Representation- Disability

The song “Spasticus Autisticus” was played out to our class at the beginning of the lesson, this song is by a band called the Blockheads. The lead singer of the band had a disease called Polio, this stopped the growth and development in one of his legs. The song is about people with disabilities but because someone with a disability wrote it it was accepted by the public and other physically or mentally disabled people.

As a class we shared our own personal opinions and feelings towards people with a disability and how we felt when we were around someone with a disability. Some views were different to others, some people felt extremely uncomfortable, some people felt sympathy and some people admitted they would rather try and avoid anyone with a disability. If confronted by someone with a disability most of the class said they would rather be with someone with a physical disability than a mental disability. One thing that the majority of the class agreed on was that we all didn’t want to seem patronising when around someone with a mental or a physical disability.

Famous disabled people-

Stephan Hawking- Wheel chair

Heather Mills- One leg

Gordon Brown- One eye

Steve Wonder- Blind

Verne Troyer- Dwarf

Muhammad Ali- Parkinson’s disease

Gary Coleman- Dwarf

Albert Einstein- Autistic

Leonardo Divinci- Autistic

Ian Dury- Polio

Terry Pratchett- Alzheimer’s

Rya Charles- Blind

Mozart- Deaf

Blaine Harrison- Spina bifida

Famous films with characters with disabilities-

Rainman- Dustin Hoffman

Forrest Gump- Tom Hanks

My left foot- Daniel Day

I am Sam- Sean Penn

Born on the 4^th of July- Tom Cruise

Water boy- Adam Sandler

The ringer- Johnny Knoxville

The curious case of Benjamin Button- Brad Pitt

Unbreakable- Samuel L Jackson

IRobot- Will Smith

Million dollar baby- Hilary Swank

Avatar- Sam Worthington

Some of these films show the character with the disability being a hero, this could be shown to other people with any kind of disability that they can make a different. A few of these films were nominated and won amazing awards.