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As the semester in GWS is coming to a close, I chose to write my final discussion post on the season finale of Speechless called “R-u-n-Runaway”. Continuing from the previous episode, JJ overhead his siblings conversing with his parents about his future, specifically he would care for him and where would he live once their parents were not longer able to care for him themselves. In complete shock and sadness, JJ showed up on Kenneth’s doorsteps wanting to never return home. However, Kenneth brought him home and his mother apologized profusely for not including him and the entitlement to his opinion. JJ was deeply saddened by the fact that his family did not believe he was capable of living on his own or having a slight independence as an adult, so Maya sought out to prove him wrong. He made it abundantly clear to his mother that while she may have his best intentions at heart, she could not physically do everything for him for the rest of his life. While it may necessary to have assistance through aides, technology, etc. to help those with disabilities in certain contexts such as schooling; however, people must learn to do things on their own with no assistance. As the episode progressed, Maya came across a young adult whom was handicapable and shockingly enough was able to drive car while also having a ‘hot’ girlfriend. The two boys conversed and the conversation resuted in Maya and JJ realizing that he was fully capable of gaining his own independence and thriving without the constation attention and assistance of his parents. It is important to remember that people must not be aiding individuals with disabilities to such a great extent, that it is affecting their role as an independent individual. Like those without disabilities, all people should be given the room to express themselves and have the freedom to speak up for themselves and learn their limits through experience.

This week I am going to revert back to the sixth episode of the season called “D-a-t-e-Date”, to discuss the aspects surrounding the idea of people dating. As the episode begins, JJ is asked by the principal to assist a classmate of his, Claire, who was recently placed in a wheelchair due to an injury, and to help her maneuver her way through the school and their community with the disability. Throughout the week, JJ begins to develop feelings for Claire that he has never felt for someone before, so his aide, Kenneth decides to intervene and fulfill the position as his wing-man. As suspected, JJ believed that she would not be interested in him the same way that he was, because he was deemed different and not apart of the typical social norm: a guy (who could walk and talk) and a girl. He lost the motivation and desire to pursue a relationship with Claire, as he thought he did not live up to the expectations of dating someone who was not born with a disability like he was. Scenarios similar to JJ’s have appeared in numerous television shows and movies, largely directed toward individuals with disabilities or who are homosexuals. While it is important to express different scenarios when demonstrating the growth of relationships, it is degrading to see how specific individuals are pointed out for their supposed ‘flawed’ social norms. Nearing the end of the episode, JJ grew the courage to express how he felt toward Claire, and to many viewer’s surprise, she agreed to go on a date with him. It was important that the creators showed this scene, because JJ exemplified that while he may not have a voice of his own – he does have something to say. He came to the realization that simply because you may not be what society deems acceptable in terms of a traditional heterosexual relationship, he was able to prove that the world is slowly revolving into a wider acceptance of all groups of people.

This week, I watched the 18th episode of the show Speechless called “D-i-Ding”, which revolves around the DiMeo’s family trip to the grocery store. Traveling as a family to the store, let alone anywhere is a huge hassle and avoided in most circumstances. The purpose for attending the grocery store, is to buy the specific ingredients that Ray needs for his class project of making papaya. While Dylan and Jimmy spend their time in search of a bottle of soda she has not had since she was a child, Maya and Ray are arguing over the fact that she will not admit to dinging the car next to theirs when they arrived at the supermarket. Meanwhile, JJ is asked to buy some sort of deli meat from the meat section, and is forced to wait in a long line before being assisted. As JJ was nearing the front of the line, an ego-headed, rude middle aged man grabbed his wheelchair, moved it, and allowed himself to go in front off JJ all while ignoring his existence. JJ became so infuriated that he was ‘looked over’ and not viewed as an actual person, that he began to follow the man around the store. He wanted to treat him poorly, for treating him so terribly. He stood in between aisles, grabbed the remaining items the man was searching for, and overall being a pester. It was disturbing to see how JJ was treated in this episode, and the writers of the show did an excellent job portraying what it is sometimes like in our society in relation to treatment of disabled individuals. The fact that JJ was forcibly moved from his place in line and treated as an object, rather than politely asking him to move over in line or be a decent person and waiting for your turn is unacceptable. While JJ may have been in a wheelchair, he still had a means of communication and did not deserve to be ignored and looked over.

