I am sure many of you have heard the inspirational and heart-warming story of Jason McElwain, the basketball player with autism, who was brought in for the last minutes of the game and scored the winning points having previously never played. On a personal level, I was very happy for this young man, but I still had many uneasy feeling about the media coverage. In my experience media coverage of people with disabilities seems to come in two flavors–either the individual with a disability (e.g. special education) is draining the public coffers for no good end or otherwise victimizing society or an institution, or the good people of the community have extended their largess for some "truly deserving" person with a disability. The variant on this latter theme is the Jason McElwain story. A person with a disability has amazed us with the fact that he or she in fact has abilities which are primarily newsworthy because of the the fact of being disabled. I had not been able to capture the full range of my feelings about the media coverage of the Jason McElwain story, until I saw the following story by Kathie Snow in Disability is Natural Press which I think hits the mark.
"Inspirational" or Evidence of Old Attitudes?
Like millions of others, I recently watched, read, and listened to the extensive media coverage of Jason McElwain’s feats on the basketball court—and just this week, President Bush took time out to meet Jason in front of reporters. As you probably know, Jason, a 17-year-old senior with autism, was the team manager, who was "allowed" to suit up for the last game. (The coach reported that, at 5 feet, 6 inches, Jason was considered too small to make the team.) With a large lead over their opponents and with four minutes left in the last home game, the coach sent Jason in. You know the rest: Jason scored a two-pointer and six three-pointers, and the home video that displayed his abilities and the wild celebration by his teammates captured the attention of the media, film producers, and the President of the United States.
Again, like millions of others, I was thrilled for Jason. But I am also dismayed and disturbed.
I’m dismayed that Jason was not "allowed" to simply be on the team—he obviously has the talent. So why wasn’t he on the team? Was it his height (the "official" reason) or because he has autism? We may never know. News reports indicated that since he only played in one regular season game, he was ineligible for post-season games. And where was Jason educated? Was he "allowed" in regular ed classes, alongside basketball team members and other students without disabilities, or was he segregated in a special ed classroom?
I’m disturbed at the hoopla generated. For if Jason had been a regular member of the team, routinely scoring three-pointers, this story would have never made the news! The media coverage left the impression that Jason scoring 20 points in the last few minutes of the game was some sort of miraculous occurrence (the story was repeatedly billed as "inspirational")! But, according to news reports, Jason routinely sunk three-pointers during practice. (So, did anyone else wonder why reporters didn’t press the coach or other school personnel about why Jason wasn’t allowed to be on the team? Did reporters not ask because they assumed they knew the answer: "Because he has autism.") Lest anyone think I’m being a Scrooge here, let me repeat that I’m delighted Jason was finally able to strut his stuff during a game—and I wish that this "proof" of his abilities led to his being a member of the team!
But the extraordinary press coverage, most of which focused heavily on Jason’s diagnosis and some of his "problems," and which did not use People First Language, has perpetuated the "inspirational hero" disability stereotype so prevalent in news coverage and Hollywood productions like Rudy, Radio, Rainman, and other films. And would President Bush’s handlers have set up the meeting with Jason if he wasn’t a young man with a disability? If one of the actual team members had scored 20 points in the last four minutes, would the President have taken the time to meet with him?
The flip side of the "inspirational hero" is, of course, the "pitiful victim" stereotype, as depicted in Million Dollar Baby, the 2005 Academy Award-winning Best Picture, along with Sling Blade; I am Sam, and others. These deceptive portrayals —like "Jerry’s Kids"—reduce people with disabilities to objects who are used to pull at our collective heartstrings. In some cases, the intent is to generate pity-dollars; in others, it seems the intent is to enable people without disabilities to "feel good" about themselves as they compare their lives to the life of the inspirational hero/pitiful victim. (I once worked as a TV producer/director, and news people just love to put out "feel-good" stories, and the ones with people with disabilities often top the list as the "best" heart-wrenchers.) During a televised interview, Jason’s parents expressed concern that a movie made about Jason should be handled the right way. Their reaction seemed to reflect an awareness that producers could turn Jason’s story into a less-than-desirable and perhaps less-than-truthful portrayal—a "feel-good" movie—at the expense of Jason and others with disabilities.
Jason’s story made the big-time news because it was extraordinary: a student with autism who had never been "allowed" to suit up scored 20 points the first time he was permitted to play in a real game. In contrast, there are other children with disabilities who are playing on regular sports teams, performing in community theater, and participating in other typical activities alongside children who do not have disabilities. Yet there’s no news coverage of these children with disabilities. Why? Because their inclusion in schools and communities has become ordinary and their stories would not generate any "inspiration" or "pity." And that’s something to quietly celebrate: children with disabilities are classmates, actors, team members, etc.—and their disabilities are irrelevant.
I anticipate that some will soundly criticize my observations. Some will respond with, "Shouldn’t we all be grateful that Jason was allowed to play at all?" Others might say, "These things take time…look at the progress we’re making….be patient." And others will simply be angry at my comments, in general. No, I am not grateful when people with disabilities are "allowed" to do anything—that smacks of tokenism! And patience with a snail’s pace of progress? I have little patience for attitudes that continue to marginalize people whose bodies or minds happen to be different by virtue of conditions we’ve labeled "disabilities"—what century are we living in? I will, however, be very happy when the Jasons of our world are real players on real teams and no one takes any notice because it will have become the norm.
The Disability is Natural Free Press
www.disabilityisnatural.com
Copyright March 2006 by Kathie Snow