This first-person column is written by Dylan Earis, a graduate of the University of Regina’s School of Journalism. For more information on first-person stories, see our FAQs.
I watched a lot of TV as a child. Unfortunately, I was physically disabled and often confined to the house, so TV was one of my companions.
As I flipped through the channels, I noticed something pretty obvious: Nearly everyone on screen was standing. No one who looked like me was sitting in a wheelchair.
I was already feeling left out in life, and looking back now, I don’t think TV made me feel any better.
Saskatchewan Weekend 11:21 Why Representation of People with Disabilities in Media Matters
Regina journalist Dylan Ayres may be in a wheelchair, but don’t think for a second that he’s a charity case. Dylan has cerebral palsy and is living life on his own terms, making a difference in the process. Dylan joins host Shauna Powers to explain why he wants to pursue a career in journalism, despite the obstacles.
My TV had over 40 channels, but none of them showed my show.
And then I found a light in the darkness. I started watching a show called “Malcolm in the Middle.” Not only was it funny, but it had a character with a disability. Malcolm’s friend, Stevie, was in a wheelchair.
I was so excited. Finally, someone like me was on TV. I wanted to know more about Stevie. Do we have the same disability? How does it affect his daily life? Did he feel marginalized in the same way that I did?
A quick internet search shattered my world: the actor who played Stevie, Craig Lamar Traylor, did not have a disability. My initial joy at seeing Stevie on screen turned to lasting disappointment.
Since I started watching Breaking Bad, my perspective on disabled people on TV has completely changed.
Before watching the first episode, I thought I knew what to expect: it’s a show about a chemistry teacher who is diagnosed with cancer and starts cooking and selling medicine to support his family. Given the show’s dark themes, I didn’t expect to find something that would have such a profound and positive impact on my life.
However, the protagonist’s son has a physical disability, and it’s not just any disability – he has cerebral palsy.
I have cerebral palsy!
He walks with crutches. I use a cane.
Aeris’ love for media inspired her ambition to become a disability journalist reporting on disability issues. (Richard Adjekutai/CBC News)
Thinking back to Stevie, I worried that this was too good to be true. This character seems disabled, but is he really? I was worried that I would find something about him that I didn’t like.
Another quick Google search revealed my fears to be unfounded: RJ Mitte, who plays Walter White Jr., has cerebral palsy.
I wanted to tell everyone I knew right away.
The sadness I felt upon learning Stevie was not disabled was replaced by the joy of watching Walter Jr. on screen.
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In the end, that joy was quickly replaced by the joy I felt from looking at someone else.
myself.
Stand up as a representative
It was late Monday afternoon, and I was traveling in my motorized wheelchair with two of my classmates.
We were journalism students at the University of Regina and had just finished interviewing people for a fictional TV news report about flu vaccinations. We were looking for a place to perform stand-up comedy and settled on a spot just outside the flu vaccination area.
When my classmates finished their stand-up, I thought that was it for the day, and I was about to leave when they asked me if I wanted to try it too.
I thought about this for a moment and then answered, “Yes.”
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I rolled over in front of the camera, and the irony, I realized, was that I was doing stand-up comedy while sitting down.
When I saw my footage, it was the first time I’d ever seen a person with a disability perform stand-up comedy on a news program. It made me want to do for news reporting what RJ Mitte did for entertainment on Breaking Bad. Sure, there are journalists with disabilities like Tara Weber, who uses a wheelchair, but with people with disabilities making up about 22% of Canada’s population, there is still a lack of representation in the media.
Actor RJ Mitte, who has cerebral palsy, plays a character with the same disability in “Breaking Bad.” (Getty Images)
I want to be a disabled person reporting on disability issues.
I want people with disabilities to see me the way they see RJ Mitte, not the way I see Stevie.
I feel like I have already started that journey, but I also know that I still have a long way to go.
I look forward to every step of the way.
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