I want to be the representation I didn't see on TV growing up with a disability
CBC
This First Person column is written by Dylan Earis, a graduate of the University of Regina's school of journalism. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.
Growing up, I watched a lot of TV. I have a physical disability and unfortunately, I was stuck inside a lot, so TV was one of my companions.
As I flipped through the channels, I noticed something fairly obvious. Nearly everybody on the screen was standing up. There was nobody who looked like me and sat in a wheelchair.
I already felt marginalized in life and, now that I look back on it, I don't think TV helped me feel any better.
My TV could get upwards of 40 channels and I wasn't represented on any of them.
Then I found a light in the darkness. I started watching a show called Malcolm in the Middle, because not only was it funny, but it featured a character with a disability. Malcolm's friend Stevie was in a wheelchair.
I was so excited. Finally, somebody like me was on TV. I had to learn more about Stevie. Did we share the same disability? How did it impact his day-to-day life? Did he feel as marginalized by society as I did?
A quick search of the Internet shattered my world. Craig Lamar Traylor, the actor who played Stevie, did not have a physical disability. The joy I initially got from seeing Stevie on screen turned to disappointment that stuck with me for a long time.
It wasn't until I started watching Breaking Bad that my view of people with disabilities on TV changed forever.
Before putting on the first episode, I thought I knew what I was getting into. This is a show about a chemistry teacher who gets diagnosed with cancer and ends up cooking and selling drugs to support his family. Given the show's dark subject matter, I was not expecting to find something that would have a deep and positive impact on my life.
But the main character's son is a person with a physical disability. And it's not just any disability, it's cerebral palsy.
I have cerebral palsy!
He uses crutches to get around. I use a cane!
Thinking back to Stevie, I feared this was too good to be true. The character looks like he has a disability, but does he? I was worried that I would find out something I didn't like.
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