In the 2000s, the primary media message was to not “see“ disability.
An example of this narrative comes from a Disney Channel Original movie Going to the Mat. It is, at its core, a generic sports movie for children. The trailer promotes
“The new kid in town’s biggest problem isn’t his blindness. It’s his attitude” (Disney Channel).
In the 2004 film, the lesson taught is to not see disability at all.
This coming-of-age story is about Jace Newfield moving across the country; and at his new school, everyone is a jock.
So he joins the wrestling team to fit in. He happens to also be a blind musical savant.
Jace Newfield is characterized by his resentment toward being disabled. He deflects internalized ableism by making jokes about the midwest.
In one of the first scenes, Jace walks into a jock who immediately reacts,
“Hey man, are you blind or something?”, looks at Jace, who wears sunglasses and uses a cane, then quickly apologizes.
Jace’s reaction is antagonistic toward the jock.
Jace says, “Look everyone, a talking side of beef. What’s your name, farm boy?”
The other jocks acknowledge the comeback as “1 for John and 1 for the blind kid.”
John responds, “Well, I’d punch his lights out, but”
… Jace finishes “it looks like someone already has.”John laughs with Jace. It seems like playful banter until
Jace says, “I haven’t heard that since the second grade. Come on, John boy, park your cow and take a shot.”
John decides to let it go and walks away.
There are centuries worth of literature attesting to
“the notion that people with impaired vision might make ‘sport’ with ‘blind activity’”(Bolt, 5)
Going to the Mat asserts that being blind isn’t Jace’s problem; it’s his attitude.
But where does that attitude come from? Does his anger stem from being uprooted, as in the plot of many films? In my opinion, one reason for
Jace’s attitude as a person with a disability, is that meeting new people means being treated differently. That is often the case until people grasp that disabled people are actually “normal.”
Part of Jace’s “chip on his shoulder” comes from his own assumptions about others’ perceptions of him.
Jace is the one who instigates jokes about being blind. Possibly because he’s insecure and assumes people see him as a freak.
This is the first sign that Jace struggles with internalized ableism throughout the film, calling himself a freak preemptively, before anyone else does.
Sources
Bolt, D. (2005). Looking Back at Literature: A Critical Reading of the Unseen Stare in Depictions of People with Impaired Vision. Disability & Society, 20(7), 735-747. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687590500335741
Gillard, S. (Director). (2004). Going to the mat [Television movie]. Disney Channel.