Doing it with any kind of disability makes it much, much more difficult. I get comments all the time, usually on the lines of "I could NEVER manage all you do if I had so many problems!" Well, yeah, I have problems. We all do. Some people are disabled by wilful stupidity. They still manage to do what they need to do, and no one ever responds with lines like that. Maybe we ought to start. Or not. It would only drag us down to their level.

I remember there was a motivational speaker who came to my high school. He was a veteran and he talked about how his ADHD helped him as a soldier because he would notice every small background noise. All it did was make me feel bad about having problems with my own ADHD and sensory issues.

YES! I love Toph!

She is the best example of a disabled character where her disability isn't ignored nor is it the focus of her whole character. She's extremely opionated, hates authority and has a great sense of humour. She behaves so normally that everyone forgets sometimes about her blindness. Or she makes a seeing joke from the fact that she's blind. Like even Azula didn't underestimate her that much cos she was blind. She told her she was rolling her eyes. She mocked her for her blindness like it was just a character flaw not something that made her unabke to function. Like if she was excessively clumsy or when she baited Sokka about Suki knowing it was his weakspot.

One of my absolute favorite scenes is when Toph and Sokka and the gang are hiding underground for a minute during the seige on Basingsei. Toph closes the earth over their heads and Sokka cries out "It's so dark down here! I can't see a thing!!" And Toph goes, "Oh no, what a nightmare." 🤣🤣

I also like how she's open about how much she dislikes her family treating her like she's delicate and in need of sheltering. Also, her snark levels are just great

i also love how the fact that she 'can see with her feet' is not a cop-out for the writers to just forget she is disabled but acting more like a guide dog or a cane would for blind people in our world. The episode in the desert is one of my favourite examples of good representation as we see toph actually struggle due to her disability and it shows how she is a real disabled person and not just 'my superpower is being blind'.

That shitty of your parents to do. It's unfair both to you and to your brother to not see you both for who you really are and who you want to be and support you and praise you for whatever your dreams are. I hear you.

on the one hand I advocate for praising kids to their ability (one student can get a 9 without any effort, while another gets an 8 with top effort and that needs to be praised) but, even indirectly, telling a child that they don't need to aim high is mental abuse. I've handed out a 6/10 to a student and told them I'm sure proud of their hard work because I knew how hard that unit had been for them, while another student got a 6 too and I asked them to stay behind after class to see if they were having problems since usually, they do much better and I know they understood the coursework during class. I'm a firm believer in listening to kids, they're the ones who figure out what they want to be in life and then have to live with the decisions they made. Doctor, chef, line cook, bartender, lawyer, or nurse ... if they want to do that job, let them.

Honestly I have more problems with how they parented your siblings than you, but also yes generally very unfair.

I know how it is being seen as less capable too. I have autism and SO MANY people kept trying to "protect" me from entering college. My own therapist kept saying "are your sure you want to take five classes your first semester?" I literally had to tell her to shut up about it, I was already worried enough about attending college for the first time. Well my first semester I got all A's and had joined a club. My second semester I took five classes again and had been promoted in my club with more responsibilities. By graduation I was taking 8 classes regularly (many honors level), was an officer within four clubs (one of which was the student government), and graduated Suma Cum Laude. My mother didnt believe any of this until my graduation where I was one of only four students presented with a rather large medallion and the president mentioning me by name in her commencement address. Sadly I must have "taken the honors away from a hard working student" because of special treatments due to disability.

I imagine that if your brother had also been encouraged to become a chef (like he wanted) it could have been a wonderful opportunity for the both of you to open a restaurant together in the fullness of time.

I'm writing a story about a woman on the spectrum who is a seer, but they don't use their powers to benefit non disabled people, but use their power to survive the world they live in

@@RandomSkyeRoses That's so cool!

@@nicothenecromancer My character also has their own goals in life

@@RandomSkyeRoses I so wanna know more about this if that's okay

@@nicothenecromancer what else do you wanna know?

