Disability/
AbilityBy Kirsty Steward
Dis
abili
ty
Definit
ion
1.A physical or mental
condition that limits a
person's movements,
senses, or activities.2.A disadvantage or
handicap, esp. one imposed or recognized
by the law.
Dis
abili
ty
Ste
reoty
pes
Regarding stereotypes for both
physical and mental
disabilities, a range of negative
stereotypes are enforced by
society. For example people in
wheelchairs are often
considered a liability by others
and are weak and defenceless.
Also people with mental
disabilities are considered as
stupid and different and usually
get the politically incorrect
insult of being a ‘retard’.
Phys
ical
Dis
abili
ty
In coronation street the character of Izzy is wheelchair
bound due to a condition called Ehlers-Danlos
syndrome in which she can walk but only for a short
amount of time before she becomes tired.
In the show she is represented as fitting in with society
as she has a job in the local underwear factory and her
group of friends are all able bodied meaning.
Furthermore she proves that she goes against the
stereotype of being weak and defenceless as seen in
the link as she stands up for herself and is still able to
work efficiently without assistance.
However able-bodied people’s reaction to her
condition is stereotypical as when she was first
introduced Eddie Windass , he insulted the newcomer
by telling Kirk: "You don't want to go out with a bird in
a wheelchair." This creates verisimilitude as not all people in society
are going to have a positive attitude towards disabled
people so this reflects real life and conforms to the
idea of Marx’s hegemony of stronger people being in
control physically.Yet Gary ends up dating Izzy and overcomes his
prejudice of her disability so the overall representation
of her character is positive and defies stereotypical
judgments.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqsYxpSLN3Y
Menta
l dis
abili
ty
In The Walking Dead, mental disability also
shows the signs of going against the
stereotypes of mentally disabled people.
This is seen with the character Rick who
throughout the series, is represented as
strong and in control as he fits Strauss’
theory of being a dominant character as he is
a white male who’s around 30-40 years old.
Yet after his wife’s death he becomes
depressed and has hallucinations which
cause him to panic and become distressed
with people around him( as seen in the clip
below).Again like with the previous slide, his
disability goes against the stereotype of
mentally disabled people being a stupid and
a burden to society to create verisimilitude as
although his exterior appears strong it proves
that mental disability isn’t a choice of
weakness, it’s an illness that can affect
anyone.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMvC94Jx
yRY