Show us how it can be done. What does true inclusion look like? How can and should disability be portrayed in a way that is normal, realistic, authentic, and does not fall into the all-too-common tropes and traps we see in typical media portrayals?
For this assignment, choose one of the following options:
- Practice writing a character or story that includes and normalizes disability. Write an original short story, article, treatment, or script (could also be for a series of ads!) that includes disability in some way. You may adapt something you have written for a prior class. Inclusion should not be tokenizing or merely an afterthought (character happens to have a disability that is never acknowledged). Don’t forget the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality, etc. Beware stereotypes and tropes!
- Critique an existing piece of media and explain how you would change it to be more inclusive. Consider an existing media portrayal (maybe there is zero depiction of disability currently or the current portrayal is inadequate). Describe how you would fix it. Describe possible storylines, scenarios, and interactions. What language would you recommend using instead? Please be specific with solutions!