Oh mood. As a disabled person who isn't successful or independent - I'm 3 years held back in university due to depression, and struggling to graduate because I'm physically disabled, autistic, and nonverbal - I really can't have a "normal" job or make any abled/ableist person feel good. And I feel worthless for that. But you and I, we shouldn't have to be made to feel worthless by society! Because we are not worthless. we have worth, and we're amazing as we are, though we cant do things abled people can. We're not less of a person just because we can do less things!

Daniella H - there’s an Australian series called Struggle Street that was similarly criticised for being this, too.

Yes! I remember that!

I watched that episode when it came out, and it has stuck with me, 30 years later. I will never forget how she was all "I don't care what he says, I know something's wrong, and I'm going to keep fighting to find out what it is." Now THAT'S some inspiration. Everytime I wanna say "Well, I guess if the doctor says so" when I know they missed the mark, I have Dorothy yelling in my head "Don't you dare! Say something!!" 😂

I'm overweight and female, according to society, bosses, and doctors that means I have an IQ of around 60. The way I get treated is amazing to me. The amount of people that have been shocked that I have a brain and emotions is a number much larger than you'd probably guess and incredibly depressing.

@@yiotatort ❤️❤️🙏

I love this episode!

As a bedridden chronically ill person, I wish I were magical like that! Between my memory problems and physical difficulties, I can't remember the last time I took a shower lol 😅

Oh blame that on the Victorians. They thought consumption/TB made women seem more precious. Its stayed in media like a stain

oh I feel this with mental health representation too.. Like why is this depressed person like in great shape and flawless skin and light makeup when they are portrayed as not being able to get out of their bed tf

On hard days it's all I can do to remember to eat or drink anything, forget about brush my hair or put on war paint. The neighbours have just gotten used to seeing me with messy hair and still in my jammies at 4 in the afternoon if it's a bad pain day. To the point that it is shocking to them to see me up early, showered, dressed appropriately and outside the house before 10am. I am thankful every day that I still have some remaining mobility. When a business owner I applied for part time work with told me (to my face while I leaned on my cane in obvious pain) that I don't LOOK disabled, I briefly made myself feel better by imagining shoving my cane up his arse until it came out his mouth, just so he would acknowledge its existence!

And one day they suddenly are cured by just trying harder and not dwelling on thier disability. Cue sappy music. Oh toto if only I believed in myself before..

Yeah that book is a mess

@@quirkyblackenby I actually did like aspects of it very much, at least the book. It was kind of charming in big parts. Hated the movie though.

I agree, but like, don’t they clarify in the book that it’s *not* because of his disfigurement, but because he’s actually a really smart and good kid? It’s been a few years since I’ve read it, but I remember that being one of my major complaints with the movie, cause they made it seem like he got an award just because he was “different.” Plus, the book talks about the bullying and discrimination he faces, from multiple perspectives. I’m not trying to defend all of the book, there are definitely some problematic and bad parts of it.

I was so sad they left that out, but I should have known :/

I did not know this but I am glad that now I do ☺️

The whole Hawkeye run by Matt Fraction is great.

i’m poisoned by 2020 and i got so upset by the phrase “pulls up his mask” before i rethought it

Something something Deadpool is also disabled when the writers remember he not only has like several psychological problems but also experiences chronic pain from the cancer healing factor thing (fantastical disabilities like that that don’t actually exist in real life like the cancer healing factor thing, or the after effects of some fantasy disease or like dragon or whatever related injury would be an interesting topic)

Ugh. That’s almost as bad as being called “differently abled”. Which just makes me shudder every time I hear it. It’s just so, so incredibly patronising.

Yikes

@@katherinemorelle7115 for me at least, it's patronising that it's on the staircases exclusively. Those faces are almost mocking sometimes when I see them

Chloe C that’s definitely an extra level of condescension and ableism, that’s for sure!

That’s really bad. Has to be a They Knew!

My bf and I were waiting for a bus and two guys ran up and asked if we needed help. My partner is a wheelchair user. I'm autistic and was very confused and asked them what they were talking about, and they wouldn't give me a straight answer and slunk away.

Man, people are weird. I think the most I've ever done for someone in a wheelchair was vacating the wheelchair spot on the bus.

