Disabilities on the rise

Last week, So You Think You Can Dance named its top male and female dancer of the season, both formally trained ballerinas. 

However this year, they also recognized ¬dan¬cers that would never make it on the show, but deserved the spotlight. 

They honoured Leroy Martinez – a sweet, overweight dude who teaches hip-hop to kids in an afterschool program.  Man, did he have skills.

They also brought out Bryan Gaynor, who suffers from scoliosis, and his dance crew.  

AXIS Dance Company performed a routine with one dancer in a wheelchair.  And Jean Sok, a one-legged BBoy from Paris, received a standing ovation.

Thus, SYTYCD proved that dance does not require physical “perfection” to touch the heart. 

And it wasn’t the only show recognizing the skills of those with special physical needs.

Christina Ha, a blind at-home-cook, faced skepticism in the Master Chef kitchen when she auditioned.  By the end of this season, she had the title. 

American Idol’s James Durbin placed fourth during the 10th season – an amazing feat made more so because he connected with the audience despite having Asperger’s (a form of autism) and showed physical and vocal control despite suffering from Tourette Syndrome.

But these are reality shows.  Here, producers are willing to take a risk and tug on a few heartstrings.  Not necessarily so in scripted television. 

Producers are often called to task for hiring able-bodied actors to perform in handicap roles. 

Of course, actors love these parts. They guarantee accolades for their acting skills and earn them recognition for promoting minority groups.  

But the disabled community would prefer that shows hired disabled actors in the first place.

And why not? You hire a black actor to play a black role. You don’t hire a Caucasian and paint his face.
It makes sense.

Deaf actress, Deanne Bray, successfully portrayed a real-life deaf consultant for the FBI for several seasons on Sue Thomas, FBEye.  And Robert David Hall is a double amputee whose disability has always been part of coroner Dr. Robbins, the character he plays on CSI.

Glee’s Ryan Murphy has used actors with Down Syndrome for key roles.  So it’s no surprise that some contestants for his Glee Project were blind, wheelchair-bound and even had autism.  

But Murphy will hire the best person for the role, regardless of politics.  Consequently, after many auditions, able-bodied Kevin McHale was cast as the wheelchair-bound Artie. 

And considering Murphy’s tendency to write storylines with social messages, I have to respect his decision.  Even if others still don’t.
Whether it’s a schizophrenic professor played by healthy-minded Eric McCormack on the drama Perception, or Jean Sok creating his own amputee-style of hip-hop dance, television is giving us an opportunity to see the world in broader strokes. 

And isn’t it more colourful for the effort?