Alex Arabian May 14, 2021Updated: May 14, 2021, 7:31 am
In the Hulu film “Run,” Kiera Allen became the first wheelchair-using actor to star in a major feature thriller since Susan Peters’ role in “The Sign of the Ram.” That was in 1948. Photo: Allen Fraser, Hulu
Since the late 1980s, you may have noticed a paradigm shift in film and television toward authentic disability representation. Not only has this provided more roles for people with disabilities, but it has also helped to destigmatize and normalize their stories to audiences around the world.
After earlier roles for people with disabilities used them mostly for humor, horror or disgust, this second wave aims to debunk notions that having a disability constitutes less than “normal,” or that it defines someone.