This is why im scared to use mobility aids in public

@@lavender_evie but her superpower is actually a common thing among everyone, she teaches aang how to do it, I think it's different because it's more like she learned how to do things a different way but it's not like the only reason she can do it is because of her disability

@@Marianasia12345 good point

@@lavender_evie but Toph's character focuses on her being able to do things others can too despite her disability and also focuses on the fact that although she is one if not the strongest earth bender (more so because of her disability), she is still a disabled person that needs help in some areas. I really found her a well written disabled person, it was very realistic.

I love Toph! She’s my favorite ATLA character, maybe tied with Sokka. She has some of the best lines and moments in the show. About the superpowered disabled person trope, I always thought she was the best earth bender because she was taught how to earth bend by badger-moles who were the first earth-benders. Sure her being blind did contribute to her getting lost and the badger-moles finding her, but it always seemed incidental to her power, not a reason for it. She does have the ability to see kind of, by making a mental map by feeling vibrations, but mental maps are a very common way that blind people navigate in everyday life so it’s not that big of a stretch.

Totally agree! I also admire Amaya from the recent Dragon Prince series. She's a cool deaf chief of the Guard (and I guess she now has a gf)

And then the times when my invisible illness flares up so bad I have to use my wheelchair I'm also attacked for not only "not looking sick enough" but also for "falling a disability" because only full time wheelchair users are allowed to use the tools they need to get around and do life apparently. Gosh I hate non disabled people gatekeeping disability "on our behalf".

What do you mean by "even mental health disabilities are obvious to everyone through movement & speech"?!? Even if you mean intellectual disabilities- which aren't mental HEALTH disabilities, btw- that's not always true, but as for people with a mental illness, like bipolar, scizophrenia or depression, there's absolutely no way you can tell unless they're having an episode, & even then only when it's quite bad. It's DEFINITELY invisible, & people suffer from that just like you do.

@@beth7935 they meant in media representation of disabled characters, even those invisible disabilities are made visible through mannerisms and things. They weren't talking about real life. This person clearly knows what it's like to have a truly invisible disability in reality.

@@TheApplianceDirect Ok, gotcha.

HAHAHAHAHA kinda can relate to that even tho i don't have adhd. "You are so confident to do those things!" to which i answer in my head "not confident, just did without thinking about it"

LMAO I'm right there with you, my friend 😂

Imagine clarifying that being respectful is contingent on personality differences 🙄

No way!

WhATt thE HeLL ANd FhUckkk???

@@glittery_cucumber It's absolutely wild. I can't remember if it's the same one where love also renders him handsome.

@@LadyAhro What is that adaptation?! Is it live action?

I truly hate "hunchback" stuff as someone with spinal curvature. It was the bane of my life. I can tell you I do not have fucking wings either :'(

The thing I've noticed in Star Trek re disability is, well, really, disability is made to disappear as conveniently as possible, either by having super-dooper tech like Geordi's VISOR, or Worf taking a chance on crazy surgery that magically fixes his paralysis in a single episode, so he never has to adapt to life with it (after they finish making sure he won't kill himself). They don't "include" disability in Star Trek. They ERASE it.

In that case my friend with the coclear implant shouldn't count as disabled and we should just stop making medical advancements to improve quality of life. I know, I'm blowing your argument out of proportion, but Star Trek helped me cope with reality and you telling me that examples of inclusion that I found encouraging is actually all just in my head and they were never inclusive in the first place is kind of defeating the point of Star Trek's episodic nature.

