Anisha Dhawan
CTWR-211
Speechless Speaks the Truth
Over the past several decades, television has become a huge part of our modern-day culture. People all over the world look to various forms of television for information, entertainment, and escape; however, until recently, television writers have primarily steered away from addressing issues of racism, disabilities, sexism on the shows that they create in fear of creating shows that viewers may not be interested in. Scott Silveri, renowned producer and writer, ignored this common misconception and created the show, Speechless, in 2016, which features the life of a family of a teenager with cerebral palsy. Speechless is one of the very few shows on television that has made a character …show more content…
The first aide that they hire is a perky woman, who squeals when she talks, who is not a good “voice” for this troublesome teenage boy. By the end of the episode, Kenneth, the school’s groundskeeper, takes over as JJ’s “voice.” Alongside, Maya DiMeo, emerges as the central driving force in the family, doing whatever she possibly can to get the people living in her community to be more inclusive for her son. However, society’s view of inclusion can often mean giving disabled individuals an absurd amount of special treatment. When JJ enters his classroom on his first day in the new high school, his teacher screams “He’s here, he’s here!,” followed by a long applause and standing ovation from the class. However, the teacher, soon after, realizes that the ovation is insensitive and tells everyone to sit down. The teacher begins to apologize to JJ for the events that just occurred, saying “Sorry, we’re just excited…We haven’t had a student had a student before…who has….,” as he stumbles on the right words to say the disabled teenage boy. In addition, directly following this scene, one of JJ’s peers nominates him for class president, by which the teacher remarks that he is “an inspiration,” purely because he’s a teenage boy going to high school in a wheelchair. These scenes depict how often individuals in our society feel the need to give special treatment to these disabled individuals to show that they aren’t excluding them. …show more content…
It’s extremely rare to come across television shows where disabled individuals are depicted to actual normal human beings with complex emotions, thoughts, and experiences.” Speechless, however, seems to want to be one of them, portraying disabled individuals in a way that’s never been done before. In episode two of the first season, N-e—New A-i—Aide ", Maya DiMeo is seen managing JJ’s life to the tee, from his physical therapy schedule, to his dietary habits, “cutting up his lunch into small pieces so he doesn’t choke,” to creating a book titled JJ’s Care Book, with detailed instructions on how to take care of her son. However, as the series progresses, JJ is given more independence and given opportunities other teens his own age get to experience, like going to a baseball game, driving a car, and even going to a party in episode five, H-a-l—Halloween, of the first season. In this episode of Speechless, JJ gets drunk at the Halloween party by sending Kenneth off on small errands for the duration of the party, while his friends keep giving him small amounts of beer each time Kenneth leaves to run one of the errands. When the DiMeo parents welcome JJ back into the house and realize he’s drunk, they have no option but to ground him. However, when the two parents
CTWR-211
Speechless Speaks the Truth
Over the past several decades, television has become a huge part of our modern-day culture. People all over the world look to various forms of television for information, entertainment, and escape; however, until recently, television writers have primarily steered away from addressing issues of racism, disabilities, sexism on the shows that they create in fear of creating shows that viewers may not be interested in. Scott Silveri, renowned producer and writer, ignored this common misconception and created the show, Speechless, in 2016, which features the life of a family of a teenager with cerebral palsy. Speechless is one of the very few shows on television that has made a character …show more content…
The first aide that they hire is a perky woman, who squeals when she talks, who is not a good “voice” for this troublesome teenage boy. By the end of the episode, Kenneth, the school’s groundskeeper, takes over as JJ’s “voice.” Alongside, Maya DiMeo, emerges as the central driving force in the family, doing whatever she possibly can to get the people living in her community to be more inclusive for her son. However, society’s view of inclusion can often mean giving disabled individuals an absurd amount of special treatment. When JJ enters his classroom on his first day in the new high school, his teacher screams “He’s here, he’s here!,” followed by a long applause and standing ovation from the class. However, the teacher, soon after, realizes that the ovation is insensitive and tells everyone to sit down. The teacher begins to apologize to JJ for the events that just occurred, saying “Sorry, we’re just excited…We haven’t had a student had a student before…who has….,” as he stumbles on the right words to say the disabled teenage boy. In addition, directly following this scene, one of JJ’s peers nominates him for class president, by which the teacher remarks that he is “an inspiration,” purely because he’s a teenage boy going to high school in a wheelchair. These scenes depict how often individuals in our society feel the need to give special treatment to these disabled individuals to show that they aren’t excluding them. …show more content…
It’s extremely rare to come across television shows where disabled individuals are depicted to actual normal human beings with complex emotions, thoughts, and experiences.” Speechless, however, seems to want to be one of them, portraying disabled individuals in a way that’s never been done before. In episode two of the first season, N-e—New A-i—Aide ", Maya DiMeo is seen managing JJ’s life to the tee, from his physical therapy schedule, to his dietary habits, “cutting up his lunch into small pieces so he doesn’t choke,” to creating a book titled JJ’s Care Book, with detailed instructions on how to take care of her son. However, as the series progresses, JJ is given more independence and given opportunities other teens his own age get to experience, like going to a baseball game, driving a car, and even going to a party in episode five, H-a-l—Halloween, of the first season. In this episode of Speechless, JJ gets drunk at the Halloween party by sending Kenneth off on small errands for the duration of the party, while his friends keep giving him small amounts of beer each time Kenneth leaves to run one of the errands. When the DiMeo parents welcome JJ back into the house and realize he’s drunk, they have no option but to ground him. However, when the two parents