Developmentally disabled people portrayed in more films

Web posted at 27-Mar-98 00:26 Central European Time

"Academy Award-winning films reflect the trend that people with disabilities are becoming more visible members of our schools and society," wrote Stephen Safran, a professor of education at Ohio University, in a report on his research of the media portrayal of disabilities.

Stephen Safran's article was published recently in Exceptional Children, a journal published by the CEC (Council for Exceptional Children).

However, oftentimes these films do not paint an accurate or representative picture of the lives of the mentally ill or neurologically disabled, according to Safran's study.

For example, Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of an autistic savant in "Rain Man" in 1988 earned him an Oscar for Best Actor, but Safran noted that very few autistic people have savant skills (such as extremely fast calculation).

"Unfortunately, the high frequency of psychiatric disabilities, the rare appearance of children and youth, as well as the absence of some disabilities, indicate a failure to accurately reflect the special education population," wrote Safran.

From 1990 to 1996, nine awards for Best Picture, Best Actor or Best Actress (as much as 42.8% of all) were given for the portrayal of a disabled person, in contrast with only one (2.6%) from 1990 to 1996, Safran found.

"Award-winning motion pictures can be used as powerful teaching tools to help educate students about disabilities," concluded Safran in his article.

Related sites