As someone who is disabled (visually impaired) the most important part of life in some respects is to be able to laugh at yourself. Don’t be too serious about your disability as there’s enough depressing moments with a disability without making more of them.
In some respects the Little Britain character was I suspect the wish of some disabled people to say “gotcha” in black comedy moment but also emphasised attitudes towards disabled people. We have seen in Hollywood these past months people from diverse communities and transgender people saying why can’t they be represented by themselves rather than an able bodied actor or someone who represents these diverse communities. This goes to the heart of the matter of how disabled people are represented in the media. It’s great to see a reporter in mobility scooter or in a standing frame, whilst also seeing a blind reporter at the Whitehouse. It would be great to see these people presenting the main news bulletins “to show disabled people have arrived.”
But more importantly it’s the way in which people with a disability are treated in our society that is the real problem. With people on ESA, battling the Universal Credit system or just getting that job interview. If we have a caring inclusive society then those from all political persuasions should be horrified at how people are treated, the fact that one political Party doesn’t think they should, shows how far there is to go for disabled people to be treated equally.