​@@sdsures Star Trek has a long history of being so ahead of its time that we expect it to stack up to modern ideals. TW for suicidal ideation and ableism in the Worf paragraph: The episode with Worf did some important work discussing disability and culture, and the idea that becoming disabled means your life is over. The whole time, the other characters were struggling to find the right path to help their friend because they didn't want to erase his culture or force decisions on him but also thought it was horrific that he was considered useless and expected to off himself. To them, the surgery wasn't even the best option as they felt his life was worth preserving regardless and the surgery was too risky. He was only even offered it in the first place because it was the only option he'd accept where he had a chance at living. The show took the easy way out and in a Trek show today I'd expect better, but even now it's rare to get that depth of discussion without it being a Me Before You scenario and all that implies. Geordie's visor is no different from a hearing aide, and it is actually shown to have its downsides. He likes it partly because its very well adapted for his particular field of work, but it isn't a direct imitation of sight so much as a highly advanced prosthetic. In a modern Trek I'd expect more reference to the differences, but it was canonically discussed that he is blind, with or without the visor. Nog has a prosthetic leg that IS a direct imitation of a naturally grown leg, but his difficulties adapting to it mentally are explored (albeit kinda lazily given they have him get over it pretty quickly and neatly) and the impact of losing his leg in the first place isn't shied away from. There's a lot of work to be done, no doubt about it, but for 90s episodic television I'd say it's still holding its own against most modern offerings. We can only hope the newer shows continue the progress so that we get fewer convenient one episode plots and fix-alls and more genuine character stories. Given their progress with queer representation just lately (canon gay and trans characters - and possible canon bi or pan Kirk in future according to TPTB) I have some hope. Especially as one of the not-yet-released shows is about Pike who got the beep-boop wheelchair box in the original series.

I would like that, too - a video on Star Trek handling the disability topic. I have watched a lot of Star Trek, but not under that perspective. For me, TNG starting with the intellectual disability of being human, as Q played high judge, and I thought that two starting episodes were mind-blowing. I often wonder, why people can be so competitive, reduce their ethical understanding to what they think they can have an impact on (to be more precise, how on earth can we have a specific "fair trade" system in which I, as a consumer, have to pay more rather than those companies doing unfair trade having to pay a fee for their criminal actions). I often feel disabled by being so naive and confused with my perception of the world and my lack of easy and correct adaption. In one episode, it was about changing the DNA of an unborn child, so that it would not come out the same way as the mother, that kind deal with specific traits of herself. That was another important one for me.

i would also love a video on Star Trek and disability

Wow I love this comment. Especially because it made me sit up and go OH Shoot! Edward Elric IS disabled! I don't know why it never struck me? I'm able-bodied, so it could be that I'm not um keenly looking out for it? But it could also be that I was so captivated and charmed by who Ed was as an older bro, empathetic alchemist, someone prickly about their height (lol) and as you put it 'trained science boy and martial artist'. But as you were recounting the various instances in your comment, I was like oh yes yes yes absolutely. I don't know where I'm going with this reply tbh. Something along the lines of- oh that was a cool way to show a disabled character, their struggles with their condition and how it fashions their life and choices but without reducing it to tropes like "my disability is my magic power", "poor, weak disabled character who triumphs against all odds to become like an able-bodied person". There are instances where Ed is a better fighter than his able-bodied adversary, instances where he's just as good/bad as his able-bodied companions, instances where he's at a clear disadvantage because of his prosthetics. I think that the show shows that full range is what makes it so good.

Heck yea! I was going to mention Fullmetal Alchemist. I love how he takes advantage of his automail. It's cool to see a disabled person take advantage of their assistive tech. I walk with a cane. If someone ever attacked me, you bet your skippy I would use my cane to defend myself. One of the canes I have is a self defense cane from United Cutlery. It has features specifically for self defense.

My dad is really involved in the “maker” community and has a friend who’s also a huge nerd like that who doesn’t have one of his hands My dad actually did some stuff with a 3D printer and some special resins that would be able to stand up with daily use to make like a cool automail-ish looking cover for his prosthetic hand

@@phoenixfritzinger9185 Oh, that sounds really rad and very sweet. Makers and builders can create some really cool stuff. And it's really cool hearing that like. Those skills get used for things like making prosthetic covers and the like.

His ability to do alchemy without a circle is technically related to the circumstances he lost his limbs to but I don't doubt he'd have figured out a work around if he didn't have that (like Roy with his gloves). Because yeah, he's great as a character because he's so resourceful to use what he's got/been through to move forward. Probably sounds bad, the way this started, but I really like this comment.

I love this show!

Omg, I love Special too! Having only one season is a travesty.

Sounds cool...

YESSSS

And he has actual flaws!!!

gosh same

I have cerebral palsy, too, and I appreciated the character in Breaking Bad not being turned into inspiration porn.

That's cool that you watch this channel!

