Walter Junior (Left) pictured with Walter White (Right). Walter Junior's character has cerebral palsy but that is not the crux of the character rather it is treated as simply apart of the character. Picture: Vulture.com
The character of Walter Junior in the television series “Breaking Bad” is the most prominent and realistic portrayal of a teenager with cerebral palsy in television history. The character of Walter Junior in “Breaking Bad” is shown through a lens of a teenager who just so happens to have a disability, which in this case, is cerebral palsy. The disability isn’t the character’s defining trait but rather a condition that the character just so happens to possess. For example, during season two of “Breaking Bad”, Walter Junior, demonstrates teenage rebellion by defiantly changing his name to “Flynn” in response to the main character lying about his actions earlier in the series. However, this isn’t always the case as there are many harmful tropes in TV shows and movies such as the “my disability is my super power trope” that leads to a misrepresentation of the disabled community. An example of this would be in the Netflix series “Daredevil”, a show about a vigilante superhero who gains super human abilities after losing his ability to see.
Disabled Artist, Brenna Ann, 24, believes that shows like “Daredevil” does more harm than good when it comes to representing the disabled community. “Disability makes [daredevil] a better fighter and superhero and it was so unrealistic to watch.” Ann said, “I honestly couldn’t keep watching it I had to stop watching it because disability does get in the way.” Disabled figures in media are few and far between, according to an article in the New York times written by Sarah Bahr titled “Study Shows Disability Representation Onscreen Is Increasing, but Still Falls Short” the numbers concerning disabled representation in media are still minority percentage of overall media. In the article it is stated that “titles [that] came from a Nielsen database that included about 164,000 films and TV shows that premiered over the past century. Of those, about 4.2 percent, or 6,895 titles, were tagged as having significant disability themes or content.”
The article also goes on to state that, according to a survey, persons with disabilities were dissatisfied with the portrayal of the disability in media. “A survey of more than 2,000 smartphone users on disability representation in media conducted in the first quarter of 2022 also found that people with disabilities were much more likely to take issue with portrayals of disabled characters.
Viewers with disabilities were 34 percent more likely to say there was not enough representation of their identity group in media, and they were 52 percent more likely than those who did not identify as having a disability to characterize a TV portrayal of their identity group as inaccurate.” This sentiment is shared with Annette, 53, who is diagnosed with Williams Syndrome, a intellectually developmental disability that impairs abilities such as speech and cognitive function. “I think that there should be a movie that...the camera crew should know exactly what their abilities are” Annette said. Annette expresses in a limited capacity what the outcome of proper disabled representation would result in. “I was in the movie, a celebration of life and I wanted [the movie] to get [people to] respect them, like them, care about them and not look at them like they are a strange person when they are in the grocery store.” This shows how lack of proper media representation can make those with disabilities feel alienated or isolated.
Organization like Best Buddies assist in lowering that feeling amongst the disabled community. Best Buddies is a nonprofit organization whose mission statement is to establish “a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).” In addition to being “dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Our programs empower the special abilities of people with IDD by helping them form meaningful friendships with their peers, secure successful jobs, live independently, improve public speaking, self-advocacy and communication skills, and feel valued by society.”
During a lukewarm, Wednesday game night at the villa de vilda, Annette participates in answering pop culture questions in a jeopardy style game show quiz. Pop culture questions such as “Who said the famous line ‘to infinity and beyond?” followed by immediate answers like “Buzz Lightyear” permeate the air with excitement. This is a regular social night with the Best Buddies organization and it is enjoyed by participants like Annette. “I like the way that they do different activities and each time there’s a best buddies [event] we do something different.” Best Buddies address a need specific to the demographic of disabled people that is often not covered in the media.
Another example of this would be the instance of a Beyoncé fan who had cerebral palsy who ended up missing the singer’s show because of the airline responsible for his flight not being able to accommodate his wheelchair. In a New York times article written by Remy Tumin titled “When He Missed a Beyoncé Concert, the Hive Went to Work” about the wheelchair- bound Beyoncé fan Jon Hetherington, it highlights a need that the average able bodied individual does not consider. In the article it is stated that “the airline could not accommodate the electric wheelchair Mr. Hetherington, who has cerebral palsy, relies on to get around. The crew tried to find Mr. Hetherington, 34, another flight on a plane that could accommodate his wheelchair; an Airbus could do it, he was told, but the only one available would get him [to the Beyoncé concert] 12 hours too late. “This is a systemic issue, this is ableism, this is what I’ve dealt with my whole life,” Mr. Hetherington said in an interview. “I was demoralized by the whole thing.” This demonstrates a problem that is not often highlighted by the media but is a problem that persists because of the lack of visibility that the media persists in when it comes to people with disabilities.
The sex lives of disabled people is also a topic that is virtually never spoken about in the media. According to an article in USA Today written by Catalina Lawsin titled “Sex ed for people with disabilities is almost non-existent. Here's why that needs to change.” There is a severe lack of caring about the disabled beyond just their disability. In the article it states that “One in four adults in the U.S. lives with a disability, yet for many their sexual education needs have been overlooked, leaving them vulnerable to abuse, risky sexual behaviors and loneliness...As sex education loses funding and becomes more restricted in scope and access, individuals with disabilities are often left out of even the most basic programs. Only five states mandate inclusive sex education for people with disabilities, and two of those are optional, while 36 states don't mention sex education for special needs at all. This lack of inclusion leaves individuals with disabilities to rely on parents and media for information, which is often incomplete, inaccurate or absent altogether.” This shows how even legislation and various lawmakers at the state level often treat people with disabilities as an invisible demographic that simply gets ignored most of the time. The article goes on to say “These barriers to sexuality have serious consequences. Children with disabilities are four times more likely to experience sexual assault than their peers, increasing to seven times more likely as adults. Between 40% to 70% of girls with disabilities and up to 30% of boys experience sexual assault before the age of 18. Women with disabilities are more than twice as likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases than their peers. Loneliness and mental distress are much more prevalent among adults with disabilities due to social isolation and stigma around dating and relationships.” Which further illustrates the problem with the lack of awareness which stems from lack of media coverage on issues concerning people with disabilities, especially sexual issues.
There is growing representation for the disabled but it is still very much a minority representation in media. One influencer, Lauren Spencer, is a “sex positive disability influencer” who posts about her life living with muscular dystrophy on various social media platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. In another New York times article written by Sarah Bahr titled “Lauren Spencer Is a Sex-Positive Disability Influencer” the article goes on to describe how Spencer uses social media to bring awareness to how people with disabilities live their lives. Bahr writes that “Spencer, who goes by Lolo, is an actress, model and disability influencer who is best known for portraying the quick-witted, sex-positive freshman Jocelyn on “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” currently in its second season on HBO Max “Jocelyn was the college version of myself,” she said. “I was partying all the time, having sex — maybe not as often as Jocelyn is, though.” Ms. Spencer, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, also creates videos debunking disability myths and shares fashion and dating tips on Instagram and YouTube. “I wanted to create content that would answer that question and eventually dispel stereotypes.” Spencer also mentions her dating life in which she states the only real problems arrive when potential partners are insensitive toward her condition. “The men I have dated or interacted with haven’t necessarily freaked out or been weird about anything,” she said. “But certain things they’ve either said or done made it feel they didn’t fully accept the fact that I had a disability.”
Despite the lack of extensive media coverage regarding people with disabilities, nonprofit organizations like Best Buddies, stories like Jon Hetherington and disability influencers like Lauren Spencer can continue to shed light on the largely invisible demographic that is people with disabilities.
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