After watching the19th episode of Speechless, ‘C-h-Cheater!’, I believe that the producers made sure that the show not only entertained America’s viewers with senseless humor, but also made sure to incorporate important messages that all of todays society must have knowledge about and properly understand. For example, the concept of mistreatment of people with mental and physical disabilities in schooling and their overall performance was addressed as the moral of the plot in this particular episode. The episode starts out as Maya receiving a number of emails, letters in the mail, and voicemails from JJ’s history teacher requesting to have a meeting with her. As Maya, JJ, and Kenneth are talking to his teacher, he reveals that Kenneth has been helping JJ cheat on all of his tests. He personally did not have a problem with JJ receiving assistance, but his classmates were noticing the unfair treatment and had begun to complain. Maya then went to all of JJ’s teachers asking if they were giving JJ ‘special treatment’ in the classroom, and each of their responses fell along the lines of giving him answers before the tests, not forcing him to do his homework, or even letting him cheat. She was appalled by their lack of ethical teaching and made it clear that JJ was to be treated the same as his peers in the classroom. The ‘free-pass’ given to JJ by his teachers is often evident in schools today, as I have witnessed it first-hand. While certain kids with disabilities have limitation in schooling, some do not; however, people categorize them all as being incapable of excelling in school. JJ for instance, was more than capable of completing homework and taking tests like his classmates, but he was given this ‘pass’ that forced him to lack effort in school. Not only educators, but all influences in people’s lives with disorders do not need to allow them or provide to them these limitations and lack of expectations, rather they should be pushing them to excel to their fullest potential that those with disabilities can handle.

This week I watched the seventeenth episode of the season of Speechless called “S-u-r-Surprise” that revolved around the birthday party of the youngest DiMeo child, Dylan. While Maya is focused on throwing the most perfect surprise party for her daughter’s 13th birthday, JJ and Ray find themselves in a dilemma as they still have not bought their sister an adequate present. With permission from their parents, Ray is in charge of JJ for the day as the two set off for the mall to buy Dylan a new pair of sneakers. Along the way, Ray treats JJ poorly as he has the given so-called authority, so JJ sets off on his own to retrieve the shoes. Meanwhile, Ray sets out on a day long journey in search for his brother who is on his own who is unable to speak with little motor function. One of the most valuable scenes throughout the course of the entire season was when Ray made it to a shoe store (not the one JJ made it to) and had an important conversation with the sales manager about his brother’s whereabouts. When the worker asked him to describe what his brother looked like, Ray answered with “he has short brown haired teenager” and his response was “I am sorry but that describes almost every person in here. Can you be more specific?”. Ray simply responded mentioning that he is handicapped. The worker then points out that he is impressed and well respected by Ray, as he did not use JJ’s disability or his use of a wheelchair as a physical characteristic that defines him as a person. It is extremely important NOT to define a person by their disabilities let alone the physical aides (ec. Wheelchair) that only make their lives easier for them. Like I have mentioned numerous times before, people living with disabilities are no different than those living without a disorder and deserve to be treated no less.

