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The way we tell stories about the disabled is evolving—from total invisibility to inspirational to, finally, centering their voices and examining the ways their differences shape their lives, their strengths, and their perspectives. These Peabody-recognized works take us inside the mind of a nonverbal sixth-grader with a photographic memory (and witty thoughts voiced by her favorite TV actress, Jennifer Aniston); into the life of a man who played a superhero but found his purpose fighting for disability rights after a horse riding accident left him paralyzed; and into the world of a man with muscular dystrophy who found new life as a World of Warcraft warrior, citizen, and friend.
This engaging, funny, and touching film, based on the 2010 novel by Sharon M. Draper, stars Phoebe-Rae Taylor as Melody, a nonverbal sixth-grader in a wheelchair whose snark and intelligence are conveyed to the audience by Aniston’s voice. Melody gets the chance to be mainstreamed at school, but is met with resistance from fellow students and even the teacher himself. The supporting cast is talent-packed to match Taylor’s remarkable screen debut, including Rosemarie DeWitt, Luke Kirby, Judith Light, and Michael Chernus, making it a compelling watch for kids and adults alike.
Where to Watch: Disney+
Director Benjamin Ree documents the life, death, and lingering legacy of Mats Steen, a Norwegian man with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a degenerative disease that progressively limits his ability to participate in physical activities—so he instead spends his time playing World of Warcraft as a character named Ibelin. His parents find out after his death at age 25 that he lived a vibrant and dramatic life among his Warcraft peers, who didn’t know about his condition until near the end of his life. A fascinating examination of the ways online games can allow for alternate lives and vital connections.
Where to Watch: Netflix
‘Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story’
The documentary Super/Man tells the story of Christopher Reeve, an actor who became instantly famous playing the ultimate American superhero before a horse-riding accident left him paralyzed and turned him into a disability rights activist. The film covers his difficult childhood, struggles with fame, friendship with Juilliard classmate Robin Williams, spinal cord injury activism, renewed relationship with his family members after his injury, and his death at 52. “The actor’s biography is invariably framed as a tale of two halves. Triumph and disaster. The charmed and the cursed,” Xan Brooks wrote in The Guardian. “But Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui’s polished, respectful documentary—made with the support of Reeve’s surviving family – does well in linking both sides, painting the whole person and showing how his essential good character was revealed and sharpened by the crisis that befell him.”
Where to Watch: HBO Max
Further Listening: We Disrupt This Broadcast
On our very own podcast with the Center for Media and Social Impact, Out of My Mind director Amber Sealey talks about accessibility (and the lack thereof) in public schools, why she wanted to tell Melody’s story, and how making her own set accessible made life better for everyone involved.
Where to Listen: PeabodyAwards.com
Peabody Conversation: ‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’
“We are re-creating a very rich online life in the game World of Warcraft,” says director Benjamin Ree. “And in that re-creation everything has really happened. We use real dialogue, real events and situations, and characters.”