"Beautiful Mind" John Nash's Schizophrenia "Disappeared" as He Aged. Mathematician John Nash, who died May 23 in a car accident, was known for his decades-long battle with schizophrenia—a struggle famously depicted in the 2001 Oscar-winning film "A Beautiful Mind. " Nash had apparently recovered from the disease later in life, which he said was done without medication.
But how often do people recover from schizophrenia, and how does such a destructive disease disappear? Nash developed symptoms of schizophrenia in the late 1950s, when he was around age 30, after he made groundbreaking contributions to the field of mathematics, including the extension of game theory, or the math of decision making. He began to exhibit bizarre behavior and experience paranoia and delusions, according to The New York Times. But in the 1980s, when Nash was in his 50s, his condition began to improve.
Studies done in the 1930s, before medications for schizophrenia were available, found that about 20 percent of patients recovered on their own, while 80 percent did not, said Dr. The Fries Test: On Disability Representation in Our Culture. Twenty years ago, I edited Staring Back: The Disability Experience from the Inside Out, the first commercially published multi-genre anthology of writers with disabilities writing about disability. The anthology was published by Plume. In the introduction, I wrote: “Throughout history, people with disabilities have been stared out. Now, here in these pages — in literature of inventive form, at times harrowingly funny, at times provocatively wise — writers with disabilities affirm our lives by putting the world on notice that we are staring back.”
In the large scheme of things, not much has changed in how disability is represented in our culture since I edited Staring Back. In most popular culture disability continues to be defined by the nondisabled gaze. Perhaps the best, or should I say worst, example might be last year’s Me Before You, based on a UK romance novel, in which the young Louisa becomes caregiver for Will, a wealthy banker recently paralyzed from a car accident. Disability in film: is cinema finally moving with the times? | Film. This year's Paralympics in London did an extraordinary amount to change attitudes to disabled people. But cinema has been doing its bit too. In March, Untouchable, the story of the relationship between a quadriplegic and his carer, became the highest-grossing film ever in a language other than English.
It's now taken nearly £250m on a production budget of £7m, topping the box office charts in countries ranging from Switzerland and Spain to Germany and South Korea. It has also been selected as the French entry for the foreign-language Oscar. A hot competitor for that honour was Rust and Bone, in which Marion Cotillard plays a double amputee. The point about these films is not that they feature disabled protagonists, but the way the films treat the characters. It hasn't always been like this. But cinema was slow to change its ways. Actually, things haven't been quite as bad as Longmore painted them. Still, Europe has always been a bit bolder on this front than the US. Jerry Lewis telethons raised billions for muscular dystrophy. Many cheered when he went off the air. Jerry Lewis makes opening remarks at the “Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon” fundraiser in Los Angeles in 1990.
(Julie Markes/AP) As Jerry Lewis continuously rose and fell in the eye of public opinion throughout his career, one thing remained constant: Every Labor Day weekend from 1966 to 2010, he and celebrity pals such as Sammy Davis Jr., Johnny Carson and Jack Benny would be on television for almost 24 hours, raising money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association on his annual telethon. He raised around $2.5 billion through these telethons, the MDA told the Los Angeles Times, and he scooped up some impressive accolades for himself along the way, such as the 2009 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. When he died Sunday at 91, the White House issued a brief statement of appreciation, which mentioned “his incredible charity work” that “touched the lives of millions.” It called him “one of our greatest entertainers and humanitarians.” Films, TV, & Documentaries | Media & Disability Resources. Mass media about people with disabilities and disability issues for use in university courses (All these are available in DVD format or online.
Disability or issue is listed in parentheses. Also listed are links to its website or Disability Studies analyses of it. Documentaries Alicia (living with brain injury) (A promising 18-year-old drama student sustains brain damage; her response to her disability was to start a theatre group and become an active member of the community) Narrative Films (This is not a list of films that are all positive portrayals.
Scripted TV Reality TV & Web series. The Nyle DiMarco Foundation - Empowering Lives Together. Rebecca Burgess’ Comic Redesigns the Autism Spectrum | The Mighty. Rebecca Burgess sees a problem with the way many people perceive the autism spectrum. Her resolution? The comic below. The Tumblr user debuted “Understanding the Spectrum” (below), which gets rid of the linear autism spectrum image (i.e. you’re either “not autistic, “very autistic” or somewhere in between) and replaces it with a round spectrum full of several traits or ways the brain processes information.
“I want people to understand that autistic people don’t all fit a stereotype, and show people the consequences of stereotyping,” Burgess, from the U.K., told The Mighty in an email. “[Stereotyping leads to] underestimating the skills of autistic people or not believing someone [who is on the spectrum].” The comic, which she released in April for Autism Acceptance Week, has earned her messages from autistic people, parents and teachers, thanking Burgess for helping them explain the spectrum in a more accurate way.