I was looking for this comment!! I love Walter Jr

There was a dark moment where Walter Jr. defended his mother from the unstable dad, and while it was a terrible moment it was also a great moment, and I appreciated how the writers didn't treat him like a baby. The bar is so low pfffft but Breaking Bad shows you can write good characters if you are a good writer. Shocking!

It's still a dream for many Disabled people. I grew into adulthood before Disability Discrimination legislation was a thing

Tbh as an able bodied youngen sometimes this seems like a dream I'll never achieve due to incompetencey on my part.

I mean, honestly finding someone, being able to buy a home and having a family is really hard nowadays. I’ve been feeling like I’ll never get there.

I think it's difficult for anyone to have these things right now, but it is extra difficult for a disabled person - not because of our disabilities but because of the systems we have to force and fight our way through to have the chance of having what abled people assume is their right. You're inspirational in the sense that you had to work a lot harder to get it, but that says more about society than you.

When someone suddenly thinks that you can't have ADHD when you graduate high school and start college 😡🤦

There was a Murdoch Mysteries episode where it made the horrific villain a sympathetic character...

YES.

@@bunhelsingslegacy3549 This comes up every other episode of Wire In The Blood. The pilot, though... there's a Silence Of The Lambs joke that sums it up better than intended.

he is not the only one either... the Teacher, missing internal organs and coughing blood when exerting... she is there badassing, and then suddenly needing to rest.

I love fma's depiction of disability myself. I also like how trauma is depicted in the show.. Although I do have rosy glasses for the show since in came into my life in a very difficult time

Also much of Ed and Al's "super powers" are from hard work and intense studying and determination. Oftentimes the "super crip" trope shows people gaining superpowers just for being/becoming disabled, as if it is implied, or that it is done with ease--whereas in FMA they gained some alchemic abilities by going thru an intensely traumatic experience that was handled in a complex way.

FriskyFlores Wait! What did mermaids do? Using a fork for brushing her hair? Gossiping with fish? Drowning sailors? And are they called mermates in Australia?!

fred6059 How does covid hair looks like? Like a crown? Slightly too long? Or as a mask over the mouth?! I'm just curious... maybe add a picture...😉❤️

@@thereisalwaysmore4582 It looks kinda like you crawled backwards through a gorse bush then rolled around in a hay bale full of burrs. Occasionally it looks kinda choppy if the person has gotten desperate enough to try and cut it themselves.

GO AWAY!! PLEASE!! LEAVE ME BE!!!

Heather Fiske I'm with you! ❤️But I would add a cat, ...if she wants one.

Oh fuck true, I hate Heidi so much for that. I need a change.

Yeah... thanks to Heidi, I grew up thinking that if only wheelchair users* would actually *try* to walk, and would practice walking, then they'd be able to walk again and wouldn't need a wheelchair! *people with some use of their legs; I did understand that some people were paralyzed, but I thought literally everyone else could build up to not needing a wheelchair I mean, I'm sure that trained physical therapists could help certain wheelchair users in certain contexts, but a 7 year old, a 15 year old shepherd and a mountain grandfather do not medical professionals equal, y'know?

I love Parks and Rec 💜

Ken is amazing!

YES!

(probably misquoting) "White people will believe anything."

"Two things I know about white people they love matchbox twenty and they are scared of curses." lmaoooooo

The perfect woman exists

As an autistic creator, I am actually working on a story like this. So like Yeah nice to know theres a market

Exactly Sam. Hate that bullsh*t!

what anime is this?

@@karinvasu3005 Sword Gai the Animation. It's on Netflix. The character I'm talking about is named Marcus.

There is a anime called "Yuki Yuna is a hero" where one of the main characters Mimori Tougou, who becomes a magical fighter to fight evil, is in a wheelchair and gets, among many things, a transformation gear up that carries her - still paralyzed - legs when she snipers and fights. If I remember correctly that show is pretty respectful towards her. Didn't watch it to the end, yet, but it sure was/is cool and will get a new season in the future.

that reminds me of this shirt my mother has that says “not that kind of doctor” since she has a doctorate lol

Another aud here and same! Thanks for telling me about your vision problems, but uh, that’s really what I meant by “Anything else I should know?”

