Doing It Right

Want an example of inclusion at its best? Watch the Amazing Race on Sunday nights.



This season’s race brings back racers from previous seasons – teams who did not win, but came very close to winning. And, two of my favorite teams are back!

Luke is Deaf and is racing with his mother, Margie. Zev is racing with his brother, Justin. Zev is diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome.

The really glorious thing? Not one iota of special attention is given to either team. They race, they stumble, they argue, they laugh, they look silly – just like every other team in the race. The show doesn’t spotlight them, advertising their ‘token’ disabled person. The host makes no big deal about it, but does impress me greatly just because he learned some sign language to be able to communicate with Luke. And that’s all the host does – communicate. He doesn’t draw attention to his signing – he doesn’t make a spectacle of Luke. He doesn’t comment about Zev’s Autism. They are two teams racing, just like all the other teams.

Luke and Zev are both funny young guys. Luke finally gets a chance to drive, and is all smiles as he gives a big thumbs up to the camera. He talks about one of the other teams – two beautiful young women – and calls then his race girlfriends.

When one of the challenges faced by all teams is to draw on their inner artist, Justin says Zev will be great at that because he is artistic. Zev says, “Autistic too!” The two young men cut up constantly and you can see in Justin’s eyes how much he admires and loves his brother.

I am thrilled to see people with disabilities on a mainstream television show where their disability is not the focus of the show. This, in my opinion, is inclusion at its best.

Deaf Like Me

I know it may not seem like such a big deal to most people, but when Ronnie sees a Deaf person signing on TV, he gets so excited. We saw this commercial for the first time this past weekend. Another interesting aspect of this was that the commercial aired during Amazing Race where one of the contestants is a young man who is Deaf.

Keep 'Em Dreaming

So what was your favorite Super Bowl Commercial. Here's mine:

Don't Believe Them, Artie

I didn't start out as a Gleek, but I am now. I'm two seasons behind on the wildly popular show, Glee, but I am making my way throught Season 1 on Blueray right now. I am loving the show, and try to fit in a new episode whenever I can.

Today I watched two episodes. The first included a story about Rachel (the glee club's biggest star) getting very upset because she had tonsilitis. Even though her doctor recommended she have her tonsils removed, she just couldn't because she believed she would lose her singing voice. And in Rachel's mind, the only thing she has going for her is her voice. Without it, she feels she would be nothing.

But another glee club star, Finn, took Rachel to see a friend of his. Finn and his friend used to play football together. The friend, however, was injured and was paralyzed from the chest down. The friend convinced Rachel that she was more than just her voice, and that life, though different, wasn't so bad. Rachel bought it, and the episode ended happily ever after.

The next episode, however, seemed to send the exact opposite message. Artie, the glee club member in a wheelchair, succumbed to the flirting of one of the girls in the club, and decided he wanted to dance. Not just a different kind of dancing that involved his wheelchair, but real stand-on-your-feet dancing. The girl researched a lot of medical trials and convinced Artie that it would be possible for him to walk and eventually dance.

Then, unlike with the ex-football player from the previous episode, everyone, including teachers and guidance counselors, convinced Artie that he had to accept his limitations and stop dreaming of walking. The episode ended with Artie telling the girl that he wasn't going to walk, or dance, or even be able to sink a basketball. The girl danced with an able-bodied boy as Artie gazed sadly off to the side of the stage.

So why would the writers promote dreams and a no-limits lifestyle for one character, and then in the next episode have Artie accept that he was different and shouldn't dream? Maybe the answer will be revealed in later episodes, but for the first time, I really didn't like Glee.

A Modicum of Sense

Well, at least the Academy of Arts and Sciences haven't completely lost their minds. I was appalled when I first heard that the TV show, Family Guy, got an Emmy nod for their song, 'Down Syndrome Girl.'

Haven't heard it? Well, here is a sampling of the lyrics:


And though her pretty face may seem a special person's wettest dream. [...]

You must impress that ultra-boomin', all consumin', poorly-groomin', Down Syndrome girl. [...]

You want to take that little whore and spin her on the dancing floor. [...]

My boy between the two of us we'll get her on the shorty bus and then you're gonna take it on a whirl.

Now go impress that super-thrilling, wish-fulfilling, YooHoo-spilling, ultra-swinging, boner-bringing, gayly-singing, dingalinging, stupefying, fortifying, as of Monday shoe lace-tying, stimulating, titillating, kitty-cat impersonating, mega-rocking, pillow talking, just a little crooked walking, poorly-pouting, poopie-sprouting, for some reason always shouting, fascinating, captivating, happiness and joy-creating, Down Syndrome girl.

According to Newsbusters.com, "The Feb. 14 Family Guy episode, which the song appeared in, sparked outrage after its premiere - most notably from former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin who has a son with Down syndrome.

