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The Hero/Villain Complex of Dis/Ability Representation in Visual Culture…

- - - - Physical disabilities often carry with them a heavy mental and emotional toll that is often disregarded. I've known people who had been paralyzed since birth that had gone on to have incredibly successful careers and families, and still could not find their place in this world and ultimately took their own lives. # #
      - Mental illness is too often associated with the words "crazy" and insane, and those afflicted by mental illness and all varieties of disabilities that can't be seen are devalued and dehumanized or at the very least
  - - - After the success of Daredevil (2015), Netflix premiered Jessica Jones in 2015. Jones first appeared in a comic in 2001, as the owner of private detective agency after her superhero career was cut short by Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
        
        Jones has incredible physical superpowers or abilities, but her mental health ultimately got in the way of the career path she thought she would have as a hero. With that being said, she finds a new path for herself using her abilities as she can without disregarding her overall health and not lessening her as a person. She is no less a hero for using her powers in a different way, and her mental health doesn't negate them. #
        
        This reminds me a lot of how Cece in El Deafo (2014) finds a way to use her unique ability to be confident in herself and do incredible things, despite others' perceptions of her abilities.
        
        Something I've mentioned elsewhere on this map is how critical it is that we portray people of different abilities as complex, I think this is a great example of that, vastly different than depictions in the Unbreakable series. #
- - - - Mr. Glass - Elijah Price took on the name Mr. Glass in reference to his childhood nickname, based on his rare fragile bone condition. He orchestrates the critical train crash, as well as other incidents.
        
        For Mr. Glass, his fragility and use of a wheelchair have always been seen as a weakness, and is considered the thing that sparked his ambition for evil. #
        
        My dad founded a business in 1980 called Eagle Sportschairs, designing and manufacturing everyday and sports wheelchairs and equipment. His customers have a whole range of physical impairments, some are paraplegic like Professor X, some are quadriplegic (paralyzed from the neck down), and some just need assistance from a wheelchair or another device to give them increased freedom and mobility.
        
        My dad has customers all over the world, including athletes competing at the the local, national, and international levels in all different sports. By providing qualities materials and resources, my dad helps people who might otherwise be viewed with pity or seen as inferior due to "physical limitations" transform into superheroes, as champions and incredible athletes and role models. Certainly my dad has helped with this, but these people would not be the athletes they are today if any of the stereotypes of disability were true.
        
        Something my dad has always strived for is the appropriate and positive representation of his clients and customers. As a someone who has spoken to the US Olympic and Paralympic teams and Committee, as well as colleges, conferences, and businesses, he thinks carefully about not just representing them as incredible athletes, but also as incredible people - mentioning their career accomplishments, families, and diverse lifestyles. He has lots of young customers, including kids as young as 3 and 4, and he says that they are the people he does this for - so that all people can grow up seeing themselves reflected in the positivity and accomplishments of the world.
        
        American Association of Adapted Sports Programs: Barry Ewing
      - David Dunn - Dunn was college football star who could not be injured. Glass became aware of him after he became the sole survivor of a train crash. Dunn's only weakness is water, after a near drowning accident as a child.
        
        One problem that often occurs with the representation of heroes with varied physical and mental capabilities or obstacles is treating them as a vigilante, a hero that operates outside of the law - morally grey. The other is that heroes are often idealized, treated as the pinnacle of human perfection and morally sound.
        
        Neither of these, we need to learn to display both heroes and villains as morally complex characters, taking their mental or physical challenges out of the equation that has led them to the identity as a hero or villain.
      - The Beast - Kevin Wendell Crumb uses the name "The Beast" in reference to his 24th dominant personality. Crumb's DID began to develop after his father died in the train crash that Dunn survived, and his mother begins abusing him.
  - - - Should All Disabled Roles Go to Disabled Actors?
- - - - Department of Ability is about disabled superheroes who save the world. Dan was even back by Marvel comics founder Stan Lee for the project. #
        
        Department of Ability Website
        
        Disabled Superheroes Save the World
  - - - El Deafo (2014) #
        
        Based on the author's own experiences of growing up with hearing loss
        
        Cece Bell on El Deafo
        
        Tells the story of young girl (a bunny actually - as bunnies are known for their big ears to hear with) that has to use hearing aids to hear. At first it feels like a disability, but she learns to be comfortable and proud herself, her hearing aids become a superpower. #
        
        The story is complex, crafted to make readers, even very young readers, consider the difference between disability and circumstances that they're not personally familiar with.
        
        Kersten (2017) describes why graphic novels have been such a validating resource for detailing the experiences of disability. She particularly discusses the deaf experience, but states that graphic novels also have a rich autobiographical and particularly female history that provides voice to many people of different backgrounds and experiences (Kersten, 2017).
        
        Kersten (2017) also notes that because graphic novels are both textual and visual experiences, they open the door for people of varying abilities to access and enjoy them. This is different than say a piece of art on a wall that can really only be experienced visually.
        
        I think movies can function the same way with the technologies we have today. Both are more accessible to people of different socio-economic backgrounds and all over the world, making them also more available to children. It's much easier to feel accepted as different or feel less like an other if you have more resources available to you. That's not to say that money fixes problems, because it doesn't, but I think access to resources is critical. # #
        
        Smith D'Arezzo and Holc (2016) acknowledge that El Deafo highlights one of the fundamental issues with (dis)ability representation - it's not really the people with (dis)abilties are more impaired but that people who are seen as "normal" are impaired in their ability to respond.