Portraying disability in the film industry is complex and poses several
challenges. From hiring non-disabled actors to hold positions of
characters on screen with a disability to finding authentic actors, the
road to exposure and representation still has a lot of ground to cover.
For example, according to statistics from 2019,
only 2.3% of all speaking actors
of the top-grossing films that year held a part representing a
disability.
Common Disability Representations
Although several films and television pieces depict disabled individuals,
it can be challenging to find a wide array of disabilities shown
on-screen. More often, mainstream disabilities, including depression,
Down’s Syndrome, blindness, or deafness, are shown, leaving dozens of
other disabilities without any form of representation. As a result, many
communities of individuals, including those who have cerebral palsy, find
themselves underrepresented in the media.
Although cerebral palsy has made its way to the big screen with popular
films such as My Left Foot,
Gaby: A True Story, and others, there is still a significant gap in supportive inclusion
for the cerebral palsy community in the media. Unfortunately, individual
perspectives and viewpoints will not evolve or change without more common
inclusions in the film industry of this specific disability that affects
17 million people worldwide. As CP experts, such as
CPFamilyNetwork
noted, with such a large community, there is a need for support from all
media forms, including film, television, and online sources.
Changing the Face of Film
One monumental documentary film that got noticed for disability
representation was
CinemAbility: The Art of Inclusion
back in 2012. This piece follows the path of including disability themes
within movies, television, and online sources. How actors portray disabled
individuals and the impact these roles have on society is the focus of
this documentary.
Of course, the more awareness that documentaries like CinemAbility, Crip
Camp, and others bring, the more accepted roles on-screen will include
disabled characters. But unfortunately, individuals who did not have a
disability often held these previous representations of these disabled
roles. This scenario is known as ‘cripping-up,’ and frequently, these
roles were not always accurate.
Many examples of disability in the media would portray the individual as
a victim who has a debilitating disability that they had difficulties
facing. Some instances would involve them being mistreated by others,
emulating the helplessness of a disabled person. Alternatively, other
portrayals would showcase a hero that overcomes their disability and
forges on to do great things or make a difference in the world. While this
interpretation puts the individual in a positive light, it is not always
accurate.
How the mainstream media depicts individuals with disabilities
contributes to how the public sees them in society. More representation is
needed to include the familiar roles of disabled individuals in the
community. While it is great to see a film with a disabled main character,
having more widespread representation with even minor roles can be
incredibly beneficial throughout the industry. This evolution to more
inclusion is the only way that disabilities will gain headway in the film
industry.