I decided to skip ahead to episode 15, “T-h-The C-l-Club” of the television show, Speechless to uncover how JJ is being treated as well as the opportunities presented to him. JJ, a young teenager living with cerebral palsy has shown numerous examples throughout the show of what it means to treat those with disabilities with equality. I have demonstrated a few of the many experiences JJ has had at school and within the community, that are rarely given to those with the same or similar disabilities. While times are changing in our current society, there are more advantages given to those of (privilege) higher class. Parents of higher class families are able to provide for their children and grant them more access to technology, aide assistance and rehabilitation that those of lower class are not fortunate enough to receive. In episode 15, JJ found himself talking to his peers in his disabilities group about the potential of using a computerized tablet to assist him with speaking rather than having his aide Kenneth speak for him. The tablet is a rather new piece of technology that is being offered to nonverbal children, but accessibility is difficult. While JJ may believe that it proving himself to me more independent and to gain a piece of himself that he had not been lucky enough to have before, simply no advancement in technology can replace human interaction and their relationships. As the episode continues, JJ and Kenneth’s relationship is strained because Kenneth feels as if he is no longer needed in JJ’s life. While it is important for those who are disabled to have a sense of normalcy and independence, it is also important to have people ‘in your back corner’ as a backbone of support and reassurance. After spending a week ignoring Kenneth, JJ realized that he missed his friend (aide) and would rather have him speak on his behalf other than a piece of technology that can sometimes limit his resources.

As I have been doing in my recent tumblr posts, I have been watching episodes of the tv shows, Speechless and interpreted how children with mental and physical disabilities are being treated in their everyday lives and how such accommodations are lacking. In episode 3, ‘B-o-n-Bonfire’, the school in which JJ is enrolled is throwing their annual bonfire for their class before a big rivalry football game in the upcoming week. However, the bonfire is being held on the beach that can only be accessed by a rocky hillside. This in turn, forces JJ to bow out of the school activity, simply because there are no accommodations for him to participate. Knowing how involved his mom is in ensuring his equality, especially in school, she steps in and forces the bonfire to be moved indoors so JJ can attend. This is a prime example showing how little thought is put into including all students and providing accurate accommodations for those with food allergies or wheelchair accessibility when planning student driven activities. However, as the night of the bonfire rolls around, JJ is embarrassed by the fact that the entire event was moved solely because of him and he was worried that his classmates would in turn think less of him. Because the night has not turned out as planned, the principal asks the students why they are not having fun. Rather than saying they understand why the bonfire was moved locations due to JJ’s disability, the students say they want to treat JJ as an equal and not cut him any slack for ruining their night. They don’t want to let him off the hook just because he is in a wheelchair, so in a rather funny scene JJ’s non-handicapable friends tell him that they’re upset with him for ruining their night. Overall, JJ was happy to have taken the responsibility for his mother’s actions and was happy to finally be considered an equal. This is one time in the show where JJ is actually treated the same as his peers and was not given any ‘free-passes’ just because he could not walk. In reality, while those with special disabilities do need accommodations to meet their needs, all they want is to fit in with their peers and to not be looked at differently.

As mentioned in one of my earlier posts, the lack of funding or cooperation with families to provide opportunities for children with disabilities is a strong issue worldwide. In the show Speechless, a low socioeconomic family, the DiMeo’s have uprooted their past life to move to a new district to provide a wide range of opportunities for one of their children JJ who is living with cerebral palsy. Through episode 12, ‘H-e-r-Hero’, Maya endures a long list of obstacles to try and persuade an insurance agent to allow them the money needed to provide JJ with the needs he so desperately needs. Throughout the episode Maya puts herself in multiple different embarrassing situations in order to bond with the insurance agent as a way to persuade her to help her family. For example, she embarrassingly takes riding classes at a local ranch where she was aware that the insurance agent frequently rode at. However, the agent caught on to her antics and proceeded to tell Maya that she could not help her, as there are so many other families she has to provide aide for as well, and that her case was no different than the others she dealt with. It is understandable that there are a considerable number of families going through a similar situation as the DiMeo family, but there should not be a limit to the number of families receiving aide. While it is courageous for Maya to show such desire to persuade the insurance agent to allow them to get certain technological advances for JJ, parents or guardians should not have to turn their lives upside down in order to receive such benefits for their children, that are so easily given (at little to no cost) to those who are not disabled and or handicapable.

