Eighth International Conference on Communication & Media Studies

Abstract

Recent research by Nielsen and the nonprofit organization RespectAbility have shown that there has been a large increase in the representation of disability on film and television in the past decade. This increase in expression is arguably important since approximately 1 in every 4 adults has either a physical or mental disability in the United States. For those in the disability community, while this is a welcome shift, at the same time, there are concerns that the actors portraying these roles are by and large not disabled. Furthermore, there is also the problem that these characters are too often the objects of pity or individuals who are seen as someone who need to be fixed. In this paper, I will explore two television shows, “C.B. Strike” and “Dead to Me,” and look at how they coincide with the rise in larger cultural shifts in showing people living with but not defined by their disabilities. I also look at how they have been received by viewers living with disabilities. I conclude by looking at how these characters are moving the needle with respect to earlier portrayals, and how future representations will benefit from more inclusive programming that draws on the lived experience of the disabled community.