At one point in the episode, the character with Down syndrome said that her mom was "the former governor of Alaska," a clear reference to Palin and her son, Trig.

Palin quickly criticized the show for the distasteful jab at her son. "[W]hy make it tougher on the special needs community? When is enough enough? When are we going to be willing to say some things just aren't really funny?" she said on Feb. 16."

Mrs. Palin and I almost never agree on anything, but on this item we most certainly do. The song was not funny - it was offensive. And even though, as New York magazine noted, the Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics award, the category in which this song was nominated, has been "gaining a reputation as Emmy's quiet nod to First Amendment rights", this time things went too far.

Thank goodness the song did not win the Emmy.

"My Deaf Family"

I'm a fan of all the TLC family shows like Little People Big World, 19 Kids and Counting, and Table for Twelve. I just watched a video done by Marlee Matlin for a show similar to those. So far she hasn't found a network willing to pick up the show, but watch this 10 minute video from YouTube and tell me if you would like to see this pilot become a regular show:

Kick In The Gut or Just Another Character

You've all probably heard and read about the controversy over last week's Family Guy episode. But if you haven't, I wanted to share these selected writings from Patricia E. Bauer's blog. She has done an excellent job gathering opinions from both sides of the controversy. Take a few minutes to read through them, and then let me know your thoughts.

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Palin describes the show as a ‘kick in the gut’

From the New York Daily News:

Following a Valentine’s Day broadcast of Fox’s Family Guy that got laughs at the expense of a character with Down syndrome, former Alaska governor and Fox commentator Sarah Palin published a Facebook post saying the show had “mocked” her son Trig, who has Down syndrome.

Palin said the show, in which the character was labeled a “little whore” and a “poorly groomin’ Down syndrome girl,” felt like a”kick in the gut.” Her Facebook comment included a paragraph attributed to her daughter Bristol that begged for compassion toward people with disabilities and ended by calling the show’s writers “heartless jerks.” The text follows:

“When you’re the son or daughter of a public figure, you have to develop thick skin. My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent. People with special needs face challenges that many of us will never confront, and yet they are some of the kindest and most loving people you’ll ever meet. Their lives are difficult enough as it is, so why would anyone want to make their lives more difficult by mocking them? As a culture, shouldn’t we be more compassionate to innocent people – especially those who are less fortunate? Shouldn’t we be willing to say that some things just are not funny? Are there any limits to what some people will do or say in regards to my little brother or others in the special needs community? If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed. All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks. — Bristol Palin”

(Ellen, the character with Down syndrome, was voiced by Andrea Fay Friedman, an actress who has Down syndrome.)

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Ellen Seidman, writing at Huffingtonpost.com, says Sarah Palin’s criticism a recent episode of ‘Family Guy’ is “completely misguided.” Seidman, whose son has cerebral palsy, says she applauds what she views as the show’s message — that people with disabilities are people just like everyone else. An excerpt:

I work so hard to spread that message every single day of my son’s life. It is an endless, Sisyphean labor of love. To be sure, I would not enjoy it if someone called Max an asshole, but hey, at least they’d be engaging with him instead of just gaping. At least they’d be treating him like a typical person instead of like a freak show.

Sarah, the genius of this episode is that it made a girl with Down syndrome seem like just another feisty teenager with ‘tude. It also gave people in this country a way to get the conversation going about people with disabilities.

… Really, you should be grateful to “The Family Guy” — for tackling a taboo topic with relatable humor and smarts; for holding a funhouse mirror up to the public so they can recognize their shortcomings in their dealings with people who are handicapped; and for being real.

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Assessing Sarah Palin’s criticism of ‘Family Guy,’ Jennifer Armstrong on Entertainment Weekly’s Popwatch blog says the show actually treated Ellen, the character with Down syndrome, “very much like any other character, which shows quite a bit of respect in the Family Guy universe.” An excerpt of her comments (accompanied by a video of the show’s “Down Syndrome Girl” number):

Her defining trait wasn’t her Down syndrome, it was the fact that she was bitchy and demanding and ultimately rejected Chris even though he heeded her every command. You could see it as mocking, I suppose, that Stewie sang a song called “Down Syndrome Girl” while getting Chris ready for his date. But that made a lot more fun of poor Chris and his smelly, gross tendencies than it did of his date.

Yes, there are references to hugs that are “tighter than a vice and go on for an hour,” the “shorty bus,” and the fact that she’s “for some reason always shouting.”(Side note: Ellen herself didn’t shout.) But is this enough to warrant Palin’s wrath? I honestly don’t know — I don’t have a child with Down syndrome. I do, however, salute including those with the condition in our everyday entertainment, and doing so without patronizing them. This episode did that, and even came off pretty sweet, by Family Guy standards.