The power of disability

One of the most common stereotypes for people with disabilities is that they are not able to take care of themselves; thus, thought of as "childlike", "helpless", etc. Not only is this by far a false assumption, but it is very offensive to the disability community. Film has made many movies that greatly bring out the power that many people with disabilities can have. Whether it's a story that is fiction and more towards the entertainment aspect, movies have brought out good messages towards disabilities and has made people without them have a better idea of what they go through on a day to day basis.



One great movie that discusses the hardships of disabilities is "Forrest Gump". As the title states itself, Forrest is the main character of this story. Throughout his childhood, he's had to deal with many bullies that made fun of him because of his leg deformity, having to wear leg braces. Ironically enough, though he has trouble getting around with his leg braces, while he's running from a group of bullies one day, he brakes loose from the braces and amazes those around him that notice just how fast he can run. Later on, his great ability to run really fast, even though it still takes time to get used to controlling his speed and knowing when to stop, has him get accepted to college on a football scholarship. Throughout the movie, it shows these outstanding experiences that Forrest has had, that one without a disability would most likely not even begin to think a person with one could do. A couple more examples are him joining the army and rescuing many of the soldiers, his long run across the country for about 4 years which made him famous, and much more.

Many other movies have brought attention to the life of people with disabilities, which has been very beneficial since we get more of a sympathetic view for them, such as "Daredevil", "Xmen",and many more. Even though movies such as "Children Of A Lesser God" haven't greatly brought out the "silent world" of deaf people, (since the sign language throughout the movie was not translated in subtitles and only through one of the main characters without the disability) it still possitively brings out the message of the difficulties that deaf people have through communication. It is important that we understand the hardships that people with disabilities have to go through, so that as a nation, we can all communicate and better understand eachothers views and lifestyles, and accept them for who they are.

site for picture: http://students.cup.edu/Gil8867/aboutme.htm
site used for more backup info on "Forrest Gump": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_gump
site used for the opinions of the movie "Children Of A Lesser God": http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19861003/REVIEWS/610030301/1023