It should be obvious enough. In a few days I am going in for a hearing test and then seeing an head and neck specialist. Hooray for a ruptured eardrum! I know that I am seeing these folks for my ears. So it would never cross my mind to ask them about my asthma. I have an allergist for that.

@Mister Squiggles I’m not saying it shouldn’t talk about the issues and trauma Jenny faced but showing her story in a more raw real way and less of Forrest swooping in to save her or diving deeper into her issues

This! ^^^

i LOVE THIS

Kris Berardi With him I've learned so much about ASL and being deaf. I hope he is portrayed realistic....

What about the episode Melora where a science officer uses a wheelchair due to growing up in low gravity and starts to be "cured" but in the end chooses not to? There isn't a ton of representation but I like what we get in Star Trek. It makes it feel like I could exist in the Star Trek universe and be a Starfleet officer, which is especially nice considering that before I got severely ill I wanted to be an astronaut.

In DS9 we had the story of Dr. Bashir, though. He was born with a cognitive disability, but his parents decided to put him through gene enhancement. I found that interesting. Also: Is Geordie's visor not able to see more wavelengths than human eyes or something like this? If so, I can totally understand why he wouldn't want to give it up.

@@johannageisel5390 Interesting, I haven't gotten to that part (I'm still watching through DS9) And yes his visor allows him to see more wavelengths but it also gives him migraines so there are ups and downs.

@@mithril3966 Oops, sorry for spoilering you. ^ ^

​@@johannageisel5390 The visor didn't change the fact La Forge was still blind. Sure, it gave him the ability to see things humans' normally can't, but does that really matter? A person with glasses still lacks 20/20 vision, a hearing aid doesn't mean someone no longer has hearing problems. La Forge had the chance to be just like the majority of humans and turned it down. He showed that he accepts who he is as he is.

My mom is only just now accepting that yes I was mentally ill from a very young age and she has probably at least partially caused it too. Never helped at all and only did the bare minimum.

@GozerTheTraveller Yes, they inflicted other forms of abuse and neglect as well, so it wasn't an isolated issue. Generational trauma is so complicated and pervasive!

⭐

@@DieAlteistwiederda meeee toooooo

The abusive parent who gave me my disabilities still loves being congratulated on what a wonderful person she is for simply living with a disabled child.

As someone with OCD, this has started a thought-train for me on an aspect of my illness that I often find is maligned. I've always had my hyper-alertness labelled as a fault and a burden - something bad, weak and disgraceful. Whereas I do reject these narratives and absolutely posit some of the benefits of having a brain like mine, I hadn't thought of hyper-alertness as being something that could be an advantage outside of very survival-based situations. Thank you for sharing this, it's really given me something to think about.

Their approach was tokenistic.

IMO it had disability representation when not many major TV shows aimed at teens did... and that's as good as it did

Ditto, though I feel like there’s a bunch that glee handled really badly. From disability to eating disorders to a variety of hard topics that they didn’t want to really talk about but wanted brownie points for mentioning.

This needs to be on merch for sure.

Watch speechless with a California vpn 👍

On Hulu!

The entire MCU. Steve Rogers has mild depression; Bucky Barnes is missing his left arm; Stark had PTS; Thor had Imposter Syndrome; Hawkeye is Deaf; on the TV show Perception, the main Professor was trying to treat this schizophrenia while teaching abnormal neurology.

Toph Bei Fong from ATLA: blind JJ from Speechless. I love his wit and how clever he is.

General Amaya from The Dragon Prince. She is deaf and uses sign language/ an interpreter to communicate.

I also want to see everything glee gets wrong about disability!

I tried to watch Glee but when they did the Arty dancing episode and then it ending sadly as he'll never dance I had to switch off. lol

wasn't Sugar that so called "autistic" character?

Yeah that didnt really make sense to me... I have asd but sugar used that as an excuse to just be... gratuitously rude? And that's a really inaccurate portrayal. Even if I dont understand social norms sometimes I wouldnt just go up to someone and insult them for no reason?

@@kirjom2505 I’ve seen people debate whether Sugar is actually autistic or if she’s supposed to be a representation of some people who self diagnose. But from what I’ve seen, she was always very aware of how others would perceive her words and actions. Sugar only said she was on the spectrum so she could say things she knew were ignorant and insulting.

