Portrayal of disability paper Literature & Language Essay

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Media Portrayal of Disability
The media piece selected is 'Me Before You' released in 2016 which is based on the life of Will, who was previously a successful banker but now is paralyzed from the neck down due to a severe motorcycle accident. He is now wheelchair-bound and entirely dependent on a house nurse for his self-care tasks. While the movie is a romantic drama, it also depicts the physically and psychologically disturbed life of Will who is unable to perform almost every task he wants to, and has the least life satisfaction. In the film Lou replaces the house nurse and helps Will better his life quality. They eventually become romantically involved until Will expresses his desire for assisted suicide. Confronting him meticulously, Lou remains helpless in front of Will's demand. The movie ends with Will winning in his euthanasia battle and giving enough money to Lou for living her dreams.
Social Model of Disability
Many people have genetic or acquired impairments, but when society and its 'norms' disturbs a particular person's life, these impairments become disabilities (Oliver 16). The social model of Disability explains how society excludes people with impairments and consequently shatter their life goals. They are then unable to fully participate in daily life, putting them at the disadvantaged end. This model studies aspects such as:
* Prejudice against people with physical or intellectual impairment
* Social labelling which causes the individuals to lose hope or motivation further
* Ignorance by family members, colleagues, friends, health care workers and government as a whole
* Economic Dependence on family members or government institutions
* Overprotection’s by family members
* Lack of physical and emotional independence
* Inaccessibility to most societal or recreational places.
The model links aspects of medical impairment to how daily life can be carried out. It theorizes the individual's psychological health as well as the attitudes and beliefs of people who ultimately alter the individual's perception of himself (Goering 136) and his self-esteem.
Portrayal of Disability in Media
Multiple times the television and multimedia industry has portrayed personalities or real-life stories who face difficulties once they have been impaired. Similarly, 'Me Before You' is a depiction of an individual who becomes impaired but later also becomes 'disabled' due to the society's incapability of including him. Firstly, it is depicted in the film that Will is an extremely depressed person with feelings of anger and resentment embedded in his daily routine. He does not have an ac...