No, Bad TV Portrayals of Disability are Not Good Learning Opportunities. – crippledscholar. Image Description: Promotional poster for Netflix series Atypical. The Main cast is lined up on the bottom of the screen Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine), then only the top of Sam’s (Keir Gilchrist), Doug (Michael Rapaport), and Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) a cartoon thought bubble surrounded by penguins is coming out of Sam’s head featuring the show title and release date (Aug. 11) “Hey everyone, you should totally watch Atypical it’s super informative about autism except for the pathologizing of misogyny, the uncritical look at the cult of compliance, the portrayal of autistic people as one dimensional more uncritical takes on using disabled family members as props for personal gain, serious misrepresentation of effective therapy and interventions but yeah, you should totally watch it anyway” I wrote the previous paragraph on Twitter yesterday in response to someone who suggested that despite Atypical’s extremely problematic portrayal of autism that it was still a tool for learning.
Deaf West artistic director David Kurs: Why deaf actors should be cast to play deaf characters. Deaf West Theatre was created by the deaf community as a place where deaf actors could come together with hearing actors in service of vivid theater. The company’s productions of “Big River” and “Spring Awakening” went on to Broadway, and its “Our Town” will be staged at the Pasadena Playhouse in the fall. Deaf West Artistic Director David Kurs recently explained the importance of visibility for deaf actors, and in this edited conversation conducted by email, he offered his argument for why they should be given an opportunity to play deaf roles.
How important is authenticity in casting to deaf actors? When a deaf actor is not cast in a deaf or signing role, an opportunity is taken away from a person who has the life experience of being deaf. Each instance of a hearing actor playing deaf is grist for the Deaf West mill. We find ourselves increasingly motivated to create more opportunities for deaf actors, to create our own homegrown stars and to feed the talent factory with trained actors. Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity Gender Sexuality and Disability. Stella Young: I'm not your inspiration, thank you very much | TED Talk. Why I Hate "ME BEFORE YOU" A comedian in a wheelchair tries to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn (VIDEO). Cerebral Palsy Foundation “New York, the city that never stops fucking with you,” Zach Anner says in this charming video as he attempts to traverse the city in his wheelchair. The mission seems simple enough: Go get a rainbow bagel in Brooklyn.
But New York’s not even among the top 10 most wheelchair-accessible cities in the U.S., and that presents certain obstacles. It should only take 28 minutes, according to Google Maps, but there’s no accessible subway. Fortunately, there is a boat ... The Texas comedian’s quest comes via the Cerebral Palsy Foundation, which cleverly shows how the transportation routes many people take for granted can be impossible for others. For more Anner, check out his book, If at Birth You Don’t Succeed. Disability in Kidlit — Reviews, articles, and more about the portrayal of disabilities in children's fiction. Unboxing Ableism. Disability and Hollywood, a Sordid Affair. Category: Art and Entertainment, Media By Maysoon Zayid | February 8, 2017 Marlee Matlin. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images And the winner is … definitely not an actor with a visible disability.
On the rare occasion that a disabled character is given a major storyline, it is always one of three plots: “You can’t love me because I’m disabled!” The disabled community is the largest minority group in America and by far the most underrepresented in media. Aside from the lack of positive and permanent disabled presence in media, there is also the fact that nondisabled actors are still cripping up.
Disabled film director and founder of #FilmDis, Dominick Evans, has watched hundreds of films featuring characters cripping up. A character does not have to be written as disabled to be played by a disabled actor, but casting directors and producers seem to have failed to take that leap of faith. There have been glimmers of hope. To receive WMC Features by email, click here. Tags: Metaphase and the Down’s syndrome superhero | Garrick Webster.
A little while back, ImagineFX magazine contacted me asking for a feature about ‘unlikely’ superheroes. Of course, I said ‘yes’ straight away – I love comics and I love ‘unlikely’ – and you’ll be able to read my piece in issue 146, on sale 24 February 2017 in the UK. As the brief talked about LGBTQ+ and plus-size superheroes, I straight away wondered whether there are any disabled superheroes out there, and any with Down’s syndrome (DS). My son Teddy has DS so it’s close to my heart. Very quickly, I discovered Metaphase, a graphic novel put together by Chip Reece and Kelly Williams, and published with some Kickstarter help by Alterna Comics. Chip’s son Ollie not only has DS but had a heart defect which meant a series of painful operations beginning when he was 10 days old. The kid has gone through more in his six years than most of us will face in a lifetime – a real hero, and fitting inspiration for Metaphase. In the comic, Ollie is a little boy whose dad is a superhero.
Amazon.