The stigma associated with “disabilities” or “special needs” in the United States is still a huge problem. Despite the fact that disability rights is the next frontier in the civil rights movement to make all persons equal, most people do not associate equality with disability.
Thankfully, Hollywood is striving to change that stigma with the creation of ability tolerance shows including persons of all abilities. The more Americans see that all people are equal, no matter their abilities or disabilities, the more that stigma can begin to change. Television shows play an integral role in the lives of many Americans and can easily influence people’s perceptions.
A recent A&E hit “Borne This Way” that follows the lives of seven young adults with developmental disabilities recently won an Emmy for outstanding unstructured reality program. This Emmy nomination and win is huge for this movement and a step in the right direction in changing America’s perception on equality.
This show highlights the lives of adults living with disabilities – showing viewers that an adult living with a disability often lives a life with similar wants and needs as themselves and that they are not as different as they may initially perceive.