The Netherlands now has a similar series. I rejected it as soon as the trailer labled it as a "feel good drama". I sense inspiration porn coming. Really I hate it when people say it is inspirational or "defying all odds" when someone with autism has a healthy relationship or a job. Many people with autism have been able to do these things even before the word autism existed so why is it so unique all of the sudden? Edit: There have never been bad odds for those people to begin with. The ability to live life the way they do has always been there, so the bad odds where just made up by people around them.

I liked Atypical because I liked the lesbian romance a lot and I liked Sam's girlfriend. And Sam's coworker is great. The people he cares about in his life treat him like a normal human, which is good. Sam's girlfriend is great. She seems autistic in the way that a lot of girls can be so it felt like good representation of some female experiences of autism. I related to her a lot myself. Also, the reason the show feels inspiration porn-y is because it's "feel good", which is fine, but the parents are shown struggling immensely with their child because that's reality and they're shown to be overbearing, especially the mother. His dad is a really good dad. And his sister is a great sister with her own problems and they fight like normal siblings and her boyfriend is also really great guy but they have their own issues. It's complex. Each character feels real and we'll rounded, including his asian therapist, she gets her backstory told as well. I think it does a good job at showing how parents can fuck you up because they don't understand. His mom tries to keep him as her little boy forever and his therapist has to tell her that he's becoming an adult and she needs to let him be an adult. Like, I've seen all of it and I enjoyed it and I also have a BFA in this subject but I personally love Abed from Community and I hate The Big Bang Theory. Jessica's video on autistic characters in media was really good! I personally loved the representation of an autistic boy in the 60's in Umbrella Academy, I've seen both seasons and the last season was amazing.

@@Aliceintherosegarden I agree with you but I also enjoy watching feel good tv shows because they make me feel good. And just because it's got a "feel good" tone doesn't mean the representation in the show is bad. Not every show needs to be drama or dark and gritty depictions of life. "Feel good" is just a genre, like "romcom" or "thriller". I just binged a tv show called Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist and it's a feel good romcom but it has really good representation. There's a deaf character and her father is disabled and it's all handled extremely well. One of the shows main characters is played by the person who played Alex in Glee. The show was created by a guy who's dad had the disability that Zoey's dad has, the show is about his father and his life just with a lot of changes and additions, but it's inspired by what him and his family went through. The tribute to his father is actually beautiful. The whole show is based around the idea of empathy. It's amazing.

So nice to see that I am not the only Israeli here. I will say that Pascale Berkovitch makes all able-bodied people look like major slackers.

They think we're brave JUST because we're daring to live as less than perfectly functional humans! That's why some of them will be like "If I was disabled like you I'd probably kill myself!"

@KStar So true. For some people being "brave" could mean getting out of bed. Or just existing. But even then that still makes some people a "coward." It seems like something some more able people say to help boost the morale of people who a) must feel broken and b) are treated by society as broken. But to try to pedastolize and build up someone who is judged harshly...I don't know anyone who likes it. I think most people just want to be treated as a human being, have a voice that is valued, and positive judgment doesn't help me deal with negative judgment. No judgment sounds nice. Just having a chat, some access, making it easy and not a focus. Definitely a bootstrap ideal. The yay you did it all by yourself, got to the top of that mountain in a wheelchair, are still a good person despite all that trauma and healed yourself, etc... Even the whole "getting help is brave" narrative still means a person has to be able to access and pay and problem solve to find "help" and "get better" by themselves. Ick. Just make it easy and treat people like people. But that's not just a problem with disability. All people should be treated better and life be easier. No bootstraps needed :)

@@blahblah1287 I'm 32. Diagnosed at 8. I only started medication a MONTH ago because my entire life I was (falsely) led to believe that I should get things done by my own merit and not with drugs (I get the same response to my migraine and pain medication). Now I have trouble getting medication because I'm "too old to start" (which is medically wrong). I don't take it all the time but its very helpful when I need to focused on a single task and would have probably helped me a lot in Uni.