As discussed in class throughout the week, privilege is a concept that people find themselves abiding to with or without their own knowledge. While there is a variety of privilege that people are sometimes born into or develop throughout time, some people feel guilty about the ‘opportunities’ and ‘privileges’ presented to them. The feeling of guilt is prevalent with many people who are actually aware of their privilege, and that is why I chose to watch the seventh episode of Speechless, I-n-s-Inspirations. The episode opens with JJ and his aid Kenneth taking a ‘fun’ day and treating themselves to a ball game and the various perks JJ is given due to his disability. While the two are out enjoying themselves, the rest of the family remains at home bored because they are used to revolving their time around JJ. The family then decide to spend their day partaking in activities that they may not be able to do on a daily basis due to JJ’s physical in capabilities. Since JJ’s disability limits him from certain activities, the Dimeo’s decided to go paintballing. They were having a blast playing and being able to participate in something they had not realized they had been longing to do for so long. Mid paintballing, the Dimeo’s began to question if they were actually having fun, and were questioning their morality. They felt guilty for enjoying themselves in an activity involving physical activity, that JJ simply was not able to be a part of. This exact episode is a prime example of the privilege people have and often find themselves wondering why they are given it and not others. As mentioned in class, those with certain aspects of privilege need to recognize how those who are not ‘categorized’ under such privileges (in this case, privilege of walking) are not being granted the same opportunities and access to resources.

To further my research on mental disabilities and its representation in today’s society, I watched the second episode of Speechless, ‘N-e-New A-i-Aide’ to see how JJ is treated among his peers. The episode opens with Kenneth, the school janitor seeking out to be JJ’s aid at his new school, as he has come to realize a passion and special bond working alongside him. Most people with a disability require constant care and assistance, such as physical therapy to help with simple motor functions that are not easily learned for them. JJ wanted to par take in school activities, like the football team in order to co-exist with his peers, but his disability restricts him from such privileges. This lead Maya, his mother, to intervene and find a simple ‘medium’ to make JJ feel more included. The cost for such assistance and rehabilitation is very expensive, so people tend to avoid providing therapy and services their child may need, simply because it is too expensive. Therefore, many of those who are disabled are not given the proper care they so desperately need. On the show, the DiMeo family just recently moved into a run down home in a new district to allow JJ the proper education he deserves, even though they are struggling to afford the price of their 3 children’s needs. Also, Maya is continuously working hard with the school system and their financial companies to help accommodate JJ with paying for his physical therapy. Because Maya fought for her son, her requests were met and JJ was given private PT sessions in his home. Unlike Maya, people do not stand up for their children’s/family’s rights and privileges that they equal deserve, so they go their whole life without proper accommodations. People need to speak up about mental disabilities and fight for their rights; they are no different than those without disabilities and should be treated as such!

First, the mxactivist is directed towards the term genderqueer. The intention of the page is to stand up for the endangerment of trans kids in the 21st century. One of the page’s most beneficial strengths is that it provides advice as to assist those who are questioning their own genders and how they may want to identify themselves. However, there is only a limited amount of advice that one may give, because each person’s experiences may not relate to another person who is struggling with their identity, no matter the circumstance. I believe there needs to be a greater take on the idea of genders other than male and female, in the common day more and more people are going to come out as something other than what they were born as, and it is our job as a community to be understanding of all peoples. The page has opened the possibility to all people, myself included as to how we can all reach out to others and be more understanding than we may have been in the past. 

Second, thegayreich is a way of informing the world of the LGBTQ community worldwide. The page provides historic examples of people across the globe and how they react and experience all types of people. A major strength of the page is showing how no matter the area, all people are experiencing the same shift in or culture. It exemplifies that all people around the world need to unite as one community and support everyones as an equal. However, not all countries and places are as open or forthcoming about one’s gender and sexual preference. Rather they are non accepting, and no blog can create an immediate change. I cannot relate as closely with this page because it is a more broad interpretation of the LGBTQ community, as I am more interested in how it is becoming more known and excepted within my immediate community.