I have dyslexia too. I read avidly and also write stories and books. When I told my new therapist about my dyslexia she made a huge deal out of the fact that I love to read (I have read 58 books thus far this year), and have good writing skills. I hate the stereotype that dyslexic people hate reading and don't write well. Maybe I have to work harder than the average person but that doesn't mean they read and write as well. Edit: even when I proof read before hitting send, I usually have to edit a post multiple times because I have a hard time seeing my errors.

ADHD and autism here. Easy to overwhelm, most of my hyperactivity is internal, and I've had enough people go 'well, why don't you just try harder (to be normal)' especially when I'm literally in the middle of a burnout depression episode after 'trying my hardest (to be normal)' for ohhh.... always? Because nobody (or, very very few people) like for other people to look at them like they're abnormal or a burden or that they're faking something... I always live at 'trying my hardest (to be normal)' at 130%, what you're asking of me is not within my realm of possibility (or if it is, usually only for a few minutes/hours until I have a total breakdown and need to recover for days or weeks)...

@@YTistooannoying Same I love to read and write dispite the difficulty the two repsonces I get are "you a cant be dyslexic they cant read" or I tell them I love to read "oh your tdyslexic I wwould have never of guessed given you love to read" and i'm at a school for dyslexic kids and most of the class loves to read and write

I just turned 39 and got my ADHD diagnosis a few months ago. Things I have been embarassed or even ashamed about myself, all my life, have suddenly been put into context (inability to fall or stay asleep, constant figiting, spacing out mid conversation, forgetting what I was talking about for the 16th time this conversation, crying easily and regularly as I'm so overwhelmed, forgetting appointments and never being able to accurately judge how long things will take to finish, a 20 year hyperfixation on Pokemon....etc etc and on and on). I'm trying to not think about "what if I had been diagnosed sooner" and focus on being the best me I can be now and moving forward. When I started to tell people in my life, some were like "Well yeah, that makes sense. I can see that about you" and some were like "Isn't everyone a little ADHD at times? What's the big deal? I forget my keys sometimes". Hmm, thanks for minimalising my situation. Thankfully my family and close friends, as well as medical professional have all been very supportive. I feel like I am getting a handle on my new normal and learning to weaponise my brains response to flashing lights and sounds to gamify my weight loss. This part has been rather fun. Lost a full 10% of my original weight in just over 2 months. Never been able to do that before.

I loved the fact that the blind character was also independent and treated like everyone else. He also had his own dreams and a full life that didn't just focus on his blindness

@@RandomSkyeRoses The fact that he's really attractive doesn't hurt either.

@@sadfaery I think more disabled characters should be written like that

Her brain is on fire, and she's firing on all cylinders. What a tour de force-- everybody in Hollywood should be made to listen to this.

Me too. Hope you feel better soon.

Me as a person who has Arnold Chiari Malformation, every time I sleep the wrong way. Also, I haven’t figured out which way is the right way. Lol 🤕

I love Eileen. Just, absolutely adore her. Mostly because she is a competent badarse, but not supernaturally so. She still needs accomodations, like reminding people to look at her when they speak. She’s neither inspiration porn, nor a pitiful figure. She’s just a competent person with some flaws, and who is also Deaf. And she’s a badarse to boot.

The only problem with her was her [SPOILER] Eventual death used to further her as a martyr to motivate Sam. In fairness, that may also be less about her disability and more because she's any character (especially a woman) in the show, but it's still disappointing to see. Especially Because she's one of 2 disabled characters I can think of (I'm including the fortune teller/psychic who went blind, who *also* died). It's an interesting conversation with this show specifically, because it's such a repeat offender. I love Supernatural, but it is not without it's flaws.

@@KaylaKasel That is totally valid, I think it is more a result of the show than her deafness but I getcha.

@@adriannabury1076 I agree for the most part, but I think it probably suffers representation-wise, because she's the only one of her kind of representation (being deaf). If there were multiple deaf characters that didn't suffer the same fate, it may be different. I just remember loving her until her death and then it felt sad to imagine someone seeing an underrepresented version of themselves on-screen and how crushing that must have been to have it end so tragically.

Kayla Lee the good thing though is [SPOILER] The fans got super pissed at the writers for fridging Eileen, so they brought her back.

Big mood